U.S. is New Epicenter of the Coronavirus Pandemic, NYC’s Leaders to Blame?; Trump Administration to Publish Social Distancing Guidelines for Counties According to Risk

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By Live Science. The coronavirus outbreak reached a somber milestone in the U.S. on Thursday (March 26) — the nation now has more coronavirus cases than any other country in the world.

There are now at least 82,174 cases of the new coronavirus disease, COVID-19, in the United States, according to worldometer, a website that tracks coronavirus cases. That’s higher than the case count in either Italy (which has 80,589 cases) or China (which has 81,285 cases). . .

Just a few days ago, the World Health Organization warned that the U.S. had the potential to become the new epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. (Read more from “U.S. Is New Epicenter of the Coronavirus Pandemic” HERE)

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Tucker Carlson Hammers New York’s Leaders, not Trump, for Spreading Chinese Virus

By Victor Garcia. Tucker Carlson focused the top of his Thursday show on New York City’s battle with the coronavirus, ripping city officials for increasing the “risk” for citizens and not taking the outbreak seriously in its early stages.

“As this deadly virus emerged from eastern China and began to spread inexorably across the globe, clearly headed here, leaders in New York not only failed to shield their citizens from it, they took affirmative and aggressive steps to increase the risk to their population,” Carlson said.

“Why would they do that? Well, because they were worried far more about being called racist than protecting human lives. That’s not an overstatement. That’s not hyperbole.”

Carlson criticized New York City health commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot, among others, who dismissed the incoming threat of the coronavirus in February.

“The risk to New Yorkers from coronavirus is low and … our preparedness as a city is very high,” Barbot said at a Feb. 2 press conference supporting the Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade and Festival. “There is no reason not to take the subway, not to take a bus, not to go out to your favorite restaurant and certainly not to miss the parade next Sunday [Feb. 9].” (Read more from this story HERE)
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Trump Administration to Publish Social Distancing Guidelines for Counties According to Risk

By The Blaze. President Donald Trump announced Thursday that his administration will roll out social distancing guidelines for state and local governments by categorizing counties according to their level of risk amid the coronavirus pandemic, in order to assist officials “in making decision about maintaining, increasing, or relaxing social distancing and other mitigation measures.” . . .

In a letter to the nation’s governors, the president wrote, ‘As we enhance protections against the virus, Americans across the country are hoping the day will soon arrive when they can resume their normal economic, social, and religious lives.”

“If furtherance of this shared goal,” President Trump continued, “my Administration is working to publish new guidelines for State and local policymakers to use in making decision about maintaining, increasing, or relaxing social distancing and other mitigation measures they have put in place.”

The president explained that this initiative can be achieved through the increased COVID-19 testing across the nation, providing data allowing the federal government to classify counties “with respect to continued risks posed by the virus” as the spread of the disease is monitored.

(Read more from “Trump Administration to Publish Social Distancing Guidelines for Counties According to Risk” HERE)

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Trump to Review Options to ‘Open the Country up’ as U.S. Coronavirus Cases Pass China, Italy

By CNBC. President Donald Trump will hear recommendations from the White House coronavirus task force this weekend on plans to “open the country up” as the economy continues to strain under the pandemic.

The new guidance on how to kickstart the economy will come days after the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. surpasses China or Italy, making it the country with the largest outbreak in the world.

Vice President Mike Pence told reporters at the White House on Thursday that the task force will share “a range of recommendations and additional guidance for going forward” with the next steps in its efforts to blunt the impact of the coronavirus.

“The president has made it clear, that in his words, he wants to open the country up. But we’re going to do that responsibly, and as the president told the governors today, we’ll do that based on the data,” said Pence, who leads the U.S. response to the outbreak. (Read more from “Trump to Review Options to ‘Open the Country up’ as U.S. Coronavirus Cases Pass China, Italy” HERE)

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Coronavirus Unemployment Benefits. Here’s Who Qualifies and How Much They Get.; A Record 3.3M Americans File for Unemployment Benefits

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By NBC News. The coronavirus relief package dramatically expands unemployment insurance to for the jobless during the outbreak, aimed at easing the suffering imposed by the crisis as claims last week topped 3 million and shattered records.

The $2 trillion bill, which was passed the Senate and is set to be approved by the House on Friday, creates two main categories of benefits for individuals. The first is Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which covers people who are unable to work because of the coronavirus outbreak — that includes independent contractors, gig workers, sick people and those caring for a loved one during the outbreak. The second is an extra $600 per week over the next four months for those who are out of work and getting jobless benefits in their state. . .

Once you’re on unemployment insurance in your state, you will be eligible for an extra $600 per week in emergency federal compensation through July 31, 2020. That’s in addition to what you’ll receive in state benefits. . .

This bill creates a new program, called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, that extends benefits to gig workers, contractors and others who wouldn’t otherwise qualify for unemployment compensation but cannot work due to the coronavirus emergency. You’ll get the $600 per week, plus half the average unemployment benefit in your state. . .

In most states, people who lose their job can typically get up to 26 weeks of unemployment, and then it stops, even if you haven’t found a new job. This bill will provide another 13 weeks once it runs out. After those 39 weeks, if an “extended benefits” program is triggered, that can provide an additional 13 to 20 weeks of compensation. (Read more from “Coronavirus Unemployment Benefits. Here’s Who Qualifies and How Much They Get.” HERE)

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A Record 3.3M Americans File for Unemployment Benefits as the Coronavirus Takes a Big Toll on the Economy

By USA Today. Layoffs are skyrocketing to unprecedented levels as the coronavirus upends the U.S. economy.

The number of Americans filing initial applications for unemployment benefits jumped nearly twelvefold to a record 3.28 million last week, the Labor Department said Thursday, offering the most vivid evidence yet of the pandemic’s widespread damage to the economy.

The total was well above the 1.5 million claims economists forecast, according to the median estimate of those surveyed by Bloomberg. Workers file claims for unemployment benefits when they lose their jobs.

“A definite and unmistakable sign the United States has entered a recession,” Chief Economist Scott Anderson of Bank of the West wrote in a note to clients.

The pandemic has set off the most abrupt near-shutdown of the economy in history. Many restaurants, shops, movie theaters, sports arenas and other gathering spots across the country suddenly closed their doors or scaled back service last week to contain the spread of the virus. (Read more from “A Record 3.3M Americans File for Unemployment Benefits as the Coronavirus Takes a Big Toll on the Economy” HERE)

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FBI Agent Charged With Stalking Ex-Girlfriend

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A Montana FBI agent has been charged with stalking his ex-girlfriend and obstructing officers investigating the case.

Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said Ricky James Shelbourn was arrested on the misdemeanor charges on March 16, the Independent Record reported Monday.

Shelbourn, the supervisory senior resident agent in Montana, was released on his own recognizance. He is not allowed to possess or have access to any firearms. (Read more from “FBI Agent Charged With Stalking Ex-Girlfriend” HERE)

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James Dyson Designed a New Ventilator in 10 Days. He’s Making 15,000 for the Pandemic Fight

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Dyson has received an order from the UK government for 10,000 ventilators to support efforts by the country’s National Health Service to treat coronavirus patients.

James Dyson, the company’s billionaire founder, confirmed the order in a letter to employees shared with CNN on Wednesday.

Dyson said the company had designed and built an entirely new ventilator, called the “CoVent,” since he received a call 10 days ago from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. . .

A spokesperson for the company, which is best known for its vacuum cleaners and hand dryers, said the ventilators would be ready by early April. Dyson, who has wealth worth $10 billion according to Bloomberg, wrote in his letter that he would also donate 5,000 units to the international effort to tackle the pandemic. (Read more from “James Dyson Designed a New Ventilator in 10 Days. He’s Making 15,000 for the Pandemic Fight” HERE)

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Amid Pandemic, Pentagon Urges ‘Hyper-Vigilance’ Against Foreign Investment

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The Pentagon’s top acquisition official is worried that adversary nations may use the economic downturn caused by the new coronavirus pandemic to buy out American-made technologies.

During a Wednesday news conference, Ellen Lord warned that it “is critically important that we understand that during this crisis, the [defense-industrial base] is vulnerable to adversarial capital, so we need to ensure that companies can stay in business without losing their technology.”

The Pentagon over the last several years has become increasingly vocal about concerns that foreign nations — primarily China — are investing in U.S. startup companies whose technologies could have national security applications. Those startups have been willing to accept Chinese funds in exchange for Beijing having ownership or access to certain technologies.

Several times the officials were asked if there is a specific threat they are seeing from foreign investment at this moment, but both Lord and Jen Santos, deputy assistant secretary of defense for industrial policy, spoke only in general terms.

“I think it presents a greater attack surface, if you will, as there is uncertainty especially with small businesses as to whether their contracts will continue,” Lord said of the current pandemic. “To basically mitigate that uncertainty, that’s why we’re being forward-leaning and over-communicating, probably, to say: ‘We are open.’” (Read more from “Amid Pandemic, Pentagon Urges ‘Hyper-Vigilance’ Against Foreign Investment” HERE)

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Bombshell Report Says Rod Rosenstein Played Key Role in Killing Criminal Case Against Walmart

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After a two-year criminal investigation into Walmart allegedly revealed a widespread practice of dispensing opioids without a legitimate medical purpose, federal prosecutors in Texas were preparing to take the unprecedented step of leveling criminal charges against the world’s largest company. But after a 2018 meeting with top Trump appointees at the Department of Justice, led by then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the prosecutors were first prevented from filing criminal charges, then prevented from pursuing a civil case against company, ProPublica reported Wednesday.

According to the massive report, the prosecutors presented clear evidence showing that Walmart provided opioids that resulted in overdoses throughout the country, even after the company’s pharmacists told Walmart they shouldn’t be filling the scripts because they were being written by doctors who were clearly running “pill mills.” One employee even provided records showing that a doctor in Florida maintained “a list of patients from Kentucky that have been visiting pharmacies in all of central Wisconsin,” sending patients to different Walmart’s across 30 states. . .

After getting the DEA’s acting administrator Uttam Dhillon on board, the prosecutors met with Rosenstein and several other top-level Trump administration appointees at the Department of Justice in Washington.

Joe Brown, then the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, and his team again presented the evidence, explaining that Walmart’s business practice was “akin to dealing heroin”; they implored Rosenstein not to allow it to go on. . .

“Rosenstein’s quip brought the prosecutorial team up short,” the report said. “Not long after, Rosenstein’s assistant entered the room to say he had a call. He left. The prosecutors’ push to persuade Rosenstein to revive the criminal case had failed.” (Read more from “Bombshell Report Says Rod Rosenstein Played Key Role in Killing Criminal Case Against Walmart” HERE)

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Pompeo Says China Is Still Withholding Coronavirus Information

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By Free Beacon. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sharpened on Thursday his criticism of China’s handling of a coronavirus pandemic, saying its ruling Communist Party was still denying the world information needed to prevent further cases.

The remarks, in an interview with the Washington Watch radio program, provoked a riposte from China that Pompeo should cease “politicizing” the epidemic and defaming the country.

Pompeo had repeated previous charges that Beijing’s delay in sharing information about the virus had created risks to people worldwide that had “truly put thousands of lives at risk.”

“My concern is that this cover-up, this disinformation that the Chinese Communist Party is engaged in, is still denying the world the information it needs so that we can prevent further cases or something like this from recurring again,” he added.

Pompeo also accused Iran and Russia of waging disinformation campaigns about the virus. (Read more from “Pompeo Says China Is Still Withholding Coronavirus Information” HERE)

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China to Temporarily Bar Entry of Foreigners to Stop Spread of Coronavirus

By Axios. China will temporarily suspend entry for foreign nationals with visas or residence permits beginning at midnight on March 28 in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Thursday.

Why it matters: It’s a sign that China, where the coronavirus outbreak originated, is seeking to curb the number of imported cases in order to stop its epidemic from flaring up again. Diplomatic visas will not be affected. (Read more from “China to Temporarily Bar Entry of Foreigners to Stop Spread of Coronavirus” HERE)

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The U.S. COVID-19 Death Rate Is Far Below the Rates in Italy and Spain

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Imagine an ordinary person sees a headline like this over her morning coffee: “Your City Will Soon Be the Homicide Capital of the World.” But, upon further inspection, it turns out the homicide rate is actually very low. What is high is the attempted homicide rate. In the city in question, there has been a rash of assaults and attempted homicides. But for whatever reason, the number of people who actually die from these assaults remains extremely low. Perhaps this is because medical care is better. Perhaps it’s because the would-be murderers are poorly armed and not very motivated. But for whatever reason, the actual death rate is far lower than the headline implies. Now, this hypothetical city still clearly has a problem with assaults, and it would be wise to examine why. Attempted murders are not a thing to ignore. However, we could all agree the headline about homicides is quite misleading. . .

The casual readers who skims headlines is likely to take away from this the idea that the United States is following the same trajectory as countries like Spain and Italy when it comes to the COVID-19 outbreak. We have heard that death rates in Italy are alarming in much of Western Europe, and some have claimed the US will soon experience the same fate as Italy. While it is true the United States will soon pass up Italy in terms of total cases, the US is far, far below Italy in terms of its COVID-19 death rate, even if we account for the differences in the timeline. . .

As of March 23, in Italy, the number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 total 9.4 per 100,000 people in Italy.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the total is 0.2 deaths per 100,000. Among to the top ten countries in terms of total cases, the US has the second-lowest rate per 100,00, behind only Germany, which has so far a remarkably small number of deaths.

At this point, some observers will say “but Italy has had an outbreak longer than the US, so we must measure in terms of the number of days since the pandemic began in that country.” (Read more from “The U.S. COVID-19 Death Rate Is Far Below the Rates in Italy and Spain” HERE)

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U.S. Navy Fights to Contain Aircraft Carrier Coronavirus Outbreak at Sea

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The U.S. Navy is fighting to contain a coronavirus outbreak at sea in the Pacific Ocean, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.

Navy officials have confirmed at least eight positive cases discovered aboard the ship of more than 5,000 sailors, according to the Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday.

“We are taking this threat very seriously and are working quickly to identify and isolate positive cases while preventing further spread of the virus aboard the ship. No Sailors have been hospitalized or are seriously ill,” he said in a statement on Thursday.

He said the medical team aboard the ship is performing testing for the crew.

“We are isolating those who test positive. Testing will continue as necessary to ensure the health of the entire ship’s crew. In addition, the medical staff will continue to actively monitor the health of the crew. Deep cleaning of the ship’s spaces is also ongoing,” he said. (Read more from “U.S. Navy Fights to Contain Aircraft Carrier Coronavirus Outbreak at Sea” HERE)

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Coronavirus: White House Health Advisor Fauci Says U.S. Needs to Be Prepared for Second Cycle

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Americans need to prepare for a second cycle of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, a White House health advisor said Wednesday.

“Would this possibly become a seasonal cyclic thing? I’ve always indicated to you that I think it very well might,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director, said a White House press briefing.

U.S. health officials and infectious disease experts are learning about how the new coronavirus behaves by watching outbreaks in other countries such as Southern Africa that are starting to enter their colder seasons, Fauci told reporters.

“What we’re starting to see in the Southern Hemisphere of Southern Africa and the Southern Hemisphere countries, is that we’re having cases that are appearing as they go into their winter season,” he said. “If they have a substantial outbreak, it will be inevitable that we need to be prepared that we’ll get a cycle a second time.” . . .

“Other viral respiratory diseases are seasonal, including influenza and therefore in many viral respiratory diseases we do see a decrease in disease in spring and summer,” Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said on a Feb. 25 conference call. “And so we can certainly be optimistic that this disease will follow suit.” (Read more from “Coronavirus: White House Health Advisor Fauci Says U.S. Needs to Be Prepared for Second Cycle” HERE)

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