COVID 2 bak

<h2 class="entry-title grid-title" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">=</h2><div>biggest error refusal to use WHO test (b/c not aM MADE?!)</div><div></div><div>random placement here:</div><div><div>=</div><div>
</div><div>trump dump</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>BySamanthSubramanian
</div><div><a href="https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/article/disappearing-data/#">https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/article/disappearing-data/#</a></div><div>
</div><div><div class="head" style="padding-bottom: 4.16667vw; display: flex; justify-content: space-between; font-family: grotesk;"><h3 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: calc(0.892857vw + 15.1429px); line-height: 23.9143px; text-transform: uppercase;">INTRODUCTION</h3></div><div class="copy" style="display: flex; justify-content: space-between; font-family: grotesk;"><div class="main-wrap" style="width: 45.8333vw;"><div class="main " style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 8.33333vw;">Whenever President Donald Trump is questioned about why the United States has nearly three times more coronavirus cases than the entire European Union, or why hundreds of Americans are still dying every day, he whips out one standard comment. We find so many cases, he contends, because we test so many people. The remark typifies Trump’s deep distrust of data: his wariness of what it will reveal, and his eagerness to distort it. In April, when he refused to allow coronavirus-stricken passengers off the Grand Princess cruise liner and onto American soil for medical treatment, he explained: “I like the numbers where they are. I don’t need to have the numbers double because of one ship.” Unable—or unwilling—to fix the problem, Trump’s instinct is to fix the numbers instead.The administration has failed on so many different fronts in its handling of the coronavirus, creating the overall impression of sheer mayhem. But there is a common thread that runs through these government malfunctions. Precise, transparent data is crucial in the fight against a pandemic—yet through a combination of ineptness and active manipulation, the government has depleted and corrupted the key statistics that public health officials rely on to protect us.In mid-July, just when the U.S. was breaking and <a target="blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/16/world/coronavirus-updates.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: rgb(237, 56, 43); transition: color 0.1s ease 0s;">rebreaking</a> its own records for daily counts of new coronavirus cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found itself <a target="blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/14/us/politics/trump-cdc-coronavirus.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: rgb(237, 56, 43); transition: color 0.1s ease 0s;">abruptly relieved</a> of its customary duty of collating national numbers on COVID-19 patients. Instead, the Department of Health and Human Services instructed hospitals to funnel their information to the government via TeleTracking, a small Tennessee firm started by a real estate entrepreneur who has <a target="blank" href="https://www.salon.com/2020/08/06/irregularities-found-in-trump-administrations-contract-for-company-used-to-collect-covid-19-data_partner/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: rgb(237, 56, 43); transition: color 0.1s ease 0s;">frequently donated</a> to the Republican Party. For a while, past data disappeared from the CDC’s website entirely, and although it reappeared after an outcry, it was never updated thereafter. The TeleTracking system was riddled with errors, and the newest statistics sometimes appeared after delays. This has severely limited the ability of public health officials to determine where new clusters of COVID-19 are blooming, to notice demographic patterns in the spread of the disease, or to allocate ICU beds to those who need them most.To make matters more confusing still, Jared Kushner moved to start a separate coronavirus surveillance system run out of the White House and built by health technology giants—burdening <a target="blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2020/04/04/coronavirus-government-dysfunction/?arc404=true" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: rgb(237, 56, 43); transition: color 0.1s ease 0s;">already-overwhelmed officials</a> and health care experts with a needless stream of queries. Kushner’s assessments often contradicted those of agencies working on the ground. When Andrew Cuomo, New York’s governor, asked for 30,000 ventilators, Kushner claimed the state didn’t need them: “I’m doing my own projections, and I’ve gotten a lot smarter about this.”One of the administration’s most consequential failures was that it didn’t establish uniform reporting standards for states and counties. All the numbers from local agencies were just tipped into a mass of detail that was “inconsistent, incomplete, and inaccessible,” according to <a target="blank" href="https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/article/disappearing-data/a%20report" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: rgb(237, 56, 43); transition: color 0.1s ease 0s;">a report</a> published by the American Public Health Association, the Johns Hopkins Center, and Resolve to Save Lives, a nonprofit led by a former CDC director. But Trump also urged authorities to slow down coronavirus testing. “Instead of 25 million tests, let’s say we did 10 million tests,” he told CBN News. “We’d look like we were doing much better because we’d have far fewer cases. You understand that.”While Anthony Fauci, the government’s leading expert on COVID-19, was undergoing surgery and conveniently anaesthetized in late August, the CDC changed its guidelines to stop recommending testing for asymptomatic people, even those who had been in contact with carriers of the virus. Two federal health officials told The New York Times that the instruction came from higher-ups at the White House, even though experts think the U.S. needed more testing at that point in the pandemic, not less. The situation became so overtly politicized that Dr. Rick Bright, the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, came up with a plan for a national testing infrastructure, only to be sidelined by higher-ups. He resigned from his position in the National Institutes of Health on October 6. “He can no longer countenance working for an administration that puts politics over science to the great detriment of the American people,” Bright’s attorneys said in a statement.Even details about Trump’s own bout of COVID-19—whether the president had been on oxygen, or a clear timeline of how long he had been infected—were suppressed or spun, by the admission of <a target="blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/04/us/politics/trump-doctor-conley.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: rgb(237, 56, 43); transition: color 0.1s ease 0s;">his own doctor</a>. In real time, as the coronavirus blazes through the country, Americans are witnessing the chaos and dangers that ensue when the integrity of data is leached away.The frightening thing is that Trump’s war on data isn’t limited to the pandemic. It has been waged throughout the federal government, warping policy and enfeebling institutions from the inside. Over nearly four years, his administration has defunded, buried and constrained dozens of federal research and data collection projects across multiple agencies and spheres of policy: environment, agriculture, labor, health, immigration, energy, the census. “It scares me,” said Katherine Smith Evans, a former administrator of the Economic Research Service, an agency under the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “There are enough chances to make bad policy without lacking the data to make good policy.” We are witnessing a widespread act of erasure.The impulse to ascribe this to a Republican devotion to small government is a mistaken one. “I don’t see an all-hands-on-board effort to get rid of everything,” Katherine Wallman, who was the chief statistician of the U.S. from 1992 to 2017, told me. “What I do see is that they’re taking on the inconvenient data. Or trying to get data that could help a particular point.” The ERS, which Evans ran until 2011, is a prime case. Sonny Perdue, the secretary of agriculture, <a target="blank" href="https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/07/agriculture-economists-leave-trump-1307146" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: rgb(237, 56, 43); transition: color 0.1s ease 0s;">complained</a> last year that the agency’s research—which, among many other things, tells America how crop prices are moving, what school lunches ought to contain and who needs food stamps—was “based on political science rather than strong science.” The ERS was finding repeatedly that trade deals benefit U.S. farmers and that federal spending on food stamps had dropped steadily since 2013, <a target="blank" href="https://thecounter.org/usda-economic-research-service-ers-reorganization/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: rgb(237, 56, 43); transition: color 0.1s ease 0s;">flatly contradicting</a> the administration’s claims on both counts.In June 2019, Perdue told the ERS that its offices would be relocating from Washington, D.C., to Kansas City, Missouri. It was a tactic of brute force, executed in the knowledge that many employees wouldn’t move their lives halfway across the country. Budgets were scheduled to be cut in 2020, in any case. By October 2019, two-thirds of ERS positions <a target="blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/10/21/white-house-didnt-like-my-agencys-research-so-it-sent-us-missouri/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: rgb(237, 56, 43); transition: color 0.1s ease 0s;">were vacant</a>. “I think it’s a decent hypothesis,” Evans said, “that some research results were uncomfortable or inconvenient, and that may have led to a desire to see the agency cut.”The meticulous assembly of numbers is one of the government’s most overlooked functions, but it’s also one of the most vital. Federal statistics inform the administration about what problems have arisen, who is in distress, and where resources need to go. Citizens aggregate themselves in public data—forcing the state to heed them when individually they might be muted or ignored, and holding officials accountable if their needs aren’t met. By gutting the collection of federal statistics, the Trump administration is burning away the government’s capacity to regulate. By attacking numeracy, it is attacking democracy.</div></div></div></div><div>
</div><div><div class="top" style="padding-bottom: 2.08333vw; display: flex; justify-content: space-between; font-family: grotesk;"><h3 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: calc(0.892857vw + 15.1429px); line-height: 23.9143px; text-transform: uppercase;">SUBVERTED, CONCEALED AND FAILED TO COLLECT VITAL STATISTICS ABOUT COVID-19</h3><h3 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 4.16667vw; font-size: calc(0.892857vw + 15.1429px); line-height: 23.9143px; text-transform: uppercase;">01.01</h3></div>Good data about where the coronavirus is spreading, whom it’s affecting, and the capacity of health systems is essential for government officials to make better decisions on, for example, lockdown orders and where to send supplies. Epidemiologists and infectious disease experts can use the information to understand COVID-19 better and, more importantly, to contain it.But over the past year, experts have watched with bewilderment at how the Trump administration has collected, distributed and used public health data. “We’re still flying blind,” said Ryan Panchadsaram, co-founder of the the United States Digital Response, an all-volunteer effort to <a target="blank" href="https://www.covidexitstrategy.org/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: rgb(237, 56, 43); transition: color 0.1s ease 0s;">collect and publish COVID-19 data</a> that the federal government hasn’t.An early <a target="blank" href="https://www.vox.com/2020/5/8/21250641/kevin-hassett-cubic-model-smoothing" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: rgb(237, 56, 43); transition: color 0.1s ease 0s;">controversy</a> erupted in May, when White House economist Kevin Hassett produced a set of charts on COVID-19 spread that appeared to predict a rapid decline in cases and deaths. In them, the country appeared to be nearly virus-free by summer. Hassett distributed the charts internally—much to the delight of President Donald Trump, <a target="blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/34-days-of-pandemic-inside-trumps-desperate-attempts-to-reopen-america/2020/05/02/e99911f4-8b54-11ea-9dfd-990f9dcc71fc_story.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: rgb(237, 56, 43); transition: color 0.1s ease 0s;">according to The Washington Post</a>. When Hassett published the charts on an official White House <a target="blank" href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouseCEA/status/1257680258364555264" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: rgb(237, 56, 43); transition: color 0.1s ease 0s;">Twitter</a> feed, experts reacted in horror and said reopening prematurely was likely to cause a new surge in cases, which is precisely what happened.One month later, the administration abruptly decided to make a <a target="blank" href="https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/87632" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: rgb(237, 56, 43); transition: color 0.1s ease 0s;">major change</a> in how hospitals report their inpatient COVID-19 data. No longer would they submit information to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Instead, hospitals would file data directly (or indirectly through state governments) to the Department of Health and Human Services.Administration officials said the change would allow them to collect more complete and standardized data. A chorus of angry public health officials, scientists and hospital representatives warned in a <a target="blank" href="https://www.naccho.org/blog/articles/statement-newly-announced-order-for-hospitals-to-bypass-cdc-and-send-coronavirus-patient-information-directly-to-washington-database-likely-to-worsen-pandemic-response" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: rgb(237, 56, 43); transition: color 0.1s ease 0s;">public letter</a> that the transition was likely to lead to less information, not more, precisely when the information was needed most.Sure enough, data on the HHS website was <a target="blank" href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/07/31/897429054/covid-19-hospital-data-system-that-bypasses-cdc-plagued-by-delays-inaccuracies" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: rgb(237, 56, 43); transition: color 0.1s ease 0s;">incomplete and lagging for several weeks</a>, in part because the change came with almost no advance warning.“Usually you’ve got months and months, sometimes years, to prepare for big changes like this,” said Chip Kahn, president of the Federation of American Hospitals. “Here, you had days.”Larger hospitals and those that were already using the HHS portal were mostly able to adapt. Smaller hospitals frequently struggled because they hadn’t been using the new system and because they didn’t have the dedicated IT staff of larger hospital networks. “The majority of our hospitals in Nebraska are rural, and the staff at these hospitals are often responsible for many roles, which can stretch resources very thin,” said Margaret Woeppel, vice president for quality and data at the Nebraska Hospital Association. “The nurse who is taking care of patients may also be responsible for quality reporting and infection control.”Panchadsaram, who served as deputy chief technology officer during the Obama administration, said the quality of the data is slowly improving. But he identified another problem: The Trump administration isn’t sharing it with the public.Every week, the White House coronavirus task force puts together a detailed status report on the outbreak and the response for all 50 states. It includes everything from test positivity rates to a breakdown of which communities have rising caseloads, along with policy recommendations. The task force gives each governor a copy of their state’s report, but otherwise doesn’t make them public. (The few copies that have surfaced have been obtained by reporters and the Center for Public Integrity, which is posting the <a target="blank" href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7049054-50-States-08-09-20-Report.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: rgb(237, 56, 43); transition: color 0.1s ease 0s;">reports</a> it obtains on its <a target="blank" href="https://publicintegrity.org/health/coronavirus-and-inequality/white-house-coronavirus-red-zone-reports-covid/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: rgb(237, 56, 43); transition: color 0.1s ease 0s;">webpage</a>.)The White House has not responded to questions about why the reports remain private, leaving critics to wonder whether administration officials are reluctant to publish information that might contradict the optimistic outlook of, say, the president or some Reublican governors. “They have a really good analytics team creating these beautiful reports, those reports have really important recommendations on them, and they're not making them public,” Panchadsaram said. “Maybe that is because the reports clearly contradict what governors are saying, that it’s under control when it’s not.”</div><div>
</div><div>=</div></div><div>=</div><div>an 320 fox supercut video</div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/damning-video-lays-bare-fox-news-dangerous-hypocrisy-on-coronavirus/">
</a></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/damning-video-lays-bare-fox-news-dangerous-hypocrisy-on-coronavirus/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/damning-video-lays-bare-fox-news-dangerous-hypocrisy-on-coronavirus/</a></div><div></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/with-nation-focused-on-coronavirus-rights-groups-warn-senate-against-handing-trump-terrifying-spy-powers/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/with-nation-focused-on-coronavirus-rights-groups-warn-senate-against-handing-trump-terrifying-spy-powers/</a></div><div>
</div><div><div>no lnx</div><div>
</div><div>With nation focused on coronavirus, rights groups warn Senate against handing Trump ‘terrifying’ spy powers</div><div>
</div><div>Written by Common Dreams March 17, 2020</div><div>
</div><div>Ahead of a vote that could take place in the Senate as soon as Monday evening, civil liberties groups and federal lawmakers critical of mass surveillance spoke out against House-approved legislation that would reauthorize “abusive” and “dangerous” U.S. government spying powers that expired Sunday.</div><div>
</div><div>“If McConnell’s push through the Senate succeeds, it would renew the government’s power to warrantlessly acquire billions of data points on every person in the United States.”</div><div>—Sandra Fulton, Free Press Action</div><div>
</div><div>The Democrat-held House was widely criticized last week for passing the USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act (H.R. 6172), a bipartisan compromise negotiated by leaders in the lower chamber that includes the reauthorization of Section 215 powers that Congress established under the USA PATRIOT Act in 2001, which federal agencies have used to justify the collection of Americans’ phone records.</div><div>
</div><div>Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a longtime critic of government spying powers, took to Twitter Monday to speak out against the new bill and note that there is opposition on both sides of the aisle:</div><div>
</div><div>As public concern over the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continued to mount, civil liberties advocates expressed alarm that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) could push through the reauthorization bill with limited scrutiny.</div><div>
</div><div>Sandra Fulton, government relations director for Free Press Action, wrote for Common Dreams Monday that “opposition to this legislation is gaining momentum, which is why McConnell is pushing so aggressively for a vote today while so much of the nation is focused on the coronavirus crisis.”</div><div>
</div><div>According to Fulton:</div><div>
</div><div>While the bill makes some minor reforms, they are insufficient. The USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act fails to put in place stronger reforms favored by privacy, racial-justice, and civil-liberty advocates, most of whom support an alternative bill, the Safeguarding Americans’ Private Records Act, introduced earlier this year with bipartisan support.</div><div>
</div><div>SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT</div><div>
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</div><div>Where reforms are incorporated into the reauthorization act, they are primarily half-measures that leave huge loopholes that can be easily exploited by spying agencies. The bill includes symbolic provisions specifically tailored to address issues raised by the surveillance of [President Donald] Trump aide Carter Page, it bizarrely fails to extend those protections to everyone else living in America. And while the bill prevents the government from collecting location information without a warrant, it leaves other highly sensitive information, like internet browsing and search history, vulnerable to invasive government spying without a warrant.</div><div>
</div><div>Fulton argued that “it’s unthinkable to extend these spying powers to the same agencies that have so often sidestepped safeguards and ignored Americans’ fundamental privacy rights,” and urged voters to demand broader reforms and restrictions on U.S. government surveillance authority, especially given that Trump is in the White House.</div><div>
</div><div>“If McConnell’s push through the Senate succeeds, it would renew the government’s power to warrantlessly acquire billions of data points on every person in the United States,” she warned. “These are terrifying powers to hand to President Trump, considering his record of surveilling and abusing marginalized communities—but as we’ve seen, even some of the president’s supporters have complained that these overbroad powers were used against the Trump campaign, too.”</div><div>
</div><div>Digital rights group Fight for the Future encouraged voters—particularly those who may be stuck at home due to widespread school and business closures resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak—to contact their senators and encourage them to reject the “dangerous” reauthorization legislation.</div><div>
</div><div>The non-profit Arab American Institute highlighted some details of the legislation in a series of tweets Monday, concluding that it “does not adequately address the constitutional shortcomings of granting sweeping surveillance authorities to the federal government.” Calling for further debate and reform, the group urged the upper chamber to reject the bill.</div></div><div>
</div><div>=</div><div>promote primary</div><div>qanon tweet origin</div><div>
</div><div>podsave ref 2 tiktocks</div><div>
</div><div>bak 3/20</div><div>
</div><div>this might be fastest growing node? some neglect hvy</div><div>=</div><div>bezos </div><div>covid: hire 100K, up 2 bucks</div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/conservatives-arent-panicking-yet-about-the-coronavirus-but-they-will/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/conservatives-arent-panicking-yet-about-the-coronavirus-but-they-will/</a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">rep brain watch for scapegoat flip</div><div></div><div>mma 320</div><div><div>...(list of predent meas by gov'ts)</div><div>...Despite the growing list of changes to everyday life in the U.S., there are still voices in right-wing media who claim this is all a giant conspiracy to hurt President Donald Trump or to destroy America and its freedoms, instead urging people to ignore guidance from “big government” and medical experts to practice social distancing:</div><div>
</div><div>Former Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Sheriff David Clarke</div><div>Former New York City police commissioner and recent Trump pardon recipient Bernard Kerik</div><div>Racist media figure Katie Hopkins</div><div>Right-wing radio host Todd Starnes</div><div>The Wall Street Journal’s Matthew Hennessey</div><div>Anti-Muslim bigot Pamela Geller</div><div>Right-wing radio host Mark Simone</div><div>Former NRATV host Grant Stinchfield</div><div>American Family Radio’s Bryan Fischer</div><div>Conservative Review’s Daniel Horowitz</div><div>Right-wing radio host Bill Mitchell</div><div>Pro-Trump conspiracy theory blog The Gateway Pundit</div><div>“BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: The Coronavirus Fatality Rate Reported by the Media Is COMPLETELY INACCURATE. The Actual Rate Is LESS THAN THE FLU – MEDIA LYING AGAIN!” (3/16/20)</div><div>
</div><div>“Nashville Business Owners Defy Mayor and Remain Open! – Say Order to Close Bars and Restaurants on Broadway Is UNCONSTITUTIONAL” (3/15/20)</div><div>
</div><div>“Is It Related? Italy Holds the Largest Chinese Diaspora Community in the EU Today – And Now Has the Largest Outbreak of Coronavirus in Europe” (3/15/20)</div><div>
</div><div>“Is the Worst Case Scenario for Coronavirus Overblown?... Will 21 Million Americans Really Need Hospitalization?” (3/15/20)</div><div>
</div><div>“BY THE NUMBERS, Via the CDC: 2019 Flu - 22,000 Dead and 10% Mortality Rate ...2019 Coronavirus - 50 Dead and 2% Mortality Rate” (3/14/20)</div><div>
</div><div>“Leftist Michigan Governor Flirts with Invoking ‘Martial Law’ using Virus as Excuse to Power Grab” (3/14/20)</div><div>
</div><div>“Enemy of the People – Rude Reporters Lash Out at Trump Over Coronavirus – Media Hysteria Causes Panic Buying, Americans Fight Over Toilet Paper” (3/14/20)</div><div>
</div><div>THE LATEST</div><div>
</div><div>Despite coronavirus concerns, Republican club set to host Steve Bannon and Katie Hopkins at fundraiser</div><div>03/16/20 1:41 PM EDT</div><div>As coronavirus concerns escalate, many right-wing media figures are still encouraging denial</div><div>03/16/20 1:09 PM EDT</div><div>In Fox Nation flu documentary, Betsy McCaughey says “political venom” over Trump's coronavirus response is “more worrisome” than mass panic</div><div>03/16/20 12:13 PM EDT</div><div>NRA board member Ted Nugent: “Asian culture” is “evil”</div><div>03/16/20 12:03 PM EDT</div><div>Infowars guest host tells people to buy their products to protect themselves from coronavirus</div><div>03/16/20 11:44 AM EDT</div><div>IN THIS ARTICLE</div><div>Coronavirus (COVID-19)</div><div>Covid-19 / Coronavirus</div><div>62 COMMENTS</div><div>
</div><div>Related</div><div>In Fox Nation flu documentary, Betsy McCaughey says “political venom” over Trump's coronavirus response is “m</div><div>
</div><div>https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/donald-trump-says-asking-him-about-disbanding-white-house-pandemic-officeore worrisome” than mass panic</div><div>03/16/20 12:13 PM EDT</div><div>Infowars guest host tells people to buy their products to protect themselves from coronavirus</div><div>03/16/20 11:44 AM EDT</div><div>Fox Business guest: Trump's coronavirus response, “from the standpoint of history, is almost perfect. It looks like he was born for this moment”</div><div>03/16/20 11:35 AM EDT</div></div><div><div>=</div><div>mma 320</div><div>
</div><div>2018, Donald Trump and then-national security adviser John Bolton fired the “entire pandemic response chain of command” implemented by former President Barack Obama following the 2014 Ebola crisis. Broadcast news programs on ABC, CBS, and NBC <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=e927f96fa742d8b2720fa322512c1f0c2d28445b8a91c36585eedff80ccd28718905fe753269eee77832739643ebd3a8e823f1031d97663f" title="have ignored" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">have ignored</a> the firings. In fact, Democratic presidential candidates were the only people to mention the firings -- so in practice, these networks are turning Trump's incompetence and irresponsibility into a partisan issue.</div><div>
</div><div>relaTED:</div><div>
</div><div><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/broadcast-networks-and-major-newspapers-continue-ignore-trumps-firing-pandemic">https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/broadcast-networks-and-major-newspapers-continue-ignore-trumps-firing-pandemic</a></div><div>
</div><div><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump/finally-asked-about-firing-pandemic-leadership-teams-trump-responds-different">https://www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump/finally-asked-about-firing-pandemic-leadership-teams-trump-responds-different</a></div><div>
</div><div><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/donald-trump-says-asking-him-about-disbanding-white-house-pandemic-office">https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/donald-trump-says-asking-him-about-disbanding-white-house-pandemic-office</a></div><div>
</div><div></div></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">3/20 disaster socialism?!</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/we-are-all-andrew-yang-mitt-romney-stuns-observers-with-proposal-to-give-every-adult-american-1000-during-coronavirus-outbreak/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/we-are-all-andrew-yang-mitt-romney-stuns-observers-with-proposal-to-give-every-adult-american-1000-during-coronavirus-outbreak/</a>
<div>=</div></div></div><div></div><div>everything is a transaction? tried to buy Greenland?</div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/depraved-trump-offered-german-scientists-large-sum-for-exclusive-us-rights-to-coronavirus-vaccine-german-government-confirms/">
</a></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/depraved-trump-offered-german-scientists-large-sum-for-exclusive-us-rights-to-coronavirus-vaccine-german-government-confirms/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/depraved-trump-offered-german-scientists-large-sum-for-exclusive-us-rights-to-coronavirus-vaccine-german-government-confirms/</a></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/how-the-kushner-family-is-cashing-in-on-covid-19">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/how-the-kushner-family-is-cashing-in-on-covid-19</a>no lnx
How the Kushner family is cashing in on COVID-19
Written by Sarah Okeson / DC Report March 16, 2020The Kushner family is trying to cash in on the pandemic that could kill millions of us.
Oscar Health, the health insurance company co-founded by Jared Kushner’s younger brother, announced Friday it has launched a testing center locator for COVID-19. It shows where more than 100 centers are in the United States. The company is also offering a risk assessment survey and means to talk to a doctor online.
The coronavirus is predicted to kill anywhere from almost 500,000 Americans in the next year to more than 5 million. At least 62 people in the United States had died by Sunday; 3,130 have tested positive.Team Trump announced Saturday that Trump tested negative for the virus despite presiding over a coronavirus hot zone at Mar-a-Lago. Testing efforts have been marked by delays [...]
This Raw Story article ...</div><div></div><div>3x threat: AA woman journo: nasty question</div><div>
</div><div><div class="header-list-style" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h2 class="entry-title grid-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: 1px;">f<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/former-pandemic-team-leader-lays-out-the-damage-trump-did-by-kneecapping-our-response-capability/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; letter-spacing: 0px;">ormer pandemic team leader lays out the damage Trump did by kneecapping our response capability</a></h2><div class="grid-post-box-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/aldousjpennyfarthing/" title="Posts by Aldous J. Pennyfarthing" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Aldous J. Pennyfarthing</a> / <a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/daily-kos/" title="Posts by Daily Kos" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Daily Kos</a>March 15, 2020</div></div><div class="item-content entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 18px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Today, during Donald Trump’s coronavirus press conference/Walmart plug, PBS’ Yamiche Alcindor asked the pr*sident about his administration’s decision to disband the National Security Council’s office on pandemics. My Q: You…</div></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">unions, nurses early PR? nurse union on msnbc?</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/how-late-stage-capitalism-primed-us-for-this-pandemic" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/how-late-stage-capitalism-primed-us-for-this-pandemic</a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div>no lnx</div><div>
</div><div>How late-stage capitalism primed us for this pandemic</div><div>
</div><div>Written by Bob Hennelly / Salon March 15, 2020</div><div>
</div><div>No, this not a bad dream.</div><div>
</div><div>You really did just wake up in these “great” United States to find that no matter where you live, your freedom of movement is now constricted. Not by the military, but by the fear of the invisible — a virus you never heard of before it shackled you and your family in a form of self-imposed lockdown.</div><div>
</div><div>The power dynamic here is merely a biological progression of what we feel when some malignant cyber-force zeros in on our laptop computer and takes control of it, holding us hostage.</div><div>
</div><div>If you are a regular consumer of the corporate news media this unprecedented national public health crisis is being covered through the partisan prism over the incompetence and malevolence of the current occupant of the Oval Office, Donald Trump.</div><div>
</div><div>What is being avoided meticulously is any broader and essential discussion about how this precarious planetary moment is a gift to us from late-stage vulture capitalism,</div><div>
</div><div><a href="https://www.salon.com/2015/03/22/vulture_capitalists_are_picking_us_dry_why_consumer_debt_buyers_are_on_the_rise_partner/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">https://www.salon.com/2015/03/22/vulture_capitalists_are_picking_us_dry_why_consumer_debt_buyers_are_on_the_rise_partner/</a></div><div>
</div><div> which rents our national government as it subordinates the accumulation of wealth over every other human endeavor — including public health.</div><div>
</div><div>To start the coronavirus meltdown narrative with Trump’s efforts to deliberately play down the risks we faced, which hobbled the U.S. response and will lead to potentially thousands of deaths, is to miss the reality that this systemic failure has been decades in the making.</div><div>
</div><div>Subjugation of labor</div><div>
</div><div>As the concentration of wealth accelerated and the income gap opened up to a canyon, the balance of political power tilted increasingly to the forces of capital, costing organized labor its leverage. Over that time the world was increasingly made safer for U.S. multinationals who successfully played labor markets off of each other as they captured the regulatory and taxation regimes of sovereign nations.</div><div>
</div><div>Everything was measured and governed by what encouraged economic growth and the amassing of wealth. Other vital spheres, from the environment to the public health, became secondary to the private pursuit of profit. Consider how hard it was to overcome the entrenched interests of the tobacco industry to provide the public health warnings on cigarettes.</div><div>
</div><div>After the Second World War in the early fifties, over a third of the U.S. workforce was represented by a labor union. Though unions have had their issues with corruption, on the whole they offer countervailing pressure to the potential predations of capitalism.</div><div>
</div><div>By the time President Reagan fired all of the Air Traffic Controllers (PATCO) in 1981, organized labor represented just a fifth of American workers. By 2019, it was just barely over 10 percent.</div><div>
</div><div>What has followed as a consequence is the massive growth of a contingent workforce hovering by the phone or checking their email to see if they have a “gig” or work for the day. This ability of capital to so greatly limit its social contract with workers creates a race to the bottom and leaves tens of millions without health care, unemployment or disability insurance.</div><div>
</div><div>It also puts employers and small businesses at a distinct competitive disadvantage if they choose to provide those basic benefits to their employees.</div><div>
</div><div>This is where there is an intersection with labor’s marginal circumstance and our current national crisis —in which so many Americans will hesitate to get tested for coronavirus or stay home if they are sick. Millions upon millions of Americans cannot afford the expense or the loss of wages; they have absolutely no safety net in the event the test comes back positive and they are sidelined without work for 14 days, much less left with a hospital bill.</div><div>
</div><div>The essential role of labor unions as a countervailing pressure against the predations of unfettered capital is most clearly apparent in the airline industry, which is ground zero for many pandemics including this one.</div><div>
</div><div>Unions in the public interest</div><div>
</div><div>John Samuelsen is the president of the Transport Workers Union International (TWU) that represents 150,000 members in the airline, railroad, transit, university, utilities and service sector.</div><div>
</div><div>Last week, TWU had to back up the decision by a flight crew for a major national air carrier to refuse the orders they were given to go right back to work after they had successfully removed a passenger who had disclosed to crew after his flight landed that he had the coronavirus.</div><div>
</div><div>As reported by the Daily News, a Long Island man flew from New York to Florida while he had a test pending for the coronavirus. Upon landing in West Palm Beach, he got the call informing him of his status.</div><div>
</div><div>“Our crew facilitated the passenger’s removal in a very sophisticated way that limited everyone’s potential exposure out the back door of the plane with the help of medical professionals that escorted him off the flight,” said Samuelsen. “But the crew was ordered back to work by the air carrier to crew up another flight and they rightfully refused because they knew they were now potentially carriers of the virus.”</div><div>
</div><div>He continued. “They were still in shock and understandably concerned about their own health and when they were ordered to get back on another flight, they said no. The carrier had said the crew could work because they were asymptomatic and that’s when the union stepped in.”</div><div>
</div><div>Samuelsen recounted how, after the union’s intervention, elected officials called the air carrier, as did the Daily News.</div><div>
</div><div>“We negotiated a package for the crew that guaranteed their economic security with paid sick leave. Ironically, in the process of doing what was right by our members we helped preserve the public health, which was the original goal of the flight crew. Without the union. we would have had another few planes loads of hundreds of unsuspecting members of the public exposed to the virus.”</div><div>
</div><div>As Samuelsen sees it, proposals that were considered as radical ideas pre-coronavirus, like Senator Bernie Sander’s universal health care plan or former presidential candidate Andrew Yang’s proposal for a universal basic income, are no longer radical.</div><div>
</div><div>“Can you imagine how much less anxiety all American workers would feel right now if things like this were already in place,” he said. “It would be a 365 day-a-year economic stimulus plan.”</div><div>
</div><div>Public health versus private profit?</div><div>
</div><div>Such a realignment of the balance of power, where private capital’s interest and the public interest could be potentially reconciled in the face of something like our current existential crisis, is already happening elsewhere on the planet.</div><div>
</div><div>Professor Richard Wolff is an economist who teaches at the New School. He says there is no better example of harmonizing these tensions then in China and South Korea, which have gotten their public and private sectors to collaborate in the face of the current pandemic.</div><div>
</div><div>“Look at the percentage of the population that has been tested in these two places and you can see the results of the close coordination between the government and the private sector which we don’t have, and our testing numbers reflect that,” he said.</div><div>
</div><div>Wolff says that the current crisis brings into sharp relief the fundamental divergence between American capitalism and the public health. “There was just no profit incentive for the big drug companies to produce a million of these kinds of tests,” he added.</div><div>
</div><div>He continued: “Looking at the Center for Disease Control’s own press releases we see as of Jan. 17 they publicly acknowledged they were following this virus in China . . . . what we have seen since is this ad hoc, last-minute, under-the-gun response with one eye looking out for the interests of the profit making medical industrial complex and the other eye looking out for the re-election of the President.”</div><div>
</div><div>If there is a silver lining in the coronavirus moment, it is that it can serve as a teachable moment for our entire civilization. It can help us muster the will to make the lifestyle and economic changes required to face up to the challenge of global warming.</div><div>----</div></div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/trumps-usual-tactics-will-fail-against-coronavirus-and-thats-when-things-could-really-get-dark/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/trumps-usual-tactics-will-fail-against-coronavirus-and-thats-when-things-could-really-get-dark/</a></div><div>
</div><div><div>no lnx</div><div>
</div><div>Trump’s usual tactics will fail against coronavirus — and that’s when things could really get dark</div><div>
</div><div>President Donald J. Trump addresses the nation from the Oval Office of the White House Wednesday evening, March 11, 2020, on the country’s expanded response against the global Coronavirus outbreak. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)</div><div>
</div><div>Written by Nancy LeTourneau / Washington Monthly March 13, 2020</div><div>
</div><div>Dan Diamond, who writes about health issues for Politico, exposed the way that sycophants in the Trump administration have failed to respond effectively to the coronavirus. Of particular concern is the battle underway between Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and Seema Verma, the administrator for Medicare and Medicaid Services. They appear to be in competition to gain the president’s favor. During a conversation about that with Terry Gross on NPR, he revealed how it has affected the federal government’s response to a pandemic (emphasis mine).</div><div>
</div><div>I think they are both trying to show that they’re incredibly active and aggressive in public, but some of the decisions behind the scenes haven’t always reflected the best judgment of career professionals. In the case of Alex Azar, he did go to the president in January. He did push past resistance from the president’s political aides to warn the president the new coronavirus could be a major problem. There were aides around Trump – Kellyanne Conway had some skepticism at times that this was something that needed to be a presidential priority.</div><div>
</div><div>But at the same time, Secretary Azar has not always given the president the worst-case scenario of what could happen. My understanding is he did not push to do aggressive additional testing in recent weeks, and that’s partly because more testing might have led to more cases being discovered of coronavirus outbreak, and the president had made clear — the lower the numbers on coronavirus, the better for the president, the better for his potential reelection this fall.</div><div>
</div><div>That not only explains the lack of tests that have been made available, it tells us why the administration has so consistently lied about the spread of the virus in the United States. But the president had already signaled his obsession with keeping the number of cases low during remarks to the press last week.</div><div>
</div><div>Trump was addressing the question of what his administration would do about passengers on the Grand Princess cruise ship, where an outbreak of coronavirus had occurred.</div><div>
</div><div>[My experts] would like to have the people come off. I’d rather have the people stay, but I’d go with them. I told them to make the final decision. I would rather—because I like the numbers being where they are. I don’t need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasn’t our fault.</div><div>
</div><div>While the coronavirus was spreading all over the country, the president wanted to keep the numbers artificially low because it served his own interests. So they lied, which is what Trump always does. But as Kevin Drum noted, it’s not working this time.</div><div>
</div><div>You can get away with this for a while, especially if you have Fox News and talk radio to back you up. And the longer you get away with it, the more convinced you become that it will always work, that everything in politics is marketing. So eventually you go too far: you try to deny the reality of an epidemic that even your most fervent supporters know is real. You double down by quoting obviously bogus testing numbers. But unlike your previous delusions, this one has real consequences: since testing and tracing are the backbone of infectious disease control, a lack of testing makes the epidemic even worse.</div><div>
</div><div>You might remember that Trump didn’t just lie about what was happening, he joked about the Democrats politicizing the crisis and called it a hoax. That was an attempt to distract his supporters and get them focused on how he had been under siege from the beginning of his presidency. It allowed him to compare the criticisms of his handling of the situation to the Russia investigation and his impeachment.</div><div>
</div><div>But ultimately, whenever Trump feels challenged, he becomes obsessed with finding someone to blame. You can see him attempting to deflect blame during his remarks about the cruise ship. Even though it had absolutely no bearing on the situation, he felt the need to point out that the coronavirus outbreak on the ship “wasn’t our fault.”</div><div>
</div><div>Perhaps because he recognizes that he can’t lie or distract his way out of this crisis, the president went into full blame mode on Twitter Thursday night.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>Donald J. Trump</div><div>@realDonaldTrump</div><div>
</div><div>Sleepy Joe Biden was in charge of the H1N1 Swine Flu epidemic which killed thousands of people. The response was one of the worst on record. Our response is one of the best, with fast action of border closings & a 78% Approval Rating, the highest on record. His was lowest!</div><div>
</div><div>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2020</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>Donald J. Trump</div><div>?</div><div>@realDonaldTrump</div><div>
</div><div>“The Obama White House had to immediately issue an apology for Joe Biden’s remarks, and any alarm that he might have caused, an alarm about a Swine Flu outbreak that took 6 months for President Obama to declare a National Emergency, and that killed 12,000 Americans.” @LouDobbs</div><div>#]</div><div>“The Obama White House had to immediately issue an apology for Joe Biden’s remarks, and any alarm that he might have caused, an alarm about a Swine Flu outbreak that took 6 months for President Obama to declare a National Emergency, and that killed 12,000 Americans.” @LouDobbs</div><div>
</div><div>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2020</div><div>
</div><div>In case you’re wondering, nothing in either of those tweets resembles the truth. But using lies to blame an opponent for your own failures is typical of the current leader of a party that once billed itself as a proponent of “personal responsibility.”</div><div>
</div><div>Since the beginning of Trump’s presidency, he has always resorted to his pattern of lie, distract, and blame when challenged. While that has been apparent to those of us who live in the reality-based world, it has often worked to maintain the loyalty of his most ardent followers. As the coronavirus reaches the stage of exponential growth in this country, will it continue to work? That is doubtful. It is at that point that we’re likely to see him ramp up the divisiveness of xenophobia to defend himself—which is when things will really get dark.</div><div>
</div></div><div>=<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/reporters-reveal-forgotten-detail-of-how-sen-susan-collins-sabotaged-pandemic-preparedness-funds/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/reporters-reveal-forgotten-detail-of-how-sen-susan-collins-sabotaged-pandemic-preparedness-funds/</a></div><div>=<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/grotesque-level-of-greed-jeff-bezos-whole-foods-wants-workers-to-pay-colleagues-sick-leave-during-coronavirus/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/grotesque-level-of-greed-jeff-bezos-whole-foods-wants-workers-to-pay-colleagues-sick-leave-during-coronavirus/</a>=</div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/trumps-google-coronavirus-website-lie-may-be-the-ultimate-in-simply-making-stuff-up/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/trumps-google-coronavirus-website-lie-may-be-the-ultimate-in-simply-making-stuff-up/</a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div>no lnx</div><div>
</div><div>Trump’s Google coronavirus website lie may be the ultimate in simply making stuff up</div></div></div><div></div><div>azar hhs </div><div>swamp thing COI?</div><div>
</div><div>point man on covid 19 but got blindsided on podium by vp pick "alarmist"</div><div>
</div><div>apparently tried to get to djt on covid in jan? but blocked by aides? cuck-blocked?</div><div>
</div><div>cut pandemic team just ~ BO or eliminate buffer/expert?</div><div>=</div><div></div><div>trumpistas perfect venn diagram?!</div><div> <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click1.e.alternet.org/sjblkzpwpdjtjkhhtcvpptphhcthwmsgldpjvbzcckkc_hhfqvfmfzvcmsqnncqq.html?a=&b=3956&c=21989&d=2" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">Some towns still haven’t halted water shut-offs for unpaid bills during coronavirus — even as federal lawmakers demand it</a>Access to running water for hand-washing is essential to slowing…=</div><div></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/cruelty-off-the-charts-as-trump-blocks-states-from-expanding-medicaid-to-fight-coronavirus/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/cruelty-off-the-charts-as-trump-blocks-states-from-expanding-medicaid-to-fight-coronavirus/</a></div><div>
</div><div></div><div>
</div><div>note, never admit wrong, deny, no correction:</div><div>3/10</div><div>
</div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/new-report-reveals-the-bewildering-reason-trump-is-reluctant-to-declare-an-emergency-over-coronavirus/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/new-report-reveals-the-bewildering-reason-trump-is-reluctant-to-declare-an-emergency-over-coronavirus/</a></div><div>
</div><div>...latest news out of the White House is incomprehensibly dire. <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/11/trump-emergency-declaration-coronavirus-message-125902" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Politico is reporting</a> that Donald Trump is “reluctant” to give the COVID-19 pandemic an emergency designation, which would provide emergency funding to states and allow a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) response in affected areas, because Trump believes calling it an “emergency” would go against his prior insistence that the coronavirus outbreak was no worse than the yearly fl</div><div>...</div><div></div><div>3/13 bunch of xian wacko neglected eg</div><div>
</div><div><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/jerry-falwell-jr-floats-conspiracy-theory-that-coronavirus-is-north-korean-bioweapon/">https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/jerry-falwell-jr-floats-conspiracy-theory-that-coronavirus-is-north-korean-bioweapon/</a></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/trump-uses-coronavirus-fears-to-advance-bannons-far-right-agenda/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/trump-uses-coronavirus-fears-to-advance-bannons-far-right-agenda/</a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">When President Donald J. Trump delivered his latest <a title="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/business/stock-market-today.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/business/stock-market-today.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">market-rattling remarks</a> on the coronavirus pandemic from the Oval Office on Wednesday night, political reporters collectively scratched their heads over the president’s announcement of a ban on travelers from Europe and cargo coming from the continent. (The cargo ban was later <a title="https://www.businessinsider.com/white-house-scrambles-to-clarify-details-on-coronavirus-response-2020-3" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/white-house-scrambles-to-clarify-details-on-coronavirus-response-2020-3" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">walked back</a>.)</div><div class="mce-content-body" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"><div class="layout-constrain--narrow" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 47.2222em; padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em; line-height: 1.5;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; line-height: 1.5;">But anyone paying attention to the rise of the global right knew what Trump was up to: using well-founded fears of the virus’s spread in the U.S. to strengthen the hand of Stephen K. Bannon, Trump’s erstwhile chief White House strategist, in the former’s <a title="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/marine-le-pen-has-a-plan-to-make-france-great-again-and-steve-bannon-helped/" href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/marine-le-pen-has-a-plan-to-make-france-great-again-and-steve-bannon-helped/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">quest to weaken the European Union</a>.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; line-height: 1.5;">In his <a title="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-address-nation/" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-address-nation/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">remarks</a>, Trump blamed European travelers for “seeding” the “foreign virus”—first identified in China—on American shores, and blamed Europe for the spread of the new coronavirus, because, he said, the E.U. had not banned travel from China as the U.S. has. “And taking early intense action, we have seen dramatically fewer cases of the virus in the United States than are now present in Europe,” Trump said, conveniently omitting the fact that Europe has a <a title="http://www.euro.who.int/en/countries/france/news/news/2020/2/well-prepared-laboratories-are-first-line-of-defence-against-novel-coronavirus-in-europe" href="http://www.euro.who.int/en/countries/france/news/news/2020/2/well-prepared-laboratories-are-first-line-of-defence-against-novel-coronavirus-in-europe" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">viable testing regimen</a>, while it’s still <a title="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/11/814189027/no-guarantee-youll-get-tested-for-covid-19-even-if-your-doctor-requests-it" href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/11/814189027/no-guarantee-youll-get-tested-for-covid-19-even-if-your-doctor-requests-it" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">impossible for most people</a> in the U.S. to obtain a <a title="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-11/coronavirus-testing-kits-lack-key-ingredient-causing-confusion" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-11/coronavirus-testing-kits-lack-key-ingredient-causing-confusion" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">t</a><a title="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-11/coronavirus-testing-kits-lack-key-ingredient-causing-confusion" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-11/coronavirus-testing-kits-lack-key-ingredient-causing-confusion" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">est for COVID-19</a>, as the new coronavirus is formally known. Consequently, no one knows just how many people in the land of the free are freely walking around, spreading the virus. Nor do we know how many deaths from respiratory failure are due to the new virus.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; line-height: 1.5;">While a number of claims made by Trump in the remarks he delivered from the <a title="http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/furnishings/resolute-desk.htm" href="http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/furnishings/resolute-desk.htm" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Resolute Desk</a> have since been <a title="https://www.businessinsider.com/white-house-scrambles-to-clarify-details-on-coronavirus-response-2020-3" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/white-house-scrambles-to-clarify-details-on-coronavirus-response-2020-3" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">walked back</a> by various government agencies, it is notable that a <a title="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2020/03/11/homeland-security-acting-secretary-chad-f-wolf-s-statement-presidential-proclamation" href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2020/03/11/homeland-security-acting-secretary-chad-f-wolf-s-statement-presidential-proclamation" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">clarification</a> from the Department of Homeland Security says that the European countries affected by the executive order signed by Trump include only those in the <a title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Schengen area</a>, which means those that are party to a multi-nation agreement to maintain open borders among them. Most of those 22 nations are members of the E.U.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; line-height: 1.5;">In other words, this is an ideological and punitive action against those nations for daring to act in coalition—and for having demonstrated, since 1985, the value of such a compact.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; line-height: 1.5;">Since before his ouster from the White House (for saying <a title="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tasneemnashrulla/steve-bannon-fire-and-fury#.vnlYVWyJW" href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tasneemnashrulla/steve-bannon-fire-and-fury#.vnlYVWyJW" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">mean things</a> about Trump’s son, Don Jr., daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner that were reported in the Michael Wolff book, “Fire and Fury”), Bannon has been working on growing the right-wing nationalist parties in Europe, Brazil and elsewhere, with a foremost goal of busting up the E.U. While he served as an executive at Cambridge Analytica, <a title="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/new-evidence-emerges-of-steve-bannon-and-cambridge-analyticas-role-in-brexit" href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/new-evidence-emerges-of-steve-bannon-and-cambridge-analyticas-role-in-brexit" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Bannon helped fuel</a> the Brexit referendum that has led to the United Kingdom’s departure from the E.U.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; line-height: 1.5;">In his Wednesday-night remarks, Trump said that the U.K. would be exempt from his European travel ban—never mind that confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.K. leapt by more than 20 percent since Trump spoke to the American people yesterday from the Oval Office, now standing at 596, with 20 deaths reported. “However,” <a title="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51857856" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51857856" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">according to the BBC</a>, “the actual number of people infected could be between 5,000 and 10,000, the government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said.”<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; line-height: 1.5;"><a title="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/12/trump-coronavirus-travel-europe-resorts-126808" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/12/trump-coronavirus-travel-europe-resorts-126808" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Politico notes</a> that the parameters of his European travel ban functionally exempt travelers from Trump’s own properties in Scotland and Ireland.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; line-height: 1.5;">In addition, Trump’s framing of COVID-19 as a “foreign virus” fits neatly into one of Bannon’s newer projects, a group he calls <a title="https://prospect.org/power/trump-bannon-busting-world/" href="https://prospect.org/power/trump-bannon-busting-world/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Committee on the Present Danger: China</a>, whose major donor, Guo Wengui, appears to be Bannon’s <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/steve-bannon-guo-wengui-private-jet-campaign-finance-law" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">l</a><a title="https://www.propublica.org/article/steve-bannon-guo-wengui-private-jet-campaign-finance-law" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/steve-bannon-guo-wengui-private-jet-campaign-finance-law" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">atest sugar daddy</a>, now that he’s said to have been <a title="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/04/us/politics/bannon-mercer-trump.html" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/04/us/politics/bannon-mercer-trump.html" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">abandoned</a> by his former patrons, Robert and Rebekah Mercer.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; line-height: 1.5;">While Trump and Bannon may have their personal differences, it is clear that they’re working in tandem. The constellation of right-wing actors that forms the alliance colloquially known as Bannon World are firmly on team Trump, as was obvious at last month’s Conservative Political Action Conference, which has become, for all intents and purposes, an arm of the Trump campaign. (The conference is run by Matt Schlapp, whose wife Mercedes works for the Trump campaign. Matt Schlapp and his roster of speakers at the four-day conference almost all effusively praised the president, with many urging his reelection.) Bannon World speakers at CPAC included former White House adviser <a title="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/white-house-aide-sebastian-gorka-breitbart-steve-bannon-donald-trump-a7915936.html" href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/white-house-aide-sebastian-gorka-breitbart-steve-bannon-donald-trump-a7915936.html" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Sebastian Gorka</a>, Brexit Party Chairman <a title="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/may/22/nigel-farage-discussed-fronting-far-right-group-led-by-steve-bannon" href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/may/22/nigel-farage-discussed-fronting-far-right-group-led-by-steve-bannon" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Nigel Farage</a>, Brazilian politician <a title="https://theintercept.com/2019/08/13/eduardo-bolsonaro-pro-trump-son-brazils-president-track-ambassador-u-s/" href="https://theintercept.com/2019/08/13/eduardo-bolsonaro-pro-trump-son-brazils-president-track-ambassador-u-s/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Eduardo Bolsonaro</a> and China critic <a title="https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/28/cpac-conservatives-china-1194212" href="https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/28/cpac-conservatives-china-1194212" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Gordon Chang</a>.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; line-height: 1.5;">The American Conservative Union, which stages CPAC, reported last week that one this year’s CPAC attendees—<a title="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/new-york-doctor-at-cpac-was-coronavirus-patient-zero" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/new-york-doctor-at-cpac-was-coronavirus-patient-zero" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">revealed today</a> to be the Republican donor Alan Berger—tested positive for the virus after attending the conference.<div class="at-below-post addthis_tool" data-url="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/trump-uses-coronavirus-fears-to-advance-bannons-far-right-agenda/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; line-height: 1.5;"><div class="layout-constrain--narrow" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 47.2222em; padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em;"><div class="tags" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; border-top: 5px solid rgb(239, 243, 243); margin-bottom: 2em; padding-top: 1em;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; font-weight: 700;">Tags: <a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/donald-j-trump/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Donald J. Trump</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/donald-trump-jr/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Donald Trump Jr.</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/eduardo-bolsonaro/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Eduardo Bolsonaro</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/gordon-chang/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Gordon Chang</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/guo-wengui/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Guo Wengui</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/ivanka-trump/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Ivanka Trump</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/jared-kushner/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Jared Kushner</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/matt-schlapp/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Matt Schlapp</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/mercedes-schlapp/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Mercedes Schlapp</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/michael-wolff/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Michael Wolff</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/miles-kwok/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Miles Kwok</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/nigel-farage/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Nigel Farage</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/rebekah-mercer/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Rebekah Mercer</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/robert-mercer/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Robert Mercer</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/sebastian-gorka/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Sebastian Gorka</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/steve-bannon/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Steve Bannon</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/topics/bannon-world/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Bannon World</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/topics/coronavirus/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Coronavirus</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/topics/european-travel-ban/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">European travel ban</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/topics/global-far-right/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">global far-right</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/american-conservative-union/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">American Conservative Union</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/bbc/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">BBC</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/committee-on-the-present-danger-china/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Committee on the Present Danger: China</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/department-of-homeland-security/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Department of Homeland Security</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/european-union/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">European Union</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/politico/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em;">Politico</a></div></div><div></div></div></div></div></div><div></div><div>h<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/heres-how-trump-is-grifting-the-pandemic-to-give-the-rich-another-big-tax-cut/" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; letter-spacing: 0px;">ere’s how Trump is grifting the pandemic to give the rich another big tax cut</a></div><div class="header-list-style" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="grid-post-box-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/davidcayjohnston/" title="Posts by David Cay Johnston" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">David Cay Johnston</a> / <a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/dc-report/" title="Posts by DC Report" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">DC Report</a>, <a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/raw-story/" title="Posts by Raw Story" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Raw Story</a>March 12, 2020</div></div><div class="item-content entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 18px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Using the coronavirus as his excuse, Donald Trump is working to give the highest-paid American workers a valuable tax break, while tossing crumbs to the middle class and the working poor.</div><div>=s<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/scientist-details-how-trump-obliterated-obamas-pandemic-response-infrastructure-out-of-spite/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; letter-spacing: 0px;">cientist details how Trump ‘obliterated’ Obama’s pandemic response infrastructure out of spite</a><div class="header-list-style" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="grid-post-box-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/amy-goodman/" title="Posts by Amy Goodman" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Amy Goodman</a>, <a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/democracy-now/" title="Posts by Democracy Now" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Democracy Now</a>March 12, 2020</div></div><div class="item-content entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 18px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The coronavirus disease that was first diagnosed in China’s Hubei province has now spread to at least 47 countries and every continent except Antarctica. The World Health Organization has declared…</div>NB DESMOG TRACKING IMPENDING BANKRUPTCY? KEPT AFLOAT BY BANKS?aha ish // disaster cap'l, never waste a crisis to dustoff wishlist
<h1 class="post-title single-post-title entry-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Will an oil tycoon who donated $500,000 to support Trump’s re-election get bailed out by his administration?</h1><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/will-an-oil-tycoon-who-donated-500000-to-support-trumps-re-election-get-bailed-out-by-his-administration" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/will-an-oil-tycoon-who-donated-500000-to-support-trumps-re-election-get-bailed-out-by-his-administration</a>no lnx
Will an oil tycoon who donated $500,000 to support Trump’s re-election get bailed out by his administration?
Written by Igor Derysh / Salon March 12, 2020
With oil prices plunging during the coronavirus outbreak, the Trump administration is weighing a federal bailout for oil and natural gas companies, according to a new report.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly touted a fracking boom under his administration, but oil and gas companies have seen profits drop amid an oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia.
“Alarmed” by the prospect that some of these companies, many of which are already in debt, [see desmog] could go out of business, White House officials have pushed for a federal bailout in the form of low-interest government loans, The Washington Post reported.
Among those pushing for the bailout is Harold Hamm, a billionaire Trump adviser who owns Continental Resources, an energy company which lost half of its market value Monday.Hamm told The Post that although he had not made “direct” contact with the president, he advised the administration to consider “any action that the administration might take to protect and preserve American interests at this time from being unfairly disadvantaged.”
Hamm has given more than $500,000 to support Trump’s re-election effort since 2017, the government watchdog group Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington noted.
Some Trump advisers told The Post that the administration was eyeing “targeted assistance” for the companies. Though under consideration, another official warned that “political blowback over the idea may eventually lead campaign advisers and others in [the] administration to talk Trump out of it.”
Chris Rupkey, the chief economist at MUFG Union Bank, told the outlet that he expects significant political backlash.
“It’s difficult when governments selectively target individual industries,” he said. “And there’s going to be pushback on it, because it’s political and may be tied to the administration’s contacts and the people it knows.”
Cornell University professor Robert Hockett, who has advised Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on economic policy, added that it was ridiculous to look out for big fracking companies while millions need relief.
“We are in the midst of a crisis where people are literally having to skip work and may miss paychecks or face medical debt,” he said. “The idea you would look to help out shale companies now is like something out of a satire or a bad movie. It’s absurd.”
Trump also said that he was looking at bailing out airlines, cruise lines and the hospitality industry Tuesday, as they reel from the impact of COVID-19, the disease spread by the novel coronavirus. But the bailout proposals have received public pushback from Republicans.
“They can take care of themselves,” Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., told The Washington Examiner. “Why do you overreact just when there’s a little pain? That doesn’t make sense.”
Nick Loris, an economist at the right-wing Heritage Foundation, said such a bailout “would not sit well” with fiscal conservatives.
“Not only would it potentially put taxpayers on the hook for future potential losses and bankruptcies, it would distort the risk-taking process that is so critical in making these investments,” he told the outlet. “We’ve seen the resiliency in the industry before, and I believe we’ll see it again.”
However, Alex Doukas, the lead analyst for advocacy group Oil Change International, predicted that Trump’s big-money donors would heavily pressure the administration to ignore the criticism.
“With oil prices in free fall, expect oil companies to turn to their age-old tactic of bullying governments for even more subsidies on top of the hundreds of billions they benefit from annually,” Doukas said. “Instead of more handouts to polluters, governments should make big investments in high-quality green jobs that will put people to work and ultimately end our dependence on the volatile fossil fuels that create climate chaos.”
Journalist David Cay Johnson described the lobbying effort as “corporate socialists” seeking “welfare from the Trump administration.”
“Bailing out the oil industry won’t help the workers who have to choose between their health and their paychecks. It won’t help the people who could go into medical debt from COVID-19,” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., tweeted. “We need paid family leave and Medicare expanded to every American.”
“The American people are worried about missing paychecks, affording coronavirus tests, & being able to afford healthcare period. But [Trump] wants to bail out the oil industry?” Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., added. “Leave it to Trump to prioritize his friends over the American people.”
Igor Derysh is a staff writer at Salon. His work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Herald and Baltimore Sun.<div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
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</div><div></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/epidemiologist-warns-that-distrust-in-science-makes-fighting-pandemics-so-much-harder/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/epidemiologist-warns-that-distrust-in-science-makes-fighting-pandemics-so-much-harder/</a></div><div></div><div>
</div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/trump-white-house-orders-unnecessary-classification-of-coronavirus-related-meetings-at-hhs-leaving-some-state-and-local-officials-in-the-dark-report/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/trump-white-house-orders-unnecessary-classification-of-coronavirus-related-meetings-at-hhs-leaving-some-state-and-local-officials-in-the-dark-report/</a></div><div>
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</div><div>=</div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/s-the-christian-right-now-in-charge-of-public-health-inside-the-trump-administration">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/s-the-christian-right-now-in-charge-of-public-health-inside-the-trump-administration</a></div><div>
</div><div><div>no lnx</div><div>
</div><div>Inside Mike Pence’s secret Christian empire</div><div>Jim Domen, founder of Church United, and VP Mike Pence, </div><div>Written by Heather Digby Parton March 9, 2020</div><div>
</div><div>If you’ve been following the latest news on the coronavirus outbreak, you probably saw at least some snippets of President Trump’s visit to the CDC last Friday. It will stand as one of the most astonishing appearances by this or any other president — and that’s saying something. When asked if he regretted firing the entire staff of the Office of Pandemic Preparation, Trump said, “This is something that you can never really think is going to happen.” He said that everyone who wants to be tested for this virus can get tested, which is not even close to true. He called Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington state, who is on the front lines dealing with this epidemic, a “snake.”</div><div>
</div><div>He made it clear that he wants to cook the numbers so it doesn’t look as if the nation is in the midst of an epidemic. This has been obvious from the outset, but for the president to come out and say it is something else again:</div><div>
</div><div>Mostly, however, he patted himself on the back:</div><div>
</div><div>You know, my uncle was a great person. He was at MIT. He taught at MIT for, I think, like a record number of years. He was a great super genius. Dr. John Trump. I like this stuff. I really get it. People are surprised that I understand it. Every one of these doctors said, “How do you know so much about this?” Maybe I have a natural ability. Maybe I should have done that instead of running for President.</div><div>
</div><div>As Wired science reporter Adam Rogers wrote:</div><div>
</div><div>As a reporter, in general I’m not supposed to say something like this, but: The president’s statements to the press were terrifying. That press availability was a repudiation of good science and good crisis management from inside one of the world’s most respected scientific institutions.</div><div>
</div><div>Let’s put that another way: The CDC was considered one of the world’s most respected scientific institutions. It has not been covering itself in glory during this crisis.</div><div>
</div><div>The most unnerving aspect of the government response so far has not been Trump’s gibberish. He’s in over his head and it shows, as usual. And we know from his response to Hurricane Maria and other natural disasters that his only concern in a crisis is for his own political well-being. But I wouldn’t have expected to hear the director of the CDC, Robert Redfield, laud Trump like a Fox News pundit:</div><div>
</div><div>It’s a full-blown ritual at this point for members of the Trump cabinet and Republicans in Congress to genuflect to the president as if he were a 15th-century pope. And we know that public health experts have had to tread very softly in order not to upset him.</div><div>
</div><div>Still, it was surprising to hear such a slavering tribute from a scientist in the midst of a global health crisis. Likewise, it was strange to hear the highly esteemed U.S. global AIDS coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, make similar comments when she was introduced as part of the coronavirus task force back on March 2:</div><div>
</div><div>It is clear the early work of the president over travel restrictions and the ability quarantine has bought us the time and space to have this task force be very effective. I have never worked with such incredible scientists and thoughtful policy leaders…</div><div>
</div><div>It seemed just a bit over the top. But these two weren’t the only ones:</div><div>
</div><div>There’s something important happening under the surface here. It may not simply be that these health policy professionals are trying to keep the kooky president happy so they can do their work on behalf of the country. They may be Trump true believers.</div><div>
</div><div>U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, for instance, is a Mike Pence crony who previously served as the Indiana state health commissioner. He was intimately involved in the horrific HIV outbreak in that state, where Pence refused to authorize a needle exchange program until a number of people had died unnecessarily. Naturally, Trump appointed him surgeon general.</div><div>
</div><div>Redfield and Birx are both evangelical Christians who have been associated with HIV research for many years, going back to the 1980s. Birx runs PEPFAR, George W. Bush’s global AIDS initiative, and both she and Redfield have been involved with Children’s AIDS Fund International, which lobbies for abstinence-only sex education around the world.</div><div>
</div><div>The Washington Post reported back in 2018 that they belong to a network run by an important power broker in the evangelical world:</div><div>
</div><div>Evangelical activist Shepherd Smith has spent more than three decades cultivating relationships with leading AIDS researchers and policymakers to promote abstinence-only sex education and other programs. Those connections now could influence government programs and funding within the Trump administration. Among the most prominent: Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…</div><div>
</div><div>[His wife] Anita Smith is now a consultant within PEPFAR to Deborah Birx, a physician and ambassador at large who oversees the program’s estimated $5 billion annual budget. Birx is also a former board member of Children’s AIDS Fund International and served until she was hired by the CDC in 2005, a PEPFAR spokesman said.</div><div>
</div><div>Anita Smith was hired by Birx to “improve prevention programs aimed at preteen girls.” I’m pretty sure we know what she recommended.</div><div>
</div><div>Redfield and Birx both served in the military doing AIDS research in the mid-1980s. Redfield is well-known for recommending measures that were considered extreme even within the Reagan administration, including the forced quarantine of AIDS patients. He later had a financial interest in an HIV vaccine that didn’t work, but which he continued to push. Birx, on the other hand, has maintained a stellar reputation.</div><div>
</div><div>To be clear, none of this means that these people aren’t qualified for the jobs they hold. They both have medical degrees and relevant experience. But they seem to be part of a conservative subculture of evangelical Christians who have found a foothold in the Trump administration clustered around Mike Pence’s office. Along millions of other evangelicals, it appears they really believe in Donald Trump.</div><div>
</div><div>Setting ideology aside, however, what Trump wants these people to do — cover up his own ignorance and incompetence — is totally at odds with what they must know is best for the health of the American public. Is their worshipful admiration for this man blinding them to the need to communicate honestly with the American people about this crisis? Because that would explain a lot.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>
</div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/fox-news-jeanine-pirro-downplays-talk-about-coronavirus-being-more-deadly-flu">https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/fox-news-jeanine-pirro-downplays-talk-about-coronavirus-being-more-deadly-flu</a></div><div>an 320m<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/major-conservative-paper-slams-trump-with-brutal-editorial-blasting-his-coronavirus-response/" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; letter-spacing: 0px;">ajor conservative paper slams Trump in brutal editorial blasting his coronavirus response</a><div class="header-list-style" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="grid-post-box-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/tom-boggioni/" title="Posts by Tom Boggioni" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Tom Boggioni</a> / <a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/raw-story/" title="Posts by Raw Story" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Raw Story</a>March 8, 2020</div></div><div class="item-content entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 18px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In an absolutely scathing editorial in the conservative Washington Examiner, Executive Editor Philip Klein eviscerated Donald Trump for his handling of the growing coronavirus epidemic — saying the actions taken by his administration...</div></div><div></div><div>w<a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click1.e.alternet.org/tbhjcdpspgwkwcrrkbhppkprrbkrsvmtjgpwhldbhcmc_tvzzlpjpklvjhcjhppb.html?a=&b=3907&c=21989&d=2" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb">hite House overruled CDC on recommendation that seniors avoid flying</a></div><p times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" font-style="font-style" italic="italic" color="color" rgb="rgb" margin="margin" padding="padding" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Could it be any clearer that the Trump administration is…<div>=</div><div>i<a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click1.e.alternet.org/mctsdzpmpkwlwdvvltypplpvvtlvmnbjskpwycztydds_tvzzlpjpklvjhcjhppb.html?a=&b=3907&c=21989&d=2"> don’t want to’: Ben Carson sparks panic by refusing to reveal ‘plan’ for cruise ship patients</a><p times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" font-style="font-style" italic="italic" color="color" rgb="rgb" margin="margin" padding="padding" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> A Sunday interview with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben…</div><div>=</div><div>indirect endorse medicare for all</div><div></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/here-are-7-ridiculous-and-disturbing-moments-from-trumps-visit-to-the-cdc">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/here-are-7-ridiculous-and-disturbing-moments-from-trumps-visit-to-the-cdc</a></div><div></div><div>320</div><div>
</div><div><a href="https://theintercept.com/2020/02/29/cronyism-and-conflicts-of-interest-in-trumps-coronavirus-task-force/">https://theintercept.com/2020/02/29/cronyism-and-conflicts-of-interest-in-trumps-coronavirus-task-force/</a></div><div>
</div><div>alex AZAR, the secretary of health and human services, admitted Wednesday that a vaccine for a new coronavirus might not be affordable for all Americans. “We can’t control that price,” Azar <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/27/21155879/alex-azar-coronavirus-vaccine-affordable-insurance" style="letter-spacing: 0.01em; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">told</a> Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., during a congressional hearing about the novel strain, which has been spreading throughout the world and is widely expected to become a serious public health issue in the United States.</div><div data-reactid="219" style="box-sizing: border-box;">After a wave of criticism from Democrats, Azar <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-vaccine-affordable-says-trump-administration-2020-2" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">walked the comment back</a> the next day, saying that he would ensure public access to a vaccine for Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, if one should be developed. But Azar, who served as the top lobbyist for Eli Lilly before becoming president of the drug company’s U.S. operations in 2012 and the secretary of health and human Services in 2018, knows of what he unthinkingly speaks. <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/05/24/725404168/at-2-125-million-new-gene-therapy-is-the-most-expensive-drug-ever" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Exorbitant</a> drug pricing often leaves life-saving treatment out of reach for the poorest Americans. And to the extent that Azar and the other businessmen who make up the majority of the president’s coronavirus task force have any experience with pharmaceuticals, one of the <a href="https://fortune.com/2019/03/01/drug-companies-rd-profits/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">most profitable sectors</a> of the economy, it’s been making money off the system that keeps them out of reach.In the case of Azar, who earned nearly <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/20/azar-eli-lilly-millions-severance-hhs-251107" style="letter-spacing: 0.01em; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">$2 million</a> during his last year at Lilly, that profit came at the expense of the people who needed the drugs, according to a <a href="https://insulinnation.com/living/price-fixing-alleged-in-lawsuit-against-insulin-makers/" style="letter-spacing: 0.01em; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">lawsuit</a> filed in 2017. While Azar was leading the pharmaceutical giant, the cost of its drugs <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2017-11-13/hhs-secretary-nominee-alex-azar-a-friend-to-health-care-firms" style="letter-spacing: 0.01em; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">went up significantly</a>. In particular, insulin sold by the company more than doubled in price. According to the suit, which also names Novo Nordisk and Sanofi, Eli Lilly engaged in a scheme to artificially inflate the price of its drug, leaving some diabetic people unable to pay the cost and forced to use expired insulin or none at all. Eli Lilly did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the company has told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/30/health/drugmakers-lawsuit-insulin-drugs.html" style="letter-spacing: 0.01em; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">other publications</a> that the suit has no merit and that it follows the “highest ethical standards.”</div><div data-reactid="230" style="box-sizing: border-box;">For another task force member, the profits could come from the coronavirus itself. Joseph Grogan was a lobbyist for the pharmaceutical giant Gilead Sciences before he joined the Trump administration as director of the Domestic Policy Council and led the <a href="https://democracyforward.org/updates/bts-joseph-grogan-big-pharma/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Drug Pricing and Innovation Work Group</a>. On Wednesday, after Gilead announced that it would be starting two clinical trials of an antiviral drug that could be used to treat Covid-19, the company’s stock price <a href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/gilead-moderna-stocks-coronavirus-vaccine-treatment-trials-51582812256" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">surged</a>.As a former lobbyist for a company that stands to gain big from a possible treatment for the respiratory disease, Grogan’s participation on the task force poses a host of ethical problems, according to Robert Klitzman, professor of psychiatry and director of the bioethics master’s program at Columbia University. “Does he have a conflict of interest? Yes!” said Klitzman, who points out that the government is likely to spend money on both the research and purchase of treatments for the virus. “Gilead could help shape a government request for proposals so that they could have an unfair advantage.”While Grogan appears to have <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4388049-Joseph-J-Grogan-Financial-Disclosure.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">sold his Gilead stock</a> and, according to the Office of Management and Budget, has severed all financial relationships and taken “the Trump pledge,” the situation is still problematic, according to Klitzman. “When he gets out of office, they could give him a gift for doing a good job or just hire him again. And what about his buddies? I’m sure he is still close to people who work for Gilead who will benefit. These are all major ethical concerns.”Although Grogan and his friends may have a lot to gain from his participation on the task force, it is not clear what expertise he and most of the others serving on the group bring to it. Of the task force’s 16 members — 17, if you include Vice President Mike Pence, who is heading the effort — only four have any training in science or medicine. The others mostly hail from the business world, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, an investment banker who was <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/04/18/sears-lawsuit-eddie-lampert-esl-investments/3507382002/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">sued</a> for asset stripping; Ken Cuccinelli, a lawyer and self-described “opponent of homosexuality” now serving as acting deputy secretary of homeland security; and Christopher Liddell, a former executive at Microsoft and General Motors, who worked with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner on the modernization of federal IT systems before directing the country’s response to what may be the biggest public health crisis in over a century.Pence also named Larry Kudlow to the task force on Thursday. Kudlow, a top economic adviser to Trump who used to work for Bear Stearns, went on <a href="https://video.foxbusiness.com/v/6136916294001/#sp=show-clips" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Fox Business</a> to reassure the American public that reports of increasing coronavirus infections around the world don’t necessarily mean “that this thing is going to skyrocket in North America.” Kudlow then encouraged everyone to keep investing, saying, “Stocks look pretty cheap to me.”Trump has fired many of the people who actually know how to coordinate government responses to epidemics. As Laurie Garrett <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/01/31/coronavirus-china-trump-united-states-public-health-emergency-response/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">reported</a> in January, the president shut down the National Security Council’s global health security unit and cut $15 billion in national health spending, including funding for the management of infectious global diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Homeland Security, and HHS. At the CDC, the funding cuts to the global health section were so severe, Garrett wrote, that “the number of countries it was working in was reduced from 49 to merely 10.”While four doctors are on the task force, it’s not clear how much they will be allowed to direct the response to the virus. The White House <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/us/politics/us-coronavirus-pence.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">reportedly</a> told Anthony Fauci, an immunologist who directs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and has extensive experience combating infectious diseases, not to speak publicly without clearance after he said at a meeting that the virus “has adapted extremely well to human species.”On Thursday, Deborah Birx, a physician who has served as the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator since 2014, was named as the White House coronavirus response coordinator, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams was added to the task force. Their appointments came after <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/485071-sanders-blasts-trump-for-picking-completely-unqualified-pence-for" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Sen. Bernie Sanders</a> slammed Trump for putting “political cronies, not scientists” in charge of the government response to the virus.</div><div>
</div><div>=</div><div>320</div><div> an</div><div>
</div><div><h3 class="magcat-titlte entry-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/photo-of-pence-praying-with-coronavirus-task-force-draws-criticism-we-are-so-screwed/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; display: block; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.4;">photo of Pence praying with coronavirus task force draws criticism: ‘We are so screwed’</a><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/photo-of-pence-praying-with-coronavirus-task-force-draws-criticism-we-are-so-screwed/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; display: block; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.4;"></a><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/david-badash/" title="Posts by David Badash" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="text-align: right; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">David Badash</a> / <a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/the-new-civil-rights-movement/" title="Posts by The New Civil Rights Movement" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="text-align: right; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">The New Civil Rights </a></h3></div><div></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/the-deadly-coronavirus-is-a-globalist-whether-trump-likes-it-or-not-and-thats-a-huge-problem-for-the-president/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/the-deadly-coronavirus-is-a-globalist-whether-trump-likes-it-or-not-and-thats-a-huge-problem-for-the-president/</a></div><div>
</div><div><div>no lnx</div><div>
</div><div>The deadly coronavirus is a ‘globalist’ whether Trump likes it or not — and that’s a huge problem for the president</div><div>
</div><div>Written by Alex Henderson March 6, 2020</div><div>
</div><div>President Donald Trump has often expressed his disdain for “globalism,” pushing an agenda that stresses nativism and nationalism and often echoes the “American first” themes of Patrick Buchanan’s presidential campaigns of the 1990s. To many Trumpistas, the fact that former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke enjoys speaking Spanish during his appearances on Univision and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg is proficient in multiple languages shows that they aren’t truly American. But journalists Ryan Heath and Eli Okun, in a March 6 listicle for Politico, assert that Trump’s hatred for “globalism” is horribly misguided when it comes to the threat of coronavirus — stressing that the rest of the world exists whether Trump likes it or not.</div><div>
</div><div>Trump, according to Heath and Okun, is “caught between his nationalistic impulses and a globalist disease.” In other words, hating former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush because he’s a fluent Spanish speaker won’t keep coronavirus from killing Americans. And their Politico listicle describes “five challenges Trump faces as he attempts to navigate the global politics of the outbreak.”</div><div>
</div><div>#1 is “borders, internal and external.” Trump loves to claim that his Democratic critics favor “open borders,” which is fear-mongering nonsense. Heath and Okun explain, “Attempting to harden borders isn’t a long-term solution to a crisis that requires cross-border cooperation. Epidemiologists and other experts say such limits might help slow the spread of disease by a few days or weeks — at best.”</div><div>
</div><div>#2 is “international institutions.” Heath and Okun point out that Trump has “questioned the mission of global organizations like the United Nations and the NATO military alliance” and has “limited extra U.S. investment globally to $37 million for the World Health Organization.” Problem: the U.S. needs the input of its allies in other countries when it comes to fighting coronavirus. The U.S. and its allies in Europe, Asia and Latin America have a mutual enemy in coronavirus.</div><div>
</div><div>“While the U.S. already funds 22% of the WHO budget, the agency is asking donors for $675 million to help fight the virus, warning that it is struggling to support countries to test and isolate potential victims,” Heath and Okun write. “Yet so far, it has received less than half of its goal, even after getting a $125 million injection from the European Union.”</div><div>
</div><div>#3 is “business bailouts.” From an economic and business standpoint, the U.S. and many other countries have a mutual interest in combating coronavirus. Coronavirus is terrible for business whether it is killing people in Washington State or Milan, Italy.</div><div>
</div><div>Heath and Okun note, “The coronavirus is ripping through the global economy. Businesses that rely on the global supply chain are nervous about falling revenues. Insurers and hospitals are fretting about having to foot the bill for thousands of sick people. Airlines, shipping firms and conference planners have seen a major decline in business.”</div><div>
</div><div>#4 is “military cooperation.”</div><div>
</div><div>Heath and Okun point out that “the U.S. military, as a global institution, is also grappling with the coronavirus.” And they cite some examples, writing, “The U.S. and South Korea, which has one of the highest number of cases, have already postponed their annual joint military exercises because of outbreak fears. And one American soldier in South Korea, along with dozens of Korean soldiers, has tested positive for the virus. The U.S. also canceled an exercise with Israel and is restricting troops’ travel as a precaution across the Middle East.”</div><div>
</div><div>And finally, #5 is “refugees.”</div><div>
</div><div>“Refugee populations are potential global hotbeds for rapid outbreaks,” Heath and Okun warn. “There are three factors that make refugees a high-risk population: more men are getting infected than women, refugees have limited access to hygiene and health care systems, and refugees are highly mobile communities often operating under pressure from smugglers and police.”</div><div>
</div><div>In an amazingly stupid attack ad during 2012’s GOP presidential primary, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (now a major Trump ally) lambasted candidate Mitt Romney (who became a U.S. senator via Utah in 2018) for being proficient in French — insisting that it showed that Romney wasn’t a true conservative. Then, in the GOP presidential primary of 2016, Trump attacked rival candidate Jeb Bush for speaking Spanish on the campaign trail. And in 2020, that type of nativist xenophobia continues to be a prominent feature of Trumpism.</div><div>
</div><div>But as Heath and Okun brilliantly demonstrate in their article, knowing some things about the rest of the world is not a liability where coronavirus is concerned — it’s an asset.</div><div>
</div></div><div></div><div><div class="mag-post-box hentry" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; width: 374.545px; overflow: hidden; display: table; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(236, 236, 236); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="magcat-detail" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><h3 class="magcat-titlte entry-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: 1px;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/experts-accuse-cdc-of-withholding-crucial-information-about-the-coronavirus-from-doctors/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; display: block; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.4;">experts accuse CDC of withholding ‘crucial’ information about the coronavirus from doctors</a></h3><div class="grid-post-box-meta mag-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 7px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/igor-derysh/" title="Posts by Igor Derysh" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Igor Derysh</a> / <a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/salon/" title="Posts by Salon " class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Salon</a></div></div></div><div class="mag-post-box hentry" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 374.545px; overflow: hidden; display: table; border-bottom: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="magcat-thumb" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 20px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; float: left; position: relative; transition: opacity 0.3s ease 0s;"></div></div></div><div></div><div><div class="mag-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 19px; padding: 0px; position: relative; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h3 class="magcat-titlte entry-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: 1px;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/absolutely-outrageous-white-house-bars-press-from-filming-or-recording-coronavirus-briefing/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; display: block; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.4;">Absolutely outrageous’: White House bars press from filming or recording coronavirus briefing</a></h3><div class="grid-post-box-meta mag-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 7px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/jake-johnson/" title="Posts by Jake Johnson" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Jake Johnson</a> / <a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/common-dreams/" title="Posts by Common Dreams" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Common Dreams</a></div></div><div class="mag-excerpt entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"We need transparency. Instead we are getting this."</div></div><div></div><div><div class="mag-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 19px; padding: 0px; position: relative; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h3 class="magcat-titlte entry-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: 1px;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/racist-fox-news-host-blames-chinese-people-for-coronavirus-they-eat-raw-bats-and-snakes/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; display: block; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.4;">racist Fox News host blames Chinese people for coronavirus: ‘They eat raw bats and snakes’</a></h3><div class="grid-post-box-meta mag-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 7px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/walter-einenkel/" title="Posts by Walter Einenkel" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Walter Einenkel</a> / <a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/daily-kos/" title="Posts by Daily Kos" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Daily Kos</a></div></div><div class="mag-excerpt entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Fox News’ Jesse Watters went after his favorite target Monday night: Chinese people. As host of the The Five, a show on which the cumulative intelligence of the panel adds up…</div></div><div><div></div><div>bannon</div><div>
</div><div><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/steve-bannon/steve-bannon-pushing-debunked-claims-about-coronavirus-are-linked-his-billionaire">https://www.mediamatters.org/steve-bannon/steve-bannon-pushing-debunked-claims-about-coronavirus-are-linked-his-billionaire</a></div><div>
</div><div><div>many lnx vids (see bak)</div><div>
</div><div>Steve Bannon is pushing debunked claims about the coronavirus that are linked to his billionaire benefactor</div><div>
</div><div>WRITTEN BY MADELINE PELTZ</div><div>
</div><div>PUBLISHED 02/06/20 11:04 AM EST</div><div>
</div><div>Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon has pushed a debunked theory about the origins of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China on his daily radio broadcast War Room: Pandemic. The claim echoes fake news pushed by G News, a website that has reportedly paid him at least $1 million for consulting and offered him a position as senior editor. </div><div>
</div><div>War Room: Pandemic launched on January 25 as a spin-off to War Room: </div><div>
</div><div>Impeachment, Bannon’s rapid response operation defending President Donald Trump during his Senate impeachment trial. Since the new show began, Bannon has repeatedly pushed the false narrative that the coronavirus was leaked from a covert biological weapons program at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which includes a secure research facility where scientists study highly contagious and infectious diseases.</div><div>
</div><div>The unfounded narrative that the coronavirus was engineered and leaked from the lab has been wholly rejected by experts, with The Washington Post labeling it a “fringe theory,” PolitiFact calling the claim made in the G News article “false,” and Foreign Policy describing it as “an outbreak of nonsense.” Rutgers University professor of chemical biology Richard Ebright told the Post that “based on the virus genome and properties there is no indication whatsoever that it was an engineered virus.”</div><div>
</div><div>But evidence is no object when Bannon is on a mission to propagandize. On the podcast, Bannon has repeatedly cited stories by Bill Gertz in the Washington Times that suggest, based on speculations from a single source, that the Wuhan Institute of Virology is researching biowarfare, and that the coronavirus was engineered and leaked from there. Bannon kicked off the show’s inaugural episode by interviewing Gertz to promote his flimsy reporting.</div><div>
</div><div>BuzzFeed recently reported on Bannon's ties to G News, a digital media outlet launched by Chinese billionaire-in-exile Guo Wengui that has also published two false stories about how the coronavirus was first introduced to residents of Wuhan. One G News story falsely alleged that the Chinese government would imminently confess that the virus was genetically engineered and leaked from a lab near the densely populated city. The other included a document purporting to validate a conspiracy theory that the Chinese military spread the disease on purpose.</div><div>
</div><div>Bannon’s contracts with the project were first reported in October by Axios, which showed that he had signed on to serve as a consultant for one year starting in August 2018 and was to be compensated at least $1 million. Axios also reported on a second, unsigned contract that specified Bannon would serve as a senior editor for G News starting in August 2019. According to BuzzFeed, “Guo and Bannon frequently appear together in videos on G News that attack the Chinese government.” (According to The New York Times, Guo described his connection to Bannon in a 2018 interview: “We both naturally despise the Chinese Communist Party. That’s why we’ve become partners.”) Episodes of War Room: Pandemic are also cross-posted to the G News website.</div><div>
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</div><div>CitationFrom the January 25, 2020, edition of War Room: Pandemic</div><div>
</div><div>STEVE BANNON (HOST): Bill Gertz from the Washington Times, Bill Gertz had an amazing piece in the Washington Times about the biological labs that happen to be in Wuhan.</div><div>
</div><div>The episode also featured J. Kyle Bass, a China critic and hedge fund investor with connections to G News owner Guo, on the same day that Bass tweeted out a CBC article from July 2019, falsely claiming that “a husband and wife Chinese spy team” smuggled viral samples out of a Candian research facility to Wuhan. “Pizzagate” conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec, who tweeted the CBC link that day with the same unsubstantiated claim, was also a guest on the episode. </div><div>
</div><div>Later in the show, Gertz and Bannon delved further into the thinly sourced theory. Despite admitting that “we have no evidence that this current coronavirus leaked from that institute,” Gertz speculated that “it’s certainly possible that this outbreak of this animal virus could have come from one of their biological weapons labs.” The U.S. Department of State has raised concerns regarding China’s compliance with the Biological Weapons Convention, but has not affirmatively identified the existence of such a program.</div><div>
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</div><div>CitationFrom the January 25, 2020, edition of War Room: Pandemic</div><div>
</div><div>STEVE BANNON (HOST): Bill, can you briefly summarize the article that you did yesterday? Talk about these biological labs that are in Wuhan and what aspect do you think they may have in this crisis?</div><div>
</div><div>BILL GERTZ: Sure, yeah, good to be on the show, Steve. This is a significant development in the sense that what I’ve identified is the sole declared facility in China capable of handling deadly viruses. In other words, this is the place where they do all of their civilian research. And I spoke with a former Israeli military intelligence officer who studied the Chinese biological warfare program and he says that this institute is clearly linked to this covert Chinese biological warfare program. Now, we have no evidence that this current coronavirus leaked from that institute, but in China and the way secrecy works and the lack of controls, it’s certainly possible that this outbreak of this animal virus could have come from one of their biological weapons labs.</div><div>
</div><div>There’s also a second facility in Wuhan that’s also linked to the biological weapons program. Again, that’s a secret program that last year the State Department in it’s annual report on arms compliance stated fairly bluntly that they believe that China is engaged in a covert offensive biological weapons program.</div><div>
</div><div>Gertz returned to the show on January 27, claiming, “Obviously, the question of their covert biological weapons program should come into play here.” Bannon replied, “Your point is that there are no coincidences” related to the coronavirus, and the lab facility raises “certain suspicions.”</div><div>
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</div><div>CitationFrom the January 27, 2020, edition of War Room: Pandemic</div><div>
</div><div>BILL GERTZ: Obviously, the question of their covert biological weapons program should come into play here because, you know, there is only one declared hospital, research center, laboratory in Wuhan -- in all of China -- and it’s in Wuhan, capable of dealing with this level 4 of infectious diseases. And then you have then --</div><div>
</div><div>STEVE BANNON (HOST): Your point is there are no coincidences, if the level 4 [facility] that was built by the French for them in 2007 is in Wuhan, then that leads to certain suspicions.</div><div>
</div><div>GERTZ: Absolutely. This has, you know, the Chinese have to respond to this.</div><div>
</div><div>Bannon’s guest Dr. Steven Hatfill, an expert who previously worked at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, told the host repeatedly that the theory about coronavirus leaked out of an infectious disease research facility was incorrect, adding, “You know, I'm sitting in an SL4 laboratory right now, and there is no way you could get anything out of here. There’s no way a bad guy could get in.” From the January 29 edition of War Room: Pandemic:</div><div>
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</div><div>CitationFrom the January 29, 2020, edition of War Room: Pandemic</div><div>
</div><div>STEVE BANNON (HOST): Today, The Washington Post is out there, mocking and ridiculing The Washington Times, Bill Gertz, one of our colleagues reporting about the Wuhan level 4 laboratory, saying it’s a fringe theory, that anything could have come out of that laboratory, et cetera. We’re not trying to make an assertion that they were building a biological weapon. But given the fact that there’s now no direct link at least as shown today between patient zero and the market, it maybe some that’s later. How do you think this thing started?</div><div>
</div><div>DR. STEVEN HATFILL: I think it was natural. You know, I'm sitting in an SL4 laboratory right now, and there is no way you could get anything out of here. There’s no way a bad guy can get in. The people around me are of the highest professional caliber, both mentally, technically, emotionally, and every other consideration. I'm sorry but I kind of downplay the fact that this came out of a BW laboratories.</div><div>
</div><div>BANNON: Well, I think that’s fantastic. I think people need to hear that. I think that’s great. And why do you come to this conclusion?</div><div>
</div><div>After this exchange, Bannon ignored Hatfill’s expertise and returned to his irresponsible speculation, declaring that “there are no coincidences.”</div><div>
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</div><div>CitationFrom the January 29, 2020, edition of War Room: Pandemic</div><div>
</div><div>STEVE BANNON (HOST): Now, people will tell you that’s also where biological warfare are done, those types of places. That’s why there’s so much focus -- Bill Gertz’s articles in the Washington Times focus very much on this level four lab that is in Wuhan, right. And I’m not a believer, as you know, I’m not a conspiracy guy, I always tell you it’s out there in plain daylight. The party at Davos, the way they roll is right up in your grill and there are no coincidences.</div><div>
</div><div>On February 1, Bannon again asked Hatfill about the theory, and again Hatfill rejected it:</div><div>
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</div><div>CitationFrom the February 1, 2020, edition of War Room: Pandemic</div><div>
</div><div>STEVE BANNON (HOST): Also Zero Hedge, who I'm a huge fan of, Zero Hedge has had this analysis of what the Chinese lab and the two Chinese -- the Canadian lab in I think Winnipeg, that there are now issues -- one of the Chinese scientists took some of the viruses back to Wuhan. I'm not a conspiracy theory guy, not a deep state guy, never have been because I say it’s all up there in your face, the party at Davos, the way the whole thing rolls is in your grill you just have to see it. But there are no coincidences. </div><div>
</div><div>...</div><div>
</div><div>These are the elite institutions in the world the french built one from the ground up for the Chinese, it just randomly happened to be in Wuhan, right? And relatively in geospatial terms relatively close to the market, a mile or two. There’s been tons of things, they’re using HIV serum to cure people there. This report comes out and it’s been tweeted out all over. Bill Gertz, Washington Times, done some good reporting. The Post calls it a fringe kook theory Miles Guo put something up, said he had a report from inside the CCP and Politifact saying he’s lying so it’s all over the map.</div><div>
</div><div>But in your assessment, at what you see in [INAUDIBLE], I asked you to look overnight at this,  where do you think we stand as people know the information today? Is this something that’s naturally occurred? Do you think there’s a possibility in what you read so far that it gives you even a scintilla that this could be some sort of weaponization thing gone wrong that somehow got out of the lab.</div><div>
</div><div>DR. STEVEN HATFILL: From what I’ve looked at I think the authors of these papers are overreaching a bit. Now that said this is an odd virus its genome. It’s got a very, very, long, very different from the other SARS virus.</div><div>
</div><div>Now, the unsubstantiated theory is being repeated by U.S. government officials in a position of power to take action. According to a report from Business Insider, during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) pointed out the proximity of the outbreak to “China’s only bio-safety level four ‘superlaboratory’ that works with the world’s most deadly pathogens to include, yes, coronavirus.”</div></div><div></div></div><div></div><div>
</div><div><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/guide-right-wing-media-coronavirus-reactions-and-conspiracy-theories">https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/guide-right-wing-media-coronavirus-reactions-and-conspiracy-theories</a></div><div>
</div><div>As </div><ul class="field field--name-field-stories-content field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden l--gutter-pull narrative-list" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px -58.625px 1.5em; list-style: none; padding: 0px;"><li class="narrative-listitem-bullet narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"> the lethal outbreak of coronavirus continues to spread around the world and the U.S. government warns that it will almost certainly also spread within the United States, right-wing media outlets and online accounts are spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories which could have deadly consequences.The strain of <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">novel coronavirus</a> known as COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that was first detected in the city of Wuhan, China. It swiftly spread and has now been detected in<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/world/coronavirus-news.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;"> 53 countries</a>, including the United States. So far, the outbreak has led to nearly 3,000 deaths and more than 82,000 cases worldwide, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/world/asia/coronavirus-treament-recovery.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">The New York Times</a>.The <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> describes the disease behind the current outbreak as part of “a large family of viruses that are common in many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats.” The CDC adds that “rarely, animal coronaviruses can infect people and then spread between people.” Earlier patients in the COVID-19 outbreak appeared to have a link to seafood and animal products, but the virus has since been shown to spread person-to-person.On January 30, the<a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/30-01-2020-statement-on-the-second-meeting-of-the-international-health-regulations-%282005%29-emergency-committee-regarding-the-outbreak-of-novel-coronavirus-%282019-ncov%29" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;"> International Health Regulations Emergency Committee</a> of the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern,” and on January 31, <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/01/31/secretary-azar-declares-public-health-emergency-us-2019-novel-coronavirus.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar</a> declared a public health emergency in the United States.As the impact of coronavirus continued to be reported, concerns began to arise that it was driving <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/16/we-must-halt-the-spread-of-xenophobia-surrounding-coronavirus" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">xenophobic attacks</a> toward people of Asian descent. In <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/20/us/coronavirus-racist-attacks-against-asian-americans/index.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">New York City</a>, a man assaulted a woman wearing a face mask while calling her a “diseased b.” On a Los Angeles subway, one man declared that “every disease has ever came from China.” In another incident, a<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wuhan-coronavirus-kid-turned-away-food-samples-at-costco-2020-1" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;"> Costco worker</a> in Washington state told an 8-year-old child to “get away” because she believed he may be “from China.” Across the country, there has been an uptick in physical and verbal attacks toward Asian Americans.In addition to xenophobic sentiments, conspiracy theories and agenda-driven narratives began to arise on the internet and throughout right-wing media, adding more panic and confusion to an already chaotic situation. These conspiracy theories include claims that the Chinese government created coronavirus at a lab in Wuhan; that the United States is using the virus to attack and undermine China from within; and that coronavirus was previously created and patented by former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates.The virus has also triggered anti-Semitic sentiments, medical and scientific disinformation, and fearmongering from the religious right about the end of the world. In the United States, President Donald Trump and his allies in right-wing media have also absurdly argued that Democrats and the media are politicizing coronavirus for their own gain to make him look bad and cause panic in the stock market, which has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/business/stock-market-coronavirus.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">plunged</a> in reaction to the potential pandemic.</div></div></li><li id="paragraph--section-heading--3289366" class="narrative-listitem-divider narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--section-heading paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><h2 class="field field--name-field-section-heading-text field--type-string field--label-hidden section-heading" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.33333; margin: 0px -117.25px; background-color: rgb(229, 251, 255); padding: 2.1rem 117.25px;">Conspiracy theory: COVID-19 was created in a Chinese lab</h2></div></li><li class="narrative-listitem-bullet narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;">One of the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/17/business/media/coronavirus-tom-cotton-china.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">most prominent conspiracy theories</a> circulating within right-wing media is centered on the thinly sourced fringe theory that coronavirus was leaked after the Chinese government manufactured it in a lab in Wuhan. Many supporters of the conspiracy theory cite a January 24 study published by <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30183-5/fulltext" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">The Lancet</a>, which showed that some of the first few patients who contracted this disease were not exposed to a seafood market in Wuhan. This finding contradicted the initial theory about the spread of COVID-19. But the study also did not offer any alternative explanation, and later, The Lancet published a <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30418-9/fulltext#articleInformation" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">letter</a> from public health scientists condemning “conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin.”Even though the conspiracy theory lacks evidence and has been <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/01/29/experts-debunk-fringe-theory-linking-chinas-coronavirus-weapons-research/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">dismissed</a>, right-wing conspiracy theorists continue to amplify it.Some of the most egregious examples include:<ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; clear: both; list-style: none; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">On January 23, the U.K.-based and conservative-leaning <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7922379/Chinas-lab-studying-SARS-Ebola-Wuhan-outbreaks-center.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Daily Mail</a> published a piece that stated, “Scientists warned in 2017 that a SARS-like virus could escape a lab set up that year in Wuhan, China, to study some of the most dangerous pathogens in the world.”</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">On January 24, The Washington Times’ <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jan/24/virus-hit-wuhan-has-two-laboratories-linked-chines/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Bill Gertz</a> wrote an article claiming, “The deadly animal virus epidemic spreading globally may have originated in a Wuhan laboratory linked to China’s covert biological weapons program, according to an Israeli biological warfare expert.”</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/steve-bannon/steve-bannon-pushing-debunked-claims-about-coronavirus-are-linked-his-billionaire" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Steve Bannon</a>, former Breitbart News executive chairman and ex-White House adviser, hosted Gertz multiple times to discuss his article promoting the Wuhan lab conspiracy theory. Bannon also <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janelytvynenko/a-site-tied-to-steve-bannon-is-writing-fake-news-about-the" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">has ties</a> to a <a href="https://www.axios.com/steve-bannon-contract-chinese-billionaire-guo-media-fa6bc244-6d7a-4a53-9f03-1296d4fae5aa.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Chinese billionaire-in-exile</a> who has pushed false conspiracy theories about coronavirus.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">On January 26, Gertz published another <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jan/26/coronavirus-link-china-biowarfare-program-possible/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Washington Times</a> article, in which he repeated the claim he had attributed to the “Israeli biological warfare expert” in his January 24 piece. Gertz also claimed that although China has denied “having any offensive biological weapons, … a State Department report last year revealed suspicions of covert biological warfare work.” Gertz’ article earned over <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/media/3854926" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">165,000 interactions</a> (shares, reactions, and comments) on public and private Facebook posts. Notably, it was shared on pro-Trump Facebook pages and groups, including <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ForAmerica/posts/3094822430576094" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">ForAmerica</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SteveKBannon/posts/158207752278672" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Bannon’s official Facebook page</a>.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">On January 29, ZeroHedge, a far-right, pro-Trump blog, <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/a-pro-trump-blog-has-doxed-a-chinese-scientist-it-falsely" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">doxxed a Chinese scientist</a> at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, claiming that they were the creator of COVID-19. On January 31, Twitter permanently <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-01/zero-hedge-permanently-suspended-from-twitter-for-harassment" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">banned ZeroHedge</a> for the false claim, telling Buzzfeed it violated “our platform manipulation policy."</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">During a January 30 Senate Armed Services Committee meeting, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tom-cotton-coronavirus-come-from-chinese-super-laboratory-2020-2" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Sen. Tom Cotton</a> (R-AR) suggested that COVID-19 may have been created in a Chinese “superlaboratory.”</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">The same day, Cotton also <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTomCotton/status/1222962874932453377" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">tweeted</a> that China was incorrect in its conclusion that the virus originated in the seafood market, citing The Lancet study. </li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tom-cotton-coronavirus-come-from-chinese-super-laboratory-2020-2" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Cotton</a> claimed China’s alleged cover-up of the origins of coronavirus is “worse than Chernobyl,” a <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/chernobyl-disaster-death-toll-estimates-radiation-cancer-1444029" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">nuclear reactor meltdown</a> that affected the lives of more than 3.5 million people.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">Brigitte Gabriel, <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/brigitte-gabriel" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">founder</a> of anti-Muslim extremist group ACT for America, shared Cotton’s comments from the committee meeting in at least <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=874312696364773" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">two</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=872014346594608" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">posts</a>, earning the video <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/media/3855206" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">over 730,000 views</a>.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">On February 1, conspiracy theorist and Holocaust denier talk radio host <a href="https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/feb/11/hal-turner-radio-show/far-right-radio-host-hal-turner-promotes-unproven-/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Hal Turner posted a fearmongering blog</a> on his website claiming COVID-19 is “a MILITARY BIO-WEAPON developed by China's army.” In addition to posting out-of-context photos of a virus database, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200228153209/https://halturnerradioshow.com/index.php/en/news-page/news-nation/proof-the-novel-coronavirus-infecting-the-world-is-a-military-bio-weapon-developed-by-china-s-army" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Turner’s website</a> also suggested that HIV was somehow added to a "Bat-SARS-Like” coronavirus in a laboratory to create the current strain of COVID-19.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/is-the-coronavirus-a-bioweapon_3231180.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">The Epoch Times</a> published another article on February 7 titled “Is the Coronavirus a bioweapon?”</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">Conservative <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/erick-erickson" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">anti-LGBTQ</a> pundit <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/media/3852091" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Erick Erickson</a> featured the coronavirus-is-a-bioweapon claim on his podcast The Erick Erickson Show on February 10, linking the theory back to Sen. Cotton.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">That night, Fox News prime-time host <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/tucker-carlson-repeats-debunked-coronavirus-theory-which-his-medical-expert-guest-shot" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Tucker Carlson</a> speculated about the bioweapon theory, asking his guest whether COVID-19 is “not a naturally occurring virus” or was “somehow created by the Chinese government.” His theory was debunked by his guest Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a medical director of a chain of urgent care clinics.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">On February 12, pro-Trump <a href="https://www.oann.com/coronavirus-bioweapon-conspiracy-theory-goes-mainstream/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">One America News Network</a> published a broadcast titled “Coronavirus bioweapon conspiracy theory goes mainstream.”</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">On February 22, the <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/02/22/dont-buy-chinas-story-the-coronavirus-may-have-leaked-from-a-lab/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">New York Post</a> published an article titled “Don’t buy China’s story: The coronavirus may have leaked from a lab.” The article was written by anti-abortion activist Steven Mosher and earned more than <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/media/3855106" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">490,000 interactions</a> on Facebook. Cotton <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TomCottonAR/posts/2959559484089291" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">shared</a> the article on his Facebook page on February 24.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">On February 23, Ben Shapiro’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-suggests-that-details-point-to-coronavirus-coming-from-chinese-lab" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">The Daily Wire</a> published an article titled “Report suggests that details point to coronavirus coming from Chinese lab.”</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; list-style: none; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">On February 25, Fox Business host <a href="https://twitter.com/LouDobbs/status/1232467883244113920" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Lou Dobbs</a> claimed that “we don’t know yet whether or not this was an engineered virus” and said that there is “a research lab some 300 yards from the epicenter of this outbreak.”</li></ul></div></div></li><li id="paragraph--section-heading--3289376" class="narrative-listitem-divider narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--section-heading paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><h2 class="field field--name-field-section-heading-text field--type-string field--label-hidden section-heading" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.33333; margin: 0px -117.25px; background-color: rgb(229, 251, 255); padding: 2.1rem 117.25px;">Conspiracy theory: Bill Gates previously created and patented coronavirus</h2></div></li><li class="narrative-listitem-bullet narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;">A <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/qanon-supporters-and-anti-vaxxers-are-spreading-a-hoax-that" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">false rumor</a> circulating online claims that the coronavirus outbreak is a plot by former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates and that the release of the virus was planned. According to BuzzFeed News, the core of the conspiracy theory hinges on a 2018 patent that was filed by the Pirbright Institute that “covers the development of a weakened form of a coronavirus that could potentially be used as a vaccine to prevent respiratory diseases in birds and other animals.” BuzzFeed clarified that this is standard for creating vaccines, and a company spokesperson told the outlet, “The patented work was completed in 2015 and is not funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.” But the truth has not stopped the theory from spreading online:<ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; clear: both; list-style: none; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">Fringe messaging platforms <a href="https://twitter.com/AlKapDC/status/1220442311768887296" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">8kun and Telegram</a> pushed the claim that coronavirus was “patented in 2015 and granted in 2018.”</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">Social media platform <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/fake-news/tiktok-hosting-videos-spreading-misinformation-about-coronavirus-despite-platforms-new" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">TikTok</a>, which features short videos and is prominently used by teenagers, hosted multiple videos pushing the conspiracy theory that the virus was previously created and patented with the involvement of Gates. In one video, which received at least 41,000 views and 1,400 likes, a person showed a series of tweets pushing the false claim and said, “The info is out there, guys.”</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; list-style: none; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">Followers of the <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/twitter/fbi-calls-qanon-domestic-terror-threat-trump-has-amplified-qanon-supporters-twitter-more-20" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">QAnon conspiracy theory</a> and members of the <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/qanon-supporters-and-anti-vaxxers-are-spreading-a-hoax-that" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">anti-Vaxx movement</a> also spread the rumor. One QAnon supporter tweeted that there is “big money in vaccines” and suggested that Hillary and Chelsea Clinton may be involved.</li></ul></div></div></li><li id="paragraph--section-heading--3289386" class="narrative-listitem-divider narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--section-heading paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><h2 class="field field--name-field-section-heading-text field--type-string field--label-hidden section-heading" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.33333; margin: 0px -117.25px; background-color: rgb(229, 251, 255); padding: 2.1rem 117.25px;">Conspiracy theory: The U.S. is using coronavirus to attack China from within</h2></div></li><li class="narrative-listitem-bullet narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;">According to a <a href="https://medium.com/dfrlab/bioweapons-secret-labs-and-the-cia-pro-kremlin-actors-blame-the-u-s-for-coronavirus-outbreak-ffc2139c28dd" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">study by the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensics Lab</a> posted on January 30, pro-Kremlin outlets are spreading disinformation about the coronavirus by suggesting that it was either manufactured by or is being utilized by the United States “with the goal of breaking China from within.”Russian nationalist member of Parliament Vladimir Zhirinovsky has amplified stories originating from fringe outlets pushing this narrative, claiming that the goal of the U.S. is to undermine the Chinese economy.</div></div></li><li id="paragraph--section-heading--3289396" class="narrative-listitem-divider narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--section-heading paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><h2 class="field field--name-field-section-heading-text field--type-string field--label-hidden section-heading" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.33333; margin: 0px -117.25px; background-color: rgb(229, 251, 255); padding: 2.1rem 117.25px;">Claim: Democrats are politicizing coronavirus for their own gain and that’s hurting the stock market</h2></div></li><li class="narrative-listitem-bullet narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;">As COVID-19 spread globally and the stock market started to negatively react to the news, <a href="https://twitter.com/ThePlumLineGS/status/1232700931596259328" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Donald Trump</a> and <a href="https://t.co/Y2lxQN273S?amp=1" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">his allies in right-wing media</a> argued that Democrats and the media are deliberately hyping coronavirus and panicking the markets for political gain.Notable examples include:<ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; clear: both; list-style: none; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">Conservative radio host <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/rush-limbaugh/rush-limbaugh-coronavirus-effort-get-trump" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Rush Limbaugh</a> claimed on February 24, “Coronavirus is being weaponized as yet another element to bring down Donald Trump.” Limbaugh told his viewers that “the coronavirus is the common cold” and berated the media for describing the virus’s spread as a pandemic.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">On February 25, Fox host <a href="https://twitter.com/MattGertz/status/1233026012201603079" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Laura Ingraham</a> said that the media coverage of coronavirus “seemed like some of the Trump haters were actually relishing in this moment,” claiming coronavirus is “a new pathway for hitting President Trump.”</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">On February 27, Fox’s America’s Newsroom hosted <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/media/3855096" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Sen. John Barrasso</a> (R-WY) to discuss coronavirus. Co-anchor Sandra Smith asked him to respond to “what [Trump] says is panic that is being stoked by the other side.” Barrasso complained that “it’s disturbing to see [coronavirus] politicized,” pointing to <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/484548-schumer-trump-coronavirus-response-marked-by-towering-and-dangerous" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">comments</a> <a href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/news/press-releases/schumer-blasts-president-trump-for-lack-of-leadership-and-lack-of-plan-to-address-spread-of-coronavirus" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">made </a>by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and the Democratic presidential debate in South Carolina, where candidates were asked what their response to the virus would be.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">On America’s Newsroom the same day, The Wall Street Journal’s <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/media/3855116" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Bill McGurn</a> questioned whether Democrats’ <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/02/26/congress-coronavirus-response/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">proposed approach</a> to dealing with coronavirus will “be focused on this virus, or will they light up a spending tree with other little things tucked in there?”</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">On February 27, Fox Business host <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/media/3855101" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Charles Payne</a> appeared on America’s Newsroom to express concern that an overreaction to coronavirus will hurt the stock market.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">Conservative radio host <a href="https://twitter.com/mitchellvii/status/1232258919831146499" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Bill Mitchell</a> asked on Twitter why coronavirus is “being marketed as The Black Plague,” concluding that “Democrats get to crash the economy” over the virus.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">Turning Point USA’s <a href="https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1233070531915567104" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Charlie Kirk</a> claimed on Twitter that “Democrats are politicizing a global health crisis just to own Trump,” concluding, “They hate him more than they love America.”</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; list-style: none; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">Some in right-wing media, including Limbaugh and supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory, have been arguing that the <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/pro-trump-media-claim-cdc-overhyping-coronavirus-because-nancy-messonnier" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">CDC is purposefully hyping up</a> coronavirus because Dr. Nancy Messonnier, the director of the National Center for Immunization, is the sister of Rod Rosenstein, the former deputy attorney general who right-wing figures have vilified as a member of the “deep state.”</li></ul></div></div></li><li id="paragraph--section-heading--3289406" class="narrative-listitem-divider narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--section-heading paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><h2 class="field field--name-field-section-heading-text field--type-string field--label-hidden section-heading" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.33333; margin: 0px -117.25px; background-color: rgb(229, 251, 255); padding: 2.1rem 117.25px;">Medical and scientific disinformation</h2></div></li><li class="narrative-listitem-bullet narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;">As <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/drugmaker-moderna-delivers-first-coronavirus-vaccine-for-human-testing-11582579099" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">researchers</a> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/25/business/moderna-coronavirus-vaccine/index.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">work</a> to develop a vaccine and scientists express <a href="https://time.com/5779156/wuhan-coronavirus-climate-change/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">legitimate concerns</a> about the likelihood of climate change leading to an increase in future epidemics, medical and scientific misinformation has spread, particularly online.Some of the most egregious examples of medical and scientific misinformation include:<ul dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; clear: both; list-style: none; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">Daily Beast reported on January 28 that <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/qanon-conspiracy-theorists-magic-cure-for-coronavirus-is-drinking-lethal-bleach" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Jordan Sather</a>, a QAnon promoter, suggested in a YouTube video that he was going to drink the “miracle mineral solution” or “MMS” to ward off coronavirus. MMS is a dangerous bleach solution that has previously been promoted online as a remedy for other illnesses.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">On February 10, <a href="https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/prevention-cures/482532-trump-heat-will-kill-coronavirus" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Trump</a> made a claim about coronavirus that suggested he thinks it behaves the same as influenza does, saying that “a lot of people think that [coronavirus] goes away in April, with the heat, as the heat comes in, typically that will go away in April.” He also said that Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed with him. However, <a href="https://www.factcheck.org/2020/02/will-the-new-coronavirus-go-away-in-april/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">experts</a> have warned that the novel coronavirus is too new for anyone to predict whether it will be seasonal.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">On the February 12 edition of his show, televangelist <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/televangelist-show-guest-promotes-silver-solution-cure-coronavirus-1487069" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Jim Bakker</a> promoted a $125 naturopathic “silver solution” that he claimed can cure the coronavirus.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; list-style: none; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2020-02-12/climate-change-real-its-manufactured-weather-new-battlefield" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Zero Hedge</a>, a fringe financial blog that also doxxed a Chinese scientist over claims they developed COVID-19 as a bioweapon, republished an unhinged screed on February 12 from Global Intel Hub that claimed coronavirus and climate change are “intertwined,” wildly claiming:</li></ul></div></div></li><li class="narrative-listitem-bullet narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><blockquote class="block-quote block-quote--collapsable" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(239, 243, 247); margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="block-quotequote" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 1.5rem; margin-bottom: 0px;">Climate Change is the scapegoat for what’s really going on: Weather Wars, weather modification, terraforming, and manipulation of the entire planet on a biological and chemical level.</div></blockquote></li><li class="narrative-listitem-bullet narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; clear: both; list-style: none; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">On February 24, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/02/anti-vaxx-facebook-social-media/583681/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">anti-vax blogger</a> <a href="https://www.healthnutnews.com/vitamin-c-works-for-sepsis-will-it-work-for-coronavirus/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Erin Elizabeth</a> posted a blog post claiming that vitamin C can be a “lifesaving treatment” against infections such as sepsis, and viruses such as swine flu, and that “it’s encouraging that China is now investigating its use against 2019-nCoV.”</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; list-style: none; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">Social media accounts have also been spreading a <a href="https://fullfact.org/online/wuhan-5g-coronavirus/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">debunked</a> claim that 5G internet, which is being <a href="https://www.telecomstechnews.com/news/2020/feb/27/coronavirus-outbreak-impact-global-5g-rollouts/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">rolled out</a> across the world, damages the immune system and has thus caused coronavirus. This claim was posted on <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-51646309" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">YouTube</a> and on an <a href="https://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2020/02/26/social-media-conspiracies-blame-coronavirus-on-5g-internet/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">anti-5G</a> <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2020/02/25/conspiracy-theorists-facebook-youtube-blaming-coronavirus-5g-no-evidence-12300961/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Facebook group</a>.</li></ul></div></div></li><li id="paragraph--section-heading--3289431" class="narrative-listitem-divider narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--section-heading paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><h2 class="field field--name-field-section-heading-text field--type-string field--label-hidden section-heading" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.33333; margin: 0px -117.25px; background-color: rgb(229, 251, 255); padding: 2.1rem 117.25px;">Racist, anti-Semitic, and anti-trans smears</h2></div></li><li class="narrative-listitem-bullet narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;">The <a href="https://www.adl.org/blog/extremists-use-coronavirus-to-advance-racist-conspiratorial-agendas" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Anti-Defamation League</a> (ADL) published a memo warning that extremists are using coronavirus to target groups of people. The ADL identified Telegram, 4chan, and Gab as some platforms on which these smears are occuring.Some posts have racist attacks against Chinese people, mocking aspects of Chinese culture. Others have openly hoped that the virus will spread to predominantly non-white countries, including in Africa. Some have also expressed a desire for coronavirus to be used as a bioweapon, hoping that the disease targets Jewish people. The ADL also noted that the virus is being used to advance anti-Semitic conspiracy theories:</div></div></li><li class="narrative-listitem-bullet narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><blockquote class="block-quote block-quote--collapsable" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(239, 243, 247); margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="block-quotequote" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 1.5rem; margin-bottom: 0px;">Extremists hope the virus kills Jews, but they are also using its emergence to advance their anti-Semitic theories that Jews are responsible for creating the virus, are spreading it to increase their control over a decimated population, or they are profiting off it. Some extremists have tied reports documenting Chinese efforts to safely dispose of victims’ bodies to cast doubt on the number of Jews who died during the Holocaust.</div></blockquote></li><li class="narrative-listitem-bullet narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;">Media Matters’ Nikki McCann Ramírez also wrote in <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/02/27/fox-news-right-wing-media-conspiracy-theories-coronavirus-covid-19-column/4886082002/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">USAToday</a> about the racist reactions that came out of coronavirus:</div></div></li><li class="narrative-listitem-bullet narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><blockquote class="block-quote block-quote--collapsable" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(239, 243, 247); margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="block-quotequote" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 1.5rem; margin-bottom: 0px;">When experts declared that the coronavirus likely spread from bats, far-right figures began circulating videos showing Asian people consuming exotic animals. Former InfoWars personality Paul Joseph Watson tweeted, “Our media encourages us to eat all kinds of weird stuff because it’s ‘normal’ in other cultures,” but “some cultures are better than others.” That evening, Fox News prime-time host Tucker Carlson also blamed the emergence of the virus on Chinese culture, erroneously claiming it was a result of people consuming animals “alive.”</div></blockquote></li><li class="narrative-listitem-bullet narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a href="https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/02/12/the-australian-national-newspaper-coronavirus-trans-people-epidemic/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">The Australian</a>, a national newspaper part of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., published an anti-trans article on February 9 that compared coronavirus to a “global epidemic” of transgender teens. The outlet has a history of anti-trans reporting and spreading misinformation about trans youth.</div></div></li><li id="paragraph--section-heading--3289461" class="narrative-listitem-divider narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--section-heading paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><h2 class="field field--name-field-section-heading-text field--type-string field--label-hidden section-heading" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.33333; margin: 0px -117.25px; background-color: rgb(229, 251, 255); padding: 2.1rem 117.25px;">Some extreme reactions from right-wing conservative Christians</h2></div></li><li class="narrative-listitem-bullet narrative-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px 58.625px 3rem; position: relative;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;">Some right-wing conservative Christians <a href="https://www.wired.com/2012/08/ff-apocalypsenot/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">have used</a> major global crises, including pandemics, to fearmonger about the end of the world. This tactic is being used again:<ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; clear: both; list-style: none; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">On January 27, conspiracy theorist <a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/right-wing-bonus-tracks-the-first-day-of-the-apocalypse/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Bill Deagle</a> said it was the “first day of the Apocalypse.”</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">During a January 29 sermon, megachurch pastor <a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/right-wing-bonus-tracks-foreshadowing-the-apocalypse/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Perry Stone</a> said, “When you see these types of tragedies, diseases, viruses and pestilences, the strange and unusual words in the Apocalypse become more clear.”</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">Right-wing pastor <a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/hank-kunneman-god-will-protect-the-u-s-from-the-coronovirus-because-of-trump/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Hank Kunneman</a> prophesied during a February 9 sermon that God will protect the United States from the novel coronavirus because Trump opposes abortion and defends Israel.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; list-style: none; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;">On February 13, <a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/rick-wiles-the-coronavirus-is-an-end-times-plague-sent-by-god-to-purge-the-world-of-sin/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Rick Wiles</a>, an End Times pastor, said on his show that “plagues are one of the last steps of judgment” and coronavirus is God’s judgment. According to Wiles, China is a “godless communist government” and people in the United States are “transgendering little children, perverting them. Look at the rapes, and the sexual immorality, and the filth on our TVs and our movies.”</li></ul></div></div></li></ul><div>
</div><div>=</div><div>As the lethal outbreak of coronavirus continues to spread around the world and now within the United States, right-wing media outlets and online accounts are <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad40e3e1bf06785fb911ae11ebdf7b3ae3cb262df782d0ae68be9e28be22441fcd0276a8730a5d8d8d8fc6ac1eb06661bd5" title="spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories">spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories</a> which could have deadly consequences.The strain of novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that was first detected in the city of Wuhan, China. It swiftly spread and has now been detected in 53 countries, including the United States. So far, the outbreak has led to nearly 3,000 deaths and more than 82,000 cases worldwide.As the impact of coronavirus continued to be reported, concerns began to arise that it was driving xenophobic attacks toward people of Asian descent. Conspiracy theories and agenda-driven narratives began to arise on the internet and throughout right-wing media, adding more panic and confusion to an already chaotic situation. The virus has also triggered anti-Semitic sentiments, medical and scientific disinformation, and fearmongering from the religious right about the end of the world. Trump and his allies in right-wing media have also absurdly argued that Democrats and the media are politicizing coronavirus for their own gain to make him look bad and cause panic in the stock market.Here are some things you should know about misinformation about the virus:<ul><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;">Rush Limbaugh <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad45092ccc85977f592fca0a604f270e769e765bbda6aceddd1da10de6fa8b920d3cc6ab690bec59412a64d760e0ac2540b" title="falsely claimed">falsely claimed</a> that the virus is "an effort to get Trump" and was no worse than "the common cold." On Friday, Vice President Mike Pence <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad47c603ff687872fa75d558b9ca1b7e0d051538fa301c2f3ad58626d96ea27b37e786cfc04e00d4309a787c14ea0f562f2" title="stopped by">stopped by </a>Limbaugh's studio to talk about the response. Limbaugh did not bring up his conspiracy theories, though Pence did promise that the virus would not spread within the country (less than 24 hours later reports would indicate that the virus spread on the west coast and that an American had died).</li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;">In 2014, President Barack Obama put together pandemic response teams at the National Security Council and Homeland Security following the Ebola outbreak in Africa. In 2018, Trump fired all of them and did not replace them. The firings could hamstring the American response, and yet they've been ignored on <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad43acbadaa811b60af4581380349b9739915d8a05a25730d9a3a3a071bac08145d67d4776a0f8b5c2eef9dbc16166fefc1" title="broadcast television">broadcast television</a> and <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad41a007dd95c443ce3aa40e524b3158e3eb76aeda6ef949a6eee5bf8da8d234cc58338cf0a58ce9bd75add16e978e69298" title="barely mentioned">barely mentioned</a> in newspapers. Trump's budgets <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad4ba02c1721e000a11f9b4285898550483c241dd28a43fbf19f29fd9f5824b4dd0e9871333f4c858778ba80f2bb4947c8a" title="have also called for">have also called for</a> severe cuts to CDC funding.</li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 1em;">When Donald Trump appointed Pence to oversee the administration's response, initial reports <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad4f0d1a99719249dfc4282946e14e8410bef49e8cda1f51a0bb4db81e33b99ee7ca14d3d05ac915e014979895cf3215e85" title="did not include">did not include</a> that Pence enabled an HIV outbreak in Indiana. (There are many other ways that Pence has denied science as well.)</li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;">Medical journal Lancet <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad4e85bf1631d30814341cec00568869a58fe08d80472ce870aa0fc3a6d004503bc5968c6b9e88c0a51bddbc91252a8ae6e" title="disavowed">disavowed</a> coronavirus conspiracy theories after being cited alongside right-wing disinformation. One of the primary people pushing that disinformation was Steve Bannon. Bannon is pushing coronavirus disinformation harder than anyone, <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad4ab54a2aff75ea2bbf7b6094796d9c64a4142d980c2c09281a9bf4b3758635cfed985838c37fcda6dce7832ca47ffd97c" title="alongside his new benefactor">alongside his new benefactor</a>, a Chinese billionaire who is closely linked to a fake news website.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;">There were warnings about the American health care system for years before coronavirus. Right-wing media <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad4177bac575516613fe5841e2ff1f3294a55c13eda749365fec4798813d07782630c47d0d775687fac3f648f8fbee72416" title="didn't want to hear it">didn't want to hear it</a>. We're already seeing stories about Americans with massive coronavirus medical bills and no way to pay them.</li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 1em;">Pro-Trump media <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad4762f705a0b93063c623d1f91b38db5d2ae8c5bdca1bfb65d660af9a2fa5a00a8c9ed177859198fd042021bea91e53892" title="have claimed that">have claimed that</a> the CDC is overhyping coronavirus threat because a top official is related to Rod Rosenstein.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;">The feedback loop between Fox News and Trump is <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad4905f0d3a4ffaa38ba39e21ef392f8f109e8c1a915c4cb3d7250e3a711ec0d5748a41753280391d31e76ceee06ef9127a" title="powering">powering</a> the president’s response. The network hosts who influence Trump the most are fixating his attention on Democrats and the media, who <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad4270930c93b2e7fe86e260f9469ca4feeeea57ec9754389946e6c31106f3c22eda465859ddd5b9ae49a20fb7b61a04c7c" title="they claim">they claim</a> are deliberately politicizing coronavirus in order to damage his reelection campaign. And Trump is apparently listening to them and is spouting the same talking points.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;">Alex Jones’ Infowars is <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad46f7d48e0dfa91bd318a541d985b35ee4014a8301ba13417f243d242379ff7a5b90c57e75a2795ebce934a68c321c4890" title="attempting to profit">attempting to profit</a> from the coronavirus outbreak, selling food packages for up to nearly $3,000.</li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 1em;">Amid coronavirus fears, Fox News <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad4d78fb215447538ad2429836e5d8454a5cbd677ba0a658d7a8baf65cc71b3d7c69c4b70913ccf66ad33b3f84b26c7046a" title="tried to blame">tried to blame</a> Bernie Sanders and socialism for the stock market downturn.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;">Tucker Carlson <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad4b8f8b5bf9a650163e4739ae7344738ef8e304627e7492e8cd6d19b25c9cef72e8c2be39048f49155f97d5037419f72c2" title="predictably blamed">predictably blamed</a> diversity for the spread of the virus.</li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 1em;">Fox host Stuart Varney <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad49ceddf25e795893911a11867a8f42ebacf1552f57ca6a23fa4563420edcdcd6b9b1b0af0ea8f798444059f951484ac52" title="complained that">complained that</a> diverting money from Trump's wall to address coronavirus will drum up panic.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;">A Fox News anchor <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad4a22ace0c3883684cbcf95df85f22cb84043398d639fa6e4e91340bbf91e86b8adfc292b42cf81ef1ff814fb12e5b1f79" title="said that">said that</a> Trump could be right in that the virus may just disappear.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;">A passenger from cruise ship where multiple people died of coronavirus <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad4f597629792f9a4af346e969dd3c62a03f5d64f4c441ccb4739d58ef12ba4b311e9b96db60ce4dd03c1c6a0ff7c6b4ce8" title="told Fox News">told Fox News</a> that the disease is overhyped because he and his wife are not symptomatic.</li></ul>We've put together <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=755c6136a7c35ad4509ed22be35455f7dcd9edbc9e74e6921ed3f05d2b3d6d56fab825e597b01d9453ac8f8d4d819edf07b22fae26800a7b" title="a full list of the right-wing media conspiracy theories">a full list of the right-wing media conspiracy theories</a> to help you stay informed.</div><div><div></div><div>
</div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/furious-trump-fans-barrage-conservative-columnist-who-admitted-coronavirus-is-a-real-problem/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/furious-trump-fans-barrage-conservative-columnist-who-admitted-coronavirus-is-a-real-problem/</a></div><div>
</div><div><div>no lnx</div><div>
</div><div>Furious Trump fans barrage conservative columnist who admitted coronavirus is a real problem</div><div>
</div><div>Written by Brad Reed / Raw Story March 2, 2020</div><div>
</div><div>A conservative columnist who is generally a supporter of President Donald Trump recently found himself getting barraged by the president’s fans because he admitted coronavirus could be a real problem for the global economy.</div><div>
</div><div>As the New York Times reports, Republican Rob Maness recently wrote a column for the conservative LifeZette website that outlined potential negative economic impacts from coronavirus, including the disruption of supply chains.</div><div>
</div><div>“The most significant major concern in America is the impact on pharmaceutical supply,” Maness wrote in his column. “Large numbers of drugs used to treat serious medical conditions are manufactured or their key components are produced in China. Medicines such as antibiotics amoxicillin, doxycycline, penicillin and other’s availabilities will be impacted as China continues its lock-down of factory workers because 90% of their sourcing is in China.”</div><div>
</div><div>While this analysis was fairly straightforward in breaking down the economic risks of a viral pandemic, Maness tells the Times that many Trump supporters were furious with him for bringing up unwelcome facts.</div><div>
</div><div>“I got accused of being alarmist and trying to hurt the president,” he said. “I actually said the government’s doing a pretty good job.”</div><div>
</div><div>Trump spent the last few days attacking media coverage of the virus and accused the Washington Post of being the “ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE” after it published a devastating report showing his administration was scrambling to respond to the outbreak.</div></div><div><h2 class="entry-title grid-title" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">=</h2></div></div><div>=</div><div>an 220</div><div><div>pence hit the Sunday talk shows without facing a single question about his abysmal HIV outbreak record</div><div>Laura Clawson / Daily KosMarch 2, 2020</div><div>Mike Pence talked coronavirus response on three Sunday morning talk shows yesterday, and boy, did CNN’s Jake Tapper and NBC’s Chuck Todd let him off the hook.</div><div>
</div><div>Mike Pence’s coronavirus clown show humiliates Trump — and endangers the rest of us</div><div>Heather Digby Parton / Salon March 2, 2020</div><div>Our vice president doesn’t believe in science — so he’s perfect to dispense pro-Trump lies and conspiracy theories.</div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/warren-says-trump-has-bungled-every-aspect-of-this-crisis-as-world-health-officials-sound-alarm-on-coronavirus-threat/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/warren-says-trump-has-bungled-every-aspect-of-this-crisis-as-world-health-officials-sound-alarm-on-coronavirus-threat/</a></div><div>
</div><div>=</div><div>trump vp meet w/ pharma for foto op</div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Laurie Garret hot zone pandemic kpfa</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://webbrain.com/brainpage/brain/6950F840-FB80-FCB0-D505-8AB1FA685F08#-1360" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none;">https://webbrain.com/brainpage/brain/6950F840-FB80-FCB0-D505-8AB1FA685F08#-1360</a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</div></div><div></div><div>mma</div><div>Alex Jones’ Infowars is attempting to profit from the coronavirus outbreak02/29/20 12:46 PM ESTPassenger from cruise ship where multiple people died of coronavirus tells Fox News that the disease is overhyped02/29/20 12:37 PM ESTAt CPAC, Glenn Beck says the Bernie Sanders “revolution” will lead to “another Holocaust”02/29/20 12:28 PM ESTFox & Friends agrees with Trump that coronavirus is a “hoax”02/29/20 10:51 AM ESTCNN’s Michael Smerconish: “Can either coronavirus or Bernie Sanders be stopped?”02/29/20 10:26 AM EST</div><div></div><div><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/fox-friends-agrees-trump-coronavirus-hoax">https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/fox-friends-agrees-trump-coronavirus-hoax</a></div><div>
</div><div>JEDEDIAH BILA (CO-HOST): I want to ask you, though, about the president. What can the president do at a time like this? Because obviously he has an interest in stabilizing the market. You see now if you take a look the Dow is down. The S&P [500] is down. It's very concerning to a lot of people out there. What should he be saying?STUART VARNEY (FOX BUSINESS HOST): He should be reassuring the American people as he has been doing that this administration can take care of and contain this virus. Remember, no deaths. OK. We got new cases, but no deaths. We've quarantined people. We're testing people. That's what the president should be telling us, and he is telling us that.Personally, I get really annoyed when I hear the Democrats, going after the president, try to make out that the virus is his fault. And they are doing it for electoral advantage and I think that is absolutely reprehensible. You need an opposition, you need to hold the president accountable. But what they are doing is denigrating the administration's efforts. Trying to tear down the president, not for the benefit of the country, but for their electoral benefit.BILA: We actually have some sound --DEAN CAIN (CO-HOST): Exactly.BILA: -- related right to what you are saying.CAIN: He spoke about this last night in Charleston, South Carolina.[CLIP]DONALD TRUMP (PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES): Politicizing the coronavirus....You say how is President Trump doing? They go, "Oh, not good, not good." They have no clue. They don't have any clue. They can't even count their votes in Iowa. They can't even count. ...[djt]: One of my people came up to me and said, "Mr. President, they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia. That didn't work out too well." They couldn't do it. They tried the impeachment hoax. They tried it over and over. They have been doing it since you got in. It's all turning. They lost. It's all turning. Think of it. Think of it. And this is their new hoax.[END CLIP]PETE HEGSETH (CO-HOST): He can't resist.VARNEY: Look, I agree with that. Look, Russia, Russia, Russia. Impediment to justice. Impeachment, and now the virus. One thing after another to denigrate and slime our president. Utterly wrong.HEGSETH: You see the misinformation, too. Democrats -- the AP had to fact check Democrats who were saying that the president's cut the CDC budget which it hasn't been reduced under the Trump presidency. They're seizing on anything.VARNEY: And you have this irrational criticism of the president. [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez], for example, denigrating Vice President [Mike] Pence who is in charge of the containment effort saying he is a science denier. Please. Come on.BILA: Yeah. And the reality, I mean, the truth is --VARNEY: And Senator [Elizabeth] Warren was talking about the mess of this containment effort. Excuse me, show me the mess.BILA: Yeah.VARNEY: I don't see any deaths. I see a good strong containment effort.BILA: Yeah, the truth is, whatever the president would have done, the media would have been there to criticize him.</div><div>
</div><div>=</div><div><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/pro-trump-media-claim-cdc-overhyping-coronavirus-because-nancy-messonnier">https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/pro-trump-media-claim-cdc-overhyping-coronavirus-because-nancy-messonnier</a></div><div>
</div><div>Dr.  Nancy Messonnier is the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Her impressive <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/about/leadership/leaders/ncird.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">bio</a> lists a number of top positions that she has held in the CDC, and it also notes that she has received multiple awards.</div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;">In recent days, Messonnier has taken a leading role in warning the public about the threat that the novel coronavirus strain known as COVID-19 poses to the United States. The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/cdc-warns-it-expects-coronavirus-to-spread-in-u-s-11582653829" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">noted that</a> Messonnier said it was just a question of when coronavirus will circulate in the U.S. The Daily Beast <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/cdc-coronavirus-boss-nancy-messonnier-calls-spread-unprecedented-as-cases-surge-in-us-and-abroad" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">quoted her</a> as saying, “We expect to see more cases of person-to-person spread among close contacts. ... The goal here is to slow entry of this virus into the United States.” CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/25/cdc-outlines-what-closing-schools-businesses-would-look-like-in-us-pandemic.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">quoted her</a> calling for schools to divide students into smaller groups or to close entirely and conduct courses online. Many <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/02/21/coronavirus-who-contain-outbreak-iran-deaths-south-korea-cases/4829278002/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">other outlets</a> have <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/25/us-coronavirus-outbreak-inevitable-cdc-117389" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">quoted</a> her <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Nancy+Messonnier%22&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=nws&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjAntKKgvDnAhX_hHIEHS2jCtgQ_AUoAXoECAwQAw&biw=2048&bih=1042" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">as well</a>.But right-wing media have begun to coalesce around a conspiracy theory that Messonnier’s warning should be disregarded because she is the sister of former Trump appointee Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein was a <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/amid-reports-trump-may-fire-rosenstein-over-mueller-inquiry-fox-news-drumbeat-urges" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">frequent</a> <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/trumprussia/what-trumps-fox-news-cabinet-wants-him-do-about-rod-rosenstein" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">target</a> of <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/effort-impeach-rod-rosenstein-brought-you-sean-hannity-jeanine-pirro-and-lou-dobbs" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">pro-Trump propagandists</a> for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/us/politics/robert-mueller-special-counsel-russia-investigation.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">appointing</a> Robert Mueller as a special counsel in the Russia investigation.</div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">From a QAnon Twitter account to Rush Limbaugh's show</h2></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;">The conspiracy theory about Messonnier and Rosenstein goes back at least to a <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%22qanon%22%20from%3AHambrickRo&src=typed_query" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">QAnon Twitter account</a> noting <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/media/3854876" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">their connection</a> in early January.It really started to pick up speed this week.On February 25, Rush Limbaugh <a href="https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2020/02/25/drive-bys-hope-the-coronavirus-will-get-trump/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">ranted</a> <a href="https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2020/02/25/crazy-bernie-panic-becomes-media-pandemic/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">about</a> Messonnier, suggesting an anti-Trump conspiracy after he learned she’s related to Rosenstein. It was also <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/media/3854881" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">picked up</a> by a poster on white nationalist message board 8kun. Soon thereafter, it jumped <a href="https://archive.4plebs.org/pol/thread/245312227/#q245314667" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">to 4chan's “/pol/</a>,” a slightly less extreme white nationalist message board. The Conservative Treehouse, a right-wing blog featured on <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/media/3854931" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Lou Dobbs' Fox Business show</a> before, <a href="https://twitter.com/TheLastRefuge2/status/1232446134863269889" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">also posted</a> about <a href="https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/02/25/odd-coincidence-rogue-cdc-official-pushing-coronavirus-panic-button-is-rod-rosensteins-sister/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">the conspiracy theory</a>.Others followed suit:</div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--twitter-tweet paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="field field--name-field-twitter-tweet field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;">On the morning of the February 26, Joe Hoft (the brother of Jim Hoft, proprietor of the Gateway Pundit) <a href="https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/02/just-like-her-corrupt-brother-rod-rosenstein-the-cdcs-dr-nancy-messonnier-drops-a-bomb-on-president-trump-while-on-international-trip/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">posted about it</a>. Hoft wrote that Messonnier’s remarks while President Donald Trump was in India were “a startling rebuke” and that it was “eerily similar to past Presidential trips when former and corrupt DAG Rod Rosenstein and the corrupt and criminal Mueller gang would drop shocking news as the President was overseas.”Later on the 26th, Rush Limbaugh returned to the conspiracy theory, with the transcript of his show <a href="https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2020/02/26/bernie-sanders-and-the-democrat-party-pose-a-bigger-threat-than-the-coronavirus/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">hyperlinking</a> to Hoft’s post. After suggesting that Messonnier was not to be trusted, Limbaugh quickly changed the subject to suggest that the virus may just disappear once the weather warms up. Scientists <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus-spread-summer-seasonal-penn-state-20200226.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">have cast doubt</a> on that theory as well.Meanwhile, Trump is reportedly furious at Messonnier:</div></div><div></div><div>mma</div><div>
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background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/there-were-warnings-about-american-health-care-system-years-coronavirus-right" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/there-were-warnings-about-american-health-care-system-years-coronavirus-right" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/there-were-warnings-about-american-health-care-system-years-coronavirus-right" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/there-were-warnings-about-american-health-care-system-years-coronavirus-right" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/there-were-warnings-about-american-health-care-system-years-coronavirus-right" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex;">There were warnings about the American health care system for years before coronavirus. Right-wing media didn't want to hear it.</a></h2><svg viewbox="0 0 24 24" class="icon icon--article" aria-labelledby="icon-label--article" /><use xlink:href="#article" xmlns:xlink="xlink" /><svg id="article" viewbox="0 0 24 24" /><path d="M0 1h24v4H0zm0 6h24v4H0zm0 6h24v4H0zm0 6h18v4H0z" fill="inherit" fill-rule="evenodd" /><time datetime="2020-02-27T07:32:48-0500" style="box-sizing: border-box;">02/27/20 7:32 AM EST</time></div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/covering-trumps-coronavirus-response-major-newspapers-barely-mention-he-fired">https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/covering-trumps-coronavirus-response-major-newspapers-barely-mention-he-fired</a></div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div></div><div><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/rush-limbaugh/rush-limbaugh-coronavirus-effort-get-trump">https://www.mediamatters.org/rush-limbaugh/rush-limbaugh-coronavirus-effort-get-trump</a></div><div>
</div><div>no lnx</div><div>
</div><div><div>Rush Limbaugh: “The coronavirus is an effort to get Trump”</div><div>Limbaugh: “It came from a country that Bernie Sanders wants to turn the United States into a mirror image of: Communist China”</div><div>
</div><div>WRITTEN BY MEDIA MATTERS STAFF</div><div>
</div><div>PUBLISHED 02/24/20 4:08 PM EST</div><div>
</div><div>Video file</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>Citation From the February 24, 2020, edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show</div><div>
</div><div>RUSH LIMBAUGH (HOST): Folks, this coronavirus thing, I want to try to put this in perspective for you. It looks like the coronavirus is being weaponized as yet another element to bring down Donald Trump. Now, I want to tell you the truth about the coronavirus. You think I’m wrong about this? You think I’m missing it by saying that’s -- Yeah, I’m dead right on this. The coronavirus is the common cold, folks.</div><div>
</div><div>The drive-by media hype of this thing as a pandemic, as the Andromeda strain, as, “Oh, my God. If you get it, you’re dead,” do you know what the — I think the survival rate is 98%. Ninety-eight percent of people who get the coronavirus survive. It’s a respiratory system virus. It probably is a ChiCom laboratory experiment that is in the process of being weaponized. All superpower nations weaponize bioweapons. They experiment with them. The Russians, for example, have weaponized fentanyl. Now, fentanyl is also not what it is represented to be.</div><div>
</div><div>If you watch cop shows, then you probably, stick with me on this, if you watch cop shows, you probably believe that just the dust from a package of fentanyl can kill you if you’re in the same room with it. Not true. Not true. Even the cheap kind of fentanyl coming from China that’s used to spike heroin. They use fentanyl because it’s cheap. It gives a quick hit, doesn’t last very long, which is really cool if you’re trying to addict people.</div><div>
</div><div>But it doesn’t kill people the way it’s projected on TV. It can if you OD on it. But inhaling a little fentanyl dust is not going to cause you to lose consciousness and stop breathing as they predict or depict on cop shows. It’s dangerous. Don’t misunderstand. But it isn’t the way it’s portrayed in popular criminal TV shows, cop shows, and so forth and so on. The coronavirus is the same. It’s really being hyped as a deadly Andromeda strain or Ebola pandemic that, “Oh, my God, is going to wipe out the nation. It’s going to wipe out the population of the world.”</div><div>
</div><div>The stock market’s down like 900 points right now. And I think - the survival rate of this is 98%! You have to read very deeply to find that number. Two percent of the people get the coronavirus die. That’s less than the flu, folks. That is a far lower death statistic than any form of influenza, which is an annual thing that everybody gets shots for. There’s nothing unusual about the coronavirus. In fact, coronavirus is not something new. There are all kinds of viruses that have that name. Now, do not misunderstand. I’m not trying to get you to let your guard down.</div><div>
</div><div>Nobody wants to get any of this stuff. I mean, you never… I hate getting the common cold. You don’t want to get the flu. It’s miserable. But we’re not talking about something here that’s gonna wipe out your town or your city if it finds its way there. This is a classic illustration of how media coverage -- even if this media coverage isn’t stacked, even if this is just the way media normally does things, this is a hyped, panic-filled version. It’s exactly how the media deals with these things to create audience, readership, interest, clicks, what have you.</div><div>
</div><div>It originated in China in a little — well, not a little town. It’s a town that is 11 million people, Wuhan, China. And one of the reasons they’re able to hype this is that the doctor what warned everybody about it came down with it and died. And so if a doctor got it, “Oh, my God, Rush! A doctor got it? You can’t possibly be right if a doctor can’t protect himself.” He didn’t know what he was dealing with. He discovered it back in December. I’m telling you, the ChiComs are trying to weaponize this thing.Here’s the story on Russians and fentanyl.</div><div>
</div><div>Fentanyl is a very, very powerful opiate — and for those of you that haven’t had any experience with opiates, the people that get addicted to ’em take them and they get very euphoric. They kill pain. They do wonderful things. But they make you very, very euphoric. They act like speed. Other people take them, and they hate them. It makes ’em vomit, throw up, feel nauseous. It doesn’t do anything for them. They’re never gonna get addicted.</div><div>
</div><div>So in Moscow the Chechens, way back. I’m gonna go back now — what is it — maybe 10 years or longer. A bunch of Chechen rebels took over an opera house and had a bunch of Russian hostages in there and made all kinds of threats — and Putin, unbeknownst to anybody, had weaponized fentanyl. He had turned it into a gas, an invisible gas. He just put it in the ventilation system of this opera house or whatever it was, I’m giving you the sketchy, short version of this, and everybody in there fell asleep and died. You know, in a drug overdose, you stop breathing.</div><div>
</div><div>That’s what… It slows down your respiratory system so much that you stop breathing. That’s what an OD is. And everybody in that place, including the Chechens — had no idea what happened to ’em. It’s not violent. You just fall asleep for unknown reasons at the amounts that Putin weaponized and put in there. If you take a normal dose of fentanyl that you get from a doctor in a hospital, it’s not gonna kill you, obviously. But the amount they weaponized — and up to this time, nobody had ever weaponized fentanyl.</div><div>
</div><div>Nobody had ever made it into an invisible, odorless, colorless gas, until it was discovered that the Russians had done it. Well, every nation is working on things like this, and the ChiComs obviously in their lab are doing something here with the coronavirus — and it got out. Some people believe it got out on purpose, that the ChiComs have a whole lot of problems based on an economy that cannot provide for the number of people they have. So losing a few people here or there is not so bad for the Chinese government.</div><div>
</div><div>There could be anything to explain this.</div><div>
</div><div>But the way it’s being used… I believe the way it’s being weaponized is by virtue of the media, and I think that it is an effort to bring down Trump, and one of the ways it’s being used to do this is to scare the investors, to scare people in business. It’s to scare people into not buying Treasury bills at auctions. It’s to scare people into leaving, cashing out of the stock market — and true enough, as the show began today, the stock market — the Dow Jones Industrial Average — was down about 900 points, supposedly because of the latest news about the spread of the coronavirus.</div><div>
</div><div>And if you go deeper into China, you will see that all of the high-tech Silicon Valley firms are said to be terribly exposed. “They could be suffering a disastrous year. Why, you may not be able to buy a new iPhone of any model this whole year! Do you know that? Because the coronavirus is so bad that the factories may never open — and if they do, they may not be anywhere near full capacity.” So Apple may not be able to release any new product. You think that’s not gonna panic investors? It most certainly is.</div><div>
</div><div>So Apple is trying to do what they can to suggest that these rumors are not true. They got new products coming this year. But the tech media hates Apple. They love anti-Apple stories. They love anything that will let them report that Apple’s on its last legs. Of course, that’s not true. Warren Buffett came out today and said, “Apple is the best-run company ever.” He’s a big stockholder, so people will say he’s biased about it. But the bias you have to pay attention to is how much money he invested. He got $36 billion in Apple stock that Berkshire Hathaway has.</div><div>
</div><div>They sold $800 million of Apple stock last week, and everybody said, “Oh, my God, he’s getting out!” No, he’s not. He’s got $36 billion. He sold $800 million. No big deal. He wanted to allocate it somewhere else. So this is… I think the coronavirus is an effort to get Trump. It’s not gonna work. It’s one of the latest in a long line of efforts that the drive-by media is making to somehow say that Trump and capitalism are destroying America and destroying the world. Just keep in mind where the coronavirus came from.</div><div>
</div><div>It came from a country that Bernie Sanders wants to turn the United States into a mirror image of: Communist China. That’s where it came from. It didn’t come from an American lab. It didn’t escape from an American research lab. It hasn’t been spread by Americans. It starts out in a communist country. Its tentacles spread all across the world in numbers that are not big and not huge, but they’re being reported as just the opposite. Just trying to keep it all in perspective.</div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/fox-trump-feedback-loop-channeling-trumps-coronavirus-attacks-journalists-democrats">https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/fox-trump-feedback-loop-channeling-trumps-coronavirus-attacks-journalists-democrats</a></div><div>
</div><div><div>Public health officials are struggling to contain the novel coronavirus COVID-19, which has now spread to at least 47 countries. The Centers for Disease Control is warning that it expects to see an expanded outbreak in the United States and is planning for a worldwide pandemic. In addition to the substantial health risks posed by the disease, the interconnected nature of global supply chains means that the epidemic could spur an economic crisis. Careful leadership is needed from the president of the United States, who must manage a complex interagency and international process, mustering the nation’s resources and expertise to limit the damage. </div><div>
</div><div>But at this delicate moment, the feedback loop between Fox News and President Donald Trump is powering the president’s response. The network hosts who influence Trump the most are fixating his attention on Democrats and the media, who they claim are deliberately politicizing coronavirus in order to damage his reelection campaign. And Trump is apparently listening to them and is spouting the same talking points.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>Trump is ignorant, incompetent, and generally uninterested in the aspects of his job that don’t involve promoting his narrow personal interests. His response to coronavirus has not diverged from this baseline. He spent the last few years systematically dismantling U.S. pandemic response capabilities, dissolving the National Security Council’s global health security unit and slashing funding to the CDC’s global health section. And since the coronavirus outbreak began, Trump has been largely detached from managing the government’s response.</div><div>
</div><div>Trump’s Fox propagandists spent the early weeks of the outbreak praising his purported success at “constraining” its spread. But after stocks fell dramatically on Monday and Tuesday amid fears of a global pandemic, they needed a new angle. And so Fox personalities began lashing out at journalists for their coverage of coronavirus and at Democrats for their criticism of the administration.  </div><div>
</div><div>“Sadly, the left is already, yup, politicizing tragedy,” host and close Trump ally Sean Hannity said on Tuesday night, hammering Senate Democrats for saying that the administration had sought too little funding to deal with the mounting crisis.</div><div>
</div><div>“Watching the media coverage today, it seemed like some of the Trump haters were actually relishing in this moment,” Laura Ingraham said on her show the following hour. “A new avenue it was, coronavirus, that is a new pathway for hitting President Trump. How sick that these people seem almost happiest when Americans are hurting.”</div><div>
</div><div>“It is absolutely disgusting that Democrats are seeking to use this complex virus to score cheap political points,” she added. </div><div>
</div><div>Trump was apparently watching -- he tweeted a quote from a different segment of the same Ingraham broadcast -- and taking notes. On Wednesday morning, he went after the media and Democrats on Twitter.</div><div>
</div><div>Trump lavished praise on himself and his administration while attacking congressional Democratic leaders for criticizing the response during a press conference on the coronavirus outbreak that night. </div><div>
</div><div>Fox got the message. Its hosts and personalities targeted the media and Democrats for their treatment of coronavirus throughout Wednesday night and Thursday morning.</div><div>
</div><div>This is dangerous. The hours of Fox coverage Trump watches each day shape his worldview -- and direct his often inchoate rage. The potential global crisis on his doorstep does not appear to be slowing his consumption of propagandistic cable news content. As we’ve seen so many times before, he is getting distracted by his television, which is encouraging him to carry out his worst impulses.</div><div>
</div><div>The attacks on the press, long a staple of Trump and Fox, are particularly concerning now. The American public needs trustworthy information about the coronavirus outbreak in order to make good decisions about how to respond to it. And the president is telling people that they can’t trust news outlets that aren’t in the tank for his administration, warning that those journalists will deliberately overstate the danger in order to hurt his reelection chances. That’s a recipe for disaster.</div><div>
</div><div>And things can still get worse. Some pro-Trump commentators, including conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, have argued that the top CDC official who warned that a larger U.S. outbreak was inevitable is a deep-state plant who is trying to take down Trump. Fox hosts have largely steered clear of those conspiracy theories thus far. But what happens if the situation worsens, and the Fox Cabinet starts telling the president that he needs to purge the public health bureaucracy of anti-Trump traitors?</div></div><div>
</div><div>links</div><div>
</div><div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Public health officials are struggling to contain the novel coronavirus COVID-19, which has now spread to at least <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/world/coronavirus-news.html#link-121b0a06" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">47 countries</a>. The Centers for Disease Control <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/cdc-warns-it-expects-coronavirus-to-spread-in-u-s-11582653829" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">is warning</a> that it expects to see an expanded outbreak in the United States and is planning for a worldwide pandemic. In addition to the substantial health risks posed by the disease, the interconnected nature of global supply chains means that the epidemic could <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-supply-chains-survive-the-coronavirus-china-the-u-s-and-germany-are-key-11582712810" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">spur an economic crisis</a>. <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/now-trump-needs-deep-state-fight-coronavirus/605752/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Careful leadership</a> is needed from the president of the United States, who must manage a complex interagency and international process, mustering the nation’s resources and expertise to limit the damage. But at this delicate moment, the feedback loop between Fox News and President Donald Trump is powering the president’s response. The network hosts who influence Trump the most are fixating his attention on Democrats and the media, who they claim are deliberately politicizing coronavirus in order to damage his reelection campaign. And Trump is apparently listening to them and is spouting the same talking points....[vid]ednesday morning, he went after the media and Democrats on Twitter.</div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--twitter-tweet paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="field field--name-field-twitter-tweet field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Trump lavished praise on himself and his administration while <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/02/26/trump-keeps-his-coronavirus-press-conference-focused-one-high-risk-patient-himself/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">attacking</a> congressional Democratic leaders for criticizing the response during a press conference on the coronavirus outbreak that night. Fox got the message. Its hosts and personalities targeted the media and Democrats for their treatment of coronavirus throughout Wednesday night and Thursday morning.</div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--twitter-tweet paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="field field--name-field-twitter-tweet field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;">This is dangerous. The hours of Fox coverage Trump watches each day shape his worldview -- and direct his often inchoate rage. The potential global crisis on his doorstep does not appear to be slowing his consumption of propagandistic cable news content. As we’ve seen so many times before, he is getting distracted by his television, which is encouraging him to carry out his worst impulses.The attacks on the press, long a staple of Trump and Fox, are particularly concerning now. The American public needs trustworthy information about the coronavirus outbreak in order to make good decisions about how to respond to it. And the president is telling people that they can’t trust news outlets that aren’t in the tank for his administration, warning that those journalists will deliberately overstate the danger in order to hurt his reelection chances. That’s a recipe for disaster.And things can still get worse. Some <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/pro-trump-media-claim-cdc-overhyping-coronavirus-because-nancy-messonnier" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">pro-Trump commentators</a>, including conservative radio host <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/radio/rush-limbaugh-suggests-cdc-official-is-out-to-get-trump-because-shes-rod-rosensteins-sister/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Rush Limbaugh</a>, have argued that the top CDC official who warned that a larger U.S. outbreak was inevitable is a deep-state plant who is trying to take down Trump. Fox hosts have largely steered clear of those conspiracy theories thus far. But what happens if the situation worsens, and the Fox Cabinet starts telling the president that he needs to purge the public health bureaucracy of anti-Trump traitors?</div></div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/vp-mike-pence-talks-coronavirus-conspiracy-theorist-rush-limbaugh">https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/vp-mike-pence-talks-coronavirus-conspiracy-theorist-rush-limbaugh</a></div><div>
</div><div>v President Mike Pence, who President Donald Trump has <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/26/politics/trump-coronavirus-stock-market/index.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">placed in charge</a> of overseeing the government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, appeared Friday afternoon on The Rush Limbaugh Show — which has been the source of a mixture of conspiracy theories, denialism, and other misinformation about the virus.</div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;">During the program, Pence stated that the government is on top of the situation, saying, “President Trump has no higher priority than the health of the American people.”Radio host Rush Limbaugh offered his support to Pence and discussed the problem as a matter beyond politics. “I'm for you guys, I want you to succeed because this needs success. I mean, this problem needs to be dealt with successfully, hopefully as apolitically as possible,” Limbaugh said. “The virus doesn't know whether it's infecting a Republican or a Democrat, a woman, a man, anything. And until we get a better handle on it, we want competent people working on this.”However, the segment made no mention of all the irresponsible rhetoric and conspiracy theories that its own host had been spreading earlier this week[pix]kicking off the week on Monday, <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/rush-limbaugh/rush-limbaugh-coronavirus-effort-get-trump" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Limbaugh falsely claimed</a> that the novel coronavirus strain known as COVID-19 is actually just “the common cold,” but added that it “probably is a [Chinese Communist] laboratory experiment that is in the process of being weaponized” as part of “an effort to bring down Trump” through negative media coverage.</div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Limbaugh then only <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/rush-limbaugh/rush-limbaugh-mocks-concerns-over-coronavirus-i-have-no-interest-lying-you-about" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">dug in further</a> on Tuesday, downplaying the potential impact of coronavirus in the U.S. and declaring:</div></div><blockquote class="block-quote block-quote--collapsable" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(239, 243, 247);"><div class="block-quotequote" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 1.5rem;">RUSH LIMBAUGH (HOST): I'm not going to play ball with this, I'm not going to join a panic over something that I have been independently informing myself about. I have no interest in lying to you about anything, it doesn't help me, it doesn't help you, it doesn't further anything. It doesn't help a thing for me to knowingly lie to you about something as serious as a “possible global pandemic,” and that's how the media is treating this.</div></blockquote><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;">He later <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/rush-limbaugh/rush-limbaugh-media-wants-coronavirus-be-deadly-just-they-hope-hurricanes-so-they-can" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">went on to claim</a> that the coronavirus was not a major threat, but that the media was only hoping for it to sufficiently evolve to become one:</div></div><blockquote class="block-quote block-quote--collapsable" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="block-quotequote" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 1.5rem;">RUSH LIMBAUGH (HOST): They hope for hurricanes — on the first day of hurricane season, they hope for Hurricane Katrina so they can say “climate change,” anything to advance the leftist agenda. Now, the leftist agenda includes getting rid of Trump. They would love for the coronavirus to be this deadly strain that wipes everybody out, so they could blame Trump for it.”</div></blockquote><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Limbaugh did not repeat or even acknowledge any of these conspiracy theories during the interview with Pence — nor did Pence mention that Limbaugh had been spreading them.Later in the program, Pence projected a message of nonpartisan national unity in the crisis.“We're going to follow the facts, we're going to follow the science, we're going to tune out the politics, and keep reaching out to people across the spectrum,” Pence said. “And I have to tell you, my conversations with many of the officials that I mentioned to you in the Democratic Party, I get that sense — I think this is a real moment where we have an opportunity to really come together and work this issue on behalf of the American people. And that's going to continue to be our focus.”Pence also rebutted the story that any kind of <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/white-house-reportedly-shutting-down-media-appearances-disease-expert-dr-fauci" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">“gag order” had been imposed</a> on Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, as was reported Thursday in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/us/politics/us-coronavirus-pence.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">The New York Times</a>.“I was told that Dr. Fauci testified at a briefing in Congress today that there is no gag order and there is not. What we want to make sure is happening is that with so many different agencies involved, that we're providing that information in a consistent and a systematic way,” Pence said. “We're going to give the American people the facts. We're going to follow what the scientific community is recommending on this. And we're going to let the health care experts lead.”However, the message that the Trump-Pence administration is “going to let the health care experts lead” is another talking point that should contrast sharply with Limbaugh’s rhetoric during the coronavirus crisis. On Thursday, Limbaugh was <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/pro-trump-media-claim-cdc-overhyping-coronavirus-because-nancy-messonnier" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">one of many right-wing media figures attacking Dr. Nancy Messonnier</a>,director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, because she is also the sister of former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. (Rosenstein is a <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/amid-reports-trump-may-fire-rosenstein-over-mueller-inquiry-fox-news-drumbeat-urges" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">frequent</a> <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/trumprussia/what-trumps-fox-news-cabinet-wants-him-do-about-rod-rosenstein" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">target</a> of <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/effort-impeach-rod-rosenstein-brought-you-sean-hannity-jeanine-pirro-and-lou-dobbs" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">pro-Trump propagandists</a> for having <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/us/politics/robert-mueller-special-counsel-russia-investigation.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">appointed</a> Robert Mueller as a special counsel in the Russia investigation.)Beyond Limbaugh, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/2/28/21156158/mike-pence-coronavirus-trump-administration-hiv-science" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Pence</a> and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/09/17/the-origins-of-donald-trumps-autismvaccine-theory-and-how-it-was-completely-debunked-eons-ago/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Donald</a> <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump/donald-trump-spouts-climate-denial-without-rebuttal-msnbcs-morning-joe" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Trump</a> have had their own serious issues when it comes to “following the science.”</div></div><div></div><div>ah not mine joe conason that pandemic is precisely what mkt/libtards can't deal w/; trump post truth econ pow spox to spin b/c of stock mkt 2020;</div><div>
</div><div>admin gets tested by crisis which by nature are unpredictable eg katrina b43</div><div></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/how-trumps-personal-pathologies-are-poisoning-the-administrations-coronavirus-management/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/how-trumps-personal-pathologies-are-poisoning-the-administrations-coronavirus-management/</a></div><div></div><div>
</div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/key-mistakes-in-the-federal-government-have-already-undermined-our-ability-to-track-coronavirus/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/key-mistakes-in-the-federal-government-have-already-undermined-our-ability-to-track-coronavirus/</a></div><div>
</div><div></div><div>aha -let :it  gets tedious to repeat, but what wd happen if BO gagged? czar?!</div><div>
</div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/white-house-told-top-virus-expert-not-to-speak-publicly-on-the-coronavirus-without-permission-report/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/white-house-told-top-virus-expert-not-to-speak-publicly-on-the-coronavirus-without-permission-report/</a></div><div>
</div><div><div>no lnx</div><div>
</div><div>White House told top virus expert not to speak publicly on the coronavirus without permission: report</div><div>President Donald J. Trump, joined by Vice President Mike Pence and members of the Coronavirus Task Force, speaks to members of the press Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020, in the James S. brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen)</div><div>Written by Cody Fenwick February 27, 2020</div><div>
</div><div>A top expert on viruses in the administration, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has been told by the White House not to speak publicly about the emerging coronavirus outbreak without permission, according to a report Thursday in the New York Times.</div><div>
</div><div>Fauci directs the National Institute of Allergy and Infections Diseases, an agency within the National Institutes of Health.</div><div>
</div><div>The directive comes as a part of a broader effort from Vice President Mike Pence, who President Donald Trump has picked to oversee the administration’s crisis response, the Times found. Pence is reportedly trying to “tighten control” of the administration’s messaging about the outbreak, which thus far has been contradictory and scattershot.</div><div>
</div><div>The Times reported:</div><div>
</div><div>Officials insist the goal is not to control the content of what subject-matter experts and other officials are saying, but to make sure their efforts are being coordinated, after days of confusion with various administration officials showing up on television.</div><div>
</div><div>However, it’s hard to take such reassurances seriously. Trump himself has already made clear that he is trying to downplay the coronavirus threat, and he is undeniably spooked by the effect it has had on the stock market and the potential impact on his re-election chances. He has accused the media of hyping the threat and has broken with his administration’s experts by suggesting the virus is likely already in decline and that a vaccine could be developed “soon.”</div><div>
</div><div>With the president broadcasting what he hopes the science will show, any effort to limit what experts in the administration are allowed to say publicly should be viewed with suspicion. And Trump’s decision to put Pence in charge, given the vice president’s history of obsequiousness to the commander in chief, inspires even less confidence. Pence already bungled a public health crisis as governor of Indiana, and he was still denying the evidence that smoking caused cancer in 2000.</div><div>
</div><div>The Times also noted that, with the announcement of Dr. Deborah L. Birx as the Coronavirus Response Coordinator, there are now at least three people who have been named as leading some part of the coronavirus response effort, exacerbating the possibility for mismanagement:</div><div>
</div><div>But with Mr. Pence’s announcement, Dr. Birx becomes the third person to be designated as the administration’s primary coronavirus official.</div><div>
</div><div>Mr. Trump said that “Mike is going to be in charge, and Mike will report back to me.” Mr. Pence said it will be Dr. Birx. Meanwhile, Alex M. Azar II, the health and human services secretary, remains the chairman of the government’s coronavirus task force.</div><div>
</div><div>And on Thursday at a public meeting, Pence himself only added to the confusion, saying: “I’m leading the task force. We’ll continue to rely on the [Secretary Azar’s] role as chairman of the task force.”</div><div>
</div><div>The Times report also gave more indication that Trump is prioritizing putting out a positive message rather than the truth, finding: “Mr. Trump has told people that he considers Mr. Azar to be too ‘alarmist’ about the virus.”</div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div>=</div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/trumps-lies-and-deception-are-catching-up-to-all-of-us-as-the-stock-market-posts-worst-point-drop-ever-on-record/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/trumps-lies-and-deception-are-catching-up-to-all-of-us-as-the-stock-market-posts-worst-point-drop-ever-on-record/</a></div><div>
</div><div><div>https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/trumps-lies-and-deception-are-catching-up-to-all-of-us-as-the-stock-market-posts-worst-point-drop-ever-on-record/</div><div> no lnx</div><div>
</div><div>Trump’s lies and deception are catching up to all of us as the stock market posts ‘worst point drop ever on record’</div><div>
</div><div>President Donald J. Trump, joined by Vice President Mike Pence, listens as Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar speaks to members of the press Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020, in the James S. brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)</div><div>Written by David Badash / The New Civil Rights Movement February 27, 2020</div><div>
</div><div>In a muddled, dishonest, rambling news conference from the White House press briefing room, President Donald Trump for over an hour talked to reporters Wednesday evening about coronavirus in an attempt to stave off three days of market near-collapse. He lied. He twisted the truth. He displayed little grasp of basic facts. He didn’t let the experts run the show.</div><div>
</div><div>He instilled no confidence Wednesday night. In fact, the DOW futures dropped as Trump began speaking:</div><div>
</div><div>Dow Futures dropped when Trump said the market fell 2k points because of the Dem debate pic.twitter.com/cvbviB2l9a</div><div>
</div><div>— Evan Siegfried (@evansiegfried) February 27, 2020</div><div>
</div><div>The markets on Thursday rewarded his efforts with the DOW posting the largest single-day loss in history.</div><div>
</div><div>BREAKING: Dow Jones Industrial Average records worst point drop ever on record, plummeting nearly 1,200 points https://t.co/T8yrpR8LHE pic.twitter.com/EaOeKgC34O</div><div>
</div><div>— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) February 27, 2020</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>Why?</div><div>
</div><div>The Trump administration has known about coronavirus since at least December 1, 2019. It did nothing until January 29, when the White House posted a memo announcing President Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force. The task force did not even include the surgeon general, making it clear the White House had little interest in communicating to the American people any sense of competence or delivering even an iota of public education.</div><div>
</div><div>Nearly an entire month went by. Trump and the First Family played in India, posing at the Taj Mahal, refusing to eat the specially prepared foods their hosts created just for them, and praising Prime Minister Modi as Muslims were being slayed just streets away from where the Trump family was staying.</div><div>
</div><div>The grandeur and beauty of the Taj Mahal is awe inspiring! ???? ???? pic.twitter.com/jcYwXHxf4c</div><div>
</div><div>— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) February 24, 2020</div><div>
</div><div>“The losses mark the worse week for U.S. stocks since the financial crash of 2008. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq each also plunged by more than 4%,” reports ABC News, calling it the “worst week” since the 2008 global financial crisis.</div><div>
</div><div>This, as the First Family played, pretending to be on official business as the coronavirus outbreak exploded earlier this week.</div><div>
</div><div>Trump returned after two days of about 1000 point drops in the DOW each day. He hastily called a press conference for Wednesday at 6 PM. Just after it began at 6:30 PMit became clear there was not going to be a coronavirus czar, there was no real plan, other than to put in charge Vice President Mike Pence. Even a Fox News pundit eschewed that decision, noting Pence doesn’t believe in science, is not a doctor, and has a horrific record when it comes to public health – he oversaw an explosive HIV outbreak during which he decided to pray for guidance rather than listen to what experts told him he had to do.</div><div>
</div><div>And now, as the markets tumble, as Trump lies about the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. and pretends that there might not be “community spread” – the first case of which the CDC literally announced just after Trump’s news conference, it’s become even more clear Trump and his administration aren’t interested in protecting the American public, but rather, they are interested in appearing to be doing “things” that might make it appear they are protecting the American public – when their goal is to protect the markets.</div><div>
</div><div>That’s why Vice President Pence’s first act as head of the Coronavirus Task Force was to add top and Trump economic advisor Larry Kudlow, and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to the Task Force, along with the surgeon general (finally).</div><div>
</div><div>Absent from the list: any public health experts, any crisis experts, anyone not from the Trump administration, the CDC, or the NIH. In other words, there is no one on the Trump Coronavirus Task Force the Trump administration cannot control.</div><div>
</div><div>That’s dangerous. It’s dangerous because the administration has already told the federal government all communication, to reporters and others, is to go through Vice President Pence, and it’s dangerous because there is no one who will tell Trump or Pence anything they don’t want to hear.</div><div>
</div><div>And what else is the Trump administration doing?</div><div>
</div><div>Campaigning at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference.</div><div>
</div><div>Over the course of Thursday through Sunday, 21 top Trump administration officials, including the President and the Vice President, and a large number of Cabinet Secretaries, will all be attending and speaking at the far right-wing conference. CPAC over the years has hosted some of the most extreme groups and fringe elements in conservative America. Groups like the John Birch Society, and extremists like Milo Yiannopoulos — whose invitation was pulled when a vile video of him was released.</div><div>
</div><div>The Democratic primaries are just getting started but the markets have already voted. They have made clear they have no confidence in this President and this Vice President.</div><div>
</div><div>Unfortunately, those who will pay the price form that vote are, as usual, the Americans who can least afford a hit to their life savings – if they have any – or to their 401(k)s, or to the number of hours they work which will be cut so their bosses can save a few bucks when business gets bad.</div><div>
</div><div>The stock market has now plunged about 3200 points this week, and there’s no reason to suggest Friday will be any better, because there’s no reason to suggest this president will be any better.</div></div><div></div></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/mick-mulvaney-accuses-media-of-hyping-coronavirus-to-bring-down-trump">https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/mick-mulvaney-accuses-media-of-hyping-coronavirus-to-bring-down-trump</a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">no lnx</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Mick Mulvaney accuses media of hyping coronavirus to bring down Trump</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Written by Brad Reed / Raw Story February 28, 2020</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney told the audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday that the media is only covering the spread of coronavirus because it’s out to get President Donald Trump.</div><div>
</div><div>According to the New York Times’ Annie Karni, Mulvaney accused the American media of using coronavirus as a political weapon, despite the fact that concerns about the virus led Japan to shut down its schools for at least a month.</div><div>
</div><div>“They think this will bring down the president,” Mulvaney said. “That’s what it’s all about.”</div><div>
</div><div>He then downplayed the health risks to Americans who contract the virus by arguing that the virus won’t kill everyone who contracts it.</div><div>
</div><div>“It’s not a death sentence,” he said. “It’s not the same as the Ebola crisis.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In fact, it’s estimated that the mortality rate from contracting coronavirus is two percent, which is why several governments across the world are taking significant measures to protect their people from getting infected.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Mulvaney is saying that the press is now covering Coronavirus because “they think this will bring down the president. That’s what it’s all about.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">— Annie Karni (@anniekarni) February 28, 2020</div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></div><h2 class="entry-title grid-title" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">politico</h2><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
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no lnx?

pix
Some supporters of President Donald Trump see a threat bigger than the spread of a highly contagious novel coronavirus: a conspiracy by deep state actors to use the virus against the president. 
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">One key piece of evidence fueling their theory: An official from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention making public statements on the outbreak is the sister of Rod Rosenstein, the former deputy attorney general who oversaw the Mueller probe and, according to a disputed report, once discussed removing Trump from office.
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</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“Rod Rosenstein as we all know definitely worked to undermine the Trump administration, which is oddly exactly what his sister is doing by undermining the more logical and calm message the president’s team has issued on the virus,” conservative pundit Wayne Dupree charged in a Wednesday blog post.

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Global financial markets have been sliding for several days over concerns about the fallout from the virus, a trend that threatens Trump’s rosy economic message as well as his political future.
Yet there is no evidence that federal health authorities are overstating the threat of coronavirus to prosecute a political vendetta against Trump, and some conservatives — even as they praised the administration’s response — rushed to defend Messonnier.
…
</div><h2 class="entry-title grid-title" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</h2><h2 class="entry-title grid-title" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">=</h2><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">buzzfeed</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">....
On Monday, while in India on his first state visit, Trump <a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1232058127740174339" target="blank">tweeted</a>, “the Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. We are in contact with everyone and all relevant countries.” Two days later, the president doubled down, railing against the media for spreading hysteria.“Low Ratings Fake News MSDNC [sic] (Comcast) & @CNN are doing everything possible to make the Caronavirus [sic] look as bad as possible, including panicking markets, if possible,” he <a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1232652371832004608" target="blank">wrote</a>.Echoing the message, hyperpartisan news sites, conspiracy theorists, and scammers have sown panic. In the last two weeks, a narrative has solidified among his base: The virus is a <a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/RightWingWatch/status/1232332782401134593" target="blank">deep state plot</a>, possibly created by the <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/a-pro-trump-blog-has-doxed-a-chinese-scientist-it-falsely" target="blank">Chinese government</a>, to hurt Trump’s reelection chances.Infowars <a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/oneunderscore/status/1232682774978584578" target="blank">ran</a> a video claiming the Department of Homeland Security was buying up emergency food provisions; the site's sidebar advertised food rations on its online store. Jordan Sather, a YouTuber aligned with the pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy theory, has told followers that coronavirus is a “new fad disease,” the release of which was “planned.” Sather has also promoted the idea that QAnon followers can <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/qanon-conspiracy-theorists-magic-cure-for-coronavirus-is-drinking-lethal-bleach" target="blank">protect</a> themselves from COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, by drinking chlorine dioxide — otherwise known as bleach. Limbaugh and other pro-Trump media sites have also <a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/MarshallCohen/status/1232733193175998464" target="blank">attacked</a> Messonnier, the sister of Rod Rosenstein — a longtime Trump <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/04/rod-rosenstein-resigns-kisses-trump-ass-on-his-way-out-the-door" target="blank">punching bag</a> and former deputy attorney general.Meanwhile, on Tuesday, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/484561-kudlow-claims-coronavirus-has-been-contained-its-pretty-close-to-air" target="blank">claimed</a> the US had an “airtight containment” of the virus. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, during <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51276323" target="blank">an interview</a> last month with Fox Business, said the coronavirus’s toll on mainland China could boost US employment. Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/market-plunge-over-coronavirus-fears-underscores-political-risk-to-trump/2020/02/24/331aa162-572a-11ea-9000-f3cffee23036_story.html" target="blank">claimed</a>that vaccine development will be on "Trump time" and said to expect a faster release to the public. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/danvergano/coronavirus-spread-flu-pandemic" target="blank">told BuzzFeed News</a> that a vaccine will only be safe and available for limited distribution to doctors and the most vulnerable patients, those who are elderly or have a compromised immune system, within two years. Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, while speaking on Fox News last week, claimed the virus <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/qanon-supporters-and-anti-vaxxers-are-spreading-a-hoax-that" target="blank">could be</a> a lab-made bioweapon, a hoax popular among QAnon followers.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="TbwUpd NJjxre"><cite class="iUh30 bc tjvcx">.buzzfeednews.com › article › ryanhatesthis › trump-supporters-...</cite></div><div class="B6fmyf"><div class="TbwUpd"><cite class="iUh30 bc tjvcx" /></div><div class="eFM0qc"><div class="g"><div data-hveid="CAQQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwiNsc6Qo_LnAhUHsp4KHVRvD1cQFSgAMAN6BAgEEAA"><div class="rc"><div class="s">17 hours ago - Trump speaks at a news conference on the coronavirus outbreak at ... Rush Limbaugh (upon whom he bestowed the Presidential Medal of ... “Low Ratings Fake News MSDNC [sic] (Comcast) & @CNN are ... Last month, Facebook said it would be removing “content with false claims or conspiracy theories ...</div></div></div></div><div class="g"><div data-hveid="CAEQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwiNsc6Qo_LnAhUHsp4KHVRvD1cQFSgAMAR6BAgBEAA"><div class="rc"><div class="r"><a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/26/trump-backers-coronavirus-conspiracy-117781">
</a><h3 class="LC20lb DKV0Md"><a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/26/trump-backers-coronavirus-conspiracy-117781">Trump backers see a coronavirus conspiracy - POLITICO</a></h3><div class="TbwUpd NJjxre"><cite class="iUh30 bc tjvcx">www.politico.com › news › 2020/02/26 › trump-backers-coronavirus...</cite></div><div class="B6fmyf"><div class="TbwUpd"><cite class="iUh30 bc tjvcx" /></div><div class="eFM0qc"><div class="g"><div data-hveid="CAEQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwiNsc6Qo_LnAhUHsp4KHVRvD1cQFSgAMAR6BAgBEAA"><div class="rc"><div class="s">17 hours ago - Trump backers see a coronavirus conspiracy ... The likes of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh and Jim Hoft, publisher of the Gateway ... Trump — who rose to political prominence by promoting the false idea that Barack ... “Low Ratings Fake News MSDNC (Comcast) & @CNN are doing everything ...</div></div></div></div><div class="g"><div data-hveid="CAkQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwiNsc6Qo_LnAhUHsp4KHVRvD1cQFSgAMAV6BAgJEAA"><div class="rc"><div class="r"><a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/media/484506-limbaugh-claims-coronavirus-is-being-weaponized-to-bring-down-trump">
</a><h3 class="LC20lb DKV0Md"><a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/media/484506-limbaugh-claims-coronavirus-is-being-weaponized-to-bring-down-trump">Limbaugh claims coronavirus is being 'weaponized' to 'bring ...</a></h3><div class="TbwUpd NJjxre"><cite class="iUh30 bc tjvcx">thehill.com › homenews › media › 484506-limbaugh-claims-coronavi...</cite></div><div class="B6fmyf"><div class="TbwUpd"><cite class="iUh30 bc tjvcx" /></div><div class="eFM0qc"><div class="s">2 days ago - Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh on Monday suggested on his show that an outbreak of coronavirus in China was being "weaponized" by the newsmedia against President Trump. ... "You think I'm wrong about this? ... of the coronavirus outbreak, and repeated a debunked conspiracy theory that the ...<div class="TXwUJf">Missing: <s>fake</s> ‎| Must include: <a class="fl" href="https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=rush+limbaugh+corona+virus+false+%22fake%22+conspiracy+news&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiNsc6Qo_LnAhUHsp4KHVRvD1cQ5t4CMAV6BAgJEAk">fake</a></div></div></div><h2 class="entry-title grid-title" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</h2><h2 class="entry-title grid-title" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">=</h2><h2 class="entry-title grid-title" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</h2><h2 class="entry-title grid-title" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/top-trump-economic-advisor-slammed-for-claiming-coronavirus-contained-after-cdc-warns-of-spread/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: currentcolor none medium; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; letter-spacing: 0px;">Top Trump economic advisor slammed for claiming coronavirus ‘contained’ after CDC warns of spread</a></h2><div class="grid-post-box-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/david-badash/" title="Posts by David Badash" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: currentcolor none medium; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">David Badash</a> / <a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/the-new-civil-rights-movement/" title="Posts by The New Civil Rights Movement" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: currentcolor none medium; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">The New Civil Rights Movement</a>  February 26, 2020</div></div><div class="item-content entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: currentcolor none medium; margin: 18px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">Larry Kudlow, President Donald Trump’s top economic advisor, is falsely claiming the U.S. has “contained” the coronavirus, literally minutes after reports broke that the CDC is warning of a spread of the deadly virus that has killed 2600 people, mostly in China.=<div class="header-list-style" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><h2 class="entry-title grid-title" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/bernie-sanders-knocks-self-described-great-genius-trump-on-his-lies-about-the-coronavirus/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: currentcolor none medium; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; letter-spacing: 0px;">Sanders knocks self-described ‘great genius’ Trump on his lies about the coronavirus</a></h2><div class="grid-post-box-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/walter-einenkel/" title="Posts by Walter Einenkel" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: currentcolor none medium; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Walter Einenkel</a> / <a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/daily-kos/" title="Posts by Daily Kos" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: currentcolor none medium; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Daily Kos</a>  February 26, 2020</div></div><div class="item-content entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 18px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">Sen. Bernie Sanders hit at Donald Trump for completely screwing up efforts to protect Americans from the spread of the coronavirus.</div>==</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>