He intends to use wartime legislation known as the Defense Production Act (DPA) to compel US businesses to make personal protective equipment (PPE), medical supplies, ventilators and whatever else the US needs to tackle the pandemic. The DPA gives the president broad powers to force a business to come to the aid of the country.
Is there any current shortage of any of those things? Sure, there might have been in April, but now?
There was a complaint a few weeks back that Trump had produced too many ventilators and they were sitting around in their boxes. This was an Orange Man Bad story.
Dunno. Chinese Flu is, at this point, more of a moral panic than a real threat. Expect it to just fizzle out from public discourse once it’s no longer a useful talking point to terrify boomers.
Imagine thinking President Deepfake “plans” to do anything except shit in his bathtub while laughing tho.
Interesting how the Guardian doesn’t mention the obvious policy change: if the uniparty gets back into the White House (very likely but not yet certain) the US will be back to murdering hordes of brown people in shithole countries for Freedom and Democracy within maybe a year.
I thought that this had been done already as some sort of aberration in the Orange Devil’s Reign of Terror?
“He intends” is a wild exaggeration about the booby. This is a chap who can’t distinguish one of his granddaughters from his dead son.
Big Tech put him there, why would he go after them? Why would you attack your closest and most valuable allies? I can see a case for pressuring them to be even more loony and aggressive against your enemies, but I can’t see one for reigning them in.
“The only reliable, hard endpoint to evaluate the pandemic is deaths due to the disease.” Pish.
Even ordinary seasonal flu deaths aren’t “hard”, being estimated with the aid of a mathematical model.
My suspicion is that the best data you’ll get is either ‘excess deaths’ or ‘died of a respiratory illness’.
The former is “hard” but needs interpretation (which might involve some guesswork); the latter is more immediately relevant but doesn’t reveal whether the death has been correctly classified. Among fat, already ill, geezers correct classification is perhaps a will-o’-the-wisp.
@ Rob:
” Big Tech put him there, why would he go after them? Why would you attack your closest and most valuable allies?”
It’s not unheard of for politicians to bite the hand that feeds them. Jack Kennedy was elected with the assistance of the Mob and yet he allowed his brother Bobby to aggressively go after them as Attorney General.
He could force all of Trumps hotels to become Covid hospitals
Big Tech put him there, why would he go after them?
Because he is senile and doesn’t know what he’s doing (apart from hair-sniffing)?
Also on the “put him there” theme, Biden is a one-term president. He’s less beholden in that sense.
Generals always plan to fight the last war?
Instead of refusing my comments ( posting “too quickly”) your website has now pirated my comment from another website. Coo!
@ MBE
More like a quarter term president (at most)
The CDC on Monday published revised estimates for the infection fatality rate from Covid. Turns out it’s only a little more dangerous than flu. Florida has opened up, and doubtless others will follow. The votes are in, no more need for panic.
Remind me what happened to JFK when he bit the hand that fed him?
The only thing the Dems have agreed on is that they don’t like Trump. In office they will have to commit to something, and therefore split.
Also Biden, or the cabal behind him, are beholden to more than just the tech companies. It wasn’t tech companies counting ballots. Difficult to see how they all get what they wanted.
@ dearieme accidental comment.
All cause fatality has been normal since June.
Upper respiratory tract infections ditto.
The pandemic ended in June.
OTOH,
I’m sure there are many corporations who would welcome a large order from the government.
I suppose we’re going to find out in the next few weeks what the other primary candidates were offered. To stand-down in deference to Biden.
‘Jack Kennedy was elected with the assistance of the Mob and yet he allowed his brother Bobby to aggressively go after them as Attorney General.’
Kennedy also failed to bring down Castro, so the mob could reopen Havana casinos.
All of which didn’t go unnoticed by Santo Trafficante.
‘Like Donald Trump, Biden can use executive orders – basically presidential decrees – to circumnavigate political roadblocks.’
‘Political roadblocks’ = Constitution
Executive orders don’t create law, they direct how law is to be implemented.
“Executive orders don’t create law, they direct how law is to be implemented.”
Except when the people they are aimed at are of the same ideological bent, in which case they become more statements like ‘Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?’…….ways in which the faithful can ingratiate themselves with those in power. Trump decrees ‘State apparatus, Jump!’ and gets the reply ‘Meh. Make me.’ Biden will do the same and get the response ‘How high? And would you like some back flips as well?’
Face it, the US (like the UK) is a post rule of law society now.
“post rule of law society now”
Can’t argue that. Some Dems are pushing jailing their political opposition. This is banana republic shit.