Sunday, April 5, 2020

And another day of facts, mistrust, ‘phase two,’ doubling down, blood tests, and a tiger comes to a close:

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” -- Lao Tzu

Deaths
US: 9,618 (+1166)
World: 69,456 (+4729)

"The most basic duty of government is to defend the lives of its own citizens," [Trump] told the 2016 Republican convention. "Any government that fails to do so is a government unworthy to lead." — And you have shown your unworthiness.

George W. Bush in 2005: “If we wait for a pandemic to appear, it will be too late to prepare.”

U.S. ‘wasted’ months before preparing for virus pandemic. A review of federal purchasing contracts by The Associated Press shows federal agencies waited until mid-March to begin placing bulk orders of N95 respirator masks, mechanical ventilators and other equipment needed by front-line health care workers.

The worst president. Ever. This fiasco is so monumental that it makes our recent failed presidents — George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter — Mount Rushmore material by comparison. Trump’s Friday night announcement that he’s firing the intelligence community inspector general who exposed his attempted extortion of Ukraine shows that he combines the ineptitude of a George W. Bush or a Carter with the corruption of Richard Nixon.

In a hastily scheduled news conference of his task force, the president doubled down on the suggestion that people should consider taking an anti-malaria drug that has not been proven to be an effective treatment for coronavirus.

A timeline of President Trump's promises and predictions on coronavirus — and how they stack up against the facts.

U.K. PM Boris Johnson admitted to hospital as 'precautionary step'. — You’ll recall he recently announced he tested positive for Covid-19.

CDC begins blood tests to find undetected coronavirus cases.

The US churches and pastors ignoring 'stay-at-home' orders.

Amid coronavirus pandemic, black mistrust of medicine looms. Some call such skepticism the “Tuskegee effect" — distrust linked to the U.S. government’s once-secret study of black men in Alabama who were left untreated for syphilis.

At the current rate, many fire departments will run out of personal protective equipment, like gowns and N95 masks, in weeks.

Italy starts to look ahead to 'phase two' as COVID-19 death toll slows.

Tiger at New York City's Bronx Zoo tests positive for coronavirus, becoming the first known infection in an animal in the U.S. or a tiger anywhere.

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.