Posts on Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Trump Calmly Explains to Accusing Reporter
Why He Calls a Virus From China – a Virus
From China replies
Why He Calls a Virus From China – a Virus
From China replies
In a White House briefing on COVID-19 in which the president affirmed he is on a "war footing" against an "invisible enemy" and in which the nation received updates on the government's overwhelming response, one question kept coming up from the White House press corps.
Was it a question whose answer would unlock a flood of relief from the American public now hunkered down in their homes for the next 15 days? Was it about the promising vaccine being test in Seattle? No.
So what was the question?
"Why do you keep calling this a Chinese virus?"
One of the reporters, ABC News's Cecilia Vega, claimed,
The media's desperate attempts to undermine public confidence in Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic doesn't seem to be working as well as they'd hoped.
A recent Rasmussen Reports survy found that "80% of American Adults agree with the federal government’s decision to temporarily ban travelers from China and nearly all European countries to prevent the possible spread of coronavirus. Only 12% disagree." Broken down by party affiliation, 91 percent of Republicans agree with the ban, while 78 percent of Democrats and 75 percent of unaffiliated voters agree.
Experts agree that Trump's decision to close travel with China in the early days of the outbreak saved lives.
A Decade of Obamacare
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Virtually drowned out by current frenzied media paroxysms over the COVID-19 epidemic is awareness of a notable anniversary occurring this month.It is now ten years since the arrival of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In a “perfect storm” moment, with Democrats holding a ruling power monopoly on Congress and the Presidency, and with a no-holds-barred determination to wield that power, they resolutely passed the legislation in March, 2010, with pomp and fanfare seemingly fit for a conquering Roman legion.The great “Pax Obama” -- economic peace in our time, medical affordability for all -- had finally arrived. “Premiums and deductibles will go down.
A national crisis is no time to take cheap political shots, especially at someone who is trying to be helpful and suggest ways to make staying at home with your kids while school is canceled more fun and exciting.
On Tuesday, Ivanka Trump posted a picture of herself with her kids on Twitter, and suggested a fun activity for parents to do with their kids if they're off work and staying at home with them.
"Staying home today w/ kids? Plan living room camp out!" she tweeted. "Throw a bedsheet over some taped together brooms. Plan a menu & ‘pack’ sandwiches, salads (S’mores optional ;-p)," she added.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., went off on CNN senior congressional correspondent Manu Raju after he asked about the viability of the senator's presidential campaign amid the national coronavirus emergency. Raju reported on the hostile exchange he had with Sanders during a press gaggle on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. "[Senator] Bernie Sanders grew angry when asked about his campaign plans. During a gaggle with reporters in the Capitol, I asked Sanders about his time frame for making a decision, and he lashed out: 'I'm dealing with a ----ing global crisis. You know, we're dealing with,'" Raju said. He continued: "I noted
Doreen Hall stood outside her mom’s first-floor window on Wednesday morning to get in a short visit — even if it had to be outside the building. On Wednesday, officials said an additional 24 individuals at the Chateau Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in DuPage County tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total number of patients there to 46. Some relatives did whatever they could to see their loved ones. (Snip) At Chateau Nursing, 33 residents and 13 staff were identified as having the virus, almost double the number identified Tuesday. At least six of the patients were hospitalized, and
The West appears to be facing its worst crisis since 1939 because of a new global pandemic. Thousands of people have died. More, we are told, will die. And the economic shock to the system has been profound. Yet one country, China, seems to be above criticism. As China begins to expel American journalists, I am left wondering: who are the villains of this piece?
A woman says another patron falsely reported sex assault charges against her after a dispute over crowding at a West Village gay club on a busy Friday night, according to a new suit. Julia Parker says that she was at the West 12th Street lesbian bar Cubbyhole on April 5 when another bar-goer, Alice Simmons, allegedly started “arguing with Plaintiff [Parker] about the lack of space,” before “grabbing and shoving” Parker a dozen times, according to a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit from Tuesday.(Snip) Parker, a 39-year-old from Brooklyn, was charged in Manhattan Criminal court with forcible touching and had to fight the case
China has called for using electromagnetic attacks on U.S. warships transiting the South China Sea, according to a state-run Chinese outlet. The Communist Party-affiliated organ Global Times, quoting a military expert, said the use of nonlethal electromagnetic and laser weapons should be used by the People’s Liberation Army to expel American warships from the disputed sea. The report followed China’s potentially dangerous use of a laser against a Navy P-8A maritime patrol aircraft near Guam last month, and an earlier lasing two years ago of C-130 aircraft near China’s military base in Djibouti on the coast of Africa. The article was published Tuesday,
America’s deeply unserious but very corrupt and unreliable establishment media have no intention of changing their dangerous ways in the age of the Wuhan coronavirus.
Watching the media spread lies and unnecessary panic over the last few weeks reminds me of the CNN Race Riots of 2014.
After the George Zimmerman Hoax failed, after it was discovered that a white man had not hunted down and murdered a black teen (Zimmerman is Hispanic and a jury ruled he killed in self-defense), the fake news media moved on to the Hands-Up-Don’t-Shoot Hoax, which was led primarily by far-left CNN and the far-left Washington Post.
Amid Outbreak Precautions, Pro-Lifers Say
Planned Parenthood Staffer Deliberately
Coughed at Them replies
Planned Parenthood Staffer Deliberately
Coughed at Them replies
An “angry” Planned Parenthood staffer purposefully coughed at nearby pro-life vigil participants outside the company’s premises in Pittsburgh, Pa. vigil organizers say. Shawn Carney, president of 40 Days for Life campaign, called the staffer’s reported action “disgusting in any circumstance,” but said that in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak it was “intolerable” and a display of “pure hate.” The organization says the incident took place on the sidewalk in front of the Planned Parenthood premises in downtown Pittsburgh on Saturday morning. Round-the-clock prayer vigils are taking place at thousands of abortion facilities around the globe part of the annual 40 Days for Life campaign, which this year began on
After the Dropkick Murphys were forced to cancel their St. Patrick’s Day performances because of the COVID-19 coronavirus, the band figured out a way to ship out a bit of Boston to the world, livestreaming a concert Tuesday night.
The Boston punk rockers are hardly the only musical acts turning to livestreaming or posting homemade videos to entertain fans during the pandemic. On Monday, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin announced an impromptu concert on the band’s Instagram page as part of Australian nonprofit Global Citizen’s “Together at Home” initiative. Shortly after Martin announced his concert, singer John Legend introduced one of his own.
The Treasury Department on Wednesday said it wants to start issuing direct payments to Americans of $1,000, with the first checks issued starting April 6 and a second wave some time in mid-May.The checks, which will go to many Americans, will cost the federal government $500 billion.“The Treasury plan, which requires approval by Congress, also recommends $50 billion to stabilize the airlines, $150 billion to issue loan guarantees to other struggling sectors, and $300 billion to for small businesses. The plan appears to anticipate that some of the loans would not be repaid,” the Associated Press reported. The details are for the third coronavirus response bill that lawmakers
Guess what. You’re probably going to be stuck at home for a while. And that’s okay because is it the right thing to do for your own health and the health of your neighbors. And, let’s not forget, there are plenty of things to entertain you while inside your house, like virtual museum visits, operas, and now, streams of all your favorite Broadway shows. BroadwayHD, a streaming service for theater fans started in 2015, has long been bringing Broadway performances to people’s living rooms. As the company explained in a statement, “BroadwayHD was created with the goal of making high-quality theater accessible to everyone globally.”
He was spotted on Sunday stocking up on paper towels while at Gelson's supermarket in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Sherman Oaks. And two days later, Jon Voight took to his Twitter as he led a prayer to God to rid the world of the coronavirus, which is now a global pandemic. The Oscar-winning actor and spirited supporter of Donald Trump, 81, told fellow Americans that 'we will rid this virus' as he asked God to 'wipe away the curse that has taken us down with fear.'
Former Democratic Party presidential nominee Hillary Clinton called on Congress to “make voting by mail the norm” with “free postage” as a result of public health concerns due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.President Donald Trump said earlier this week that he expects the current national emergency to last through July or August. The White House has not yet said what, if any, preparations might be needed for the November election.Clinton’s call echoed a similar demand by Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D), who asked legislators to allow all-mail voting this year.
The mayor of Baltimore is begging residents to stop shooting one another to allow doctors and nurses to focus on saving coronavirus patients and not gunshot wound victims. In a statement on Wednesday, the Mayor Jack Young said: 'I want to reiterate how completely unacceptable the level of violence is that we have seen recently. 'We will not stand for mass shootings and an increase in crime. 'For those of you who want to continue to shoot and kill people of this city, we’re not going to tolerate it. 'We’re going to come after you and we’re going to get you.
Italy's death toll from the coronavirus outbreak saw its biggest increase since the outbreak overnight Tuesday, with health officials reporting a whopping 475 deaths in 24 hours. According to the BBC, Italian health officials have reported 475 new deaths, bringing the death toll to nearly 3,000. The total number of coronavirus cases in Italy now tops 35,700. Italy has been the hardest-hit European country dealing with the coronavirus and has seen the greatest number of infected persons outside of China, where the virus is thought to have originated. Stores and nonessential businesses have been shuttered as much of the country
General Motors and Ford announced Wednesday that they would suspend all production at their North American facilities until the end of the month, saying the move was necessary to protect employees from contracting the coronavirus. Fiat-Chrysler was expected to make a similar announcement.The announcement came less than a day after the companies announced, along with the United Auto Workers, that they would engage in rotating shutdowns of their plants to limit workers' exposure to the virus. However, shortly after that announcement, news broke that a worker at the Sterling, Michigan, Fiat-Chrysler plant had become sick, prompting the groups to rethink the strategy,
Flashback Jan. 14: WHO Tells Everyone
Don’t Worry Because China Says
Coronavirus Isn’t Contagious replies
Don’t Worry Because China Says
Coronavirus Isn’t Contagious replies
The World Health Organization (WHO) tried to cam fears of a pandemic on Jan. 14 by repeating China’s claim that coronavirus was not contagious among humans.“Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in #Wuhan, #China,” the WHO tweeted. (Tweet) Just 60 days later, the global death toll from coronavirus had topped 8000 and continued to climb. Over 200,000 cases had been documented in 145 countries.
Obama-era whistleblower Philip Haney was found dead with a gunshot wound to his chest last month in Amador County, California and while an investigation into the cause and manner of his death is ongoing, two Republican lawmakers who knew him have indicated that he was, in fact, murdered.
Haney, one of the founding members of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), exposed the Obama Administration’s dangerously P.C. national security policies in 2015 and 2016, and was reportedly in recent “contact with top officials about returning to work for the DHS.”
The whistleblower was said to have kept a thumb drive around his neck containing sensitive government data about Islamic extremists and
A teenager from Seattle, Washington is helping millions of people around the world stay up to date on the latest developments of the coronavirus pandemic.17-year-old Avi Schiffman used his self-taught coding skills to create a website, which brings people the cold hard, unbiased facts on the global outbreak.“The main goal of it was to provide just an easy way to see the straight facts and the data, you know, without having to make a website that was biased or, you know, full of ads or anything like that,” he explained.The wildly popular site features a map of the outbreaks, global and local stats, a preparation guide,
President Donald Trump continued backing his description of the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus” on Tuesday saying it was not racist.The establishment media predictably reacted strongly against Trump’s use of the term “Chinese virus” on Twitter and in his news conference on Wednesday.ABC News reporter Cecilia Vega challenged the president during the news conference.“Why do you keep calling this the Chinese virus?” she asked, citing “dozens” of incidents of bias against Chinese Americans after the coronavirus spread.(Snip) “It’s not racist at all no, it comes from China that’s why I want to be accurate,”
Several distilleries are making sure their communities have what they need during the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.
When Eight Oaks Farm Distillery founder Chad Butters heard the price of hand sanitizer had skyrocketed, he decided to be the solution to the problem, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Monday, his distillery in New Tripoli, Pennsylvania, filled 20 bottles with homemade alcohol-based disinfectant that will be donated to charitable groups who have none.
This week, the distillery plans to ramp up production and offer the bottles at local farmers’ markets and on its website.
China Boomeranging
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Sometime in late November the Chinese Communist Party apparat was aware that the ingredients of some sort of an epidemic were brewing in Wuhan. Soon after, it was also clear to them that a new type of coronavirus was on the loose, a threat they might have taken more seriously given the similar Chinese origins of the prior toxic SARS coronavirus and the resources of a Level 4 virology lab nearby.
Yet the government initially hid all that knowledge from its own people in particular and in general from the world at large. Translated into American terms, that disingenuousness ensured that over 10,000 Chinese nationals and foreigners living in China flew
Amazon announced Monday it will invest over $350 million to open up 100,000 new jobs and to increase pay by $2 per hour in the U.S. and around the world during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Seattle-based multinational e-commerce company, said Dave Clark, senior vice president of worldwide operations, in a press release that it is seeing a “significant increase in demand” and accompanying “unprecedented” labor needs.
The 100,000 new jobs would be full- and part-time positions “across the U.S. in our fulfillment centers and delivery network to meet the demand from people relying on Amazon’s service during this stressful time, particularly those most vulnerable to being out in public.”
Colleges and universities around the country are beginning to cancel their graduation and commencement ceremonies in response to the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.
According to a report by Campus Reform, some universities and colleges have decided that they are preemptively canceling graduation and commencement ceremonies as a precautionary measure against the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus. The University of Michigan and UC Irvine are among the schools that have already called off their graduation festivities.
The Associated Press released a report this week detailing graduation ceremony cancellations. The report noted that universities and colleges often spend substantial sums on graduation ceremonies.
Canceling commencement can carry financial implications for schools.
Trump calls himself a ‘wartime president’
over coronavirus as he invokes Defense
Production Act replies
over coronavirus as he invokes Defense
Production Act replies
President Trump on Wednesday announced that he is invoking the Defense Production Act as part of the administration’s efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic--and also described himself as being a "wartime president." (Snip) The act ensures the private sector can ramp-up manufacturing and distribution of emergency medical supplies and equipment. The move gives the White House the authority to increase production of masks, ventilators and respirators, as well as expand hospital capacity to combat the coronavirus.
Utah was hit with a 5.7 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday, its strongest since 1992, officials said.
The earthquake, which struck at 7:10 a.m. local time and was centered just north of Magna, shook houses between Salt Lake City and Antelope Island, the U.S. Geographical Survey (USGS) reported.
Power outages were reported across the state, with Rocky Mountain Power saying about 55,000 customers were impacted.
“We currently are assessing damages and will restore power as soon as possible,” the company tweeted.
The Utah Transit Authority, meanwhile, said all trains on the light rail system would halt service until further notice.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday bid farewell to Sen. Bernie Sanders after he lost again to Joe Biden in the Democrat primaries.
“Bernie has given up, just like he did last time. He will be dropping out soon!” Trump wrote on Twitter.
Biden easily beat Sanders in the Democrat primaries in Florida, Illinois, and Arizona on Tuesday. The president painted it as a victory for the Democrat establishment.
“The DNC will have gotten their fondest wish and defeated Bernie Sanders, far ahead of schedule,” Trump said. “Now they are doing everything possible to be nice to him in order to keep his supporters.
A Sanders spokesman announced Wednesday morning the Senator from Vermont
Plunging oil prices could be headed a lot lower – possibly below zero, according to one Wall Street analyst.
West Texas Intermediate crude oil, the U.S. benchmark, fell by more than 10 percent Wednesday to near $24 a barrel, a level last seen in April 2002.
“Oil prices can go negative,” wrote Paul Sankey, managing director at Mizuho Securities.
Another Bad Mark for the Elites
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There is a new book out that bids fair to win this year’s J. Gordon Coogler Award for the Worst Book of the Year, and remember the year has just begun. The dreadful effort is The Ones We’ve Been Waiting For: How a New Generation of Leaders Will Transform America. Its author is Charlotte Alter. The book takes its dreadful title from a dreadful speech given back in 2008 by presidential candidate Barack Obama, entitled, dreadfully enough, “The Ones We’ve Been Waiting For.” The book is another of those My Generation–obsessed books that have been appearing regularly since the most My Generation–obsessed generation arrived on the scene.
This Should Go Well: Philadelphia Police
to Stop Arresting Criminals Over Coronavirus
Concerns replies
to Stop Arresting Criminals Over Coronavirus
Concerns replies
The Philadelphia Police Department will be delaying arrests for an array of crimes including narcotics offenses, thefts, burglary, vandalism, prostitution, stolen cars, and economic crimes over coronavirus concerns.The city will also be releasing criminals from jail in an effort to continue “social distancing.”A leaked internal memo said that “if an officer believes that releasing the offender would pose a threat to public safety, the officer will notify a supervisor,” who would ultimately make the decision about whether the suspect should be detained.The Fraternal Order of Police has supported the decision to stop arrests
Can we rope-a-dope the virus?
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The “Rumble in the Jungle” was the 1974 boxing match in Zaire between two of the greats: An aging, slowing Muhammed Ali and the younger, stronger, harder-punching George Foreman.
Ali repeatedly let Foreman back him into the ropes. There, most of Foreman’s blows were deflected or absorbed by Ali’s arms which were bruised black and blue the next day. Ali allowed his body to recoil against the ropes like shock absorbers to absorb much of the rest.
That continued into the seventh round when Foreman landed a knockout punch to Ali. Except it failed knock him out. Ali leaned into Foreman and whispered, “That all you got, George?”
All 30 pro baseball teams joined together Tuesday to pledge $30 million to help stadium employees who are losing wages due to the coronavirus shutdowns across the league. “Motivated by desire to help some of the most valuable members of the baseball community, each club has committed $1 million,” Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement, according to ESPN. “The individual clubs will be announcing more details surrounding this support effort in their local communities. The timing of these announcements will vary because of the need to coordinate with state and local laws as well as
As the war of words between China and the U.S. over COVID-19 heats up, Chinese state media have raised the specter of using Beijing’s pharmaceutical leverage to block critical components and supplies for dependent U.S. drug companies and send America into “the hell of a novel coronavirus epidemic.” While India and several European nations play critical roles in the global medical supply chain, China is among the top providers of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)—the basic components for antibiotics and other prescription drugs consumed by Americans.(Snip) The Trump administration and lawmakers from both parties are now calling for a dramatic revamping of domestic U.S. drug manufacturing
While most of the liberal media were sniping at President Trump by trying to suggest he didn’t take the coronavirus seriously or that he should face murder charges, CNN senior political commentator and former Obama adviser David Axelrod took time out of their Democratic primary night coverage to warn his colleagues not sleep on how the President was handling the situation, because he could ride it to victory in November.Despite his big Super Tuesday wins that evening, Axelrod seemed concerned for former Vice President Joe Biden’s chances against a President constantly on TV, leading the nation through the storm.
On Feb. 8, alongside stories of panic buying toilet paper in Hong Kong supermarkets, Bloomberg published an opinion piece titled “Hong Kong is showing symptoms of a failed state.”
A little more than a month later, store shelves in Europe, Australia, and North America are being ransacked while Hong Kong’s shelves are being re-stocked. As Western cities started to forcibly close restaurants and bars, Hong Kong’s people slowly started to relax.
The current coronavirus disease, Covid-19, has been called a once-in-a-century pandemic. But it may also be a once-in-a-century evidence fiasco.
At a time when everyone needs better information, from disease modelers and governments to people quarantined or just social distancing, we lack reliable evidence on how many people have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 or who continue to become infected. Better information is needed to guide decisions and actions of monumental significance and to monitor their impact.
Draconian countermeasures have been adopted in many countries. If the pandemic dissipates — either on its own or because of these measures — short-term extreme social distancing and lockdowns
The paradox of the novel coronavirus response is that it only works if we take aggressive steps before they seem necessary and, if they work, will not have seemed necessary. Success will look like we overreacted. This is a unique emergency, but the basics still apply.
For public officials in a crisis, you tell people everything you know and everything you do not know. Acknowledge uncertainty. Don't over-promise or over-reassure. Share the burden of complex problems and give people something to do. Don't make fun of them for how they feel, whether fearful or skeptical, and tell people how you made your decisions.
People with blood type A might be more vulnerable to the coronavirus, while those with type O blood could be more resistant, according to a new preliminary study from China. Researchers studying COVID-19 in its outbreak epicenter, Wuhan, and the city of Shenzhen found the proportion of type A patients both infected and killed by the disease to be “significantly” higher than those with the same blood type in the general public. Type O patients, meanwhile, made up a smaller proportion of both those infected and killed by the virus. “People of blood group A might need particularly strengthened personal
Actor Matthew McConaughey shared a message of solidarity and hope in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. The award-winning Texas-born star posted a video message on Tuesday with the caption, “because every red light eventually turns green,” telling his 2.5 million followers that the virus is “an enemy that we all agree we want to beat.” (Tweet/Video) “I just want to say, in these crazy times that we’re in with the coronavirus, let’s take care of ourselves and each other. Let’s not go to the lowest common denominator and get paranoid. Let’s do our due diligence and take the precautions
China has reacted angrily after US President Donald Trump referred to the coronavirus as “Chinese”. A foreign ministry spokesman warned the US should “take care of its own business” before stigmatising China. The first cases of Covid-19 were recorded in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. However, last week a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman shared a conspiracy theory, alleging the US Army had brought it to the region. The unfounded accusation led US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to demand China stop spreading “disinformation” as it tried “to shift blame” for the outbreak. So far, more than 170,000
Amid the truly weighty concerns attendant to the COVID-19 pandemic, the silly season, of course, broke out in Washington: A debate over whether the infectious disease in question should be referred to as the “Wuhan coronavirus” or whether doing so is, as the anti-Trump left and its media megaphone allege, emblematic of racism.
The manufactured controversy is as transparently political as it is ill-conceived. The question of the pathogen’s source is being framed to imply Trumpist xenophobia. To the contrary, it is a relevant consideration in the federal government’s legal authority to respond.
CLEARWATER — Residents delivered a historic election result Tuesday by voting into office the first candidate to so publicly address alleged fraud and abuse by the Church of Scientology in nearly four decades.
Mark Bunker, a filmmaker and longtime critic of downtown’s largest property owner, narrowly defeated four opponents in the race for City Council Seat 2. His platform included his desire for the city to urge the IRS to revoke Scientology’s tax-exempt status and hold hearings for city officials to understand the financial complexities and alleged abusive policies of the institution. “This clearly shows that Scientology does not have the power they think they do,” said Bunker,
Groceries began reappearing on American store shelves this week, thanks to the strength of a supply chain that includes farmers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers — all of whom are literally risking their lives to stay on duty.A crucial part of that supply chain is the American trucker, who makes sure that goods are delivered in a timely fashion. That is always the case, but it is especially true in the sudden global emergency we face today.The U.S. Census Bureau reported last year that 3.5 million Americans are employed as truck drivers. Many work long hours, and a disproportionate number of them are military veterans.
As governments across the world implement "social distancing" efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus, in some cities, bars, restaurants and other public spaces have been ordered to close. That leaves self-quarantined people with a lot of free time and nowhere to go.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended postponing all large gatherings or events of 50 or more people until May, which left operators of tourist attractions with few options. Museums, historical sites and national parks have stepped up to deliver their signature experiences by offering virtual tours to anyone from the comfort of their homes.
We all know that Democrats, in the media and politics, lie about Trump. The most famous is the assertion that President Trump called white supremacists “fine people.” That hoax’s reach perfectly exemplifies the old American saying that “falsehood will fly from Maine to Georgia, while truth is pulling her boots on.” Even though it’s been repeatedly, and definitively, debunked, myriad people will state with fervor that Trump is a racist who loves Neo-Nazis.
With coronavirus in the air and an election looming, the same culprits behind the “fine people” hoax are now trying to tar Trump with a different hoax. This one is the claim that he and John Bolton,
A little perspective helps
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What’s worse? The rapid spread of a novel virus which originated in China or the media hysteria created and broadcast around the world? If it was the intent of the American media to create a state of fear and panic, they’ve succeeded brilliantly. The dissemination of information pertinent to the virus has morphed into a murky river of rumors, innuendo, outright lies and blather proffered by pundits who are neither doctors nor experts on much of anything other than opinionating. Despite the media hype, COVID-19 is not the first world pandemic and it won’t be the last. As long as humans have walked the earth,
A Belgian doctor working to battle the coronavirus says he’s treated several seriously ill young patients — and their lung scans were “nothing short of terrifying,” according to reports.
Dr. Ignace Demeyer, who works at a hospital in Aalst, said an increasing number of people between the ages of 30 and 50 have presented with severe symptoms, despite having “blank medical records” that show no underlying conditions that would make them high-risk, the Brussels Times reported.
“They just walk in, but they are terribly affected by the virus,” Demeyer told the Belgian broadcaster VRT.
All 27 European Union nations agreed to shut down entry into EU borders in an effort to fight the spread of the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed tens of thousands of lives across the continent. German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the plan, set to last 30 days, on Tuesday during a teleconference meeting with other EU leaders. She said there would be "very, very limited exceptions." “The union and its member states will do whatever it takes,” said European Council President Charles Michel, who also noted the EU will arrange for the repatriation of citizens who live within the union.
If one didn’t know better, he could think that China unleashed the Wuhan virus upon the world purposely to get their man, Joe Biden, elected president. Jumblin’ Joe is their man, too.
It’s not just that the disease will assuredly cause economic distress as people’s lives and commerce are disrupted; it’s not just that no matter what President Trump does, the EneMedia will portray his response to the disease as lacking. (Never mind that Barack Obama apparently spread disease throughout our nation by shipping sick illegal-alien minors throughout the country. Enterovirus D68, anyone?)
It’s also that the Wuhan virus has now become a handy excuse to limit debates
Well, maybe this was a predictable result of what appears to be quite a night for former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum. He was found in a hotel room last week totally drunk and incapable of speaking with police. Oh, and did we mention that there were bags of meth and reported gay escorts in the room as well? Yes. The other man involved was reportedly suffering a drug overdose.
She wakes up every other hour as she tries to sleep. (Snip)
Are these people really virus-free?
Wei has a friend whose lungs’ CT scan looked like “frosted glass” (ground-glass opacity, a common clinical trait of patients), but tested negative for COVID-19 eight times.
“Wuhan is controlled. There’s no way you can get diagnosed. They [authorities] have made up the data and your tests will turn out negative, no matter what,” Wei said.
Meanwhile, questions persist over the fate of patients who were released after Wuhan’s makeshift hospitals were shut down. The last one closed down on March 10.
Earlier today, I posted several charts showing coronavirus fatalities in various countries in several formats. Many think that per capita mortality rates are the most relevant metric; ...Another worthwhile analysis would consider the common sense observation that the US, South Korea, and Europe had their first cases at roughly the same time. Therefore, I think it is informative to compare the per capita number of cases and deaths ...
Communist China’s state media propaganda organ Xinhua just boasted that Beijing could choose to “impose pharmaceutical export controls which would plunge America into the mighty sea of coronavirus.” This, because almost all the chemicals used to make generic drugs in the U.S. are manufactured in mainland China.
Before you laugh off the threat, consider that the Food and Drug Administration just announced there is already one coronavirus-related drug shortage within the country, without identifying which drug.
This is the language of an enemy. There can be no more pretending that China is anything less than exactly that. In 2017, Chinese
This week, President Donald Trump came under fire for his use of the phrase "Chinese virus" to describe the coronavirus, the source of the new pandemic that has led to a global economic shutdown as well as lockdowns of citizens in every major Western country. That media have somehow found time to hone in on the one issue that matters least -- the labeling of a Chinese virus as such -- in the middle of an unprecedented planetwide freeze demonstrates the utter unseriousness of those objecting. That the term should be controversial at all is nearly beyond belief. The virus did indeed originate in China.
For the first time since the week ending February 29, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released its Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report, which shows that the death toll from the seasonal flu has reached 22,000, including 144 children. The CDC website notes the tardiness of the report.
“The COVID-19 outbreak unfolding in the United States may affect healthcare seeking behavior which in turn would impact data from ILINet (Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network),” the website stated.
Outside of Fox News, which isn’t always so fond of Trump either, the left-leaning mainstream media have been unified in their hatred for Trump. (snip) Following Trump’s press conference on Tuesday, Sanjay Gupta was complaining about Dr. Fauci and Donald Trump. Dana Bash, to everyone’s surprise, disagreed, and heaped praise on Trump’s tone of leadership in the last couple of days:
[video]
On August 18, 1944, Senator Harry S. Truman met President Franklin D. Roosevelt for lunch at the White House. Truman had just been nominated to be Roosevelt’s running mate that year, and the two men dined on the White House lawn and chatted about the upcoming campaign.
Truman had not seen the president for over a year and was shocked at Roosevelt’s haggard appearance. He noticed that FDR was so ill that he couldn’t even pour cream into his coffee. Despite seeing direct evidence of Roosevelt’s poor health, Truman told reporters afterwards that Roosevelt “Looked fine...He’s as keen as a briar.”
Truman was lying. Roosevelt was a dying man,
Trump admin to begin turning back
all undocumented immigrants,
asylum seekers at borders: report replies
all undocumented immigrants,
asylum seekers at borders: report replies
The Trump administration is reportedly planning to turn back all asylum seekers at both the northern and southern borders over concerns regarding the coronavirus outbreak.
Four administration officials told The New York Times on Tuesday that the policy would apply to asylum seekers and any other migrant seeking to cross the border illegally.
Ports of entry would remain open to American citizens, green card holders and some foreigners with proper documentation as well as commercial traffic, according to the report.
Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s history of how the FBI targeted Donald Trump associates has become a constant presence on social media as journalists and Russia aficionados make more discoveries and connect the dots.
Every page of the Horowitz report contains new disclosures. The report’s banner headline was that FBI agents supplied inaccurate information or withheld exculpatory evidence 17 times when they asked judges to approve four wiretap warrants on campaign volunteer Carter Page.
Morsels of information placed in footnotes or buried in a few sentences also tell a fuller story about the Trump-Russia investigation.
Americans could get a check for $1,000 or more in the coming weeks, as political leaders coalesce around a dramatic plan to try to prevent a worse recession and protect people from going bankrupt.
The idea took off Monday when Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) called for every American adult to receive a $1,000 check “immediately” to help tide people over until other government aid can arrive. By Tuesday, there was bipartisan support for the idea, including from President Trump. The White House even suggested the amount could be over $1,000, an acknowledgment of how big the economic crisis is becoming.
TV star Lyle Waggoner has died at the age of 84, PEOPLE confirms.
The actor’s son, Jason, says he died peacefully Tuesday morning with his wife, Sharon, by his side.
Waggoner was best known for his work on The Carol Burnett Show from 1967 to 1974. He went on to star as Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman during the latter half of the 70s.
“He was funny, kind and multi-talented. But even more than that, a loving friend. I will miss him,” Burnett, 86, said in a statement.
The Manchurian Media
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In 1962, director John Frankenheimer released his classic film, The Manchurian Candidate. While the film is a precursor to future paranoid political films such as Robert Redford’s Three Days of the Condor and Oliver Stone’s JFK, The Manchurian Candidate plays more like a Hitchcock thriller, but its subtext is made clear when a Democratic Senator based on Adlai Stevenson visits a cocktail party put on by Eleanor Shaw Iselin (played by Angela Lansbury) as a precursor to a presidential bid by her husband, a parody of Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy named John Iselin.
Apocalypse No
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“We know the numerator, but not the denominator.”
— Leading medical researcher, name withheld, discussing the statistical effect of the coronavirus 2019
One of the most difficult problems in assessing the current coronavirus 2019 (hereinafter COVID-19) pandemic is sorting through the conflicting expert opinions and the evolving statistical data that have — with an enormous assist by the mainstream media — plunged our nation into a state of panic and paralysis. How did we get here? And just how serious is the threat posed by COVID-19?
I’m neither a doctor nor an epidemiologist. But as a prosecutor and trial lawyer, I have spent decades in courtrooms cross-examining highly credentialed
It doesn’t amount to a silver lining, but one result of the pandemic is that Americans are witnessing what it’s like when governments work together to protect and serve the public. From the White House to state houses, officials are spending incredibly long hours to mobilize resources, treat the sick and plan and implement containment policies — all while keeping people well informed.
Most important, the message up and down the government food chain has become remarkably consistent as the scope of the threat becomes more clear: This is a war and we’re all in it together.
I offer this not to encourage complacency, of which there’s already been far too much, but as a purgative after feeding you a horse-sized dose of hopelessness this morning. John Ioannidis is a respected epidemiologist at Stanford. His specialty is “metascience,” i.e. calling BS on shoddy medical research. The point of this new piece isn’t to declare that the data on coronavirus is shoddy; the point is to declare that we just don’t have enough of it yet to feel confident about how dangerous the disease is. And that matters a lot when you’re implementing policies with massive social repercussions like shutting down the global economy and passing trillion-dollar stimuluses.
Hollywood “washed up” actor Jussie Smollett was let off by the corrupt Cook County State’s Attorney’s office last year after his vicious stunt to smear Trump supporters as homophobic, racists backfired. Smollett, also referred to as French actor Juicy Smolliet, was later re-charged with six counts related to the alleged hate hoax in February 2020. In April 2019 Chicago authorities released text messages from corrupt State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. The messages revealed that Kim Foxx continued to intervene in the case in support of Smollett after she recused herself. Chicago reporter Charlie De Mar posted the messages on his Twitter feed .
A landslide in Florida.
A blow out in Illinois.
And a victory as well in Arizona – giving former Vice President Joe Biden a clean sweep on Tuesday and effectively shutting the door to any possible pathway for rival Sen. Bernie Sanders to win the Democratic presidential nomination. The convincing victories came as the primary calendar is likely to grind to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic, freezing the Democratic presidential nomination race in place. Sanders - the populist senator from Vermont who’s making his second straight White House bid - now faces the toughest decision of his political career as he struggles
There's so much disinformation going around about the coronavirus. You're probably getting it at this moment on your text. We certainly are. We haven't faced a medical crisis like this in living memory. We know that coronavirus constitutes a major threat to the country -- of course, it does. What we really don't have a clear picture of right now is what's coming next.
So we spent the weekend talking to some of the smartest people we know in medicine, in business and in politics. Everyone had strong opinions, needless to say, but what was striking was that there was no clear consensus on how the country should respond to this.
Eating Tide Pods is so last year.
The kids went from chomping on Tide Pods to licking public toilet seats in a new “Coronavirus challenge.”
A 21-year-old young woman from New Jersey named Ava Louise licked a toilet seat on an airplane and posted the footage to Tik Tok.
She said that Coronavirus is for “poor people” and she hopes it will take her out so she doesn’t get old and ugly, RT reported.
She also said she wanted to “troll the media” and hoped the virus would knock out the Boomers (referring to the older Baby Boomer generation).
WATCH: [videos]
One of the few things this Wuhan virus panic has been good for is getting us all a nice close look at what constitutes #Resistance–leftist and NeverTrump alike–self-pleasuring material. As with so much else that has been thrown at President Trump, the allegations of misfeasance and malfeasance melt away under any scrutiny. No, President Trump didn’t disband the NSC’s capability to deal with pandemics. No President Trump didn’t cause the delay in developing a US test kit. Yes, President Trump has removed bureaucratic impediments to approval of testing devices.
“Never let a crisis go to waste.” That famous quote has become a hard rule in the left’s playbook and they use it to the point of abusing it. It doesn’t matter what it is, be it the loss of innocent life at the hands of a madman or a pandemic that started in a foreign country and now threatens ours.
The media has been working overtime to see to it that the Wuhan virus pandemic that has swept the globe is a consistent weight on Trump’s presidency. Be it telling flat-out lies about Trump’s actions or declaring Trump racist for calling the virus
There appears to be a coordinated effort amongst Democrats and the media to destroy the public’s confidence in the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. It’s irresponsible and causing panic. I have no doubt that when this pandemic is over it will be clear the Trump administration handled it far better than Obama handled the H1N1 pandemic. I think the media knows this too, so they’re working overtime trying to erode the public’s faith in the Trump administration’s response in the hopes of ruining his chances of being reelected.
And Trump, being Trump, isn’t letting them get away with it. He’s compared the Obama administration’s response to the H1N1 pandemic
In her commentary on Tuesday's edition of "The Ingraham Angle," Fox News' Laura Ingraham raised six unanswered questions surrounding the coronavirus outbreak. 1. What is the true mortality rate of COVID-19? "We don't yet know how dangerous the coronavirus is, and we won't know until more data comes in," Ingraham began.(Snip)6. What is China's relationship with the World Health Organization? "Remember," Ingraham cautioned, "China is cofounder of the WHO and it provides an enormous amount of funding to it. They are now the second-largest donor after the United States ... [but] somehow they seem to be pulling all the strings."
In what are uncertain times right now, with coronavirus keeping people isolated at home, there is good to be had if we look for it. And two young children in Clintonville took good into their own hands Monday, holding an impromptu cello concert at the home of a dear 78-year-old neighbor. She was delighted. Taran Tien, who is all of 9, pulled on his best suit. His sister Calliope, who is 6 and happens to be missing her two front teeth right now, fixed herself up in her party dress. And off they went across Erie Road in their Columbus neighborhood, each carrying their cello so that they could play
Donald Trump Wins Republican Presidential
Nomination with Majority of
Delegates in 2020 Primary replies
Nomination with Majority of
Delegates in 2020 Primary replies
President Donald Trump officially earned the delegates required to be the Republican nominee on Tuesday. After winning the primaries in both Florida and Illinois on Tuesday night, the president passed the delegate threshold of 1,276 required to win the nomination.The president has dominated Republican primaries in 2020, earning more votes in many states than previous presidential incumbents. The Republican convention begins on Monday, August 24 in Charlotte, North Carolina, which will officially make Trump the 2020 Republican presidential nominee.