Epidemics

Trump Prospects Plummet as Public blames him for Illness, Independents desert him over Debate Bullying

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Those observers asking whether Trump would get a bounce of sympathy from falling ill with COVID-19, the way Ronald Reagan saw his popularity soar after he was shot and had to be hospitalized, now have their answer. No. An October 2-3 opinion poll conducted by Yahoo and YouGov from Friday-Saturday, […]

Constitution

Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis: What lies ahead could include a constitutional crisis over succession

The Conversation

By Stephanie Newbold | – Since Donald Trump was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for COVID-19 treatment on October 2, there have been conflicting messages about the status of the president’s health. While his doctor, Sean Conley, gave an upbeat account around noon on Sunday, the president’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, […]

Climate Crisis

A Death on 5th Avenue: America’s Maestro of Mayhem

Tom Engelhardt

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Yes, when he was running for president, he did indeed say: “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK? It’s, like, incredible.” Then he won — and this November 3rd (or thereafter), whether he wins or loses, we’re likely to […]

Climate Crisis

The Republican Party is Sick: Top 4 Ways it is Making You and Yours Sick, too

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Republican Party is sick. That isn’t a putdown, it is just the truth. The chair of the Republican National Committee, Ronna McDaniel, is down with Covid-19, which she caught from hanging around with top Republican leaders. The head of the party, Donald Trump, is so ill he is in […]

Donald Trump

How Trump gave $1 bn allocated for Masks for Troops, Families, to Arms Firms Instead

OtherWords

By Phyllis Bennis | – (Foreign Policy in Focus) – As the pandemic continues to claim lives across the country, new information keeps coming out about how the Trump administration has made it harder for Americans to protect themselves. We now know, for example, that early in the pandemic the U.S. Postal Service had planned […]

Donald Trump

Biggest Irony of 21st Century: Was GOP Elite sickened at Barrett fête while Plotting to end Americans’ Health Care?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In the twenty-first century’s biggest irony so far, last Saturday’s ceremony for the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court may have been a coronavirus superspreader event among the Republican Party elite. So suggests Oliver O’Connell at The Independent. It is an irony because that gathering was a […]

Donald Trump

Why Trump’s Age and weakened Immunity puts him at special Risk from his COVID-19 Infection

The Conversation

By Brian Geiss | – President Donald Trump’s announcement that he’s tested positive for COVID-19 is especially concerning because of his age. At 74 years old, Trump is solidly within an age group that’s been hit hard during the coronavirus pandemic. People of all ages can get sick from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. […]

Donald Trump

Trump, who mocked Joe Biden for wearing a Mask, gets Covid-19

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Donald Trump and first lady Melania have tested positive for the coronavirus and have gone into quarantine, the president said by Tweet on Thursday evening. Even before the positive test, Trump and his wife had initiated a “quarantine process” after counselor to the president Hope Hicks, 31, fell ill with […]

Donald Trump

Why Trump/DeSantis Herd Immunity (‘Let’s Kill Grandma’) Strategy won’t Work: Only about 9% of Americans have Covid-19 Antibodies

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Taking his cue from Trump, Florida governor and grandma-killer Ron DeSantis announced on Friday the complete reopening of Florida, unleashing crowds in restaurants and bars. He won’t allow city governments like Miami’s to fine residents who won’t wear masks or establishments that do not honor social distancing. He says he […]