Let me take a stab at this after years of reporting on Marine One, HMX-1, Continuity of Government, etc. None of this is definitive, but it could help explain what folks are seeing:
1.) HMX-1, which flies the VH-3D and VH-60N 'White Top' helicopters used to move... 1/X
Very noisy helicopters flying around Vice President\u2019s residence \u2014 what is going on? pic.twitter.com/XPs1A3px7m
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) January 11, 2021
I hope that helps!
More from Government
Which metric is a better predictor of the severity of the fall surge in US states?
1) Margin of Democrat victory in Nov 2020 election
or
2) % infected through Sep 1, 2020
Can you guess which plot is which?
The left plot is based on the % infected through Sep 1, 2020. You can see that there is very little correlation with the % infected since Sep 1.
However, there is a *strong* correlation when using the margin of Biden's victory (right).
Infections % from https://t.co/WcXlfxv3Ah.
This is the strongest single variable I've seen in being able to explain the severity of this most recent wave in each state.
Not past infections / existing immunity, population density, racial makeup, latitude / weather / humidity, etc.
But political lean.
One can argue that states that lean Democrat are more likely to implement restrictions/mandates.
This is valid, so we test this by using the Government Stringency Index made by @UniofOxford.
We also see a correlation, but it's weaker (R^2=0.36 vs 0.50).
https://t.co/BxBBKwW6ta
To avoid look-ahead bias/confounding variables, here is the same analysis but using 2016 margin of victory as the predictor. Similar results.
This basically says that 2016 election results is a better predictor of the severity of the fall wave than intervention levels in 2020!
1) Margin of Democrat victory in Nov 2020 election
or
2) % infected through Sep 1, 2020
Can you guess which plot is which?

The left plot is based on the % infected through Sep 1, 2020. You can see that there is very little correlation with the % infected since Sep 1.
However, there is a *strong* correlation when using the margin of Biden's victory (right).
Infections % from https://t.co/WcXlfxv3Ah.

This is the strongest single variable I've seen in being able to explain the severity of this most recent wave in each state.
Not past infections / existing immunity, population density, racial makeup, latitude / weather / humidity, etc.
But political lean.
One can argue that states that lean Democrat are more likely to implement restrictions/mandates.
This is valid, so we test this by using the Government Stringency Index made by @UniofOxford.
We also see a correlation, but it's weaker (R^2=0.36 vs 0.50).
https://t.co/BxBBKwW6ta

To avoid look-ahead bias/confounding variables, here is the same analysis but using 2016 margin of victory as the predictor. Similar results.
This basically says that 2016 election results is a better predictor of the severity of the fall wave than intervention levels in 2020!

Parents in cities, please pay attention to the reopening details from the Whitehouse.
Biden says "small classes". What we need to understand is how they plant to accomplish this.
Through "childcare programs in schools". We see this all over states w/ closed schools.
We need to grasp that the AFT, NEA, & local unions are systematically working to decouple education from childcare.
Their vision is your child sitting on a device all day, watched by a childcare worker, being "taught" from a Teacher working from
This isn't a paranoid conspiracy theory - it is already happening in the majority of districts across the US where schools are closed.
"Learning Hubs" open, supervised by childcare workers, sometimes in the same "unsafe" school
There is NO OTHER WAY to get "small classes" without Hybrid + wraparound childcare. Your child will spend 2-3 days per WEEK supervised by low wage workers and sitting on a laptop.
Here's
Fairfax,
Biden says "small classes". What we need to understand is how they plant to accomplish this.
Through "childcare programs in schools". We see this all over states w/ closed schools.
Today, our first working day, @JoeBiden signed an Executive Order on safely reopening childcare programs in schools - @DrBiden pic.twitter.com/J4vZk5ZAaS
— AFT (@AFTunion) January 21, 2021
We need to grasp that the AFT, NEA, & local unions are systematically working to decouple education from childcare.
Their vision is your child sitting on a device all day, watched by a childcare worker, being "taught" from a Teacher working from
This isn't a paranoid conspiracy theory - it is already happening in the majority of districts across the US where schools are closed.
"Learning Hubs" open, supervised by childcare workers, sometimes in the same "unsafe" school
There is NO OTHER WAY to get "small classes" without Hybrid + wraparound childcare. Your child will spend 2-3 days per WEEK supervised by low wage workers and sitting on a laptop.
Here's
Fairfax,