Pants-of-dog wrote:Do they say anything useful?
Only if you think the politics driving the issue of the Federal relief bill is important.
Drlee wrote:There is no need to discuss influenza. It is irrelevant to the discussion at hand. It is just a diversion. It is possible this is the best he can do. Well. Obviously it is.
And again, you duck the question to avoid acknowledging the clear fallacy in your position. Let me know when you are willing to take debating the issue seriously.
And here's the weekly report:
It's interesting, the number of states/nations that rose in the rankings even though their deaths week over week dropped, and vice versa.
And in the news, Trump pulled the trigger:
Trump signs executive orders to defer payroll taxes, extend jobless benefits, halt evictionsPresident Trump signed executive orders on Saturday to provide more aid to people hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, including extending $400 weekly unemployment benefits and granting a payroll tax holiday for workers making less than $100,000, as he accused congressional Democrats of “stonewalling” negotiations.
“Through these four actions, my administration will provide immediate and vital relief to Americans struggling at this difficult time,” the president said at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Mr. Trump also said he’s weighing additional income tax relief and capital gains tax cuts.
The president’s dramatic action, which is likely to encounter legal challenges, suspends payroll taxes until the end of the year, retroactive to Aug.1, for people earning up to $100,000 per year; provides enhanced federal unemployment benefits of $400 per week through December; defers student loan payments and forgives interest; and renews a moratorium on housing evictions.
Mr. Trump’s move came after two weeks of negotiations with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York failed to produce a deal. Democrats were seeking a package of aid totaling about $3.5 trillion; the White House and Senate Republicans were proposing relief totaling about $1.5 trillion.
The president said the Democrats’ bill was backed by presumptive Democratic nominee Joseph R. Biden, and included measures such as banning voter ID and providing stimulus checks for illegal aliens, that are “completely unrelated” to the pandemic....
So now the Democrats still have three choices, but not quite the same choices as before. They can sue to prevent the executive orders from going into effect, which would have absolutely horrible optics. They can come to an agreement with the Republicans in the Senate on a bill that includes the executive orders, so giving the EOs legislative legitimacy (like Congress did for Abraham Lincoln's actions after the Civil War kicked off), which looks better than suing but still makes them look like they're following Trump's lead. Or they can continue to refuse to negotiate in good faith while complaining about the EOs, which leaves them looking about as bad as if they sued. They definitely shot themselves in the foot this time.
Meanwhile, in a victory for science, children, and parents:
County rescinds order blocking private schools from reopening after showdown with Gov. Larry HoganMontgomery County rescinded Friday its order closing for non-public schools for in-person learning, ending the weeklong back-and-forth with Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan that had thrown private and independent schools into limbo.
County health officer Dr. Travis Gayles said his decision to pull the order, which would have blocked private schools from reopening their classrooms until Oct. 1, was based on a policy announced Thursday by the state Department of Health banning blanket closures of non-public schools.
“The Health Officer continues to strongly advise schools against in-person learning due to the risks posed by COVID-19 and has asked that the Department of Health provide articulable criteria to be used in determining acceptable and safe levels of activity in schools,” said the county in a statement.
Mr. Hogan praised the county’s decision, saying he was “[p]leased to see that Montgomery Co. has rescinded the blanket mandate closing private and parochial schools.”
“As long as their plans follow CDC and state guidelines, they should have the same flexibility as public school systems & be empowered to do what’s best for their community,” tweeted Mr. Hogan.
The announcement came with the state’s seven-day positivity rate for the novel coronavirus falling to 4.05%, its lowest level of the global pandemic. The state also reported a record low one-day positivity rate of 3.08%.
Dr. Gayles’ order was met with outrage by some private-school families, who held a socially distanced protest Wednesday at the county building in Rockville. Six families filed a lawsuit to block the public-health order.
And another example of the growing Wuhan Resistance:
South Dakota embraces Sturgis motorcycle rally: 'We've been back to normal for three months'Officials inside and outside South Dakota are expressing concern about the potential spread of the coronavirus during an annual motorcycle rally that opened Friday in the Black Hills and typically attracts hundreds of thousands of bikers.
But officials in Sturgis, the town of 7,000 residents that has hosted the rally for 80 years, are not quite as worried.
“I don’t know if we’re concerned about an outbreak,” said Sturgis spokeswoman Christina Steele. “It’s mostly asymptomatic people that could spread this.”
Officials in neighboring states, however, don’t share that attitude, which some have called cavalier and others have attributed to South Dakota’s libertarian streak.
“We are concerned with any large gathering sustained contact of that nature,” Jan Malcolm, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health, said at a news conference earlier this week. “South Dakota has seen its spikes, as well. It’s not like they’re going into an environment that has no risk.”
The coronavirus has not hit South Dakota as hard as other states. The state has had more than 9,200 infections and 141 deaths, and fewer than 50 people currently are hospitalized.
But positive cases have been climbing over the past two months in neighboring Minnesota, Nebraska and North Dakota. And the South Dakota Department of Health lists Meade and Pennington counties — home to many of the rally events — as having “substantial” community spread of COVID-19.
In Wyoming, which has had 27 COVID-19-related deaths, officials are recommending that riders should think before hopping on bikes and driving cross-country to the 10-day rally, which is expected to attract about 250,000 bikers — half its usual draw.
“We recognize this has the potential to be an especially large gathering,” said Kim Deti, spokeswoman for the Wyoming Department of Health. “And we know the larger the gathering, the greater the risk.”
Despite a town survey showing 60% of residents wanted to cancel this year’s rally, the Sturgis City Council voted this summer to go ahead with the event, where motorcyclists spend millions of dollars amid campgrounds, music venues and other attractions.
Health warnings have been muted from the state’s leadership. Gov. Kristi Noem, a Repulbican, has discouraged mask-wearing in schools and welcomed President Trump to an outdoor rally at Mount Rushmore last month. She invited riders to the state on during an appearance on Fox News Wednesday evening.
“We’ve been back to normal for over three months here in South Dakota,” said Ms. Noem. “We hope people come [to Sturgis].”
The South Dakota Tourism Department estimates last year’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally drew nearly 500,000 people and generates $800 million in revenue. Riders travel from all over the nation, including COVID-19 hotspots like Florida, California, and Texas.
This year’s rally will look notably different.
Tribal nations on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and the Cheyenne Sioux Reservation — where coronavirus rates have outpaced those in most other counties — have set up checkpoints along major highways into western South Dakota that could slow some riders coming into town.
And the City of Sturgis has cancelled its sponsorship of some downtown events and is requiring masks to be provided to all staff on city grounds. Concert venues have set up hand sanitizer stations and arranged for crowds to maintain distance from stages.
Fears that the virus might be brought into the state persist.
“The biggest thing if for you to decide whether or not you’re safe to go to something like this,” said Dr. Benjamin Aaker, president of the South Dakota Medical Association. “Should I go this year or not? Talk to your doctor about whether you can be safe.”
Society cannot exist, unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere; and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without.
—Edmund Burke