Trump Announces Postponed Deadline on Real ID Requirements

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President Trump announced that the federal government will delay the compliance deadline for Real ID travel requirements, minimizing the need for drivers to update their licenses in person. . .

“I’m also announcing that we’re postponing the deadline for compliance with Real ID requirements. At a time where we’re asking Americans to maintain social distancing, we do want to require people to go to their local DMV,” he said. “We will be announcing the new deadline very soon.”

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden said last week that he would propose legislation that would delay the federal Real ID requirements for travel “until at least” September 2021, citing the coronavirus. He said the bill has bipartisan agreement, including from Republican Sens. Steve Daines and Ron Johnson. (Read more from “Trump Announces Postponed Deadline on Real ID Requirements” HERE)

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Chinese Propaganda Video Cites CNN, Democratic Politicians to Push Regime Narrative

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China’s state-run propaganda outlets are using coronavirus coverage by U.S. media and Democratic politicians to push the regime narrative that the Chinese government bears no responsibility for the ongoing pandemic and that sourcing the origin of the virus to Wuhan is politically motivated.

A video posted Monday by the Global Times, a tabloid run by the Communist Party of China, uses footage of numerous American media outlets and Democratic politicians to portray criticism of China’s handling of the coronavirus as racist. In addition to citing CNN’s Chris Cuomo and NBC’s Richard Engel, the video highlights tweets from two-time failed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and New York City mayor Bill de Blasio parroting regime talking points.

“It is easy to scapegoat people, and that is what has always happened when there have been pandemics or epidemics,” Engel says in the clip featured in the video. “This is a virus that came from the territory of China but came from bats. This is a bat virus, not a China virus.”

In another video posted Sunday, Global Times editor in chief Hu Xijin highlights a CNN opinion piece by Chris Cillizza that argues President Donald Trump is “weaponizing bigotry” to shift blame away from his administration. After questioning the virus’s point of origin in Wuhan, Xijin cites Cillizza’s piece as evidence that Trump is using China as a political “scapegoat for his government’s slow response.”

(Read more from “Chinese Propaganda Video Cites CNN, Democratic Politicians to Push Regime Narrative” HERE)

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President Trump Announces a General Timeframe for Re-Opening American Businesses; Health Officials Want Trump to ‘Double Down, Not Lighten up’ Restrictions

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By Townhall. Speaking from the White House Monday evening, President Donald Trump announced America will be “open for business very soon” as the country continues to battle the Wuhan coronavirus.

“America will again and soon be open for business. Very soon, a lot sooner than three or four months as someone was suggesting. We’re not going to let the cure be worse than the problem itself. We’re not going to let the cure be worse than the problem,” Trump said. “This was a medical problem, we are not going to let it turn into a long lasting financial problem.” . . .

The tension between medical decisions and a cratering economy are increasing by the day as millions lose their jobs. President Trump urged Americans to continue the 15-day “stop the spread” plan, which includes social distancing and hygiene efforts.

“I want Americans to know that we will get through this challenge. The hardship will end, it will end soon, normal life will return and our economy will rebound very very strongly but right now in the midst of this great national trial, Americans must remain united in purpose and focused on victory,” Trump said. “To every single American please know that the sacrifice you are making at this time is saving lives.” (Read more from “President Trump Announces a General Timeframe for Re-Opening American Businesses” HERE)

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Health Officials Want Trump to ‘Double Down, Not Lighten up’ Restrictions

By Politico. Rattled health officials are trying to fight off ascendant voices around Donald Trump pressing the president to restart the economy as soon as Monday to stem severe business and job losses.

The prospect of resuming typical business so soon has horrified these public health leaders, who see the debate as premature amid a crisis that the administration is just beginning to wrangle, according to eight people with knowledge of the administration’s discussions about its coronavirus guidelines.

Health experts are contending the fallout will be worse if the White House declares victory now, only to have the virus resurface weeks or months from now. The government, they argue, has yet to definitively answer key questions that would dictate how to reactivate the economy: Do those who recover from coronavirus become immune? How do underlying health conditions affect the severity of the virus? And, most important, how widely has it spread?

Others have stressed the political risks facing Trump and his reelection campaign if the outbreak worsens significantly, warning that it would be catastrophic if the virus made a comeback closer to the November election — especially after Trump declared himself a “wartime” president and assured the public that his administration was in control. (Read more from “Health Officials Want Trump to ‘Double Down, Not Lighten up’ Restrictions” HERE)

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When the Hunter Gets Hunted: Video of Fight Between Mongoose and Cobra Has Netizens Hooked

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While many would dither in fighting a venomous cobra, the mongoose is not one of them. In fact, mongooses are known to be fearless slayers of snakes, especially cobras and now a video has now gone viral on social media showing an encounter between them. In the video, a mongoose can be seen approaching a cobra in an attempt to devour the reptile.

The 1.02-minute clip was tweeted by Indian Forest Officer Susanta Nanda along with a caption that read, “Animals trying to kill a snake is akin to suicide, but mongoose has tricks of their own. Residing for millions of years alongside them, they have adopted to its venom. Agility, thick coats and glycoprotein production makes it immune to venom. Thick jaws bring cobra down in seconds.”

(Read more from “When the Hunter Gets Hunted: Video of Fight Between Mongoose and Cobra Has Netizens Hooked” HERE)

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Returning Troops Denied Water, Bathrooms Under Quarantine; Army Had ‘Quarantined’ Troops Mingle With Healthy Ones

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By AP. It wasn’t the welcome home that U.S. soldiers expected when they returned from war zones in the Middle East in the past week.

When their planes landed at Fort Bliss, Texas, they were herded into buses, denied water and the use of bathrooms, then quarantined in packed barracks, with little food or access to the outdoors. “This is no way to treat Soldiers returning from war,” one soldier told The Associated Press in an email.

The soldiers posted notes on social media about the poor conditions. Their complaints got quick attention from senior Army and Pentagon leaders. Now changes are under way at Fort Bliss and at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where the first soldiers placed under quarantine also complained of poor, cramped conditions. (Read more from “Returning Troops Denied Water, Bathrooms Under Quarantine” HERE)

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Army Had ‘Quarantined’ Troops Mingle With Healthy Ones

By Daily Beast. After a nine-month deployment to the Middle East, military policemen from a Missouri National Guard company arrived at Ft. Bliss, Texas on Mar. 6 to demobilize and proceed home. They spent a week and a half moving freely around the sprawling base—until, hours before they were supposed to fly home, they were ordered into coronavirus quarantine.

It wasn’t just Ft. Bliss. A different National Guard unit returning from its own deployment entered quarantine at Ft. Hood, Texas on Sunday. But its quarantine didn’t seem to provide for social distancing. Pictures provided to The Daily Beast show soldiers from Ft. Hood—troops outside the quarantine and presumed to be uninfected—serving meals up close to those in the quarantine.

While the guardsmen question the point of their porous quarantines, the commands running those bases are scrambling to fix the problem. Both the initial disarray and the rapid corrections the bases are implementing are improvisational attempts at handling the wide-ranging disruption created by the novel coronavirus outbreak. Their collective experiences this week represent another inside indication into how the U.S. military is attempting to tackle a problem that it, like much of the country, did not anticipate dealing with. (Read more from “Army Had ‘Quarantined’ Troops Mingle With Healthy Ones” HERE)

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WATCH: Christian Rockers Send Messages of Hope Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

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John Cooper, the frontman for the Christian rock band Skillet, and Colton Dixon, singer-songwriter and former “American Idol” contestant, offered some inspiring messages for Americans at a difficult time in the country.

“During this crazy, crazy time that we are here, it is easy and it is tempting to not trust God,” said Cooper on Fox Nation’s new series, “Bible Study: Messages of Hope.” “I have found in my life that trusting God is actually the No. 1, the hardest, biggest, temptation in my life. It is my truest vice.”

“I prefer, honestly, to trust myself more than I trust God,” he admitted. “Not because I’m good at meeting my needs. I’m horrible at meeting my needs. I don’t like that feeling of unsurety. I don’t like the feeling of not knowing where my meal is coming from. I don’t like the uncertainty of knowing when the coronavirus is going to go away.”

“I’m missing income right now. I’m not playing concerts. What are we going to do?” he asked rhetorically. “I would encourage people out there to remember this: If you know Jesus, then we are called to trust in God. That’s what the Bible says. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, not your own understanding. I’ve found that that is one of the hardest things, but it is the one most freeing thing.”

Christian artist Colton Dixon also cautioned folks to control their own anxiety over the coronavirus outbreak, and use this time in self-isolation for self-improvement. (Read more from “WATCH: Christian Rockers Send Messages of Hope Amid Coronavirus Outbreak” HERE)

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Trump Says He’s Activated National Guard In Numerous States; U.S. Coronavirus Cases Top 32,000, Worldwide 340K; Rand Paul, Weinstein Positive; Romney in Isolation

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By NBC News. President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he would activate the National Guard to assist Washington, California and New York, three of the states hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic.

Those three states have been approved for major disaster declarations as of Sunday night. That status allows the federal government to provide supplies more seamlessly, he said.

Trump said large quantities of masks, respirators, gowns, face shields and other items are due to arrive in the three states within days. He added that he has ordered the government to set up large federal medical stations in each of the states.

Of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Trump said, “The relationship has really been amazing,” adding that he believes the federal government should serve as “sort of a backup for the states.” . . .

States like New York and California have already activated their states’ National Guards. (Read more from “Trump Says He’s Activated National Guard In Numerous States” HERE)

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Trump Orders National Guard Into Federalized Status in Three States; They Keep Control, Federal Government Foots Bill as COVID-19 Cases Rise

By Military Times. As the number of coronavirus cases increases in the U.S., President Donald Trump Sunday night ordered National Guard troops in three states to operate under a status that allows them to be managed by state governors, but be paid by the federal government. . .

More states are expected to seek Title 32 status as the need arises, Air Force Gen. Joseph L. Lengyel, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, told reporters Sunday night. . .

Speaking to reporters via a telephone conference, Lengyel again tamped down rumors that the Guard troops will be used to enforce martial law.

“There is no truth to this rumor that people are conspiring, that governors are planning, that anyone is conspiring to use the National Guard, mobilized or not, Title 32 or state, to do military action to enforce shelter in place or quarantines.”

The move is important, said Lengyel, because “governors and adjutant generals know the best use of what’s needed in their states,. This will help with unity of effort and speed of responses.” (Read more from “Trump Orders National Guard Into Federalized Status in Three States; They Keep Control, Federal Government Foots Bill as COVID-19 Cases Rise” HERE)

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U.S. Cases Top 32,000 as New York Governor Estimates 40% to 80% of State Will Get Coronavirus

By CNN. At least 400 people have died due to the novel coronavirus in the United States, another grim milestone as the number of US cases topped 32,000 on Sunday.

Almost half of those cases — 15,168 — were in New York state, where Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday morning that an estimated 40% to 80% of residents could get the coronavirus over the course of the pandemic.

“All we’re trying to do is slow the spread, but it will spread. It is that contagious,” he said, adding most people will overcome the illness unless they’re older or have an underlying condition. (Read more from “U.S. Cases Top 32,000 as New York Governor Estimates 40% to 80% of State Will Get Coronavirus” HERE)

Here are the numbers, worldwide, as of March 22, 2020, at 3:30 a.m. EST:

Read more:

Rand Paul Tests Positive, Romney in Isolation

Weinstein Tests Positive in Prison

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China Targeting U.S. Navy Warships With Electromagnetic Weapons

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China has called for using electromagnetic attacks on U.S. warships transiting the South China Sea, according to a state-run Chinese outlet.

The Communist Party-affiliated organ Global Times, quoting a military expert, said the use of nonlethal electromagnetic and laser weapons should be used by the People’s Liberation Army to expel American warships from the disputed sea.

The report followed China’s potentially dangerous use of a laser against a Navy P-8A maritime patrol aircraft near Guam last month, and an earlier lasing two years ago of C-130 aircraft near China’s military base in Djibouti on the coast of Africa.

The article was published Tuesday, the same day the Pacific Fleet announced on Twitter that the aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and the USS America, an amphibious assault carrier and leader of an expeditionary strike group, were conducting exercises in the South China Sea.

The training exercise for both strike groups included flight maneuvers, air defense tests and surface-support mission exercises, the fleet said in a report on the exercises. At one point, Marines carried out a simulated visit, board, search and seizure exercise on the guided missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill, according to the report. (Read more from “China Targeting U.S. Navy Warships With Electromagnetic Weapons” HERE)

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Nancy Pelosi’s Daughter Just Endorsed Felony Assault Against Rand Paul

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Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., started the week by cynically blowing up a bipartisan compromise to deliver economic relief to millions of Americans whose livelihoods have been destroyed by mandated government pandemic shutdowns. And then her daughter added insult to injury by explicit endorsing violent felony assault against Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

“Rand Paul’s neighbor was right,” Pelosi’s daughter Christine tweeted.

Pelosi was responding to a Washington Post congressional reporter writing on Twitter that Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney’s biggest concern about the Wuhan virus is contracting it and giving it to his wife who has Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Romney announced on Sunday he and fellow Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee would be self-isolating after being exposed to Paul who tested positive for the virus. (Read more from “Nancy Pelosi’s Daughter Just Endorsed Felony Assault Against Rand Paul” HERE)

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Signs of Hope as Coronavirus Panic Sets In?; Chloroquine Is Being Touted as a Miracle Drug for Coronavirus, but There Are Reasons to Be Wary

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By Life Site News. Crises have a way of sorting out the good people, ideas, and institutions from the bad, and as the Wuhan virus spreads throughout the world, the sorting process is made easier. The decision to close our borders to China, criticized by the WHO, the left, and media as “racist,” has proven to be essential, and the bien pensant governments around the world are now following suit, shutting down their borders to aid in containment. . .

Speed of containment is of the essence, and the good news is that while the development of any vaccine against it requires more time, there are existing pharmaceuticals, some of which are readily available and not terribly expensive, that seem to be efficacious.

Among these are hydroxychloroquine (brand name Plaquinel) and chloroquine. Jeffrey Satinover reports that a “French clinical study with 24 patients and excellent 5 day elimination of the virus used” the more readily available Plaquinel. It must be taken under medical oversight because of the risk of interactions and the long-term “effects on the retina.” Plaquinel is produced by Teva, an Israeli company which will donate six million tablets through wholesalers to hospitals around the country by the end of the month and more than 10 million tablets within a month. Resochin has shown some potential in treating the virus as well, and Bayer just donated three million tablets.

In Italy, remdesivir, a broad-spectrum antiviral drug produced by Gilead, proved effective. That drug, however, is in limited supply, though Gilead is working “to increase its stock a rapidly as possible.” Favipiravir, a Japanese-produced drug, reportedly has proven effective in China. There is certainly reason for optimism that with closed borders, self-isolation, and available drug treatments, we can stem the spread of this virus. (Read more from “Signs of Hope as Coronavirus Panic Sets In: Effective Drugs, Less Bureaucracy” HERE)

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Chloroquine Is Being Touted as a Miracle Drug for Coronavirus, but There Are Reasons to Be Wary

By Buzzfeed News. The start of a clinical trial to test the drug chloroquine as a treatment for the coronavirus pandemic, announced over the weekend by President Donald Trump, provoked a clamor for the unproven drug, amid reports of shortages.

“There is a significant surge in demand of chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine and we are doing everything possible to work with manufacturers to increase production,” the FDA’s Michael Felberbaum told BuzzFeed News on Monday. “We are working with manufacturers to assess their supplies and are actively evaluating market demand for patients dependent on it for treatment of malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. But please know this is a fluctuating and dynamic situation we are actively engaged on.” . . .

Despite the excitement, medical experts including National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Chief Anthony Fauci raised a host of cautions about widespread prescription of an unproved medication for a brand-new disease. Here are just a few. . .

Chloroquine was added to China’s formulary for treating COVID-19 in February, leading to its widespread use there and in South Korea. But Chinese data touting its efficacy is scant, resting on a study of monkey cells in test tubes and a consensus report from doctors in Guangdong province. . .

But they do have side effects like most drugs, some severe. The Mayo Clinic lists 14 drugs that shouldn’t be taken with chloroquine, whose side effects can include blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, cramps, headache, and diarrhea. Similar side effects are associated with hydroxychloroquine, another form of the drug, which is also linked to convulsions and “mental changes” by the US National Library of Medicine.

(Read more from “Chloroquine Is Being Touted as a Miracle Drug for Coronavirus, but There Are Reasons to Be Wary” HERE)

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