Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

No one could have predicted…

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

This really is a full service blog.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

The GOP is a fucking disgrace.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

After roe, women are no longer free.

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Post Oval Office Address Open Thread

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Post Oval Office Address Open Thread

Looks like we could use a new open thread. If you all are going to keep posting spoilers from Star Wars, try to be considerate and state you’re posting spoilers from Star Wars. We don’t want to ruin the movie for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet!

And here’s a little mood music!

Open thread!

 

Reader Interactions

276Comments

  1. 1.

    joel hanes

    You must try some of my purple berries

    I’ve been eating them for six or seven weeks now

    Haven’t got sick once

    Probably keep us both alive

  2. 2.

    Amir Khalid

    Anyone who hasn’t seen Star Wars yet? That computeth not. Besides, that Kessel run stuff has nothing to do with the plot.

  4. 4.

    Peale

    I know it’s trivial in this time of crisis, but the Bucks get the trophy, right? Just automatically. I’ve only been waiting  49 years…

  9. 9.

    Avalune

    I think we are well past the sell by date on Star Wars so if these are spoilers, In the words of Mulvany – get over it!

  10. 10.

    Punchy

    NBA gone-zo, NCAA almost certainly next.  Mid-sized city economies everywhere screwed….

  11. 11.

    Elizabelle

    Adam Schiff.  “Incompetence kills.  Incompetence kills ….. we are now in the position of trying to make up lost time that we will never get back.”

  13. 13.

    JCJ

    @Peale:

     

    I’m all for it!  The only game I made it this year so far was when they lost at home to Dallas ending their winning streak.

  15. 15.

    Jeffro

    @Elizabelle: he’s a little more eloquent that my usual “this trumpov guy is such. a. fucking. moron.” rant

    But you know, give him a week… ;)

  16. 16.

    Avalune

    Today’s Balloon Juice ads are pretty stellar. First Snap Divorce, then some kind of lookup to find out if “he’s been cheating” and now I Have Hope for America because Jesus Christ! Can I report your ads for harassment?

  17. 17.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Avalune:

    I think we are well past the sell by date on Star Wars so if these are spoilers, In the words of Mulvany – get over it!

    Rosebud was Charles Foster Kane’s pet kitten.

  18. 18.

    Eural Joiner

    So Trump is currently tweeting clarifications to his speech that seem to contradict what he just said?!!? You can’t make this shit up.

  19. 19.

    khead

    There’s a whole bunch of casinos and also some hotels near NCAA tourney venues that are pretty ticked off right about now.

  23. 23.

    Avalune

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: speaking of spoilers though, we made my old supervisor a shirt of spoilers because she was always accidentally spilling the beans but you couldn’t be mad because of the adorable little horrified face at the realization and the little gasp.

  24. 24.

    PenAndKey

    You know what I love about this place? After multiple serious threads all day with some of the best real time coverage and analysis of the coronavirus issue I’ve seen on the web, we still have the time to have multiple regulars duking it out over the meaning of the word parsec.

  25. 25.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Mary G: the Hanks were in Australia

    Dan Goldman, top lawyer to Schiff and the Intel C’tee during impeachment, is trying to get tested in NYC and can’t

    Daniel Goldman @danielsgoldman
    Let’s be very clear: unless you have pneumonia and traveled to one of 5 high-risk countries recently, you can NOT get a #COVID19 test in New York City. If you, like me, have a fever and a headache (but tested negative for the flu), you are unable to rule out #COVID19. Shameful.

  29. 29.

    guachi

    @Eural Joiner: I just watched his speech. “These prohibitions will not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade and cargo <wheeze> but various other things as we get approval. Anything coming from Europe to the United States is what we are discussing.”

  33. 33.

    Peale

    @Eural Joiner: from bloomberg

     

    n a statement following Trump’s address, Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf clarified that the administration was suspending the entry of most foreign nationals who have been in any of 26 European nations in the previous two weeks.

     
     

    And while Trump said that the prohibition on European travel would “not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade and cargo but various other things,” a White house official subsequently said the restrictions would only apply to people and not goods.

    The restriction does not apply to legal permanent residents and immediate family members of U.S. citizens. Wolf said U.S. citizens arriving from Europe will travel through specific airports where they can undergo screening for the virus.

  34. 34.

    Amir Khalid

    @Ken:

    I remember that Anne Hathaway went on the Daily Show to promote the Les Misérables movie musical, and the studio audience gave her grief for mentioning that SPOILER ALERT! Valjean dies. This was in the 150th anniversary year of the book’s publication.

  38. 38.

    Mnemosyne

    @Mary G:

    To he fair, Hanks and Wilson seem to have gotten tested in Australia, which has universal healthcare, so they probably have enough tests to go around.

  39. 39.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @CaseyL: isn’t the new movie (miniseries? I don’t know) version of that coming out soon, with Whoopi Goldberg as Mother Abigail?

  40. 40.

    Sab

    Made Carol Cutlers Chicken Cacciatore recipe. Terrifying, because mother in law had recipe that EVERYONE adored.

    Spouse thought it was excellent.

    Especially good because spouse found recipe cooking midway on stove when I was asleep because boredom. Could have burned house down. Dull recipe. Excellent spouse.

    ETA tell them if you want to nap. Lots of best recipes cook a LONG time.

  41. 41.

    hilts

    Don Lemon is opening a can of whoop ass on John Kasich right now over Trumpenstein’s speech.

  43. 43.

    pamelabrown53

    And…Biden has taken the lead in Washington: 35 to Sanders 33.7. I think about 85% of the vote has been counted.

  45. 45.

    Mike in DC

    I wasn’t sure of the precise extent to which we’re all fucked, until after I saw that “speech”.  I am now certain that we are thoroughly and completely fucked.  So it’s good to have clarity.

  46. 46.

    bbleh

    @PenAndKey: Oh for heaven’s sake, it was some scriptwriter in the freaking 1970s who thought “secs” meant seconds — which it does — and didn’t have a clue what “parsecs” really means.  It was Star Trek-style technobabble.  And then they tried to rationalize it after the fact.  Jeez, even *I* knew that when I saw the movie when it came out.

  47. 47.

    Spanky

    Trump was led back to living quarters for beddybye and a downer nightcap. It’s probably left to the caddy to try and tweet-walk all this shit back.

  49. 49.

    bbleh

    @Mike in DC: Well, you know, the markets value certainty.  And now we’re certain.

    Oops, Dow futures off nearly 1,000 now.  Hmm, maybe certainty isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

  51. 51.

    Brachiator

    NBA gone-zo, NCAA almost certainly next.

    So does this mean no more Trump rallies?

    Oh man, that’s gotta hurt.

  56. 56.

    Timurid

    So I’ll be expected to come into work tomorrow and teach three classes like perfectly normal… I can’t fucking even…

  58. 58.

    Leto

    Star Wars spoiler: Jar Jar is the true Sith Lord.

     

    @bbleh: Hell I know that, but man, is it fun arguing with them! They’re the same people who get indignant over laughing at Star Trek culture. (Star Trek is for serious sci-fi nerds! The *hardcore* science lovers! lol)

  59. 59.

    Ken

    @Spider-Dan: Nothing big, just intentionally touching every mic and recorder at a press conference.

    The Darwin Awards are going to have an embarrassment of riches this year.

    (Apologies, but I’m in a state where I have to laugh or scream and might not be able to stop screaming.)

  60. 60.

    bluehill

    @Spider-Dan: Gobert is getting a ton of @!#$ for that, but who knows if that’s when he got it. If he did, also means that the owner of the phone or AV person that set up the mic had it before.

    If people really start to panic, they are going to want to blame someone. Already hearing of sporadic attacks on Asians. Guess French bball players and Europeans are next.

  61. 61.

    Avalune

    @Adam L Silverman: Haha I think he likes us using the form thingie. I submitted a request for the hamburger to look like a hamberger but it still does not. Maybe I didn’t use enough !!!1!!

  71. 71.

    CaseyL

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I heard about that.  I reserve judgment.  The ’94 miniseries was quite good, though I have some gripes, and it’ll be  interesting to see if the new one addresses any of them.

    Gripes: What was going on in the rest of the world?  Did every country have their own “Mother Abigail” and “Randall Flagg”?  Was the conflict the same everywhere? What about countries with no nukes, or different religious traditions?

    Gripe: Nadine’s hellish destiny (IIRC) was portrayed differently in the book; I seem to recall she fought it more.

    Another Nadine gripe:  The miniseries couldn’t decide if she was catatonic or lucid; she’d go from being catatonic to razzing Randall Flagg with razor-edged wit in the same scene.

    And so on.

  73. 73.

    WhatsMyNym

    @bbleh:

    Well, you know, the markets value certainty.

    The markets value folks buying stocks. If people start selling their mutual funds and ETF’s we’ll see a real slide down. Otherwise the bottom feeders will be out in force.

  74. 74.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    So the wife is arguing with some a-hole on FB and he randomly mentions he’s an Ayn Rand fan.  I love being able to drop this here quote I first saw on this top 10,000 blog.  “There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.”

  76. 76.

    Brachiator

    @pamelabrown53:

    And…Biden has taken the lead in Washington: 35 to Sanders 33.7. I think about 85% of the vote has been counted.

    The delegate count was about equal, but now Bernie doesn’t even get bragging rights.

  78. 78.

    L85NJGT

    For the record:

    Trump’s claimed tonight that health insurers “have agreed to waive all copayments for coronavirus treatments”

  80. 80.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Daniel Dale @ ddale8
    Trump, who has been relentlessly mocking Biden for his gaffes, just announced in an Oval Office address that he is banning goods trade from Europe although he is not banning goods trade from Europe.

    A distinct possibility: Trump had one of his regular reading issues. He said the “prohibitions will not only apply” to cargo. Very possible the text said the prohibitions “will not apply” to cargo, he accidentally added the “only,” and then, as usual, tried to roll with it.

  82. 82.

    Eural Joiner

    The health insurance industry is now disputing Trump’s claim they agreed to waive all fees for treatment of COVID 19. Testing, yes. Treatment, no. Jesus.

  83. 83.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Brachiator: Nope, he’s doing an event with the Republican Jewish Committee in Vegas tomorrow and they just scheduled a regular rally either end of this week or next week in Milwaukee.

  87. 87.

    Mary G

    @L85NJGT:

     

    Trump's claim tonight that health insurers "have agreed to waive all copayments for coronavirus treatments" seems to be news to them.“For testing. Not for treatment.” a spokesperson for the major insurance lobby AHIP says.— Sarah Owermohle (@owermohle) March 12, 2020

  89. 89.

    Sab

    @CaseyL: Played that for slightly older spouse. He enjoyed immensley. Realized I missed a whole decade of popular culture by following Scottish folk music of the 1990s. But that was amazing.

    And yes I was underwhelmed by Sam/Jamie’s sword dance. Have seen a lot of sword dances. His was meh on steroids. Odd look that, not satisfying.

  91. 91.

    Spider-Dan

    @bluehill: Given the incubation period of COVID-19, it is less likely that Gobert caught coronavirus from the mics/recorders, and more likely that he already had it and spread it.  While trying to make light of people being paranoid about this overblown story.

    So yeah, suspensions and/or lawsuits incoming.

  92. 92.

    West of the Rockies

    Amid the “We’re all gonna die!!!” commentary in the news (some of which is gallows humor, to be sure), remember that tens of thousands of people have recovered fully.  This is NOT to discount the tragedy of those who perished or the pain of those who mourn them.  I find myself needing to remember that this is not the apocalypse.

  94. 94.

    Mnemosyne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Gotta keep up the façade as best they can so Trump doesn’t go catatonic. When do they start constructing the Potemkin villages along all of his routes?

  96. 96.

    NotMax

    @Leto

    Spoiler from the distant future dropped from a wormhole.

    The ending of the “very last, absolutely final, no more ever, we swear” Star Wars movie is a shot of a young Jar Jar sitting in a corner and rocking back and forth while staring intently into a snow globe tesseract with “Souvenir of Hoth” prominently inscribed on the base.

  98. 98.

    lamh36

    So my university emailed that in-person classes will be suspended beginning next Monday.  All classes will be remote online via this thing called Zoom.

    Ya’ll this damn teacher tonight decided to have a lecture after the damn test today cause in-person classes have been cancelled as of next Monday, so tonight would be the FINAL in-person class and he wanted to get one more in…BASTARD!

    Welp…I don’t have to drive to class anymore. I can sit on my sofa and attend class from my living room…UGH. I mean I’m kinda happy I don’t have to drive to the Lakefront 3x a week, but still…ugh.

    Anyway…picked this up today!

     

    Two and a half months!!! #HCMGrad #UNO

  99. 99.

    Mary G

    @Mary G:

     

    I deleted the tweet I'd made pointing out the catch-22 of waiving copays for testing when there aren't tests available for people to take after several people told me Trump clearly said "treatment."Of course, it turns out he was wrong and told the whole country the wrong thing. https://t.co/ZeXpHpTFS9— Peter A. Shulman ? (@pashulman) March 12, 2020

  101. 101.

    Mnemosyne

    @West of the Rockies:

    I had a phone conversation with my brother in IL today and I reminded him that the death rate is averaging about 3 percent, but he still needs to be careful because our mom is in the highest risk group (over 70 with COPD and heart disease). We’ll probably be fine if we catch it (though I’m at slightly higher risk because of my asthma) but she may not be.

  106. 106.

    Kent

    @pamelabrown53: 
    And…Biden has taken the lead in Washington: 35 to Sanders 33.7. I think about 85% of the vote has been counted.

    It will only tilt further and further towards Biden as the count goes on. In WA they count the early vote first and the same-day vote last so to the extent that late deciders broke towards Biden that will show up more in the last vote counted.

    So, other than the tiny ND caucus, looks like Biden made a complete sweep on Tuesday and will likely make an even bigger on next week.

  107. 107.

    Jerzy Russian

    I posted this a while back, but many lines from Star Wars can be improved if you put the word “pants” in:

    l find your lack of pants disturbing.

     

    Perhaps you would like it back in your pants your highness.

     

    Lock the door, and hope they don’t have pants.

  110. 110.

    Ken

    @Adam L Silverman: Pro tip if you ever do read Les Misérables: There are long (very long) parts that are essays on various topics and have nothing to do with the plot.  It is somewhat like Moby Dick in that regard.  These may be skipped, or even torn out of the book entirely.

    Though you might like the essay on the Battle of Waterloo.

  112. 112.

    scav

    I am SO in awe of all that fabled Republican™-exclusive business acumen on display recently. Keeping ill citizens off the books so they didn’t actually happen and this magnificent measured steady hand on the market. Speaking of which, had the Dow fallen a parsec yet?

  113. 113.

    Jay

    Sanjay Gupta on CNN just verified that the CDC only processed eight tests for Corona virus today… And the president never raised the issue of testing in his speech tonight ?. Good luck on getting those tests— Joyce (@jycefisher) March 12, 2020

  114. 114.

    Brachiator

    @Adam L Silverman: 

    Nope, he’s doing an event with the Republican Jewish Committee in Vegas tomorrow and they just scheduled a regular rally either end of this week or next week in Milwaukee.

    Wow. Trump is hooked on the high he gets from his rallies. I wonder whether they will spray people down with disinfectant as they enter the halls and stadiums.

  115. 115.

    Amir Khalid

    @Leto:

    I keep telling people, Star Wars isn’t science fiction! It’s space opera, like Buck Rogers! That’s what Lucas was copying!

    //

  116. 116.

    Mary G

    More love from our allies!

    Speaking to European ambassadors in DC tonight they were clearly blindsided.
    One tells me there was "no indication" of this.
    Another: "we knew something was coming on travel from Europe but not this drastic. What is not understandable is the exception for the UK…" https://t.co/vWeRZuQfCd— Alexander Marquardt (@MarquardtA) March 12, 2020

  117. 117.

    debit

    @CaseyL: 

    (Yes, I know Stephen King said coronavirus isn’t Mr. Tripps. Still best opening music ever.)

    I don’t see why it can’t be Captain Tripps. We elected Stupid Greg Stillson, so why not?

  128. 128.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @CaseyL: I don’t remember the book or the 94 series that well, but I remember I liked both and I’m looking forward to the new one.

  131. 131.

    Marcopolo

    @Morzer: Wow.  Click through and read it.  Trump totally misstated the conditions of the European travel ban & who it affects.

  134. 134.

    Amir Khalid

    @Ken:

    That “essay” on Waterloo is, like,19 chapters long — I’d call that book-length. The essays on nuns and sewage are briefer and much more, um, digestible.

  135. 135.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Mnemosyne: As someone asked on Twitter, what if a US green card holder with, say, a UK passport enters NY from London. How can USCIS know he hasn’t spent the past month in the Schengen zone?

  136. 136.

    Mnemosyne

    @debbie:

    Shock doctrine. He thinks he can get all of the immigrant-bashing he wants under the guise of “disease control.”

    Unfortunately for him, you can’t lock viruses in a cage.

  137. 137.

    Aleta

    Mike Baker  @ByMikeBaker
    A home for veterans in Oregon has two residents that have tested positive for coronavirus. Both over age 80

  139. 139.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Ken: Thanks, but it is not really my kind of literature. And other than Lil Abner and Camelot, I’m not a musical fan, so no desire to see it on the stage or as a movie.

  140. 140.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Morzer: He won’t wear his glasses because he thinks they make him look weak. So he either leaves out words he can’t read or adds them to fill in what he can’t see and then tries to roll with it.

  141. 141.

    Leto

    @Amir Khalid: Haha, been there, have that t-shirt too :)

    I did see a pretty good Discovery Channel piece about how scientists/doctors were influenced by Star Wars, and what they decided to research. Robotic limb replacement for amputees was interesting.

  142. 142.

    joel hanes

    @Amir Khalid:

    I’m an engineer.   We state the blindingly obvious, and then go “What?” when people point and laugh.   I’ve killed the buzz at more parties than you can imagine.

  144. 144.

    Jay

    I will not post a guillotine meme I will not post a guillotine meme I will not post a guillotine meme… https://t.co/VI2fYfIGHj— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) March 12, 2020

    Tweet prompting this:

    Life in America’s Living room…French liquid gold just arrived from the winery direct…Filled by hand…3 Liter 2005 Château Climens 1er Cru perfection…Only at @TrumpDC Available by the glass or crystal spoon…#sauternes #wine #france #usa #washingtondc #americalivingroom pic.twitter.com/XVfwNUYMVB— Mickael Damelincourt (@mdamelincourt) March 11, 2020

  149. 149.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Heath Mayo@HeathMayo
    So, to recap—in the most important speech of his presidency, one running just 12 minutes, Trump misled the public twice:
    —trade goods flowing between the US & Europe are *not* subject to the ban
    —insurers are *not* waiving copayments for coronavirus treatments. Just testing.

  150. 150.

    So Very Tired

    A terrified 4 yo pissing his pants at Show & Tell, drugged up to the eyeballs, falling apart before our eyes.

    No reassurance, no hope, no plan. Just “NOT. MY. FAULT.”

    Fuck him. Trump checked out. Pence MIA.

    As of end of broadcast: NANCY PELOSI IS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

  154. 154.

    Mary G

    So many angry tweets not sent. I do think it’s important for me to dial back the snark during a situation like this, but I just want to say that I have a lot of angry tweets that I’m not sending.— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) March 12, 2020

  156. 156.

    Kent

    The House needs to hold hearings on any bail-out proposals from the White House and haul up the executives from all the companies looking for hand-outs.

    Southwest Airlines.  Bring their CEO up to the House to testify under oath.

    Question:   How large was the tax break that you received in 2017?   “$1.4 BILLION”

    Question:   What did you do with that money?  “Stock buybacks to benefit the stockholders”

    Question:  Did your employees share in that windfall?   “No

    Question:  Did you use some of that money to save for a rainy day?  “No”

    Question:   Now you are asking the taxpayers to bail you out to the tune of billions of dollars more when all you did with your last handout is funnel it up to the richest 1% of Americans?

    And so forth, rinse and repeat with Carnival Cruise lines and and every other corporation asking for a handout.

  159. 159.

    sdhays

    @Gin & Tonic: As of a few days ago (according to Twitter), they didn’t even care to note and advise you if you were coming from Northern Italy, so I think the answer is “USCIS doesn’t give a shit” as long as you aren’t brown or darker.

  160. 160.

    Jinchi

    @pamelabrown53: Biden has taken the lead in Washington: 35 to Sanders 33.7. I think about 85% of the vote has been counted.

    Remember when Iowa hadn’t reported results 2 hours after the caucuses wrapped up and Wolf Blitzer was having a meltdown.

    Good times.

  161. 161.

    Brachiator

    @Mary G:

    Another: “we knew something was coming on travel from Europe but not this drastic. What is not understandable is the exception for the UK…”

    Trump and the Queen have an understanding…

  165. 165.

    Morzer

    @So Very Tired:

    “This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather.” – Groundhog Day

    Pretty much sums up Trump’s latest miserably inadequate attempt at presidenting.

  167. 167.

    Marcopolo

    So I’ve had enough excitement & am about to head off for bed. But first:

    Joe Biden takes the lead in Washington state.He carries the first wave of new votes from King County (Seattle area) 58 to 37. Sanders led the initial King County count.https://t.co/doVYIqGkfb— Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn) March 11, 2020

    Biden has taken the lead in WA & is expected to wind up with a several point margin over Sanders when all the votes are counted.

  170. 170.

    NotMax

    @sdhays

    Remember the expressions on the faces of those kids trundled in and forced to pose with Saddam Hussein?

    That’s what he looked like.

  172. 172.

    rk

    I’ve been ill for a week. I have had fever on and off and chills. My kids are convinced it’s the Corona virus. My brother called my repeatedly insisting I go to the hospital. I work at a hospital which has had no positive cases. i don’t do direct patient care. I went to the doctor and tested negative for flu. I’ve had the flu shot. Doctor says flu test he uses is 60% effective. He thinks it could be flu or any virus which we don’t have a test for. He did not test me because I don’t fit the criteria. I have no congestion, no breathing issues, no dry cough. If we had enough kits there would have been no question of testing me for Corona. I’m writing this because I have the same symptoms as Rita Wilson (chills on and off).

    I have minimal contact with people in general. I don’t think I have the Corona virus, but  I wish I could be sure so as to not affect other people. I’ve not hidden anything from my colleagues or supervisors. No one seems bothered. Not sure what I else can I do.

  176. 176.

    Jay

    UPDATE: 3 Coalition personnel were killed during a rocket attack on Camp Taji, March 11. Names of personnel are withheld pending next of kin notification. Camp Taji is an Iraqi base that hosts @CJTFOIR personnel for anti-ISIS training & advising missions. Full statement below. pic.twitter.com/tDwxNwqNOZ— OIR Spokesman Col. Myles B. Caggins III (@OIRSpox) March 11, 2020

  180. 180.

    WhatsMyNym

    @rk:

    Doctor says flu test he uses is 60% effective.

    What I’ve read recently on medical sites is that that the flu test is only good in the first few days of the infection, longer for kids. So it’s rarely used on adults.

  181. 181.

    Jay

    if you are young & healthy and living in an area where elderly & immunocompromised people are being told to stay in their homes, check in on them! offer to pick up their groceries & prescriptions.the government is failing us but we knew they would. we keep us safe.— molly conger (@socialistdogmom) March 11, 2020

  184. 184.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Jay:&

    That moment C-SPAN didn’t realize they were broadcasting still…. pic.twitter.com/eoO2pgzCQt—

    Yeah… he’s taking this very seriously and gets the stakes

  186. 186.

    Adam L Silverman

    Oh goody!

  187. 187.

    Ken

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Trump misled the public twice:
    —trade goods flowing between the US & Europe are *not* subject to the ban

    Boy, someone who knew in advance that he was going to “mis-speak” could sure have made a killing by shorting the Dow futures indexes.  Even more if they knew when the “correction” would be released.

    (Assuming, that is, that the correction reversed the slide. It’s possible investors have learned enough about Trump to think “he’ll never admit he was wrong, this is going to become policy.”)

  188. 188.

    Jay

    Inside Trump’s Alternate Coronavirus Reality—I spent the past few days exploring the MAGA information bubble, where Fox hosts are crying "conspiracy," pro-Trump meme warriors are ridiculing people who are scared of the virus, and everything is going great https://t.co/8gWMP0zBhK— McKay Coppins (@mckaycoppins) March 11, 2020

  190. 190.

    Kent

    @Marcopolo: King County (Seattle) is absolutely Bernie-land.   If Biden is crushing it 58 to 37 in King County in same-day votes then this race is absolutely over.  There is no place in the country left to vote that is more Bernie-friendly than Seattle.

  192. 192.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @rk:

    He did not test me because I don’t fit the criteria. I have no congestion, no breathing issues, no dry cough.

    The dry cough is a major symptom. I wouldn’t be too concerned unless you start to have difficulty breathing. I hope you start feeling better

  193. 193.

    NotMax

    Resetting the clockski.

    The Russian parliament approved a sweeping constitutional reform in the third and final reading Wednesday, a move that will allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in power for another 12 years after his current term ends in 2024.

    The Kremlin-controlled lower house, the State Duma, endorsed a set of amendments to the constitution and a provision resetting the term count for Putin after the revised constitution goes into force by a 383-0 vote with 43 abstentions.
    [snip]
    The changes redistribute the executive powers of the Russian government in Moscow and further strengthen the power of the presidency, while also banning same-sex marriage and listing “a belief in God” as one of Russia’s traditional values. Source

  194. 194.

    Another Scott

    @Adam L Silverman: Threatening too, at least.  He wants the EU to bow down to him and pay him tribute before he opens the borders again.  (Recall that he’s wanted to put huge tariffs on European cars for years.)

    He’s so transparent.  Grr…

    tl;dr – follow the money.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  195. 195.

    Jay

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    tomorrow should be interesting for me.

    Street Medic patrol of 5 homeless encampments and a search for a 6th in the area we have heard about. News and rumour has trickled  down to the street level, so it probably won’t be the ususal stuff.

  196. 196.

    Aleta

    I  volunteer at a shelter on weekends.  People with respiratory symptoms there have less than 0 chance of getting tested right now.

  198. 198.

    rk

    @Adam L Silverman:

    I’m doing OK. The fever and chills are reducing in frequency.  I should be fine in a few days. My heart breaks for the doctors and nurses in our ED who will bear the brunt of it.

  200. 200.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Adam L Silverman:

    That was part of what helped move the president toward giving a public address. Those executives share his view – held by others at the White House – that the media is overstating the severity of the virus.

    Masters of the Universe. They’re part of the reason we can’t have enough paid sick leave.

    but that the psychology of the public needs to change.

    What does this mean? That the public shouldn’t practice social distancing? Shouldn’t avoid crowds? Shouldn’t stay home if they’re sick? Muh economy! Money over lives! That meeting sounded like something out of NK

  202. 202.

    Mike in DC

    @NotMax: LOL.  Comrade Vladimir will be 83 in 2036, when the Russian oil empire will be in the process of disintegrating.

  204. 204.

    West of the Rockies

    @rk:

    I have a similar story which I’ve shared here.  Briefly, family came down from Seattle in a rented car in late January.  They all got ill with now-notorious symptoms.  My partner got it from them.  She has asthma, but tested negative for flu or pneumonia.  She is recovering but weary two weeks later.  I got it but bounced back in a few days with lingering lethargy.  I’m about back to 90%.

  211. 211.

    scav

    Ah Republicans and your ‘Wartime President’ Remix.  Where is your One Percent Doctrine now?!

  212. 212.

    Redshift

    @Mary G:

    Glad he’s not waiting for next January: 

    Very smart. This is a golden opportunity to demonstrate “this is what a real president and government would look like in this situation,” and get people the accurate information they’re desperate for.

  213. 213.

    Citizen Alan

    @CaseyL:  IIRC, Nadine from the miniseries was actually a mashup of two different characters from the book, which is why her personality changed rather abruptly after she abandoned Larry after they made it out of NYC. That was the point at which the other character died in the novel.

  214. 214.

    different-church-lady

    TUESDAY MORNNG: “Wow, I’m going overboard on the booze a bit too often lately…”

    WEDNESDAY NIGHT: “WHY THE FUCKNG SHIT AM I BOTHERING BEING SOBER RIGHT NOW?!?”

  215. 215.

    Another Scott

    @Adam L Silverman: Indeed, but Miller is Donnie’s brain when it comes to immigration.  And Donnie is using immigration  and travel restrictions as a cudgel to try to force trade capitulation, etc.

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  217. 217.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @West of the Rockies:

    I wouldn’t mind seeing Putin get COVID-19 and die; he is older and probably has comorbidities as most older Russian men do. It would serve the asswipe right for still trying to encourage chaos and take advantage of the pandemic. Viruses don’t care about national borders. The world needs mutual cooperation, not nationalistic bullshit

  218. 218.

    Jay

    Normally, when an incumbent who is popular with his party is running unopposed in a primary — or when the opponents are fairly marginal figures most voters have forgotten actually exist — there’s very low turnout for the incumbent. That was not the case with Donald Trump last week, on Super Tuesday. He had a blowout primary, with people turning out in unexpected droves to vote for him.

    Trump voters knew that their vote wouldn’t matter in terms of Trump gaining the delegates for their state. They turned out to make a point: Trump’s voters are wildly enthusiastic. They don’t just talk the talk on social media; they walk the walk at polling stations, even when the results are a foregone conclusion.

    Read more: https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/03/another_primary_and_another_spectacular_victory_for_donald_trump.html#ixzz6GRbixALL
    Follow us: @AmericanThinker on Twitter | AmericanThinker on Facebook

  221. 221.

    Steeplejack

    @bluehill:

    Gobert is getting a ton of @!#$ for that, but who knows if that’s when he got it.

    Uh, I think people are up in arms not about that but about the possibility that Gobert had it already and then potentially infected everyone whose microphones, etc., he touched.

  223. 223.

    Mary G

    @Redshift: That’s one reason I’ve become resigned to Biden. He knows all the players in DC and who in the vast pool of experts sidelined for opposing Twitler would be best to start lining up now. He’s giving a speech tomorrow too and the contrast with tonight’s shitshow will be striking.

  224. 224.

    The Dangerman

    Holy fuck, I just watched some of the repeat on MSNBC. I don’t have enough alcohol tonight to assuage the pain; maybe I can just concuss myself. I’m not sure, swing a hammer, or just run real fast and run into a wall headfirst. Don’t really have a hammer, just a sledge, and that sounds kinda painful. But effective.

    One, apparently, orange makeup is apparently a useful shield against the virus as he layered on thick tonight. I’m thinking with a concrete trowel. Someone get that sick fuck a makeup brush.

    Two, they need to dial in his meds. He was dosed upppppp the ass.  Amazing.

  225. 225.

    NotMax

    Listened to Dolt 45’s entire address.

    Delivery was like one of those scenes in media when prisoners or captives read prepared confessions under duress.

  228. 228.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Steeplejack:

    That’s what I understand. He was infected, the team tested him and after the press conference, they notified the media. Still trying to nail down the exact timeline.

  229. 229.

    Llelldorin

    @Mary G: So if Biden sets up a viable shadow government mid-campaign, can we just convince everyone to listen to it instead of the real one? Particularly if the real one is stumbling around stoned off its ass trying to find a way to address a pandemic with tax cuts?

  231. 231.

    LongHairedWeirdo

    @bbleh: What annoys me about it is, there’s an even better explanation than the one they came up with.

    If hyperspace travel has an absolute maximum velocity, then a “parsec” can be defined as  a unit of time, as well as distance, the same way a “light year” depends on both. Alas, both units are very earth-centric, but a parsec would be more easily adapted as a set distance, subtending an angle, from the center of whatever-body you’re on.

    Anyway: the point is, just as a light year has  the absolute minimum non-hyperspace travel time of one year (because nothing is faster than light in a vacuum, unless Einstein has earned his “whirligig Albert” moniker), a parsec could be the time taken to travel that distance, at the theoretical maximum speed through hyperspace, and a *ship* would have  bragging rights for having gotten pretty darn close to that. (Which isn’t to say the pilot wouldn’t potentially require great skill, as well.)

    Alas, I never got a screen writing job for Star Wars, which you can tell because Jar Jar never said “oh, shit, man, you think that’s how I *really* talk? Naw, that’s just how I put the rubes off, and make them think I’m a simpleton.”

    “But Jar Jar… you *are* a simpleton.”

    “Yes, but they won’t *know* that until… uh… hold on. DAMN! You spotted the flaw in my disguise!”

  232. 232.

    Mary G

    WaPo has no fucks left to give, finally:

    “Trump turned in a laboring performance — one intended to project calm competence that instead seemed to reveal uncertainty. Seated behind the Resolute Desk, the president struggled at moments to read the words on the teleprompter.“ https://t.co/pYgj05H4cW— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) March 12, 2020

  233. 233.

    sdhays

    Seriously, why is Dump refusing to declare a national emergency? I know he doesn’t care about people dying, but the DOW clearly wants him to pretend this is serious. Is it just stubborn disbelief that things are bad and rapidly getting worse or is he trying to punish blue states or something similarly corrupt and petty?

  235. 235.

    West of the Rockies

    What I want to know is how do you like your orange-faced turd now, Mr. Maga voter?

  238. 238.

    chris

    Time to pull the covers over my head. Week old interview from British channel 4:

    CEO of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations Dr Richard Hatchett explains the long-term dangers of the Covid-19 coronavirus – saying it’s the scariest outbreak he’s dealt with in his 20-year career. Link

    Sleep tight, everybody.

  239. 239.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @sdhays: Generally, some combination of malevolence and incompetence is to blame for what he does.  If you are askomg what the specific mix is this time, I would say 100% of each.

  240. 240.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @NotMax:

    It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it -Upton Sinclair

  241. 241.

    Ruckus

    @Cheryl Rofer:

    Unfortunately that is not only good, it is very, very true.

    pandumbic.

    More realistic that shit for brains, dumbass, President Moron, etc, etc.

  242. 242.

    Redshift

    @sdhays: He’s not declaring an emergency because he thinks it would make him look bad after “everything is fine and I’m winning the virus fight!”, and he doesn’t know anything about anything, so he probably didn’t know anything about the policy implications and thinks it’s just a PR thing.

  243. 243.

    sdhays

    @HumboldtBlue: If it is wag the dog, I think they’ll be disappointed. When everything is shutdown because the government fucked up, the appetite for war with Iran is going to be low.

  245. 245.

    Morzer

    https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/rubycramer/bernie-sanders-democratic-primary-joe-biden-campaign

    Last weekend, a few days after Elizabeth Warren dropped out, Shakir and one of his deputy campaign managers, Ari Rabin-Havt, started contacting her top staffers and supporters to see what could be done to bring together the two camps before the primaries on Tuesday.

    Sanders spoke to Warren a “handful” of times throughout the week, a campaign aide confirmed, but she has declined to offer her endorsement.

    Several figures in Warren’s circle balked at the outreach effort — Sanders and his aides, they said, had months to lay the groundwork for that kind of partnership, but only did so this week from a position of desperation. About a month ago, when it was clear that Warren had little chance to win, one person inside the campaign said they put out feelers to Sanders’ operation in an attempt to create new lines of communication. At the time, senior Sanders officials showed little interest, the person said, in reciprocating.

  246. 246.

    Kent

    @Redshift:@sdhays: He’s not declaring an emergency because he thinks it would make him look bad after “everything is fine and I’m winning the virus fight!”, and he doesn’t know anything about anything, so he probably didn’t know anything about the policy implications and thinks it’s just a PR thing.

    If there is no emergency then why are we event talking about financial bailouts?

    Just saying…

    Pelosi should tell the White House.  “Come back and talk to us about financial packages and bail-outs and tax cuts AFTER you have declared an emergency.

  248. 248.

    BruceFromOhio

    Today’s mantra: WYFH STYF. Or it’s alternate, STYF WYFH. They are interchangeable.

    My colleagues are afraid, though they strive to keep fear in check and be thoughtful, as I do. We keep our voices neutral as we discuss contingency plans, and what supplies are on hand.

    No one I know in person pays heed to the theater of the Executive branch.

    My youngest is here, stranded without plans after the cancellation of SXSW and the closure of the university. My eldest is not too far distant, though she, too, feels the urge to flight. How to address the fear without fanning its flame? I’m scratching my head on that one. They deserve better. I try very hard not to think too much about my parents in Florida.

    Privately, I am preparing for 4-6 weeks of self-imposed quarantine, starting when my employer tells us not to return. Plenty of time to work on getting the gardens ready, because whatever happens, spring is still coming. I think about Cole and his canning posts. Prescient bastard.

    May Gaia bless your lands, your lives, and those you love.

  250. 250.

    LongHairedWeirdo

    @debit: What’s horrifying to me is, I can *just see* Trump using a child as a human shield. And autographing a picture of the child, to give to the parents, in gratitude for “your son/daughter’s selfless sacrifice”.

    (Okay, I don’t expect him to actually *say* son-slash-daughter’s, but I won’t give you more than 3-1 betting odds against. With Trump, any stupidity is possible.)

  253. 253.

    Jay

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    so far, 9,361,134 people have voted for Dumph in what is basically an uncontested Primary. 205,494 voted for Weld.

    18,876,109 people have voted in the contested Democratic Party primaries.

    In what was basically an uncontested Democratic Party primary in 2012,  6,158,064 Democratic Party members turned out to vote for President Barak Obama.

    798,050 didn’t vote for President Barak Obama.

  254. 254.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Kent:

    Because Trump’s stock holdings that he was supposed to divest himself from are getting hammered silly. Money over lives

  255. 255.

    Kent

    @Morzer: It’s too late now anyway.  The primary is over.   King County (Seattle) same day votes is coming back 58-37 in favor of Biden and that is the most pro-Bernie stronghold in the entire country that was left to vote.

    Biden is already forming his shadow cabinet of health care experts.   The whole country is moving on.

  260. 260.

    Jay

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    so far, and the Primaries are not over yet, Dumph has the ReThugs turning out to crown him at roughly 50% greater rate than Obama had in 2012, and at roughly the same pace/volume so far as turned out for the 2016 ReThug Primary.

    Dumph’s base is turning out for an inconsequential, performative vote that’s not even being really mentioned.

    It might matter in November.

    And also reinforces the idea that there are no significant number of “Dumph” voters for the Democratic Party to chase after.

  261. 261.

    Ruckus

    @The Dangerman:

    What do you think he’d be like if they didn’t have him doped up to the rafters?

    I say “Does it really matter if he’s high as a kite?”

    My answer is No, it really does not.

  262. 262.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Jay:

    I mean, don’t you think COVID-19 and the likely resulting economic fallout will have an effect? Many of his supporters either tend to be older or have older family members. I don’t wish harm on them, but I think this is inevitable at this point

  263. 263.

    Ruckus

    @sdhays:

    trump thinks he’s a genius. Not one sane person on the planet believes that. All they had to do to get him to do that disaster of a speech is write it for him, make the font on the teleprompter big enough so that he has a possibility of a chance to maybe read and pronounce the words, dope him up enough that he won’t go off too far into gibberish land, lead him back to the toilet with his wittle phone thingie, and lie to him about how good he did. He’s the cardboard cutout president, with a bad tape recorder voice, stuck on stupid.

  265. 265.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Amir Khalid: Anyone who hasn’t seen Star Wars yet? That computeth not. Besides, that Kessel run stuff has nothing to do with the plot.

    The real plot is in the first five minutes of New Hope; Anykin Skywalker’s long lost daughter steals Anykin’s plans, gives it to a robot Anykin built as a child, who in turn takes to down the planet were Anykin’s long lost son and former mentor happen to be hanging out. And then nine more movies just as absurd happened. People talk about the Kessel Run because thinking about the plot of any given Star Wars movie makes one’s brain hurt.

    Abrams should have got the same woman who edited New Hope to edit Rise of the Skywalker.

  267. 267.

    Mnemosyne

    @Mary G:

    Since the Biden speech was announced first, I’m guessing that Donnie’s surprise speech was meant to steal his thunder. Too bad, so sad.

  268. 268.

    Jay

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    Adam keeps pointing out that the President is elected by the Electoral College, not the Popular Vote.

    Trumpists are turning out in “droves” for a performative vote.

    What will they do in the General?

    Keep in mind, their propaganda blames the “Liberals” for Covid19 and it’s fallout,

    When they bother to mention it at all.

    Will personalized “excess deaths” and economic losses cause that bubble to burst?

    Current events so far amongst the Billionaire and Millionaire classes, suggest no. They are still all in on Dumph so far when far saner heads would have bailed. The Koolaide, the Judges, the Tax Cuts are more addictive than crack.

  269. 269.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Jay:

    This thing is just getting started. It’s premature to say nobody will change their minds over this. Very few people have died so far, most of the country hasn’t been infected yet, and the economy is still chugging along. That’s likely not going to stay that way forever. Just look at Italy. That’s what many parts of the US will look like in a few weeks to a month. All it takes is a slim margin of people to change their minds

  270. 270.

    Martin

    @Mary G: Washington state hospitals not that far off.

    Unlike at any other hospital in the United States, the staff members at the hospital in Kirkland, Wash., have faced the brunt of the rapidly escalating coronavirus outbreak. So far, 65 people who have come through the hospital have tested positive for the virus, a number that grows by the day. Fifteen of them have died, mostly residents of a nearby nursing home devastated by the illness and half the nation’s death toll.
    While much of the country is just starting to see clusters of cases emerge, the hospital east of Seattle offers a window into the challenges set to cascade through the nation’s health care system, testing the resilience of workers, the readiness of institutions and the flexibility of supply chains.
    The past few weeks have seen medical workers operating at the very edges of their capabilities, facing a virus so virulent that some patients were dying within hours of coming down with their first symptoms.
    Caregivers who had been sent home into quarantine had to be called back to work to face the overwhelming task at hand. Engineers spent late nights scrambling to overhaul rooms so that contaminated air could not escape. Sanitation and janitorial crews struggled to swab down rooms where even a trace of the virus could infect the next patient. Supplies were so strained that nurses turned to menstrual pads to buttress the padding in their helmets.

    But through it all, they have kept coming to work, even after some expressed worries about risks to their own health, and what they might bring home to their families. A new-employee orientation on Monday was packed.

    “We have not had issues with staff not wanting to come in,” Barb Jensen, the manager of trauma services, said as workers rushed to bring the new patients into the emergency room. “We’ve had staff calling and say, ‘If you need me, I’m available.’”

     

     
    First, my aunt is an RN, and my grandmother was an RN. And RNs are the best that humanity has to offer.

    Second, this is the effect from one nursing home with 150 patients. The Villages in Florida has 51,000 residents in the same age range. Laguna Woods in CA is 16,000. Sun City AZ is 37,000.

    We need wartime level concentration of resources into medical supplies, equipment, expansion of facilities.

    So, I’m still working through some data, but there’s two distinct fatality rates emerging. Places like Wuhan, Italy where hospitals were overrun – and places like the rest of China, South Korea, etc. where they were not. In places where they were not, fatality rate was about 1%, sometimes less. That’s 10x the flu. For places where they were overrun – it around 5%.

    If half the nation catches this, and we can spread it out over a long enough period of time, we’re looking at maybe 1.5 million fatalities. If we can’t we’re looking at 7.5 million. 6 million people’s lives may be relying on us not going out, not flying, washing hands, and so on.

  271. 271.

    Martin

    @Jay: Bubble? If 50% of the country catches this, 3 percentage points of Trumps 2016 electoral margin will have straight up died from Coronavirus. We don’t need to worry about the optics or their feelings. His voters are now in the ground.

  273. 273.

    SWMBO

    @Martin:  I live in South Florida, where there are LOTS of people in the bad age range (I could be one of them).  While you’re crunching those numbers and possibilities, you’re giving us the immediate, short range possibilities.  What are the long range possibilities?  You keep saying if we can stretch it out, we can lower the fatality range from 6 million to 1.5 tops.  How long are you talking about stretching it out?  A month? Two months? Six months? A year?

  274. 274.

    Fair Economist

    @SWMBO: Google says about 100,000 ICU beds in the US. Say we can use half for SARS2. With a 2 week stay each that’s 100,000 critically ill handled per month. If that is 5% of infected infections have to stay below 2 million a month. 30% of the population is 100 million, so we need to drag this out for 4 years if we can’t limit spread.

    I think the more realistic option is South Korea style – test and distance to get infections to a minimum. Then we can get to a situation of periodic outbreaks managed by testing and distancing, with interims of milder distancing.

  276. 276.

    J R in WV

    Reading these comments is insane.

    We tried to watch trump, internet connection dropped speed to way below that needed to support video, so haven’t seen the speech at all.

    But your comments now are terrifying — if he can’t read a 10 minute speech without losing track and messing up what was intended to be announced, setting policy by random blurting  — we are really hosed.

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