Wednesday, March 04, 2020

Newsweek has a super map out of John Hopkins below.

Let me say this about the confused messages from the federal government. Donald John Trump is wrong regardless of his insistence this is not a bad virus so much as a virus that is getting a lot of attention. That is diminishing the real seriousness that this virus DESERVES. If one values money over life and is the president of the USA with plenty of security surrounding him, then the virus is not so bad.

The lives in China are not disposable people. The Chinese government didn't do well in taking this virus seriously and it spread like a wildfire and tens of thousands of Chinese are dead. That is a serious issue and no one should be saying this virus is not that bad as viruses go.

The people that died because of Covid-19 are just as important as any president in this country. They died and the current president should realize that death is a real thing most Americans would like to stave off as long as possible, that includes the elderly. So, for a president to diminish the impact of this virus because to him it doesn't seem so bad and is willing to take causalities lightly to save the precious stock market from tumbling any more is not only the worst president this country has had, but, is seriously ignorant to the value of life and the quality of that life.

To be honest, the only reason the President of the United States of America has any type of security is because HE WAS ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE, HENCE, IT IS THE PEOPLE THAT DEMAND THAT SECURITY. So, Trump needs to understand that he is disposable and hopefully in November he will find out exactly what that means.

The Federal government is the power of the people. It is not the power of A MAN completely irreverent to life and to the USA Constitution. If Trump were to leave tomorrow or contract Covid-19 from a courier from Moscow he lets into the Oval Office without question, there would be plenty other people to replace him. He is not so precious he is irreplaceable. Corporate America seems to have that delusion of their CEO's and in some instances that might be true if they know more than anyone else in the company about their products and how to make money with them. That, by the way, is something Trump was never able to do well with his company; MAKE MONEY. Often those that are not successful in business do seek other venues of power like government, but, it doesn't mean they belong there, it is just that they are good salesmen.

Every life Covid-19 has taken has provided information to the rest of the humans on this planet. Those that died taught all of us valuable lessons about this virus so we could survive the scourge. Every life ended is appreciated for it's contribution to life on Earth before they died and the definition of their death. I am sincerely sorry this virus has killed anyone. We should have had a vaccine ready more than a decade ago and have its manufacture and distribution planned for a time like this.

The Third World is always at risk for disease and to that end we need to place higher value on preparedness to intervene, including research for cures and treatments.

Donald John Trump needs to apologize to the world, especially the Chinese, for completely lacking the value of a single life in his comments.


Statista Map Coronavirus March 4, 2020
March 4, 2020
By Soo Kim

The U.S has confirmed three more deaths (click here) in Washington, bringing the death toll to nine in the country, all of which were reported in the state. Eight of the deaths were in King County, while one of them was in the neighboring Snohomish County.

There are now 27 confirmed cases across the state, 21 of which are in King County, while the remaining six are in Snohomish County, according to the Washington State Department of Health.

The state has placed 231 others under "public health supervision," which includes those at risk of having been exposed to the virus "who are monitoring their health under the supervision of public health officials," as well as those who have returned from China in the past 14 days.

"This is a very fluid, fast-moving situation as we aggressively respond to this outbreak," said Dr. Jeff Duchin, a health officer for Seattle and King County....

March 4, 2020
By Claudia Grisales

Congressional leaders (click here) announced an agreement on a roughly $8 billion deal on emergency spending to respond to growing cases linked to the coronavirus illness domestically and abroad.

A bipartisan group of members and staff for the appropriations panels in both the House and Senate unveiled the legislation on Wednesday after several days of talks. They released details of the plan, which will boost funding for testing of the virus and lower costs for related medical treatments.

Although partisan disagreements on providing affordable access to treatment slowed down negotiations in recent days, members said putting politics aside finally provided the breakthrough they needed to reach a deal....

...The House is expected to vote on the emergency funding bill Wednesday afternoon. Senate leaders have said they hoped to pass the bill by week's end, and send it to Trump's desk....

Good work, everyone. Thank you for your hard work in crafting this bill.

There definitely needs to be research on the way cruise ships carried and spread the virus. These are close quarters for many passengers. There needs to be far better planning in isolating illnesses onboard and evacuating passengers immediately to medicare care. When I travel I carry insurance that will helicopter me out of an area if I need medical attention. There needs to be the same focus on these cruise lines. They are not doing a good job with the safety of their passengers.

The medical offices on these ships have to be staffed appropriately and have plans to move patients that fall ill for any reason to qualified hospitals and frequently that means returning them to their home country. It has to be done in a timely manner.

March 4, 2020
By Morgan Hines

The first California resident (click here) to succumb to coronavirus died Wednesday. The elderly adult with underlying health conditions was "likely exposed" to the virus while traveling internationally on a Princess Cruise ship, according to a news release from Placer County, which is is in the northern part of the state....

The USA has hospital ships in military service. I was surprised this was never discussed as a potential to evacuate at the very least Americans from those cruise ships.
Thank you to Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg, the wealthy guys in the race, for participating and caring about our country and Americans. It is difficult to convince a party that abhors Wealth Inequality to place a wealthy man in the White House.

I think they had great ads for their candidacy and came across as very sincere. I think they carried out a candidacy because they sincerely are worried about the country as we all are. They provided a qualified alternative to Democrats and that was brave of both of them. Running for office is not easy and their peril is unique. I hope they stay involved and the win in November belongs to the Democrats.

Age 17 to 29 percentage of voters was at least 25 percent less in most states on Super Tuesday compared to 2016.

March 4, 2020
By Ledyard King

...In Tennessee, (click here) 11% of those voters showed up Tuesday versus 15% in 2016. Sanders did better among that group Tuesday winning 63% compared to 61% four years ago.

In Virginia, young voters comprised 13% of Tuesday’s vote compared to 16% in 2016. Sanders won 55% of those voters Tuesday compared with 69% four years ago....

Beto O'Rourke had focused on voting rights as well as attracting the young voter. Voter IDs are an issue with this age group because of voting while away in college. It might be that they aren't motivated to jump through hoops for the primary.


Swing voters:'He's a socialist and I'm not': Will moderates warm up to Bernie Sanders as Super Tuesday approaches?
Sanders’ agenda, which includes erasing student loan debt and providing health care for all, is popular with young people. But the exit polls indicated those voters were not the line of defense they were in 2016.

Sanders’ rallies feature throngs of college students and 20-somethings cheering him on. In Virginia, Sanders held three rallies last week that featured thousands of energized supporters at each stop. On Tuesday, Biden clobbered Sanders in Virginia, winning by 30 percentage points.
I also have to wonder how many of that demographic are women. The field started out strong with women delegates and we now have one.

Beto O'Rourke:


In 2018, when he ran for senator, "young voter turnout in early voting was up 500%. We won more votes than any Democrat has in the history of the state of Texas."

I think Elizabeth Warren is still a candidate. She was hit by two entities when her momentum dropped off a cliff. She announced the cost of her plan for Medicare for All and Michael Bloomberg entered the race at the same time. I have to wonder now that Mr. Bloomberg is leaving the field what Elizabeth's polls will look like.

If stating the cost of Medicare for All to the voting public will cause candidate elimination, then Joe Biden has an easy walk to the finish line. I'd like to think there is more to it in that Michael Bloomberg took her voters.


I think Senator Sanders hit a snag for the lack of young voters.

In the chart below which appeared on November 30, 2019. The numbers didn't transfer in the process. The person outspending Michael Bloomberg was Joe Biden. Tom Steyer had spent $12.6 million at that point and was unable to move Democrats to his candidacy. The other three candidates for the Democratic Nomination in spending was Buttigieg, Sanders and Warren in that order. Joe Biden was behind them in spending.

Chart below:
Yellow age 13-14, Orange 25-44, Light Grey 45-64 and Dark Grey 65 and older.

November 30, 2019

Top spending 2020 candidates’ Facebook ad demographic targeting by age (click here)

SnapChat was actually very helpful for younger voters. This was from November 2, 2018.

Snap has partnered with Get to the Polls (click here) to help users find their voting locations, and it will send a snap to all users over 18 on Election Day to remind them to go vote. According to VentureBeat, Snapchat Discover will host live coverage of election night as well.

November 21, 2018
By Rachel Kraus

My partner's arms (click here) are longer than mine, so, on election day this year, I made him take the #IVoted selfie.

Now, I'm not one for selfies, usually. But I decided to share my act of civic participation on social media earlier this month for two reasons. First, because I was genuinely jazzed to vote. It was my first time doing so in person! It was exciting! And second, I'd just learned that posting photos with sticker proof of your buy-in to the democratic system is actually an impactful way to encourage others to vote.

Apparently, I wasn't alone in my enthusiasm.

On Tuesday, Snapchat shared that 1.4 million users visited their Get to the Polls platform, a voting information portal powered by the tech-focused nonprofit organization Democracy Works. Snapchat also registered over 400,000 new voters in the weeks leading up to the election — and over half of those voters were aged 18-24, also known as the coveted but fickle youth vote. Twitter, Instagram, and Facbook ran similar initiatives, though they have yet to release participation numbers....

March 4, 2020
By Liz Goodwin and Jess Bidgood

After a Super Tuesday (click here) of coast-to-coast losses, including a humbling third-place finish in her home state, Senator Elizabeth Warren is mulling her next steps as a presidential candidate in a field that could be running away without her.

The Massachusetts senator is spending Wednesday in Cambridge talking with her close-knit team to assess the path forward, according to one of her aides.

“This decision is in her hands,” Roger Lau, her campaign manager, wrote in an e-mail to her campaign staff, “and it’s important that she has the time and space to consider what comes next.”...