Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
April 30, 2020
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Study: Remdesivir shows promise as Covid-19 therapy . . .
The study showed that patients treated with remdesivir were ready to be discharged from the hospital within 11 days, on average, compared with an average of 15 days for patients who had received a placebo.
While not a “knockout,” Fauci said that shows an important and promising avenue for further study. “What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus,” Fauci said. Remdesivir can have serious side effects, according to previous trial results, including loss of kidney function and declining blood pressure. The study showed only a marginal benefit in
the rate of death. Fauci said that a death rate of 8 percent for those taking the drug versus 11 percent for those taking the placebo is not statistically significant but that the results will undergo further analysis. Washington Post
Gilead CEO says 50,000 treatment courses ready to ship
FBI dicussed whether goal of Michael Flynn interview was to entrap him . . . FBI notes unsealed on Wednesday show that bureau officials discussed whether the goal of an interview with Michael Flynn just days into the Trump administration was “to get him to lie” in order to get him fired or in legal jeopardy,
Flynn’s lawyers say. "What is our goal? Truth/Admission or to get him to lie so we can prosecute him or get him fired?” an FBI official wrote in the notes, according to a transcription from Flynn’s attorneys. Sidney Powell, Flynn’s lead attorney, said Wednesday that the newly unsealed
FBI documents show that the FBI “pre-planned a deliberate attack” against Flynn. Daily Caller
End of Trump social distancing policy threatens virus rebound . . . The Trump administration’s “Stay at Home” guidelines will quietly expire Thursday with little fanfare — letting states decide what’s next. But as President Donald Trump repeatedly declares that “we’re opening our country again,” the inconsistent patchwork of state, local and business decision-making is exactly what could drive a second wave of the coronavirus —
or potentially prolong the current outbreak. Instead of the national campaign to get people to stay home, the White House is leaving states with a set of CDC recommendations. They aren’t binding, and they aren’t all specific. That could lead to unexpected spikes across the country — sometimes in new places that didn’t see a bad outbreak, but also in cities that were recovering, only to suffer a setback. Politico
Recovered patients who test postive may harbor dead virus particles . . . Coronavirus patients who remain positive weeks after diagnosis may harbor dead virus particles that can’t be distinguished from infectious ones in standard tests, scientists in South Korea found. The so-called SARS-CoV-2 virus dies one-to-two weeks after infecting and proliferating inside respiratory cells, doctors at the National Medical Center in Seoul told reporters
Wednesday. Pieces of the virus’s genetic material, or RNA, may remain in cells and be detected by a nucleic acid test a month or two after infection, underscoring the limitation of testing, they said. It’s possible the virus detected in these patients isn’t viable or capable of causing an infection. Bloomberg
Children appear not to pass COVID-19 to adults . . . Children contract the coronavirus less often and with less severity than the general population, and there doesn’t appear to be cases of a child passing Covid-19 to an adult, according to a new report.
Many infected children may stay asymptomatic, but cases of them becoming critically ill with Covid-19 remain rare, according to an analysis of global virus studies compiled by the Don’t Forget the Bubbles pediatric blog. Bloomberg
Meat plant workers threaten they will not to return despite Trump order . . . Meat workers are threatening that they won't return to work despite President Donald Trump's demand that plants stay open amid fears over the nation's food supply. Their refusal comes in response to Trump using the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing plants as critical infrastructure. He issued the order in a bid to prevent the shortage of chicken,
pork and other meat amid widespread plant closure across the country as stores nationwide grapple with empty shelves amid a huge plunge in production. However, many employees claim the order puts their lives at stake due to unsafe conditions, a lack of protective equipment and outbreaks that led the nation's three largest facilities shut down. Daily Mail
Los Angeles mayor allows universal COVID-19 testing on city's worst day . . . Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that all city residents are now eligible for free COVID-19 testing — a first-of-its-kind step for any major city in the U.S. He urged all residents to consider getting swabbed, noting that some people who feel fine can still be asymptomatic carriers. “You can’t put a price on the peace of mind
of knowing that you can’t infect somebody around you,” he said. Garcetti’s announcement came hours after a grim update from health officials: L.A. County saw its largest increase in new coronavirus cases reported in a single day since the pandemic began. Public Health Department Director Barbara Ferrer announced 1,541 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, nearly 1,000 more than reported the previous day. Los Angeles Times
California governor to close all the beaches . . . California will reportedly close all beaches and state parks beginning Friday after swells of beachgoers fled to the shore last weekend in defiance of social distancing rules.
The state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, will formally announce the decision Thursday, according to a memo outlining the move obtained by FOX 11. “After well-publicized media coverage of overcrowded beaches this past weekend, in violation of Governor Newson’s
shelter in place order, the governor will be announcing tomorrow that beaches and all state parks in California will be closed, effective Friday, May 1,” said the notification, which was sent out to all California police chiefs on Wednesday. New York Post
ER doctor who killed herself had coronavirus but wanted to be at work . . . The sister of top Manhattan ER doctor Lorna Breen — who committed suicide after working on the front lines of the coronavirus battle — said she
believes contracting the illness “altered her brain.” Jennifer Feist told NBC’s “Today” that her 49-year-old sister, who caught COVID-19 herself before returning to work at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, was haunted by the disease and her inability to help more people. “She had COVID. And I believe that it altered her brain. Then she went back to the most horrific, unimaginable conditions,” Feist said in an interview set to air Thursday. “For somebody whose life’s calling is helping people, and she just couldn’t help enough people, the combination was just untenable.” New York Post
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Biden records being kept secret by Univeristy of Delaware officials close to him . . . Numerous top officials on the board of the University of Delaware, which is refusing to release Joe Biden's Senate records despite an earlier promise to do so, have close personal and financial ties to the former vice president, records reviewed by Fox News show -- and the chairman of the board even bought Biden's house in 1996 for
$1.2 million, reportedly a "top dollar" price given its condition. The documents suggest a significant conflict of interest as Biden faces increasing pressure to relinquish the documents that could contain information relevant to Tara Reade's sexual assault allegation
against him. Fox News
Rose McGowan trashes Democrats, Alyssa Milano over Biden response . . . Actress Rose McGowan posted a teary-eyed selfie along with a missive lamenting the Democratic establishment and the media Wednesday night following the fallout from sex assault allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden. McGowan is a victim of the convicted rapist and disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein “I used to be a proud Democrat,” the
46-year-old shared Wednesday. “I used to be a proud American.” McGowan publicly stood behind Reade after a 1993 clip from “Larry King Live” resurfaced last week and appeared to include her mother alluding to “problems” her daughter faced while working for the former Delaware senator. McGowan also recently skewered her former “Charmed” co-star Alyssa Milano, who is now a liberal activist, over the latter’s continued support for Biden despite Reade’s allegations. Fox News
McGowan has principles, courage, and consistency, unlike . . .
Stacy Abrams: Biden sexual assault charge is false . . . Suddenly, “believe all women” has been updated to, “Believe all women who are not making allegations against the Democratic nominee.” “I believe Joe Biden,” said Stacy Abrams, who recently announced that she would cut off her right arm and a portion of her left leg to be his running mate. “I think that he is telling the truth, and that this did not happen,” she said. Pathetic. At
least CNN is finally asking about this. Because, as Don Lemon says, “It’s in the news now.” As if, “We can’t avoid this any longer.” White House Dossier
Trump to visit Arizona next week, hopes for "massive rallies" soon . . . President Trump announced he will visit Arizona next week, signaling a return to travel after weeks grounded by the coronavirus crisis. Aides said they have been mulling several destinations designed to promote the idea of reopening the country and highlighting states that are following guidelines on how to lift social distancing restrictions. During a roundtable discussion of business leaders, Trump also said he was hopeful that he can resume campaign rallies soon. “I think I’m going to Arizona next week, and we look forward to that,” he said. “And I’m going to, I hope, Ohio soon. And we’re going to start to
move around. “And hopefully, in the not too distant future, we’ll have some massive rallies, and people will be sitting next to each other.” Washington Examiner
Trump berates campaign manager over falling polls . . . As he huddled with advisers on Friday evening, President Donald Trump was still fuming over his sliding poll numbers and the onslaught of criticism he was facing for suggesting a day earlier that ingesting disinfectant might prove effective against coronavirus. Within moments, the President was shouting -- not at the aides in the room, but into the phone -- at
his campaign manager Brad Parscale, three people familiar with the matter told CNN. Shifting the blame away from himself, Trump berated Parscale for a recent spate of damaging poll numbers, even at one point threatening to sue Parscale. Trump defended Parscale in a tweet on Thursday, writing, "Actually, he is doing a great job. I never shouted at him (been with me for years, including the 2016 win), & have no intention to do so." CNN
Pelosi's House coronavirus "oversight" committee includes Maxine Waters . . . Okay. So this is supposed to be a good-government, nonpartisan panel just looking for some facts, and just the facts, ma’am, about how the Administration has handled to coronavirus response. And yet it includes Maxine Waters, who has been calling for President Trump to be impeached since about 2004, and several other Democrats who were involved in the
impeachment process. Pelosi has decided the coronavirus is good politics. Sure, Trump made mistakes in his handling of the crisis. But this is not mistake. It will deny the country any lessons learned from the crisis and any sense of legitimate oversight that could point to actual problems. It will be another Washington circus designed to elect Democrats. White House Dossier
Republicans slam Pelosi proposal for guaranteed income . . .
House Republicans are pushing back on the idea of providing a minimum guaranteed income to Americans amid the financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) expressed an openness to the concept on
Monday during an interview with MSNBC while discussing the financial aid recently approved by Congress to help bolster the economy. “Let’s see what works, what is operational and what needs attention,” she said. “Others have suggested a minimum income, a guaranteed income for people. Is that worthy of attention now? Perhaps so," Pelosi continued. The Hill
Senators probe whether banks denied coronavirus relief to gun, energy businesses . . . Republican senators are launching a new inquiry into the troubled coronavirus relief program to ensure that banks are not discriminating against small businesses in the gun and energy industries among others. A group of 19 GOP lawmakers sent a letter to the Small Business Administration, Treasury Department, and Federal Reserve late on Tuesday to ensure that
banks are not withholding loans from certain industries. The senators, led by Kevin Cramer (R., N.D.), expressed concerns that some of the biggest banks administering the Paycheck Protection Program have previously refused to do business with companies in the oil, gas, coal, prison, and—especially—gun industries. Washington Free Beacon
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Trump says China trying to make him lose his reelection bid . . . President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he believes China’s handling of the coronavirus is proof that Beijing “will do anything they can” to make him lose his re-election bid in November. In an interview with Reuters in the Oval Office, Trump talked tough on China and said he was looking at different options in terms of consequences for Beijing over the
virus. “I can do a lot,” he said. The Republican president, often accused of not acting early enough to prepare the United States for the spread of the virus, said he believed China should have been more active in letting the world know about the coronavirus much sooner. “China will do anything they can to have me lose this race,” said Trump. He said he believes Beijing wants his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, to win the race to ease the pressure Trump has placed on China over trade
and other issues. Reuters
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Documents reveal Pope Pius XII knew Nazis were killing Jews . . . The long-awaited opening of Pope Pius XII’s wartime records lasted only a week before the coronavirus outbreak shut down the Vatican archives. But that was long enough for documents to emerge that reflect badly on the pontiff accused of silence during the Holocaust, according to published reports. In that week alone, German researchers found that the pope, who never directly criticized the Nazi slaughter of Jews, knew from his own sources about Berlin’s death campaign early on. But he kept this from the U.S. government after an aide argued that Jews and Ukrainians —
his main sources — could not be trusted because they lied and exaggerated, the researchers said. They also discovered that the Vatican hid these and other sensitive documents presumably to protect Pius’s image. Washington Post
Germany reopens stores . . . The eyes of the retail world are on Germany, the first major Western economy to start reopening bigger stores. Companies large and small, which have been hammered by the COVID-19 pandemic the world over, are eager to see how consumers respond as they emerge from lockdown. Are they too worried to go out shopping, or primed to unleash pent-up demand? Reuters
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Trump Republicans seek liability shields for businesses as they reopen . . . The business community is pressuring the White House and Congress to shield companies from lawsuits as they seek to reopen, setting up a politically charged battle as coronavirus restrictions around the country begin to ease. As Congress considers more legislation to jolt the economy back to life, Democrats, labor unions and trial attorneys have
voiced fierce opposition to a liability shield for employers. But top Republican lawmakers and the Trump administration appear eager to extend businesses of all sizes a layer of legal protection from any coronavirus-related litigation. The Hill
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Entrepeneur got $69M to make ventilators and delivered exactly none . . . A Silicon Valley entrepreneur with no apparent background in medical equipment or government contracting was given $69 million to make ventilators after tweeting Donald Trump - but has failed to deliver even one. Yaron Oren-Pines, an electrical engineer who specializes in mobile phone technology, answered the president's call to arms back in March for companies to start making ventilators and just days later was sent a staggering payment of $47,656 each for 1,450 ventilators by New York state. One month later and the epicenter of the pandemic is yet to receive a single piece of the life-saving medical equipment from Oren-Pines and
is desperately trying to claw back the money. Daily Mail
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University of Miami professor fired after class views porno bookmark . . . A University of Miami professor was teaching a business analytics class over Zoom and sharing his screen when students spotted something unexpected– a pornographic bookmark tab describing college girls. Videos, photos and social media posts capturing the incident soon went viral, and the professor, John Peng Zhang, is no longer employed at UM. The chain of
events began on March 26 when a student left his microphone on during a business analytics Zoom class. He noticed a bookmarked tab on the professor’s screen that read “Busty College girl fu…”, and he pointed out the tab for the whole class to hear. With this, much of the class soon took notice, aside from the professor. Professor Zhang continued teaching the class as normal, while the students quickly snapped photos and videos of the incident. The Miami Hurricane
News anchor caught cheating when naked woman wolks through live video call . . . A Spanish news anchor was “caught cheating” on his Big Brother star girlfriend when a semi-naked woman walked through his live video call. Alfonso Merlos was speaking to a host on the Estado de Alarma channel on YouTube when the incident occurred. As he talks, a partially clothed women walks by in the far background without him noticing. But eagle-eyed viewers spotted
her – and spotted that she wasn’t his girlfriend, former Big brother star Marta López. She was later identified as fellow journalist Alexia Rivas, according to 20 Minutos. The Sun
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Keith
Keith Koffler
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