Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
April 22, 2020
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
First of all, I want to show you this excerpt from a freelance article that I did for the NBC News website. Yes, they let me write conservative opinion articles for them. Gets their readers nice and worked up. From the piece, "Seven things Trump is doing right on the coronavirus":
Trump deserves credit that few seem ready to give him for his current approach to COVID-19. Some of the fault for this lies with Trump and his own bloviations, which are easy to mock and criticize. But it’s often more useful to consider what Trump does than what he says. And here are seven things he is doing right.
He's listening to experts. The president says he listens to his gut — but his gut seems heavily informed by his brain. The president is consulting a vast array of advisers, outside experts, business leaders and fellow politicians as he goes about making his
decisions. Two of America's most expert doctors, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci and State Department Ambassador-at-Large Deborah Birx, are helping lead Trump’s response and usually by his side at the daily White House briefings.
He's keeping federal power in check. Trump in one briefing proclaimed his “authority is total” — exactly what the U.S. Constitution says it is not. But his detractors are still waiting for his seizure of total power, which they have been
predicting since before he was elected. His response to the coronavirus has, in reality, been remarkably restrained. His resort to the Defense Production Act to force industries to help has been extremely limited, wielded, as he has noted, more as a threat than a cudgel. Instead, Trump has invested enormous time speaking with industry leaders to secure their assistance.
You can read the rest of the article here.
Leading the News . . .
Senate passes $484B coronavirus relief package . . . The Senate on Tuesday approved roughly $484 billion in new coronavirus aid for small businesses and hospitals and more funding for testing, ending a lengthy battle over the size and contents of the package. The agreement was passed by a voice vote after days of negotiations between congressional Democrats and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, with the talks lasting until approximately
midnight on both Sunday and Monday. The deal includes an additional $310 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, including $60 billion specifically for community banks and smaller lenders, as well as $75 billion for hospitals, $25 billion for testing, and $60 billion for emergency disaster loans and grants. The
Hill
Study: Giving Hydroxychloroquine makes COVID-19 death risk worse . . . An old malaria drug touted by U.S. President Donald Trump as a “game changer” in the fight against the coronavirus provided no benefit and potentially higher risk of death for patients at U.S. veterans hospitals, according to an analysis that has been submitted for expert review. Decades old hydroxychloroquine has been widely used in an attempt to alter the course of the
COVID-19 respiratory illness based on anecdotal reports that it may provide some benefit. An analysis of Veterans Health Administration (VA) data found that 28% of 97 patients given hydroxychloroquine along with standard care died, compared with a death rate of 11% for the 158 patients that did not receive the drug. The death rate was 22% for the 113 patients given hydroxychloroquine plus the antibiotic azithromycin. Reuters
Trump immigration order well short of a full ban . . . Trump announced that he will sign an executive order blocking most people for 60 days from receiving a permanent residency visa, or green card. But the order will still allow the government to continue processing visas for hundreds of thousands of temporary employees, including farm workers, landscapers and crab pickers — the largest source of immigration. The order is also expected
to carve out additional exemptions for so-called essential employees, including health care workers, and immigrants who come into the United States through immediate family members, according to a person familiar with the situation. Politico
Study finds COVID-19 death rate similar to flu . . . "The COVID infection is substantially more common in the population than we'd realized prior to this study," said Stanford University professor of medicine Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. "We figured out about somewhere between 2.8 and 4 percent of Santa Clara County has had evidence of COVID infection," continued Bhattacharya, describing the results of
his preliminary report that has not been peer-reviewed. "If 4 percent have evidence of infection that means that there's about 85 times more people who've had it per person than actually identified having it," he explained. "It's probably about as deadly as the flu or a little bit worse per case." Instead of having a death rate of -- like the World Health Organization said -- three in a hundred," he continued, "our estimates suggest about somewhere between one and
two in a thousand die from getting infected." Fox News
CDC director says second coronavirus wave could worse than first . . . A second wave of the coronavirus is expected to hit the United States next winter and could strike much harder than the first because it would likely arrive at the start of influenza season, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Tuesday. “There’s a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even
more difficult than the one we just went through,” said CDC Director Robert Redfield. Reuters
Restaurant air conditioning spread illness to nine . . . Air conditioning was the reason why coronavirus spread from one infected diner to nine others in a Chinese restaurant, a study has claimed. However, none of the other 81 people inside came down with the virus, according to findings. The paper, set to be published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, investigates an incident at an eatery in Guangzhou in January, where
a family had arrived from Wuhan - the city where the Covid-19 pandemic began. Daily Mail
First coronavirus death occurred three weeks earlier than thought . . . Santa Clara Medical Examiner-Coroner says it has identified three individuals who died with COVID-19, including one victim who passed away on February 6. Washington state's first deaths were then
reported on February 29 after two people - one who was a resident at a nursing home - died in the same Seattle hospital. Daily Mail
Coronavirus has mutated into at least 30 different strains . . .
The novel coronavirus has mutated into at least 30 different genetic variations, according to a new study in China. The results showed that medical officials have vastly underestimated the overall ability of the virus to mutate, in finding that different strains have affected different parts of the world, leading
to potential difficulties in finding an overall cure. The study, which was carried out by professor Li Lanjuan and colleagues from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, was published in a non-peer reviewed paper released on Sunday. Fox News
New York state issues do-not-resuscitate order for cardiac patients . . . New York state just issued a drastic new guideline urging emergency-services workers not to bother trying to revive anyone without a pulse when they get to a scene, amid an overload of coronavirus patients. While paramedics were previously told to spend up to 20 minutes trying to revive people found in cardiac arrest, the change is “necessary during the COVID-19 response to protect the health and safety of EMS providers by limiting their exposure, conserve resources, and ensure optimal use of
equipment to save the greatest number of lives,’’ according to a state Health Department memo issued last week. First-responders were outraged over the move. “They’re not giving people a second chance to live anymore,’’ Oren Barzilay. New York Post
Thank you, Governor Orwell
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McConnell hits the breaks on more aid . . .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is drawing a line: There will be no more attempts at long-distance legislating on the coronavirus. In a telephone interview Tuesday after passage of a $484 billion coronavirus relief bill, the Senate majority leader made clear that the full Senate must be in session before Congress begins its fifth
installment of responding to the pandemic. And he signaled he is growing weary of quickly shoveling billions of dollars out the door even as the economy continues to crater. Politico
Valerie Jarret: Michelle Obama will not be Biden's VP
Put aside your fear, Americans.
Trump to ask Harvard, large business to return relief funds . . . President Trump said Tuesday that he is going to ask large businesses and institutions such as Harvard University to return money that they received as part of a coronavirus relief package.
“I’m going to request it,” Trump told reporters at the White House, singling out the Ivy League school. “Harvard is going to pay back the money. They shouldn’t be taking it. I’m not going to mention any other names, but when I saw Harvard — they have one of the largest endowments anywhere in the country, maybe in the world. They’re going to pay back the
money,” the president added. The Hill
Trump tweets video mocking Obama's Biden endorsement. Its hilarious.
Whitmer gave no-bid contract award to Dem consulting firm . . . Michigan Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer has handed over control of the state’s new contact-tracing operation to one of her own campaign vendors and one of the left’s biggest technology firms. The move has sparked concern that she is using the
coronavirus to strengthen the Democratic Party’s data operation, potentially at the expense of public health. The liberal firm works with all of the major Democratic campaign committees and hundreds of labor unions. After publication of this article, Whitmer's administration announced that the contract was being rescinded. Washington Free Beacon
Today's Trump schedule
White Democrats most concerned that Biden is white . . . The only Democratic voters significantly bothered by Joe Biden's race and gender are white liberals with graduate degrees, according to a Pew survey published this week. According to the poll, a majority of Democratic voters are not concerned that their party's presumptive nominee for president is an elderly white man. Nearly 60 percent of respondents said Biden's age and race do not
bother them. Among black voters, 72 percent said they weren't bothered by Biden's race and gender, while 70 percent of Hispanic voters said the same. Concern over Biden's whiteness was considerably higher among white Democrats, nearly half of whom said they were bothered that their party's nominee was not a minority. New
York Post
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Navy deploys two ship to the South China Sea . . .
Two U.S. warships are operating in the South China Sea, the Navy said on Tuesday, with three regional security sources saying they were near an area of a standoff between China and Malaysia. The Haiyang Dizhi 8, a Chinese government research ship, was spotted last week conducting a survey close to an exploration vessel operated
by Malaysia's state oil company Petronas, months after it undertook a similar patrol off Vietnam. The incident prompted the United States to call on China to stop its 'bullying behavior' in the disputed waters, citing concern over Beijing's provocative actions towards offshore oil and gas developments there. Dail Mail
US troops held their posts despite Iran missile warning . . . A new Department of Defense report revealed that U.S. troops stationed in Iraq held their posts at Al Assad and Erbil air bases earlier this year, despite being warned of an impending Iranian missile attack. The U.S. Air Force Central Command (AFCENT) compiled a 36-page dossier of firsthand accounts from around 80 airmen who stayed behind on the night of Jan. 8. An intelligence warning gave base leaders only several hours to prepare. Both
bases were hit with 12 ballistic missiles that night, but no members of the military were killed, according to the report. Fox News
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North Korea silent on Kim as speculation on health rages . . . North Korean state media on Wednesday made no mention of leader Kim Jong Un’s health or whereabouts, a day after intense international speculation over his health was sparked by media reports he was gravely ill after a cardiovascular procedure. North Korean media presented a business as usual image, carrying routine reporting of Kim’s achievements and publishing some
of his older, or undated, comments on issues like the economy. South Korean and Chinese officials and sources familiar with U.S. intelligence have cast doubt on South Korean and U.S. media reports that he was seriously sick, while the White House said it was closely monitoring the matter. Reuters
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Netflix adds nearly 16 million new subscribers . . .
We knew people were watching more Netflix as stay-at-home orders across the nation kept folks at home during the coronavirus crisis. But far more new subscribers flocked to the streaming provider than expected. Netflix on Tuesday said it added more than 2.3 million new members in the U.S. during the January to March quarter – more than three times
the 759,000 new additions analysts had expected. Internationally, Netflix added about 13.5 million new subscribers, about 75% more than the 7.75 million analysts expected. The influx brings Netflix's total subscriber base to about 183 million subscribers worldwide, 70 million in the U.S. and 113 million internationally. USA Today
"Moment of truth" for Richard Branson as he fights to save his empire . . . Two months ago, Richard Branson launched the
Scarlet Lady, the first cruise ship in a globe-spanning travel and tourism empire bearing his Virgin Group brand. Today, the cruise ship business is on hold. One of his airlines, Virgin Australia, filed for bankruptcy Tuesday. Another, Virgin Atlantic, the high-profile trans-Atlantic shuttle, is asking for financial assistance from the U.K. government. Fox Business
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Conn. police to test drone that monitors health of residents . . . Police in Westport, Conn., said they will be testing a "pandemic drone" that can scan the body temperatures of residents to determine if they have fevers or other health symptoms in an effort to combat the coronavirus. Aerospace company
Draganfly announced in a news release the drones will be equipped with a specialized sensor and computer vision systems that can display heart and respiratory rates. They can also detect people coughing in crowds, police said. “One of the major problems for cities and towns like Westport in managing and responding to a pandemic like the COVID-19 virus, is finding out who could be infected and how widespread the disease has spread,” said Westport First Selectman, Jim Marpe. “One
way to do this is to look for underlying symptoms. Fox News
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Lululemon apologizes after art director promotes "bat fried rice" T-Shirt . . . Fitness apparel brand Lululemon is apologizing after a senior staffer promoted a T-shirt design for “bat fried rice” during the coronavirus pandemic. Senior global art director Trevor Fleming, whose social media accounts now have all been deactivated, posted the design featuring a Chinese takeout box and pair of
chopsticks with bat wings on his Instagram on Sunday. The design was created by California artist Jess Sluder who was selling it digitally for $60. Fox News
Of course, he'll be fired. The mob will order it.
Woman's breast implants deflected bullet and saved her life . . .
A woman who survived a close-range gunshot wound to the chest was saved because of her silicone breast implants, doctors believe. In a case study published to the SAGE medical journal last week, doctors described how a silicone breast implant deflected a bullet away from a 30-year-old woman's vital organs. The incident,
which took place in 2018 in Toronto, Canada, is one of only a handful of instances recorded in medical literature where a breast implant played a role in saving a patient's life, and the first recorded instance of a silicone implant doing so, said surgeon Giancarlo McEvenue. CNN
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Keith
Keith Koffler
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