WATCH: Trump Calls out Reporter When She Says Government Was Unprepared on Coronavirus Testing; Ilhan Omar Offers Trump Rare Praise; Joe Biden Claims We Have Pandemic Because of Trump

/0 Comments/in , , /by

By The Blaze. President Donald Trump shot down a reporter’s question during a coronavirus media briefing on Thursday over previous accusations of racism made by her network.

NBC’s Kristen Welker asked a pointed question about the government’s preparedness in relation to the pandemic when the president fired back.

“You did say a few days ago though, you did have a sense that this was a pandemic that was coming, so why was the United States not prepared with more testing?” asked Welker.

“We were very prepared, the only thing we weren’t prepared for was the media, the media has not treated it fairly,” responded the president.

(Read more from “WATCH: Trump Calls out Reporter When She Says Government Was Unprepared on Coronavirus Testing” HERE)

______________________________________________________

Ilhan Omar Offers Trump Rare Praise for Coronavirus Response

By New York Post. Rep. Ilhan Omar commended President Trump for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic in an unexpected moment of rare praise.

“Politics aside, this is incredible and the right response in this critical time,” Omar (D-Minn.) tweeted Wednesday evening alongside a hand-clapping emoji.

The frequent Trump critic and member of “The Squad” was responding to a tweet about the commander in chief’s recent actions to combat the coronavirus, including, as the quote read, “suspending mortgage foreclosures, demanding cash payments to Americans, now invoking the Defense Production Act to force private firms to produce needed supplies.”

Omar went on to praise Trump, who has feuded with Omar on multiple occasions, by referencing words of wisdom from fellow “Squad” member Rep. Ayanna Pressley.

(Read more from “Ilhan Omar Offers Trump Rare Praise for Coronavirus Response” HERE)

______________________________________________________

Fact Check: Joe Biden Claims We Have Coronavirus Because of Trump

By Breitbart. CLAIM: The coronavirus outbreak hit the U.S. because President Donald Trump “eliminated” President Barack Obama’s pandemic office.

VERDICT: FALSE.

Former vice president Joe Biden claimed on Twitter on Thursday that the U.S. is “paying the price” of coronavirus because President Trump “eliminated” an office that dealt with pandemics.

Biden is wrong — very wrong. This falsehood almost deserves an entirely separate category of ignominy because of its ability to divide and frighten people in the middle of a crisis that requires social cooperation and trust.

The truth — as explained earlier this week in the Washington Post by former National Security Council official Tim Morrison — is that the office was combined with others in a reorganiztion that “left the biodefense staff unaffected.” (Read more from “Fact Check: Joe Biden Claims We Have Coronavirus Because of Trump” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Corrupt Republicans Use Insider Knowledge, Dump Stocks Before Market Crash

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Editor’s note: Although the big offenders were Republican — likely acting on insider information — it was revealed after the below stories broke that Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein did the same. Restoring Liberty has long maintained that corruption is endemic to both parties.

Third GOP Senator Caught Selling Equity Before the Market Crash — This Time up to $25 Million Worth

By Raw Story. On Monday, March 2nd, the Dow Jones Industrial Average set its biggest-ever point gain.

But Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) was massively selling.

Johnson, who has a net worth estimated at over $36 million, made a major transaction.

The exact amount is unknown, as ethics forms only require disclosure in broad ranges, but Johnson reported selling over $5 million that day — and potentially up to $25 million. . .

Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) and Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) reported dumping stock before market crash. (Read more from “Third GOP Senator Caught Selling Equity Before the Market Crash — This Time up to $25 Million Worth” HERE)

_______________________________________________

AOC Calls on Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr to Resign for Stock Sell-Off Ahead of Pandemic

By NBC News. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is calling on Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., to resign after reports Thursday that the powerful Intelligence Committee chairman had privately warned well-connected donors of the dire impacts of the coronavirus pandemic last month while selling off up to $1.6 million of his own stocks.

Ocasio-Cortez said on Twitter that as chairman of the Intelligence Committee, Burr “got private briefings about Coronavirus weeks ago. Burr knew how bad it would be. He told the truth to his wealthy donors, while assuring the public that we were fine. THEN he sold off $1.6 million in stock before the fall. He needs to resign.”

Ocasio-Cortez was referring to two separate reports about Burr’s activities in February.

ProPublica reported that Burr — who co-wrote an op-ed for Fox News in early February saying “the United States today is better prepared than ever before to face emerging public health threats, like the coronavirus” — sold off the stock around mid-February, about a week before the market started to drop because of coronavirus concerns.

That included selling off up to $150,000 worth of shares of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, which has lost two-thirds of its value, ProPublica reported. He also sold off up to $100,000 of shares of another hotel chain, Extended Stay America. (Read more from “AOC Calls on Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr to Resign for Stock Sell-Off Ahead of Pandemic” HERE)

_______________________________________________

Tucker Carlson Calls on Sen. Richard Burr to Resign Over Stock Dumping Reports

By Newsweek. Intelligence Committee Chairman Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina sold over $1 million in stocks, including stocks in two lodging and hospitality chains, in February before the coronavirus pandemic sent the markets into a tailspin according to Thursday reports.

Whether Burr’s decision to sell the stocks was influenced by information about the coronavirus has yet to be confirmed, but Fox News host Tucker Carlson said Thursday that Burr, co-author of a February op-ed piece which claimed that the U.S. was “better prepared than ever before to face emerging public health threats, like the coronavirus,” should resign from office and be placed on trial for insider trading.

“[Burr] had inside information about what could happen to our country, which is now happening,” Carlson said. “But he didn’t warn the public. He didn’t give a primetime address. Didn’t go on television to sound the alarm. He didn’t even disavow an op-ed he had written just ten days before claiming that America was, quote, ‘better prepared than ever for coronavirus.'”

“Instead, what did he do? He dumped his shares in hotel stocks so he wouldn’t lose money,” Carlson continued. “And then he stayed silent. Now, maybe there’s an honest explanation for what he did. If there is, he should share it with the rest of us immediately. Otherwise, he must resign from the Senate and face prosecution for insider trading.” (Read more from “Tucker Carlson Calls on Sen. Richard Burr to Resign Over Stock Dumping Reports” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Washington Hospitals Are Facing a Space and Supply Scarcity in the Fight Against Coronavirus; Coronavirus Is Killing Italy’s Doctors. The U.S. Could Be Next.

/0 Comments/in , /by

By Daily Caller. Washington State has been at the forefront of the fight against the coronavirus since January. The first confirmed case of the coronavirus in the U.S. was in the state, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Jan. 20. As of Thursday, over 17,000 people have been tested in Washington, and 1,187 have tested positive, the Washington State Department of Health reports. The death toll was at 66 as of Thursday, the highest in the country.

Washington, and more specifically, Seattle, has emerged as America’s coronavirus laboratory, highlighting the challenges and deficits in resources the country is currently facing, as local, state, and federal governments have gone into overdrive to find solutions to the shortages of critical materials like face masks and testing.

President Donald Trump has even invoked a Korean War era law called the Defense Production Act to fill the gaps in medical supplies by harnessing by requiring corporations to accept and prioritize contracts for materials necessary to aid national defense, CNN reported. “I view it — in a sense as a wartime president,” Trump said Wednesday.

If this is war, Washington state’s doctors are on the frontline. The Navy has even sent its two hospital ships, which can be used to treat non-coronavirus patients, to allow Seattle-area hospitals to focus on the pandemic, Wired reported. King County, where Seattle is located, is creating field hospitals at multiple locations for additional isolation and quarantine sites, the Seattle Times reported. . .

But the biggest concern is still personal protective equipment for hospital staff, who have reported reusing face masks after spraying or wiping them down with sanitizer, supplies of which are dwindling in some hospitals, the New York Times reported. Typically, masks should be replaced after each use, but there aren’t enough in stock at many hospitals for doctors and nurses to be able to use more than one or two per day. (Read more from “Washington Hospitals Are Facing a Space and Supply Scarcity in the Fight Against Coronavirus” HERE)

___________________________________________________

Coronavirus Is Killing Italy’s Doctors. The U.S. Could Be Next.

By The Daily Beast. Dr. Marcello Natali never left the front line in the northern Italian town of Codogno when the novel coronavirus outbreak exploded more than three weeks ago. And the front line is where the 57-year-old physician died this week from the disease he fought so hard. Natali, whose wife is also a health care worker, had no preexisting conditions, and was far younger than the median age of 80 of most of Italy’s nearly 3,000 COVID-19 dead. But he only agreed to get the intensive care he desperately needed last week after his symptoms overwhelmed him.

He didn’t go in sooner because he didn’t want to take an intensive care unit bed from anyone else. The crisis has put a severe strain on the entire health care system, with some of the best hospitals in Europe using corridors for ICU wards. Natali was taken by ambulance first to a larger facility in nearby Cremona and then to Milan, where he died alone in isolation. And since funerals are prohibited as part of the national lockdown, he will not even receive a hero’s burial. . .

Natali, who was the head of the region’s Federation of General Practitioners, is the fourth doctor to die in the original red zone, which has been under lockdown since Feb. 23. Just days before he went into intensive care, he gave a radio interview in which he complained that testing was taking too long and that there were many cases that family doctors were taking care of on a house call basis without full protection, exposing them to the virus. . .

As the virus spreads to the United States, health care workers there are watching Italy’s situation closely, and terrified doctors have sounded the alarm repeatedly. But the numbers do not augur well. Italy’s state run health care system is able to provide 3.2 beds per 1,000 people compared to 2.8 beds per 1,000 in the U.S, according to the OECD. On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department confirmed that Italy had sent 500,000 swabs to the U.S. to help complete test kits. The fact that the sick are now helping those perceived to be stronger should be worrying. . .

At least 2,629 health care workers—roughly 8.3 percent of all cases in Italy—have contracted COVID-19 from working with inadequate equipment or being exposed to asymptomatic carriers, according to the latest results from the Ministry of Health. (Read more from “Coronavirus Is Killing Italy’s Doctors. The U.S. Could Be Next.” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Mother and Daughter Who Ran Colorado Funeral Home Accused of Illegally Selling Body Parts

/0 Comments/in , /by

A mother and daughter who ran a funeral home in Colorado were indicted for using the business to sell human remains without the consent of families, authorities said.

Megan Hess, 43, and Shirley Koch, 66, were arrested and charged with six counts each of mail fraud and three counts each of illegal transportation of hazardous materials. . .

A federal indictment unsealed on Tuesday states that the donor service business would harvest human remains and sell them to customers who used them for scientific, medical or educational purposes. Prosecutors allege that the mother and daughter did not always have permission from families to donate the remains. . .

The duo ran the scheme from 2010 to 2018 and charged at least $1,000 for cremation services. The indictment alleges that they made so much money from the donor services business that they were able to offer lower-priced cremation services than other funeral homes in the area.

“As a result, Hess was able to ensure a constant supply of bodies for her and Koch’s body broker services business,” the indictment states. (Read more from “Mother and Daughter Who Ran Colorado Funeral Home Accused of Illegally Selling Body Parts” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Kansas Official: Pandemic Isn’t a Problem Here Because There Are Few Chinese People

/0 Comments/in , /by

(Editor’s note: as is typical of the fake news media, things are always twisted for maximum effect against friends of Liberty, like Marvin Rodriguez. The below article is an example of that)

The chairman of the Riley County Commissioners suggested this week that the global coronavirus pandemic is not a problem locally because unlike in Italy, there are not a lot of Chinese people living in central Kansas, according to two other officials who attended the meeting Wednesday night. . .

Usha Reddi, the mayor of Manhattan, Kansas, went to the meeting hoping that the commissioners would declare an emergency, which they ultimately did. But what she heard from the chairman, Republican Marvin Rodriguez, was this: “I’m paraphrasing, but he said we don’t have a problem here because Italy has a lot of Chinese people, and we don’t have that problem here.”

Reached by phone, Rodriguez told The Star Editorial Board, “I didn’t necessarily say it like that.” So how did he say it? “Italy has a problem with its health department, first. It’s health for everybody. I have a friend in the Navy, and he said in that area” of Northern Italy where that country’s first cases were reported, “there’s a garment industry and a lot of Chinese. If we were like Italy, we’d have it already.” . . .

“Well, they say it came out of China,” he answered, “and I’m not putting it past the Chinese government in communist China.” Meaning, to export a virus on purpose? “Normally, this kind of thing spreads slowly,” he answered, so “I put two and two together. I’ve been around a long time, girl.”

He also said that his only public policy goal in saying all of this was to try to discourage panic. “We’re hurting a lot of people in Manhattan” by overreacting, he said. “Places are being shut down for no reason at all.” (Read more from “Kansas Official: Pandemic Isn’t a Problem Here Because There Are Few Chinese People” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Background Checks Surge 300 Percent as Americans Flood Gun Stores

/0 Comments/in , /by

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is reporting background checks are up 300 percent over where they were at this same time last year.

Mark Oliva, NSSF Public Affairs director, told Breitbart News, “FBI NICS informed NSSF that on Monday, March 16, 2020, volume for background checks was 300 percent higher than it was on March 16, 2019.”

Oliva added, “Since Feb. 23, background checks have been roughly double every day what they were this time last year.” . . .

Brown said, “We’ve seen increases in firearm purchases in response to uncertain or worrisome current events in the past. Unfortunately, we know that not only do more guns not make you safer, but that the opposite is true.”

She added, “Unsafe storage practices correlate to unintentional shootings in the home, what we call ‘Family Fire.’ Everyday, approximately eight children and teens die from these preventable Family Fire incidents.” (Read more from “Background Checks Surge 300 Percent as Americans Flood Gun Stores” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Sanders Curses out CNN Reporter When Asked About Failing Campaign; Is Bernie Sanders Ready to Bail on 2020?

/0 Comments/in , /by

By New York Post. Bernie Sanders exploded into expletives when asked Wednesday if he would pull the plug on his ailing campaign.

“I’m dealing with a f—ing global crisis,” the Vermont senator, back on Capitol Hill to vote on the $1 trillion Coronavirus bailout package, blew up at a veteran CNN reporter when pressed on the future of his White House bid after being thumped by Joe Biden in Tuesday night’s primaries.

[Warning: tweet contains explicit language.]

The foul rant was noted in a tweet by CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju recounting their conversation.

“You know, we’re dealing with,” Sanders hastily added, trailing off. . .

“Right now, I’m trying to do my best to make sure that we don’t have an economic meltdown and that people don’t die. Is that enough for you to keep me busy for today?” Sanders griped.

(Read more from “Sanders Curses out CNN Reporter When Asked About Failing Campaign” HERE)

_________________________________________________

Is Bernie Sanders Ready to Bail on 2020?

By Vanity Fair. Just a few weeks ago, the Democratic primary—and the state of the country—looked completely different. Bernie Sanders had claimed victory in the first three contests and seemed to be running away with the nomination. Joe Biden, by contrast, was perhaps one more disappointing finish away from being knocked out of the race he’d led in national polls since entering it. But now, after racking up primary victories across the country, including some in decisive fashion, Biden has built a commanding delegate lead, is easily outpacing Sanders in national polls, and has forced his progressive rival to consider the future of his campaign.

Sanders was recently sending signals that he had no intention of leaving the race just yet. “I want the senator to stay in,” Nina Turner, one of the national co-chairs of his campaign, said earlier this week. But after another drubbing Tuesday in which Biden swept three more states, there are signs that Sanders may be preparing to exit. After losing Arizona, Florida, and Illinois on Tuesday, Sanders suspended Facebook advertisements, fueling speculation that his once-promising run was drawing to an end. An email to supporters updating them on the state of play which did not include the typical request for donations kept the rumor-mill churning. And while Axios pulled back its Wednesday report that Sanders was suspending his campaign, the Washington Post reported later that his campaign has been in regular contact with Biden’s team, apparently to discuss policy ideas about the novel coronavirus that has upended American life—a sign, potentially, that Sanders could soon step aside and cement Biden as the party nominee to take on Donald Trump in November. . .

In an email to supporters after Tuesday’s losses, Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir acknowledged that the contests “did not go the way we wanted” and said the candidate was returning to Vermont to “seek input” from supporters and “assess the path forward for our campaign.” But Shakir also noted that the next primary “is at least three weeks away,” suggesting he’s not in a hurry to decide. Sanders himself has appeared understandably focused on the pandemic threatening the nation: “I’m dealing with a f***ing global crisis,” he snapped at CNN’s Manu Raju Wednesday when asked about the status of his campaign. “Is that enough for you to keep me busy for today?” (Read more from “Is Bernie Sanders Ready to Bail on 2020?” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

20-Year-Old Coronavirus Victim in Spain Was Reportedly Told by Doctors to Go Home and Not to Worry. He Died Less Than a Week Later.; Italy Stops Counting Bodies After Major Surge

/0 Comments/in , /by

By The Blaze. A 20-year-old from Spain who recently died after contracting the coronavirus was allegedly sent home and told not to worry by doctors less than a week before the disease killed him.

Francisco Garcia, a youth soccer coach at Malaga club Atletico Portada Alta, initially thought he had the common cold when he went he first became ill on March 6, his family told the Sun in a recent interview. . .

Three days later, when Garcia still wasn’t recovering from the illness, Fernandez took him to a doctor who then allegedly told him to “take paracetamol [acetaminophen] and sent him home and said there was no need to worry.”

When his health deteriorated again overnight, Garcia’s family decided to take him to another doctor for a second opinion. That doctor sent him home again — this time with antibiotics. . .

Once at the hospital, he was diagnosed with pneumonia and was placed under a quarantine due to suspicion that he had contracted the coronavirus. The following day, he tested positive for COVID-19 as well as leukemia. Four days later he died. (Read more from “20-Year-Old Coronavirus Victim in Spain Was Reportedly Told by Doctors to Go Home and Not to Worry. He Died Less Than a Week Later.” HERE)

____________________________________________________________

Coronavirus in Italy: Health Care Workers Stop Counting Bodies

By New York Post. Italy’s death toll from the coronavirus has surpassed China, with so many dead that soldiers were brought in to haul away coffins and health care workers said they stopped counting bodies.

Officials said Thursday that 427 new deaths were recorded over just 24 hours, bringing the COVID-19 death toll to 3,403, nearly 200 more than China, where the virus originated.

This comes despite the fact that Italy has 41,035 confirmed cases — just over half as many as China.

“Unfortunately we can’t contain the situation in Lombardy,” said Daniela Confalonieri, a nurse in Milan. “There’s a high level of contagion and we’re not even counting the dead anymore.”

“Look at the news that’s coming out of Italy and take note of what the situation is like,” she said. “It’s unimaginable.” (Read more from “Coronavirus in Italy: Health Care Workers Stop Counting Bodies” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Economists Warn Jobless Claims Could Top 1.5 Million by Next Week

/0 Comments/in , /by

By The Hill. U.S. unemployment claims could reach a record 1.5 million by next week as service industry workers are forced to stay home amid the coronavirus outbreak, economists warned Thursday.

The U.S. Labor Department reported that 281,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits the week of March 14 — a 70,000 jump from the week before, and 60,000 claims more than economists had expected.

“State filings offices for Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut report claims filings this week are running six to 14 times higher than the same week last year,” Conrad DeQuadros, senior economic advisor at Brean Capital in New York, told Reuters. (Read more from “Economists Warn Jobless Claims Could Top 1.5 Million by Next Week” HERE)

________________________________________________________

Washington Scrambles to Prevent Massive Unemployment Spike

By The Hill. The coronavirus is quickly taking a sledgehammer to the historically low unemployment rates that have defined much of President Trump’s time in office.

The pandemic’s toll on the economy is now a key focus of Washington’s response to the growing public health crisis, with Congress and the White House scrambling to provide relief for struggling workers and businesses.

“It’s going to be a big problem,” said Jay Shambaugh, director of the Hamilton Project and a senior economics fellow at the Brookings Institution. “Unemployment is going to be where we see the economic damage, and is rising, frankly, faster than we expected just a week or two ago.”

Restaurants and bars have already initiated severe staff cutbacks, with similar actions underway in the travel and entertainment industries, leading to widespread layoffs at companies large and small. (Read more from “Washington Scrambles to Prevent Massive Unemployment Spike” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Iran Repeatedly Attacks U.S. Troops as Coronavirus Outbreak Distracts Public Attention; U.S. Slaps New Sanctions on Iran

/0 Comments/in , /by

By Washington Examiner. Iran-controlled forces are launching rockets at U.S. troops in Iraq while Western leaders focus on a coronavirus pandemic that threatens to overwhelm hospital networks around the world.

“It feels like part of the American public may have forgotten that two Americans died in Iraq,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, an expert on the Iranian regime at Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Washington Examiner.

American forces targeted five weapons depots controlled by Kataib Hezbollah, a Shia militia that the United States blamed for the attack that killed two Americans and one British service member last week. Yet the militias remain undeterred, as a Tuesday morning barrage marked the third attack on bases housing U.S.n troops in the last week, even as Tehran struggles to manage one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the world.

“They view this as a kind of continuing campaign to push Americans out of Iraq,” retired Army Lt. Gen. Thomas Spoehr, who directs the Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Defense, told the Washington Examiner. “They’ve lost a lot of citizens to corona, but for those kinds of regimes, it’s really kind of inconsequential to them. They don’t place as high a premium on life as we do.” . . .

Some analysts believe that Iran has renewed attacks on U.S. forces in order to distract from the coronavirus outbreak. “Iranians are fiercely nationalistic,” American Enterprise Institute scholar Michael Rubin, who specializes in Iran and the Middle East, told the Washington Examiner. “And so, basically, it’s a no-brainer on the part of the Iranian regime to try to distract people from their own incompetence. And, even though — yeah, I’m a neocon, I’m a hawk, and so forth — I think the worst possible thing would be for Trump to hit Iran.” (Read more from “Iran Repeatedly Attacks U.S. Troops as Coronavirus Outbreak Distracts Public Attention” HERE)

______________________________________________________

U.S. Slaps New Sanctions on Iran Amid Renewed Rocket Attacks in Iraq

The State Department on Wednesday announced it is slapping new sanctions on Iran as renewed rocket attacks have been launched at U.S. forces in Iraq by what are believed to be Tehran-backed militias.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that the sanctions will target nine entities and three individuals “who have engaged in activity that could enable the Iranian regime’s violent behavior.”

“The actions of these individuals and entities provide revenue to the regime that it may use to fund terror and other destabilizing activities, such as the recent rocket attacks on Iraqi and Coalition forces located at Camp Taji in Iraq,” he said.

The sanctions mainly target Iran’s petrochemical industry and are intended to “further Iran’s economic and diplomatic isolation.” (Read more from “U.S. Slaps New Sanctions on Iran Amid Renewed Rocket Attacks in Iraq” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE