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School Lesson Promotes Anti-Trump, Chinese Propaganda

A West Virginia middle school sent students an online lesson that accused Republicans of promoting discrimination against Asian Americans by referring to the coronavirus as a “Chinese virus.”

Stephanie Laney, the parent of an eighth grader at Hurricane Middle School, sent me a copy of the assignment her daughter received in English class. Here’s a link to the assignment. . .

The lesson focused on a story written by the Texas Tribune titled, “Asian Americans say some politicians stoking stigma with coronavirus.”

Attached to the story was a quiz that included blatant anti-Trump and anti-Republican statements.

“Read the following claim,” the lesson stated. “Republican leaders have used insensitive language based on unfounded rumors when referring to the coronavirus. Which sentence from the article provides the BEST support for the above statement?” (Read more from “School Lesson Promotes Anti-Trump, Chinese Propaganda” HERE)

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Trump Says CDC Wants Americans to Cover Faces With Cloth; U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Top 7,000

By Fox News. President Trump on Friday announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending Americans wear facial coverings made of cloth while out in public to help stop the spread of coronavirus — though the president repeatedly called it “voluntary” and said he wouldn’t do it himself.

The change in guidelines signals a major shift in how officials are looking to combat the spread of COVID-19. The president, during a briefing with the White House coronavirus task force, said the recommendation is being made because of studies indicating asymptomatic people are spreading the virus.

“In light of these studies, the CDC is advising the use of non-medical cloth face coverings as an additional voluntary public health measure,” Trump said. “So it’s voluntary. You don’t have to do it.”

The president added: “I don’t think I’m going to be doing it.” He said he can’t imagine himself sitting in the Oval Office of the White House behind “that beautiful Resolute Desk” wearing a mask.

In a Friday statement, the CDC said “the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity—for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing—even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms.”

(Read more from “Trump Says CDC Wants Americans to Cover Faces With Cloth” HERE)

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U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Top 7,000, Fauci Warns About ‘Knockout Drug’

By CNBC. . .Americans shouldn’t assume hydroxychloroquine is a “knockout drug” in preventing or treating COVID-19, White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci warned.

“We still need to do the definitive studies to determine whether any intervention, not just this one, is truly safe and effective,” Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Fox News. “But when you don’t have that information, it’s understandable why people might want to take something anyway even with the slightest hint of being effective.”

. . .

US cases: At least 270,473

US deaths: At least 7,077

(Read more from “U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Top 7,000, Fauci Warns About ‘Knockout Drug’” HERE)

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Donald Trump Responds to Illegals Not Getting Stimulus Checks; Trump Administration Urged to Release Illegal Aliens

By Breitbart. President Donald Trump was asked by a reporter on Wednesday about “undocumented” immigrants not getting a stimulus check from the government as part of the coronavirus economic rescue package.

“Well, you know, you are saying undocumented, meaning they came in illegally,” Trump said. “A lot of people would say that we have a lot of citizens right now that won’t be working, so what are you going to do?” . . .

“It’s a very sad question, I must be honest with you, but they came in illegally and we have a lot of people that are citizens in our country that won’t be able to have jobs,” Trump said. (Read more from “Donald Trump Responds to Illegals Not Getting Stimulus Checks” HERE)

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Trump Administration Urged to Release Illegal Aliens Amid Coronavirus

By New York Post. The Trump administration is facing a looming deadline to figure out whether it will continue to hold illegal immigrant detainees at migrant detention centers amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus.

Over the weekend, a federal judge ordered the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to either release illegal migrant minors in their custody or explain why they must remain detained amid the virus outbreak.

The judge also warned that ICE officials will be given a week to show the court that three specific family detention centers are providing adequately hygienic conditions for migrants being housed there.

The judge described conditions at those centers as “hotbeds of contagion.” (Read more from “Trump Administration Urged to Release Illegal Aliens Amid Coronavirus” HERE)

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President Trump Tweets That Iran Is Planning a ‘Sneak Attack’ on U.S. Forces

By The Blaze. President Donald Trump reported in a tweet Wednesday afternoon that “Iran or its proxies” are preparing to launch a “sneak attack” on U.S. troops or assets stationed in Iraq.

Trump also warned the Iranian government and its partners in the region that if such an attack were to take place, the U.S. would retaliate.

“If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!” the president wrote.

In the tweet, Trump did not cite any specific evidence or elaborate on the details of the alleged forthcoming attack. (Read more from “President Trump Tweets That Iran Is Planning a ‘Sneak Attack’ on U.S. Forces” HERE)

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Trump Claims Iran or Its Proxies Planning a ‘Sneak Attack,’ Warns of a ‘Heavy Price’

By Washington Post. . .The saber-rattling from Trump comes as Iran-backed militias are becoming more audacious in attacking U.S. personnel in Iraq, with rocket strikes on military bases occurring more frequently and, for the first time, in broad daylight.

U.S. officials say they are receiving near-daily reports of “imminent” attacks planned against U.S.-linked military or diplomatic facilities. . .

Asked about his comments later Wednesday at a White House briefing, Trump declined to share more specifics about a potential threat but vowed a robust response if an attack were carried out, saying, “It’s going to be very painful for the other side.” (Read more from “Trump Claims Iran or Its Proxies Planning a ‘Sneak Attack,’ Warns of a ‘Heavy Price’” HERE)

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WATCH: Nancy Pelosi Dismissed Coronavirus Threat in February Chinatown Visit: ‘Everything Is Fine Here’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to investigate President Trump for his actions in the lead-up to the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., but in February, she dismissed the threat with a visit to San Francisco’s Chinatown.

KPIX documented Pelosi’s February 24 visit to a fortune cookie factory and retailers:

“She has been talking to people along the way, a lot of business owners, a lot of community leaders here in Chinatown who have been concerned about the optics of the coronavirus,” reporter Anne Makovec said as the live shot showed Pelosi shaking hands with locals.

“She has been going around to show that it is perfectly safe to be here,” Makovec said.

“We want to be vigilant about what is out there in other places,” Pelosi said to reporters as her entourage packed the sidewalk. “We want to be careful about how we deal with it, be we do want to say to people, ‘Come to Chinatown. Here we are. We’re careful, safe. Come join us.’”

(Read more from “WATCH: Nancy Pelosi Dismissed Coronavirus Threat in February Chinatown Visit: ‘Everything Is Fine Here’” HERE)

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Donald Trump: ‘Sick Puppy’ Nancy Pelosi Was Focused on Impeachment During Coronavirus Outbreak

President Donald Trump fired back at Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday after she accused the president of failing to act quickly enough to combat the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

“She’s a sick puppy, in my opinion. She really is,” Trump said. “She’s got a lot of problems. And that’s a horrible thing to say.”

In an interview Sunday, Pelosi said “as the President fiddles, people are dying” and that Trump cost American lives by downplaying the crisis in the early days of the outbreak.

“I thought it was a disgrace, I think it’s a disgrace to her country, her family,” Trump said, adding, “What a horrible statement to make.” . . .

“Don’t forget, she was playing the impeachment game, you know her game where she ended up looking like a fool,” Trump said. (Read more from “Donald Trump: ‘Sick Puppy’ Nancy Pelosi Was Focused on Impeachment During Coronavirus Outbreak” HERE)

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FDA Issues Emergency Approval of Anti-Malaria Drugs to Treat Coronavirus; Study Will Test If Hydroxychloroquine Can Prevent COVID-19

By Washington Examiner. The Food and Drug Administration issued a limited emergency use authorization of two malaria drugs that have been pushed by President Trump for treating the coronavirus.

In a statement Sunday night, the Health and Human Services Department announced it had received 30 million doses of hydroxychloroquine sulfate and one million doses of chloroquine phosphate. The drugs were donated to the Strategic National Stockpile, a repository of potentially life-saving medical supplies.

The statement said the FDA had issued an emergency use authorization to allow both drugs “to be distributed and prescribed by doctors to hospitalized teen and adult patients with COVID-19, as appropriate, when a clinical trial is not available or feasible.” (Read more from “FDA Issues Emergency Approval of Anti-Malaria Drugs to Treat Coronavirus” HERE)

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Study Will Test If Hydroxychloroquine Can Prevent COVID-19

By Live Science. The anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine has made headlines in recent weeks for its potential to help with the new coronavirus disease, COVID-19, though its benefits remain unproven. Now, a new study will test whether the drug can prevent COVID-19 transmission.

For the study, researchers in New York and Washington state plan to enroll 2,000 participants who are close contacts of people with confirmed or pending COVID-19 diagnoses.

Participants will be randomly assigned to take either hydroxychloroquine or a placebo for two weeks, and they will be tested daily for COVID-19, according to a statement from the University of Washington (UW), which will collaborate on the study with New York University (NYU).

The trial is expected to last eight weeks, and researchers hope to have the results by summer.

“Currently, there is no proven way to prevent COVID-19 after being exposed,” Anna Bershteyn, an assistant professor of population health at NYU Langone Health and co-principal investigator on the study, said in the statement. “If hydroxychloroquine provides protection, then it could be an essential tool for fighting this pandemic. If it doesn’t, then people should avoid unnecessary risks from taking the drug.” (Read more from “Study Will Test If Hydroxychloroquine Can Prevent COVID-19” HERE)

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Trump Surges to Statistical Tie With Slumping Joe Biden in Latest Presidential Poll

The latest presidential election polling has President Donald Trump in a statistical tie with former Vice President Joe Biden.

Among registered voters, Biden leads Trump 49% to 47% in the most recent ABC News/Washington Post poll, well within the statistical margin of error of 3.5 points. The 2% represents a significant upsurge from the poll’s February gap of 7% — Biden’s 52% to Trump’s 45% — and comes at a time of positive polling regarding the president’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Although Biden still enjoys a statistical lead over Trump, the so-called “enthusiasm gap” in the poll favors the incumbent president. Currently, 86% of registered voters already declared for Trump are enthusiastic about their support, compared with 74% of Biden supporters.

Trump saw a 14-point upsurge in support from white women without college degrees, a group that had been turning away from the president of late. In another bit of good news for the incumbent president, 15% of those currently supporting Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders say they will support Trump in November.

“More telling is the gap in the intensity of that enthusiasm, which can translate into who turns out to vote and who might not,” The Washington Post reported. “Among registered voters who support Trump, 55 percent say they are very enthusiastic about backing him while 32 percent say they are somewhat enthusiastic. Among Biden’s supporters, a far smaller 28 percent say they are very enthusiastic while 46 percent are somewhat enthusiastic.” (Read more from “Trump Surges to Statistical Tie With Slumping Joe Biden in Latest Presidential Poll” HERE)

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Trump Extends Social Distancing Guidelines Until April 30; Trump: Coronavirus-Fighting Supplies Have Landed at JFK

By Business Insider. President Donald Trump has extended social distancing guidelines to April 30 and said the coronavirus outbreak in the US is likely to peak in two weeks.

Trump delivered his remarks during a White House press briefing on Sunday night as US coronavirus cases surged to nearly 140,000.

“Nothing would be worse than declaring victory before the victory is won,” he said. “The better you do, the faster this whole nightmare will end.”

Trump said his administration will finalize its social distancing guidelines on Tuesday.

Trump also touted a June 1 deadline as to when the country will be “well on our way to recovery.” (Read more from “Trump Extends Social Distancing Guidelines Until April 30” HERE)

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Trump: Coronavirus-Fighting Supplies Have Landed at JFK

By New York Post. President Trump announced Sunday that a huge cache of desperately-needed coronavirus-fighting supplies has landed in New York.

The first flight in the FEMA project dubbed “Project Airbridge” landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport with 2 million masks and gowns, more than 10 million gloves and 70,000 thermometers that will go to New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is working with private companies on the initiative to “expedite the movement of critical supplies from other countries to the United States,” the president said.

FEMA has scheduled 19 additional flights, and hopes to have about 50, Trump said at the press conference — where he also announced that federal social-distancing guidelines would be extended to April 30. (Read more from “Trump: Coronavirus-Fighting Supplies Have Landed at JFK” HERE)

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Trump Admin Names Gun Makers, Retailers Essential Businesses Nationwide; But Exactly Why Are Liquor Stores Essential Businesses?

By Breitbart. President Trump’s Department of Homeland Security released updated guidelines naming gun manufacturers and retailers as essential on Saturday, which means they are to stay open and operational nationwide during a Chinese coronavirus shutdown. . .

The Second Amendment Foundation’s Alan Gottlieb commented on the DHS declaration, saying, “Every freedom loving American owes President Trump and his administration a very big thank you for protecting our Second Amendment Rights. This is another Trump promise made and promise kept.”

The DHS declaration comes just days after Governor Phil Murphy (D) laughed in the face of a man who expressed concern that the statewide shutdown in New Jersey had put an end to gun sales, thereby eliminating the ability to get a firearm for self-defense. (Read more from “Trump Admin Names Gun Makers, Retailers Essential Businesses Nationwide” HERE)

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Why Are Liquor Stores Essential Businesses?

By Psychology Today. With an increasing number of states issuing “stay at home” or “shelter in place” directives, businesses regarded as essential remain open. The lists of “essential businesses” have some variation across states and with the federal government, but there are large swaths of overlap.

Essential businesses or workers include those concerned with healthcare, telecommunications, information technology, defense, food and agriculture, transportation, energy, water and waste water, law enforcement, and public works. All of these types of work contribute to the common good. In every state with a “stay at home” directive, liquor stores are considered essential businesses. That’s quite interesting.

The most obvious explanation may be that liquor falls under the category of food and agriculture. This category includes groceries, pharmacies, convenience stores, and other retailers that sell human food, animal or pet food, and beverage products. Restaurants with carryout or delivery service fall into this category as well. Liquor stores obviously sell beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. They often also sell snack foods. Many states allow convenience stores to sell alcohol. Mystery solved.

There is more to the story, I suspect, than membership in the food and agriculture category. We might push the question further back to ask why alcoholic beverage products are included. The amount of money that excise alcohol taxes bring federal, state, and local governments is significant. The United States government levies taxes on alcohol in three categories of spirits (hard liquor), beer, and wine.

The unit of measurement is the gallon with the exception of beer, which is the barrel (31 gallons) The federal tax on a gallon of spirits is $13.50 and wine $1.07-3.40 depending on alcohol content. Beer is $18.00 per barrel. The federal government collects roughly $1 billion from alcohol taxes each month. States add their own taxes on top of the federal taxes. States’ taxes on alcohol vary tremendously; Washington state has the highest rate at $32.52 per gallon of spirits while Missouri has one of the lowest at $2.00 per gallon. Quite simply, there’s big money in alcohol sales. (Read more from “Why Are Liquor Stores Essential Businesses?” HERE)

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