Obama Waited Until ‘Millions’ Infected and 1000 Dead in U.S. Before Declaring H1N1 Emergency

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“Let’s call it Trumpvirus,” urged a New York Times opinion writer conspiratorially. Nancy Pelosi groused that President Trump waited too long to attack the coronavirus (COVID-19) and then impetuously declared he couldn’t have leftover and unspent Ebola virus money to fight it, while Senator Chuck Schumer looked down his nose and over his glasses to intone that it was the end of the world and the president hadn’t spent enough money to stop the scourge. Joe Biden and Michael Bloomberg have both been called out for politicizing the virus. . .

Surely, St. Barack of Obama would have dealt with this horrible pandemic better than Orange Man Bad, right? No-Drama-Obama had this whole thing under control, of course! . . .

Now, let’s go to the Wayback Machine. In April of 2009, the H1N1 became a pandemic.

But it wasn’t until six months later, October, that then-President Obama declared a public health emergency on what was already a pandemic. By that time, the disease had infected millions of Americans and more than 1,000 people had died in the U.S.

[Via CNN]

Since the H1N1 flu pandemic began in April, millions of people in the United States have been infected, at least 20,000 have been hospitalized and more than 1,000 have died, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [emphasis added]

(Read more from “Obama Waited Until ‘Millions’ Infected and 1000 Dead in U.S. Before Declaring H1N1 Emergency” HERE)

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CDC Disease Director: Low Number of U.S. Coronavirus Cases ‘Reflection of Aggressive Containment Efforts’; U.S. Coronavirus Cases Jump to 71

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By Breitbart. The still low number of cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States is “a reflection of the aggressive containment efforts of the U.S. government,” said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

In a press briefing Friday, Nancy Messonnier, M.D., said:

Because of the aggressive U.S. efforts at our border strategy the number of cases has been low. And we have been able to focus our efforts on travelers and their close contact based on our evaluation of who is at highest risk. We will continue to modify our approach. In terms of diagnostic testing, additional labs are coming on-line and additional test kits are on their way now.

Messonnier cautioned, however, about the possibility of additional cases of infection.

(Read more from “CDC Disease Director: Low Number of U.S. Coronavirus Cases ‘Reflection of Aggressive Containment Efforts’” HERE)

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U.S. Coronavirus Cases Jump to 71

By New York Post. The number of coronavirus cases in the US stood at 71 early Sunday, according to the Center for Disease Control officials. . .

The remaining cases were mostly from the West Coast, including 12 confirmed in California and six from the Seattle area. One of those patients, a middle-aged man in his 50s, died overnight Friday, becoming the first reported fatality on US soil.

Illinois has three cases, all in Chicago. The remaining states with cases have just one patient each: Wisconsin, Oregon, Texas, Arizona and Massachusetts, where a Boston patient has since recovered. (Read more from “U.S. Coronavirus Cases Jump to 71” HERE)

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‘First Class Commie’ Sanders Boards Wrong Private Jet and Used 3 to Travel to Campaign Event: TMZ

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. . .After getting shellacked by former Vice President Joe Biden in the South Carolina primary, the democratic socialist presidential candidate is said to have boarded the wrong private jet during a campaign stop on Saturday.

According to TMZ, Sanders suffered “a momentary case of a campaign brain fart” as he accidentally boarded the wrong private jet during a campaign stop between South Carolina and Massachusetts. He is said to have been spotted making his way off of a Gulfstream jet before heading to the “Bay State” for a rally in the Boston Common. The Democratic frontrunner is campaigning in fellow rival Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s home state ahead of Super Tuesday, which polls show he is well-positioned to win. . .

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, a Twitter user claimed that Sanders and his campaign staff took not just one but three private jets to travel between Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, which is only a two-hour drive according to Google Maps.

“[Sanders] and his entourage flew from Charleston to Myrtle Beach in not 1, not 2, but 3 Gulfstream jets today. It took them 10 minutes to fly. Who is the elitist?? #BernieIsACommunist,” twitter user “CarolinaGirl” wrote.

(Read more from “‘First Class Commie’ Sanders Boards Wrong Private Jet and Used 3 to Travel to Campaign Event: TMZ” HERE)

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Trump ‘Strongly’ Considering Serious Action at U.S.-Mexico Border to Stop Spread of Coronavirus

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President Donald Trump said Saturday that American officials are strongly considering shutting the U.S.-Mexico border amid concerns over the coronavirus.

When asked at a press conference if he was considering closing the border, Trump answered in the affirmative, Reuters reported.

“We are looking also at southern border,” Trump said. “We have received a lot of power on the southern border over the last couple years from the courts, but we are looking at that very strongly.”

Earlier on Saturday, Reuters reported, citing two Department of Homeland Security officials, that Trump was considering taking action at the border. However, despite seemingly confirming the reporting, Trump later downplayed his statement, saying that officials are “thinking about all borders.”

Vice President Mike Pence also announced during the press conference that the U.S. would impose new travel restrictions against Iran, South Korea, and Italy. (Read more from “Trump ‘Strongly’ Considering Serious Action at U.S.-Mexico Border to Stop Spread of Coronavirus” HERE)

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House Business Grinds to Halt, as Scott, Giddings Argue Over Personal Bill on Abortion

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Business in the House ground to a halt this morning, as Reps. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, and Priscilla Giddings, R-White Bird, mounted an unsuccessful parliamentary maneuver to pull Scott’s “Abortion Human Rights Act” personal bill, HB 361, out of the Ways & Means Committee to the House floor. That prompted much back-and-forth over the committee system and whether it’s working as it should, and over the power of committee chairs to stop bills from proceeding, simply by not scheduling them for hearings. House Transportation Chairman Joe Palmer, R-Meridian, told the House, “There has to be a backstop somewhere. If you don’t have the backstop, you’re going to continue on forever and ever. … We’ve seen other states where they run a full-time legislature. I don’t think that’s what the people of Idaho want.”

Scott said, “There’s no rules that personal bills are personal bills. It has a bill number. It’s been sitting in committee.” Giddings demanded to know how many personal bills are sitting in the Ways & Means Committee without hearings; Speaker Scott Bedke ruled the question out of order.

Asked what rule lays out that procedure, House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Robert Anderst, R-Nampa, said, “That’s how we’ve operated since I’ve been here.”

Scott said, “We just want a public hearing. We just want both sides of the issue to be heard. … It’s causing a divide in conservatives, this whole issue. …That’s why I’d like this issue to be heard.” (Read more from “House Business Grinds to Halt, as Scott, Giddings Argue Over Personal Bill on Abortion” HERE)

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First U.S. Coronavirus Death; Iranian Coronavirus Deaths Way Higher Than Government Admits; 3 New Cases of Unknown Origin In U.S.; Pandemic Preppers Arm Up, ‘Person With The Most Ammo Wins’

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By KIRO 7. The Washington Department of Health confirmed Saturday the first coronavirus-related death in the United States, a King County man in his 50s.

The man who later died arrived at EvergreenHealth Medical Center in Kirkland with “serious respiratory issues” and later tested positive for COVID-19 (coronavirus), King County Public Health said. Officials said the man also had underlying health conditions, although they declined to say what the conditions were, citing patient privacy.

“It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19,” Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to their family and friends. We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus.”

The man had no history of travel or contact with a known coronavirus case, meaning the case was acquired through “community transmission” in the Seattle area, said Dr. Jeffrey Duchin, health officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. (Read more about first coronavirus deaths HERE)

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Iranian Coronavirus Deaths Far Higher than Official Number

By Breitbart. BBC Persian cites Iranian health sources who claim that at least 210 people may have died from the coronavirus in Iran. If true, that is significantly higher than the official death toll of 34.

Health sources in Iran told reporters with BBC Persian that at least 210 patients in that country died from the Covid-19 coronavirus. The Iranian government denies the number and claims that only 34 have died. Either way, it is the largest number of coronavirus deaths in any country outside of China.

Iranian Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur rejected that report and stood by the official death reports placing the number of decedents at 34, Reuters reported on Friday.

However, Iranian Member of Parliament Gholamali Jafarzadeh Imenabadi contradicted the government’s statement and claimed the real death toll in Iran is “much higher” than the official death toll, Alarabiya reports.

“I say this explicitly, the statistics presented so far are not true,” he said. The MP added that he has statistics from cemeteries about the death toll that reveal “horrific numbers.” (Read more from “Coronavirus Deaths May Be Much Higher Than Iranian Government Admitted” HERE)

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New Coronavirus Cases in California and Oregon Are Second and Third of Unknown Origin

By CNN. An older adult woman from California is the second case of unknown origin of the novel coronavirus, health officials in Santa Clara County said Friday.

The patient didn’t have any relevant travel history or exposure to another known patient, said Dr. Sara Cody, director of the county’s public health department. . .

Another case in Oregon reported Friday is thought to be from community transmission but health officials there said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention needs to confirm the state’s positive test result.

The person is from Washington County and is being treated at a Kaiser Permanente hospital. (Read more from “New Coronavirus Cases in California and Oregon Are Second and Third of Unknown Origin” HERE)

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Pandemic Preppers Arm Up, ‘Person With The Most Ammo Wins’

By Washington Examiner. Some Washington big shots like others around the country are readying for the potential further outbreak of the coronavirus by stocking up on “prepper” goods, including pistols, rifles, and ammunition, and reaching out to camps where they can hide out.

“We’ve had a huge surge in interest from the virus,” said Drew Miller, who runs the Fortitude Ranch camp in West Virginia. Miller said his “survival community” in Colorado has filled up, and he is close to selling out memberships in West Virginia as concerns about the virus increase.

Stores that sell freeze-dried food and bullets have also seen a surge in sales.

Justin Anderson, the marketing director for Hyatt Guns in Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the nation’s largest, said ammunition is the top seller. “I’ve seen a notable spike in the purchase of bulk ammo, which is usually a barometer of people’s fear in these types of situations,” he said, adding, “The person with the most ammo wins.” . . .

“We have always been prepared for a pandemic,” he told us, explaining that his camps keep families apart so an infection won’t spread but are behind a wall for defense. “Lots of spread out buildings and shallow shelters (we have NO deep underground shelters) lets our members grab weapons and get to their assigned defensive position on the outer wall in a minute,” he said. (Read more from “Pandemic Preppers Arm Up, ‘Person With The Most Ammo Wins'” HERE)

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Breakthrough: Israeli Scientists Say They Will Have Coronavirus Vaccine ‘in a Few Weeks’

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Israeli scientists are on the cusp of developing the first vaccine against the novel coronavirus, according to Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis. If all goes as planned, the vaccine could be ready within a few weeks and available in 90 days, according to a release.

“Congratulations to MIGAL [The Galilee Research Institute] on this exciting breakthrough,” Akunis said. “I am confident there will be further rapid progress, enabling us to provide a needed response to the grave global COVID-19 threat,” Akunis said, referring to the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

For the past four years, a team of MIGAL scientists has been developing a vaccine against infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), which causes a bronchial disease affecting poultry. The effectiveness of the vaccine has been proven in preclinical trials carried out at the Veterinary Institute. . .

“Our basic concept was to develop the technology and not specifically a vaccine for this kind or that kind of virus,” said Dr. Chen Katz, MIGAL’s biotechnology group leader. “The scientific framework for the vaccine is based on a new protein expression vector, which forms and secretes a chimeric soluble protein that delivers the viral antigen into mucosal tissues by self-activated endocytosis, causing the body to form antibodies against the virus.” . . .

But after scientists sequenced the DNA of the novel coronavirus causing the current worldwide outbreak, the MIGAL researchers examined it and found that the poultry coronavirus has high genetic similarity to the human one, and that it uses the same infection mechanism, which increases the likelihood of achieving an effective human vaccine in a very short period of time, Katz said. (Read more from “Breakthrough: Israeli Scientists Say They Will Have Coronavirus Vaccine ‘in a Few Weeks'” HERE)

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Democrats Demand Open Borders for the Coronavirus

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By Front Page Mag. Over 90 Chinese migrants were caught by the Border Patrol trying to enter the United States this year.

According to Brandon Judd, the president of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC), on February 10, three Chinese nationals were apprehended illegally entering Texas with flu-like symptoms, and had to be quarantined. “Luckily they did not have the coronavirus,” he said. “But this is a wake-up call.” . . .

The last thing that the border states need are infected illegal aliens coming through, blending into the population, and spreading the disease to health care workers, and in poor neighborhoods.

But that’s exactly what the Democrats seem to want.

Senator Elizabeth Warren announced that she was introducing a plan to redirect money from the border wall to fighting the coronavirus. Rarely has there been so literal an example of drilling a hole in the boat and then bailing water faster. And while Warren is an extreme case, every Democrat 2020 candidate wants to dismantle border security and enable the rapid entry of migrants into the United States. (Read more from “Democrats Demand Open Borders for the Coronavirus” HERE)

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House Republicans Press Trump Officials on Plans to Contain Coronavirus at Border

By The Hill. A group of House Republican lawmakers is calling on the Trump administration to provide information on how it plans to prevent a coronavirus outbreak at the border.

In a letter led by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), the lawmakers pressed the departments of Homeland Security (DHS), Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DOD) on what steps the administration is taking to prevent the spread of the disease in border states and in detention centers.

“Given the porous nature of our border, and the continued lack of operational control due to the influence of dangerous cartels, it is foreseeable, indeed predictable, that any outbreak in Central America or Mexico could cause a rush to our border,” they wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Friday.

“Though today there are no major outbreaks of COVID-19 in Mexico, South, or Central America, there is at least one travel-related case in Brazil, and it can be presumed that we will see the virus spread further,” they noted. “Over time, this could impose a new burden at our southern border that will threaten the safety and health of individuals in the United States and could cause a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions along our border and at detention facilities.” (Read more from “House Republicans Press Trump Officials on Plans to Contain Coronavirus at Border” HERE)

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President Trump Announces End of War in Afghanistan

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By Mujib Mashal. The United States signed a deal with the Taliban on Saturday that sets the stage to end America’s longest war — the nearly two-decade-old conflict in Afghanistan that began after the Sept. 11 attacks, killed tens of thousands of people, vexed three White House administrations and left mistrust and uncertainty on all sides.

The agreement lays out a timetable for the final withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan, the impoverished Central Asian country once unfamiliar to many Americans that now symbolizes endless conflict, foreign entanglements and a potential incubator of terrorist plots. . .

The signing of the agreement in Doha, Qatar, which followed more than a year of stop-and-start negotiations and conspicuously excluded the American-backed Afghanistan government, is not a final peace deal and could still unravel.

But it is seen as a step toward negotiating a more sweeping agreement that some hope could eventually end the insurgency of the Taliban, the militant movement that once ruled Afghanistan under a severe Islamic code. (Read more about “Trump Announces End of War” HERE)
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By Townhall. It’s been seven days since a week long, reduction in violence agreement between the United States and the Taliban officially went into place. Since then, the U.S. has successfully monitored a lack of violence in the country, which encompassed roadside bombs, suicide bombs, rocket attacks and more, on the ground in Afghanistan.

As a result, President Trump announced Friday afternoon the United States will move to phase two of a long-term ceasefire agreement with the Taliban.

“Nearly 19 years ago, American service members went to Afghanistan to root out the terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks. In that time, we have made great progress in Afghanistan, but at great cost to our brave service members, to the American taxpayers, and to the people of Afghanistan. When I ran for office, I promised the American people I would begin to bring our troops home, and seek to end this war. We are making substantial progress on that promise,” President Trump released in a statement.

“Soon, at my direction, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will witness the signing of an agreement with representatives of the Taliban, while Secretary of Defense Mark Esper will issue a joint declaration with the government of Afghanistan. If the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan live up to these commitments, we will have a powerful path forward to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home,” Trump continued. “These commitments represent an important step to a lasting peace in a new Afghanistan, free from Al Qaeda, ISIS, and any other terrorist group that would seek to bring us harm. Ultimately it will be up to the people of Afghanistan to work out their future. We, therefore, urge the Afghan people to seize this opportunity for peace and a new future for their country.” (Read more from “President Trump Announces the U.S. Is Another Step Closer to Ending the War in Afghanistan” HERE)

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U.S., Taliban Set Peace Signing for America’s Longest War

By AP. . .The United States and the Islamists it toppled from power in Afghanistan are poised to sign a peace deal Saturday after a conflict that outlasted two U.S. commanders in chief and is now led by a third eager to fulfill a campaign promise to extricate America from “endless wars.”

More than 18 years since President George W. Bush ordered bombing in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the agreement will set the stage for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, some of whom were not yet born when the World Trade Center collapsed on that crisp, sunny morning that changed how Americans see the world.

Saturday’s ceremony also signals the potential end of a tremendous investment of blood and treasure. The U.S. spent more than $750 billion, and on all sides the war cost tens of thousands of lives lost, permanently scarred and indelibly interrupted. Yet it’s also a conflict that is frequently ignored by U.S. politicians and the American public. (Read more from “U.S., Taliban Set Peace Signing for America’s Longest War” HERE)

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Kansas Rep.: Second Amendment Is for Defeating Tyranny Not Hunting

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Kansas Republican Rep. Ron Estes pulled no punches when describing the purpose of the Second Amendment during a panel discussion at CPAC 2020 on Friday.

“The primary goal of having a well regulated militia is to make sure we protect ourselves from the government,” he told his audience, distancing himself from those who support the right to bear arms for solely sporting purposes.

He also outlined “3 differents standpoints,” from which the Second Amendment can be understood. A person may choose to bear arms for defence against their fellow citizens, for hunting, or to resist tyranny, explained the congressman.

Estes was joined in this position by former Representative Brat who agreed that the Second Amendment “ain’t there for hunting folks, it’s there to protect us from tyrannical governments.” (Read more from “Kansas Rep.: Second Amendment Is for Defeating Tyranny Not Hunting” HERE)

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