New Orleans mayor says she would have canceled Mardi Gras if Trump administration had warned about coronavirus dangers

[Auburn85 251]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-orleans-mayor-says-she-would-have-canceled-mardi-gras-if-trump-administration-was-upfront-about-coronavirus/

 

Quote

 

The mayor of New Orleans said Thursday that she would have canceled the city's famous Mardi Gras celebrationslast month if the federal government had been clearer about the dangers posed by coronavirus. Orleans Parish is now one of America's hardest-hit regions during the pandemic — with the nation's highest per capita death rate from the virus. 

Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a Democrat, said that "no red flags were given" by federal agencies before its Mardi Gras celebrations in late February — just weeks before the World Health Organization declared coronavirus a pandemic. 

"Given data, allowing science to lead us, it does matter," Cantrell told CNN. "Leaders on the ground, we rely on the facts to make decisions for the people that we serve. Given no red flags, we moved forward. In hindsight, if we were given clear direction, we would not have had Mardi Gras, and I would have been the leader to cancel it."

Cantrell also singled out President Trump when asked if the federal government gave no indication the Mardi Gras celebrations should be canceled.

"That's absolutely correct, and it was backed up by the response of our national leader," she said.

New Orleans confirmed its first coronavirus case about two weeks after the end of Mardi Gras. Cantrell went on to cancel some of the city's major events for March, including its St. Patrick's Day parade.

"When it's not taken seriously on the federal level, it's very difficult to transcend down to the local level in making these decisions," she said on CNN. "But when the experts told me that social gatherings would be an issue, I moved forward with canceling them."

Orleans Parish now has the highest per capita coronavirus death rate in the nation by far, according to an analysis by the Times-Picayune/The Advocate. It has seen 11.76 deaths for every 100,000 residents — more than twice the rate of any borough in New York City, which is the nation's epicenter for coronavirus cases. 

Louisiana has confirmed 2,305 coronavirus cases and 83 deaths. Forty-six of those deaths were in Orleans Parish. 

 

 

[jj3jordan 389]

Doubtful. Clearly Trumps fault though.

[augolf1716 9,891]

1 hour ago, jj3jordan said:

Doubtful. Clearly Trumps fault though.

No its New Orleans so its Bush fault..........sorry couldn't resist

[Mikey 8,004]

4 hours ago, Auburn85 said:

In hindsight,

Gee, her hindsight is 20-20. Imagine that!

[ShocksMyBrain 4,809]

2 hours ago, augolf1716 said:

No its New Orleans so its Bush fault..........sorry couldn't resist

[kevon67 2,072]

10 minutes ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

Mike Myers facial expression priceless😂

 

[ShocksMyBrain 4,809]

1 hour ago, kevon67 said:

Mike Myers facial expression priceless😂

 

100%

[aubiefifty 4,313]

trump was very slow in reacting to the virus. he kept claiming deep state and a dem hoax. that is fact. you boys can spin it anyway you want. he was warned about pandemics when he first took office and he was told again in january. now he has gone from dem hoax to blaming obama. he is a frigging idiot. if i claimed he held off doing anything so  orleans will lose some folks of color you guys would be all over me. that is fact. but when bone spurs claims all this crap you guys give him a pass and you guys are just fine with it.

Edited March 29 by aubiefifty

[I_M4_AU 2,688]

Please tell me which one of our illustrious leaders would have done anything different in similar situations.  It is so easy to point fingers once we know the effects of something, but another to be in the moment when making decision. 

I know you people hate Tucker, but listen to his 5 minute review of the leaders of NYC and what their advice was on Feb 2.  If you can’t stand the sound of his voice, mute it until the clips of the Dr. Barbot and other NYC leaders are on talking about going to public events on that day.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/tucker-carlson-nyc-leaders-endangering-public-coronavirus

Now read what Gov Cuomo said on March 8th:

N.Y. Governor Andrew Cuomo joined FNC's "Sunday Morning Futures" host Maria Bartiromo that while the situation with the coronavirus is severe, people should avoid panicking and all efforts should be made to avoid "shutting everything down for two weeks" like China has done. 

"Remember what we're really trying to do here is avoid the massive disruption of closing everything down for two weeks, the way China did, the way Italy is doing. And we're trying to protect the vulnerable populations for whom this Coronavirus could really be dangerous, senior citizens, immune-compromised," he said. 

Bartiromo asked whether mass transit systems should be shut down as a precaution, citing the outbreak in Westchester county linked to a passenger on the MetroNorth rail system. 

"At this time, there's no reason to close down mass transit, Maria. We haven't had -- to the extent, we have big numbers in New York, it's actually in Westchester, which is a suburban community, as you know, where you have a cluster of cases," Cuomo replied.

"And once you get that cluster, they tend to exponentially increase. And that's what we're dealing with in Westchester. But, in New York City, we have a relatively minor number so far."

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2020/03/08/ny_gov_andrew_cuomo_on_coronavirus_no_need_to_panic_or_shut_down_mass_transit.html

Some heroes in this world have become heroes after first *stepping in it* and have dug their way out.  It has yet been determined who the heroes are at this time.  Stay healthy and wash your hands.

The New Orleans Mayor is not a leader.

[homersapien 4,896]

Perhaps if we had a President who valued input from scientific experts and the intelligent community - and was competent enough to take such reports seriously - warnings or directives would have been issued prior to such events as Mardi Gras.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/us-intelligence-reports-from-january-and-february-warned-about-a-likely-pandemic/2020/03/20/299d8cda-6ad5-11ea-b5f1-a5a804158597_story.html

U.S. intelligence reports from January and February warned about a likely pandemic

By

Shane Harris, 

Greg Miller, 

Josh Dawsey and 

Ellen Nakashima 

March 20, 2020 at 8:10 p.m. EDT

U.S. intelligence agencies were issuing ominous, classified warnings in January and February about the global danger posed by the coronavirus while President Trump and lawmakers played down the threat and failed to take action that might have slowed the spread of the pathogen, according to U.S. officials familiar with spy agency reporting.

The intelligence reports didn’t predict when the virus might land on U.S. shores or recommend particular steps that public health officials should take, issues outside the purview of the intelligence agencies. But they did track the spread of the virus in China, and later in other countries, and warned that Chinese officials appeared to be minimizing the severity of the outbreak.

Taken together, the reports and warnings painted an early picture of a virus that showed the characteristics of a globe-encircling pandemic that could require governments to take swift actions to contain it. But despite that constant flow of reporting, Trump continued publicly and privately to play down the threat the virus posed to Americans. Lawmakers, too, did not grapple with the virus in earnest until this month, as officials scrambled to keep citizens in their homes and hospitals braced for a surge in patients suffering from covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Intelligence agencies “have been warning on this since January,” said a U.S. official who had access to intelligence reporting that was disseminated to members of Congress and their staffs as well as to officials in the Trump administration, and who, along with others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive information.

Donald Trump may not have been expecting this, but a lot of other people in the government were — they just couldn’t get him to do anything about it,” this official said. “The system was blinking red.”

Spokespeople for the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment, and a White House spokesman rebutted criticism of Trump’s response.

“President Trump has taken historic, aggressive measures to protect the health, wealth and safety of the American people — and did so, while the media and Democrats chose to only focus on the stupid politics of a sham illegitimate impeachment,” Hogan Gidley said in a statement. “It’s more than disgusting, despicable and disgraceful for cowardly unnamed sources to attempt to rewrite history — it’s a clear threat to this great country.”

Public health experts have criticized China for being slow to respond to the coronavirus outbreak, which originated in Wuhan, and have said precious time was lost in the effort to slow the spread. At a White House briefing Friday, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said officials had been alerted to the initial reports of the virus by discussions that the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had with Chinese colleagues on Jan. 3.

The warnings from U.S. intelligence agencies increased in volume toward the end of January and into early February, said officials familiar with the reports. By then, a majority of the intelligence reporting included in daily briefing papers and digests from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the CIA was about covid-19, said officials who have read the reports.

The surge in warnings coincided with a move by Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) to sell dozens of stocks worth between $628,033 and $1.72 million. As chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Burr was privy to virtually all of the highly classified reporting on the coronavirus. Burr issued a statement Friday defending his sell-off, saying he sold based entirely on publicly available information, and he called for the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate.

A key task for analysts during disease outbreaks is to determine whether foreign officials are trying to minimize the effects of an outbreak or take steps to hide a public health crisis, according to current and former officials familiar with the process.

At the State Department, personnel had been nervously tracking early reports about the virus. One official noted that it was discussed at a meeting in the third week of January, around the time that cable traffic showed that U.S. diplomats in Wuhan were being brought home on chartered planes — a sign that the public health risk was significant. A colleague at the White House mentioned how concerned he was about the transmissibility of the virus.

“In January, there was obviously a lot of chatter,” the official said.

Inside the White House, Trump’s advisers struggled to get him to take the virus seriously, according to multiple officials with knowledge of meetings among those advisers and with the president.

Azar couldn’t get through to Trump to speak with him about the virus until Jan. 18, according to two senior administration officials. When he reached Trump by phone, the president interjected to ask about vaping and when flavored vaping products would be back on the market, the senior administration officials said.

On Jan. 27, White House aides huddled with then-acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney in his office, trying to get senior officials to pay more attention to the virus, according to people briefed on the meeting. Joe Grogan, the head of the White House Domestic Policy Council, argued that the administration needed to take the virus seriously or it could cost the president his reelection, and that dealing with the virus was likely to dominate life in the United States for many months.

Mulvaney then began convening more regular meetings. In early briefings, however, officials said Trump was dismissive because he did not believe that the virus had spread widely throughout the United States.

By early February, Grogan and others worried that there weren’t enough tests to determine the rate of infection, according to people who spoke directly to Grogan. Other officials, including Matthew Pottinger, the president’s deputy national security adviser, began calling for a more forceful response, according to people briefed on White House meetings.

But Trump resisted and continued to assure Americans that the coronavirus would never run rampant as it had in other countries.

“I think it’s going to work out fine,” Trump said on Feb. 19. “I think when we get into April, in the warmer weather, that has a very negative effect on that and that type of a virus.”

“The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA,” Trump tweeted five days later. “Stock Market starting to look very good to me!”

But earlier that month, a senior official in the Department of Health and Human Services delivered a starkly different message to the Senate Intelligence Committee, in a classified briefing that four U.S. officials said covered the coronavirus and its global health implications. The House Intelligence Committee received a similar briefing.

Robert Kadlec, the assistant secretary for preparedness and response — who was joined by intelligence officials, including from the CIA — told committee members that the virus posed a “serious” threat, one of those officials said.

Kadlec didn’t provide specific recommendations, but he said that to get ahead of the virus and blunt its effects, Americans would need to take actions that could disrupt their daily lives, the official said. “It was very alarming.”

Trump’s insistence on the contrary seemed to rest in his relationship with China’s President Xi Jingping, whom Trump believed was providing him with reliable information about how the virus was spreading in China, despite reports from intelligence agencies that Chinese officials were not being candid about the true scale of the crisis.

Some of Trump’s advisers told him that Beijing was not providing accurate numbers of people who were infected or who had died, according to administration officials. Rather than press China to be more forthcoming, Trump publicly praised its response.

“China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus,” Trump tweeted Jan. 24. “The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!”

Some of Trump’s advisers encouraged him to be tougher on China over its decision not to allow teams from the CDC into the country, administration officials said.

In one February meeting, the president said that if he struck a tougher tone against Xi, the Chinese would be less willing to give the Americans information about how they were tackling the outbreak.

Trump on Feb. 3 banned foreigners who had been in China in the previous 14 days from entering the United States, a step he often credits for helping to protect Americans against the virus. He has also said publicly that the Chinese weren’t honest about the effects of the virus. But that travel ban wasn’t accompanied by additional significant steps to prepare for when the virus eventually infected people in the United States in great numbers.

As the disease spread beyond China, U.S. spy agencies tracked outbreaks in Iran, South Korea, Taiwan, Italy and elsewhere in Europe, the officials familiar with those reports said. The majority of the information came from public sources, including news reports and official statements, but a significant portion also came from classified intelligence sources. As new cases popped up, the volume of reporting spiked.

As the first cases of infection were confirmed in the United States, Trump continued to insist that the risk to Americans was small.

“I think the virus is going to be — it’s going to be fine,” he said on Feb. 10.

“We have a very small number of people in the country, right now, with it,” he said four days later. “It’s like around 12. Many of them are getting better. Some are fully recovered already. So we’re in very good shape.”

On Feb. 25, Nancy Messonnier, a senior CDC official, sounded perhaps the most significant public alarm to that point, when she told reporters that the coronavirus was likely to spread within communities in the United States and that disruptions to daily life could be “severe.” Trump called Azar on his way back from a trip to India and complained that Messonnier was scaring the stock markets, according to two senior administration officials.

Trump eventually changed his tone after being shown statistical models about the spread of the virus from other countries and hearing directly from Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, as well as from chief executives last week rattled by a plunge in the stock market, said people ­familiar with Trump’s conversations.

But by then, the signs pointing to a major outbreak in the United States were everywhere.

[jj3jordan 389]

19 hours ago, augolf1716 said:

No its New Orleans so its Bush fault..........sorry couldn't resist

That's right.  Bush blew up the levees so more blacks would die.

[TexasTiger 4,188]

8 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

Please tell me which one of our illustrious leaders would have done anything different in similar situations.  It is so easy to point fingers once we know the effects of something, but another to be in the moment when making decision. 

I know you people hate Tucker, but listen to his 5 minute review of the leaders of NYC and what their advice was on Feb 2.  If you can’t stand the sound of his voice, mute it until the clips of the Dr. Barbot and other NYC leaders are on talking about going to public events on that day.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/tucker-carlson-nyc-leaders-endangering-public-coronavirus

Now read what Gov Cuomo said on March 8th:

N.Y. Governor Andrew Cuomo joined FNC's "Sunday Morning Futures" host Maria Bartiromo that while the situation with the coronavirus is severe, people should avoid panicking and all efforts should be made to avoid "shutting everything down for two weeks" like China has done. 

"Remember what we're really trying to do here is avoid the massive disruption of closing everything down for two weeks, the way China did, the way Italy is doing. And we're trying to protect the vulnerable populations for whom this Coronavirus could really be dangerous, senior citizens, immune-compromised," he said. 

Bartiromo asked whether mass transit systems should be shut down as a precaution, citing the outbreak in Westchester county linked to a passenger on the MetroNorth rail system. 

"At this time, there's no reason to close down mass transit, Maria. We haven't had -- to the extent, we have big numbers in New York, it's actually in Westchester, which is a suburban community, as you know, where you have a cluster of cases," Cuomo replied.

"And once you get that cluster, they tend to exponentially increase. And that's what we're dealing with in Westchester. But, in New York City, we have a relatively minor number so far."

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2020/03/08/ny_gov_andrew_cuomo_on_coronavirus_no_need_to_panic_or_shut_down_mass_transit.html

Some heroes in this world have become heroes after first *stepping in it* and have dug their way out.  It has yet been determined who the heroes are at this time.  Stay healthy and wash your hands.

The New Orleans Mayor is not a leader.

 Cuomo screwed up, De Blasio screwed up and Trump screwed up by failing to set the tone nationally and activating national preparedness.

Is that bipartisan or nonpartisan enough for you? Repeat after me, “each of them failed, including the President.” Can you do it?

[I_M4_AU 2,688]

29 minutes ago, TexasTiger said:

 Cuomo screwed up, De Blasio screwed up and Trump screwed up by failing to set the tone nationally and activating national preparedness.

Is that bipartisan or nonpartisan enough for you? Repeat after me, “each of them failed, including the President.” Can you do it?

That’s basically my point.  This virus is what it is, nobody could have gotten ahead of this thing and the media’s constant bashing does no good.  We need to more forward and not look back to beat this thing.  The time for blame will happen when we’ve beaten it.  Keep healthy and stay at home.

[TexasTiger 4,188]

7 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

That’s basically my point.  This virus is what it is, nobody could have gotten ahead of this thing and the media’s constant bashing does no good.  We need to more forward and not look back to beat this thing.  The time for blame will happen when we’ve beaten it.  Keep healthy and stay at home.

And I think they’re all fair game and warrant criticism for certain decisions.

[AUDub 6,381]

1 hour ago, TexasTiger said:

...De Blasio screwed up...

He doesn't mind digging that hole deeper, apparently. 

I mean, I get it, but that's like 30 different kinds of unconstitutional. 

[TexasTiger 4,188]

23 minutes ago, AUDub said:

He doesn't mind digging that hole deeper, apparently. 

I mean, I get it, but that's like 30 different kinds of unconstitutional. 

He’s a total loser. Cuomo screwed up, too, but he seems capable of managing a crisis. Deblasio and Trump are lost, pathetic egomaniacs.

[alexava 5,189]

N.Y. mayor is not wrong but needs to take some responsibility or not point fingers at trump. That’s not leadership on her part either. 

[TexasTiger 4,188]

12 minutes ago, alexava said:

N.Y. mayor is not wrong but needs to take some responsibility or not point fingers at trump. That’s not leadership on her part either. 

He needs to own it, recognize he failed to recognize the magnitude and say now it’s time to focus on the crisis.

[alexava 5,189]

12 minutes ago, TexasTiger said:

He needs to own it, recognize he failed to recognize the magnitude and say now it’s time to focus on the crisis.

What kind of odds are you willing to give on that?

[TexasTiger 4,188]

49 minutes ago, alexava said:

What kind of odds are you willing to give on that?

None. He’s a loser.

[bigbird 25,921]

For each person in power It's a critical balancing act between stemming public panic and establishing enough of the right protocols to slow the spread. I don't think any expected the magnitude of the virus and it would've been almost impossible to stop any public panic if they had immediately implemented the appropriate measures early on. This is a brand new situation. We've never faced anything like it while this populated, this interconnected, or this capable of travel. From the science to the politics to the finances, there is an obvious learning curve by all involved. I think it's extremely nearsighted to try and pinpoint blame. Unfortunately it's human nature to try and blame anyone else. Rather than spending time trying to blame anyone we should be trying to climb the curve faster. IMO, blame is an exercise in futility and does nothing good except build animosity and appease one's own need to feel better about the situation. JMO.

[augolf1716 9,891]

27 minutes ago, bigbird said:

For each person in power It's a critical balancing act between stemming public panic and establishing enough of the right protocols to slow the spread. I don't think any expected the magnitude of the virus and it would've been almost impossible to stop any public panic if they had immediately implemented the appropriate measures early on. This is a brand new situation. We've never faced anything like it while this populated, this interconnected, or this capable of travel. From the science to the politics to the finances, there is an obvious learning curve by all involved. I think it's extremely nearsighted to try and pinpoint blame. Unfortunately it's human nature to try and blame anyone else. Rather than spending time trying to blame anyone we should be trying to climb the curve faster. IMO, blame is an exercise in futility and does nothing good except build animosity and appease one's own need to feel better about the situation. JMO.

Well damn............. one of the best posts by you of your 30,930 posts

[aubiefifty 4,313]

23 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

Please tell me which one of our illustrious leaders would have done anything different in similar situations.  It is so easy to point fingers once we know the effects of something, but another to be in the moment when making decision. 

I know you people hate Tucker, but listen to his 5 minute review of the leaders of NYC and what their advice was on Feb 2.  If you can’t stand the sound of his voice, mute it until the clips of the Dr. Barbot and other NYC leaders are on talking about going to public events on that day.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/tucker-carlson-nyc-leaders-endangering-public-coronavirus

Now read what Gov Cuomo said on March 8th:

N.Y. Governor Andrew Cuomo joined FNC's "Sunday Morning Futures" host Maria Bartiromo that while the situation with the coronavirus is severe, people should avoid panicking and all efforts should be made to avoid "shutting everything down for two weeks" like China has done. 

"Remember what we're really trying to do here is avoid the massive disruption of closing everything down for two weeks, the way China did, the way Italy is doing. And we're trying to protect the vulnerable populations for whom this Coronavirus could really be dangerous, senior citizens, immune-compromised," he said. 

Bartiromo asked whether mass transit systems should be shut down as a precaution, citing the outbreak in Westchester county linked to a passenger on the MetroNorth rail system. 

"At this time, there's no reason to close down mass transit, Maria. We haven't had -- to the extent, we have big numbers in New York, it's actually in Westchester, which is a suburban community, as you know, where you have a cluster of cases," Cuomo replied.

"And once you get that cluster, they tend to exponentially increase. And that's what we're dealing with in Westchester. But, in New York City, we have a relatively minor number so far."

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2020/03/08/ny_gov_andrew_cuomo_on_coronavirus_no_need_to_panic_or_shut_down_mass_transit.html

Some heroes in this world have become heroes after first *stepping in it* and have dug their way out.  It has yet been determined who the heroes are at this time.  Stay healthy and wash your hands.

The New Orleans Mayor is not a leader.

trump was briefed on this when he took office. he was briefed earlier this year and instead of acting he made it political by claiming it was deep state and a dem hoax. you guys can cover for him all you want but i saw it and heard him.

[McLoofus 22,075]

1 hour ago, bigbird said:

Rather than spending time trying to blame anyone we should be trying to climb the curve faster.

They're not mutually exclusive pursuits.

1 hour ago, bigbird said:

IMO, blame is an exercise in futility and does nothing good except build animosity and appease one's own need to feel better about the situation.

In terms of trading shots on message boards and social media, you're right.

In terms of holding leadership accountable, assessing their credibility, and making informed decisions for your and your family's safety, though, it's extremely important right now. Trump has proven that he is extremely preoccupied with his ratings. He's literally tweeting about the numbers his latest TV show briefings are doing. That's him. Those are his words. That's not MSM or left-leaning keyboard cowboys. So yes, it actually is extremely important that both the media and the public continue to voice disapproval of his persistent missteps, misinformation, and outward disregard for the opinions of the grownups in the room. (I'm willing to believe that he's listening more than he lets on, but the messaging matters. Or at least it used to, and it still should. Leader of the free world and all that.)

I'll repeat a personal anecdote. Two weeks ago, at the exact same time that Trump was (correctly) announcing a new guideline of no more than 10 people gathered at once, my CIO- for a very large regional healthcare system- had the entire IT department gathered together nuts to butts in one conference room. One other person and I were the only ones in the entire department who saw an issue with this and went back to our desks to call into the meeting (which was held to announce, and I quote, "Business as usual"). We didn't get a chance to point out to our coworkers what a terrible idea that was, as the meeting was not announced ahead of time. Now we're stuck in the same, small building as all those people because they blindly trusted their leadership and nobody pointed out to them the potential problems with the handling of the situation. 

No matter where the blame lies, a critical and guarded filtering of the message coming from the White House is a prudent measure for every American. It is unfortunate that it will often manifest in impotent finger pointing in places such as this, but it is not without merit and it will quite likely save lives. Also, it is unfortunate that all criticism, no matter how leveled, accurate, sober, and constructive, is going to be immediately dismissed by many as agenda-driven. But I'm not sure the correct response is to not offer it at all. 

[aubiefifty 4,313]

5 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

They're not mutually exclusive pursuits.

In terms of trading shots on message boards and social media, you're right.

In terms of holding leadership accountable, assessing their credibility, and making informed decisions for your and your family's safety, though, it's extremely important right now. Trump has proven that he is extremely preoccupied with his ratings. He's literally tweeting about the numbers his latest TV show briefings are doing. That's him. Those are his words. That's not MSM or left-leaning keyboard cowboys. So yes, it actually is extremely important that both the media and the public continue to voice disapproval of his persistent missteps, misinformation, and outward disregard for the opinions of the grownups in the room. (I'm willing to believe that he's listening more than he lets on, but the messaging matters. Or at least it used to, and it still should. Leader of the free world and all that.)

I'll repeat a personal anecdote. Two weeks ago, at the exact same time that Trump was (correctly) announcing a new guideline of no more than 10 people gathered at once, my CIO- for a very large regional healthcare system- had the entire IT department gathered together nuts to butts in one conference room. One other person and I were the only ones in the entire department who saw an issue with this and went back to our desks to call into the meeting (which was held to announce, and I quote, "Business as usual"). We didn't get a chance to point out to our coworkers what a terrible idea that was, as the meeting was not announced ahead of time. Now we're stuck in the same, small building as all those people because they blindly trusted their leadership and nobody pointed out to them the potential problems with the handling of the situation. 

No matter where the blame lies, a critical and guarded filtering of the message coming from the White House is a prudent measure for every American. It is unfortunate that it will often manifest in impotent finger pointing in places such as this, but it is not without merit and it will quite likely save lives. Also, it is unfortunate that all criticism, no matter how leveled, accurate, sober, and constructive, is going to be immediately dismissed by many as agenda-driven. But I'm not sure the correct response is to not offer it at all. 

the buck stops with trump, period.