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USA Today reports Trump has Officially Begun to Withdraw the US From the World Health Organization as Pandemic Spikes:
The Trump administration has officially begun to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grip the globe and infections spike in many states across the U.S.
Congress received formal notification of the decision on Tuesday, more than a month after President Donald Trump announced his intention to end the U.S. relationship with the WHO and blasted the multilateral institution as a tool of China. The White House said the withdrawal would take effect on July 6, 2021.
[...] The formal withdrawal comes as the United States nears 3 million reported coronavirus cases and more than 130,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Globally, there have been 11.6 million cases and almost 540,000 deaths.
Additional Coverage:
Trump administration moves to formally withdraw US from WHO
Trump administration begins formal withdrawal from World Health Organization
Trump Begins Process Of U.S. Withdrawal From World Health Organization
Previously:
(2020-05-20) Trump Threatens to Take US Out of WHO Entirely and Stop All US Funding
(2020-04-15) Trump to Halt Funding to WHO
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday July 08 2020, @08:09PM (13 children)
If he doesn't do it now, he may not get the chance later. The only thing I find surprising/positive about this is that Cheeto in Chief actually is showing some follow through on his insane agenda. The only motivation I can see for doing this now is that a) he can, and b) he can trade it back at a later date in exchange for something else he wants.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 09 2020, @03:01AM
Also it makes the news.
It's been said 100 times, but if his noise occupies the front page then all the sweet deals get no coverage.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 09 2020, @04:12AM (4 children)
Except the "reasons" Trump has used to trash the WHO are largely false [bbc.co.uk].
What's more, unless things change pretty drastically, Biden will likely walk back this idiocy [bbc.com] before an exit can be completed.
It's just more posturing by Trump to appeal to the QAnon morons who are among the most rabid of his base.
But that's nothing new, is it?
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday July 09 2020, @04:17PM (3 children)
Trump not have his facts connected to the reality we live in? At least he's consistent.
If we reelect this shitshow I will be severely disappointed in the American people, again.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 09 2020, @08:16PM (2 children)
The first time he lost the popular vote and only won due to a broken outdated system. If he wins again now that so many Republicans have renounced him then it is a clear signal that our electoral system has been truly corrupted.
Of course there would be no shortage of shills and idiots trying to spin it as legitimate because they'd rather "win" then live in a free country, "How DARE they tell me to be respectful of others and condemn murderous police forces, how DARE they???"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 09 2020, @08:54PM (1 child)
It's a broken system because you didn't get the result you wanted.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday July 10 2020, @12:37AM
No, it's a broken system because the clear will of the people was subverted by an ancient dodge created to pander to the segment of the population who thought owning people was fine'n'dandy.
"Butbutbut TYRANNY OF THE MAJORITY!!!1111ELEVENTYONE!" I hear you splutter, through a generous helping of saliva. Okay, what about tyranny of the minority then? What about a person's vote counting less if they're from, for example, California than e.g. Iowa?
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Thursday July 09 2020, @04:10PM (2 children)
Following through with an insane agenda is not a positive thing.
The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday July 09 2020, @04:20PM (1 child)
If it swings voters (like my mother) who believe "oh, he's just kidding", "oh, he doesn't really mean that", "oh, he's doing the best he can with a difficult situation" - then, yes- proving himself (to people like my mother) to be certifiably insane, incompetent, and unfit to manage the affairs of a pet parakeet, much less those of the nation - that's a good thing.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 09 2020, @07:40PM
Frankly, if the last four years haven't convinced your mom that this President is "certifiably insane, incompetent, and unfit to manage the affairs of a pet parakeet, much less those of the nation" then nothing will.
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Thursday July 09 2020, @06:08PM (3 children)
There is a clear motivation behind it to anyone who is paying attention. The best explanation for the president's actions are best described with the analogy of pro-wrestling.
In pro-wrestling, absolutely everything that happens in front of audiences or on TV is organized to present a false reality known as "kayfabe". From the point of view of promoters (most notably Vince McMahon), there are two kinds of fans of wrestling, those that believe the kayfabe ("marks"), and those that don't but like to pretend that they do ("smarks"). Allowing the kayfabe illusion to be broken is the worst thing possible, because it confuses the marks and makes the smarks feel like they aren't so smart.
And that's why, when the presidents' false version of reality that he presents constantly starts to slip, he hops onto Twitter or calls into Fox News and spouts a whole lot of nonsense. It's also why he does many of the official actions he does: In this case, he's breaking off US relations with the World Health Organization because in kayfabe they're the ones who are entirely responsible for Covid-19 reaching the US and being as bad as it is. And his rank-and-file defenders either are marks who are too dumb to know that it's all fake, or smarks who know it's all a ruse but want to preserve the kayfabe because they find it profitable or entertaining. And in this administration, preservation of its kayfabe is of greater importance than the lives or well-being of any human being not named "Trump".
It would be comical if it weren't killing people.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday July 09 2020, @07:17PM (2 children)
I can see how that played during lockdown, but post-reopening? Isn't that like Randy Savage clotheslining Don King during the post-match show?
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Thursday July 09 2020, @07:38PM (1 child)
Post-reopening, the kayfabe story is:
1. It was only a problem because of the problems with WHO.
2. It killed a bunch of the liberals in the big cities who a lot of Republicans wanted dead, but the "real" Americans (i.e. straight white rural conservative Christians) are immune because Jesus.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday July 10 2020, @02:52AM
I definitely see that thinking here - unfortunately for them: diabetes is a morbidity risk factor, and those straight white whale conservative fast food eating christian diabetics are gonna be meeting Jesus sooner than they otherwise would have.
🌻🌻 [google.com]