So stupidity reigns in America as Trump openly admits he is taking hydroxychloroquine to ward off the coronavirus, despite public health officials warning it may be unsafe. Speaking at the White House, while the 73-year-old president was hosting a meeting devoted to the struggling restaurant industry on Monday, he caught reporters unawares by revealing he was taking the malaria and lupus medication. I tell you this bloke is mentally incompetent and the medical staff who oversee his health must be also. In this surprise announcement he stated "I'm taking it for about a week and a half now and I'm still here, I'm still here," even his speach indicates there is something really wrong with him. The regulatory body who oversees medications warn that the drug may cause heart problems and there is no physical or written evidence that hydroxychloroquine can even fight coronavirus. He went on in the same speach to say "You'd be surprised at how many people are taking it, especially the frontline workers before you catch it, the frontline workers, many, many are taking it," he told reporters. "I happen to be taking it". Then when he was asked what was his evidence of hydroxychloroquine's positive benefits, Mr Trump said: "Here's my evidence: I get a lot of positive calls about it". I thought the twenty fifth ammendmaent could be used to remove a president suspected of health issues, especially mental health, so why is this bloke still in charge and why are so many idiots willing to put up with him or even consider reelecting him for four more years.
On the back of this surprise announcement came another report that Trump has gone to war with the World Health Organisation and has sent a letter to the head of the Organisation threatening to pull US funding permanently over COVID-19. The letter outlines a 30-day deadline for the body to commit to "substantive improvements" or risk losing millions and US membership altogether. So America has a mentally dysfunctional man threatening a health organisation with money which is an issue waiting to happen. The letter was addressed to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, it criticises stages of the body's response since December. Earlier on Monday, Mr Trump called the UN's health body a "puppet of China" which in my opinion is his way of deflecting his own incompetence on to everyone else as he faces re-election this year and has himself been criticised for his handling of the pandemic. Trump has systematically laid the blame at China for trying to cover up the outbreak and has accused the WHO of failing to hold Beijing to account. China has repeatedly denied the allegations. On Tuesday the foreign ministry said Mr Trump was trying to mislead the public and smear China. The US has more than 1.5 million of the world's 4.8 million confirmed cases of coronavirus so far, with more than 90,000 deaths.
So what's been going on in Blighty, shall we see if it's rant worthy. The political leaders have engaged in a war of words over the handling of the coronavirus during the coverage of PMQs, Sir Keir Starmer has accused the PM of misleading MPs over advice to care homes at the start of the coronavirus pandemic on controlling infections. Sir Keir has written to the PM to ask him to return to the Commons to correct the record. Downing Street said Sir Keir Starmer had "inaccurately and selectively" quoted from guidance for care homes. Other figures that are being reported are that the number of people claiming unemployment benefit in the UK soared to 2.1 million in April, the first full month of the coronavirus lockdown. The benefit claimant count does not include everyone who is out of work, since not all can claim assistance, but it does indicate the trend. Meanwhile, claims for universal credit - the benefit for working-age people in the UK - hit a record level in the early weeks of lockdown. More than one in three 18 to 24 year old worker is earning less than before the outbreak. It said younger workers risk their pay being affected for years, while older staff may end up involuntarily retired.
As one of those people relying on Universal credit it still bewilders me how people earning fifty to one hundred thousand pounds a year can dictate what an average person should be able to live on, what I would like to see happen is for the leaders of the political parties spend a month living on a single person or even a married couples benefits and see how long they can make the money last when they have to pay an average months expenses as well as any unexpected shortfalls that may crop up. These so called experts have been living the high life that long they wouldn't know how to survive on benefits and would quickly come to the conclusion that it is harder to not work than it is to work because as soon as anyone reaches the poverty level there is really no way out of the downward spiral.
