Coronavirus News (124)

GOP operatives worry Trump will lose both the presidency and Senate majority   "Put it this way, I am very glad my boss isn't on the ballot this cycle," said one high-ranking GOP Senate aide. ........ Trump's response to the pandemic and the subsequent economic fallout have significantly damaged his bid for a second term — and that the effects are starting to hurt Republicans more broadly. .......... the trend is bleeding into key Senate races. The GOP already had a difficult task of defending 23 Senate seats in 2020. The job of protecting its slim 3-seat majority has only gotten harder as the pandemic has unfolded. States like Arizona and North Carolina, once thought to be home to winnable Senate races now appear in jeopardy. .......... could be a wipeout for the GOP. ........ The broader fear among Republicans is that the election becomes a referendum on Trump's performance during the pandemic. Coupled with a cratered economy, the effect could be devastating by both depressing the Republican faithful and turning off swing voters. .......... "This is the one thing he (Trump) cannot change the subject on," said a Republican strategist. "This is not a political opponent, this is not going way and he has never had to deal with something like this." ...............  there is a serious worry about bleeding support from both seniors and self-described independent men. ......... GOP-held Senate seats in Georgia and Montana could be in trouble   

GOP's no-mask caucus: 'Can you smell through that mask?'   A contingent of House Republicans continues to defy the recommendations of public health experts and Congress' top physician to wear face coverings to limit the spread of Covid-19, refusing to wear them on the floor of the chamber, in the hallways of the Capitol or when chatting with aides and colleagues -- even when they're unable to maintain a social distance. ..........  "Can you smell through that mask?" Rep. Clay Higgins, a Republican of Louisiana, told CNN on Thursday. "Then you're not stopping any sort of a virus. It's part of the dehumanization of the children of God. You're participating in it by wearing a mask." ..............  "What you're wearing is a bacteria trap; it's not helping your health or anybody else's," said Higgins, who had just gotten off a cramped elevator with two other GOP members, none of whom were wearing masks. .................. Higgins' statement is not supported by the science. Smells do not carry viral particles. ....... Asked about Fauci's and Adams' recommendations to wear masks, Biggs said sarcastically: "Yeah, of course, see they've been right on everything, haven't they?" .........  People can catch coronavirus at any time, even immediately after testing negative. And people can spread the virus before they develop any symptoms. ............ "I wear it for the reason that I believe it is effective," Fauci said on CNN. "It is not 100% effective -- I mean, it's sort of respect for the other person and have that other person respect you. You wear a mask. They wear a mask. You protect each other." ............ And even though the government's top scientists have repeatedly briefed members of Congress, some Republicans seem to have misinterpreted what the science says. ............ Some Republicans seem to misunderstand the science. Rep. Ted Yoho, a Florida Republican, told CNN earlier this month that "there's just no need" to wear a mask, citing "herd immunity." The Florida Republican added: "Viruses do what viruses do," contending that the "only way you're going to get" immunity "is to get exposed." ............  "I have a different medical opinion," he said of wearing masks. ........... When Republican Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon, who was wearing a face covering, approached a maskless Scalise late last month, Walden said to him: "Nice mask." Scalise responded by pointing to his face: "I wear this for Halloween," prompting laughter from a handful of members surrounding them. ............. "It's harder to do with a mask," Scalise said of talking with his colleagues. "Also, it's better to talk in person than do it over the phone." ....... He added that sometimes he stays in the chamber rather than return to his office quickly, because he sees "someone on the floor and you have something to talk" about. "That's the best way to work through these issues."