News of the Day III

[Puckhead]

Conley the spin Doc offered this jewel in his presser, that he didn't tell the whole truth because "we didn't want to adversely affect the direction of the disease". What???? So the truth and whole truth affects his prognosis??

This is the kind of crap you hear from a dictatorship, keeping the populace in a state of false euphoria at the strength of their great leader to fight off a sickness. (Check out QAnon for this Cult 45 deification of Trump)

Not surprising though. Why should I be shocked that Trump could corrupt his own physician.

[pete]

Another doctor weighs in:

Impressions of today's Walter Reed presser:

a) Conley's mea culpa: “I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude of the team. Didn’t want to give any information that would steer the course of his illness.” Trump's fingerprints.

But even so, today was only slightly better. (1/8)

b/ Biggest news is that T had 2 episodes of hypoxia (down to 93-94% O2 saturation), & Conley evaded whether sat was ever <90. "Never in low 80s" is all he offered.

c/ Re: Chest CT: "There were some expected findings but nothing of concern." What the hell does that mean?...(2/8)

...To be clear, the "expected findings" on a chest CT is NORMAL. If it was normal, he should say that. Anything else should have been described.

(The only semi-benign interpretation would be if the prez has a known chronic finding – like a benign nodule – that was seen)...(3/8)

... But it seems far likelier that they found evidence of pneumonia or other manifestations of Covid lung involvement or inflammation, which is serious and raises the level of concern and risk. (4/8)

d/ They pulled trigger & started dexamethasone. So they were clearly concerned. Given documented low O2, dex definitely was indicated.

e/ Said they're starting to plan for possible discharge, as early as tomorrow. Even w/ WH's medical capacity, that seems like an awful call. 5/8

f/ Yes, they could give his last doses of IV remdesivir in WH, but still risky to discharge. In RECOVERY trial (which proved value of dexamethasone), mortality rate in TREATMENT group for pts requiring O2 was 23.3% (vs. 26.2% in usual care). A nearly 1-in-4 risk of death. (6/8)

g/ Finally, most tellingly: when T was hypoxic, they tried to put him on O2. "He was adamant he didn't need oxygen." In my 35 years of practice, I've never seen a pt refuse oxygen. It's crazy, & illustrates who is running the show, which may well be scariest thing I heard. (7/8)

Bottom line: it seems like Trump is stable, but remains at high risk, given transient hypoxemia, some findings on chest imaging. The happy talk and evasions are clearly at Trump's direction, putting the docs in a terrible position. No way he's ready for discharge tomorrow. (8/8)

https://twitter.com/Bob_Wachter/status/1312792223428165633?s=20

[pete]

NEWS: PA Sen Pat Toomey will not run for governor or reelection in 2022. Announcement expected Monday.
He'll serve out his current senate term.
w/ @wbender99

https://twitter.com/JonathanTamari/status/1312794342713634818?s=20

If the Republicans lose their majority, this seems a big blow to McConnell's chances of re-gaining the majority in the 2022 midterms.

[pete]

Conley the spin Doc offered this jewel in his presser, that he didn't tell the whole truth because "we didn't want to adversely affect the direction of the disease". What???? So the truth and whole truth affects his prognosis??

This is the kind of crap you hear from a dictatorship, keeping the populace in a state of false euphoria at the strength of their great leader to fight off a sickness. (Check out QAnon for this Cult 45 deification of Trump)

Not surprising though. Why should I be shocked that Trump could corrupt his own physician.

The speculation is that's a tacit omission that Trump's been freaking out and the doctors didn't want to incite another incident because he's almost assuredly been watching these conferences on TV from his hospital room. Recall, he was apparently asking if he was going to die like his friend on Friday.

Would not shock me if the announcement they are "planning" to release him tomorrow was as much to calm Trump down than anything based in reality.

[RSchmitz]

Conley the spin Doc offered this jewel in his presser, that he didn't tell the whole truth because "we didn't want to adversely affect the direction of the disease". What???? So the truth and whole truth affects his prognosis??

This is the kind of crap you hear from a dictatorship, keeping the populace in a state of false euphoria at the strength of their great leader to fight off a sickness. (Check out QAnon for this Cult 45 deification of Trump)

Not surprising though. Why should I be shocked that Trump could corrupt his own physician.

Honestly I am surprised that how sick he is, is being reported at all. The play by play shouldn’t happen. Not from a “Trump is a dictator” stance, but because of national security and HIPAA violation reasons. I wonder if this isn’t something Trump actually wants out there.

[Donnie D]

This was buried in the back of the TBT.

“The top official at Tampa International Airport, CEO Joe Lopano, and vice president of communications Veronica Cintron have both tested positive for the coronavirus.

Lopano and Cintron, a former news anchor for Spectrum Bay News 9, were at the Tampa Bay Lightning’s celebratory arrival at the airport on Tuesday when the team returned to Tampa for the first time in two months after winning the Stanley Cup.

Masks were mandatory for all media members covering the event. The returning Lightning players and their families were not required to wear masks. Most of the event was held outside.”

https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/2020/10/02/tampa-international-officials-joe-lopano-veronica-cintron-test-positive-for-covid-19/

Even if the team was exposed, it generally takes 3-4 days to become contagious. So they were probably not spreading it on Wednesday. Now the crowd spreading it to them? Very possible.

[Donnie D]

Even with the President in the hospital allegedly with COVID, the campaign still can’t stop lying.

Jason Miller, Trump campaign advisor, today says that Biden uses his mask as a prop and that the Trump administration has used the proper care in preventing the spread of COVID.

So who am I supposed to believe, you or my lying eyes?

[pete]

Honestly I am surprised that how sick he is, is being reported at all. The play by play shouldn’t happen. Not from a “Trump is a dictator” stance, but because of national security and HIPAA violation reasons. I wonder if this isn’t something Trump actually wants out there.

What the Trump people fail to understand is that this is another test and they're failing it again. Complete transparency is what a real POTUS does in this situation.

He cannot have the expectation of privacy when it comes to his health when he is the President of the United States and responsible for the safety of the American people. There was a gentleman with a briefcase that literally has the nuclear launch codes in it that got into the back seat of the chopper when he checked into Walter Reed. We deserve to know if the CiC is up to the job.

[pete]

Even with the President in the hospital allegedly with COVID, the campaign still can’t stop lying.

Jason Miller, Trump campaign advisor, today says that Biden uses his mask as a prop and that the Trump administration has used the proper care in preventing the spread of COVID.

So who am I supposed to believe, you or my lying eyes?

This Jason Miller?

BTW, the guy the Trump campaign, and apparently the WH, are making the main Trump voice today?

The campaign is hiding its payments to him -- which could help him dodge child support. He made $683,660 last year but claimed he could not afford any.

https://twitter.com/svdate/status/1312774789183033344?s=20

[pete]

Public Policy Polling suggesting another data point that would point toward the dam bursting:

We've done about 70 private polls this week and a very noticeable trend we're seeing especially the last few days is that where before Biden was maybe getting 6-8% of 2016 Trump voters, that's pretty consistently starting to be more like 10-12%

https://twitter.com/ppppolls/status/1312803416935194624?s=20

For swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, each of which Trump won by a whisker in 2016, reaching the Bannon Line—shifting 3 or 4 percentage points away from Trump among Republicans—would completely flip all three states. And if we swing by the same 4 percent not just Republicans but also the independents who voted for Trump, he loses not only those three states but also Florida, North Carolina, Arizona, and Georgia—a decisive defeat.

https://thebulwark.com/reaching-the-bannon-line/

[pete]

Another reason the public has a right to know everything about Trump's medical condition and treatment: the steroid he's been given can cause mental impairment.

One more medical nuance: dexamethasone, a powerful steroid, can cause confusion – w/ obvious implications here. As an anti-inflammatory, it can also lower fevers & aches; pts sometimes feel better, even if their underlying illness isn't any better or their risk any lower...(1/2)

... Which is another argument not to allow the patient to unduly influence timing of discharge.

No reason for him to be anywhere but the hospital for the next few days. He needs strict isolation anyway & can work from hospital, so leaving prematurely would only add risk. (2/2)

https://twitter.com/Bob_Wachter/status/1312812846372151296?s=20

[RSchmitz]

Another reason the public has a right to know everything about Trump's medical condition and treatment: the steroid he's been given can cause mental impairment.



https://twitter.com/Bob_Wachter/stat...372151296?s=20

I'd argue that this may be a reason we don't want it out there for the world to know. At least during this 2 week period, can certainly report on everything afterwards.

[pete]

There is no automatic mechanism whereby the line of succession kicks in (other than flat out death). It still requires a subjective decision by the POTUS and political appointees to determine when the POTUS is too impaired to perform the duties of the office. A despotic or mentally impaired POTUS who is allowed to conceal their true medical condition and the treatments they are receiving can shield themselves from the political pressure to step aside and do the right thing for the security and stability of the United States.

Again, this is a test. Every other POTUS in my lifetime has been forthcoming and transparent anytime they have faced the need to undergo medical treatment for just the above reasons. It says something about how exceptionally un-presidential Trump is that he's refusing to be as transparent as other presidents usually are.

[pete]

This photo of Mark Meadows during today's medical press conference:

[Donnie D]

The White House Gift Shop is selling a “Donald J. Trump defeats Covid” commemorative coin. You can pre-order it now for $100.