Corona Virus: It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint

[ImLawBoy]

This timeline is insane:

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The mayor of Moscow told President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that the number of coronavirus cases in the Russian capital far exceeded the official figures, as Putin donned a protective suit and respirator to visit a hospital.

Man, that sounds like a good way to get force choked.

[Daehawk]

A retired doctor's plight to get tested. No telling how many she infected in a months time.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52019509

[Defiant]

Pornhub gives NYC coronavirus workers 50K masks — and free porn

[Skinypupy]

Not so fast, my friend

Senate leadership announced the deal on the $2 trillion bill shortly after 1 a.m., and want to pass it on Wednesday as they face intense pressure to take steps to try to reassure an American public and an economy rattled by the coronavirus.

But a brewing fight over a deal on unemployment provisions is threatening to open the door to a push for broader changes to the bill, which was negotiated by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Sanders's decision comes after Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tim Scot (R-S.C.) and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) raised concerns that the deal on unemployment benefits would "incentivize" individuals not to return to working.

The unemployment provision includes four months of bolstered unemployment benefits, including increasing the maximum unemployment benefit by $600.

But the GOP senators say that the agreement, which they are calling a "drafting error," could prompt individuals who would make less working to leave their jobs, or not actively return to working.

"Unless this bill is fixed, there is a strong incentive for employees to be laid off instead of going to work. ... We must sadly oppose the fast-tracking of this bill until this text is addressed, or the Department of Labor issues regulatory guidance that no American would earn more by not working than by working," Graham, Sasse and Scott, of South Carolina, said in a joint statement.

My favorite part:

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, warned that unless a group of GOP senators back down from their demand for changes to the unemployment insurance benefits, he would slow walk the bill until stronger guardrails were put on hundreds of billions in funding for corporations.

"In my view, it would be an outrage to prevent working-class Americans to receive the emergency unemployment assistance included in this legislation," Sanders said in a statement.

"Unless these Republican senators drop their objection, I am prepared to put a hold on this bill until stronger conditions are imposed on the $500 billion corporate welfare fund to make sure that any corporation receiving financial assistance under this legislation does not lay off workers, cut wages or benefits, ship jobs overseas or pay workers poverty wages," Sanders continued.

Those "guardrails" should be there anyways, but we really gotta get something done.

[Skinypupy]

County health org in Colorado issues shelter in place order. Congressmen then write to county commission telling them they need to break all ties with that agency for issuing the order.

Bonus: One of the co-signers now has COVID-19.

https://twitter.com/DenverChannel/statu ... ny-anymore

We’ve confirmed this letter from several Douglas County Republican lawmakers is real. Among those who signed it, the House and Senate minority leaders and Sen. Jim Smallwood, who has COVID-19. Working on getting more info. https://bit.ly/2Ufr7KS

[Zaxxon]

That's my county, and Holbert/Van Winkle are 'mine.' I'm sad to say that this letter doesn't surprise me.

[$iljanus]

Happened to tune into the Trump dog and pony show in the middle of a rant about how Europe doesn’t let in US medical equipment, the best in the world by the way, while we buy their equipment and how NATO cheats us and how he’s the only president who is doing something about it and and and like some hyperventilating child...

At that point I bailed before I threw something at the TV.

[Daehawk]

Uhhhhh where did PornHub get all those masks when no one else can get them??

[gilraen]

County health org in Colorado issues shelter in place order. Congressmen then write to county commission telling them they need to break all ties with that agency for issuing the order.

Apparently that was the last straw that our governor needed to announce a statewide order to shelter in place (instead of relying on a patchwork of municipal and county orders).

[Smoove_B]

County health org in Colorado issues shelter in place order. Congressmen then write to county commission telling them they need to break all ties with that agency for issuing the order.

Holy crap! I've never seen anything like that. Your county health commission is filled with warriors! I've said from day one - listen to your local health authorities and this is a perfect example of that. Amazing.

[Smoove_B]

W.T.F.

https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/stat ... 3298109442

G-7 failed to agree on statement after U.S. insisted on calling coronavirus outbreak "Wuhan virus"

[Daehawk]

Lets just refer to it as the 'IHopeYouShitsInDCGetIt Virus' and move on with it.

[Zenn7]

Uhhhhh where did PornHub get all those masks when no one else can get them??

Total guess, but props maybe? Gotta imagine there's a significant enough amount of porn that's doctor/hospital/nurse themed that they might have some for props (naughty nurse/doctor fantasies seem like a popular enough theme in Halloween customs that one would have to imagine it's not uncommon in porn as well).

Otherwise, maybe they just bought some before they were gone in anticipation of this opportunity to be charitable and earn some goodwill. And get their name out to more mainstream public in case potential customers were not aware of them.

[Smoove_B]

In more uplifting news, Governor Cuomo is saying there might be signs the social distancing is working:

New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, has said officials are seeing very early signs that physical distancing may be starting to slow the spread of coronavirus in his state, but cautioned that the number of cases is still rising significantly and hospitals would soon be overwhelmed.

The New York City metro area accounts for 60% of new Covid-19 cases in the US. Despite that, Cuomo said it was encouraging that hospitalizations were projected to double every 4.7 days on Tuesday, compared with Monday, when the number was doubling every 3.4 days, and Sunday, when the figure was every two days.

“The arrows are headed in the right direction, and that is always better than the arrows headed in the wrong direction,” Cuomo said at a press conference Wednesday.

That's certainly encouraging and I hope it holds.

[Daehawk]

Total guess, but props maybe? Gotta imagine there's a significant enough amount of porn that's doctor/hospital/nurse themed that they might have some for props (naughty nurse/doctor fantasies seem like a popular enough theme in Halloween customs that one would have to imagine it's not uncommon in porn as well).

50,000...probably about a weeks worth to them wink wink .

[dbt1949]

It appears that the refund check everyone is looking forward to is actually an advance on next years tax refunds.
It ended up being a lot different than I thought.

[Smoove_B]

What a disgrace

https://twitter.com/BowTiePolitics/stat ... 3928967168

“Gov Tate Reeves signed an executive order superseding a patchwork of local bans on public gatherings in Mississippi and other heightened restrictions that several municipalities across the state have ordered or considered in the wake of COVID-19’s spread”

And in other news in Mississippi:

“The state reached 320 official cases of #COVID19 today, up 300 percent since 80 known cases on Friday.”

So, yea, there’s that. Good job Mississippi. Leading the pack once again.

[Blackhawk]

It appears that the refund check everyone is looking forward to is actually an advance on next years tax refunds.
It ended up being a lot different than I thought.

Is that confirmed anywhere? It seems like it would be hard to work that out given that this also applies to people who don't file a return.

[malchior]

It definitely wasn't characterized as an advance tax refund. If it is then Congress has robbed the American people again to bail out fat cats. Again.

[dbt1949]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus- ... 22608.html

The stimulus money is technically a tax credit for 2020 that will be paid out, in advance, as soon as possible.

Note that the bill has not passed yet.

[Max Peck]

Arizona man dead, wife in hospital after ingesting chloroquine due to coronavirus fears

A Phoenix-area man has died and his wife was in critical condition after the couple took chloroquine phosphate, an aquarium cleaning product similar to an anti-malaria medication that's been touted by U.S. President Donald Trump as a treatment for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Banner Health said Monday that the couple in their 60s got sick within half an hour of ingesting the substance. The man couldn't be resuscitated when he arrived at a hospital, but the woman was able to throw up much of the chemical, Banner Health said.

"Trump kept saying it was basically pretty much a cure," the woman told NBC. She said her advice for people would be: "Don't take anything. Don't believe anything. Don't believe anything that the president says and his people … call your doctor."

[Isgrimnur]

The Hill

The payments are essentially an advance on a credit against 2020 taxes. People who receive advance payments based on their 2018 or 2019 income but qualify for a bigger credit amount based on their income this year will receive the remainder of the credit amount to which they are entitled when they file their 2020 tax returns next year.

Recipients will not have to pay any money back to the government if their 2020 income is greater than their income in previous years, according to a Republican aide for the Senate Finance Committee.

[wonderpug]

So, we should all adjust withholding so we have no refunds coming? Then we just get to magically keep it? Or if I get a $3400 check for my family four then I am going to owe $3400 in next year's taxes? I don't get how this would work.

[Smoove_B]

So, we should all adjust withholding so we have no refunds coming? Then we just get to magically keep it? Or if I get a $3400 check for my family four then I am going to owe $3400 in next year's taxes? I don't get how this would work.

Have you considered just starting an airline?

[LawBeefaroni]

So, we should all adjust withholding so we have no refunds coming? Then we just get to magically keep it? Or if I get a $3400 check for my family four then I am going to owe $3400 in next year's taxes? I don't get how this would work.

Stop asking questing and just spend it, citizen!

[Grifman]

The track we are on . . .

Coronavirus deaths in the US hit the milestone today/tonight of 1,000 cumulative deaths. That's bad but it's going to get worse. Cumulative deaths have been consistently doubling every 3 days for the last two weeks and that seems to be what professionals are currently expecting to be the ongoing trend, and right now they say the peak will be around 3 weeks out. Doubling the cumulative number of deaths every 3 days out to 3 weeks gets us to 128,000 (!!!) deaths. That's the power of exponentials and show even more why need to maintain social distancing for at least the next three weeks. If we don't maintain, it can get a lot worse.

[Kraken]

So, we should all adjust withholding so we have no refunds coming? Then we just get to magically keep it? Or if I get a $3400 check for my family four then I am going to owe $3400 in next year's taxes? I don't get how this would work.

Stop asking questing and just spend it, citizen!

Glad I'm not the only one confuzzled. We don't need the money (yet), so it's going directly into savings. Woohoo! $2,400 that you're afraid to touch!

[Isgrimnur]

Senate version: Subtitle B starting on page 144

[Daehawk]

Even me who is a champion social distancer can only do so much as I have to make multiple stops and multiple trips to try and find a few items I need that are never stocked with less stuff stocked all the time. So next week Id stay home yet again but need to find some items. So instead of what would be 2 stores Im most likely looking at 8 stores and still may not get what I need. Then the next week I have to go back because them my food allowance will be here and I can get the limit of food. Just trying to stay home Im putting myself at greater and greater risk and others with me.

Im so glad this will all be cleared away by Easter like trump says. Phew.

[Isgrimnur]

CNN

The Senate on Wednesday approved a historic, $2 trillion stimulus package to provide a jolt to an economy reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, capping days of intense negotiations that produced one of the most expensive and far-reaching measures Congress has ever considered.

In a remarkable sign of overwhelming bipartisan support for the legislation, the vote was unanimous at 96-0.
...
It will next go to the House for a vote. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced Wednesday evening ahead of Senate passage that the House will convene at 9 a.m. on Friday to consider the relief package. The plan is to pass the bill by voice vote, a move that would allow the House to avoid forcing all members to return to Washington for a recorded roll call vote.

President Donald Trump has indicated he will sign the measure.
...
Legislative text of the final deal was released Wednesday evening ahead of a final vote. Key elements of the proposal are $250 billion set aside for direct payments to individuals and families, $350 billion in small business loans, $250 billion in unemployment insurance benefits and $500 billion in loans for distressed companies.

[stessier]

Senate version: Subtitle B starting on page 144

So if I'm reading that right, it's a tax credit applied above and beyond what you would normally get. If that's true, it's real money a person could spend.

Edit: Maybe. Paragraphs (e) & (f) are really hard for me to parse.

To show my work:

Spoiler:

Starting at the bottom of Page 144, it lays out the tax credit and the amount

21 ‘‘SEC. 6428. 2020 RECOVERY REBATES FOR INDIVIDUALS.
22 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In the case of an eligible indi23 vidual, there shall be allowed as a credit against the tax
24 imposed by subtitle A for the first taxable year beginning
25 in 2020 an amount equal to the sum of—

145
1 ‘‘(1) $1,200 ($2,400 in the case of eligible indi2 viduals filing a joint return), plus
3 ‘‘(2) an amount equal to the product of $500
4 multiplied by the number of qualifying children
5 (within the meaning of section 24(c)) of the tax6 payer.
7 ‘‘(b) TREATMENT OF CREDIT.—The credit allowed by
8 subsection (a) shall be treated as allowed by subpart C
9 of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1.

Then it talks about who gets it and how it phases out.

10 ‘‘(c) LIMITATION BASED ON ADJUSTED GROSS IN
11 COME.—The amount of the credit allowed by subsection
12 (a) (determined without regard to this subsection and sub13 section (e)) shall be reduced (but not below zero) by 5
14 percent of so much of the taxpayer’s adjusted gross in15 come as exceeds—
16 ‘‘(1) $150,000 in the case of a joint return,
17 ‘‘(2) $112,500 in the case of a head of house18 hold, and
19 ‘‘(3) $75,000 in the case of a taxpayer not de20 scribed in paragraph (1) or (2).
21 ‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—For purposes of this
22 section, the term ‘eligible individual’ means any individual
23 other than—
24 ‘‘(1) any nonresident alien individual,

146
1 ‘‘(2) any individual with respect to whom a de
2 duction under section 151 is allowable to another
3 taxpayer for a taxable year beginning in the cal
4 endar year in which the individual’s taxable year be
5 gins, and
6 ‘‘(3) an estate or trust.

Then there is Coordination part. Paragraph (e) says the the refund will be decreased based on Paragraph (f)

7 ‘‘(e) COORDINATION WITH ADVANCE REFUNDS OF
8 CREDIT.—
9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The amount of credit
10 which would (but for this paragraph) be allowable
11 under this section shall be reduced (but not below
12 zero) by the aggregate refunds and credits made or
13 allowed to the taxpayer under subsection (f). Any
14 failure to so reduce the credit shall be treated as
15 arising out of a mathematical or clerical error and
16 assessed according to section 6213(b)(1).
17 ‘‘(2) JOINT RETURNS.—In the case of a refund
18 or credit made or allowed under subsection (f) with
19 respect to a joint return, half of such refund or cred
20 it shall be treated as having been made or allowed
21 to each individual filing such return.

I don't understand what Paragraph (f) is saying. Paragraph (1) seems to be saying that everyone is assumed to have made a tax payment that is enough so that the tax credit can be applied. This would seem to cover everyone who didn't pay taxes in 2019 or 2018 or who didn't pay enough taxes to get the full credit. I don't see how this effects Paragraph (e) to reduce the credit.

‘‘(f) ADVANCE REFUNDS AND CREDITS.—
23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (5),
24 each individual who was an eligible individual for
25 such individual’s first taxable year beginning in

147
1 2019 shall be treated as having made a payment
2 against the tax imposed by chapter 1 for such tax
3 able year in an amount equal to the advance refund
4 amount for such taxable year.
5 ‘‘(2) ADVANCE REFUND AMOUNT.—For pur
6 poses of paragraph (1), the advance refund amount
7 is the amount that would have been allowed as a
8 credit under this section for such taxable year if this
9 section (other than subsection (e) and this sub
10 section) had applied to such taxable year.
11 ‘‘(3) TIMING AND MANNER OF PAYMENTS.—
12 ‘‘(A) TIMING.—The Secretary shall, sub
13 ject to the provisions of this title, refund or
14 credit any overpayment attributable to this sec
15 tion as rapidly as possible. No refund or credit
16 shall be made or allowed under this subsection
17 after December 31, 2020.
18 ‘‘(B) DELIVERY OF PAYMENTS.—Notwith
19 standing any other provision of law, the Sec
20 retary may certify and disburse refunds payable
21 under this subsection electronically to any ac
22 count to which the payee authorized, on or after
23 January 1, 2018, the delivery of a refund of
24 taxes under this title or of a Federal payment

148
1 (as defined in section 3332 of title 31, United
2 States Code).
3 ‘‘(C) WAIVER OF CERTAIN RULES.—Not
4 withstanding section 3325 of title 31, United
5 States Code, or any other provision of law, with
6 respect to any payment of a refund under this
7 subsection, a disbursing official in the executive
8 branch of the United States Government may
9 modify payment information received from an
10 officer or employee described in section
11 3325(a)(1)(B) of such title for the purpose of
12 facilitating the accurate and efficient delivery of
13 such payment. Except in cases of fraud or reck
14 less neglect, no liability under sections 3325,
15 3527, 3528, or 3529 of title 31, United States
16 Code, shall be imposed with respect to pay
17 ments made under this subparagraph.
18 ‘‘(4) NO INTEREST.—No interest shall be al
19 lowed on any overpayment attributable to this sec
20 tion.
21 ‘‘(5) ALTERNATE TAXABLE YEAR.—In the case
22 of an individual who, at the time of any determina
23 tion made pursuant to paragraph (3), has not filed
24 a tax return for the year described in paragraph (1),
25 the Secretary may—

149
1 ‘‘(A) apply such paragraph by substituting
2 ‘2018’ for ‘2019’, and
3 ‘‘(B) if the individual has not filed a tax
4 return for such individual’s first taxable year
5 beginning in 2018, use information with respect
6 to such individual for calendar year 2019 pro
7 vided in—
8 ‘‘(i) Form SSA-1099, Social Security
9 Benefit Statement, or
10 ‘‘(ii) Form RRB-1099, Social Security
11 Equivalent Benefit Statement.

[Zaxxon]

Gotta love the American tax system. Complicate things to keep accountants happy.

[malchior]

That is my interpretation as well. The Act creates a credit for the 2020 tax year and gives it to you in advance even if you ordinarily wouldn't be eligible for a credit. FWIW the UI stuff in section A has a ton of pitfalls by my reading. It is a minefield of conditions. Now to read how the Plutocrats are raiding the public coffers.

[raydude]

Made a chart using statistics from Our World in data. This is the same source Dr. Ali Kahn used for his chart on his twitter feed. I added the "doubling every 4 days" line because I wanted more detail into how we are trending. This does not look good. If we're lucky we will hit 10k by Easter. If unlucky then the week before Easter.

Please feel free to check my math. I used March 5 as the US start date for 10 deaths.

[Octavious]

That is my interpretation as well. The Act creates a credit for the 2020 tax year and gives it to you in advance even if you ordinarily wouldn't be eligible for a credit. FWIW the UI stuff in section A has a ton of pitfalls by my reading. It is a minefield of conditions. Now to read how the Plutocrats are raiding the public coffers.

So wait you're saying that for next tax year if you were getting back 2900 you will now get zip? I withhold pretty much exactly what I need to do I usually owe a tiny bit. This works in my favor while fucks anyone that uses it as a kickback every year. Especially as Trump won't point this out for obvious reasons.

[stessier]

That is my interpretation as well. The Act creates a credit for the 2020 tax year and gives it to you in advance even if you ordinarily wouldn't be eligible for a credit. FWIW the UI stuff in section A has a ton of pitfalls by my reading. It is a minefield of conditions. Now to read how the Plutocrats are raiding the public coffers.

So wait you're saying that for next tax year if you were getting back 2900 you will now get zip? I withhold pretty much exactly what I need to do I usually owe a tiny bit. This works in my favor while fucks anyone that uses it as a kickback every year. Especially as Trump won't point this out for obvious reasons.

No.

So say your tax liability is 7000. You arrange it so that you get back 3000 (using round numbers for easy math), meaning the tax you paid through the year was 10,000.

This is a tax credit. It comes right off your tax liability. So now you still paid 10,000 throughout the year but your tax bill is only 4000 (assuming 2 adults and 2 kids - 3000 stimulus check now). So next year they will say "Hey, you only owe 4000 and paid 10,000. You are due 6000 back, but we already gave you 3000 so here is the other 3000."

[Defiant]

Made a chart using statistics from Our World in data. This is the same source Dr. Ali Kahn used for his chart on his twitter feed. I added the "doubling every 4 days" line because I wanted more detail into how we are trending. This does not look good. If we're lucky we will hit 10k by Easter. If unlucky then the week before Easter.

Please feel free to check my math. I used March 5 as the US start date for 10 deaths.

Yeah, (2^X)(10)=10000, X is approximately 10, so it would be 30 or 40 days from the 10th death, depending on whether it's doubling every 3 or 4 days, so sometime between April 4 and April 14th. The question is will social distancing have slowed it down any (and given the hodge podge response we've had, it'll probably slow it down in some places, but not other places, so who knows?)

[malchior]

What I'm interested in is how they'll do the credit for people with no tax liability. I also get why they are saying it'll drag into May. The IRS pretty much has to create software code to sort all this out and get checks out the door. By then a lot of people will be hurting.

**************************************************************

Made a chart using statistics from Our World in data. This is the same source Dr. Ali Kahn used for his chart on his twitter feed. I added the "doubling every 4 days" line because I wanted more detail into how we are trending. This does not look good. If we're lucky we will hit 10k by Easter. If unlucky then the week before Easter.

Please feel free to check my math. I used March 5 as the US start date for 10 deaths.

Yeah, (2^X)(10)=10000, X is approximately 10, so it would be 30 or 40 days from the 10th death, depending on whether it's doubling every 3 or 4 days, so sometime between April 4 and April 14th. The question is will social distancing have slowed it down any (and given the hodge podge response we've had, it'll probably slow it down in some places, but not other places, so who knows?)

The early and partially continuing testing failures leave us with a severely lagging indicator to know if its working. Hospitalizations/Deaths. And those probably aren't being even counted right. Though they are probably reasonably accurate enough to know - there will just be some blind spots that'll devil response.

[stessier]

What I'm interested in is how they'll do the credit for people with no tax liability.

Isn't that what this Section basically takes care of? (Page 154)

(d) EXCEPTION FROM REDUCTION OR OFFSET.—
10 Any credit or refund allowed or made to any individual
11 by reason of section 6428 of the Internal Revenue Code
12 of 1986 (as added by this section) or by reason of sub
13 section (c) of this section shall not be—
14 (1) subject to reduction or offset pursuant to
15 section 3716 or 3720A of title 31, United States
16 Code,
17 (2) subject to reduction or offset pursuant to
18 subsection (d), (e), or (f) of section 6402 of the In
19 ternal Revenue Code of 1986, or
20 (3) reduced or offset by other assessed Federal
21 taxes that would otherwise be subject to levy or col22 lection.

Doesn't that basically mean that even if they have no tax liability, this credit stands?

[pr0ner]

I'm kind of glad I won't be getting a check. That sounds way too messy.