One death a minute as US total passes 150K . . . 

One person in the United States died about every minute from COVID-19 on Wednesday as the national death toll surpassed 150,000, the highest in the world The United States recorded 1,461 new deaths on Wednesday, the highest one-day increase since 1,484 on May 27, according to a Reuters tally. U.S. coronavirus deaths are rising at their fastest rate in two months and have increased by 10,000 in the past 11 days. Reuters

 

FDA opens door to fast, at-home tests . . . The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday opened the door to COVID-19 testing that could be fast, cheap, and handled entirely at home — if companies don't find the rules too burdensome. Routine screening of people who don't know they have COVID-19 could transform the fight against the disease. "These types of tests will be a game-changer in our fight against COVID-19 and will be crucial as the nation looks toward reopening," FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said in a statement announcing how the agency will approve at-home tests. So far, the FDA hasn't allowed anyone to sell tests for at-home use. USA Today

 

Getting the vaccine to you could be a problem . . . There are daunting challenges in making sure the U.S. has the millions of vials, needles and syringes needed to administer a vaccine nationwide, and some experts warn the Trump administration is not doing enough to lay the logistical groundwork. If production is not ramped up sufficiently, the country risks a repeat of the supply shortages that have plagued widespread COVID-19 testing. The Hill

 

Share of Americans who die of coronavirus relatively low . . . The share of Americans who succumb to COVID-19 is dropping and is lower than many peer nations. Pandemic trackers put the share of U.S. residents who test positive and then die at 3.4%, far better than the 15% in the United Kingdom and roughly 14% in France and Italy, or 7.6% in Canada. Washington Times

 

 

Those who have had Covid need to be vigilant . . . For now, physicians are cautioning patients to continue following social-distancing and mask recommendations even after they have recovered from Covid-19 or even if they have tested positive for antibodies. “I don’t think people should let their guard down,” said Daniel Griffin, chief of infectious diseases for ProHealth Care New York, a physician practice. He and others noted that it is fairly common to lose immunity to some viruses after a certain amount of time, pointing to the coronaviruses that cause the common cold. Wall Street Journal

 

White House and Congress struggle to reach coronavirus stimulus deal . . . Congressional leaders and the White House, after days of negotiating this week, appear to be on entirely different pages on what should be included in the bill. Some described the process as a "mess" and another lamented that even among Republicans, there was "no consensus on anything." "I'm not optimistic that we'll reach any kind of comprehensive deal," White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Wednesday evening before another negotiation meeting with top Democrats. The two sides find themselves trillions of dollars apart. USA Today

 

Liability protections threaten to blow up relief talks . . . A sharp disagreement over whether to provide coronavirus liability protections to businesses, schools and other organizations has quickly emerged as one of the biggest obstacles to getting a deal on COVID-19 relief legislation. Both sides are digging in, with Senate Majority Leader McConnell and Democratic leaders — Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer — calling the issue a looming dealbreaker. It’s also pitting key Republican and Democratic constituencies against each other: the business community versus unions and trial lawyers. The Hill

 

Fauci says goggles would provide even better protection . . . Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, this week said wearing goggles or an eye shield in addition to a face mask would provide better protection against the coronavirus. “Theoretically you should protect all of the mucosal surfaces [eyes, nose, mouth], so if you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it,” he said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention already recommends wearing a face mask that covers the nose and mouth in public, but the virus can also enter through the eyes. Fox News

 

 

US attorney investigating unmaskings by Obama aides . . . Amid all the nonsense that went on and all the preening by Democrats, there was some news out of Attorney General Bill Barr’s appearance before the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday. Barr said he has tapped U.S. Attorney for Western Texas John Bash to look into all those unmaskings that occurred in the dying moments of the Obama administration so officials could, it would appear to many, spy on conversations between the Trump people and foreigners. White House Dossier

 

 

Video || Biden says illegal immigrants "make us so strong" . . . 

Well, there you go, from the leader of the Party of lawlessness. He sounds drunk. But he’s not, that’s just how he talks now, because he got very old during the last few years. Queen Elizabeth is like 116 and speaks more clearly. And he sounds inebriated because of what he is saying: That lawless activity, sneaking into the country illegally, is good for America. It’s one thing to say, Well, what are we going to do, ship 11 million people back to Mexico? But it’s quite another to celebrate them and, by doing so, invite more illegal immigrants in. White House Dossier

 

Pelosi orders masks worn on House floor . . . Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Wednesday that masks will be mandatory on the House floor. "Members and staff will be required to wear masks at all times in the hall of the House except that members may remove their masks temporarily when recognized,” Pelosi said from the House floor. The mask requirement on the House floor comes hours after Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) tested positive for COVID-19. Gohmert has been among the handful of GOP lawmakers spotted on the House floor in recent weeks without a mask while mingling with colleagues. The Hill

 

Trump says suburbs will no longer need to be "bothered" by low-income housing . . . President Donald Trump again tried to position himself as the champion of the suburbs, as those voters could determine whether he spends a second term in the White House. 'I am happy to inform all of the people living their Suburban Lifestyle Dream that you will no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood,' Trump tweeted as he flew to Texas Wednesday, adding that 'crime will go down.'  Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, called it 'blatant racism from the President of the United States.' Daily Mail

 

 

Gohmert to use hydroxychloroquine to fight Covid . . . Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, told "Hannity" Wednesday that he will soon begin a treatment regimen featuring the ]drug hydroxychloroquine after testing positive for coronavirus earlier in the day. "My doctor and I are all in," Gohmert told host Sean Hannity from quarantine. "So zinc, erythromycin, and hydroxychloroquine," the congressman added, "and that will start just in the next day or two." Fox News

 

CNN cuts of White House advisor Navarro when he says "China virus" . . . White House trade and manufacturing czar Peter Navarro went on CNN Wednesday morning and used the terms “CCP virus,” and “China virus.” That’s what the president calls it. CNN censored the term. “We let you say that once, Peter. Please don’t say it again on this show. I know why you’re saying it,” Berman said. “I know what you are trying to do there. There are Asian Americans who have told us they have become the source of crimes.” White House Dossier

 

I know it's mean, but I hope these CNN censors get the Spanish flu.

 

Xi Jinping sets his sites on Taiwan . . . Ever since Mao Zedong triumphed in 1949, prompting his Nationalist enemies to flee to Taiwan, Communist Party leaders have bolstered their legitimacy to rule by taming rebellious corners of China’s vast periphery. Xi Jinping has consolidated control in all of these places since taking power in 2012 and bolstered Beijing’s hold on disputed reefs in the South China Sea. Most notably, he set up a vast police state in Xinjiang, and just in July he imposed a sweeping national security law in Hong Kong. Now fears are growing that Xi wants to cement his place alongside Mao and Deng by conquering Taiwan, a prize that’s eluded Communist Party leaders for decades. Bloomberg

 

Coaches at the NBA's China academies abused students . . . Long before an October tweet in support of Hong Kong protesters spotlighted the NBA's complicated relationship with China, the league faced complaints from its own employees over human rights concerns inside an NBA youth-development program in that country, an ESPN investigation has found. American coaches at three NBA training academies in China told league officials their Chinese partners were physically abusing young players and failing to provide schooling, even though commissioner Adam Silver had said that education would be central to the program, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the complaints. ESPN

 

California Pizza kitchen files for bankruptcy . . . 

California Pizza Kitchen Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Houston on Wednesday, becoming the latest restaurant chain to try to cut debt as it grapples with the pandemic. The company, which operates more than 200 restaurants in the U.S. and abroad, has reached an agreement with a majority of its senior creditors on a restructuring plan. It’s looking to reduce its debt by $230 million, more than half of the total, and raise additional funding from existing lenders to buttress its balance sheet, according to court filings. Bloomberg

 

Seattle residents speak up against defund the police . . . Hundreds of Seattle residents spoke up about proposals to “Defund the police” during a city council budget meeting on Wednesday, according to reports. The council is considering a plan that could slash the budget of the city’s police department by 50 percent – resulting in layoffs for hundreds of officers – all as Seattle deals with the coronavirus outbreak and frequent riots and other unrest. While the “Defund the police” effort was initially popular in the city, opponents of the plan have been growing more vocal. Fox News

 

 

 

Five family members, including three children and a dog, dead in murder-suicide . . . Five family members have been found dead inside an Ohio home in what appears to be a murder-suicide. Police said they found the family members - three children, two adults and the family dog - deceased in the home on Wednesday morning. Neighbors reported hearing two rounds of what they believed to be gunshots Tuesday night. Daily Mail

 

Scientists solve mystery of Stonehenge megaliths . . . Scientists say they’ve finally pinpointed the origin of the megaliths in the 5,000-year-old Stonehenge monument. Fifty of the 52 massive sandstone sarsens, as they’re called, used in the monument were quarried about 15 miles away from the West Woods in Wiltshire, researchers announced Wednesday after using Geochemical testing to trace back their origins. The sarsens were erected at Stonehenge in 2500 B.C., with the tallest reaching 30 feet high and the heaviest weighing 30 tons. New York Post

 

 

Top Republican interrogates Zuckerberg about, um, Twitter . . . Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg corrected Rep. James Sensenbrenner during Wednesday’s antitrust hearing after the Republican appeared to confuse Zuckerberg’s company with another Silicon Valley giant. “It was reported that Donald Trump Jr. got taken down for a period of time because he put something up on the efficacy of Hydroxychloroquine,” the Wisconsin Republican asked Zuckerberg during the hearing. “And I think that this is a legitimate matter of discussion. Why did that happen?” Zuckerberg provided a deadpan response: “I think what you might be referring to happened on Twitter. It’s hard for me to speak to that. Daily Caller

 

Bezos caught snacking, leaves mic on mute . . . The highly anticipated hearing, which had been postponed by two days, was plagued with technical difficulties and awkward pauses. During the first part of the hearing, Bezos' image was never shown full-screen like his fellow witnesses, forcing the panel to take a 10-minute break to fix a technical issue. He managed to escape questioning for about an hour due to the glitch and was seen casually snacking on camera while lawmakers quizzed his counterparts. Bezos was grilled intensely later on in the hearing but continued to struggle with technology - at one point forgetting to take his microphone off mute. Daily Mail

 

Inn owners remove Norwegian flag because people think it's the Confederate one . . . A case of mistaken identity has caused the owners of a Michigan bed and breakfast to remove a Norwegian flag from the front of the inn after dozens of people confused the flag with a Confederate flag, a report said. When Greg and Kjersten Offbecker moved into the historic mansion in St. Johns years ago and turned it into a bed and breakfast called Nordic Pineapple, they installed the flag as a decoration However, dozens of guests and people driving by the inn have wrongly accused the couple of flying a Confederate flag.

“They are the same color, but there are no stars on the Norwegian flag, and the Confederate flag is a big ‘x’ and the Norwegian flag is part of the Nordic countries, they’re all crosses,” Kjersten Offbecker said. Fox News