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Given the disproportionate impact of this disease on the poor and those who live or work in confined spaces, especially people of color in both populations, given the political stakes Republicans are placing on proceeding as if a pandemic doesn't change ordinary politics, as more populations like the one in Marion do tests of the entire population, will present ethical questions that our society is in no way prepared to handle. 

The language of mountains is all over the COVID-19 coverage, from the talk of "reaching the peak" of infections to the euphoria of "hitting the plateau." But here's the thing: we're still on the mountain, and the descent is much more dangerous than the climb.

So, last weekend we did a live music discussion that turned out to be unexpectedly wildly popular. So, this weekend, we will do a related followup as to the concerts we have all been to. This was suggested by our Roving Reporter Rosalind and,…

A general review of what the newly declassified DOJ IG footnotes show.

Thanks to thoughtless morons demanding their freedom to buy lawn fertilizer and visit their hair colorist right the fuck now, freedom for the rest of us is sadly dependent on waiting out the illness and death of the persuadable and stupid.

Trump's decision to hire Michael Caputo as spokesperson at HHS raises questions about what happened to the investigation into Caputo's Project Rasputin that was ongoing as recently as February 3.

The Defense Logistics Agency has awarded a $415 million contract to Battelle to sterilize N95 masks for re-use. It is hard to understand why this contract is so expensive, given the stated deliverables.

WaPo seems either thinks it's really important to tell their readers how the country will reopen or they've been snookered by the White House in perpetuating a myth that that process will be led by the White House. If it's the latter, that strand of reporting (which is separate from a great deal of good WaPo journalism on how Trump fucked up) is just as negligent as Trump's own actions are, because such stories misinform about how this will work. If it's the former, then WaPo would do well to send some journalists to work in Columbus, Annapolis, and Boston full time, or better yet, bring on some laid off reporters who know how those state houses really work.

InfoSec experts have long suggested that the best way to get around the border exception--which permits the US government to search your devices as you enter the country--is to send your devices to a lawyer. One of Lev Parnas' co-defendants, David Correia, is trying just that.

Trump wants to reopen the economy. But it's clear from the limited data and anecdotal reporting from essential workplaces that basic things -- starting with masks -- still aren't in place to limit workplace exposure. And because these men and women haven't had the protective equipment or other workplace protections they need, many have needlessly died.