Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
April 23, 2020
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Republicans believe Democrats will weaponize coronavirus committee . . . House Republicans believe Democrats are plotting to use a new coronavirus investigative committee to damage President Trump in the critical months ahead of the 2020 election.
The House will vote in an emergency session Thursday to pass a resolution creating a special House panel to oversee the distribution of billions of federal dollars dedicated to the response to the coronavirus outbreak. Pelosi, a California Democrat, said the panel would “prevent waste, fraud, and abuse” and would be bipartisan.
She appointed the House majority whip, South Carolina Democrat James Clyburn, to oversee the panel. But Republicans say there’s another, more political purpose for the panel that follows in the path of the Democrats’ Russian collusion investigation and their impeachment of Trump over his efforts to get Ukraine government officials to investigate Joe Biden. Washington Examiner
HHS Secretary Azar's missteps set back virus response . . . Interviews with more than two dozen administration officials and others involved in the government’s coronavirus effort show that Mr. Azar waited for weeks to brief the president on the threat, oversold his agency’s progress in the early days and didn’t coordinate effectively across the health-care divisions under his purview.
The ramp-up of the nation’s diagnostic testing for the disease caused by coronavirus, which many health experts regard as critical for limiting new infections and safely reopening the economy, has been slower than promised and hampered by obstacles. As of Wednesday, more than four million government and private-lab tests had been administered. The president now says states bear the primary responsibility for testing, and that the federal government plays only a supporting role. Wall Street Journal
Nearly 90 percent of COVID-19 patients on ventilators died . . . Nearly 90 per cent of all coronavirus patients placed on ventilators in New York's largest health system died, according to a study. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Wednesday, examined the electronic health records of 5,700 patients hospitalized at Northwell Health. Final outcomes were known for 2,634 patients. It found that overall, roughly 20 per cent of
COVID-19 patients treated at Northwell Health died. But of those placed on ventilators, 88 per cent died. For those over the age of 65, the mortality rate after being put on a ventilator was 97%. The study also found that 94 per cent of those who were hospitalized had some sort of underlying health condition. It was found that 57 per cent had high blood pressure, 42 per cent were obese and 34 per cent had diabetes. Daily Mail
States rushing to reopen likely making a deadly mistake . . .By the end of the week, residents in Georgia will be able to get their hair permed and nails done. By Monday, they will be cleared for action flicks at the cineplex and burgers at their favorite greasy spoon.
As several states — including South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida — rush to reopen businesses, the sudden relaxation of restrictions will supply new targets for the coronavirus that has kept the United States largely closed down, according to experts, math models and the basic rules that govern infectious diseases. “The math is unfortunately pretty simple. It’s not a matter of whether infections will increase but by how much,” said Jeffrey Shaman,
a leading epidemiologistat Columbia University. Washington Post
Research suggests that smoking may protect people against coronavirus . . . French researchers are planning to trial whether nicotine patches will help prevent - or lessen the effects of - the deadly coronavirus. Evidence is beginning to show the proportion of smokers infected with
coronavirus is much lower than the rates in the general population. Scientists are now questioning whether nicotine could stop the virus from infecting cells, or if it may prevent the immune system overreacting to the infection. Doctors at a major hospital in Paris - who also found low rates of smoking among the infected - are now planning to give nicotine patches to COVID-19 patients. Daily Mail
Two pet cats test positive for coronavirus . . . Two pet cats in New York state have tested positive for the coronavirus, marking the first confirmed cases in companion animals in the United States, federal officials said Wednesday. The cats, which had mild respiratory illnesses
and are expected to recover, are thought to have contracted the virus from people in their households or neighborhoods, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The finding, which comes after positive tests in some tigers and lions at the Bronx Zoo, adds to a small number of
confirmed cases of the virus in animals worldwide. Associated Press
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Trump signs order limiting immigration . . . President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesdayto halt some
immigrants from entering the U.S., though his action contained a wide series of exceptions for workers in agriculture, health care, public safety and other industries. "This will ensure that unemployed Americans of all backgrounds will be first in line for jobs as our economy reopens," Trump said during his daily briefing on Wednesday. "It will also preserve our health care resources for American patients." The president said he would re-evaluate the halt after 60 days – and noted that he
could alter it any time before that – and stressedthat the new rules do no apply to some workers. USA Today
Trump tells Georgia Gov. he disagrees with reopening . . . Gov. Kemp announced that Georgians would soon be able to resume socially distanced dining in at restaurants and go to movie theaters in the state in a matter of days. The move drew a swift backlash from critics who pointed to indicators that Georgia’s number of new cases was still on an upward trajectory and had not met the White House’s own benchmarks for lifting social-distancing measures. Trump on Wednesday asserted that Kemp’s rolled-back restrictions were “in violation” of the first step of his administration’s phased plan to return to normal and revive the economic standstill. At the same time, Trump indicated he was not so opposed to Kemp’s decision that he would ask the federal government to step in. Politico
McConnell rejects "blank check" for states . . . Republican lawmakers objected Wednesday to giving governors a “blank check” that could end up in chronically underfunded union pension plans, as Washington tees up another massive coronavirus stimulus package with an eye toward bailing out hard-hit state budgets. “We’ll certainly insist that anything we’d borrow to send down to the states is not spent on solving problems that they created
for themselves over the years with their pension programs,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. He said Congress should “push the pause button” on more emergency aid. Governors are seeking at least $500 billion from Washington, saying the COVID-19 crisis has left gaping holes in their budgets. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that President Trump agreed in a meeting with him a day earlier that
states must receive more aid. Washington Times
Official says that he was ousted for urging careful vetting of hydroxychloroquine . . . The ousted director of a key U.S. agency charged with developing drugs to fight the coronavirus pandemic said on Wednesday he was dismissed because he called for careful vetting of a treatment frequently touted by President Donald Trump. Rick Bright said in a statement that he was replaced as director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and
Development Authority, or BARDA, and reassigned to a new role because he resisted efforts to push hydroxychloroquine and the related chloroquine as cures for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus. Reuters
Masked House members to vote on $484B relief bill . . . Welcome to legislating in the pandemic era: U.S. House members in masks, disinfectant, silent committees and hundreds of billions in deficit spending. The House plans to convene at 10 a.m. Thursday to give final passage to a $484 billion interim rescue plan to bolster a staggered American economy. Unlike the Senate, which was able to pass the latest emergency package in
a quick voice vote with only a handful of senators present, the possibility of an objection from either party means at least half of the 429 current House members must venture to Washington despite the risks from the coronavirus pandemic. Bloomberg
AOC tells Americans not to go back to work . . . “Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls for a national work boycott. The congresswoman says Americans should refuse to go back to work,” said Vice TV, which will include her commentary on the premiere of “A Seat at the Table,” a new talk show which premieres Wednesday night. “When we talk about this idea of reopening society you know, only in America- does the president — when the president
tweets about liberation — does he mean go back to work. When we have this discussion about going back or reopening, I think a lot people should just say no — we’re not going back to that,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez tells the upcoming Vice program. Washington Times
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US adversaries test American resolve during pandemic . . . A dozen Iranian speed boats brazenly swarm U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf. A Russian fighter jet buzzes a U.S. Navy surveillance plane flying over the Mediterranean Sea. North Korea fires a barrage of missiles launched from the air and ground. All the incidents took place in mid-April. All were mounted by some of America's top adversaries. As
coronavirus stalks the globe, sapping attention, budgets and government personnel at home and abroad, U.S. adversaries from Moscow to Pyongyang are flexing their muscles and testing U.S. resolve. USA Today
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Trump is set to offer "economic support" to Greenland . . . President Trump is starting to work his way toward buying Greenland. The proud Danes will never give it up, you say? Trump knows that everyone has his price. We may have to go to war with Denmark, but Trump is gonna get Greenland. That’s a joke, of course. No point trying to mess with Vikings. White House Dossier
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Zoom 5.0 tightens security . . . Zoom is fine-tuning its video conferencing software and upgrading security features to help prevent zoom-bombing and other privacy intrusions. The San Jose, California-headquartered online video provider said Wednesdaythat it will make available a new 5.0 version of its software later this week. In addition to improved security features, Zoom will use more advanced encryption that will better protect meeting data and prevent tampering with online meetings. USA Today
Bezos takes back the wheel at Amazon . . . After years of working almost exclusively on long-term projects and pushing day-to-day management to his deputies, Mr. Bezos, 56, has turned back to the here-and-now problems facing Amazon, the company said, as the giant retailer grapples with a surge of demand, labor unrest and supply chain challenges brought on by the coronavirus. He is holding daily calls to help make decisions about inventory and
testing, as well as how and when — down to the minute — Amazon responds to public criticism. He has talked to government officials. And in April, for the first time in years, he made a publicized visit to one of Amazon’s warehouses. New York Times
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Health professionals and reform advocates ask cops to reduce arrests . . . A group of doctors and health professionals have joined criminal justice reform advocates to urge the NYPD to cut back on policing efforts, saying officers could wind up infecting the public with the coronavirus. In a letter obtained by the Daily News, more than 200 frontline medical workers asked the police department to “halt the enforcement of low-level
and ‘quality of life’ offenses to reduce unnecessary interactions between the NYPD and the public.” The health workers also urged the department to “cease unnecessary arrests” by issuing summonses and desk appearance tickets instead. New York Daily News
Bin Laden wanted to kill Obama so "totally unprepared" Biden would take over . . . Usama bin Laden wanted to assassinate then-President Barack Obama so that the "totally unprepared" Joe Biden would take over as president and plunge the United States "into a crisis," according to documents seized from bin Laden's Pakistan compound when he was killed in May 2011. The secretive documents, first reported in 2012 by The Washington Post, outlined a plan to take out Obama and top U.S. military commander David Petraeus as they traveled by plane. “The reason for concentrating on them is that Obama is the head of infidelity and killing him automatically will make [Vice President] Biden
take over the presidency," bin Laden wrote to a top deputy. "Biden is totally unprepared for that post, which will lead the U.S. into a crisis. As for Petraeus, he is the man of the hour ... and killing him would alter the war's path" in Afghanistan. Fox News
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Couple sailing around the world had no idea about the pandemic . . . A British couple say they were stunned to learn the coronavirus had escalated into a raging pandemic after returning from a trip on the high seas, according to a report. Elena Manighetti and Ryan Osborne, who live in Manchester, said they knew little of the virus when they set sail across the Atlantic Ocean in February from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean —
and told their family not to share any bad news during the voyage. “In February we’d heard there was a virus in China, but with the limited information we had we figured by the time we got to the Caribbean in 25 days it would all be over,” Manighetti told the outlet. New York Post
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Keith
Keith Koffler
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