Balloon Juice | Anne Laurie, Author at Balloon Juice

Anne Laurie has been a Balloon Juice writer since 2009.

Monday Morning Open Thread: Step Forward

by Anne Laurie| June 1, 20206:09 am| 127 Comments

This post is in: Biden For President, Civil Rights, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Space

Well lit. Spacious. Has a blue/green planet in window. 10/10 @Space_Station pic.twitter.com/Wf5uvz1EC9
— Room Rater (@ratemyskyperoom) May 31, 2020

US astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken enter the International Space Station after docking, in the first manned SpaceX mission ?????????????https://t.co/QTtveC7fUv pic.twitter.com/GAzK2iunDs
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 31, 2020

I will be introducing an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to discontinue the program that transfers military weaponry to local police departments.
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) May 31, 2020

‘Where is Joe Biden?’ the press howls, as Joe Biden is out in the streets meeting with protesters while the actual President locks himself inside and tweets all day.
— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) May 31, 2020

“You’ve got to get that crazy guy out of office.”pic.twitter.com/RBuwYEiLs5
— Andrew Weinstein (@Weinsteinlaw) May 31, 2020

President Trump spent much of Sunday using Twitter to urge tougher action by police against protesters. Joe Biden quietly visited the site of protests in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. https://t.co/wwawxYtWLt
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 1, 2020

Monday Morning Open Thread: Step ForwardPost + Comments (127)

COVID-19 Coronavirus Update: Sunday / Monday, May 31 – June 1

by Anne Laurie| June 1, 20204:52 am| 20 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19 Coronavirus, Foreign Affairs

Here are 20 charts that show the ways in which coronavirus changed us https://t.co/GLxVbttCEO
— Bloomberg (@business) May 31, 2020

6,278,606 #Coronavirus cases as of 2020-06-01 04:20:01 pic.twitter.com/qyCR0A4QFw
— Coronavirus Data Tracking Bot (@corona_tracking) June 1, 2020

The mayor of Atlanta, one of dozens of U.S. cities hit by massive protests after the police killing of a black man, has a message for demonstrators: “If you were out protesting last night, you probably need to go get a COVID test this week.” https://t.co/kRM1WZYBYT
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 31, 2020

Will racism set off a second #COVID19 wave?
https://t.co/c3R1dJdMcJ
— ?????????????? (@someknew) June 1, 2020

Angry commenters are trying to “gotcha” me on this tweet so let me be clear:
Yes, I condemned the anti-lockdown protests. Yes, I support the #BlackLivesMatter protests. No, those aren’t contradictory views. COVID is a public health emergency. So is racism. We need to fight both. https://t.co/ilZHpcS5Te
— Ellie Murray (@EpiEllie) May 31, 2020

We are giving away a medicine that we have shortages of, and Americans with certain diseases will die without, so that it can be used for an application in which it actually causes more harm. Everything is fucking awful https://t.co/TmnmGh7wsM
— Charlie Schaez (@cSchaez) May 31, 2020

The White House’s official narrative about the pandemic is contradicted by the facts—and creates new obstacles to stopping the virus. https://t.co/OGctRHxo5D
— COVID19 (@V2019N) May 30, 2020

EXCLUSIVE: Russia, after approving Japanese COVID-19 drug, to roll out 'game changer' next week https://t.co/lWnmA3qUDK by @A_Osborn pic.twitter.com/jqeQpknvIV
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 1, 2020

South Korea reports 27 new cases of the coronavirus, including 21 from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, where officials are scrambling to stem transmissions linked to clubgoers and warehouse workers. https://t.co/a1S6mxmC2t
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 31, 2020

Hong Kong reports first local COVID-19 cases in two weeks https://t.co/9Mu0D6VROD pic.twitter.com/knjqywp2kT
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 1, 2020

Singapore confirms 408 new coronavirus cases on monday: health ministry https://t.co/t76aqI8re6 pic.twitter.com/DJstqEYMkk
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 1, 2020

India announced major easing of #coronavirus lockdown, even as the number of cases continue to increase. The country's leaders said Saturday that a major relaxation of the world's biggest coronavirus lockdown would begin in early June https://t.co/jK8CiGXnxS pic.twitter.com/NP1W3Ho9Cg
— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) May 30, 2020

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COVID-19 Coronavirus Update: Sunday / Monday, May 31 – June 1Post + Comments (20)

When no ambulance would pick up the body of the first victim of the coronavirus in Nepal, a small group of volunteers transported the remains for cremation. They have been helping infected people infected, bringing them to the hospital. https://t.co/2AQPMDEUtF pic.twitter.com/BG0XI3dCIl
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 1, 2020

Afghanistan faces 'impending catastrophe' as number of coronavirus cases passes 15,000https://t.co/qunCCZEgtb pic.twitter.com/SilA3sRwwA
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 31, 2020

Iran reports that #coronavirus cases have surpassed 150,000 cases https://t.co/3xS4utv4Tu via @medical_xpress
— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) June 1, 2020

Spain records its lowest number of new infections in almost three months, with 96 new caseshttps://t.co/B1wY5s28e7 pic.twitter.com/NwzfdVd6mv
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 31, 2020

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 333 to 181,815: RKI https://t.co/fuSbkNUbBt pic.twitter.com/8qrUFFUUK3
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 1, 2020

South Africa partly lifts lockdown to try to fix battered economy https://t.co/1lfvaoNNbo pic.twitter.com/vL2Yx6qLE7
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 1, 2020

Keep an eye on Brazil: #COVID19 cases continue to mount. Nearly 500k to date. Pres. Jair Bolsonaro has berated governors & mayors for what he calls "the tyranny of total quarantine." Brazil is 2nd to the US in total cases; 4th globally for COVID deaths https://t.co/C9WYNySj89 pic.twitter.com/6jBxMqNFkN
— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) May 31, 2020

Reopening schools & businesses requires consideration of a very real possibility — super spreaders. A super spreader event at a recently re-opened Israeli high school resulted in 103 new #coronavirus cases https://t.co/Y4mNZYIBFZ pic.twitter.com/2hQC5x5nUb
— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) May 31, 2020

Sipping fine wine and eating garlic snails beneath a plastic lampshade? That and other unusual inventions may be the future of virus-era dining in restaurants in Paris and elsewhere. https://t.co/B81QHNybVb
— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) May 28, 2020

“Athletes aren’t necessarily being seen as the humans they are, with the families they have.”
The @AP spoke with more than 24 athletes representing 7 countries and 11 sports about their concerns over resuming competition in a pandemic.
by @howardfendrich https://t.co/sKBzyHJPVS
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) May 28, 2020

NCAA releases campus-return guidelines https://t.co/j9rALtUiMa pic.twitter.com/M9ZLqZBg6h
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 30, 2020

‘So much of our business hinges on these home football games,’ said Dante Lucchesi, who owns a restaurant in State College, Pennsylvania – the home of Penn State University. Lucchesi is one of thousands of local business owners in university towns across the country on edge pic.twitter.com/N0krv1KtJY
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 30, 2020

No lounging around on the sand, no picnicking or sunbathing: Is this the #NewNormal for beaches? https://t.co/1Uq2k54pSO pic.twitter.com/xUAGT26KMy
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 29, 2020

Late Night Open Thread: Choose Your Side

by Anne Laurie| May 31, 202010:42 pm| 155 Comments

This post is in: Civil Rights, Open Threads, Post-racial America, Trumpery

Surveying the Whirlwind https://t.co/Pit2PvfFmW
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) May 31, 2020

… The country is almost three months into a bewildering and totally unprecedented nationwide public lockdown. Thirty or forty million people have lost their jobs. More than (probably many more than) one hundred thousand people have lost their lives. And – critically – this great civic storm has been borne disproportionately in the nation’s great cities and among its black and hispanic working classes. Meanwhile much of May has been taken up with public discussion and protest about people’s demands for haircuts and freedom from cloth masks. I’m not saying this is because of the pandemic. But it’s certainly the context outside of which none of this can be truly understood…
We are still in the midst of this historical moment in which rising and growing public demands for a more equitable and just society are colliding with a consolidating backlash against them. This is the confrontation that gave us Trumpism and his presidency – inextricably bound up with his brazen and indifferently predatory personality – is only intensifying the conflict. Trump first tried to inflame the violence in his favor. In the last 24 hours, much as he did with COVID, he seems to have gotten tired of the civil conflict and wanted to move onto something more fun – to space launches, judicial nominations, anything. Shortly enough, he’ll return to incitement. It is hard not to look at all of this and not see an escalating gyre of public crises and catastrophes, many of which are not entirely the fault of the President, but all of which are deepened, accentuated and inflamed by his disastrous and cataclysmic presidency.
Living in history is about not knowing the future. As observers and participants all we can do – what we must do – is align our values and the future we would like to live with the reality of the moment and our actions within it and push forward to whatever that future will be.

IT’S NOT A BUNKER IT’S A MAN CAVE https://t.co/ybSx7aq7ZL
— kilgore trout, potato thief (@KT_So_It_Goes) June 1, 2020

Yep.https://t.co/FHEW4MZFGp https://t.co/5YjTfqd5Nd pic.twitter.com/loOX9Ci6Qi
— Definitely Not a Sock Puppet Fred (@LesserFrederick) June 1, 2020

The NYTimes, still insisting ‘we’ should all gobble down that… Shinola:

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Late Night Open Thread: Choose Your SidePost + Comments (155)

Sunday Evening Open Thread: In Hellworld, Mockery Is Our Sharpest Weapon

by Anne Laurie| May 31, 20207:39 pm| 242 Comments

This post is in: Information Warfare, Open Threads, Trumpery

Elmo is looting Target https://t.co/QzvlbOprra
— The face toucher (@JonIsAwesomest) May 30, 2020

I thought I was joking! https://t.co/VSyxuHTWmy
— The face toucher (@JonIsAwesomest) May 31, 2020

I want a quiet word with whoever wished on the monkey's paw that coronavirus would stop being a front page story
— Pinboard (@Pinboard) May 30, 2020

Meanwhile, Trump has declared that he will declare ‘Antifa’ a terrorist organization. He will also declare ‘wind’ — he calls it ‘the nasty element, very bad, it kills many many birds and causes the windmill cancer’, even apart from its insolent treatment of strong important very manly hair arrangments — a terrorist element, with just as important an effect on tomorrow’s weather as trying to stamp out a mostly non-hierarchical movement by force will have on the anarchists…

nuclear testing https://t.co/f6cwHptO9Y
— Gerry Doyle (@mgerrydoyle) May 29, 2020

look all things considered we should probably hope he just spends the next week ragetweeting at jack https://t.co/HJR5lURzst
— Galar Regional Medical Director (@weedlewobble) May 29, 2020

tired: being a part of a major historical event
wired: being a part of several major historical events https://t.co/dYVTCKXHmh
— Ariana Lenarsky (@aardvarsk) May 30, 2020

Welcome to America, the best country ever, where one party is a hayseed death cult and their leader is jealous of a riot for taking attention away from him
— Erin insulin fan Ryan (@morninggloria) May 29, 2020

the beatings will continue until people stop protesting the beatings
— James "Stay In. Make Masks. Test People" Palmer (@BeijingPalmer) May 31, 2020

YouTube's homepage this week will feature a black ribbon of solidarity right above the recommended links to videos explaining how coronavirus is a conspiracy to dilute the aryan bloodlines
— Pinboard (@Pinboard) May 31, 2020

I hope the 2020 election is Transition to Competence.
— Steve Metz (@steven_metz) May 30, 2020

Sunday Evening Open Thread: In Hellworld, Mockery Is Our Sharpest WeaponPost + Comments (242)

Proud to Be A Democrat Open Thread: Joe Biden Is A Good Man

by Anne Laurie| May 31, 20208:30 am| 97 Comments

This post is in: Biden For President, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat

This is not abstract: a black reporter was arrested while doing his job this morning, while the white police officer who killed George Floyd remains free. I am glad swift action was taken, but this, to me, says everything.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 29, 2020

Every day that Donald Trump spends in the White House, he further debases the values and ideals of our nation. He is wholly unfit to be president. pic.twitter.com/Fq90hSLuLz
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 30, 2020

George Floyd's brother tells @TheRevAl on @MSNBC that he spoke to both @JoeBiden & @realDonaldTrump .
George's brother said, Joe listened & was very sorry & compassionate.
He said, Trump cut him off, talked over him & didn't want to hear what he had to say.
— Scotty D (@thedoggeneral1) May 30, 2020

Yep
— Scotty D (@thedoggeneral1) May 31, 2020

biden has decided since trump isn’t gonna do the job he may as well just start being president now https://t.co/KK5gO6shYm
— kilgore trout, potato thief (@KT_So_It_Goes) May 31, 2020

Biden staff donate to group that pays bail in riot-torn Minneapolis https://t.co/AhLRsc6Zgg pic.twitter.com/1fzA3o9sRF
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 31, 2020

Proud to Be A Democrat Open Thread: Joe Biden Is A Good ManPost + Comments (97)

Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Spring Unfolding

by Anne Laurie| May 31, 20205:24 am| 48 Comments

This post is in: Garden Chats

From our own WaterGirl:

These pics are in order of what bloomed first this spring.
It’s been a great spring for flowers, at least!
Striped squill & baby irises
Windflowers
Windflowers amid tulip leaves
Virginia bluebells
Pink tulips
Back corner
Mount Tacoma double tulips
Tulip mix
To be continued…

***********
I covet that serene corner vista!

(Well, TBH, I covet any garden vista that doesn’t remind me how much repair it needs ASAP, if you know what I mean, and you gardeners probably do…)

What’s going on in your garden(s), this week?

Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Spring UnfoldingPost + Comments (48)

COVID-19 Coronavirus Update: Saturday/Sunday, May 30-31

by Anne Laurie| May 31, 20205:14 am| 38 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19 Coronavirus, Foreign Affairs

As countries around the world consider easing restrictions, attention is being focused on the best ways to avoid a second wave pic.twitter.com/hYNN5R8QJP
— BBC World Service (@bbcworldservice) May 30, 2020

I was cautiously optimistic that cities, like NYC, that have been under #COVID19 #lockdown for 10+ weeks could transition towards opening, renewal. But across America the rage over George Floyd's murder & police violence against African Americans has eliminated social distancing. pic.twitter.com/HMI8gVoz1p
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) May 30, 2020

Global coronavirus cases surpass 6 million https://t.co/iMi2JWN5f4 pic.twitter.com/PCexXOoLIC
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 31, 2020

#UPDATES US records 960 #coronavirus deaths, bringing its total to 103,758 since the pandemic began, with 1,769,776 overall cases of the virus, far more than any other nation, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University pic.twitter.com/UybLxW57iG
— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 31, 2020

New @CDCgov modeling projects the U.S. death toll from #Covid19 will hit 115,000 by 06/20. State by state projections show some curves flattening, but others, like Iowa, still rising. This was all done before the George Floyd protests; could impact spread. https://t.co/GIev37ldum pic.twitter.com/c4U9yJF0aB
— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) May 30, 2020

⚠️Pandemic’s overall death toll in U.S. likely surpassed
100,000 weeks ago
A state-by-state analysis shows that deaths officially attributed to covid-19 only partially account for unusually high mortality during the pandemichttps://t.co/1KkPqlbcZq
— COVID19 (@V2019N) May 30, 2020

“Half of new coronavirus infections in Washington are now occurring in people under the age of 40, a marked shift from earlier in the epidemic when more than two-thirds of those testing positive were in older age groups.” https://t.co/dwCtFejsUS
— David Wallace-Wells (@dwallacewells) May 30, 2020

A pandemic update, May 30th: the shift South
Brazil + LatinAmerica are now accounting for 40% of the deaths, US down to <25% by, @sdbernard @FT
Brazil at 1/4 of US in cumulative deaths and cases but still on
a steep slope for cases
Russia, India & Mexico little Δ, no improvement pic.twitter.com/hhpf5KmnhQ
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) May 30, 2020

The World Is Still Far From Herd Immunity for #Coronavirus. https://t.co/YmfnOvvHMc #covid19 pic.twitter.com/6L54gR7sD9
— Dr Minas Chrysopoulo (@drchrysopoulo) May 28, 2020

From discussions I see online it seems that some believe we are coming to an end of the pandemic.
Even in the UK – one of the very worst hit countries – only 5-8% of blood donors have COVID19 antibodies.https://t.co/0JgOc9d6R4
We are in the very early days of this pandemic.
— Max Roser (@MaxCRoser) May 30, 2020

Covid19 Deaths yesterday across Europe:
Spain 2
Italy 87
Germany 24
France 52
Turkey 28
Belgium 42
Sweden 84
Portugal 14
Ireland 6
Poland 13
Romania 13
Hungary 8
Netherlands 28
UK … 324
— Andrew – Exil Volontaire (@ExilAndrew) May 30, 2020

Russia says coronavirus infections pass 400,000 https://t.co/GnJ9EaPR4Q pic.twitter.com/6UOzVypHdB
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 31, 2020

Head of Navalny's HQ in Ufa Lilia Chanysheva asks Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, "Why is the fatality rate for healthcare workers in Russia 16 times higher than in other countries?" He replies, "I don't think your question is appropriate." https://t.co/lwc2HrN8wo
— X Soviet (@XSovietNews) May 30, 2020

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COVID-19 Coronavirus Update: Saturday/Sunday, May 30-31Post + Comments (38)

Late Night Horrorshow: “Mayhem Tourists”

by Anne Laurie| May 31, 20201:01 am| 39 Comments

This post is in: domestic terrorists, Information As Power, Post-racial America, Racist-In-Chief, Shitty Cops, MONSTERS

A term I never wanted to need…

Today I learned the German word "Krawalltouristen", which literally means "riot tourists."
— Tentin Quarantino (@agraybee) May 30, 2020

I was in St. Paul for the RNC in 2008 and the people who smashed windows, etc. were all mayhem tourists.
— MALARKEY PATROL ????? (@Alex__Katz) May 30, 2020

Silver-plate (tinfoil?) lining, for once the mantra BOTH SIDES seems to be true: The milky-pale anarcho-kiddies and wannabe-antifa are working in ~~concert~~ dissonance with the bent cops, Threepers, and grab-bag white supremacists to destroy minority communities in the name of FREEEDUMB!!!

"iM vAnDaLiZiNg ThE sTaTe"
If you cant stop yourself from weedling into every legitimate protest to act out a toddler's version of your ideology, the best thing you can do to advance the causes you're hijacking is to jump out of a plane and vandalize your parachute
— Human capital laughing stock (@TheSneerReview) May 30, 2020

Attorney General Barr says violent protests are being driven by far left extremists. But the Minnesota governor says he suspects white supremacists are fueling some of the violence.
In a time of national crisis, federal and state leaders don't appear to be on the same page. pic.twitter.com/xvgefVfPVS
— Josh Campbell (@joshscampbell) May 30, 2020

As I’ve been saying: I lived in that neighborhood, & that crowd “protesting” is very different from the residents of that neighborhood. https://t.co/FfghTjrvny
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) May 30, 2020

We’ve seen this in South Africa before. Beware of agitators and instigators who use legitimate protests to ignite chaos between protestors and police.
— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) May 30, 2020

Speaking of which:

is this a strongman slyly calling for a pro-regime mob to mass at his mansion’s gates against aggrieved citizens exercising rights of speech and assembly? that’s what correspondents might reasonably ask were it outside usa— this bountiful, free, egalitarian, democratic land. https://t.co/0N02mL486y
— C.J. Chivers (@cjchivers) May 30, 2020

Or, hear me out, a bunch of white jackasses co-opted a spontaneous uproar among black people, made it last beyond its natural 24-48 hour expiration date, and the president with his numbers in freefall panicked and did the only dance he knows how to do. https://t.co/D5hAXNJAXd
— Tentin Quarantino (@agraybee) May 30, 2020

Late Night Horrorshow: “Mayhem Tourists”Post + Comments (39)

Open Thread: Suddenly, the (Rest of the) GOP Is “Concerned”

by Anne Laurie| May 30, 20207:15 pm| 146 Comments

This post is in: Election Year, Open Threads, Repubs in Disarray!, Trumpery

NEW: GOP operatives are increasingly concerned about their prospects this fall.
Not just the White House- Congress too.
One top Senate aide telling CNN:
"Put it this way, I am very glad my boss isn't on the ballot this cycle."
w/ @MichaelRWarren https://t.co/behEJfHPYb
— Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) May 28, 2020

… Republican strategists are increasingly worried that Trump is headed for defeat in November and that he may drag other Republicans down with him.
Seven GOP operatives not directly associated with the President’s reelection campaign told CNN that Trump’s response to the pandemic and the subsequent economic fallout have significantly damaged his bid for a second term — and that the effects are starting to hurt Republicans more broadly. Some of these operatives asked not to be identified in order to speak more candidly.
Several say that public polls showing Trump trailing presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden mirror what they are finding in their own private polls, and that the trend is bleeding into key Senate races. The GOP already had a difficult task of defending 23 Senate seats in 2020. The job of protecting its slim 3-seat majority has only gotten harder as the pandemic has unfolded. States like Arizona and North Carolina, once thought to be home to winnable Senate races now appear in jeopardy.
Trump himself is being alerted to the problems. Politico reported this week that two of Trump’s own outside political advisers, Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie, warned the President last week that his support was falling in some swing states…

… To which the Squatter-in-Chief responded with a blizzard of offensive tweets, reinforcing every Repub weakness. So much for strategery!

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Open Thread: Suddenly, the (Rest of the) GOP Is “Concerned”Post + Comments (146)

… Whereas a few months ago, they were confident of the party’s chances across the board, many of the strategists who spoke to CNN have lowered their expectations, and now talk in terms of minimizing what they worry could be a wipeout for the GOP. This leaves them hoping for a minor rather than devastating defeat, something akin to Mitt Romney’s narrow loss in 2012, when Republicans lost two Senate seats, rather than John McCain’s performance four years earlier, when they lost eight.
The broader fear among Republicans is that the election becomes a referendum on Trump’s performance during the pandemic. Coupled with a cratered economy, the effect could be devastating by both depressing the Republican faithful and turning off swing voters…
The party’s chief concern, some of these Republicans say, should be holding onto its Senate majority. The task requires Senate candidates to make appeals to suburban voters who flipped to Democrats in the 2018 midterm elections as a reaction against Trump.
But that goal is complicated by how dependent Republican candidates are on maximal turnout for the President, even in states the Trump campaign does not expect to win. GOP Sens. Cory Gardner in Colorado and Susan Collins in Maine cannot afford a depressed Trump base in their states, even as they play up their independent identities to win swing voters.
And the concern for Republicans goes beyond endangered incumbents — including Sens. Martha McSally of Arizona and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. There is even a chance, in a bad year for Trump, that GOP-held Senate seats in Georgia and Montana could be in trouble, said Donovan…

Yes, some of this is poor-mouthing for the cameras. But every hint that the other Repubs might be trying to distance themselves from their Gilded God-King will set off another flurry of violently offensive statements, reminding low-info voters all over again that the GOP is welded together like a box of soggy cookies mildewing in the back of a dank cupboard. Best thing to do is throw the whole pack out — and make sure to take the trashbag outside before it stinks up the kitchen any further.

Reminder: Trump's absolute public opinion nadir came after Charletosville/Kaepernik. The public wants peace and quiet and at least a patina of mutual respect, not just lawnorder. https://t.co/vt98V2hTZb
— Alex Hazanov (@alexhazanov) May 29, 2020

The Fire This Time: Programming Notes

by Anne Laurie| May 30, 20206:11 pm| 60 Comments

This post is in: Civil Rights, Racial Justice, Show Us on the Doll Where the Invisible Hand Touched You

Tomorrow evening:

On Sunday, May 31st at 8pmET, @donlemon will host a two-hour special taking a hard look at the violence and racism faced by black people in the United States today. pic.twitter.com/Ml8mNmWIoT
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) May 29, 2020

Next month:

Let's turn our mourning into movement! Plan now to join us for June 20th Mass Poor People's Assembly & Moral March on Washington: Digital Justice Gathering. RSVP now & invite 20 friends to join you: https://t.co/QvSXvLXybx
— Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (@RevDrBarber) May 28, 2020

The Fire *This* Time: Programming NotesPost + Comments (60)

Election Year Open Thread: #RichMich McConnell, “Leader”, Is Starting to Sweat

by Anne Laurie| May 30, 20201:40 pm| 42 Comments

This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Election Year, Republican Venality

📺 After 35 years, Kentuckians are still waiting for the kinds of opportunities #RichMitch has worked so hard to give himself.
👉 This ad is on TV and digital media in @senatemajldr’s home state TODAY. Pitch in now to help: https://t.co/MQjmoLLFd1 pic.twitter.com/CEX1RcuRNK
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) May 28, 2020

Couldn’t happen to a more deserving Putin accomplice… eh, #MoscowMitch?

McConnell says in Kentucky there will likely be another recovery bill “in the next month or so. ..There’s likely to be another bill. It will not be the $3 trillion bill that the House passed the other day, but there’s still a likelihood that more will be needed,” per @alizaslav
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 26, 2020

@senatemajldr Moscow Mitch McConnell proves the age-old adage:
"Epiphanies are not unlike teabags; their potency is enhanced by hot water."??
— Louis R. Bridgeman (@LouisRBridgema3) May 26, 2020

(Jack Ohman via GoComics.com)
.

Sen Majority Ldr McConnell says "there is no stigma attached to wearing a mask" & "you have an obligation to others in case you might be a carrier to take the advice we’ve all been given"
A contrast to Trump who has sought to politicize masks &recently mocked Biden for wearing 1 pic.twitter.com/dXCm7N0Ix0
— Ali Zaslav (@alizaslav) May 27, 2020

(Drew Sheneman via GoComics.com)
.

Leader McConnell in a KY appearance declines to comment on Trump's tweet on Minneapolis protesters, "when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” which was flagged by Twitter for “glorifying violence"
— Ali Zaslav (@alizaslav) May 29, 2020

Asked what can be done in Minneapolis, Leader McConnell said Friday, we deal it with prosecution and if the facts warrant it: conviction.
“Everybody's entitled to the protections of the court system, even people who apparently if you see what happened, look pretty darn guilty"
— Ali Zaslav (@alizaslav) May 29, 2020

(Matt Davies via GoComics.com)
.

Election Year Open Thread: #RichMich McConnell, “Leader”, Is Starting to SweatPost + Comments (42)

Saturday Morning Open Thread: A New ‘Normal’

by Anne Laurie| May 30, 20206:03 am| 81 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19 Coronavirus, Open Threads, Tech News and Issues

As work-from-home became the norm, so did the fails and faux pas pic.twitter.com/knfTaY1gU5
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 29, 2020

Exclusive: Zoom plans to roll out strong encryption for paying customers https://t.co/PpQvqUlI1r pic.twitter.com/rdRTOvoH66
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 30, 2020

Inventors across the world have been coming up with ideas to help people stick to social distancing ruleshttps://t.co/iUbcJTb8af https://t.co/Gs08wKRb8p
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 29, 2020

Saturday Morning Open Thread: A New ‘Normal’Post + Comments (81)

COVID-19 Coronavirus Update: Friday/Saturday, May 29-30

by Anne Laurie| May 30, 20204:15 am| 48 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19 Coronavirus, Foreign Affairs

Coronavirus germs as cartoon villains. Celebrities and politicians wearing masks. Tributes to health care workers. @AP photographers show street art offering some comic relief and beauty amid the pandemic. https://t.co/kwjVtq6XUq
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 29, 2020

The @WHO and 37 countries launched an initiative aimed at sharing vaccines, medicines and diagnostic tools to tackle the coronavirus pandemic https://t.co/dtNzZVJRyi pic.twitter.com/heOGbYX1jI
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 30, 2020

This: "Thirty countries and multiple international partners & institutions have signed up to support the #COVID19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP), aimed at making #vaccines, tests, treatments & other health tech to fight COVID-19 accessible to all."https://t.co/r2Y5PgpJaY
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) May 29, 2020

The number of people dying from the coronavirus in the U.S. far exceeds the number of people who would be expected to die in a normal year. Our analysis of CDC data shows how many more people are dying in each state.https://t.co/iVlXAoIyjb
— NYT Graphics (@nytgraphics) May 29, 2020

Sound the trumpets!🎺🎺🎺
"Zero #COVID19 patient deaths yesterday!" said Montefiore Med CEO. "First time since #pandemic hit."@NYGovCuomo said 67 NYers lost their lives to #coronavirus on Thurs, "the lowest level ever."
The virus has killed 21,477 in NYC.https://t.co/EFkKUCzCUb
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) May 29, 2020

Saturated hospitals, airlifts as California border region virus cases surge https://t.co/icaLwLiAtb pic.twitter.com/pWgHH389T7
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 30, 2020

I’m not convinced yet, but this link was retweeted by respected virologist Ian M. McKay:

These “superspreading” events have become a trademark of Covid-19.
But many people who get the disease don’t pass it on to anyone at all. One new study estimates that 10% of those infected cause 80% of new transmissions https://t.co/cQOpcHAyIk pic.twitter.com/6cLqmrn32a
— Bloomberg Opinion (@bopinion) May 29, 2020

Singapore and China to restart essential business travel next month, with "effective Covid-19 prevent-and-control measures" in placehttps://t.co/j8Mpz1FamZ pic.twitter.com/a05wy4Imgn
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 29, 2020

More than 200 schools in South Korea have been forced to close just days after they re-opened, due to a new spike in coronavirus cases
But before they closed we spent the day with pupils to see what changes were being madehttps://t.co/O9FfnFXwnJ pic.twitter.com/CEzYa03RG9
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 29, 2020

Vietnam, a country of 97 million people, has not reported a single coronavirus-related death and on Saturday had just 328 confirmed cases, despite its long border with China and the millions of Chinese visitors it receives each year https://t.co/dsfRQeyseT
— CNN International (@cnni) May 30, 2020

Every year hundreds of thousands of students in India flood visa centres and consulates to start paperwork to travel and study abroad
But Covid-19 has put those dreams on hold https://t.co/XjlqcKpTN5
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 29, 2020

Denmark and Norway exclude Sweden from tourism travel bubble https://t.co/xFKSUQIE5G
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 29, 2020

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COVID-19 Coronavirus Update: Friday/Saturday, May 29-30Post + Comments (48)

Poland to let fans back into stadiums to watch professional football from 19 June https://t.co/11GvNpwsCw pic.twitter.com/EwhhezlByj
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 29, 2020

Archbishop of Dublin issues warning after church opens for Mass https://t.co/eScOjpUziX
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 29, 2020

Covid-19 spreading too fast to lift lockdown in England. Agree with John & clear science advice. TTI has to be in place, fully working, capable dealing any surge immediately, locally responsive, rapid results & infection rates have to be lower. And trusted https://t.co/ZmYKs4Go3W
— Jeremy Farrar (@JeremyFarrar) May 29, 2020

Brazil reaches 27,878 coronavirus deaths, surpasses Spain https://t.co/480BoSMXBs pic.twitter.com/cgQtPvY7Yb
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 30, 2020

'You can't ask people to die': Coronavirus woes deepen Argentina's crisis https://t.co/alnYOKrNgo
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 29, 2020

“The virus is killing all of us here.” In Latin American nations and other developing countries, the coronavirus, initially brought largely by wealthy citizens or visitors, is now increasingly concentrated in poorer neighborhoods. https://t.co/Aq497D6zXB
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 29, 2020

Red light: Mexican coronavirus restart hits speed bumps https://t.co/PL4s2YWVYF pic.twitter.com/oAX2POX6Xf
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 30, 2020

Twelve migrants test positive for coronavirus at Mexican government shelter https://t.co/60rMV26zuD pic.twitter.com/H755gNIWIq
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 30, 2020

Australia:

#BREAKING: Passengers on board the Ruby Princess cruise that lead to the State’s biggest Coronavirus cluster, have been issued with another health warning, after a crew member was diagnosed with tuberculosis this week.
— ABC News (@abcnews) May 30, 2020

This. 👇🏼
Humans share this planet with other life forms or quasi/non life forms, ie viruses. We may think being on top of the food chain gives us control, but we're kidding ourselves. https://t.co/hZ90sUjTQ4
— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) May 30, 2020

A concern over #COVID19 household contact studies is that if they didn't test asymptomatic people, they may underestimate infection in children
This study tested all household contacts *regardless of symptoms*https://t.co/VWx8EZ7r6z
Infected <5yrs = 20%
Infected >18y = 40-55% pic.twitter.com/ORXokLvI5Y
— Alasdair Munro (@apsmunro) May 29, 2020

Looking for a simple set of #COVID19 explainers? @XTOTL and I have covered everything from testing & contact tracing to disease progression & epidemiology. Now you can see (& download) the lot all in one place over at @TheSpinoffTV. Enjoy our 'boxset'! https://t.co/PBFGaDozkQ
— Dr Siouxsie Wiles (@SiouxsieW) May 18, 2020

Some military training changes due to the coronavirus are proving beneficial and could become permanent. Defense leaders say a two-week quarantine has helped recruits get focused while masks and social distancing have reduced their respiratory illnesses. https://t.co/CpcBf2pUUh
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) May 29, 2020

Breaking News: The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, rejected a California church’s challenge to pandemic restrictions on attendance at religious services https://t.co/IoO5avHlgC
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 30, 2020

Heat relief centers are opening amid soaring temperatures in southwestern US desert cities, where coronavirus lockdowns have closed government-run spaces like libraries and community centers that typically provide shelter. https://t.co/eCMWrC6umu
— AP West Region (@APWestRegion) May 29, 2020

“I think everybody went into mourning.” Cheyenne, Wyoming, business people fear for future after the city’s famous cowboy-and-rodeo festival, Cheyenne Frontier Days, is canceled because of the coronavirus crisis. https://t.co/0J7qMh9pwh
— AP West Region (@APWestRegion) May 29, 2020

… Health-wise, COVID-19 has left Wyoming relatively unscathed. The least-populated state ranks near the bottom of states for deaths and active cases.
Wyoming’s economy is another matter. Diminished electricity use during the pandemic has hit coal mining hard in the top coal-producing state. A global oil price war and coronavirus-related demand problems have slammed the state’s big oil and gas industries.
Not even accounting for potential bankruptcies in the minerals industry, the state is looking at an up to $1.5 billion revenue hit over the next two years — equivalent to all state spending on public education or the entire state workforce, take your pick…

Do you think you had the coronavirus in the U.S. in December or early January? Public health researchers say it was probably the flu. https://t.co/T59eeMAdE1
— AP Health & Science (@APHealthScience) May 29, 2020

Late Night Nothing-But-Horrorshows Open Thread

by Anne Laurie| May 30, 202012:55 am| 70 Comments

This post is in: Gun nuts, Music, Open Threads

I made a 2020 commemorative candle pic.twitter.com/I3jo1HfC6X
— summertime steph (@Stephamaybe) May 19, 2020

Trigger warning: Extreme ammosexual posturing below the fold:

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Late Night Nothing-But-Horrorshows Open ThreadPost + Comments (70)

Now these MAGA dolts are pointing guns at their dicks with the safeties off and their fingers on the trigger to own the libs. I fucking hate it here. pic.twitter.com/O1vVUldLn5
— Dylan (@dyllyp) May 25, 2020

To everyone asking why, I’m not 100% sure. But I think the thinking here is “Guns don’t kill people, people with guns kill people so we’re going to point them at our dicks to prove how safe they are” or something.
— Dylan (@dyllyp) May 26, 2020

That poor cat. I hope this is just staged, primate drum-clanging for an audience of fellow gunhumpers…

ETA: Thank you, commentor Manxome Bromide, for this explainer from Vice:

… [P]ointing a gun at your penis has nothing to do with owning the libs and everything to do with ironically mocking basic safety in gun culture. The trend is about a year old and it was born in the fires of Facebook’s gun groups. On one side are responsible gun owners, on the other is a group of men aiming a deadly weapon at their dicks to prove a point that they can only vaguely explain.
Gun enthusiasts love taking pictures of their guns. It’s common practice. America has a gun culture as robust, diverse, and complicated as comic book fans, fantasy nerds, PC gamers, or any other subculture. Like those communities, gun nerds have their own memetic language and fight among themselves. Unlike pop culture enthusiasts, the hobby of a gun nerd is based on a tool designed to kill. It’s distressing then, to the responsible gun owner, when fringe elements in their community post pictures online of them pointing guns at their dicks…
Like with any other fandom, there’s levels to gun culture. In the online gun community there are “normies” and “fudds.” Normies cover a range of people, anyone from a basic handgun owner to the completely uninitiated. Fudds—as in Bugs Bunny hunter Elmer Fudd—are the old heads, weirdos, and dedicated gun nuts. Some fudds hate normies and the way normies talk about guns. Even the normies who know their way around a firearm.
A chief complaint among fudds is the normie’s devotion to safety, typically manifested as knee-jerk praise of trigger discipline. For the uninitiated, watching trigger discipline refers to the act of keeping your finger off the trigger of a firearm until you’re ready to fire the weapon. It’s a safety basic, along with never pointing a gun at anyone or anything you don’t intend to harm, and always assuming a gun is loaded. Trigger and muzzle discipline will tell you a lot about a person holding a firearm. Typically, if they keep the muzzle away from the camera and their finger off the trigger—even while holding the grip—they know their way around a weapon.
Inevitably, when some idiot posts a picture of themselves with a firearm, another idiot will jump into the comments to praise or chide the idiot for their trigger discipline. Some fudds hate this…
To combat this apparent scourge of responsible gun ownership, some fudds have taken to posting pictures of themselves pointing allegedly loaded weapons at their own dicks, with their finger on the trigger. If this doesn’t make sense to you, you’re not alone. The trend is around a year old, and it’s an issue gun groups—especially those on Facebook—have been dealing with for a while…

And yet, people make fun of birdwatchers.

Respite Open Thread: Well, That’s One Reason to Clean Out the Garage…

by Anne Laurie| May 29, 20204:31 pm| 103 Comments

This post is in: Nature & Respite

(via Laurie Garrett’s twitter feed)

Respite Open Thread: Well, That’s One Reason to Clean Out the Garage…Post + Comments (103)

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

How has Obama failed you today?

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

Where tasty lettuce and good mustard aren’t elitist.

We have all the best words.

Good luck with your asparagus.

This blog is Obama’s Katrina.

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

Just a few bad apples.

This Blog Goes to 11…

Our job is not to persuade Republicans but to defeat them.

I personally stopped the public option…

Shocking, but not surprising.

I showered with Rahm and all I got was this shitty blog.

Reality always wins in the end.

Han shot first.

The revolution will be supervised.

This is how realignments happen…

The Math Demands It!

Verified, but limited!

Militantly superior in their own minds…

Saul Alinsky is my co-pilot

Screw the Judean People’s Front. Splitters.

Women: They Get Shit Done

Monday Morning Open Thread: Step Forward

COVID-19 Coronavirus Update: Sunday / Monday, May 31 – June 1

Late Night Open Thread: Choose Your Side

Sunday Evening Open Thread: In Hellworld, Mockery Is Our Sharpest Weapon

Proud to Be A Democrat Open Thread: Joe Biden Is A Good Man

Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Spring Unfolding

COVID-19 Coronavirus Update: Saturday/Sunday, May 30-31

Late Night Horrorshow: “Mayhem Tourists”

Open Thread: Suddenly, the (Rest of the) GOP Is “Concerned”

The Fire This Time: Programming Notes

Election Year Open Thread: #RichMich McConnell, “Leader”, Is Starting to Sweat

Saturday Morning Open Thread: A New ‘Normal’

COVID-19 Coronavirus Update: Friday/Saturday, May 29-30

Late Night Nothing-But-Horrorshows Open Thread

Respite Open Thread: Well, That’s One Reason to Clean Out the Garage…