I was watching CNN last night about Melania's former aide who is promoting her book on Melania. She had taped some of their conversations and it was not flattering to Melania. So I was thinking that the tax thing on Trump came out last week and now this. All seem to be timed for maximum effect before the election. Still, neither may make any difference. I was about to get back to watching baseball playoffs.
Then Bloomberg reported that Hope Hicks, one of Trump's closest aide tested positive for COVID. The timeline seem to make no sense. As reported, Hicks felt sick on Wednesday night and tested positive on Thursday morning. She was shown going on Marine One and subsequently Air Force One with Trump and others on Wednesday morning. None were wearing masks. So I am thinking everybody on that staff, including Trump, had to know Hicks was sick and should have received tests at latest Thursday morning. Even if all others were negative, they should have been quarantined. Yet Trump left for New Jersey Thursday morning for a fund raiser. There was also no announcement about Hicks' positive test or the results of the tests of anyone else.
Later Trump went on Fox and admitted that Hicks was sick and he got tested and was waiting for the result. Eventually at 10 pm my time or 1 am on the east coast, Trump tweeted that he and Melania were positive. It should not have taken the whole day for the results to come back. He should not have gone to New Jersey even if his test initially was negative. There was no transparency for the whole thing until Bloomberg broke the news. The WH spokeswoman must have know about Hicks in her morning press briefing and yet she never talked about it, even though some of the journalists were traveling with Hicks the day before.
So now what? Who knows! Trump joins Boris Johnson and Brazilian president Bolsonaro as COVID patients. All three were skeptical of the effect of the virus in public. Johnson had a change of heart after spending time in the ICU. Will Trump do the same? Will he get sympathy vote from the public even if he is responsible for much of the spread of the virus itself due to his "leadership". The second debate is probably off. What would his ardent followers think? More important, what do the independents think?
Biden, being on stage with Trump on Tuesday, will have to be tested everyday until at least Monday to be sure he didn't catch it from Trump. God forbid, if Biden got it what kind of chaos will follow? Trump won't be able to travel to campaign. Biden may have to play the good competitor and don't campaign in public as well. But it won't affect Biden as much as he has been careful and has not campaigned in large rallies.
Well, that is all for now. But this story will dominate for the next two weeks at least. Will the WH be more transparent? Will Trump and the WH follow guidelines now? Don't hold your breath? Trump won't be able to change the subject as he has been trying. But at least the tax thing and Melania story will be put on the back burner for now.
Well, what's next is that Trump will head to Walter Reed for a few days. This is kind of interesting. He seemed OK and he even wore a mask. So we're all assuming that he really has Covid. There were rumors that this was a stunt, but it seems they are taking things seriously.
ReplyDeleteIt shows that these rapid tests are not reliable since he took a rapid test earlier that came out negative. But then he was given the more reliable test which showed a positive result. Nobody knows how he got it. Could it be from Hicks or did he get it during the SCOTUS nominee event or did he get it at a rally?
It will be interesting to see how many people at the rally he went to on Thursday get it.
-LBOAYM
I have been trying to find out the sequence of testing and can't find it in the reports. I am sure he tested negative Thursday a.m. But did he take another rapid test later that day or did he went straight to the PCR test? I had a feeling while I was watching the news when he talked to Hannity and said he was being tested, it means that he was confirming a positive or negative rapid test. Generally if you get a positive rapid test, you will get a PCR test to confirm. A rapid test will be positive eventually if you are infected but it will take a longer time. So if it was negative all day yesterday, then he probably got infected less than 4 days ago for sure.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, given that Hicks was positive, everybody who had close contact with her should be quarantined. That means Trump should not have gone to New Jersey, even if he was negative that morning. Even though nobody else, except for one unnamed staffer and some journalists, nobody is positive right now, nobody is out of the woods. Biden is negative and since he had been careful, he is probably ok but I would feel better if he is still negative by Monday which is 6 days after the debate.
So first they report mild symptoms, then fever (which usually not the first symptoms), then they gave him monoclonal antibody treatment which is still experimental and should be given for emergency use only, then they took him to Walter Reed. So this is all suspicious, although he did look ok walking to the helicopter. So we shall see. Remember Boris Johnson didn't go to the hospital after diagnosed until almost a week later. So things can change rapidly.
It look like the WH people are taking things more seriously and are wearing masks now. Trump also wore a mask. Maybe this will be a wake up call for the nation and change minds of enough people to slow down this virus until we get the vaccine.
During the debate prep, nobody wore mask, according to Christie. It is unlikely that Trump was infected at that time but I am thinking Christie got to be scared, given he would be extremely high risk.
The president of Notre Dame attended the SCOTUS event and is positive, although he claimed that he got it from somewhere else. But he was seen without a mask and shaking hands at the event. Not a good model for the students of his university where they are trying to keep the football season going with positive cases!
The timeline is screwed up. Someone is lying or not giving the public the correct information, which is believable with this administration. The question is if he's actually OK and they're just putting him at Walter Reed as a precaution or he's had some problems which made them use the experimental cocktail and they think that things could get worse for him, so they want to make sure he's at the hospital so that he can get that immediate attention.
ReplyDeleteInteresting thing I saw was that Bolsonaro and Johnson got bumps in their approval rating after they beat Covid, so we will see if this happens with Trump.
That Mike Lee is probably one of the biggest idiots I've seen. He's in all these pictures hugging people and not wearing a mask at the SCOTUS nomination. I also can't trust someone like the nominee who did not wear a mask and met all these people at the White House. There's a picture that some of the networks haven't shown where there are quite a few people inside the White House with the nominee and they all have no masks.
If I read correctly, 3 senators who are on the SCOTUS committee have the virus now? Do they need to be present to hold the hearings?
Biden's campaign said they were going to stop negative ads. Once again, the Democrats are playing on a different playing field. Do you think the shoe was on the other foot that the Trump campaign would do that? I'm hoping that Biden starts new ads and using Trump's lies about masks and the virus.
-LBOAYM
Christie is positive and is hospitalized for "abundance of caution", the same thing said about Trump going to Walter Reed. Christie is obese and would be a great risk. But he, like others who had close contact with Trump recently only learned about the problems at the WH by the media. So much for loyalty.
ReplyDeleteToday brings more mystery. We still don't know the timeline of testing. The briefing by his doctors are down right non transparent. At least we know he is on monoclonal antibodies, Remdesivir, and Dexamethasone. Nobody who is not very sick should be on these medications. My daughter's hospital had to ration Remdesivir sometimes. They don't have any monoclonal antibodies since that is supposed to be only for people on clinical trials. And only very sick people whose immune system is going out of control should be on Dexamethasone. So it is curious that he is on all three. Yet one of his doctor suggest that he maybe discharged tomorrow. They also would not say what his CT scans show. So I am not sure what they are hiding. Certainly he is not as well as his doctors claim. A clue would be if he is started on an anti-coagulant, that would be bad sign nobody what they say.
He certainly should not be out riding in a car for a photo op. He put the two secret service agents in danger. He is highly infectious and they are in a hermetically sealed car which means the air is just circulating inside without fresh air coming in. Those two agents are inches away from him. What a egomaniac!
Trump claimed that he is learning about the virus after contracting it. He should have known about it way before! Obviously he has not learned about it enough since he took that ride today. Any idea that this is a wake up call and that he will change his way after he recovers is a pipe dream.
Only two out of the three senators who are infected are on the judiciary committee. But if this goes to the whole senate for a vote, they would have to show up in person. Since two senators have defected from the GOP, two out of the three would have to show up to vote for the GOP to win.
All talking heads, including Democrats, always start their talk by wishing Trump and his family have a speedy recovery. This reminds me of when people start their talks by saying "with all due respect". When they say that, you know there is no respect given. So even though the Democrats are not going negative for awhile, I think they can find more polite ways to needle Trump. Most people will be able to read between the lines. And those that can't, they are probably Trump supporters anyway.
I see that some GOP politicians are blaming China for Trump getting ill. If he does not recover, I can see more attacks on Asian Americans. If he recovers, he will attack China even more than before which also means Asian Americans will be in more danger.
That is for today. Will see what will be clear as mud tomorrow!
Our paramount leader Kim Jung Un, I mean Donald Trump, has returned to the WH. He immediately takes off his mask and posed for pictures. He also stood there saluting, to nobody in particular, communist dictator style. Meanwhile, nobody can tell him to do the right thing, not his doctors or his advisors, also a trademark of a dictator. So it will be no surprise that when November comes, he is going to declare victory no matter what the real result is, also dictator style. We are closer to North Korea today than his supporters realize.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I am thinking that Trump maybe the super spreader last Saturday at the SCOTUS nomination ceremony. The WH still refuses to tell us when was Trump's last negative test even though he was supposed to be tested everyday. Everybody who went to the event and also was at the debate was supposed to be negative. But who is the one person who may not have been negative and nobody would have challenged him before he got in those tow events? Also if he and his doctor knows that he was positive more than a week ago, it would mean that he would have peaked at his illness most likely and that since he is doing better, he may be able to go back to the WH. If he was positive only since Thursday night, then his illness has not peaked yet and the fact that he is still on medication, it would be foolish for him to leave the hospital. Given that Trump is a big chicken, he would have to know something we don't to feel secure enough to go back to WH.
The press secretary and two others are positive. There is source saying that Trump was instructing others to not reveal their positivity. If that is true then there maybe many others who are infected that we don't know about. Again another sign that we are moving toward a dictatorship.
Mostly watched the baseball playoffs tonight and did not pay much attention to the vp debate since I did not think anything interesting would come about. Turns out to be a good choice as there was nothing interesting. I think Harris played it safe and avoided any turnovers. Pence did better than Trump which was a relief to the GOP. But I don't think this debate changes anything and the election is still going to be mostly a referendum on Trump.
ReplyDeleteI haven't checked you blog because I figured you would start a new post. So I didn't realize that you had added to this one. Trump obviously did not learn anything about Covid since he went on a joyride and then went back to the White House and has no quarantined. He has been in the Oval Office as well, so he's just doing whatever he wants with no one to check him.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of Elvis with his drug problem. People enabled him and didn't dare stand up to him. Eventually, we know what happened to him.
A plot to kidnap and kill the governor of Michigan was spoiled by the FBI and was announced today. So apparently some of the men involved in the plot were militia extremists. I wonder what Trump will say about this. Probably call them fine patriots and the FBI something bad.
The debate was OK. I ended up watching it to see how Harris would do. She did play it safe, though there were some points she could have jumped on but for whatever reason didn't. The fly on Pence's head was the most popular thing about the debate. The other thing I saw was that Pence had a red eye. I'm surprised more isn't being asked about it. I'm also wondering if they would hide that he was positive for Covid.
I'm still not convinced Trump tested positive but with all these others saying they tested positive, I guess it's true...unless everyone is in on the lie (which would be a horrible strategy).
I haven't watched much of the baseball playoffs but plan to if the Dodgers make it to the World Series. I didn't even know Kershaw was OK until I saw him pitch last week. It looks like the Lakers will win the NBA Finals. They've been almost unbeatable and have gotten good production from their role guys in addition to the LBJ and AD.
I was hoping that Miami would be a team of destiny after they went on an unbelievable run in the East.
-LBOAYM
When I heard about the plot against the Michigan governor, I was shocked but not surprised. It is hard to imagine this happening in America, yet it is inevitable when people can walk into the state capitol with machine guns. Now, how are they going to decide if the men carrying automatic weapons are not there to storm the capitol and kill the governor? I doubt that if several black men carrying these weapons into the capitol, or even just the streets of Lansing, they would not be met with force by the police.
ReplyDeletePelosi said that Trump is unhinged and they should consider removing him from office. That will not work and will just get people thinking that the Democrats are just Trump haters. Since the election is only weeks away, it would be better to defeat him at the polls. But I think that she is just trying to get under his skin and try to take his focus away. But that is not really necessary as he is going off the tangent on his own anyway. Some say it is the steroids acting on him, but how can you tell? He is irrational and in a rage most of the time anyway.
Kershaw has been good in this short season. He was not at his best yesterday but the Dodgers still won. They have the best team but in short series the best don't always win. They have issues in pitching as Buehler is struggling with blister, and the other 3 starters are all young. Jensen has not been good the last two seasons so the closing situation is still dicey. So we will see. The Lakers are a shoo-in. LBJ and Davis are just too much for the Heat or anyone else.
I'm not a big fan of Nancy Pelosi but she really knows how to play the game and knows how to push Trump's buttons. He does seem more off than normal and it could either be the drugs or if he does have the virus, just the stress from being sick. I'm sure he's also stressed knowing that his campaign is slipping in the polls. So, he sounds and acts desperate.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many people in the shadows of society are fans of these militias. I knew they existed but it seems like more of these types of people have come out of the woodwork the last 4 years. So people who were closeted neo Nazis and racists now think it's OK to show it and act on it.
Are the NLCS and World Series a best of 7? Do you think the Astros will make it to the World Series?
I can't wait to see a Lakers/Warriors showdown next year. How many years does LeBron have? He seems to be pretty good still.
-LBOAYM
You are right about the racists are more likely to make their presence known in the past 4 years. My wife said that she has heard racists remarks at our local farmers market this past year which she had not heard in all other years.
ReplyDeleteYes, the league finals and the World Series are best of 7. The league finals are played over 7 straight days without time off, so would need 5 starters or it will tax the bullpen badly. It is hard to predict. The Astros were terrible during the regular season but now are playing well. They don't have starting depth since they don't have Verlander and Cole anymore. But they will still be tough. The Dodgers have depth if their young pitchers pitch like they did during the season. They got rid of Ryu, Maeda and Hill because they believe in their youngsters. But they don't have David Price to stabilize the rotation especially since Buehler has blisters. So will see. I would like to see them beat the Astros but they have to get there first. Also, it is hard to root for the Astros to beat Tampa Bay.
You think the Warriors will make a comeback? Curry and Thompson have not been healthy and Green is on the downside of his career. They don't have Durant anymore, so I don't think they are going to be a elite team in the tough Western Conference. I think James will still be number one on the Lakers next season and then it will be AD's team after that. I think James can be a good player for another 5 years.
I think that the Warriors will be back. Curry and Thompson should be healed up and since they didn't make the playoffs, it will help Curry. I don't think Green is on the downside yet, but we will see how he is with the two guys back. I think they drafted decently well in the past plus they'll try to grab another big time free agent. I am interested to see who they end up drafting.
ReplyDeleteI was under the impression (and I could be wrong) that AD wasn't going to end his career in LA and that this was a temporary move. I don't recall him signing an extension but like I said, I could be wrong.
-LBOAYM
Well, as expected the Lakers win their 17th title. Can they repeat next year? I think any time you pair LBJ with another great player, you have a great chance. AD is signed through next season. If they win again, I think he would stay. He will be the top dog after next season if he stays. If they fall drastically next season, LBJ may leave to play for another contender (his contract is not up, but he may demand a trade and the Lakers may want to get value for him while they can). But if LBJ leaves, and another great player does not come to replace him, then I think AD would also leave.
ReplyDeleteThe Western conference will be the group of death even more so next season. Five or six teams have dynamic duos. The Clippers will be back with Leonard and George, the Mavericks have Doncic who will be even better and Porzingas. Denver has Murray and the Joker, Portland has Lillard and McCullum, Houston has Hardin and Westbrook. Utah is not bad and even Phoenix played great in the bubble and almost made the playoffs. So who knows who will make it out of the Wild Wild West!