Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
April 28, 2020
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Coronavirus likely to keep coming back each year . . . Chinese scientists say the novel coronavirus will not be eradicated, adding to a growing consensus around the world that the pathogen will likely return in waves like the flu. It’s unlikely the new virus will disappear the way its close cousin SARS did 17 years ago, as it infects some people without causing obvious symptoms like fever. This group of so-called asymptomatic carriers makes it hard
to fully contain transmission as they can spread the virus undetected. With SARS, those infected became seriously ill. Once they were quarantined from others, the virus stopped spreading. In contrast, China is still finding dozens of asymptomatic cases of the coronavirus every day despite bringing its epidemic under control. “This is very likely to be an epidemic that co-exists with humans for a long time, becomes seasonal and is sustained within human bodies,” said Jin Qi, director of the
Institute of Pathogen Biology at China’s top medial research institute. Bloomberg
Poll: Americans back restrictions on business and halt to immigration . . . Americans overwhelmingly support state-imposed restrictions on businesses and the size of public gatherings to slow the spread of the coronavirus. They also back a temporary halt to immigration into the country, as ordered by President Trump, to deal with the crisis, according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll. The poll finds that Americans’ concerns about becoming seriously ill from the virus have not eased in the past week. Some governors have begun to relax shelter-at-home orders and allow certain
businesses to reopen. But nearly 2 in 3 Americans say the restrictions on restaurants, stores and other businesses in their states are appropriate, with another 16 percent saying they are not tight enough. About 7 in 10 (72 percent) Democrats and 6 in 10 (62 percent) Republicans say their state’s current restrictions on businesses are appropriate. Washington Post
Trump unveils plan to test one in fifty Americans . . . President Trump announced Monday that the federal government will assist the states in conducting enough coronavirus testing to have businesses open their doors again, but the federal
government would only supply tests as a last resort. 'We are continuing to rapidly expand our capacity and I'm confident that we have enough testing to begin reopening and the reopening process,' Trump said at Monday's press briefing. 'The testing is not going to be a problem at all, in fact it's going to be one of the great assets we have.' The federal government would aim to provide states enough tests to screen at least 2 per cent of their residents, ramping up testing in May through June. Daily Mail
Model predicts deadly result from opening up too early . . . A leading coronavirus model has upped its predicted death toll again, this time projecting 74,000 Americans will lose their lives to the virus by August.
The projection was adjusted due to longer peaks in some states and signs that people are becoming more active again, according to Dr. Chris Murray, the director of the University of Washington's Institute for Help Metrics and Evaluation. Last week, the model projected 67,641 deaths from Covid-19. The US is also preparing to hit another milestone in the pandemic as it approaches 1 million cases. At least 56,253 Americans have died so far. "It's a safer strategy to get
the number of infections in the community down to a really low level, and then testing and contact tracing and isolation can work," Murray said Monday. CNN
Secret group of scientists working on "Manhattan Project to defeat virus . . . A secret group of the nation's top scientists funded by a group of billionaires say they believe they have the answer to combatting the pandemic and intend to make their proposals known to the White House. The group consisting of a dozen doctors is led by 33-year-old Dr. Thomas Cahill - a physician-turned-venture capitalist. Cahill has managed to pull together what
he hopes will be enough clout and financial backing to influence policy decisions at the highest level, including the White House, as plans are made on how to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic and defeat the disease. Daily Mail
New York emergency room doctor kills herself after seeing too much . . . The head of the emergency department at a Manhattan hospital committed suicide after spending days on the front lines of the coronavirus battle, her family said Monday. “She tried to do her job, and it killed her,’’ Dr. Philip Breen told the New York Times of his physician daughter, Dr. Lorna Breen, who had been medical director of the NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital amid the pandemic.
The battle-weary ER doctor, 49, was only the latest city healthcare worker to take her own life. Fox News
Cuomo says 25 percent of NYC residents have contracted coronavirus
Man spouts anti-Asian tirade, breaks phone of woman trying to distance from him . . . When a Queens woman tried to maneuver away from a passerby not wearing a mask, he spouted a racist tirade and broke her cellphone, cops said Monday. The startling attack, which happened about
11:45 a.m. Sunday, is the latest in a string of anti-Asian hate crimes related to the coronavirus pandemic. "We’ve seen it on the news, but we never thought it would happen to us,” the 36-year-old victim told the Daily News. "I felt helpless, really, like, how can this thing be happening?” New York Daily News
Shocking video shows massive coronavirus lockdown house party in Chicago
FDA urges manufacturers to start making hand santizer taste worse . . . Far too many Americans, most of them children, have been ingesting hand sanitizer and other potentially toxic disinfectants since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the FDA, calls to the
National Poison Data System increased 79% in March 2020 compared to the same time last year, and to bring those numbers down they’re asking manufacturers to make hand sanitizer less appealing to the taste buds. An advisory released by the FDA on Monday encourages makers of hand sanitizer to add denatured alcohol, which tastes bitter, to their products. The FDA noted a case they saw this month, in which a 13-year-old drank hand sanitizer that was made by a distillery and packaged in a
liquor bottle. New York Daily News
Oh man, you already can't eat out, now they're taking all the flavor out of hand sanitizer.
First known case of dog contracting conronavirus reported
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Trump says he plans to bill China for coronavirus damage . . . President Donald Trump said he intends to bill China for a 'substantial' amount for damages caused by the coronavirus. During a press conference at the White House on Monday, Trump made the threat to China after being asked whether he was considering seeking money from Beijing for its response to the pandemic. The idea of
seeking reparations from China came after a German newspaper published a mocked-up bill of a $160billion invoice for the impact shutdowns have had on the economy following the spread from Wuhan to Europe. The president claimed he had a 'much easier' idea and claimed he was planning on obtaining much more than what the Germans were suggesting. Daily Mail
Definitely don't let them pay by check.
Dossier author Steele had previously undisclosed meeting with DNC lawyer . . . A lawyer representing the DNC and Clinton campaign provided Christopher Steele with information in 2016 regarding an alleged secret communications channel between the Trump Organization and a Russian bank, the former spy told a British court last month. That now-debunked tip, from Perkins Coie lawyer Michael Sussmann, set off a chain of events that led to Steele
publishing a Sept. 14, 2016 memo accusing the founders of the bank, Alfa Bank, of having “illicit” ties to Vladimir Putin, according to a court transcript. A week after Steele wrote that memo, he had another meeting with Sussmann’s colleague, Marc Elias, according to the transcript. Daily Caller
Trump rolls out campaign theme: I built a great economy, I can do it again . . . This is how President Trump is going to frame his reelection campaign. The economic growth under his stewardship was derailed by the coronavirus, and he is the one who can put things back on track. It may have some resonance, because it is not an unreasonable argument. Maybe Joe Biden could put the economy right too, if he can match his socks in the morning.
Trump, who spoke during a Rose Garden press conference, also said that the economy would be better in the third quarter and then scale up dramatically in the Fourth, with strong growth next year. White House Dossier
Barr orders legal action against govenors infringing on civil rights with restrictions . . . Attorney General William P. Barr on Monday ordered federal prosecutors across the country to consider legal action against governors if their efforts to stop the spread of the new coronavirus infringe on Americans’ civil rights.In a two-page memo, Mr. Barr directed all U.S. attorneys to “be on the lookout” for local and state
directives that could violate religious, free speech or economic rights under the Constitution. “If a state or local ordinance crosses the line from an appropriate exercise of authority to stop the spread of COVID-19 into an overbearing infringement of constitutional and statutory protections, the Department of Justice may have an obligation to address that overreach in federal court,” Mr. Barr wrote in a memo to the 93 U.S. attorneys. Washington Times
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South Korea says Kim may just be avoiding the coronavirus . . . Fear of catching the coronavirus could have kept North Korean leader Kim Jong Un away from state ceremonies for a key holiday in mid-April, a South Korean minister said on Tuesday as speculation swirled over Kim’s whereabouts and health. Under Kim, North Korea has expanded its arsenal of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles, and with no obvious
successor, any change in leadership in the authoritarian country would raise concerns about instability that could impact other North Asian countries and the United States.
The speculation about Kim’s health erupted after his unprecedented absence from ceremonies marking the April 15 birth anniversary of his grandfather and founder of the country, Kim Il Sung. Reuters
That makes sense. He checks all the boxes when it comes to health risks.
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European nation with the fewest virus deaths proves speed is key . . . As the coronavirus continues to kill thousands of people a day across Europe, one country stands out for keeping its death toll low. Slovakia, a landlocked country of 5.5 million, closed its schools, shops and borders earlier than any other country after Italy. Meanwhile, politicians and TV anchors embraced face masks even before the government made them
mandatory. The measures bore fruit: Six weeks after the first reported infection, Slovakia has just 18 fatalities and is bottom of the European list of deaths per capita, according to data compiled by John Hopkins University as of April 26. Bloomberg
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Senator urges criminal probe of Amazon . . . A senator is pushing the Justice Department to open a criminal antitrust investigation into Amazon after a Wall Street Journal report detailed the company’s use of third-party seller data to develop its products. In a letter addressed to Attorney General William Barr, Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) urged the Justice Department to probe Amazon’s business practices, saying recent reports suggest the company “has engaged in predatory and exclusionary data practices to build and maintain a monopoly.” Mr. Hawley said the department should look at Amazon’s position as an online platform that also creates products
that compete with its third-party sellers. Wall Street Journal
Small business program reopends under crushing demand . . .
The Small Business Administration's emergency lending program reopened Monday to a crush of applications as business owners hit by coronavirus restrictions scramble to secure aid before the new round of funding runs dry. The SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program began accepting new applications this week for
an additional $310 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses with new rules and money set aside for certain groups in order to broaden the initiative's reach. But the agency's electronic filing system crashed within
minutes of the program reopening, as a week-plus of backlogged applications poured through, raising concerns about how long the second round of funding may last. The Hill
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Abortion by telemedicine surges . . . Abortion through telemedicine is a quietly growing phenomenon, driven in part by restrictions from conservative states and the Trump administration that have limited access and increased the distance many women must travel to abortion clinics. Now, the coronavirus pandemic is catapulting demand for telemedicine abortion to a new level, with much of the nation under strict stay-at-home
advisories and as several states, including Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, have sought to suspend access to surgical abortions during the crisis. The program has been allowed to operate as a research study for several years under a special arrangement with the Food and Drug Administration. It allows women seeking abortions to have video consultations with certified doctors and then receive abortion pills by mail to take on their own. New York Times
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Man makes bomb threat to get of work . . . Richard Hamilton was having a bad day Thursday. He didn’t want to work, he told Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office investigators. That’s why he called in a bomb threat that morning to Wellington’s water treatment center, where he was working with a construction crew. Authorities arrested Hamilton, a 36-year-old Miramar resident, on a charge of making a bomb threat during
the coronavirus pandemic, a national emergency. A judge set his bail at $10,000 during a hearing Friday at the Palm Beach County Jail. Palm Beach Post
I think this is more credible than claiming you have diarrhea. Bosses have caught on to that one.
For $50, Mambo the donkey will crash your insufferable Zoom meeting . . . COVID-19 has trapped many Americans at home, tied to their computers for a daily event that has quickly become dreadful: the company’s Zoom meeting. Enter Mambo, the up-to-no-good 8-year-old mini-donkey from Indian Trail, North Carolina. For $50, Mambo’s owners Francie and Mark Dunlap will have Mambo — or any of his friends at the Peace N Peas Farm, 30 minutes outside
Charlotte — crash your dull virtual meeting. Francie Dunlap said customers can even choose the farm visitor’s display name. Perhaps you’d like to name the animal after the colleague who never logs on or the co-worker who asks too many questions or the boss who organized the meeting in the first place. Charlotte Observer
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Keith
Keith Koffler
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