Today's Tweet

There's that feeling of something ain't right - that something ominous is going on - that 45* is running one of his stupid little loyalty tests on Dr Birx.

The stress has to be enormous.

At which point do you think she tuned him out and started questioning her own life decisions?

pic.twitter.com/6K24rji1M6

— 🌷Robyn (@rsmale) April 24, 2020

COVID-19 Update

We keep hearing some hopeful chatter about "flattening" and "tapering off", but until you're actually past the inflection point, you can't see it. And even then, you could be looking at a plateau instead the beginning of the downslope.

We can hope (and of course we should - nobody's wishin' for bad luck and knockin' on wood), but it's entirely possible we're just taking a little break, and we'll be right back at it real soon - we've been here before:

In the last coupla days, during his daily CoronaCast Live, 45* has tried to claim that 50,000 dead is the ceiling, and that we'd have to consider it a big win cuz after all, it coulda been so much worse yada yada yada.

By the time I get this posted, we'll be over 50,000, and we'll prob'ly be at 60,000 dead Americans by about Monday.

Fuck that fucking fuck Donald Trump.

Today's GIF

Be the cat

Today's Pix

click

⬇︎👁⬇︎

Wait - what? You died, Dan?

Today's GIF

Meet Brian Harrison - our Senior Lead on the Department of Health and Human Services Coronoavirus Task Force.

Is that your confidence swelling, or are you just glad to see me?

Today's PSA

Adley

Today's Brian

Why we can't have nice things.

Brian Tyler Cohen

The "argument" that Market Forces Cure All Ills is pure bullshit.

• Market forces didn't eliminate slavery
• Market forces didn't develop the polio vaccine
• Market forces didn't lead to cleaner air and water
• Market forces didn't create a thriving middle class

Market forces create the problems that normal everyday people are then expected to sacrifice their lives trying to rectify.

Mayor Goodman:

Notice also that she's trying to work an old "conservative" trick - the condescending dismissive chuckle when the silly libtard raises legitimate concerns, asks serious questions, and points out the flaws and fallacies in their "reasoning".

This One's For Allan

Short Roundup

Reuters:
Special Report: Former Labradoodle breeder was tapped to lead U.S. pandemic task force

“We developed a diagnostic test at the CDC, so we can confirm if somebody has this,” Azar said. “We will be spreading that diagnostic around the country so that we are able to do rapid testing on site.”

While coronavirus in Wuhan, China, was “potentially serious,” Azar assured viewers in America, it “was one for which we have a playbook.”

Azar’s initial comments misfired on two fronts. Like many U.S. officials, from President Donald Trump on down, he underestimated the pandemic’s severity. He also overestimated his agency’s preparedness.

As is now widely known, two agencies Azar oversaw as HHS secretary, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, wouldn’t come up with viable tests for five and half weeks, even as other countries and the World Health Organization had already prepared their own.

• It's been 3 months since Azar told us his super tests were on the way.
• It's been 7 weeks since Pence told us millions of test kits were on the way
• Right now, tests are available only to those who're symptomatic, which means each of those patients have been sick for at least seveal days, which means they've been infecting others for at least several fucking days.

Labradoodles!?!

Business Insider:

44 Texas spring breakers who partied in Cabo have tested positive for the coronavirus

Originally, 28 people who returned from the trip were confirmed positive, reported Tony Plohetski of local station KVUE-TV in a string of tweets on Tuesday. "According to officials, about 70 people in their 20s got on a chartered plane for a spring break trip about a week and a half ago," he wrote in a follow-up tweet. "Although they were not under a travel advisory at the time, people are still asked to limit travel to essential needs."

The chartered plane, which took off from the Austin airport, was part of an organized trip by college trip planner JusCollege, according to The Times. The company had sent out emails to students before the trip assuaging any coronavirus fears, reported local station KVUE. One sent on March 12 read, "we're currently in our 2nd week of Cabo and have had almost 5,000 travelers, all with no issues."

Profit before people.

skynews:

Coronavirus: Nicotine patches to be tested on patients after study suggests smokers less likely to catch COVID-19

Researchers in France say early data indicates those who smoke make up a disproportionately small number of people in hospital with COVID-19.

A study at Paris's Pitie-Salpetriere hospital suggests a substance in tobacco, thought to be nicotine, was preventing smokers contracting coronavirus.And then, most helpfully:

Those leading the study stressed they did not advise people to start smoking, with scientists pointing out it kills half of those who do so regularly - claiming around 75,000 deaths each year in France.

... as if any kind of admonishment would make any fucking difference to people who're already in panic mode - not so much panicked about the virus, but about looking to latch onto some bullshit magic bullet that'll help them rationalize their own mush-brained thinking about every goddamned thing in the whole fucking universe.

I Can Do It

Challenge accepted.