Amazon Workers Describe Warehouse Dangers During Chinese Virus Pandemic

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Several Amazon employees working in warehouses around the country spoke with Wired this week about the dangers of their workplace during the Chinese virus pandemic. Some of the employees allege that Amazon has failed to take simple precautions that could mitigate the spread of the virus.

According to a report by Wired, Amazon warehouse workers are facing extra challenges during the Chinese virus pandemic. The employees claim that Amazon has failed to take simple precautions, such as sanitizing the entrances that hundreds of workers pass through at the beginning and end of each shift. Instead, workers have been instructed to follow social distancing guidelines.

One warehouse employee told Wired that Amazon is failing to take simple precautions that could mitigate the spread of the virus. For example, Amazon has insisted that workers continue to use turnstiles to enter the warehouse. Moreover, the employee claims that the turnstiles have never been sanitized.

Amazon releases their own little news alerts, and one of them told us that we need to make sure we’re cleaning our scanners. They told us to do it—the people who are also working on the floor, who are also responsible for getting a certain number of packages out every shift. This is what kills me: When we walk through the main front doors, we hit these turnstiles to enter. Everyone has to touch them, and I have never, not one time in my life, seen anybody clean those things. I know that in my fulfillment center, we’ve got over 900 people who work there, and we have three entrances to choose from. All it’s going to take is one infected person.

Another employee said that he has been forced to sit on hallway floors during his breaks because there is not enough space in breakrooms for the employees to follow social distancing guidelines. One employee asked Amazon management to provide milk crates as an alternative to chairs. (Read more from “Sanders Campaign Reps Revolt After Sanders Endorses Biden, Openly Attack Former Vice President” HERE)

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COVID-19: Photos Show Bodies Piled in Closet, Slumped in Chair at Detroit Hospital; New York State Death Toll Surpasses 10,000

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By New York Post. A Detroit hospital is so overwhelmed with dead coronavirus patients that it is stashing the bodies on top of each other in a closet — and even sitting one upright in a chair in a hotel-like room usually reserved for sleep studies, jarring photos show.

“All I know is we ran out of beds to keep our patients on, so we couldn’t spare any for the bodies,” an emergency-room worker at Sinai-Grace Hospital – Detroit Medical Center told CNN, which obtained the snapshots, according to network reporter Marshall Cohen on Twitter on Monday.

One photograph showed white body bags stacked on the floor and what look like large, open, metal and wood-planked bookshelves in a long closet, along with several blue string sacks tossed on them.

(Read more from “COVID-19: Photos Show Bodies Piled in Closet, Slumped in Chair at Detroit Hospital” HERE)

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New York State Death Toll Surpasses 10,000

By Al Jazeera. The death toll from the new coronavirus in New York state – the US epicentre of the deadly pandemic – has passed 10,000, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

Cuomo said 671 people had died in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities in the state to 10,056.

He also said that he believed “the worst is over” as hospitalizations appeared to be reaching a plateau. (Read more from “New York State Death Toll Surpasses 10,000” HERE)

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Despite Initial Agreement, Biden Reveals Details of Phone Call With President Trump

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Though President Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden said they had agreed to keep the details of their Monday phone call private, Biden appears to have reneged on the agreement. The Democratic nominee has now divulged several details about the exchange in media interviews and a meeting with donors.

Biden said during his first interview after the call that he and Trump agreed they “wouldn’t go into detail” on what was said during the call between the political rivals. Biden in the days since has laid out the specifics of the five suggestions he made to Trump on how the administration could improve its coronavirus response and even began to detail to donors at a fundraiser how Trump responded.

Biden told a local Philadelphia news station on Tuesday that he and Trump “agreed we wouldn’t go into detail” beyond acknowledging they had a phone call to discuss the pandemic. In that same interview, however, Biden disclosed the recommendations he offered the president. “The generic suggestion I made is the federal responsibility, a federal response is necessary,” Biden said. “And that I thought we needed one supply commander, nationally, and identifying where all the product needed was and how to distribute it around the country.”

In a Tuesday night interview on CNN, Biden was pressed to break his silence by anchor Chris Cuomo, who asked Biden, “Why is it a good thing for the American people for you guys to talk but us not really know what happened?” The former vice president responded by detailing exactly what he recommended to the president.

“I laid out the five things I thought he should be doing now and suggested how I thought he should go about doing,” Biden said before laying out his suggestions, which beyond the appointment of a supply commander were to fully implement the Defense Production Act, open up enrollment for Obamacare, ramp up testing, and collect more data on African Americans who have caught the coronavirus. (Read more from “Despite Initial Agreement, Biden Spills Details on Phone Call With President Trump” HERE)

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Back to Work in May? President Trump Signals It’s His Call and You’re Going to Need a Mask

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By PJ Media. The president seemed to signal on Sunday that we will be going back to work soon, but suggested we’re going to need masks. After announcing that governors should get their act together quickly, Trump added, “Also, gear up with Face Masks.” The intent is clear—when we come out of lockdown, we’ll be covered up.

(Read more from “Back to Work in May? President Trump Signals It’s His Call and You’re Going to Need a Mask” HERE)

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Trump Defends Response to Coronavirus, Says He’s Not Firing Fauci

By Reuters. President Donald Trump defended his response to the coronavirus outbreak on Monday and said he did not intend to fire Anthony Fauci after the leading U.S. health expert said earlier mitigation efforts could have saved more lives.

At a contentious briefing with reporters, Trump lashed out at media coverage that has focused on gaps in the U.S. government’s response after initial warnings about the pandemic disease which has now spread throughout the United States.

The president asserted he had the ultimate authority to re-open the largely shuttered economy despite an earlier deference to U.S. state governors and constitutional questions about whether that decision-making fell within his purview. . .

Trump said he and Fauci had been on the same page “from the beginning” and declared he liked the respected doctor. “I think he’s a wonderful guy,” Trump said, while adding that not everyone was happy with the health expert. (Read more from “Trump Defends Response to Coronavirus, Says He’s Not Firing Fauci” HERE)

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Dr. Fauci and Economic Adviser Get Into ‘Confrontation’ Over Coronavirus Treatment; State Implements Hydroxychloroquine Clinical Trial

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By Washington Examiner. A White House Coronavirus Task Force meeting reportedly devolved into a “confrontation” over the potential use of anti-malarial drugs to treat the coronavirus.

“Drama erupted” between economic adviser Peter Navarro and the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci during a task force meeting in the Situation Room on Saturday, according to a Sunday report from Axios.

The incident began when Commissioner of Food and Drugs Stephen Hahn started discussing hydroxychloroquine as a possible “game-changer” in the fight against the COVID-19 virus. Navarro then began passing out folders of data on the drug. . .

Fauci, however, pushed back against the claim, saying the evidence of the drug’s effectiveness in treating the coronavirus was just anecdotal and that more data is needed. According to another source, Navarro pointed to the folders and said to Fauci, “That’s science, not anecdote.”

Despite Fauci’s public praise of President Trump’s China travel ban, the trade official rose his voice and told Fauci, “You were the one who early on objected to the travel restrictions with China.” (Read more from “Dr. Fauci and Economic Adviser Get Into ‘Confrontation’ Over Coronavirus Treatment” HERE)

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South Dakota Implements Statewide Hydroxychloroquine Clinical Trial for Potential Coronavirus Treatment

By Fox News. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Monday announced a statewide clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine for the possible treatment of COVID-19, making her state the first in the country to institute a program exploring the potential effectiveness of the drug in treating and preventing coronavirus.

“From Day One, I’ve said we’re going to let the science, facts and data drive our decision-making in South Dakota,” Noem said in a statement provided to Fox News.

Noem, a Republican, announced the “comprehensive” clinical trial Monday after communicating with White House officials in the last week to “let them know that South Dakota’s medical community was ready to step up and lead the way on research efforts.”

“I made direct requests to President Trump and Vice President Pence to supply us with enough hydroxychloroquine so that it could be made available for every hospitalized person the state may have, as well as those for health care workers on the frontlines and those in the most vulnerable populations,” Noem said.

The governor said South Dakota has received doses of hydroxychloroquine to begin the trial. (Read more from “South Dakota Implements Statewide Hydroxychloroquine Clinical Trial for Potential Coronavirus Treatment” HERE)

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Hospitals Say Feds Are Quietly Seizing Medical Supplies Across the Country

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Hospital officials are claiming the federal government are quietly seizing medical supply orders amid the coronavirus crisis, an investigation from the Los Angeles Times revealed April 7.

Staff from hospitals in seven states told the LA Times that they haven’t received guidance on why the materials are being taken, where they are going, or when they can expect replacement orders, according to the report.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had not publicly addressed why medical supply orders are being acquired by the federal government, but a representative told the newspaper that “high-transmission areas were prioritized, and allocations were based on population, not on quantities requested.”

The FEMA representative said the agency has developed a system to distribute supplies equitably, echoing the Trump administration’s assertion that the federal government is taking a “data-driven” approach to medical supply dispersal.

President Donald Trump also enacted the Defense Production Act — a law that allows the president to call for ramped up production of certain materials during a national crisis — to boost production of ventilators in the country. (Read more from “Hospitals Say Feds Are Quietly Seizing Medical Supplies Across the Country” HERE)

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DOJ: ‘Expect Action’ to Protect Churches From Tyrannical Local ‘Social Distancing’ Orders

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On Saturday, Department of Justice (DOJ) spokeswoman Kerri Kupec announced that Attorney General William Barr would take action to protect churches from tyrannical local government orders that destroy their religious freedom.

“During this sacred week for many Americans, AG Barr is monitoring govt regulation of religious services,” Kupec tweeted. “While social distancing policies are appropriate during this emergency, they must be applied evenhandedly & not single out religious orgs. Expect action from DOJ next week!”

This statement follows a week of legal clashes as Democratic mayors have explicitly banned drive-in church services where parishioners remain apart in their cars with the windows up. Police in the city of Greenville, Miss., have slapped worshipers with $500 fines and mobbed a drive-in service, apparently aiming to prevent attendance. . .

“Government is clearly overstepping its authority when it singles out churches for punishment, especially in a ridiculous fashion like this,” Ryan Taylor, director of the Center for Christian Ministries at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) said in a statement. ADF is representing Scott in a lawsuit against the leaders of Greenville. “In Greenville, you can be in your car at a drive-in restaurant, but you can’t be in your car at a drive-in church service. That’s not only nonsensical, it’s unconstitutional, too.”

On Thursday, police mobbed King James Bible Baptist Church, near Temple Baptist Church, just as Pastor Charles E. Hamilton Jr. was preparing for a service. Hamilton responded by preaching Romans 13, condemning a tyrannical government that does not exercise its God-given authority to punish evil, but rather punishes good. He also cited Acts 5:26-29, when Peter refuses a command to stop preaching the name of Jesus, saying, “We are to obey God rather than man.” (Read more from “DOJ: ‘Expect Action’ to Protect Churches From Tyrannical Local ‘Social Distancing’ Orders” HERE)

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Joe Biden Unveils His ‘Plan’ to Reopen America, Attempts to Bash Trump Administration

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By Newsweek. Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden has strongly criticized President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, while laying out his own plan to respond to the ongoing crisis.

In an opinion article published by The New York Times Sunday, Biden, who served as vice president under former President Barack Obama and is now the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge Trump in November, argued that the president’s response to the pandemic had “led to catastrophic results.” He also presented his thoughts on the best path forward to deal with the fallout moving forward. . .

The Democratic contender called for three broad actions. He wrote that stringent social distancing measures needed to continue until the number of new cases declined significantly; that testing needed to be much more widespread along with contact tracing; and that “effective disease surveillance” would be required to prepare the health care sector for future flare ups.

“Once we have taken these steps, we can begin to reopen more businesses and put more people back to work. Things will not go back to ‘normal’ right away,” Biden noted. “As public health experts have said, we should expect activity to return gradually, with sites like offices and stores reopening before arenas and theaters,” he added. (Read more from “Joe Biden Unveils His ‘Plan’ to Reopen America” HERE)

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Biden Unveils Plan to ‘Safely Reopen’ U.S.: ‘We Cannot Repeat’ Trump Administration Mistakes

By The Hill. . .In a New York Times op-ed, Biden wrote that the U.S. must first acknowledge the Trump administration’s failure in its response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“As we prepare to reopen America, we have to remember what this crisis has taught us: The administration’s failure to plan, to prepare, to honestly assess and communicate the threat to the nation led to catastrophic results,” the former vice president wrote. “We cannot repeat those mistakes.” . . .

In addition, Biden wrote that hospitals and health care providers must be adequately prepared for the virus to reemerge later in the year once economic activity restarts. Hospitals must have the staff and equipment necessary, and public health officials must conduct proper disease surveillance, Biden said.

He reiterated his calls for President Trump to make greater use of the Defense Production Act to help support hospitals in need of medical equipment such as ventilators, which provide oxygen to severely ill patients. He also pushed for convening experts in private industries to generate ideas on “how to operate more safely.” (Read more from “Biden Unveils Plan to ‘Safely Reopen’ U.S.: ‘We Cannot Repeat’ Trump Administration Mistakes” HERE)

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False Negatives Raise Doctors’ Doubts About Coronavirus Tests; U.S. to Trial Japanese Anti-Flu Drug

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By Bloomberg News. False-negative results from coronavirus tests are becoming an increasing concern, say doctors trying to diagnose patients and get a grip on the outbreak, as a surprising number of people show up with obvious symptoms only to be told by the tests that they don’t have the disease.

While still more research is necessary to determine the true prevalence of such false-negative results, experts agree that the problem is significant. False negatives not only impede the diagnosis of disease in individual patients and an accurate understanding of the extent of its proliferation, but also risk patients who think they aren’t ill further spreading the virus.

Some doctors described situations in which patients show up with clear symptoms such as a cough and fever, test negative, and then test positive later on. It’s a particular issue in New York, where the disease has likely infected far more than the 174,000 people confirmed through limited testing. At Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, doctor Jeremy Sperling says so-called false-negative tests are now a frequent occurrence in the emergency room. . .

Concerns about false negatives arise from a mix of factors: quickly created tests from dozens of labs and manufacturers that haven’t been extensively vetted by federal health regulators; a shortage of supplies and material for the tests that may impact results, long incubation times for the infection, and the challenge of getting an adequate sample from a patient. (Read more from “False Negatives Raise Doctors’ Doubts About Coronavirus Tests” HERE)

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U.S. to Trial Japanese Anti-Flu Drug Avigan for Potential Coronavirus Treatment

By Newsweek. Avigan, the Japanese anti-viral drug being tested in Japan and China for its potential use as a treatment for the novel coronavirus, will also begin its first U.S. clinical trials in Massachusetts, the drug’s manufacturer, Fujifilm Corporation, announced.

Avigan (also known as favipiravir), approved for manufacture and sale in Japan back in 2014, is said to fight influenza by interfering with the virus replication process. Avigan “selectively inhibits RNA (ribonucleic acid) polymerase necessary for influenza virus replication,” Fujifilm noted in a statement. . .

The drug will be tested on nearly 50 COVID-19 patients at three hospitals in Massachusetts, including Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. (Read more from “U.S. to Trial Japanese Anti-Flu Drug Avigan for Potential Coronavirus Treatment” HERE)

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These Are the Top Contenders for Biden Female VP Position; Democratic Socialists of America Won’t Endorse Biden

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By New York Post. . .[Joe] Biden has promised to choose a woman as his running mate, but beyond that, the field remains wide open with a dizzying array of candidates to choose from. . .

Some have speculated Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren would be Biden’s best hope to prevent a much-feared Bernie Broxit. Others say a candidate from the Rust Belt or industrial Midwest like Sen. Amy Klobuchar is what’s needed to shore up the swing states lost to Trump in 2016. Other says Michelle Obama would be the magic bullet to make the ticket invincible, though she reportedly hates the idea. . .

The Minnesota Senator [Amy Klobuchar] surprised many Democrats with her scrappy and tenacious 2020 campaign effort. “She could be No. 1” on Biden’s short list, the insider said. Klobuchar’s decision to end her campaign before Super Tuesday allowed Biden to consolidate the moderate/establishment wing of the Democratic party and set the groundwork for his eventual triumph over Sanders. . .

The second tier includes California Sen. Harris, Michigan Gov. Whitmer and Illinois Sen. Duckworth. Harris, the only candidate of color, might help juice critically important black turnout. Whitmer’s coronavirus leadership in Michigan has won praise, turning her into something of a midwestern Andrew Cuomo. Duckworth, who lost both her legs fighting in Iraq, would bring a war hero onto the ticket. (Read more from “These Are the Top Contenders for Biden Female VP Position” HERE)

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Democratic Socialists of America Won’t Endorse Biden’s White House Bid

By Fox News. The Democratic Socialists of America made it pretty clear on Sunday what they thought about Joe Biden being the Democrat’s presumptive nominee.

“We are not endorsing [Joe Biden],” the organization tweeted Sunday.

The DSA, an ultra-progressive group boasting roughly 56,000 members, previously endorsed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid, but the group is now without a candidate after the senator suspended his White House bid last week after facing a near-impossible path to obtaining more delegates than Biden. . .

The DSA’s progressive politics have sat far on the left; even the group’s endorsement of Sanders last year was the subject of intense internal debate.

“Sanders 2016 revived the progressive left and turned DSA into the largest socialist organization in America in seventy years,” former Sanders campaign worker Dan La Botz wrote on the DSA’s website in opposition to a Sanders endorsement. “Flooded with young people angry at the Democratic Party, DSA became a radical, activist organization projecting the need for a total socialist transformation of America.” (Read more from “Democratic Socialists of America Won’t Endorse Biden’s White House Bid” HERE)

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