STUNNING! Pelosi Bragged on MSNBC on How Democrats Killed Crucial Funding to Small Businesses During Coronavirus Crisis

At least 20,000 business applications went unprocessed on Thursday and Friday.

But so far Nancy Pelosi refuses to act.

All she needs to do is approve more funding for the program.

Last week Speaker Pelosi congratulated Senate Democrats for blocking crucial funding to small business owners in America.

Pelosi made the comments on MSNBC.

Nancy Pelosi went on late night TV, standing in front of her $24,000 fridge, to brag about Democrats blocking funding for small businesses

“They [Republicans] asked for a quarter of a trillion dollars.

“I said, ‘I don’t think so.'”

How heartless!

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Small Business Owners Sue Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Over Virus Loan Debacle

Several large banks have been sued by small businesses who say large business loans for coronavirus relief were prioritized over small firms, who were then unable to access the much-needed funds.

Wells Fargo, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase US Bankcorp were named in the lawsuit accusing them of processing applications for the largest loan amounts due to the massive fees they would generate, vs. processing them on a first-come-first-served basis as the Trump administration said would happen, according to Bloomberg.

Banks earned origination fees of 5% on loans up to $350,000; 3% on loans between $350,000 and $2 million; and 1% on loans between $2 million and $10 million. That means they earned $17,500 for processing a $350,000 loan, compared to $100,000 for a $10 million loan. -Bloomberg

The lawsuits, filed Sunday in Los Angeles federal court, claims that thousands of small businesses trying to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program administered by the Small Business Administration were left with nothing.

JPMorgan said in a FAQ on their website that small businesses received over 2x as many loans as the rest of its clients combined, while other banks had no comment, according to the report.

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Here's Why I Published So Many Comments

Please forgive me if I published comments that are out of line but when they come in so hard and heavy, (435) at a time. I'm not sitting here looking through each and every one of them at a time. 

CDC website drops guidance, anecdotal data on Trump-backed hydroxychloroquine as COVID-19 treatment

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has abruptly switched its guidance for use of a drug touted by President Donald Trump as a possible treatment for COVID-19, dropping its reference to anecdotal dosages to say simply that there are no approved drugs for dealing with the disease.

The CDC's online advice for hydroxychloroquine was updated April 7, three days after Reuters reported that the CDC was offering what the news agency called "highly unusual guidance" for the drug's use based on "unattributed anecdotes rather than peer-reviewed science."

The updated, and shortened, guidance says simply that "hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are under investigation in clinical trials” for use on coronavirus patients and "there are no drugs or other therapeutics approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to prevent or treat COVID-19."

The CDC originally told Reuters that the earlier guidance was crafted for doctors at the request of a White House coronavirus task force, which had urged prompt action.

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HARVARD LAW PROF GETS ROASTED AFTER PUSHING BAN ON HOMESCHOOLING

Harvard Magazine attacks homeschooling as public schools nationwide are locked down

A Harvard Law professor is facing near-universal condemnation after pushing for a total ban on homeschooling, especially when public schools are locked down due to the coronavirus.

The latest edition of Harvard Magazine interviewed the professor who is demanding a“presumptive ban on the practice” and claims homeschooling “violates children’s right to a ‘meaningful education'” and keeps them from “contributing positively to a democratic society.”

“The issue is, do we think that parents should have 24/7, essentially authoritarian control over their children from ages zero to 18? I think that’s dangerous,” she says. “I think it’s always dangerous to put powerful people in charge of the powerless, and to give the powerful ones total authority.”

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Florida Republicans Demand Miami Herald Fire Columnist for ‘Thin the Ranks’ Coronavirus Remark

Florida Republicans are urging the Miami Herald to take action against metro columnist Fabiola Santiago, who tweeted on Sunday that Florida residents packing beaches “should work nicely to thin the ranks” of supporters of President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis.

On Sunday, Santiago specifically tweeted that “packed beaches should work nicely to thin the ranks of Trump/DeSantis/Gimenez supporters in #Florida who value money over health.”

Hours later, Santiago deleted the tweet and issued an apology, saying her remarks “didn’t accurately convey my sentiment… Regardless of political differences, I would never wish any harm on anyone.”

Her apology came after strong condemnation from prominent Trump supporters and coverage of her remarks by independent news media outlets, including anarticle at Breitbart News and coverage on Fox News.

Responding directly to condemnation from the Republican Party of Florida, Mindy Marques, publisher and executive editor of the Miami Herald, issued an apology on Twitter and said the newspaper would “follow up internally.”

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Researchers discover new coronavirus symptoms: feet lesions

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

COVID-19, the disease that has caused the coronavirus pandemic, is a respiratory illness that has symptoms that can include fatigue, a persistent cough and fevers. However, researchers in Spain believe they have discovered another symptom —lesions on feet.

According to a statement from the Spanish General Council of Official Podiatrist Colleges, the lesions are described as similar to those seen with chickenpox and can largely be seen on the feet of children and adolescents. They have also been spotted on some adults.

"It is a curious finding that began yesterday to spread in the healthcare field, among dermatologists and podiatrists, fundamentally: the same symptoms are increasingly being detected in patients with COVID -19, especially children and adolescents, although some cases have also been detected in adults," the statement reads. "These are purple-colored lesions (very similar to those of chickenpox, measles or chilblains) that usually appear around the toes and that usually heal without leaving marks on the skin."

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Why The Shutdown Must End

The shutdown of the American economy should end as soon as possible. We have reached the point where fear and panic have precluded logic and facts. The damage from our overreaction to the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to prove greater than the death toll from the disease itself. The virus is not containable, and our attempt to achieve the unachievable grows more costly every day.

Covid-19 is not proving as deadly as first imagined. Last March 16, a group of researchers at Imperial College in London predicted 510,000 deaths in the UK and 2.2 million in the US. Within ten days, these early estimates were revised downward by more than an order of magnitude. As I write, the best estimate of ultimate deaths from Covid-19 in the US is about 60,000, the same as the 61,000 people who died from influenza during the winter of 2017-2018. Yet we continue to suffer from a shutdown whose imposition was justified by a fallacious model prediction.

The spread of the coronavirus is both inevitable and necessary. It is necessary because, in the absence of a vaccine, the only way to counteract the disease is to build immunity in the population. A person who contracts the infection and recovers is immune. They can no longer become ill or spread the disease. Infection and recovery is the most effective vaccination possible.

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Carnival executives knew they had a virus problem, but kept the party going

More than 1,500 people on the company’s cruise ships have been diagnosed with Covid-19, and dozens have died.

The news, when it reached the Grand Princess early on March 4, barely registered at first. In a letter slipped under passenger cabin doors, Grant Tarling, Carnival Corp.’s chief medical officer, announced that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control had begun “investigating a small cluster” of Covid-19 cases in California that might have been linked to the ship. Thirteen days after leaving San Francisco for Hawaii, the vessel would be skipping a scheduled stop in Mexico on its return voyage and sailing back early to its Bay Area port.

That day, passengers noticed new hand sanitizer stations and crew members wearing gloves, but life on the Grand Princess, which advertises 1,301 cabins, 20 restaurants and lounges, about a dozen shops, and four freshwater swimming pools, otherwise went on as normal. Guests prepared for a ukulele concert, played bridge at shared tables, and took line-dancing classes. That night, Laurie Miller and her husband, John, attended True or Moo, a show featuring an emcee in a cow costume; the following morning, John joined about 200 other passengers in the ship’s Broadway-style theater for a lecture on Clint Eastwood movies. “I’m surprised they’re even letting this event happen,” he whispered to a nearby friend. “This is a big crowd.”

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"Tourist Go Home" – Tensions Soar As Hawaiians Urge Non-Residents To "Leave"

Hawaiians are becoming increasingly angry, not because the tourism industry has collapsed, and 37% of the labor force has just filed for unemployment, but mostly because US mainlanders, motivated by super discounted flights and hotel rooms, continue to pour into the various Hawaiian Islands during the pandemic.

Troy Kane, a local on Oahu, who was interviewed by The Guardian, said residents are abiding by the stay-at-home orders as cases and deaths surge. He points out tourists on the island are ignoring social distancing rules and risk spreading the virus to locals.

"Locals are following the orders, staying home. But there are people, who are clearly tourists, here by the dozens," said Kane. "They're still out here, still in groups of seven or more, still coming, and that's a problem."

The Guardian says, "$100 airfares" are enticing people in quarantine in the continental US to vacation in Hawaii. Last week, nearly 800 tourists arrived on the islands. The influx triggered a nerve among locals and officials who argue tourists need to leave.

As of Monday, 580 cases and ten deaths have been confirmed across the Hawaiian Islands. About 35 cases have been non-residents.

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Shake Shack to return $10M government loan, here’s why

Shake Shack Inc will return the small business loan it received from the U.S. government, the burger chain's chief executive said on Monday, making it the first major firm to hand back money aimed at helping small businesses ride out the coronavirus impact.

The company will immediately return the entire $10 million SBA loan as it was able to raise additional capital, CEO Randy Garutti and founder Danny Meyer said in a blog post on Monday. Last week, it raised about $150 million in an equity offering.

Low-paid workers in the retail, restaurant and hotel industries have been among the hardest-hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Of the $342 billion small business bailout fund, the combined industry was allocated 18% of the total fund.

SBA, which is a key part of the government's $2.2 trillion aid package, is aimed at helping small companies keep paying their employees and their basic bills during the shutdowns, so that they are able to reopen quickly when public health allows.

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https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/shake-shack-to-return-10-million-government-loan

Trump Defends Protests, Says Some Governors Have Gone Too Far

President Donald Trump says some U.S. governors have gone "too far" during the coronavirus pandemic.

Millions of Americans have been asked to stay home from work and school, and to not leave their houses unless they have to. The directives, which began in California in mid-March, have swept the nation. Currently, residents in 42 states, three counties, nine cities, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico are being urged to stay home.

Protestors have taken to the streets in at least 10 states, demanding that governors reopen economies shut down by the pandemic.

"People feel that way, they are allowed to protest," Trump said during a press briefing early Sunday evening.

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New trial to test if anti-inflammatory drug colchicine prevents COVID-19 complications

A new international trial will examine whether a common anti-inflammatory drug known as colchicine could ward off COVID-19 symptoms and potentially prevent the need for hospitalization for some patients.

The study, which has the University of California-San Francisco and New York University School of Medicine as its first two clinical test sites, aims to enroll 6,000 newly diagnosed patients over age 40 and with at least one additional risk factor for serious COVID-19 complications, such as chronic pulmonary disease, heart disease, or age greater than 70 years.

“This is one of the very few COVID-19 trials designed specifically for patients who have not yet been hospitalized,” said Priscilla Hsue, a professor of medicine at UCSF and principal investigator for the UCSF study site, in a statement. “We suspect that early treatment, before the onset of severe symptoms requiring hospitalization, may provide the best chance to improve outcomes. By the time extensive lung damage has developed, it may be too late to intervene successfully.”

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https://www.foxnews.com/science/at-home-study-to-test-if-common-drug-prevents-covid-19-complications

With No U.S. Plan to Return to Normal, Some States Are Creating Their Own

America doesn’t have a plan to return to normal. The federal government’s failure to produce one could leave millions of workers, students and families stuck inside even after hospitals and first responders have weathered the initial crisis.

Reopening society, experts say, will require the regular testing of millions of people, a reliable and fast nationwide reporting network and an army of thousands of investigators tasked with tracking down those who may have been exposed to the virus. Experts have comparedthis to the effort to put a man on the moon and the Manhattan Project.

The federal government has yet to produce even the framework of a plan — let alone the supplies and workforce to carry it out — leaving states and local governments to cobble together their own tenuous roadmaps.

“It really does need to be started by the federal government,” said Gigi Gronvall, an immunology specialist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “It's not something that you can just throw together. It should be worked on now while the tests are coming online and not weeks and weeks down the road.”

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DEVASTATING! Trump Campaign Releases BEST VIDEO AD of the Year – “Let Them Eat Ice Cream”

This was brutal.

The Trump campaign released a hard-hitting anti-Pelosi ad on Monday.

Last week House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) showed off her expensive kitchen appliances and massive gourmet ice cream collection during an appearance on a late night show as Americans stand in line at food banks.

Millions of Americans are now unemployed and standing in line at food banks because Pelosi wasted time trying to ram illegal ballot harvesting, federal funding for abortion and climate change related provisions in the Coronavirus bill.

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Who's Hit Hardest By COVID-19? Why Obesity, Stress And Race All Matter

As data emerges on the spectrum of symptoms caused by COVID-19, it's clear that people with chronic health conditions are being hit harder.

While many people experience mild illness, 89% of people with COVID-19 who were sick enough to be hospitalized had at least one chronic condition. About half had high blood pressure and obesity, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And about a third had diabetes and a third had cardiovascular disease. So, what explains this?

"Obesity is a marker for a number of other problems," explains Dr. Aaron Carroll, a public health researcher at the Indiana University School of Medicine. It's increasingly common for those who develop obesity to develop diabetes and other conditions, as well. So, one reason COVID-19 is taking its toll on people who have obesity is that their overall health is often compromised.

But does obesity specifically affect the immune system? Perhaps.

Prior research has shown that people with obesity are less protected by the flu vaccine. They tend to get sicker from the respiratory disease even if they've been immunized. In fact, researchers have found that as people gain excess weight, their metabolism changes and this shift can make the immune system less effective at fighting off viruses.

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MIT report shows Maryland last in country for remote-learning guidance

Maryland students are starting their third week of remote learning, but a new report shows Maryland is last in the country when it comes to guidance provided by the state.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Teaching Systems Lab conducted the study, collecting data from the education department websites from all 50 states. They looked at whether the states provided certain resources, answers for parents and other guidance to assist with remote learning.

Of the 21 criteria marks, Maryland only checked off three: providing the status of assessments, a statement about special education services and a statement about equity.

Texas had the most with 17. Delaware had 13, Pennsylvania 11 and Virginia 10.

The state is failing the young people again..

Tracking The Pandemic: How Quickly Is The Coronavirus Spreading State By State?

Since the first coronavirus case was confirmed in the United States on Jan. 21, over a half-million people in the U.S. have confirmed cases of COVID-19. In the last week, the U.S. became the nation with the most deaths globally, but there are early signs that the U.S. case and death rates may be leveling off, as the growth of new cases and deaths plateaus. The pattern isn't consistent across the country, as new hot spots emerge and others subside.

To see how quickly your state's case count is growing, click here.

Click here to see a global map of confirmed cases and deaths.

In response to mounting cases, state and federal authorities have emphasized a social distancing strategy, widely seen as the best available means to slow the spread of the virus. Most states have put in place measures such as closing schools and nonessential businesses and ordering citizens to stay home as much as possible.

It's not clear how long such measures need to be in place to see a lasting effect. In Wuhan, the city in China where the virus originated, a strictly enforced lockdown and widespread testing have slowed the outbreak dramatically, enough to bring an end to the 76-day lockdown.

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Adam Schiff’s Dirty Impeachment Tactics Coming to Light

Rep. Adam Schiff spent months launching secret impeachment hearings, never thinking his conduct would be called into question.

He is now caught in the crosshairs of a formidable government agent, Mr. Brendan Carr, Federal Communication Commissioner. The impeachment may be over, but Mr. Carr is formally investigating Rep. Schiff for violating privacy laws -- more like obliterating ethical boundaries -- by setting up his own surveillance state to target the president’s allies.

Carr is currently uncovering the diabolical nature of the congressman’s “surveillance state.” At the time, Schiff resorted to such desperate measures because he didn’t have much of an impeachment case: Therefore, he issued secret subpoenas to phone carriers hoping to mine the private data of his political opponents, or in effect ransacking their private lives.

The objective was to obtain and publish the calls of Trump’s allies.

Much to his delight, Schiff’s subpoenas to the phone carriers resulted in their turning over nearly 4,000 pages of confidential records, in the process violating their customers’ rights to data privacy.

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Fauci: No Recovery Possible If Virus Isn't "Under Control"

President Trump's top doctor on the White House coronavirus task force has pushed back against protesters demonstrating against stay-at-home orders, warning that the US economy won't recover until COVID-19 is "under control."

"This is something that is hurting from the standpoint of economics," Fauci acknowledged during an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America," in comments which sharply contrast with those by President Trump, who has encouraged the protests, Bloomberg reports.

"Unless we get the virus under control, the real recovery economically is not going to happen," Fauci added. "So what you do if you jump the gun and go into a situation where you have a big spike, you’re going to set yourself back."

“Clearly this is something that this is hurting …. but unless we get the virus under control, the real recovery, economically, is not going to happen.” — NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci on protests against stay-at-home orders. pic.twitter.com/n7x3cunEAm— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 20, 2020

Fauci added that while it can be "painful" to follow federal guidelines regarding a phased re-opening, it will "backfire" if done too soon.

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Discharging COVID-19 Patients To Nursing Homes Called A 'Recipe For Disaster'

In some parts of the U.S., the desperate need to slow the spread of the coronavirus is coming into conflict with the scramble to find more hospital beds.

Nursing homes have been the sites of some of the earliest — and deadliest — outbreaks of COVID-19. Some people who run such facilities are understandably leery of accepting new patients who might spread the virus.

Nonetheless, some of the largest states are now ordering nursing homes to accept patients who have been discharged from the hospital but are still recovering from COVID-19.

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Worcester Schools Cancel Final Exams; Graduation Committee Being Formed

NEWARK – School system officials agreed this week to waive final exam requirements as a result of the state-mandated school closure associated with COVID-19.

The Worcester County Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to cancel final exams for semester two and year-long courses for the current school year.

“We have determined it is not in our students’ best interest for final exams to be administered,” said Annette Wallace, the school system’s chief operating officer and academic officer for grades 9-12. “These exams were created with the mindset that our students who face the most challenges would be provided supports prior to the exam and during the exam in an equitable way.”

Wallace said that because of the ongoing school closure, which is set to remain in place at least through May 15, and the continuity of learning initiatives currently underway instead, Worcester County Public Schools administrators recommended waiving final exams.

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"The Hit Is Huge": Colleges Brace For 'Fatal' Blow Of Next Fall As Face-To-Face Instruction Uncertain

A viral post written by a veteran professor on Medium recently grabbed prospective students' attention in saying provocatively: "This is a message to all high school seniors (and their parents). If you were planning to enroll in college next fall — don’t."

"No one knows whether colleges and universities will offer face-to-face instruction in the fall, or whether they will stay open if they do," University of La Verne law professor Diane Klein wrote. "No one knows whether dorms and cafeterias will reopen, or whether team sports will practice and play."

"It’s that simple. No one knows. Schools that decide to reopen may not be able to stay that way. A few may decide, soon, not even to try. Others may put off the decision for as long as possible — but you can make your decision now," the veteran teacher said, making the case that it's the worst time ever for families to make the massive financial commitment. After all, who wants to drop an initial $50K or more to potentially sit at home for Fall 2020 and take online classes?

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‘Progressive’ Caucus: Next Coronavirus Relief Bill Must Include Vote by Mail

Left-wing activists and members of Congress joined together on a conference call on Monday to outline their “progressive” demands for a future round of federal relief aimed at the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The call was hosted by MoveOn.org and a host of other left-wing groups, including the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who introduced the “Medicare for All” bill in the House last year, touted her “Paycheck Guarantee Act” proposal, which would enact a “three-month federal guarantee for 100 percent of worker salaries of up to $100,000.” Jayapal said the goal was to “stop mass unemployment by guaranteeing paychecks and health benefits.”

“Republicans are intransigent, and they have been blocking Democratic effort every step of the way … but the people are with us,” she said.

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), who co-chairs the Progressive Caucus with Jayapal, added that in addition to economic relief, Congress should provide national vote by mail. He said that Republican opposition to mail-in voting had backfired in Wisconsin, where Democrats did well in elections earlier this month.

Pocan accused Republicans of risking voters’ lives in Wisconsin. (The disp

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'They go after churches but they don't tend to go after mosques': Trump accuses Democrats of anti-Christian bias and wonders if states will enforce social distancing on Muslims during Ramadan

President Trump on Saturday claimed that states have been unfairly targeting Christians by not allowing religious gatherings due to the coronavirus pandemic while suggesting that they won’t enforce the same rules with Muslims during Ramadan.

‘You know I just spoke with leaders and people that love mosques,’ the president said on Saturday.

‘They love mosques! And I’m all in favor of that.

‘But I would say that there could be a difference. And we’ll have to see what will happen.

‘Because I have seen a great disparity in this country. I’ve seen a great disparity.’

Trump on Saturday retweeted a post by a conservative author, Paul Sperry, who wrote: ‘Let’s see if authorities enforce the social-distancing orders for mosques during Ramadan (April 23 – May 23) like they did churches during Easter.’

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A Viewer Writes: DONATIONS TO PRMC

I think it’s important for the public to know that Peninsula Regional Medical Center has received donations that include THOUSANDS of items. Those items were donated to help in the fight with COVID, and to help protect front line hospital staff. PRMC is NOT distributing those items to its medical team. 

To be frank, the items have just disappeared. The hospital is not telling those making donations that their items will never be used at PRMC.

Donate elsewhere!

Chinese Influence on American Media

Massive amounts of money flows from Beijing to U.S. media conglomerates.

Most Americans would like to believe the country is run by representative government acting in their best interests. Yet as we are witnessing right now, the media’s ability to shape the narrative may be forcing government’s hand far more than we want to admit. Who’s forcing our corporatized media’s hand? As always, money talks — and much of that money has its origins in China.

“The companies that own the major news networks, NBC, ABC, and CBS, all do significant business in China,” writes columnist Arthur Bloom.

Bloom further notes that these media entities, which have morphed into shills for the Democrat Party, are hardly alone. Until Fox relinquished its Asia-Pacific operations to Disney over the last two years, former owner Rupert Murdoch made several efforts to ingratiate himself with Beijing, including helping the leading state broadcaster develop a news website and building relationships with the Communist Youth League.

Note that these companies — such as Disney, which owns ABC, and Comcast, which owns NBC News, CNBC, and MSNBC, for example — are not news organizations. Rather they are large multi-national conglomerates that own news organizations among a host of other holdings, including entertainment companies.

A 2016 article reveals a dozen media companies, including Dick Clark Productions, AMC Theaters, the World Triathlon Corporation (which organizes Ironman Triathlon races), and Riot Games (a video games producer), were sold to Chinese corporations.

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Charles Hurt: Horowitz Report Proves Things Are Even Worse Than We Thought

In other news, things are even worse than you thought.

J. Edgar Hoover is alive and well in the bowels of your federal government.

The good news these days is that all the direst predictions in the media about coronavirus are turning up negative. All the “models” showing hundreds of thousands of Americans dying were just pipe dreams cooked up by globalist government bureaucrats and breathlessly peddled by the media.

In truth, it now appears we have shut down the booming American economy in response to what amounts to a very bad flu season. That does not diminish the tragedy of each and every death, but it puts the larger pandemic into some perspective.

Not that we shouldn’t use this as an excuse to close down all commerce with China for the foreseeable future. The communist regime has proven yet again its status as America’s No. 1 enemy. There is nothing it won’t do to deceive us, undermine us and destroy us.

But there is an equally grave threat within our own country today that the media is delighted to ignore. The suicidal tendencies of the American Leviathan in Washington, it turns out, are every bit as much an existential threat to the Republic as the Chinese bat merchants in the wet markets of Wuhan.

Again, not that you will read about any of that in the press today.

At long last, the internal investigation conducted by Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz into abuses at the highest levels of the Department of Justice has been released.

Trump criticizes Maryland Gov. Hogan over comments on coronavirus testing capacity

President Donald Trump singled out Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan out during his White House coronavirus briefing Monday, saying Hogan “didn’t really understand” an email sent by federal officials detailing current testing capacity in each state.

“Some of the governors, like, as an example, the governor from Maryland didn’t really understand the list,” Trump said, without using Hogan’s name. “He didn’t understand too much about what was going on so now I think he’ll be able to do that.”

Vice President Mike Pence told governors on a video conference earlier Monday that an email was sent to officials in each state detailing current testing capacity by state. But Hogan said much of the unused lab machinery listed for his state in the report was in federal labs that the state does not have access to. The Associated Press obtained audio of the call.

Hogan rebutted Pence’s statement, saying “We already knew where the labs were."

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Wicomico County Covid-19 4-21-2020

Wicomico County has 10 new confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. Wicomico County has a total of 176 total cases. Sadly we have 5 total deaths please keep these families in your prayers during this difficult time. #stayhome #useyourheadslowthespread

80% of Restaurants say they may not Reopen

A poll of restaurant and bar owners found that 80% of owners are not sure they will ever reopen after the government enforced shutdown of their businesses.

Armed with new data showing that restaurants and bars accounted for 60 percent of the U.S. jobs lost in March, representatives of the Independent Restaurant Coalition renewed their call to Congress for more, and better, federal assistance for the industry’s 11 million workers.

In a conference call Thursday afternoon, the coalition reiterated that the recently passed CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program fail to meet the unique needs of independent restaurants — many of whom, the group said, risk permanent closure.

Earlier Thursday, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced that the $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program had run out of money, and wouldn’t be accepting more applications,essentially shutting small restaurants out of the program.

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What I Learned From Nursing My Husband Through COVID-19

If you or your loved one has just had a diagnosis of COVID-19, your chances of surviving the illness will depend on your ability to gather your resources, make a plan, and adapt.

As told to her daughter, Carrie Severino. This article is personal information, not medical advice. Please consult your doctor with any health questions and decisions.

The past two weeks have been a rollercoaster as my husband and I celebrated our 49th wedding anniversary, learned we were both COVID-positive, spent multiple nights we thought could be our last ones together, and finally received a surreal email from the Kent County Health Department declaring us free and clear of any COVID-related quarantine. We are now allowed to take part in normal life again with “no restrictions” (whatever that means under total lockdown).

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Why coronavirus will not cost Trump reelection: Goodwin

Last fall, as the House impeachment wave was building, I asked a gathering of 10 friends what they thought of President Trump’s prospects. Only six were Trump voters in 2016, but the group was unanimous on two points: The president would not be convicted by the Senate and would be re-elected in 2020.

Because the world has been turned upside down since then, I wanted an update from the same group. All successful New Yorkers, they are active in business, philanthropy and politically astute.

Like everyone else, they recoil at the deaths engulfing the nation and our city, and are horrified by the economic destruction being imposed in a bid to save lives. They worry about their own health, their families, friends and neighbors.

Although they hardly represent a scientific sampling, their views on the president, his handling of the epidemic and the fall election are not markedly different from public polls. In general, the group’s opinion of Trump’s leadership is good news for the president.

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Wicomico County Shooting Under Investigation

April 21, 2020

(SALISBURY, MD) – Maryland State Police are actively investigating an apparent shooting in Salisbury that injured a 38 year old woman.

The victim, a 38-year old woman from Salisbury, is not being identified at this time. She is currently undergoing treatment at Peninsula Regional Medical Center.

The suspect is described as an African American male with dark skin, 5’7”, 130-140 lbs., and wearing black pants with a dark green hooded sweatshirt. Witnesses told police he was wearing a black face mask and no gloves at the time of the shooting.

Shortly after 9:30 p.m. last night, troopers from the Salisbury Barrack responded to the 800 block of Miami Avenue in Salisbury for the report of a shooting. Responding troopers were met by the victim who had sustained an apparent gunshot wound to her leg. Troopers immediately rendered aid at the scene until EMS responded to transport her to the hospital.

The preliminary investigation indicates the suspect knocked on the door of the victim’s home, identifying himself as her cousin. When she opened the door, the suspect reportedly aimed the gun at her and demanded money. The suspect fired the gun and fled the scene.

Responding troopers from the Salisbury Barrack secured a perimeter, searched the area and conducted neighborhood checks. Crime scene technicians from the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division responded to gather evidence and process the scene. Deputies from the Worcester County Sheriff’s Department responded to assist with the investigation.

Investigators from the Maryland State Police Criminal Enforcement Division, Lower Shore Region are the lead in the investigation. Police urge anyone with information relevant to this case, to contact Maryland State Police at the Salisbury Barrack at 410-749-3101. The investigation continues..

Maryland COVID-19 Data 4-21-2020

 

 

Critics Slam Trump For Claiming China Should Face "Consequences" If It "Knowingly" Unleashed The Coronavirus

At the conclusion of a week that saw the already-tense relationship between the US and China further strained by reports of CPC-sanctioned skullduggery during the early days of the outbreak in Wuhan, President Trump decided to kick things up a notch during his Friday task force press briefing, where he said for the first time that if Beijing was "knowingly responsible" for unleashing the virus on the world, then it should face "consequences."

Here's the exact quote, courtesy of Reuters:

"It could have been stopped in China before it started and it wasn’t, and the whole world is suffering because of it," Trump said.

"If it was a mistake, a mistake is a mistake. But if they were knowingly responsible, yeah, I mean, then sure there should be consequences," Trump said. He did not elaborate on what actions the United States might take.

It's not exactly the forceful accusation of culpability that Trump's critics - including the Chinese - have made it out to be over the last 24 hours.

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Democrat Sen. Coons Calls for $3.6 Billion Vote-by-Mail Funding

In a Sunday interview with MSNBC’s “Kasie DC,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) called for $3.6 billion in funding to allow vote-by-mail in 2020 amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Coons noted people in the military and diplomats vote via mail and that President Donald Trump requested an absentee ballot for the upcoming election, advising if some states can vote entirely by mail, then it should not be an issue while there are shelter-in-place orders.

“It would ask us to give some flexibility to states in terms of match requirements and some dramatic additional resources, $3.6 billion,” argued Coons. “We’ve heard both Republican and Democratic secretaries of state, heads of state, parties and local election officials calling for this. in every election, hundreds of thousands of Americans vote by mail from overseas. Folks in our armed forces and our diplomatic core, President Trump has requested an absentee ballot for this election. If it’s good enough for our troops and diplomats and our president, I don’t see why a vote-by-mail shouldn’t be a feature for every election in this state by November if people request it.”

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Fact Check: Joe Biden Claims ‘Trump Rolled Over for the Chinese’ on Coronavirus

CLAIM: “Trump rolled over for the Chinese” on coronavirus, while Joe Biden warned the administration to take action.

VERDICT: FALSE. Trump used a travel ban, which Biden opposed, and pressured China to let U.S. experts into the country.

Biden’s latest campaign ad is a laughably false effort to blame President Donald Trump for the coronavirus crisis by arguing he was too soft on China. The ad recycles several false claims already awarded “Three Pinocchios” by the Washington Post.

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Trump: Md. Gov. Hogan Wasted Money on South Korea Testing

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican but a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, took a bow for getting coronavirus testing kits from South Korea, but the president shot back the governor should have known who to call for tests in his own state.

"The governor of Maryland could've called Mike Pence and could've saved a lot of money," Trump told the coronavirus task force daily briefing Monday, pointing to a map of Maryland showing all of the testing laboratories. "Look at all those different places, and that's Maryland right there, so could have saved a lot of money, but that's OK.

"No, I don't think he needed to go to South Korea. I think he needed to get a get a little knowledge. That would've been helpful."

Pence expressed frustration with the fact media and governors are not listening to the guidance of the White House coronavirus task force: The testing needed is already there in the states, most not being utilitized, and the full capacity is not being released locally.

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US Chamber Poll: 1 in 10 Businesses Less Than Month Away From Closing Permanently

The president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Sunday said its latest poll shows a "terrifying" fact that one out of 10 members say they’re less than a month away from permanently going out of business.

In an interview on CBS News’ “Face The Nation,” chamber head Suzanne Clark said the poll also showed “something like 50% of small businesses say that they were eight weeks away from closing forever.”

“It's really terrifying these numbers,” she said.

“And so that's why these bridge programs are so important. But also why it's so important that we start to think about reopening in a gradual, phased-in way.”

“We know that certain regions were hit harder than others,” she continued. “We also know that there were certain regions that weren't hit as hard. We know that certain sectors… will have a harder time coming back. But there are other sectors that may be able to open.”

She said in the end, getting businesses open will be the determinant of how effective the economic recovery is.

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A Viewer Writes: Salisbury City Council Michele Gregory

It Took COVID-19 for LA VA That Illegally Rents Its Grounds to House Homeless Vets in Tents

It took a global pandemic for the Los Angeles Veterans Affairs to offer a few vets temporary housing on a sprawling parcel deeded to the federal government over a century ago for the specific purpose of caring for disabled military veterans. Thousands of veterans have long lived on the streets surrounding the lush facility in West L.A., yet the VA has been derelict in its duty to help them. With the COVID-19 crisis deeply impacting the region’s vast homeless population, the VA finally erected several small tents in the parking lot of its healthcare system campus to accommodate a couple dozen vets who were sleeping on the sidewalk immediately adjacent to the grounds. It is a tiny gesture that will barely put a dent on the crisis, but it’s a start, say some local veterans.

“Honestly, it’s like a Band-Aid considering that there are around 4,000 homeless veterans in the city of L.A.,” said Robert Rosebrock, a U.S. Army veteran and activist who leads a troop called the Old Veterans Guard. Since 2008 the group has assembled at the “Great Lawn Gate” that marks the entrance to the Los Angeles National Veterans Park to protest the VA’s failure to make full use of the property to benefit veterans, particularly those who are homeless. The elderly vets have been a thorn in the agency’s side and federal authorities have retaliated against them for denouncing the fraudulent use of the facility, including a scam involving a VA official who took bribes from a vender that defrauded the agency out of millions. VA police harass and intimidate the senior vets at their weekly rallies and Rosebrock got criminally charged for posting a pair of four-by-six-inch American Flags on the outside fence on Memorial Day in 2016. Judicial Watch represented Rosebrock in the federal case and a judge eventually ruled that Rosebrock was not guilty of violating federal law for displaying the flags above the VA fence. In the meantime, the VA illegally rents its grounds to institutions that don’t serve veterans and evicts groups dedicated to helping them.

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Debunking Some Ideas About The Virus

We still do not know for certain where the virus that causes the current pandemic has come from. China's first known Covid-19 case has now been traced back to mid November. While the virus is most likely a natural creation the U.S. State Department officials now point to alleged insecurities at the safety level 4 laboratory in Wuhan which did research on similar viruses. It spreads unfounded rumors that the virus escaped from there. But the U.S. itself has many such laboratories with long documented security issues and there is reasonable suspicion that the real patient zero case has happened in the U.S.

Science will eventually solve that conundrum. Until it does there is little to gain from further speculation about it.

There is a loose group of people who think that the current pandemic is some conspiracy with a nefarious purpose.

Some of them still compare the disease caused by the novel coronavirus to a flu. Some doubt that current restrictions of their personal liberties are legitimate and justified. Still others doubt the value of masks (Yesterday I deleted a comment that argued against masks.)

It is probably a waste of time to counter the arguments of such people. But I will give it a try.

The graphs show the normal mortality rates in the England and Wales and in New York City and the current deviations from it. The flu does not create such graphs. Nor do the lock-downs.

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Cuomo Praises Trump's Response to the Wuhan Coronavirus: 'Phenomenal Accomplishment'

New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo was asked on Sunday whether or not he has faith in President Trump when it comes to handling the Wuhan coronavirus. Gov. Cuomo made it clear that he not only trusts the president but that what Trump and his administration have done was nothing short of a "phenomenal accomplishment."

"What the federal government did working with states was a phenomenal accomplishment," the governor marveled. "We bent the curve. We flattened the curve. Government did it. People did it, but government facilitates people's actions, right?"

Gov. Cuomo has consistently praised the president for helping New Yorkers while the state quickly emerged as an international hotspot of the Wuhan coronavirus. Only on the issue of ventilators, when Gov. Cuomo anticipated New York would need some 40,000 ventilators, were the president and the governor at odds. Trump expected the actual number of ventilators New York needed to be much lower, and Trump was right. Instead of 40,000 ventilators, New York needed about 5,000. The state now has so many ventilators they have begun sending them to other states.

"We had to double the hospital capacity in New York State," Gov. Cumo recalled on Sunday. "That's what all the experts said. The president brought in the Army Corps of Engineers. They built 2,500 at Javits ... It was a phenomenal accomplishment. Close to a thousand people have gone through Javits. Luckily, we didn't need the 2,500 beds. But all the projections said we did need it and more ... so these were just extraordinary efforts and acts of mobilization, and the federal government stepped up and was a great partner, and I'm the first one to say it. We needed help and they were there."

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Trump to Temporarily Halt Immigration Into the U.S. Amid Coronavirus Crisis

President says in tweet that he plans to sign executive order ‘in light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy’

WASHINGTON — President Trump said he plans to sign an executive order temporarily suspending immigration into the U.S., saying he was doing so to protect American jobs as the novel coronavirus has taken a sharp toll on the economy.

In a tweet Monday night, he said he was signing the executive order “in light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy”—a reference to the coronavirus—“as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens.” He didn’t provide further details.

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Publishers Notes: There goes any hope for J1's coming this summer.

Gingrich: 'Pelosi Has Become Despicable,' 'Totally Irresponsible, Dishonest'

When asked about the actions of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in response to the coronavirus, former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said she "has become despicable."

He added that her recent remark comparing President Donald Trump to the Roman tyrant Nero -- "fiddling while Rome burned" -- was "utterly, totally irresponsible, dishonest, and counter to what Americans need" at this time.

On the Hugh Hewitt Show, April 2, host Hugh Hewitt asked, " Let me close by asking you, Mr. Speaker, about the, your successor, Nancy Pelosi, and Leader Mitch McConnell. I believe it’s been Mitch McConnell’s finest hour and will be remembered as such negotiating the passage of a 96-0 vote on a $2.2 trillion dollar bill. But Speaker Pelosi has not been, in my view, a constructive force. How do you assess these two most important members of Article I?"

Gingrich, who served as House Speaker from 1995 to 1999, said, "Well, look, I think McConnell, both in getting all the judges through and in getting the enormous aid package through, has been magnificent."

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Beer may lose its fizz as CO2 supplies go flat during pandemic

Coronavirus drop in gasoline demand has side effects in beverage industries

NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES - Dwindling supplies of carbon dioxide from ethanol plants is sparking concern about shortages of beer, soda and seltzer water - essentials for manyquarantined Americans.

Brewers and soft-drink makers use carbon dioxide, or CO2, for carbonation, which gives beer and soda fizz. Ethanol producers are a key provider of CO2 to the food industry, as they capture that gas as a byproduct of ethanol production and sell it in large quantities.

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https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/beer-may-lose-its-fizz-as-co2-supplies-go-flat-during-pandemic

Trump complains that all he sees in all the TV he watches is 'hatred of me at any cost'

President Trump is worried about the media, he tweeted late Sunday night, as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and congressional leaders were furiously working to iron out differences in a massive coronavirus stimulus/bailout package. "I watch and listen to the Fake News, CNN, MSDNC, ABC, NBC, CBS, some of FOX (desperately & foolishly pleading to be politically correct), the @nytimes, & the @washingtonpost, and all I see is hatred of me at any cost," he tweeted. "Don't they understand that they are destroying themselves?"

Republican pollster Frank Luntz pointed out that Trump, at least in the past, denied watching much TV and said he "seldom, if ever" watched CNN or MSNBC.

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Even The Sane Are Nuts!

New Normal in Quarantine

Proof Democrats Are Crazy, Insane and a Danger to Us All

If you weren't convinced that Democrats are crazy, insane and a danger to us all, I now have clear and irrefutable proof.

It's hydroxychloroquine.

That's the anti-malaria drug that has become a weapon in our arsenal to defeat coronavirus. The stories of its remarkable success in the battle versus this terrible, deadly pandemic are everywhere. They are no longer "anecdotal." This Trump-touted drug appears to be a miracle drug.

I'll get to all those stories in a moment. But first let me mention the latest Rasmussen poll, which shows that only 18 percent of Democrats would take hydroxychloroquine if they were sick with coronavirus.

Folks, that's just nuts. Democrats are suicidal. They not only don't value human life; they don't even value their own lives.

And I'm not just talking about run-of-the-mill crazy liberal voters or activists. Democratic leaders are just as reckless, dangerous, ignorant and delusional. Michigan's Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, initially banned the drug for use against coronavirus. My own Nevada governor, Democrat Steve Sisolak, banned any non-hospital or emergency room doctors from prescribing it -- even though the doctors that use it regularly consider it safe and report it works best when used in the early stages of coronavirus, before a victim lands in the ER or ICU.

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