Mitch McConnell attempts to distance himself from Trump – Lawsuits awaiting Trump following his departure from the White House – Trump’s send-off – COVID long-haulers – Prince William Forest – Evening statistics
Today, this last complete day of Donald Trump’s administration, Mitch McConnell has issued a statement placing blame of the attempted insurrection unequivocally on Trump’s shoulders: “The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people.”
I strongly suspect that McConnell is only too glad of an excuse to turn upon Trump, who has been an embarrassment to the Republican Party for the past four years. Perhaps, also, there is an element of personal resentment involved, since McConnell was among the legislators whose safety was jeopardized by the assault on the Capitol. What he means to do for follow-up is another matter. Will he vote to convict Trump when the article of impeachment is presented to the Senate? And will he urge other Senators to do so? In that case, obtaining the votes of 17 Republican Senators in favor of conviction becomes more likely. But one mustn’t get one’s hopes up. In all likelihood he will say enough to dissociate himself from Trump, or at any rate make an attempt in that direction. But beyond a certain point, the critical point, he probably will not go.
Trump, however, has other issues awaiting him besides the impeachment. Roberta Kaplan, a prominent lawyer, is preparing to bring no fewer than three separate cases against him: 1) on behalf of Mary Trump, who claims that Trump and two of his siblings defrauded her from her due share of her grandfather’s estate; 2) on behalf of Jean Carroll, for defamation of character after Trump claimed that she “was totally lying” about his having raped her; 3) on behalf of those who took part in ACN, a company that was promoted on “The Celebrity Apprentice” as a marketing opportunity, and who lost their entire investment. This last-named suit includes Trump’s three eldest children as co-defendants. Trump is also facing a civil investigation from New York Attorney General Letitia James and a criminal investigation Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. So at any rate he will have his hands full over the next few months at least.
He has been lying low for the past several days, but undoubtedly he will wish to upstage Biden tomorrow. He has been attempting to set up an elaborate send-off ceremony, but it is already clear that neither Mike Pence nor the majority of GOP leaders plan to attend. Donald Trump should not be surprised to discover that his erstwhile followers are losing no time in turning their faces to the rising sun. There is no pupil without his teacher; and what sort of example in loyalty has he set for them? He has discarded his tools without hesitation once they served their purpose, and now his turn has come at last.
I have speculated about whether experts are attempting to collect data on people who have recovered from COVID but who are left with after-effects. It appears that this aspect of the virus is not as neglected as I had originally believed. Researchers at the UK’s Leicester University and the Office for National Statistics have data showing that over 29% of those who were hospitalized as a result of COVID returned to be treated for respiratory disorders within five months and 12.3% (about 1 in 8 patients) died from respiratory complications. More studies are needed, of course. This one covers only those whose cases are of a severity level that requires hospitalization. The CDC has recognized since July the issue of so-called “long haulers”: people who recovered from the disease, and in many cases not requiring hospitalization at all, but who continue to suffer from symptoms such as lingering shortness of breath, back pain, continual fatigue, hair loss, neuropathy and diabetes (and others – this is not a complete list). One CDC study indicated that as many as 35% of those who tested positive do not return to level of health they had before contracting the virus, but the statistical sampling is fairly small (less than 300) and naturally enough it does not include those who were asymptomatic and who, on that account, never got tested at all.
It was quiet in the capital today, and quiet outside of its boundaries as well: for instance, in Prince William Forest, where I hiked with the Vigorous Hikers today. The hikes there are not spectacular but they are very pleasant, going through an area of gently rolling hills with a network of paths centered about the two branches of Quantico Creek. We covered 18½ miles, with 1400 feet of elevation gain. The hike went along various trails that are less frequently used, or at any rate not much used by the hikes I’ve done in the park in earlier years, such as the Turkey Run Ridge Trail and the Birch Bluff Trail. I’ve been on them in the past, but such a long time ago that they were almost like new trails for me. It was a beautiful day, mostly sunny and temperatures reach 50 degrees. A white squirrel is supposed to be residing in the park but we did not see it today; on the other hand, several noteworthy birds flew above, including a pileated woodpecker. All in all, the hike provided a great alleviation for the sour mood that afflicted me yesterday.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 96,589,022; # of deaths worldwide: 2,063,879; # of cases U.S.: 24,799,787; # of deaths; U.S.: 408,615. The death toll is over 2,700 today, a number considerably greater than those of the past two days but still short of the 4,000+ deaths we saw some days of the previous week.