x Stat of the day: New Navigator Research (D) tracking finds 40 percent of *Trump voters* believe the prez didnÃ¢ÂÂt take coronavirus threat seriously enough Ã¢ÂÂ a 17-pt spike in just over a week.https://t.co/ghJrXV8ruB — Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) April 4, 2020

x "what did Fauci say" applause/interest doesn't mask "but how did we get here?" pic.twitter.com/Ae0kp5UqsU — Greg Dworkin (@DemFromCT) April 4, 2020

Here’s your Democratic primary in a nutshell:

x We can have a million and two postmortems on Bernie SandersÃ¢ÂÂ campaign, but they all come down to the same thing:



Politics in a democracy is fundamentally about building coalitions, but the Sanders approach is instead about having good ideas. — Hans Noel (@ProfHansNoel) April 4, 2020

That’s all I have to say about that.

Best web site Coronavirus tracking of the week

Here are a few resources you can use in addition to CDC and Johns Hopkins and the NYC site:

Infection rate from infection2020.com

Urban area infections from NY Times

COVID-19 Cases by Country from 91-DIVOC (also by US territory/state)

Temperature taking from Kinsa

The IHME model Birx and Fauci use

This site puts the Johns Hopkins data into easily visualized graphic form. Normalizing for population allows comparison between, say, RI or CT and NY or CA.

Go to the provided link for a bigger picture and for international data.

Maybe the curve is starting to flatten in NY? Keep in mind the “peak” will last a week.

Go to the provided link for a bigger picture and for international data.

Adam Serwer/Atlantic (March 20):

Donald Trump’s Cult of Personality Did This The autocratic political culture that has propped up the Trump administration has left the nation entirely unprepared for an economic and public-health calamity. Yet the incentives for the president and the conservative media have not changed. All that has changed is that it is now in the president’s personal and political interest to cushion the terrible impact of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a positive development as far as it goes, in that, for the moment, the national interest and Trump’s interests are one and the same. But Trump’s authoritarian cult of personality persists, and where maintaining the image of the infallible leader conflicts with the needs of Americans affected by the pandemic, the former will take precedence. The president is a relentless scammer at heart, and even during a pandemic he will attempt to get what he wants while providing as little as possible in return, as though he were trying to save cash by stiffing a contractor.

x It wonÃ¢ÂÂt be the end of April: Administration messaging is misleading people about how long movement restrictions will need to remain in place, experts warn. https://t.co/M7HKXMXN2L — Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) April 3, 2020

Best mask resources of the week

WaPo:

Which DIY mask pattern should you use? Even experts can’t pick one to recommend. A growing number of experts — medical doctors and virologists among them — say that a homemade mask, even a bandanna, might provide protection from both transmitting and getting the coronavirus. And there is some evidence to validate this. A 2013 study published in the journal Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness found that well-fitting homemade masks made of cotton T-shirts provide some protection from droplet transmission, the method by which the coronavirus is spread. Another study found that mask use and hand hygiene reduces cases of respiratory illnesses in college dormitory settings.

See also this thread for more, including sewing patterns, materials, origami… but the bottom line is use homemade masks, including bandannas (and thongs), and try to keep them clean. Assume this is Schrodinger’s virus (you have/don’t have it at the same time). Since you have it wear the mask. Since you don’t, use good mask hygiene. Wear the mask so you don’t give it and doff it properly so you don’t get it.

Sent in by Brendan Buck

x Trump: CDC says wear masks. I won't. You can. Be a sucker. Wear a mask. Not me. They get all orange inside. No mask for you. But a recommendation. So try one. Or not. Not for me. For little people. Not presidents. So...what were we talking about again? — David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) April 3, 2020

NYC and Laredo, TX are getting there before CDC is.

x Trump just said the CDC is recommending Americans wear masks, Ã¢ÂÂbut I donÃ¢ÂÂt think IÃ¢ÂÂm gonna be doing it.Ã¢ÂÂ — John Aravosis Ã°ÂÂÂºÃ°ÂÂÂ¸ (@aravosis) April 3, 2020

x @RadioFreeTom this is the context for trump's botched messaging on masks https://t.co/Ec3hSvDE0D — Greg Dworkin (@DemFromCT) April 3, 2020

Foreign Affairs:

The Coronavirus Could Reshape Global Order China Is Maneuvering for International Leadership as the United States Falters It is now clear to all but the most blinkered partisans that Washington has botched its initial response. Missteps by key institutions, from the White House and the Department of Homeland Security to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have undermined confidence in the capacity and competence of U.S. governance. Public statements by President Donald Trump, whether Oval Office addresses or early-morning tweets, have largely served to sow confusion and spread uncertainty. Both public and private sectors have proved ill-prepared to produce and distribute the tools necessary for testing and response. And internationally, the pandemic has amplified Trump’s instincts to go it alone and exposed just how unprepared Washington is to lead a global response.

x If we all survive this someone should give dr. Fauci a Nobel peace prize for having to talk to these idiots. https://t.co/u76dfSfdo5 — Molly Jong-FastÃ°ÂÂÂ¡ (@MollyJongFast) April 3, 2020

Ipsos:

Coronavirus Outbreak Triggering Significant Changes to American Society New ABC News/Ipsos Poll finds major changes in behavior and concern over the last week. This KnowledgePanel survey conducted April 1-2, 2020 finds that 47% of Americans approve of the way Donald Trump is handling the response to the coronavirus, down from 55% two weeks ago and 51% in last week's ABC News/ Washington Post poll.

Virtually all Americans, 89%, report being somewhat or very concerned about being infected by the coronavirus, up from 79% two weeks ago.

Likewise, almost all Americans, 91%, report their regular routine changing because of the outbreak. Among those affected, a majority - 56% - say they don't expect to resume their regular routine until after July 1st.



x Yeah this would just be cheating. There is no other accurate word for it. https://t.co/TRtBxuqMaV — Steve Koczela (@skoczela) April 3, 2020

Pay attention to the following two stories, they’ll be part of the Phase IV relief package.

Bloomberg:

Uproar Among Workers Supplying the World’s Meat Is Spreading Layout of plants makes social distancing ‘a challenge’

Companies mull relief pool of workers to keep factories going

x Not even the death of 7300+ Americans and the destruction of the economy can distract Trump from pursuing his vendetta against those who exposed his high crimes and misdemeanors.



I am speechless if not exactly surprised. https://t.co/5mjVqT21kr — Max Boot (@MaxBoot) April 4, 2020

Roll Call:

Beef costs are up at stores, but futures are down. Senators want to know why Grassley said he'll ask the Justice and Agriculture departments to investigate Grassley followed Montana Sen. Steve Daines, North Dakota Sens. Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven, South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds, all Republicans, and Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in noting potential irregularities in an industry where four companies control 80 percent of meat processing. The companies are Tyson Foods Inc., JBS USA Holdings, Cargill Inc. and National Beef Packing Co.

Same old players. And they’ll come to DC with hands out for the next bill.

x Ã¢ÂÂPeople want to talk about this virus as an equal opportunity pathogen, but itÃ¢ÂÂs really not." https://t.co/EliS1rxiQH — Irin Carmon (@irin) April 3, 2020

Hey, don’t kid yourself. Trump is in big political trouble.

Politico:

‘It's a sh-- sandwich': Republicans rage as Florida becomes a nightmare for Trump Privately, Republicans admit that the $77.9 million system that is now failing Florida workers is doing exactly what Scott designed it to do — lower the state’s reported number of jobless claims after the great recession. “It’s a sh-- sandwich, and it was designed that way by Scott,” said one DeSantis advisor. “It wasn’t about saving money. It was about making it harder for people to get benefits or keep benefits so that the unemployment numbers were low to give the governor something to brag about.” Republican Party of Florida chairman Joe Gruters was more succinct: “$77 million? Someone should go to jail over that.” With hundreds of thousands of Floridians out of work, the state’s overwhelmed system is making it nearly impossible for many people to even get in line for benefits.

Politico:

Trump’s biggest 2020 pitch disintegrates In just weeks, the president’s challenge has morphed from building on his predecessor’s economic record to rebuilding his own.

Pay attention to this, too, from Politico:

Trump campaign declares war on Dems over voting rules for November With coronavirus injecting enormous doubt into voter turnout, it’s a sleeper issue that both parties say could sway the election. President Donald Trump’s political operation is launching a multimillion-dollar legal campaign aimed at blocking Democrats from drastically changing voting rules in response to the coronavirus outbreak. In the past several weeks, the reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee have helped to oversee maneuvering in a handful of battleground states with an eye toward stopping some Democratic efforts to alter voting laws, and to bolster Trump. The mobilization is being closely coordinated with Republicans at the state and local levels.

Watch Wisconsin:

x This means that Wisconsin careens into election day with polling places shuttering across the state and the poll workers and voters who do show up risking their lives to carry on democracy. — Cameron Joseph (@cam_joseph) April 3, 2020