Immunity to virus may fade quickly . . . Medical experts have cautioned those who appear to have immune system protections against reinfection that they may not be invulnerable in the long term, as so much remains to be discovered about COVID-19. A new study conducted in China adds to the uncertainty. Researchers from Chongqing Medical University looked at the immune systems of 74 people diagnosed with coronavirus — half of whom were symptomatic and half of whom were asymptomatic. The study found that 40 percent of the asymptomatic patients and 13 percent of the other patients lost their antibodies quickly, in as little as two months. New York Daily News

 

Latest forecast projects 180K deaths by October . . . Experts have now forecast that there will be 179,106 COVID-19 deaths in the United States by Oct. 1. But a universal mask-wearing order in the US could save as many as 33,000 lives. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation released a model Wednesday with a range of 159,497 to 213,715 deaths nationwide. Institute Director Dr. Chris Murray, however, said that mask wearing has a “profound effect” on the epidemic. Wearing a mask “is extremely low-cost, and, for the individual, provides a 1/3 — as high as one half — reduction in the risk of transmission,” he said in a video press release. USA Today

 

Northeast governors order quarantine of visitors from several hot spots . . .  The governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut on Wednesday ordered travelers from eight other U.S. states to be quarantined for two weeks on arrival, as COVID-19 infections surged in regions spared the brunt of the initial outbreak. “We must make face coverings a routine part of our daily lives,” Governor Steve Sisolak said in announcing the order, citing a four-week upward trend in new Nevada cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. Reuters

 

Democrats to hold largely virtual convention . . . Democrats will hold a largely virtual convention in August to nominate Joe Biden as their presidential candidate, the party said on Wednesday, with Biden giving his acceptance speech in person in Milwaukee, but state delegations staying home. Republicans, in contrast, plan to hold a largely in-person event in Jacksonville, Florida, in August, intending to have President Donald Trump accept his nomination on Aug. 27 before thousands in an indoor arena. Reuters

 

Why not? They have largely virtual candidate.
 

DOJ whistleblower sought job with Democrats . . . A Justice Department official turned whistleblower appeared caught off-guard Wednesday when Republican Rep. Doug Collins pressed him in a House Judiciary Committee hearing about his efforts in 2019 to work for House Democrats during the Trump impeachment saga. John Elias, a chief of staff to the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general in the antitrust division, reluctantly conceded at the hearing that he sought a position on the Democratic side of the House Judiciary Committee. Elias was one of three witnesses who accused Attorney General William Barr of abuse of his authority at the Judiciary hearing. Daily Caller

 

 

Trump losing to Biden in six battleground states . . . President Trump has lost significant ground in the six battleground states that clinched his Electoral College victory in 2016, according to New York Times/Siena College surveys, with Joseph R. Biden Jr. opening double-digit leads in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump’s once-commanding advantage among white voters has nearly vanished, a development that would all but preclude the president’s re-election. Mr. Biden now has a 21-point lead among white college graduates, and the president is losing among white voters in the three Northern battleground states — not by much, but he won them by nearly 10 points in 2016. New York Times

 

 

Trump personally asked for Confederate statue to be put back after toppling . . . Donald Trump personally ordered for a statue of a Confederate general to be put back up after protesters against racial injustice toppled and burned it last week, and he is reportedly preparing to announce a mandate against the removal of monuments.

The Albert Pike monument is the only outdoor one in Washington DC that commemorates a member of the confederacy and on June 19 - the Juneteenth holiday to celebrate the emancipation of African American slaves – it was vandalized and later removed. Daily Mail

 

Video || Pelosi refuses to apologize for accusing Republicans of murdering George Floyd

 

Dozens of Secret Service agents told to self-quarantine after Tulsa rally . . . Dozens of Secret Service officers and agents who were on site for President Trump’s rally in Tulsa last week were ordered to self-quarantine after two of their colleagues tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The Secret Service instructed employees who worked the Tulsa event to stay at home for 14 days when they returned from the weekend trip, according to two people familiar with the agency’s decision. Washington Post

Trump plan for July 4th trip to Mount Rushmore draws ire of Native American activists . . . President Donald Trump’s plans to kick off Independence Day with a showy display at Mount Rushmore are drawing sharp criticism from Native Americans who view the monument as a desecration of land violently stolen from them and used to pay homage to leaders hostile to native people. Several groups led by Native American activists are planning protests for Trump’s July 3 visit, part of Trump's “comeback” campaign for a nation reeling from sickness, unemployment and, recently, social unrest. The event is slated to include fighter jets thundering over the 79-year-old stone monument in South Dakota's Black Hills and the first fireworks display at the site since 2009. Fox News

 

Appeals court order judge to grant DOJ request to drop case against Flynn . . . A U.S. appeals court Wednesday told a Democratic judge who is refusing to drop the case against former National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn to back off. “ORDERED that Flynn’s petition for a writ of mandamus be granted in part; the District Court is directed to grant the government’s Rule 48(a) motion to dismiss; and the District Court’s order appointing an amicus is hereby vacated as moot, in accordance with the opinion of the court filed herein this date,” the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled on Wednesday. The administration is no longer prosecuting the case, but the judge wants it to continue anyway. White House Dossier

 

Trump to take some troops from Germany and move them to Poland . . . Hmm. Maybe Germany is planning to attack Poland again. Joking, joking, please, leave me alone. But President Trump is clearly making a point here, which is that Poland spends its fair share on NATO defense, and Germany does not. According to the Washington Examiner: President Trump plans for some of the 10,000 troops to be withdrawn from Germany to return to the United States, while Polish President Andrzej Duda said at the White House that he welcomes more U.S. troops in his country. White House Dossier

 

IMF worsens forecast for economic damage . . . The International Monetary Fund has laid out the unprecedented economic devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, sharply lowering its forecast for global growth this year. The IMF said on Wednesday that this 'crisis like no other' would send the global GDP plunging by 4.9 percent this year and wipe out an astonishing $12 trillion over two years. That is significantly worse than the 3 percent drop it had estimated in its previous report in April. The IMF said that the global economic damage from the recession will be worse than from any other downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Daily Mail

 

Chuck E. Cheese files for bankruptcy . . . Restaurant chain Chuck E. Cheese parent CEC Entertainment filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Thursday, making it the latest casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic that has crushed entertainment and leisure industries globally. The company described the current crisis as the “most challenging” in its history and said it would use the bankruptcy proceedings to continue talks with stakeholders and landlords, as well as restructure its balance sheet. Reuters

 

 

Gun sales surge as movement grows to defund police . . .  Coronavirus-fueled fears of social unrest already had Americans buying guns and bullets at record rates earlier this year. That was before the police killing of George Floyd caused an international uproar, leading to protests that, at times, descended into riots, arson and looting in cities across the United States. Those circumstances and the rise of the Defund the Police movement championed by Black Lives Matter activists have led to higher sales for firearms and ammunition dealers. Firearms dealers across the country have reported a recent spike in sales, citing the unrest following police brutality protests in support of George Floyd and calls to defund the police as catalysts, according to gun industry analyst Rob Southwick. CNN Business

 

 

New York Black Lives Matter leader threatens to "burn down this system" . . . "If this country doesn't give us what we want, then we will burn down this system and replace it. All right?" said Greater New York Black Lives Matter president Hawk Newsome. "And I could be speaking ... figuratively. I could be speaking literally. It's a matter of interpretation. "Let's observe the history of the 1960s, when black people were rioting," he went on. "We had the highest growth in wealth, in property ownership. Think about the last few weeks since we started protesting. There have been eight cops fired across the country." "I don't condone nor do I condemn rioting," Newsome added. "But I'm just telling you what I observed." Fox News

 

 

US marshals told to prepare to protect monuments . . . U.S. marshals have been told they should prepare to help protect national monuments across the country, as President Trump has vowed stern punishment for those who vandalize or destroy such structures as part of police violence protests. In an email, Marshals Service Assistant Director Andrew C. Smith wrote that the agency “has been asked to immediately prepare to provide federal law enforcement support to protect national monuments (throughout the country).” The subject line of the message indicates it is an “Attorney General Assignment,” suggesting it came from Attorney General William P. Barr. Washington Post

 

Three men indicted for murder of black jogger . . . Three men in Georgia have been indicted on murder charges in the death of Ahmaud Arbery, a prosecutor announced Wednesday. Cobb County District Attorney Joyette Holmes said in a news conference outside the Glynn County Courthouse that a grand jury indicted Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan Jr. on charges that include felony murder and malice. Arbery, who was a 25-year-old Black man, was shot and killed Feb. 23, about 2 miles from his home in a neighborhood outside Brunswick, Georgia. Arbery had been jogging through the neighborhood when the McMichaels were armed in the middle of a street, looking for a suspected burglar. USA Today

 

"Monster" is heard on video during a House coronavirus hearing . . . A House committee hearing on the coronavirus pandemic turned heads Tuesday when a “monster” surfaced on a video conference line. The mysterious, ominous noise appeared to be linked to the microphone of Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), who participated remotely in the House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing. Guthrie, seated at a desk in his remote video feed, touted a bill he wrote about counterfeit testing before asking health officials about school openings and nursing home safety. The noise grew louder in waves during responses from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Robert Redfield and Dr. Anthony Fauci. The bewildering racket, which at times sounded like something chomping down on Guthrie as the experts spoke, lasted several minutes. New York Post