Wednesday, April 08, 2020

Coronavirus News (35)

Chaos rocks Trump White House on virus' most tragic day The chaos and confusion rocking President Donald Trump's administration on the most tragic day yet of the coronavirus pandemic was exceptional even by his own standards......... Trump set out Tuesday to cement his image of a wartime leader facing down an "invisible enemy" at a dark moment as the country waits for the virus to peak and with the economy languishing in suspended animation........... "What we have is a plague, and we're seeing light at the end of the tunnel," the President said, on a day when a record number of Americans succumbed to the wicked respiratory disease. ......... an already impeached President is using the cover of the worst domestic crisis since World War II to further erode constraints on his power. ...... Trump insisted he hadn't seen January memos by a top White House official warning about the pandemic at the same time the President was dismissing it as a threat. ........ He also announced he was placing a "very powerful hold" on funding for the World Health Organization, even though it correctly identified the scale of the virus and he didn't. .......

the sense of farce

Trump's top economic adviser Larry Kudlow admitted that a small business rescue program was off to "a bad start" after recipients struggled to register funds, only for the President to celebrate the program's roaring success -- and to credit his daughter Ivanka with personally creating 15 million jobs. ..... he lashed out at mail-in voting, making claims about fraud that don't square with the facts, even though he recently cast such a ballot himself. ........ A majority of Americans -- 55% -- now say the federal government has done a poor job preventing the spread of the disease in the United States, up eight points in about a week. And 52% say they disapprove of the way Trump is handling the outbreak. As usual, assessments of Trump break on partisan lines. Some 80% of Republicans say the federal government has done a good job, and Trump's approval rating is steady at 44%. ........ the second stage of the national effort -- reopening the economy and keeping a second wave of infections at bay -- will require focused and subtle leadership that can win the confidence of the nation. ....... Trump had already warned he will ignore a provision in the bill requiring the special inspector general to report to Congress on the handling of the funds. ....... a top economic official, Peter Navarro, had written a memo to the President in January warning coronavirus could become a "full blown pandemic" causing trillions of dollars in economic damage and risking the health of millions of Americans. ........ The WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International concern on January 30 after sending a team to Wuhan and to meet Chinese leaders in Beijing...... On the same day, at a rally in Michigan, the President said of the virus, "We think we have it very well under control." ....... But on Tuesday, the President lashed out at the global health body, claiming it had underplayed the threat of the virus and that he had got it right......... Given the President's long timeline of false statements and predictions, that must go down as one of the most audacious comments of his presidency. It was also reflective of

his own tendency to nominate an enemy and accuse it of the very transgression that he is accused of perpetrating

.

'It's a racial justice issue': Black Americans are dying in greater numbers from Covid-19
Coronavirus: Boris Johnson spends night in intensive care after symptoms worsen He was moved as a precaution so he could be close to a ventilator - which takes over the body's breathing process ....... "I hope people who may have wandered out the other day and decided they can sit around having barbecues will really think about this carefully and recognise this is serious...."If the most powerful man in Britain can come down with this, so can you"...... Mr Johnson was initially taken to hospital for tests after announcing 11 days ago that he had coronavirus. His symptoms included a high temperature and a cough. ....... Around two-thirds of patients admitted to intensive care with Covid-19 will need sedation and ventilation within 24 hours of arriving.
4 Behaviors That Help Leaders Manage a Crisis

They must decide with speed over precision, adapt boldly, reliably deliver, and engage for impact.

....... During a crisis, cognitive overload looms; information is incomplete, interests and priorities may clash, and emotions and anxieties run high. Analysis paralysis can easily result, exacerbated by the natural tendency of matrixed organizations to build consensus. ......... Embrace action, and don’t punish mistakes. Missteps will happen, but our research indicates that failing to act is much worse. ......... think internal wikis that capture issues, solutions, innovations, and best practices. Effective leaders extend their antennae across all the ecosystems in which they operate. ........ Keep mind and body in fighting shape. To reliably deliver, leaders must maintain their equanimity even when others are losing their heads. Establish a routine of self-care: a healthy diet, exercise, meditation, or whatever works best for you. Stock up on energy, emotional reserves, and coping mechanisms. ........ One leader we know conducts 30-minute “wind down” sessions with direct reports each Friday afternoon via Zoom. People share their states of mind along with the week’s highlights and low points......... celebrate your daily (often unsung) heroes. Simply staying productive in these times is heroic.

ESSENTIAL WORKERS WOULD GET UP TO $25,000 BOOST UNDER SENATE DEMOCRATS' NEW 'HEROES FUND' STIMULUS
The Supreme Court is tipping the scales toward Trump's reelection
China's Wuhan ends its coronavirus lockdown but elsewhere one begins China’s new coronavirus cases doubled on Tuesday as the number of infected travellers from overseas surged, while new asymptomatic infections more than quadrupled..... To stem infections from outside its borders, China has slashed the number of international flights and denied entry to virtually all foreigners. It also started testing all international arrivals for the virus this month.

Euro zone fails to reach a deal on new coronavirus stimulus after 16 hours of talks
Coronavirus: EU top scientist forced out in political row
Hong Kong extends social distancing restrictions to contain coronavirus
GM to supply 30,000 ventilators to national stockpile for nearly $490M
Oklahoma State coach says 'a lot of' his players can fight off coronavirus

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Tuesday, April 07, 2020

Coronavirus News (34)





U.S. airlines want a $50 billion bailout. They spent $45 billion buying back their stock. it's a point that we should keep in mind every time we see companies line up at the bailout trough. If many of these companies hadn't spent lots of money to buy back their own stock to prop up its price, they wouldn't need anywhere near as much money as they need now........ From 2014 through 2019, United spent $8.57 billion for stock buybacks and paid no cash dividends. Southwest spent $8.53 billion for buybacks and $1.38 billion for dividends, for a total of $9.91 billion. American spent $11.895 billion for buybacks and $1.064 billion for dividends, for a total of $12.959 billion. Delta spent $10.08 billion for buybacks and $3.168 billion for dividends......

companies frequently borrow money to help fund buybacks. That works great to prop up their stock prices - until one day, there's a problem.

.... So yes, let's keep these companies - and other bailout candidates - out of bankruptcy. But let's make them pay taxpayers a handsome return on our loan and give us a big chunk of stock before they're allowed to send another penny to Wall Street.

Kamal Haasan pens open letter to PM Modi criticising implementation of the lockdown The President of the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) said the common populace cannot be blamed for being ill-prepared for a crisis of this magnitude but that the Prime Minister could and would be blamed for this as

the 'strict and immediate' lockdown was 'almost demonitisation style.'

...... "You ordered an entire nation of 1.4 billion people to shut down within 4 hours," he said. "A mere 4 hour notice period for the people when you had a 4 month notice period... My biggest fear is that the same mistake of demonetisation is being repeated albeit at a much bigger scale." ...... on one hand the Prime Minister was asking the more privileged people to put up a spectacle of lights while on the other hand the poor man’s plight was becoming a shameful spectacle...... while these 'psychotherapy techniques' were being adopted to address the "first world anxiety problems of the ‘haves’ who have a balcony to cheer," what would happen to those who don’t have a roof over their heads...... "I would like to see you doing more to secure everybody’s fortress and ensure that nobody goes to bed hungry. COVID-19 will continue to find more victims but we are creating a fertile playground for

Hunger(H), Exhaustion(E) and Deprivation(D) of the poor. HED ’20

is a malady that is smaller in profile but far deadlier compared to COVID-19.It’s impact will be felt long after COVID-19 has vanished"

Coronavirus: Spain to become first country in Europe to roll out universal basic income Government plans to keep payments ‘a permanent instrument’ after pandemic is over ....... Spain is to roll out a universal basic income (UBI) “as soon as possible” to mitigate the impact of coronavirus. ....... that UBI could become something that “stays forever, that becomes a structural instrument, a permanent instrument”. ......

the restrictions would remain in place until 26 April at the earliest

. ...... Iran, which introduced a UBI programme in 2011 in the form of monthly cash transfers into individual family accounts ........ The world’s most prominent trial of UBI took place in Finland, ending in February 2019 after two years. During that period, unemployed Finns were given a monthly flat payment of €560 (£490). The researchers who led the experiment found recipients were happier and healthier, but no more likely to find employment.

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