De Blasio’s ‘Snitch Line’ Isn’t Going so Well

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Critics have slammed Mayor Bill de Blasio’s call to snitch on New Yorkers who break social-distancing rules by flooding a newly-developed tip line with obscene images.

In an announcement on Saturday, de Blasio said that the city had set up a service that would allow residents to snap a photo of an offending person or crowd, set the location, and text it to the number 311-692.

But some New Yorkers had other plans, sending in the likes of “d**k pics” and pictures of them flicking off the system.

In other images, reported by the New York Post, de Blasio could be seen with a Hitler mustache edit onto his face, while another showed a series of candies shaped like penises and a sign saying “EAT A BAG OF D**KS.”

There were also more direct attacks at de Blasio himself, with individuals sharing images of the mayor dropping the Staten Island groundhog, and others forwarding coverage of de Blasio heading to the gym – an act that garnered criticism for breaking social distancing rules. (Read more from “De Blasio’s ‘Snitch Line’ Isn’t Going so Well” HERE)

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Australia’s Bold Plan for Big Tech to Pay Media Companies May Level Playing Field

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By New York Post. Australia just took a major step toward leveling the playing field between Big Tech firms like Facebook and Google and financially hard-hit media companies, setting what could be a critical precedent for other nations.

On Monday, Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced plans to force the digital behemoths to pay news and other media outlets for their content, as part of a mandatory “code of conduct” to be presented in July. The move came after “insufficient progress” on a voluntary code.

“It is only fair that the search engines and social-media giants pay for the original news content” they use, Frydenberg said. He cited data showing between 8 and 14 percent of Google search results include reports from news sites. Yet the digital platforms wind up with a huge share of online advertising bucks: Google gets 47 cents of every dollar; Facebook, 24 cents. (Read more from “Australia’s Bold Plan for Big Tech to Pay Media Companies May Level Playing Field” HERE)

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Facebook Invests $5.7 Billion for 9.99% Stake in India’s Jio Platforms

By CNN. Facebook is pumping billions of dollars into Jio Platforms, the digital technology arm of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s sprawling conglomerate Reliance Industries.

The deal, announced Wednesday, will see Facebook (FB) invest $5.7 billion for a 9.99% stake in Jio Platforms, giving the Silicon Valley company a key foothold in one of the world’s fastest growing internet markets.

Jio Platforms has several services under its umbrella, including Reliance Jio, the mobile network that has signed up nearly 390 million subscribers since launching three and a half years ago. Reliance also has a retail arm, and the tie-up includes a commercial partnership with Facebook-owned messaging platform WhatsApp that potentially paves the way for Facebook to monetize WhatsApp’s 340 million users in India. (Read more from “Facebook Invests $5.7 Billion for 9.99% Stake in India’s Jio Platforms” HERE)

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Coronavirus Has Mutated Into at Least 30 Different Strains New Study Finds; F.D.A. Authorizes First In-Home Test

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By The Jerusalem Post. A new study in China has found that the novel coronavirus has mutated into at least 30 different variations.

The results showed that medical officials have vastly underestimated the overall ability of the virus to mutate, in findings that different strains have affected different parts of the world, leading to potential difficulties in finding an overall cure.

The study was carried out by Professor Li Lanjuan and colleagues from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China and published in a non-peer reviewed paper released on website medRxiv.org on Sunday.

Li’s team analyzed the strains from 11 randomly chosen coronavirus patients from Hangzhou, where there have been 1,264 reported cases, and then tested how efficiently they could infect and kill cells.

More than 30 different mutations were detected, of which 19 were previously undiscovered. (Read more from “Coronavirus Has Mutated Into at Least 30 Different Strains New Study Finds” HERE)

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F.D.A. Authorizes First In-Home Test for Coronavirus

By The New York Times. The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday said it had granted emergency clearance to the first in-home test for the coronavirus, a nasal swab kit that will be sold by LabCorp.

The agency said that LabCorp had submitted data showing the home test is as safe and accurate as a sample collection at a doctor’s office, hospital or other testing site.

“With this action, there is now a convenient and reliable option for patient sample collection from the comfort and safety of their home,” Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, the F.D.A. commissioner, said in a statement. (Read more from “F.D.A. Authorizes First In-Home Test for Coronavirus” HERE)

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WATCH: Mother Arrested for Bringing Her Children to Closed-Off Park

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A mother-of-two was arrested by police in Meridian, Idaho, on Tuesday, after she violated the city’s ban against using playground equipment at a local park when she and other families allowed their children to play in a closed-off area.

Within hours of her interaction with law enforcement — part of which was caught on video — demonstrators congregated in front of Meridian City Hall to protest the actions of their local government. . .

Sara Brady, 40, was arrested and charged with one count of misdemeanor trespassing, the Meridian Police Department announced in a press release, after officers responded to Kleiner Park following “several calls to Ada County Dispatch.” . . .

At least two videos of Brady’s interaction with police began circulating across the internet.

One shows the mother arguing to police that she and others were not trespassing, and asking the officers if they were “going to arrest everyone for not social distancing over there,” while pointing to people off camera.

(Read more from “Mother Arrested for Bringing Her Children to Closed-Off Park” HERE)

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After Almost Two Weeks of Democratic Delays, Senate Passes $484 Billion Relief Bill (VIDEO)

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Senate Republicans applauded a deal to refund the relief to coronavirus-stricken businesses on Tuesday after 12 days of delays they blamed on Democratic stalling.

The bill includes $310 billion to refund the Paycheck Protection Program, and $100 billion for hospitals and testing. . .

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) criticized Democrats for stalling the relief deal in order to shoehorn their provisions into the bill.

“Republicans never wanted this crucial program for workers and small businesses to shut down,” said McConnell according to Fox News.

“We tried to pass additional funding a week before it lapsed,” he explained. “But Democratic leaders blocked the money and spent days trying to negotiate extraneous issues that were never on the table. I am grateful our colleagues have walked away from those demands and will finally let Congress act.”

(Read more from “After Almost Two Weeks of Democratic Delays, Senate Passes $484 Billion Relief Bill (VIDEO)” HERE)

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50 Freed Coronavirus Inmates Carried out Crime Spree

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. . .As I discuss in today’s article, thugs killed more people in Chicago than the coronavirus. Freeing thugs as a response to the coronavirus makes as much sense as setting your house on fire to stop flooding in your kitchen. . .

The coronavirus jailbreak that freed criminals under the guise of protecting them from the pandemic has endangered everyone’s lives.

Dozens of inmates freed from city jails over fears they were vulnerable to the coronavirus have wasted no time plaguing the city with new crimes, The Post has learned.

At least 50 of the 1,500 inmates cut loose amid fears of the spread of COVID-19 behind bars in recent weeks have already landed back in jail — and in some cases were set free yet again, according to police sources and records.

The re-offenders — just over 3 percent of those released — include a Rikers Island inmate initially jailed for allegedly setting his girlfriend’s door on fire and choking her mother, who was released early only to return to the Bronx apartment and allegedly threaten to kill the whole family.

(Read more from “50 Freed Coronavirus Inmates Carried out Crime Spree” HERE)

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U.S. Reportedly Has Contingency Plans in Place If Kim Jong Un Dies

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By New York Post. The US government has contingency plans in place in the event North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un should die after reports that his health was in grave condition.

Sources discussed the plans but urged caution about the veracity of the reports, which claimed Kim is in bad shape after a cardiovascular procedure, Fox News reported.

Those plans include the possibility of a mass-scale humanitarian crisis inside the hermit nation such as a famine, according to the report.

One official described a scenario in North Korea that could include millions of people facing starvation and a mass exodus of North Korean refugees into China. (Read more from “U.S. Reportedly Has Contingency Plans in Place If Kim Jong Un Dies” HERE)

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U.S. Has Extensive Contingency Plans in Case of Kim Jong Un Death: Sources

By Fox News. The U.S. government has extensive contingency plans in place for an eventual death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that factor in expectations of a mass-scale humanitarian crisis inside the country, Fox News has learned. . .

While his condition is unclear, a well-placed defense intelligence source told Fox News on Tuesday that the U.S. government has extensive plans in place for when Kim is gone, taking into account all the complications that could arise from his eventual death.

The official described the likelihood of a huge humanitarian crisis within North Korea that could include millions of people facing starvation and a mass exodus of North Korean refugees into China. Intelligence sources told Fox News that part of the plan would be to rely heavily on China to step in and help manage the situation on the ground inside North Korea, partly due to China’s proximity and partly due to logistical challenges of the U.S. providing humanitarian assistance.

The Daily NK, an online news periodical based in Seoul, which is run mostly by North Korean defectors, has reported that Kim, 36, was recovering from his April 12 surgery at a resort county villa on the east coast. The report said Kim has been in bad health because of heavy smoking, obesity and overwork. (Read more from “U.S. Has Extensive Contingency Plans in Case of Kim Jong Un Death: Sources” HERE)

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WATCH: Trump Campaign Ad Mocks Nancy Pelosi’s Quarantine Habits; Pelosi Admits Delaying Additional Funds for Coronavirus

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By PJ Media. This opportunity to skewer Democrats and their leader was too good and right to pass up. The Trump campaign team has put together a must-see ad starring Nancy Pelosi standing in front of her massive $24,000 refrigerators. The multimillionaire speaker who hasn’t missed a paycheck is seen showing off her expensive ice cream at the same time Americans are standing (with appropriate social distancing) in miles-long bread lines.

(Read more from “WATCH: Trump Campaign Ad Mocks Nancy Pelosi’s Quarantine Habits” HERE)

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Pelosi Admits Delaying Additional Funds for Coronavirus Small-Business Loans

By New York Post. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi admitted to holding up the approval of an additional $250 billion for the depleted small-business loans fund, following criticism over Congress’ lack of progress.

Speaking to CNN’s Anderson Cooper Monday evening, Pelosi (D-Calif.) said that after being asked by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin for Congress to approve $250 billion to replenish the Paycheck Protection Program, she requested “data on how that [money] is spent.”

“Before you know it, boom, all of a sudden, [the small-business relief fund] were already out of money. And when the secretary came and asked me for $250 billion, a quarter-of-a-trillion dollars, in 24 hours, I said, well, we want to see the data on how that is spent.” (Read more from “Pelosi Admits Delaying Additional Funds for Coronavirus Small-Business Loans” HERE)

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State Sues China for ‘Sinister Campaign of Deception’ That Helped Spread Coronavirus

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On Tuesday, Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) filed a lawsuit in federal court aiming to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for a “sinister campaign of malfeasance and deception” that helped spread the coronavirus across the globe and brought concrete harm to the people of Missouri.

“The Chinese government lied to the world about the danger and contagious nature of COVID-19, silenced whistleblowers, and did little to stop the spread of the disease. They must be held accountable for their actions,” Schmitt said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.

“COVID-19 has done irreparable damage to countries across the globe, causing sickness, death, economic disruption, and human suffering. In Missouri, the impact of the virus is very real – thousands have been infected and many have died, families have been separated from dying loved ones, small businesses are shuttering their doors, and those living paycheck to paycheck are struggling to put food on their table,” he added.

As of Tuesday morning, Missouri has 5,963 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 215 deaths from it. According to one estimate cited by Fox News, the economic shutdown imposed by the state in order to reduce the spread of the coronavirus has cost Missouri about $44 billion.

Missouri is the first state to file legal claims against China, although at least seven federal class-action suits have been filed by private groups. One suit filed in Florida alleged that China knew “COVID-19 was dangerous and capable of causing a pandemic, yet slowly acted, proverbially put their head in the sand, and/or covered it up in their own economic self-interest.” (Read more from “State Sues China for ‘Sinister Campaign of Deception’ That Helped Spread Coronavirus” HERE)

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How Adam Schiff Buried Testimony Helpful to Trump

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Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who helped lead House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s impeachment effort, reportedly withheld evidence beneficial to President Trump from the White House and the American public in the Russia-collusion investigation.

Investigative reporter John Solomon at Just the News reported Schiff declared absolute ownership of the transcripts of witness testimony.

Schiff ordered in a March 26, 2019, letter to then-Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats: “Under no circumstances shall ODNI, or any other element of the Intelligence Community (IC), share any HPSCI (House Permanent Select Committee) transcripts with the White House, President Trump or any persons associated with the White House or the President.” . . .

However, when the Democrats won the House majority, Schiff took his unilateral action, writing to Coats.

In the letter, he ordered “that the witness transcripts — some of which contained exculpatory evidence for President Trump’s team — not be shared with Trump or White House lawyers even if the declassification process required such sharing,” Solomon reported. (Read more from “How Adam Schiff Buried Testimony Helpful to Trump” HERE)

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