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CR: COVID-19 --Political Talk


Mrs Whiggins

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The DT thread is pushing a video from “The Epoch Times” that pushes the theory that the coronavirus came from a Chinese lab.

 

“The Epoch Times” is total garbage.

 

 

Overall, we rate The Epoch Times borderline Questionable and Right Biased based on editorial positions that consistently favor the right. We also rate them factually Mixed due to the publication of pseudoscience and the promotion of pro-Trump propaganda and conspiracy theories as well as failed fact checks.

 

On December 20, 2019 it was reported that Facebook took down more than 600 accounts connected to the Epoch Times. According to an NBC News report “The network was called ‘The BL’ and was run by Vietnamese users posing as Americans, using fake photos generated by algorithms to simulate real identities. The Epoch Media group, which pushes a variety of pro-Trump conspiracy theories, spent $9.5 million on ads to spread content through the now-suspended pages and groups.”

 

 

In review, The Epoch Times covers straight news reporting through the use of journalists and syndication through the Associated Press and Reuters. Typically, these stories are well sourced and reasonably low biased. However, when reporting on China they do reflect a strong anti-communism bias. The Epoch Times also uses loaded language that usually favors the right such as this: Why Media Organizations Can’t Let Go of the Fake Russia-Collusion Narrative.

 

Editorially, there is a very strong Pro-Trump bias, with almost all articles praising Trump and denigrating the left such as these Democratic Party: A Broken Kaleidoscope? and Five Reasons Trump’s Celebration of America Was Epic Display of Patriotism. According to an NBC News report the “outlet has spent more than $1.5 million on about 11,000 pro-Trump advertisements in the last six months, according to data from Facebook’s advertising archive — more than any organization outside of the Trump campaign itself, and more than most Democratic presidential candidates have spent on their own campaigns.” In general, straight news reporting is sourced and mostly low biased, however op-eds 100% favor the right with some promoting conspiracy theories.

 

A factual search shows that they have failed several fact checks.

 

-Jack Andraka, 15, came up with a “100 percent accurate” cancer-detection method that was “168 times faster, 26,000 times less expensive, and 400 times more sensitive” than current methods.

– False

 

-Dubious Posts Tie Political Families to Ukraine Work – False

No, Yellowstone volcano’s eruption threat level did not increase in 2018 – False (Corrected)

 

-Concerned artificial intelligence researchers hurriedly abandoned an experimental chatbot program after they realized that the bots were inventing their own language. – False

 

-Did China’s Communist government create the novel coronavirus in a laboratory and release it into the world as a deadly bioweapon?

– False (added 4/16/20)

 

Further, the Epoch Times has a section called Beyond Science that publishes pseudoscience news, such as Supernormal Abilities Developed Through Meditation: Dr. Dean Radin Discusses. Finally, the above referenced NBC News report states “In addition to claims that alien abductions are real and the drug epidemic was engineered by the “deep state,” the channel pushes the QAnon conspiracy theory, which falsely posits that the same “Spygate” cabal is a front for a global pedophile ring being taken down by Trump.”

 

Overall, we rate The Epoch Times borderline Questionable and Right Biased based on editorial positions that consistently favor the right. We also rate them factually Mixed due to the publication of pseudoscience and the promotion of pro-Trump propaganda and conspiracy theories as well as failed fact checks. (M. Huitsing 8/21/2017) (Updated 4/16/2020)

 

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-epoch-times/%3Famp

 

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/epoch-times-begins-hiding-its-connection-huge-pro-trump-ad-n1045416

 

But I’m sure if I posted this over there I’d get yelled at for being pOLitiCaL!!!!

 

 

Yeah. I didn't come out and say it, because safe space, but as soon as I saw the source of that video I was skeptical. Add that to the lab thing being a FOX News exclusive and I'm gonna need confirmation from other, actually legitimate sources.

 

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3 hours ago, GRHorn said:

From what I’m hearing here, Abbott today is expected to announce he’s letting the flat ban on elective procedures expire on April 21st. There will likely be some kind of phasing back in of what procedures can and will be done. Hospitals happy with that. One hospital I frequent has some service lines running at 20% of capacity. Essentially over prepared for Covid and it has under delivered here. As I stated earlier they’ve actually had to furlough some nurses because of the changes. 

Well since Texas has probably not peaked yet you may be jumping the gun.

Plus we have not tested anywhere near enough people.

Oh and I like how Abbott waits to see what Trump says and then just jumps on his idiotic band wagon and does the same thing.

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3 minutes ago, Steamboat1874 said:

Well since Texas has probably not peaked yet you may be jumping the gun.

Plus we have not tested anywhere near enough people.

Oh and I like how Abbott waits to see what Trump says and then just jumps on his idiotic band wagon and does the same thing.

My intel may be wrong, but let's see.  The peak is way less than what models initially said. PPE stores are looking ok.

Outside of plastics, there's few totally elective surgeries anyway. Tell your uncle with debilitating arthritis that his knee replacement is elective. Or the people with cholecystitis that are getting antibiotics and going home, but still have gallstones. It won't be open season. There will be stratifying or surgical priority, but it's probably time to start back up.

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1 hour ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Anybody else get left in the breadline as the PPP funds dried up? 1.3MM businesses funded with another 20MM completely fucked.

I played it slow and did not submit my application yet so yeah.  ButI am going to do it today.  I am sure there will be another round, and fortunately I have plenty of reserves to keep the place going for a quite a while.  Which is why I was in no rush.  

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2 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

1 -- so, we have a model to follow.

2 -- we won't follow it.

3 -- because we are the stupidest stupids in the history of stupid, led by the Lord God on High of stupid.

Perhaps...but we have something they don't...a secret weapon.  

200403-think-jared-kushner-se-436p_12b1f

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5 minutes ago, Captainant said:

Fuck em. Their overt scapegoating of the trump admin's failed response on china and WHO is political at the most fundamental level.

Well, it's exactly what fucking loser psychopaths do.

Are there third parties who we have little to no influence over?  Let's make the entire discussion about blaming THEM!  Is there our own government, that we could hold accountable RIGHT NOW, and that could make a real and ongoing difference?  WHO CARES!  LET"S MAKE SURE WE TALK ABOUT CHINA INSTEAD!!!

Fucking.  Morons.

The fire is fucking raging, right now.  In real-time, I don't give a flying fuck who the arsonist is who started it.  I care about how we're going to fight the fire to keep it from destroying our country and taking tens of thousands of lives -- let's talk about firefighting, because that's actually what needs to be happening right now.  These fucks want to draw all attention away from chief of the fire department and make sure we talk about who the arsonist might be.  Fucking.  Morons.  Who will help wreck our economy and get people killed.

We have models to follow.  We should follow them.  And we won't.  Because fucking.  Morons.

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I'm sure some of that is just the overwhelming volume of apps from larger states.

Leaving MI, PA, NC, FL, AZ, and even to some extent, TX out to dry is a really stupid way to do political patronage.

Logically that tells me it's probably not, then again, who are we dealing with?
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11 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Well, it's exactly what fucking loser psychopaths do.

Are there third parties who we have little to no influence over?  Let's make the entire discussion about blaming THEM!  Is there our own government, that we could hold accountable RIGHT NOW, and that could make a real and ongoing difference?  WHO CARES!  LET"S MAKE SURE WE TALK ABOUT CHINA INSTEAD!!!

Fucking.  Morons.

The fire is fucking raging, right now.  In real-time, I don't give a flying fuck who the arsonist is who started it.  I care about how we're going to fight the fire to keep it from destroying our country and taking tens of thousands of lives -- let's talk about firefighting, because that's actually what needs to be happening right now.  These fucks want to draw all attention away from chief of the fire department and make sure we talk about who the arsonist might be.  Fucking.  Morons.  Who will help wreck our economy and get people killed.

We have models to follow.  We should follow them.  And we won't.  Because fucking.  Morons.

You talk purty. 

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1 hour ago, Steamboat1874 said:

Well since Texas has probably not peaked yet you may be jumping the gun.

Plus we have not tested anywhere near enough people.

Oh and I like how Abbott waits to see what Trump says and then just jumps rolls on his idiotic band wagon and does the same thing.

Fify

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1 hour ago, Mo Horn said:

 

I can tell you anecdotally that community banks were processing things much faster than the big banks with a few exceptions.  JPMC, Capital One, PacWest took sometimes more than a week to get on line.  I'm not sure Comerica ever did.  Wells Fargo had to get an exception to back most loans.  If you were using those banks, they were also much more thorough in reviewing applications to make sure they were correct as they want to ensure SBA is going to backstop them.  Silicon Valley Bank and Bridge Bank both had additional requirements that made it hard for any company with investors to apply.  There is probably intent there in that a company with investors should theoretically (although not practically) go back to the investors first before applying for PPP.

TLDR - Big cities where people more often use big banks found their banks to be slower/more of a pain.  Community banks were processing faster with less hurdles.  May explain some of the numbers above.

Edited to add: And most banks weren't allowing new customers to open an account and apply.  Those that were were, again, typically community banks.

Edited by A-Tex Devil
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6 hours ago, DixonHur said:

I know nothing about the factual basis of the reporting, but I have a hard time believing the US intelligence agencies would war Israel, but not include it in one of Trump's daily intel briefings.  

That said, it's entirely possible Trump never heard it because he was focused on Fox & Friends during the briefing.

Pretty much my point.  Intelligence did their job, Trump didn't.  

1 hour ago, gmr548 said:


 

 


Probably not - I don't think there's been a reason to use those three words together.

 

Except to define non-existent.

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Texas potentially to run out of unemployment funds within a few weeks: https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/16/texas-unemployment-running-out-money/

Quote

 a report by the Tax Foundation released last week. ...

the state will only be able to pay out about three weeks of additional benefits.

Quote

Cisco Gamez, Texas Workforce Commission spokesman, said the agency estimates it won’t run out of money until May or early June, depending on the “level and timing” of unemployment benefit payments.

This will create a scenario where state taxes will increase, or the fed govt is going to have to bail out the states running low on unemployment funds including CA and NY. Personally I believe the fed govt should tell the states to pound sand as they decided to allow their unemployment funds to run too low especially given that the economy has been running so high for so long. States need to raise taxes or find the money elsewhere.

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6 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Texas potentially to run out of unemployment funds within a few weeks: https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/16/texas-unemployment-running-out-money/

This will create a scenario where state taxes will increase, or the fed govt is going to have to bail out the states running low on unemployment funds including CA and NY. Personally I believe the fed govt should tell the states to pound sand as they decided to allow their unemployment funds to run too low especially given that the economy has been running so high for so long. States need to raise taxes or find the money elsewhere.

Ain’t nobody raising taxes. Everybody is getting bailed out. Fed Governor (Kashkari) literally said they have unlimited ability to print money.  But you know this from the crypto world. 
 

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

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6 minutes ago, GRHorn said:

Ain’t nobody raising taxes. Everybody is getting bailed out. Fed Governor (Kashkari) literally said they have unlimited ability to print money.  But you know this from the crypto world. 
 

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

True. Of course you can't just bail out the state unemployment funds that are running low. All 50 states and whatever territories will also have their hands out even if they have adequate funding.

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1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

Well, it's exactly what fucking loser psychopaths do.

Are there third parties who we have little to no influence over?  Let's make the entire discussion about blaming THEM!  Is there our own government, that we could hold accountable RIGHT NOW, and that could make a real and ongoing difference?  WHO CARES!  LET"S MAKE SURE WE TALK ABOUT CHINA INSTEAD!!!

Fucking.  Morons.

The fire is fucking raging, right now.  In real-time, I don't give a flying fuck who the arsonist is who started it.  I care about how we're going to fight the fire to keep it from destroying our country and taking tens of thousands of lives -- let's talk about firefighting, because that's actually what needs to be happening right now.  These fucks want to draw all attention away from chief of the fire department and make sure we talk about who the arsonist might be.  Fucking.  Morons.  Who will help wreck our economy and get people killed.

We have models to follow.  We should follow them.  And we won't.  Because fucking.  Morons.

The funny thing is that we should have a ton of influence over the WHO, but Trump has chosen to completely neglect our role in international organizations, ceding that control to others (in the WHO’s case, China). China doesn’t effectively control the WHO because they’re nefarious and secretly took it over, they effectively control the WHO because Trump gave them the fucking reins.

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18 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

True. Of course you can't just bail out the state unemployment funds that are running low. All 50 states and whatever territories will also have their hands out even if they have adequate funding.

I have no idea of the mechanics of it all, but the politics of it say if you’re gonna bail out shitty companies like Boeing, the airlines, or cruise lines, you have to bail out local and state govts that need it. They provide essential services to the population. 
 

Also throw in state pension bailouts and we’re gonna get to (tens?) of trillions of dollars. 

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11 minutes ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Yep, shitty companies and governments are using this virus as an excuse to wipe clean all their earlier mistakes.  I'm sure they will learn from past fuck ups and be stalwarts of efficient capital spending going forward.

of course. Leaders are going to open up every problem they have and blame it acts of God. And if they can get the feds to cover the bills, the CEOs will be handsomely rewarded even if the fault is at their feet.

 

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2 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

Didn't Texas have several billion in the "rainy day fund"?  Seems like it's a deluge out there.

Shit they didn’t use that on Harvey.  A literal “rainy day”.  They will not touch that when there are federal dollars available.

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53 minutes ago, wildcat09 said:

The funny thing is that we should have a ton of influence over the WHO, but Trump has chosen to completely neglect our role in international organizations, ceding that control to others (in the WHO’s case, China). China doesn’t effectively control the WHO because they’re nefarious and secretly took it over, they effectively control the WHO because Trump gave them the fucking reins.

I think it was that noted liberal James Baker III that stated in an interview in "The American Ruling Class" that if you don't use power, you lose it. I wish I could find a transcript.

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Have to call bs on this tweet because Cuomo has personally contributed to people easily being misled. And I like Cuomo. Everyday in his press conf, he shows a graph on NY hospitalization growth continuing to fall and even going negative lately. He is factually correct in both the growth and the tweet above but you need to land on one metric and ride with it.  If you bounce back and forth between growth and overall, most people cannot follow along.

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19 minutes ago, Bama Chick said:

Wonder what these states have in common??

80b83fe3a12e94edac59a5ecd4a39c3d.jpg

Ohhhhh, swing states with Democratic governors you say??

Yesterday: I’m leaving the decision to the states. 

Today: ALL CAPS
 

You’re the President. You can fucking do something to help get them back to work. Turn off your fucking cell phone

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9 minutes ago, trauma babe said:

So, I'm here in Austin at a couple of hospitals in different roles, and respectfully, go fuck yourself. "PPE stores looking ok??" Again, come work some shifts with me in our ICUs that _are not close to peaking but are still growing in COVID patient numbers_. Reuse that single-use N95 for the whole shift and multiple patients. Reuse a shitty yellow paper gown that is designed to be ripped safely off the body, but instead we have to gently shimmy out of it so we can put in on again. Reuse a plastic face shield that becomes so streaked with bleach and chg that you can barely see what you're doing. And then remember that this stuff isn't even really enough to actually protect you from exposure.

And no, neither bedside nurses nor advanced practice nurses are being offered any more money for doing this.

Why would he do that when he can just read antidotes confirming his worldview on facebook and twitter? 

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11 minutes ago, trauma babe said:

So, I'm here in Austin at a couple of hospitals in different roles, and respectfully, go fuck yourself. "PPE stores looking ok??" Again, come work some shifts with me in our ICUs that _are not close to peaking but are still growing in COVID patient numbers_. Reuse that single-use N95 for the whole shift and multiple patients. Reuse a shitty yellow paper gown that is designed to be ripped safely off the body, but instead we have to gently shimmy out of it so we can put in on again. Reuse a plastic face shield that becomes so streaked with bleach and chg that you can barely see what you're doing. And then remember that this stuff isn't even really enough to actually protect you from exposure.

And no, neither bedside nurses nor advanced practice nurses are being offered any more money for doing this.

This dude is a troll which is why I have him on ignore and I suggest you try that also.  So PPE stores are OK but all those nurses hospital workers, paramedics and doctors all over the country complaining about it are just lying but he works at a magical hospital where everything is perfect.  Total BS and total Troll.

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