Trump goes off on strange rant about dishwashers — while COVID pummels America

Trump turns all QVC meets Price is Right talking Washing machines & water!!! 

AFTER ALL ITS ANOTHER INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK 

SO HE REPEATS HIS OLD RANT ON ENERGY, WATER, LIGHTS

Published on July 16, 2020 By Sarah K. Burris RAW STORY

President Donald Trump held a campaign rally-style event at the White House on Thursday to brag about deregulating everything, including dishwashers.

After declaring that various things are “like nobody’s ever seen before,” Trump said that before his presidency people had to push the dishwasher button over and over and over again. Now, however, dishwashers have more water in them.

“We made it so dishwashers now have a lot more water, and in many places, in most places of the country, water is not a problem. It’s called rain,” Trump said.





Most of Texas, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, California and half of Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Arizona and the Dakotas are in a drought according to the “U.S. Drought Monitor.”

He later revisited his resistance to water conservation by ranting against showerheads.

"Showerheads, you take a shower, the water doesn't come out. You want to wash your hands, the water doesn't come out. What do you do? Do you stand there longer or take a shower longer?" – the president on deregulation
— Katie Rogers (@katierogers) July 16, 2020

In the past, the president has revealed that “people” must flush the toilet as much as ten times
Emo Trump vs Toilets

 

pic.twitter.com/mA3LZeW8yG
— Nick Lutsko (@NickLutsko) January 16, 2020


Meanwhile, cases of COVID-19 have expanded and deaths are at nearly 140,000.
See the video below:
"We made it so dishwashers now have a lot more water, and in many places, in most places of the country, water is not a problem … it's called rain" – Trump is out here doing a "The Price is Right" episode and whining about wimpy lib faucets that don't have enough water pressure pic.twitter.com/3zDoAsKTlq
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 16, 2020

Donald Trump turns the White House into a rally venue again by posing under a Trump-branded crane to boast about 'deregulating' showers, dishwashers and lightbulbs and rant against Joe Biden claiming he will 'abolish the suburbs'

Event staged on the South Lawn of the White House included a large crane and two Chevy pickup trucks

Trump blasted regulations including those that govern shower-heads and dishwashers

Claims people that do dishes run the machine three times 

'You take a shower, the water does not come out'

Also complained people run dishwashers three consecutive times 

Says he brought back 'old fashioned incandescent light bulbs' 

Said his plans will protect suburbs from being 'obliterated by Washington'

By GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 16 July 2020

President Donald Trump held another campaign-style at the White House Thursday, where he touted efforts to slash regulations in areas ranging from clean water to fair housing – all staged under a crane bearing his name and holding giant weights.

As he extolled the benefits of regulatory cuts, Trump repeatedly attacked rival Joe Biden as he did at an hour-long event in the White House Rose Garden Wednesday, drawing howls from critics for the use of the taxpayer-funded building.

Thursday's event featured two new Chevy pickup trucks – one red, and one blue. A crane with a 'Trump Administration' banner had three weights suspended over the red truck, with three weights stacked in the blue truck in prop meant to illustrate the burden of regulation.

President Donald J. Trump speaks during an event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 16 July 2020. It included two large Chevy trucks and a crane that said 'Trump Administration'

As he read through his remarks on a teleprompter, the president delivered one of his trademark riffs about poor water pressure, which he tied to regulatory issues.

He complained about the annoyance of poor water pressure in the home, only this time instead of focusing on toilets, as he has in the past, he spoke about showers and dishwashers.

'We are bringing back consumer choice in home appliances so that you can buy washers and dryers, shower-heads and faucets,' Trump said.

He complained about regulations intended to reduce water consumption.


REGULATED: About 200 attendees were seated in rows. There were two large bottles of hand sanitizer and a military band playing 'Georgia' and 'God Bless America'

Vice President Mike Pence waits of an event on regulatory reform to begin on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, July 16, 2020, in Washington
IS MIKE PENCE INDICATING THAT HAND SANITIZER IS GOOD LUBE?

President Donald Trump walks past weights and a crane after delivering remarks on Rolling Back Regulations to Help All Americans on the South Lawn at the White House on July 16, 2020 in Washington,DC

The event featured about 200 people who clapped during the president's remarks

'My hair has to be perfect' says Trump

Trump blames destruction of suburban areas on Democrats

'So shower-heads, you take a shower, the water does not come out. You want to wash your hands, the water does not come out. So what do you do? You just stand there longer? Because my hair, I don't know about you, but it has to be perfect,' Trump said, drawing laughs and a smattering of applause.

'Dishwashers, you didn't have any water, so you – the people that do the dishes, you press it and it goes again. And you do it again and again. So you might as well give them the water because you'll end up using less water. So we made it so dishwashers now have a lot more water and in many places, in most places of the country, water is not a problem. They don't know what to do with it. It's called rain.'

Trump also said he brought back 'old fashioned incandescent light bulbs.'

There was a regulatory push beginning in the George W. Bush administration to phase-out the 100-watt bulb and steer Americans toward energy efficient alternatives.

'I brought them back. They have two nice qualities: they're cheaper and they're better. They look better, they make you look so much better. That's important to all of us,' Trump said, blasting regulations that mandated compact fluorescent and LED bulbs. 

As at Wednesday's event, Trump delivered slashing attacks on Biden, the 'green new deal,' 'socialist' Sen. Bernie Sanders, and radicals he said wanted to both take down and rename the Washington Monument.

He also delivered a pointed attack on Democrats regarding the suburbs – a political battleground where Trump has been hemorrhaging support among college-educated white women.

'They want to defund and abolish your police and law enforcement while at the same time destroying our great suburbs. The suburb destruction will end with us next week,' Trump claimed, following losses of GOP House seats in 2018 in the suburbs.

'I will be discussing the AFFH rule. The AFFH rule,' Trump stressed, pointing to a fair-housing regulation he called 'a disaster.'

'And our plans to protect the suburbs from being obliterated by Washington Democrats, by people on the far left that want to see the suburbs destroyed, that don’t care.'

'People have worked all their lives to get into a community and now they’re going to watch it go to hell. Not going to happen. Not while I’m here,' Trump said.

Trump said his administration eliminated '25,000 pages of job destroying regulations.'

Trump briefly tied regulations to the coronavirus that is ravaging the world, and is causing a spike in Florida that has his campaign scurrying to re-format his August convention.

'We have taken more than 740 actions to suspend regulations that would have slowed our response to the China virus,' Trump, said, using terminology that some term a slur.

Trump referred to the 'Biden-Bernie plan' to abolish cash bail. 'Think of that. Bail. No problem. They killed somebody - let 'em out,' Trump said, mischaracterizing proposals the two candidates proposed.

Cash bail systems allow some people to pay before trial, while those who can't get the money must remain incarcerated – but people accused of the most violent offenses are in many cases detained.

'They want to get rid of prison. They don't think anybody should go to prison,' Trump said.

Trump regularly tarred his opponents as 'socialists,' and cast them as in league with 'unelected bureaucrats that don't know what they're doing.'

Trump promised a 'very exciting eight weeks' of 'things that nobody has even contemplated, though about, thought possible.’

'Eight weeks, I think Mike we can honestly say nobody's ever going to see eight weeks like we're going to have,' Trump predicted.

Because we really have. We're taking on immigration. We're taking on education. We're taking on so many aspects of things that people were hopelessly tied up in knots in Congress … But you'll see levels of detail and you'll see levels of thought that a lot of people believed very strongly we didn't have in this country.

A New York Times analysis concludes the Trump Administration has reversed or revoked 68 environmental regulations to date.

They include Obama era regulations on emissions from power plants and rollbacks of carbon dioxide emissions from cars trucks.

Parked in front of the White House for the event were the two trucks. One had a banner that said '40 Years of Regulatory Burden.' The other had one saying '4 Years of Regulatory Freedom.'

Trump pledged to 'never return to the days of soul-crushing regulations.'

Trump wasn't shy about delivering direct attacks on Biden from the South Lawn of the White House.

'Our entire economy and our very way of life are threatened by the Biden plan to transform our nation,' he said.

He had an aesthetic complaint about Biden's call for zero-emissions from new homes and buildings.

'Destroying the look of the home, the beauty of the home.'

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany pushed back at complaints about using the White House for politicking when asked about Wednesday's event.

She was asked if there was 'any place in the White House where you think politics is inappropriate.'

'Where do you draw the line?' a reporter asked, pointing to Trump hosting a campaign team meeting in the Cabinet Room last month and then his Tuesday Rose Garden speech.

McEneny said the Hatch Act didn't apply to the president and vice president and then challenged the reporter who said he wasn't specifically asking about the legislation that limits federal employees from participating in political activities.

'What your real problem was was the fact that the president gave a very, good, powerful speech from the Rose Garden,' McEnany said, moving on to another question


IF YOU ARE HAVING A MOMENT OF DEJA VU YOU ARE FORGIVEN.

Trump: Energy-efficient light bulbs make me look orange

The Lead 09/13/2019

During a speech in Baltimore, President Donald Trump went after environmental initiatives like eliminating plastic straws and energy-efficient light bulbs. CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2019/09/13/trump-comments-straws-light-bulbs-environment-baltimore-collins-pkg-lead-vpx.cnn

Search Results

Trump Administration Blocks Energy Efficiency Rule for Light ...

https://www.nytimes.com › 2019/12/20 › climate › trump-light-bulb-rollback

Dec 20, 2019 - Consumers have complained about the quality of light from some compact fluorescent bulbs, but the newer generation of “halogen incandescent” ...

UNTIL THEY DON'T

Trump's Energy Department delays phase out of incandescent ...

https://www.washingtonpost.com › climate-environment › 2019/12/20 › tr...

Dec 20, 2019 - The Trump administration just overturned a ban on old-fashioned lightbulbs. The move, which could raise U.S. energy costs by $14 billion and ..

LED Light Bulbs - LED vs Incandescent - Trump and Light Bulbs

https://www.popularmechanics.com › science › energy › trump-led-light-b...

Dec 27, 2019 - Trump Administration Rolls Back LED Light Bulb Standards. “The bulbs do not last long enough for the energy savings to surpass the higher ...

Column: Trump's attack on lightbulb standards is his most ...

https://www.latimes.com › business › story › trump-california-states-light-b...

Nov 7, 2019 - California and other states take aim at Trump's reversal of light bulb ... The phase-out of ordinary incandescent bulbs — those Edison-style ...

Trump's Washing Machine Tariffs Stung Consumers While ...

https://www.nytimes.com › 2019/04/21 › business › trump-tariffs-washing-...

Apr 21, 2019 - President Trump's decision to impose tariffs on imported washing machines has had an odd effect: It raised prices on washing machines, ...

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Jan 15, 2020

4:06
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YouTube · AP Archive
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0:37
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Trump mocked after failed rally showing trucks weighed down with ‘regulations’ — but the trucks weren’t actually weighed down

July 16, 2020 By Sarah K. Burris Commentary RAW STORY


President Donald Trump’s White House tried to hold a rally to denounce regulations, using two large pick-up trucks, one red and one blue. The blue one was “weighed down” by the “regulations,” where the red one was not. The problem, however, is that the trucks looked exactly the same with and without the alleged “weight.”

On South Lawn, WH seeks to make a political point by setting up a crane lifting the weights of regulation from the bed of a "red" truck, while showing the burden of regulations weighing down a "blue" truck. pic.twitter.com/OoWmRPnWum
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) July 16, 2020

The failure by the White House to properly illustrate their point was another point of humor for those watching on Twitter. It served as a metaphor for a president who can’t even tell the difference between a success or a failure.

Meanwhile, the country was reaching 140,000 dead Americans due to the coronavirus.

See the comments below:

And an overview of our PPE shortage
— Eric Barnes (@ericcbarnes) July 16, 2020

Not accurate until the red truck burst into flame, spewing toxic smoke into the air while being being towed through the nearest park by Vladimir Putin, running over Americas while Trump and the Republicans rob the corpses of the victims.
— Robbie "Always In Quarantine" Wallis (@Robbie_Wallis1) July 16, 202


Not accurate until the red truck burst into flame, spewing toxic smoke into the air while being being towed through the nearest park by Vladimir Putin, running over Americas while Trump and the Republicans rob the corpses of the victims.
— Robbie "Always In Quarantine" Wallis (@Robbie_Wallis1) July 16, 202

Because why should we tell companies they can't use lead and arsenic in everything. /s
— GeekGirlForever (@scifichick25) July 16, 2020

I’d respect him more if he just said “I like trucks. Here are some trucks I like.”
— James Felton (@JimMFelton) July 16, 2020

Trump wanted to play with trucks. This is a shitshow of epic proportions all while ignoring the pandemic that destroyed the economy. Trump's idea of lifting regulations is to shift the burdens of pollution on to those unable to protect themselves so millionaires like Trump profit
— lawhawk #maskingforafriend (@lawhawk) July 16, 2020

This addresses the Covid pandemic how exactly?
— katieRN (@katieRN) July 16, 2020

(Trump earlier in the day, playing with Tonka Trucks in the Oval Office)
"I like Trucks. I want Trucks in the Rose Garden today! Let's say a Red Truck and a Blue Truck. And a Crane! HONK HONK!"
— Trumpy Trumpy (parody) (@outofcontroljb) July 16, 2020

There is actually a story about toy trucks in Mary Trumps book. You should give it a read . 

Not joking btw. There is actually a story about how Donald used to torment his younger brother by hiding his favorite toy truck.
— Cole Neuman 

(@neumanthehuman) July 16, 2020

Did my tax dollars pay for this?
'Cause I swear this looks like a campaign ad to me.
— Kate Eads (@KateEads) July 16, 2020


WTF??? He can’t even make the point he’s trying to make. Everything about this is absurd. Trucks? Is he selling them too?
— Voodoo Trump (@BestTrumpVoodoo) July 16, 2020

For this to be accurate, the crane needs to replace the weights of regulation on the "red" truck with 137,000 dead bodies. #PressBriefing
— Social✽Fly (Gov Cuomo's #StayAtHome Girlfriend) (@socflyny) July 16, 2020

Geezus this is embarrassing and unprofessional and insane and just reeks of desperation and ineptitude.
— Ashlie Weeks (@ashlie_weeks) July 16, 2020

Wow in the middle of a pandemic. And if it were accurate, the red truck would be Russian, on fire, full of holes, with a cargo of vials of fatal diseases, all about to explode, and the driver would not survive.
— Professor Wolfenstein

 (@SylvrewolfeP) July 16, 2020

His base doesn’t understand that the regulations are in place to protect workers and consumers.
Deregulation saves corporations money, doesn’t create more jobs or higher pay, just makes the rest of us less safe and less healthy.
— Tons of Collusion & Obstruction (@VoteBlue_2020) July 16, 2020

https://twitter.com/sarcasticstyle/status/1283864629123391507
Trump isn't doing anything to stop thousands of Americans dying of coronavirus so he's in the backyard playing with trucks https://t.co/K01WKCi9WG
— Adam Blickstein (@AdamBlickstein) July 16, 2020


Is this why Trump has been ignoring Russia's bounties on U.S. troops? Because he's playing with trucks outside in the White House sandbox? https://t.co/Gkzyqo8iGL
— VoteVets (@votevets) July 16, 2020

This key detail from Maddow’s interview with Mary Trump could have ‘enormous significance’

 July 16, 2020 By Bob Brigham


MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” on Thursday broadcast an interview with Mary Trump, the president’s niece who just published a blockbuster tell-all book.

“By the time that The Times story came out, did you know what they had?” Maddow asked. “Did you know that — sort of the explosiveness of the alleged misdeeds that they were going to uncover thanks to what you gave them?”

“I had no idea,” she replied.

“It wasn’t just that people in my family did these things that they shouldn’t have done, but these were my aunts and uncles who also happened to be my trustees and clearly I didn’t benefit from the role that they were supposed to play in protecting my financial interests when I was younger,” she explained.

Asha Rangappa, a former FBI special agent who is a CNN analyst, said that part of the interview could have “enormous significance

Here is the thread Rangappa posted explaining why she identified the interaction as an important:

2. A “trustee,” is a term with legal significance. Someone who acts as a trustee has a FIDUCIARY DUTY — in Mary Trump’s case, to act in her interest (she is the “beneficiary” of the estate being administered). In other words, they need to take steps to maximize *her* benefit 2/***
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) July 17, 2020


4. The NY AG found that the Trump Foundation — run by Donald and his eldest three kids — violated their FIDUCIARY DUTY to the donors to that trust, using that money to benefit themselves rather than the causes they were meant for. The Foundation was shut down.

— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) July 17, 2020


6. Everything that Barr is doing, at Trunp’s behest, is a violation of Trump’s FIDUCIARY DUTY, to the American people, to take care that the laws be FAITHFULLY executed. @jedshug and others have written about the fiduciary duty imposed by the word “faithfully” in Art. II
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) July 17, 2020

8. In case it’s not clear, as President, Trump is effectively a “trustee” for the American people, who are the “beneficiaries.” More ads/questions/talking points need to be framed in this way to fully highlight how he has violated and abused his power and the public trust.
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) July 17, 2020


Mary Trump says she was "utterly blown away" by the NY Times reporting on Pres. Trump's taxes: "The financial devices that my family used to cover up certain things they were doing were not easily decipherable…These were my aunts and uncles who also happened to be my trustees." pic.twitter.com/Zy7KMfGh1P
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) July 17, 2020

*** THIS IS A SERIOUS POINT FOR CIVIL COURT, AS SOMEONE WHO HAS WORKED ON TRUSTS AND TRUSTEESHIP WHAT ASHA SAYS ABOUT FIDUCIARY DUTY IS CORRECT AND CLEAR IN THE LAW IN CANADA AND THE USA.

'The president wants schools to reopen - science shouldn't get in the way'

GETTING KIDS IN THE CLASSROOM 

PUTS PARENTS BACK TO WORK

MAKING AMERICA'S BILLIONAIRES RICHER

Trump press secretary says 'science should not stand in the way' of schools reopening

The fresh effort to send children back to classrooms comes despite a new poll showing most Americans do not think it is safe.

Friday 17 July 2020

The White House press secretary has revived Donald Trump's calls for schools to reopen, saying "the science should not stand in the way of this".

Echoing the president's push for pupils to return to classrooms, Kayleigh McEnany said "we don't think children should be locked up at home, with devastating consequences".

"You know, the president has said unmistakably that he wants schools to open, and I was just in the Oval talking to him about that, and when he says open, he means open in full - kids being able to attend each and every day at their school. The science should not stand in the way of this."

She claimed "many medical experts" had said it was safe for children to attend schools, before later adding: "The science is on our side here, and we encourage localities and states to just simply follow the science."

Ms McEnany also said a study had indicated that the risk to children from COVID-19 was "far less" than that from seasonal flu.


Despite Donald Trump's urgings, a new poll has shown only one in four Americans thinks it is safe for public schools to reopen this autumn as US coronavirus cases climb.


Four in 10 parents said they would probably keep their children at home if classes resume, the Reuters/Ipsos survey indicates.


The July 14-15 national online poll was conducted as the US's 13,000 school districts grappled with how to safely resume instruction after closing in the spring as infections spread.

Only 26% of American adults said they thought it was safe for schools in their community to bring students back, while 55% felt they were not safe, and 19% were not sure.

New coronavirus infections are now climbing in 40 states, while 22 states have either paused or reversed efforts to reopen their economies, according to Bank of America.

Florida reported a single-day record of 156 deaths, along with nearly 14,000 new cases, reflecting a broader trend this week that has seen the national death rate spike.

The seven-day rolling average for new deaths has risen to 730, up more than 21% from a week ago.

AFTER SAYING
Trump press secretary says 'science should not stand in the way' of schools reopening
SHE SAYS

Covid 19 coronavirus: Kayleigh McEnany argues science favours reopening schools in the US

THAT'S BECAUSE THE DOCTOR SHE QUOTES IS 
PRO PRIVATIZED HEALTH CARE

17 Jul, 2020 

'Science shouldn't stand in the way of this' - White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany as Trump pushes to reopen schools in the pandemic. 

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany has been roasted over an awkwardly worded quote in which she said science "should not stand in the way" of the United States reopening its schools.

Ms McEnany's boss, US President Donald Trump, has been pushing hard for schools to reopen, despite the accelerating spread of the coronavirus throughout the country.

The US has recorded more than 70,000 new infections on multiple days this week. The state of Florida alone is identifying more cases each day than some countries have recorded during the entire pandemic.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany speaks during a press briefing at the White House today. Photo / AP

Nevertheless, last week Mr Trump pressured the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to relax its recommendations for how schools can safely reopen, calling the agency's guidelines too "tough and expensive".
The CDC advice said schools should maintain proper social distancing, clean their facilities, avoid sharing objects between students and stop serving communal meals in their cafeterias.

Mr Trump has threatened to cut off funding for schools that stay closed, though he doesn't actually have the power to follow through.

In Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and many other countries, SCHOOLS ARE OPEN WITH NO PROBLEMS. The Dems think it would be bad for them politically if U.S. schools open before the November Election, but is important for the children & families. May cut off funding if not open!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 8, 2020

The subject came up during today's White House media briefing.

"The President has said unmistakably that he wants schools to open. And I was just in the Oval Office talking to him about that. And when he says open, he means open in full – kids being able to attend, each and every day, at their school," Ms McEnany told reporters.

"The science should not stand in the way of this."

She went on to quote
Dr Scott Atlas, a physician who works for the Hoover Institution  think tank. 
Dr Atlas has slammed Mr Trump's political opponents for claiming that reopening schools will help the virus spread.

HE IS PRO AMERICAN HEALTHCARE PRO PRIVATE MARKET DELIVERY OF HEALTH CARE ***

"I'm not sure how many times it has to be said, but the risk of children from this disease and the fatality is nearly zero," Dr Atlas told Fox News on Monday.

"The risk to children of a significant illness (from coronavirus) is far less than from the seasonal flu. This is totally antithetical to the data."

He labelled concerns about opening schools "hysteria", and said people "all over the world" were "stunned that we are willing to just simply destroy our children on some bizarre notion that's completely contrary to the science".

Ms McEnany also highlighted a study from the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics, which found coronavirus is severe "far less" frequently in children than in adults, and concluded kids are at "far greater risk" from influenza.

The journal also recently published an article arguing the "profound consequences" of closing schools "cannot be overlooked". Those consequences include "regressions in academic gains, heightened depression and anxiety symptoms, greater digital dependence and numerous unmet social needs".

BUT SHE DID NOT SAY WHERE HER QUOTE IS FROM JAMA IS A BIG JOURNAL LOTS OF ARTICLES, AND SOME EVEN ARE CONTRADICTORY

"The science is very clear on this," Ms McEnany said.

"The science is on our side here, and we encourage localities and states to just simply follow the science, open our schools.

"It's very damaging to our children. There is a lack of reporting on abuse, there are mental depressions that are not addressed when students are not in school. Our schools are extremely important, they're essential, and they must reopen."

In context, it's clear that Ms McEnany was arguing the science supports Mr Trump's push to reopen schools. But her quote that the science "should not stand in the way" seemed to suggest the opposite.

Naturally, that is the quote everyone on the internet has pounced on.

"Science should not stand in the way of this.” Is the defining quote of the Trump administration’s response to coronavirus. https://t.co/QkXI0DVVzZ— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) July 16, 2020


So is "science on our side" or "science should not stand in the way of this"? She said both. https://t.co/XiHAVcY9Q1— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) July 17, 2020


Science should not stand in the way......
Excuse me while I puke https://t.co/waGqPWgN5z— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) July 16, 2020


Okay so which is it.. listen to science or don't listen to science? The health of our children and educators shouldn't be put at risk just because POTUS can't make up his mind on which science to listen to.pic.twitter.com/l6BOfUYACm— Phil Arballo (@PhilArballo2020) July 16, 2020

"The SCIENCE SHOULD NOT STAND in the Way" of KILLING CHILDREN Forcing them to go to School in a Pandemic, infecting Communities. Are you insane?!?? You want to ignore scientific facts?!? Trump & Kayleigh McEnany 🤬 WATCH THIS⬇️ pic.twitter.com/zMYMotaX9x— DanielNewmaη 404-737-1636 (@DanielNewman) July 16, 2020

Yes the science is very clear on this, it predicts that if you open schools in communities with high levels of virus transmission teachers, staff, bus drivers will get sick. But if you first create a plan to greatly reduce virus transmission you can do things like reopen schools https://t.co/KO8j0gGDq9— Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD (@PeterHotez) July 16, 2020

Former White House physician Ronny Jackson, who is now a Republican political candidate, backed up Ms McEnany during an interview with Fox News Radio.

"If they're going home and they've got elderly parents or grandparents, we've got to make considerations for that, they've got to be careful," Dr Jackson conceded.

"But we shouldn't be worried about the kids when they go to school. They are not the concern here."

Ms McEnany herself called the reaction to her comments "a case study in media bias".

Case Study in Media Bias:

I said: “The science is very clear on this...the science is on our side here. We encourage our localities & states to just simply follow the science. Open our schools.”

But leave it to the media to deceptively suggest I was making the opposite point! https://t.co/vlxk3zRsgh— Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) July 16, 2020

She found an unlikely defender in the form of CNN anchor Jake Tapper, a frequent critic of the Trump administration.

"I think she was trying to say the science shouldn't stand in the way because the science is on our side," Tapper told his viewers.

"I don't know that all of the science is on their side. Certainly, this White House, their respect for science knows bounds, let's put it that way. But I think that's what she was getting at."

He urged people to read the Press Secretary's "entire comment".

"She's arguing that the science is on the side of those who want to open them. She cites the JAMA study. I'm not taking a position on the matter, but be fair."

***A Diagnosis At Odds With A Treatment Plan

 BY THOMAS MILLER

https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/pdf/10.1377/hlthaff.2012.0722

 In Excellent Health: Setting The Record Straight On America’s Health Care By Scott W. Atlas Stanford (CA): Hoover Institution Press, 2011 359 pp.; $24.95

EXCERPT

The main body of In Excellent Health is a lengthy and impressive recapitulation of published research on health care quality by Scott Atlas of Stanford University and the Hoover Institution. Atlas, a practicing specialist in diagnostic radiology and neuroradiology as well as a topnotch medical researcher on how different nations’ health systems compare in terms of their levels of performance, is also a health policy adviser for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign. 

Atlas provides an antidote for any readers who might have overdosed on one too many critiques of US health care, and his databased arguments about the many achievements of our nation’s health system provide necessary balance to an often one-sided “debate.” Unfortunately, when it comes to the overall book, the whole is less than the sum of its parts. The author’s primary discussion of how the United States stacks up compared to other major countries in treating serious illnesses seems disconnected from the disappointing policy reform recommendations in the closing chapter. 

A basketball scout might describe Atlas as a hard-nosed, full-court-press defender of the private market side of the US health care system. His vigorous case for the high quality of American medicine is overloaded with citations to evidence in peer-reviewed articles. Indeed, In Excellent Health provides a onestop shopping mall for market-friendly researchers and policy advocates.

The book argues relentlessly for the propositions that the most important role of health care is to diagnose and treat serious diseases, and that the United States excels in producing superior outcomes despite a heavy burden: It contains a higher percentage of people who previously smoked cigarettes or are obese—two long-term biological risk factors—than any other country in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 

That same basketball scout might note that after Atlas finishes playing defense and gains possession of the health reform ball, he does not make a smooth transition in calling the plays on offense. He brushes over the conflicts and contradictions between his diagnosis (US health care quality and outcomes are terrific!) and his health reform treatment plan (costs are exploding, and we have to get the government out of the health insurance business). In other words, if we are so good at health care in this country, why does Atlas nevertheless recommend major structural reforms for the US health system? 

The Scott Atlas view of health care does not examine wide variations in the cost and quality of health services within and across different geographic regions and market areas in the United States. His objective is to rebut previous comparisons of other nations’ health systems with American-style medicine, although he really focuses almost exclusively on comparisons made by the World Health Organization (WHO)

Microplastic particles shed by car wheels and brake pads are being transported through the atmosphere to the Arctic and could hasten melting of the ice caps

About 138,000 tons of microplastics from tyres enter the oceans each year

About 47,000 tons of plastics find their way to remote snow and ice regions 

When it hits snow covered areas it acts to absorb sunlight and warm the area

By RYAN MORRISON FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 15 July 2020

Wear and tear from tyres and brake pads is contributing to the melting of the ice caps thanks to tiny particles of plastic spreading around the world, study finds.

Researchers from the Norwegian Institute for Air Research and the University of Vienna studied levels of road microplastics and the way they spread from cities.

They founds 138,000 tons of tiny plastic particles from road traffic entering the atmosphere ends up in the ocean, but 47,000 tons falls on snow and ice.

These tiny pieces of plastic act to darken snow covered surfaces in places like the Arctic and lead to more sun light being absorbed and the ice and snow melting.


These tiny pieces of plastic act to darken snow covered surfaces in places like the Arctic and lead to more sun light being absorbed and the ice and snow melting


Researchers from the Norwegian Institute for Air Research and the University of Vienna studied levels of road microplastics and the way they spread from cities

Tyres are made from a range of materials including plastics and over time they are worn down and the plastic particles are pushed out into the atmosphere.

It's thought up to six million tons of particles are shed from vehicles alone - with most falling close to roadsides rather than going into the atmosphere.

Some are then washed up in rain and go into the sea via river systems, but researchers found thousands of tons of tiny pieces are being blown further.

As the global production rate of new plastic products continues to increase, ever greater quantities evade waste collection and recycling and enter the environment.

However, the ecological and environmental consequences of rising plastic pollution are poorly understood, according to the Norwegian team behind the study.

'We also know too little about how microplastic particles travel from where they are produced to all ends of the world,' they explained.

Nikolaos Evangeliou and colleagues looked into road microplastics that are produced from tyre wear and brake wear and compared them to simulations of atmospheric transport to determine the dispersion of these pollutants.

The majority of traffic-induced microplastics comes from densely populated regions like the US, Northern Europe and the heavily urbanised areas of Southeast Asia.

They looked at the density of roads around the world and used that to work out how microplastics from tyres spread around the world and where they are deposited.


These tiny pieces of plastic act to darken snow covered surfaces in places like the Arctic and lead to more sun light being absorbed and the ice and snow melting

They found that microplastics that are 2.5 micrometers and smaller in size were transported through the atmosphere and into the ocean or on to the ice.

They estimate that 138,000 tons per year of road microplastics end up in the world's oceans and about 47,000 tonnes on tons snow- and ice-covered surfaces.

MICROPLASTICS FOUND IN WHEAT AND VEGETABLES

Microplastics are being absorbed through plant roots and end up in our food, a Chinese study found.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences looked at particles in food sources.

Microplastics have become ubiquitous leading to concern about the impact on human health.

In a new study, researchers found these plastic pieces had contaminated edible plants by entering the roots.

'Cracks at the emerging sites of new lateral roots of lettuce and wheat crops can take in microplastics from the surrounding soil and water.

'Those microplastics can then be transferred from the roots up to the edible parts of the crop,' they found.

'This is concerning', says Evangeliou. 'Microplastic particles travelling to snow and ice-covered regions such as Greenland and the Arctic may darken the surface, thus decreasing surface albedo. This could again hasten melting.'

Albedo is a measure of how much of the light hitting a surface is reflected without being absorbed - snow covered areas help to reflect sunlight and cool the Earth.

Dark surfaces or matter, such as microplastics, lowers this reflectivity, so that the ice absorbs more heat.

Lower albedo will in turn lead to increased melting of ice and snow, and then again to even lower reflectivity – a self-reinforcing loop.

Study co-author, Andreas Stohl from the University of Vienna, said these particles include toxic materials that pose a real risk to humans and wildlife.

He has called on tyre manufacturers to find ways of creating new tyres that shed fewer particles in a bid to reduce microplastics.

Microplastics are being found in more locations around the world, including a recent study that discovered pieces of plastic in the edible parts of wheat and lettuce.

The World Health Organization says there an urgent need to find out more about the impact of microplastics on human health with some evidence suggesting it can weaken the immune system.

Tyre firms have pushed back against previous claims that tyre wear is contributing to microplastic pollution and could be harmful to human health.

The industry published at least ten studies over the last decade suggesting that they present 'no significant risk to humans and the environment'. 

Scientist find toxic microplastics in one-in-six Red Sea fish

URBAN FLOODING IS FLUSHING MICROPLASTICS INTO THE OCEANS FASTER THAN THOUGHT

Urban flooding is causing microplastics to be flushed into our oceans even faster than thought, according to scientists looking at pollution in rivers.

Waterways in Greater Manchester are now so heavily contaminated by microplastics that particles are found in every sample - including even the smallest streams.

This pollution is a major contributor to contamination in the oceans, researchers found as part of the first detailed catchment-wide study anywhere in the world.

This debris - including microbeads and microfibres - are toxic to ecosystems.

Scientists tested 40 sites around Manchester and found every waterway contained these small toxic particles.

Microplastics are very small pieces of plastic debris including microbeads, microfibres and plastic fragments.

It has long been known they enter river systems from multiple sources including industrial effluent, storm water drains and domestic wastewater.

However, although around 90 per cent of microplastic contamination in the oceans is thought to originate from land, not much is known about their movements.

Most rivers examined had around 517,000 plastic particles per square metre, according to researchers from the University of Manchester who carried out the detailed study.

Following a period of major flooding, the researchers re-sampled at all of the sites.

They found levels of contamination had fallen at the majority of them, and the flooding had removed about 70 per cent of the microplastics stored on the river beds.

This demonstrates that flood events can transfer large quantities of microplastics from urban river to the oceans.

Trump’s presidency is a potentially fatal self-inflicted wound on America

Published on July 16, 2020 By Sonali Kolhatkar, Independent Media Institute- Commentary

When schoolchildren across the United States began their summer break, President Donald Trump had more than two months to bring the coronavirus crisis under control in time for schools to reopen for the fall. But, instead of tackling the virus’ spread head-on, he did what most observers expected of him: he politicized the pandemic and acted as though he were the sole victim of the virus. If Trump’s message can be distilled into a single idea, it is that if we simply do not acknowledge that the virus is ravaging the nation, we can go about with business as usual and re-elect Trump in November.

Unfortunately for Trump, that plan is so far not quite working, and even pollsters biased in his favor are showing a grim election outcome for the president. But Trump’s loss is not necessarily our gain. Americans are dying from the coronavirus at a rate not seen in any other part of the world. The Washington Post points out that, “If you adjust per capita, then, Florida’s outbreak is currently about 70 times worse than that of the worst-hit country in 

Europe

The most infuriating aspect of the American response to the coronavirus is that other nations have clearly laid out a commonsense strategy that has worked so much better for them—enabling them to return to as much of a pre-pandemic “normal” as is possible under the circumstances. A prime example is Germany, where schools have been partially open with some online and some in-person instruction and remain responsive to outbreaks that may occur.

Jens Spahn, Germany’s federal minister of health, explained that the country’s robust health care system is a large part of the nation’s success story, saying, “the German health-care system was in good shape going into the crisis; everyone has had full access to medical care. This is a merit not just of the current government but of a system that was built over the course of many governments.” Contrast this with the United States, where there is no actual health care that covers everyone. Instead, there are patchwork systems that are linked to age, disability, income, and employment. It is no wonder then that health outcomes depend on many of the same factors.

Like the United States, Germany had the advantage of time in preparing for the pandemic in February and March as it spread like wildfire through Wuhan, China, and then Italy, offering cautionary lessons. Unlike the United States, Germany’s central government actually mobilized its laboratories to begin producing tests at a rapid rate. Under Trump’s oversight, the United States’ failure to do the same has been deemed “tragic.” As far back as March of this year, reports point out that the White House’s coronavirus task force, “typically devoted only five or 10 minutes, often at the end of contentious meetings, to talk about testing.”

Germany’s health minister explained, “Extensive testing is like pointing a flashlight in the dark: without it, you can see only shades of grey; but with it, you can see details clearly and immediately. And when it comes to a disease outbreak, you can’t control what you can’t see.” Trump realized this, and because he has no intention of controlling the virus, he railed against seeing it—openly. At his first political rally since the pandemic began, he told his adoring supporters, “I said to my people, ‘Slow the testing down please.’” Later he explained that he wasn’t kidding.

Spahn spoke of the need for public trust, saying, “it is critical that governments inform the public not just about what they know, but also about what they do not know. That is the only way to build the trust needed to fight a lethal virus in a democratic society.” But the United States’ right-wing media industry and profit-driven social media platforms have built themselves on selling mistrust through conspiracy-laden clickbait. Trump has built his presidency on lies. It is no wonder that in the moment when the ability to tell fact from fiction was needed the most, the United States has spectacularly failed.

“In Germany, we have succeeded in slowing the spread of the virus because the vast majority of citizens want to cooperate, out of a sense of responsibility for themselves and others,” said Spahn. Contrast that with the United States, where right-wing ideology is based on selfishness, individual “liberties,” white supremacy, and an unfounded fear of “government tyranny.” The internet is full of viral videos of Americans refusing to wear masks in grocery stores or at the dentist’s office—not because they necessarily disagree with the protection it offers to everyone, but because they do not like being told what to do.

Germany’s example illustrates that the infrastructure and approach needed to fight the virus is directly at odds with the rightward march in America. Our failure in managing to fight the virus began not in March, but back to Ronald Reagan’s presidency. Trump’s presidency was just the latest—perhaps mortal—wound in America’s self-inflicted death by a thousand cuts.

We ought to be outraged over what Trump and America’s right wing have wrought. But three and a half years of relentless outrage has left us weary and numb to the horrors of Trumpism. Only a handful of prominent figures are calling on Trump to resign, including his own niece. Contrast that with the chorus of demands for resignations from the Republican Party aimed at Barack Obama’s administration over various feigned outrages.

If something positive is to emerge from this ghoulish nightmare of deliberately enabling mass deaths, it ought to be a final nail in the coffin of American conservatism. A public health crisis cannot be fought with rugged individualism. While many Americans now say they regret voting for Trump in 2016, the more important mass regret ought to be over decades of conservative policies that stood in the way of tackling real crises and decimating existing public services. The death of Trump’s career needs to coincide with the death of Trumpism as a whole.

Trump’s plan for the coronavirus is to have no plan because to a significant percentage of Americans, having a plan would be akin to tyranny. So, if there is a plan, it is to make the virus go away—not in reality but from our view.

Trump has repeatedly told Americans that the virus would simply go away—like magic. Now, he has even taken steps to control hospital data on the virus, just like the sleight of hand that a magician requires in order to perform an illusion. The trick is to manage the illusion until the November election. Perhaps Americans—with all our lives at stake—can instead make Trump and Trumpism vanish in November as the first step in a long-overdue remaking of America.

Sonali Kolhatkar is the founder, host and executive producer of “Rising Up With Sonali,” a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations.

EFF Launches Searchable Database of Police Agencies and the Tech Tools They Use to Spy on Communities

Atlas of Surveillance Shines Light on Deployment of Cameras, Drones, and More

PRESS RELEASE JULY 13, 2020


San Francisco—The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), in partnership with the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, today launched the largest-ever collection of searchable data on police use of surveillance technologies, created as a tool for the public to learn about facial recognition, drones, license plate readers, and other devices law enforcement agencies are acquiring to spy on our communities.

The Atlas of Surveillance database, containing several thousand data points on over 3,000 city and local police departments and sheriffs' offices nationwide, allows citizens, journalists, and academics to review details about the technologies police are deploying, and provides a resource to check what devices and systems have been purchased locally.

Users can search for information by clicking on regions, towns, and cities, such as Minneapolis, Tampa, or Tucson, on a U.S. map. They can also easily perform text searches by typing the names of cities, counties, or states on a search page that displays text results. The Atlas also allows people to search by specific technologies, which can show how surveillance tools are spreading across the country.

Built using crowdsourcing and data journalism over the last 18 months, the Atlas of Surveillance documents the alarming increase in the use of unchecked high-tech tools that collect biometric records, photos, and videos of people in their communities, locate and track them via their cell phones, and purport to predict where crimes will be committed.

While the use of surveillance apps and face recognition technologies are under scrutiny amid the COVID-19 pandemic and street protests, EFF and students at University of Nevada, Reno, have been studying and collecting information for more than a year in an effort to, for the first time, aggregate data collected from news articles, government meeting agendas, company press releases, and social media posts.

"There are two questions we get all the time: What surveillance is in my hometown, and how are technologies like drones and automated license plate readers spreading across the country?" said Dave Maass, a senior investigative researcher in EFF's Threat Lab and a visiting professor at the Reynolds School of Journalism. "A year a half ago, EFF and the Reynolds School partnered to answer these questions through a massive newsgathering effort, involving hundreds of journalism students and volunteers. What we found is a sprawling spy state that reaches from face recognition in the Hawaiian Islands to predictive policing in Maine, from body-worn cameras in remote Alaska to real-time crime centers along Florida's Gold Coast."

Information was collected on the most pervasive surveillance technologies in use, including drones, body-worn cameras, face recognition, cell-site simulators, automated license plate readers, predictive policing, camera registries, police partnerships with Amazon’s Ring camera network, and gunshot detection sensors. It also maps out more than 130 law enforcement tech hubs that process real-time surveillance data. While the Atlas contains a massive amount of data, its content is only the tip of the iceberg and underlines the need for journalists and members of the public to continue demanding transparency from criminal justice agencies. Reporters, students, volunteers, and watchdog groups can submit data or share data sets for inclusion in the Atlas.

“The prevalence of surveillance technologies in our society provides many challenges related to privacy and freedom of expression, but it's one thing to know that in theory, and another to see hard data laid out on a map," Reynolds School Professor and Director of the Center for Advanced Media Studies Gi Yun said. "Over a year and a half, Reynolds School of Journalism students at the University of Nevada, Reno have reviewed thousands of news articles and public records. This project not only informs the public debate but helps these students improve their understanding of surveillance as they advance in their reporting careers."

For the Atlas:
https://atlasofsurveillance.org

For more on street-level surveillance:
https://www.eff.org/issues/street-level-surveillance

EU Court Again Rules That NSA Spying Makes U.S. Companies Inadequate for Privacy

BY DANNY O'BRIEN EFF
JULY 16, 2020


The European Union’s highest court today made clear—once again—that the US government’s mass surveillance programs are incompatible with the privacy rights of EU citizens. The judgment was made in the latest case involving Austrian privacy advocate and EFF Pioneer Award winner Max Schrems. It invalidated the “Privacy Shield,” the data protection deal that secured the transatlantic data flow, and narrowed the ability of companies to transfer data using individual agreements (Standard Contractual Clauses, or SCCs).

Despite the many “we are disappointed” statements by the EU Commission, U.S. government officials, and businesses, it should come as no surprise, since it follows the reasoning the court made in Schrems’ previous case, in 2015.

Back then, the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) noted that European citizens had no real recourse in US law if their data was swept up in the U.S. governments’ surveillance schemes. Such a violation of their basic privacy rights meant that U.S. companies could not provide an “adequate level of [data] protection,” as required by EU law and promised by the EU/U.S. “Privacy Safe Harbor” self-regulation regime. Accordingly, the Safe Harbor was deemed inadequate, and data transfers by companies between the EU and the U.S. were forbidden.

Since that original decision, multinational companies, the U.S. government, and the European Commission sought to paper over the giant gaps between U.S. spying practices and the EU’s fundamental values. The U.S. government made clear that it did not intend to change its surveillance practices, nor push for legislative fixes in Congress. All parties instead agreed to merely fiddle around the edges of transatlantic data practices, reinventing the previous Safe Harbor agreement, which weakly governed corporate handling of EU citizen’s personal data, under a new name: the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield.
EFF, along with the rest of civil society on both sides of the Atlantic, pointed out that this was just shuffling chairs on the Titanic. The Court cited government programs like PRISM and Upstream as its primary reason for ending data flows between Europe and the United States, not the (admittedly woeful) privacy practices of the companies themselves. That meant that it was entirely in the government and U.S. Congress’ hands to decide whether U.S. tech companies are allowed to handle European personal data. The message to the U.S. government is simple: Fix U.S. mass surveillance, or undermine one of the United States’ major industries.

Five years after the original iceberg of Schrems 1, Schrems 2 has pushed the Titanic fully beneath the waves. The new judgment explicitly calls out the weaknesses of U.S. law in protecting non-U.S. persons from arbitrary surveillance, highlighting that:


Section 702 of the FISA does not indicate any limitations on the power it confers to implement surveillance programmes for the purposes of foreign intelligence or the existence of guarantees for non-US persons potentially targeted by those programmes.

and


... neither Section 702 of the FISA, nor E.O. 12333, read in conjunction with PPD‑28, correlates to the minimum safeguards resulting, under EU law, from the principle of proportionality, with the consequence that the surveillance programmes based on those provisions cannot be regarded as limited to what is strictly necessary.

The CJEU could not be more blunt in its pronouncements: but it remains unclear how the various actors that could fix this problem will react. Will EU data protection authorities step up their enforcement activities and invalidate SCCs that authorize data flows to the U.S. for failing to protect EU citizens from U.S. mass surveillance programs? And if U.S. corporations cannot confidently rely on either SCCs or the defunct Privacy Shield, will they lobby harder for real U.S. legislative change to protect the privacy rights of Europeans in the U.S.—or just find another temporary stopgap to force yet another CJEU decision? And will the European Commission move from defending the status quo and current corporate practices, to truly acting on behalf of its citizens?

Whatever the initial reaction by EU regulators, companies and the Commission, the real solution lies, as it always has, with the United States Congress. Today's decision is yet another significant indicator that the U.S. government's foreign intelligence surveillance practices need a massive overhaul. Congress half-heartedly began the process of improving some parts of FISA earlier this year—a process which now appears to have been abandoned. But this decision shows, yet again, that the U.S. needs much broader, privacy-protective reform, and that Congress’ inaction makes us all less safe, wherever we are.

Unions slam British Gas-owner's 'fire and rehire'plan: 20,000 staff told to accept new working conditions or risk losing their jobs
By FRANCESCA WASHTELL FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 16 July 2020

Centrica could demand 20,000 staff accept new working conditions or risk losing their jobs.

The British Gas owner has been in talks with unions over the terms of contracts, which include cutting overtime pay.

The utility group – which is led by boss Chris O'Shea,– insists the changes would make it more competitive and keep jobs secure in the long term.

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Working conditions: British Gas owner Centrica has been in talks with unions over the terms of contracts, which include cutting overtime pay

But unions have slammed the move as a 'fire and rehire' strategy that is a 'smoke screen' for letting go of even more employees than already planned.

Centrica said last month the group would cut 5,000 roles and multiple management layers in a major cost-cutting drive.

Now it has proposed making widespread changes to its terms of employment by giving staff notice they were in line to lose their job – and offering it back to them on the new contracts.

Employees would keep the same base pay and pension. But unions and workers are concerned because the company has also issued legal notices that mean if they don't strike an agreement on the contract, and workers refuse to sign them, it would trigger a fresh wave of redundancies.

The firm insists this is a last resort, but has also made it clear that it must hammer out a deal before the busy winter period.

Centrica – which is led by boss Chris O'Shea (pictured),– insists the changes would make it more competitive and keep jobs secure in the long term.

Centrica has around 27,000 employees – about 20,000 of whom are in the UK – and said it has around 80 different contracts with 7,000 variations of terms.

One of the major changes being proposed is to fix overtime pay at the same rate as regular hours. Overtime wages could be as high as double the standard hourly rate, though the precise difference depends on a workers' contract.

Engineers are often asked to work longer hours over winter, including Christmas and New Year. Unions and workers were concerned about the plans – and about how they had been timed during lockdown.

One long-time British Gas engineer told the BBC: 'They are using this as an excuse because they know we can't even have discussions and meetings. This really is a divide-and-conquer moment.'

Unite regional officer Mark Pettifer described the plans as 'deplorable' and said Centrica had been in consultations with unions for two weeks before unveiling the proposals.

Pettifer said: 'It smacks of blackmail: 'If you don't do what we want, we will issue notice of dismissals'.'

Centrica had been struggling long before the pandemic struck.

British Gas has lost more than a million customers in the last two years, with many switching to cheaper 'challenger' energy suppliers.

But the Covid-19 crisis has piled more pressure on the company, with energy demand falling close to record lows during lockdown, as a mixture of warm weather and the mass closure of business and industry outweighed people needing to use more electricity at home.

A Centrica spokesman said the company wanted to 'continue with constructive talks' and the possibility of further redundancies would be an 'option of last resort if it turns out we can't work together to achieve this'.

Shares were up 0.2 per cent yesterday.

Vietnam is among a handful of countries to have reported no fatalities from the coronavirus pandemic. Timothyna Duncan reports on how the country, which shares a porous land border with China, defied the odds.