"Show me the man and I'll show you the crime." —Lavrentiy Beria (head of Stalin's secret police)
Under America's criminal law system, an investigation cannot begin unless there's a crime. After that, one seeks the probable criminals. These alleged criminals, in turn, are given myriad due process protections so the government, which is judge, jury, and executioner, does not violate their inherent civil rights. Under Stalin's totalitarian system, the state targeted people for destruction, invented crimes against them, and then led them through a sham investigative and prosecutorial process that led to an inevitable conviction.
Newly released documents establish that beginning in the waning days of Obama's presidency, high-level FBI officials inflicted Soviet-style "justice" on General Mike Flynn. It's also possible that both Obama and Biden were part of this plot.
The newest batch of documents reveals that, by January 4, 2017, the FBI had ruled Mike Flynn out as a possible suspect in its investigation into whether Trump or his associates had colluded with the Russians. The agent reviewing the evidence against Mike Flynn wrote a memorandum explaining that there was no "derogatory" evidence against Flynn either in house or through an outside agency.
The investigating team concluded, therefore, that Flynn was no longer a viable candidate as part of the larger [Russia investigation] umbrella case. A review of logical [redacted] databases did not yield any information on which to predicate further investigative efforts.
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Saturday, May 02, 2020
Democrats Are Reaping The ‘Whirlwind’ Kavanaugh Warned About
The media and Democrats were enraged when Brett Kavanaugh warned that their unethical behavior against him might have consequences. They should have listened.
Brett Kavanaugh was a very difficult Supreme Court nominee for liberals to oppose. He had a stellar reputation, an impeccable record, and a genial disposition. While members of the Resistance held a protest on the steps of the Supreme Court minutes after President Trump announced him as the pick to replace retiring Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, their early efforts to keep him off the bench showed little promise.
All that changed in mid-September 2018, when the Washington Post carefully packaged and presented Christine Blasey Ford’s claim that Kavanaugh had tried to rape her when she was in high school. The media and Democrats immediately latched onto the accusation in a desperate attempt to keep Kavanaugh from being confirmed.
It wasn’t the quality of the allegation that led to this reaction. Blasey Ford had no evidence she had ever met Kavanaugh, much less that he had tried to rape her. She wasn’t sure about any detail related to the event other than that she had precisely one beer and that Kavanaugh had tried to rape her.
She didn’t know how she got to the alleged event, where it was, how she got home, or whose house it was. None of the four witnesses she identified to reporters as having been at the event in question supported her claim. That included her close friend Leland Keyser, who was pressured by mutual acquaintances to change her testimony that she had no recollection of the event in question. Kavanaugh had an army of close friends and supporters who testified to his character throughout his adolescence and adulthood.
Nevertheless, over the next ten days, thousands of articles were published in newspapers and online while broadcast and cable news outlets devoted their entire schedule to covering the accusation. All hands were on deck to legitimize the allegation, paint the accuser in the most sympathetic light possible, downplay the many problems with her story, and ignore exonerating information. Anybody who supported Kavanaugh, from high school friends to sitting U.S. senators, was subjected to hostile media treatment and accusations of being a rape apologist.
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Brett Kavanaugh was a very difficult Supreme Court nominee for liberals to oppose. He had a stellar reputation, an impeccable record, and a genial disposition. While members of the Resistance held a protest on the steps of the Supreme Court minutes after President Trump announced him as the pick to replace retiring Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, their early efforts to keep him off the bench showed little promise.
All that changed in mid-September 2018, when the Washington Post carefully packaged and presented Christine Blasey Ford’s claim that Kavanaugh had tried to rape her when she was in high school. The media and Democrats immediately latched onto the accusation in a desperate attempt to keep Kavanaugh from being confirmed.
It wasn’t the quality of the allegation that led to this reaction. Blasey Ford had no evidence she had ever met Kavanaugh, much less that he had tried to rape her. She wasn’t sure about any detail related to the event other than that she had precisely one beer and that Kavanaugh had tried to rape her.
She didn’t know how she got to the alleged event, where it was, how she got home, or whose house it was. None of the four witnesses she identified to reporters as having been at the event in question supported her claim. That included her close friend Leland Keyser, who was pressured by mutual acquaintances to change her testimony that she had no recollection of the event in question. Kavanaugh had an army of close friends and supporters who testified to his character throughout his adolescence and adulthood.
Nevertheless, over the next ten days, thousands of articles were published in newspapers and online while broadcast and cable news outlets devoted their entire schedule to covering the accusation. All hands were on deck to legitimize the allegation, paint the accuser in the most sympathetic light possible, downplay the many problems with her story, and ignore exonerating information. Anybody who supported Kavanaugh, from high school friends to sitting U.S. senators, was subjected to hostile media treatment and accusations of being a rape apologist.
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America will battle coronavirus for two years and could face an even bigger peak this fall, pandemic experts warn
America's coronavirus crisis will take up to two years to extinguish, according to top pandemic experts bracing the country to hunker down for the long-haul.
Their report paints a bleak picture for the near future, with people continuing to die in all possible outcomes mapped out by the scientists.
Health bosses will be particularly alarmed at the worst-case scenario which forecasts a second larger spike as early as this fall.
It would eclipse even the United States' current outbreak, which has infected over a million and killed 63,836.
This modelling echoes the latest projections of White House infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci, who said another wave of the virus is 'inevitable'.
Two of the three scenarios also dash hopes of a permanent end to lockdown, with the authors predicting social distancing measures will need to be reimposed to wrestle down future waves.
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Their report paints a bleak picture for the near future, with people continuing to die in all possible outcomes mapped out by the scientists.
Health bosses will be particularly alarmed at the worst-case scenario which forecasts a second larger spike as early as this fall.
It would eclipse even the United States' current outbreak, which has infected over a million and killed 63,836.
This modelling echoes the latest projections of White House infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci, who said another wave of the virus is 'inevitable'.
Two of the three scenarios also dash hopes of a permanent end to lockdown, with the authors predicting social distancing measures will need to be reimposed to wrestle down future waves.
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Nancy Pelosi is regarded as a 'rich, arrogant limousine liberal' by other Dems and had bitter feud with 'corporate sellout' Bill Clinton that culminated in her refusal to endorse Hillary for president, new book reveals
Nancy Pelosi is considered a 'rich and arrogant limousine liberal' who is out of touch with regular people - by her own party, a new biography obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com reveals.
Democrats recoiled at the idea of electing Pelosi as House Speaker in 2018 because her wealth made her 'unlikable'.
Pelosi, who is worth around $60 million, was thought of as somebody who 'looks down on the unwashed masses from her San Francisco mansion (or DC penthouse)'.
The 80-year-old faced similar allegations back in the 1980s when she began her career in Congress because her husband Paul is a multimillionaire who owns a real estate and a venture capital company.
The Pelosis also own a vineyard in Napa where they host weekend parties with the likes of former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt.
Pelosi's wealth recently drew some backlash from conservatives after her $24,000 fridge stuffed with luxury ice cream that sells for $12 a pint was featured in an interview with TV host James Corden.
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Democrats recoiled at the idea of electing Pelosi as House Speaker in 2018 because her wealth made her 'unlikable'.
Pelosi, who is worth around $60 million, was thought of as somebody who 'looks down on the unwashed masses from her San Francisco mansion (or DC penthouse)'.
The 80-year-old faced similar allegations back in the 1980s when she began her career in Congress because her husband Paul is a multimillionaire who owns a real estate and a venture capital company.
The Pelosis also own a vineyard in Napa where they host weekend parties with the likes of former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt.
Pelosi's wealth recently drew some backlash from conservatives after her $24,000 fridge stuffed with luxury ice cream that sells for $12 a pint was featured in an interview with TV host James Corden.
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Post says: #MeToo hypocrisy of Joe Biden, Democrats exposed
Remember “Believe All Women”? The rallying cry for Democrats and their allies in their bid to derail Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination is out the window now, not two years later. They insist that Tara Reade’s charge that her then-boss sexually assaulted her is not to be believed because — in Nancy Pelosi’s phrase — “Joe Biden is Joe Biden.”
In other words, they were never actually committed to the principle they used to try to destroy a man’s career and reputation. To them, it all depends on the man in question, not the woman.
Biden finally made his first statement about the allegation Friday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” It had been a month since Reade accused Biden of violating her when she worked for him in the Senate in 1993, but not one interviewer had asked the de facto Democratic nominee about it until Mika Brzezinski stepped up.
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In other words, they were never actually committed to the principle they used to try to destroy a man’s career and reputation. To them, it all depends on the man in question, not the woman.
Biden finally made his first statement about the allegation Friday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” It had been a month since Reade accused Biden of violating her when she worked for him in the Senate in 1993, but not one interviewer had asked the de facto Democratic nominee about it until Mika Brzezinski stepped up.
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Biden doesn’t want Senate records opened due to ‘speeches I’ve made’
Joe Biden’s comment that he doesn’t want to open up his Senate records, in part, because of “speeches I’ve made” has attracted the attention of Republicans and President Trump’s re-election campaign.
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s statement came on MSNBC Friday morning as he denied a sexual assault allegation from a former Senate aide, Tara Reade.
The specific quote was highlighted on Twitter by Andrew Clark, the rapid response director of Trump’s re-election campaign.
“What’s Biden hidin’?” wrote former Breitbart editor Raheem Kassam.
Kimberly Guilfoyle, a Trump campaign adviser and girlfriend of the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., also noted her concern.
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The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s statement came on MSNBC Friday morning as he denied a sexual assault allegation from a former Senate aide, Tara Reade.
The specific quote was highlighted on Twitter by Andrew Clark, the rapid response director of Trump’s re-election campaign.
“What’s Biden hidin’?” wrote former Breitbart editor Raheem Kassam.
Kimberly Guilfoyle, a Trump campaign adviser and girlfriend of the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., also noted her concern.
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Joe Biden discovers due process — does it apply to everyone?
Sorry, #MeToo: the liberal media had its first major test in the “believe all women” era and, of course, it has failed spectacularly.
Vice President Joe Biden, currently on track to be the Democratic nominee for president, has been accused of sexual assault by former staffer Tara Reade. Reade has some corroboration, including audio of her mother calling into the “Larry King Live” show in 1993 and inquiring what a staffer “for a prominent senator” in Washington could do if she had run into “problems.” But the liberal media just gosh darn aren’t sure she’s credible.
It’s hard not to notice that they didn’t have any such qualms about running with the accusations made against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018.
The main difference, of course, between the accusations of Brett Kavanaugh and Joe Biden is there is evidence Biden’s accuser knew him while no such evidence existed that Kavanaugh had ever met accuser Christine Blasey Ford.
There also don’t exist dozens of pictures of women standing by awkwardly as Brett Kavanaugh sniffed their hair or rubbed their shoulders.
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Vice President Joe Biden, currently on track to be the Democratic nominee for president, has been accused of sexual assault by former staffer Tara Reade. Reade has some corroboration, including audio of her mother calling into the “Larry King Live” show in 1993 and inquiring what a staffer “for a prominent senator” in Washington could do if she had run into “problems.” But the liberal media just gosh darn aren’t sure she’s credible.
It’s hard not to notice that they didn’t have any such qualms about running with the accusations made against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018.
The main difference, of course, between the accusations of Brett Kavanaugh and Joe Biden is there is evidence Biden’s accuser knew him while no such evidence existed that Kavanaugh had ever met accuser Christine Blasey Ford.
There also don’t exist dozens of pictures of women standing by awkwardly as Brett Kavanaugh sniffed their hair or rubbed their shoulders.
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Ilhan Omar pulled off 'worst string of felonies committed by a congressperson in US history'
The media has buried some big stories, but nothing compares to what they're doing with Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). But one reporter has never stopped looking into what no one else seems to want to touch: the facts.
PJ Media journalist David Steinberg is writing a series of exclusive stories for TheBlaze.com called "The Case Against Ilhan Omar." He joined Glenn Beck on the radio program to talk about part one of his series, which he said provides verifiable evidence that Omar committed multiple felonies. Not only did she commit marriage fraud by marrying her brother, but within that relationship she also committed immigration fraud, student loan fraud, and tax fraud.
In this clip, Steinberg lays out the case and the evidence that makes it pretty hard for the Minnesota congresswoman to deny committing what he called "the worst string of felonies committed by a congressperson in U.S. history."
Watch the video below for more details:
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PJ Media journalist David Steinberg is writing a series of exclusive stories for TheBlaze.com called "The Case Against Ilhan Omar." He joined Glenn Beck on the radio program to talk about part one of his series, which he said provides verifiable evidence that Omar committed multiple felonies. Not only did she commit marriage fraud by marrying her brother, but within that relationship she also committed immigration fraud, student loan fraud, and tax fraud.
In this clip, Steinberg lays out the case and the evidence that makes it pretty hard for the Minnesota congresswoman to deny committing what he called "the worst string of felonies committed by a congressperson in U.S. history."
Watch the video below for more details:
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Biden campaign operatives accessed secret Senate records at Delaware library
Joe’s Biden’s campaign dispatched operatives to the University of Delaware’s library in the past year to rifle through his secretive Senate records there, Business Insider reported Thursday — raising the possibility they accessed documents related to Tara Reade’s accusation that he sexually assaulted her when she worked for him in 1993.
The development comes as both The Atlantic and The Washington Post argued that Biden should instruct the university to turn over the records, saying they “could contain confirmation of any complaint Ms. Reade made, either through official congressional channels or to the three other employees she claims she informed not specifically of the alleged assault but more generally of harassment.”
Biden campaign officials “rifled through” the documents on “at least one occasion,” Business Insider reported, citing a statement from University spokeswoman Andrea Boyle Tippett.
Fox News reported on Thursday that numerous top officials on the board of the University of Delaware, which is refusing to release Biden’s Senate records despite an earlier promise to do so, have close personal and financial ties to the former vice president — and the chairman of the board even bought Biden’s house in 1996 for $1.2 million, reportedly a “top dollar” price given its condition.
More here
The development comes as both The Atlantic and The Washington Post argued that Biden should instruct the university to turn over the records, saying they “could contain confirmation of any complaint Ms. Reade made, either through official congressional channels or to the three other employees she claims she informed not specifically of the alleged assault but more generally of harassment.”
Biden campaign officials “rifled through” the documents on “at least one occasion,” Business Insider reported, citing a statement from University spokeswoman Andrea Boyle Tippett.
Fox News reported on Thursday that numerous top officials on the board of the University of Delaware, which is refusing to release Biden’s Senate records despite an earlier promise to do so, have close personal and financial ties to the former vice president — and the chairman of the board even bought Biden’s house in 1996 for $1.2 million, reportedly a “top dollar” price given its condition.
More here
Kayleigh McEnany Scolds Media for Ignoring Michael Flynn Story
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany scolded reporters on Friday at the White House for failing to cover the story of new developments in the case surrounding former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
“There is a case of injustice that is yet to be brought up today. I would certainly like to bring it up,” she said. “That is the case of Michael Flynn. What we have learned from that should scare every American citizen.”
New documents revealed this week showed FBI agent notes about trying to trick former National Security Michael Flynn into a lie to get him fired.
McEnany was asked by reporters whether the president still believed that Michael Flynn lied to Vice President Mike Pence, which was why he was fired.
“I guess I would turn the question on you and just ask, does it trouble you that the FBI said that we got to get Flynn to lie?” she asked. “Doesn’t that trouble you as a journalist? And not only that, as an American citizen?”
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“There is a case of injustice that is yet to be brought up today. I would certainly like to bring it up,” she said. “That is the case of Michael Flynn. What we have learned from that should scare every American citizen.”
New documents revealed this week showed FBI agent notes about trying to trick former National Security Michael Flynn into a lie to get him fired.
McEnany was asked by reporters whether the president still believed that Michael Flynn lied to Vice President Mike Pence, which was why he was fired.
“I guess I would turn the question on you and just ask, does it trouble you that the FBI said that we got to get Flynn to lie?” she asked. “Doesn’t that trouble you as a journalist? And not only that, as an American citizen?”
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National Guard, State Police Protecting Maryland's Virus Tests From Feds
Maryland's GOP Gov. Larry Hogan says the National Guard and Maryland State Police are guarding coronavirus tests at a secret location because of concerns they may be seized.
In a video interview with The Washington Post, Hogan said there was "a little bit of concern" about the federal government seizing the tests after governors had their supplies taken.
Maryland recently bought half a million tests from South Korean company LabGenomics for $9 million, Business Insider reported.
"We spent about 22 days and nights dealing with this whole transaction with Korea," Hogan told the Post.
"We dealt with the Korean embassy, folks at the State Department...and our scientists on both sides trying to figure out these tests," Hogan said. "And then at the last moment, I think 24 hours before, we got the sign-off from the FDA and Border and Customs to try to make sure that we landed this plane safely."
Hogan said when the Korean Air jet carrying the 500,000 tests flew into Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, it was met by National Guard troops and state troopers.
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In a video interview with The Washington Post, Hogan said there was "a little bit of concern" about the federal government seizing the tests after governors had their supplies taken.
Maryland recently bought half a million tests from South Korean company LabGenomics for $9 million, Business Insider reported.
"We spent about 22 days and nights dealing with this whole transaction with Korea," Hogan told the Post.
"We dealt with the Korean embassy, folks at the State Department...and our scientists on both sides trying to figure out these tests," Hogan said. "And then at the last moment, I think 24 hours before, we got the sign-off from the FDA and Border and Customs to try to make sure that we landed this plane safely."
Hogan said when the Korean Air jet carrying the 500,000 tests flew into Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, it was met by National Guard troops and state troopers.
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As Biden struggles, Hillary waits for the call
Hillary Clinton continues to hover in the wings, ready to step forward should Joe Biden fail.
Don’t look now, but Joe is failing. Not only has his campaign been rocked by sexual assault allegations from one-time staffer Tara Reade, but the public is beginning to give up on the former vice president. A new Emerson College poll showed 57 percent of likely voters think President Trump will win reelection in November.
Remember, Establishment Democrats put forward Uncle Joe because he was the “safe” candidate, bound to defeat Trump. Oops.
That’s not the only problem that crops up in the Emerson Poll. It also shows Trump supporters 19 points more enthusiastic about their candidate than Biden supporters. That “enthusiasm gap” will drive turnout this fall. With Democrats dependent on young people and minorities, both typically less reliable voters, that lack of excitement for the candidate could be a big problem.
Also less than gung-ho about Biden is, predictably, Bernie Sanders’s army. Though the Vermont socialist has endorsed Biden, 51 percent of Bernie supporters are, according to Emerson, open to voting for a third-party candidate.
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Don’t look now, but Joe is failing. Not only has his campaign been rocked by sexual assault allegations from one-time staffer Tara Reade, but the public is beginning to give up on the former vice president. A new Emerson College poll showed 57 percent of likely voters think President Trump will win reelection in November.
Remember, Establishment Democrats put forward Uncle Joe because he was the “safe” candidate, bound to defeat Trump. Oops.
That’s not the only problem that crops up in the Emerson Poll. It also shows Trump supporters 19 points more enthusiastic about their candidate than Biden supporters. That “enthusiasm gap” will drive turnout this fall. With Democrats dependent on young people and minorities, both typically less reliable voters, that lack of excitement for the candidate could be a big problem.
Also less than gung-ho about Biden is, predictably, Bernie Sanders’s army. Though the Vermont socialist has endorsed Biden, 51 percent of Bernie supporters are, according to Emerson, open to voting for a third-party candidate.
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Why Did Joe Biden Put Out a False Trail for Docs Related to Tara Reade's Complaint?
On Friday, Joe Biden made his first public response to the sexual assault allegations made against him by former staffer Tara Reade. In a statement, he claimed that there was no record of the alleged complaint she filed back in 1993. “The papers from my Senate years that I donated to the University of Delaware do not contain personnel files,” he explained. “There is only one place a complaint of this kind could be — the National Archives. The National Archives is where the records are kept at what was then called the Office of Fair Employment Practices.”
He then called on the National Archives to identify and release any such records pertaining to the alleged complaint.
There’s just one problem: The National Archives holds no such records.
Nicole Einbinder, an investigative reporter for Business Insider, reported on Twitter that a National Archives spokesperson told her “that they do not hold records from that office.”
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He then called on the National Archives to identify and release any such records pertaining to the alleged complaint.
There’s just one problem: The National Archives holds no such records.
Nicole Einbinder, an investigative reporter for Business Insider, reported on Twitter that a National Archives spokesperson told her “that they do not hold records from that office.”
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AZ Woman Who Blamed Trump for Chloroquine Ingestion Now Subject of Homicide Investigation
There is a price to pay for taking the ‘orange man…bad’ route if you’re a liberal reporter. You’re bound to get slapped in the face. How many times will the liberal media endure being embarrassed before they realize that they’re bad at their jobs and it only helps Trump’s re-election efforts? The coverage of this White House has been atrocious. It’s par for the course—and I know they will never have a reflective moment because they’re all insufferable, self-righteous clowns who think their word is the gospel. I’ve never seen such an arrogant bunch.
In their effort to attack the Trump administration as it battles the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in the US, the anti-Trump opposition press has peddled Chinese propaganda and now it looks like they’ve rallied around someone who is now under a homicide investigation. Remember that Arizona couple who ingested chloroquine phosphate because they thought it could ward off the virus? Wanda Lenius and her husband, Gary, ingested the fish tank cleaner with soda and the effects were dire. The husband died, while it left Wanda in critical condition. Now, she’s being investigated for homicide. Alana Goodman of the Washington Free Beacon has the scoop. One thing that struck friends of the late Gary Lenius as odd was this notion that this retired engineer would just take poison willingly.
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In their effort to attack the Trump administration as it battles the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in the US, the anti-Trump opposition press has peddled Chinese propaganda and now it looks like they’ve rallied around someone who is now under a homicide investigation. Remember that Arizona couple who ingested chloroquine phosphate because they thought it could ward off the virus? Wanda Lenius and her husband, Gary, ingested the fish tank cleaner with soda and the effects were dire. The husband died, while it left Wanda in critical condition. Now, she’s being investigated for homicide. Alana Goodman of the Washington Free Beacon has the scoop. One thing that struck friends of the late Gary Lenius as odd was this notion that this retired engineer would just take poison willingly.
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The Paycheck Protection Program: Paying People Not To Work?
The stimulus packages being handed out across this world provide us with an opportunity to document the anticapitalist process as it unfolds in real time, keeping in mind that when these inflation schemes fail, it will likely be blamed on capitalism.
My previous article discussed the $600 billion Main Street Lending Program (MSLP), which is very different from and not to be confused with the $670 billion Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Whereas the MSLP grants between $1 million and $150 million in the form of a secured loan, the PPP only provides the lesser of $10 million and 250 percent of a borrower’s average monthly payroll costs. However, what is more concerning than the amount of the loans are the terms of the “loans.” Per the US Small Business Administration (SBA):
The loan will be fully forgiven if the funds are used for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities (due to likely high subscription, at least 75% of the forgiven amount must have been used for payroll).
In what may go down in history as one of the most aptly named loan programs ever, the “Paycheck Protection Program,” appears to be living up to its moniker; but is it a “real loan” or a loan in name only? Even worse, nowhere does it say that employees must work in order to receive the money. Rather, the SBA goes on to mention that “forgiveness is based on the employer maintaining or quickly rehiring employees and maintaining salary levels.” Thus, not only does it make sense for the entrepreneur to maintain all staff, but the entrepreneur is also incentivized to maintain existing salary amounts as well, regardless of whether the employee works or not.
A recent Washington Post article said it best, citing a legal opinion to explain that
“the company can still choose to use PPP funds to pay that employee, even if the employee is not actually performing real work.”
But that doesn’t mean the loan is designed to pay people “not to work.”
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My previous article discussed the $600 billion Main Street Lending Program (MSLP), which is very different from and not to be confused with the $670 billion Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Whereas the MSLP grants between $1 million and $150 million in the form of a secured loan, the PPP only provides the lesser of $10 million and 250 percent of a borrower’s average monthly payroll costs. However, what is more concerning than the amount of the loans are the terms of the “loans.” Per the US Small Business Administration (SBA):
The loan will be fully forgiven if the funds are used for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities (due to likely high subscription, at least 75% of the forgiven amount must have been used for payroll).
In what may go down in history as one of the most aptly named loan programs ever, the “Paycheck Protection Program,” appears to be living up to its moniker; but is it a “real loan” or a loan in name only? Even worse, nowhere does it say that employees must work in order to receive the money. Rather, the SBA goes on to mention that “forgiveness is based on the employer maintaining or quickly rehiring employees and maintaining salary levels.” Thus, not only does it make sense for the entrepreneur to maintain all staff, but the entrepreneur is also incentivized to maintain existing salary amounts as well, regardless of whether the employee works or not.
A recent Washington Post article said it best, citing a legal opinion to explain that
“the company can still choose to use PPP funds to pay that employee, even if the employee is not actually performing real work.”
But that doesn’t mean the loan is designed to pay people “not to work.”
More
Exclusive — Juanita Broaddrick Blasts Hillary’s Biden Endorsement: Has ‘Decades of Experience’ Enabling ‘Sexual Predator’ Bill
Bill Clinton rape accuser Juanita Broaddrick slammed Hillary Clinton for endorsing Joe Biden for president at precisely the time the presumptive Democrat nominee finds himself mired in a sexual assault allegation.
“Who better to support Joe Biden than someone with not only years, but decades of experience in enabling a serial sexual predator?” asked Broaddrick sarcastically.
“Hillary has no morals,” Broaddrick told Breitbart News. “She does everything for money and power. Her standard of behavior depends entirely on ‘What’s in it for me?’”
Clinton yesterday endorsed Biden as the two ironically appeared in a virtual townhall focused on women’s issues and titled a “Virtual Women’s Town Hall.”
“I want to add my voice to the many who have endorsed you to be our president,” Clinton said. “Just think what a difference it would make right now if we had a president who not only listened to the science, put facts over fiction, but brought us together, showed the kind of compassion and caring that we need from our president and which Joe Biden has been exemplifying throughout his entire life.”
Biden has been accused of sexually assaulting Tara Reade, who worked as an assistant to the politician for about eight months in 1992 and 1993.
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“Who better to support Joe Biden than someone with not only years, but decades of experience in enabling a serial sexual predator?” asked Broaddrick sarcastically.
“Hillary has no morals,” Broaddrick told Breitbart News. “She does everything for money and power. Her standard of behavior depends entirely on ‘What’s in it for me?’”
Clinton yesterday endorsed Biden as the two ironically appeared in a virtual townhall focused on women’s issues and titled a “Virtual Women’s Town Hall.”
“I want to add my voice to the many who have endorsed you to be our president,” Clinton said. “Just think what a difference it would make right now if we had a president who not only listened to the science, put facts over fiction, but brought us together, showed the kind of compassion and caring that we need from our president and which Joe Biden has been exemplifying throughout his entire life.”
Biden has been accused of sexually assaulting Tara Reade, who worked as an assistant to the politician for about eight months in 1992 and 1993.
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Stacey Abrams: ‘We Must Expand Use of Vote by Mail,’ Ballot Harvesting
The United States “must expand use of vote by mail,” according to activist and failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who released an analysis of Wisconsin’s controversial April primary election and concluded that safer in-person voting “depends on reducing crowds by maximizing participation in vote-by-mail” and the addition of ballot harvesting.
Abrams, a prospective running mate for Joe Biden (D), is advancing the Democrat Party’s scheme to gradually introduce universal vote-by-mail in the United States, using the coronavirus pandemic and recent election in Wisconsin as a catalyst for the movement.
“The Wisconsin primary showed the challenges for our democracy amid #COVID19. We must expand use of vote by mail and make in-person voting safe,” Abrams wrote on Wednesday, providing a joint-analysis detailing key takeaways from the state’s primary:
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Abrams, a prospective running mate for Joe Biden (D), is advancing the Democrat Party’s scheme to gradually introduce universal vote-by-mail in the United States, using the coronavirus pandemic and recent election in Wisconsin as a catalyst for the movement.
“The Wisconsin primary showed the challenges for our democracy amid #COVID19. We must expand use of vote by mail and make in-person voting safe,” Abrams wrote on Wednesday, providing a joint-analysis detailing key takeaways from the state’s primary:
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Progressive Mag CounterPunch: Sexual Misconduct Allegations ‘Swirling Around Biden for Many Years’
A 2008 column in the far-left magazine CounterPunchaccusing Joe Biden of “loutish sexual advances” in the U.S. Senate has become a lightning rod in the debate over Biden and his former staffer Tara Reade’s allegation of sexual assault in 1993.
The article, written by the late Alexander Cockburn, lamented then-presidential candidate Barack Obama’s choice of Biden as a running mate in August 2008. Biden, in Cockburn’s view, was an empty and worthless swamp creature, a D.C. insider chosen purely to improve Obama’s electoral odds who would ultimately stifle any progressive agenda for the candidate of “Hope and Change.”
Yet just five paragraphs in, Cockburn made an aside about Biden’s character that accused him of harassing women who worked in the Senate, even while he was supposedly grieving over his wife’s death:
Biden is a notorious flapjaw. His vanity deludes him into believing that every word that drops from his mouth is minted in the golden currency of Pericles. Vanity is the most conspicuous characteristic of US Senators en bloc, nourished by deferential acolytes and often expressed in loutish sexual advances to staffers, interns and the like. On more than one occasion CounterPunch’s editors have listened to vivid accounts by the recipient of just such advances, this staffer of another senator being accosted by Biden in the well of the senate in the weeks immediately following his first wife’s fatal car accident. [emphasis added]
These three sentences have gone viral as the former VP, now the presumptive Democrat presidential nominee, is trying to discredit Tara Reade, a woman who briefly worked for Biden’s office in the early 1990s.
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The article, written by the late Alexander Cockburn, lamented then-presidential candidate Barack Obama’s choice of Biden as a running mate in August 2008. Biden, in Cockburn’s view, was an empty and worthless swamp creature, a D.C. insider chosen purely to improve Obama’s electoral odds who would ultimately stifle any progressive agenda for the candidate of “Hope and Change.”
Yet just five paragraphs in, Cockburn made an aside about Biden’s character that accused him of harassing women who worked in the Senate, even while he was supposedly grieving over his wife’s death:
Biden is a notorious flapjaw. His vanity deludes him into believing that every word that drops from his mouth is minted in the golden currency of Pericles. Vanity is the most conspicuous characteristic of US Senators en bloc, nourished by deferential acolytes and often expressed in loutish sexual advances to staffers, interns and the like. On more than one occasion CounterPunch’s editors have listened to vivid accounts by the recipient of just such advances, this staffer of another senator being accosted by Biden in the well of the senate in the weeks immediately following his first wife’s fatal car accident. [emphasis added]
These three sentences have gone viral as the former VP, now the presumptive Democrat presidential nominee, is trying to discredit Tara Reade, a woman who briefly worked for Biden’s office in the early 1990s.
More
Hayward: How China Turns Globalist Billionaires and Big Tech into Spokespeople
Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates’ energetic defense of how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) handled the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic might have been an eye-opening moment for many Americans.
The truth is that Beijing has been working on subverting globalist billionaires and Western Big Tech culture since the early days of “economic engagement” with that authoritarian regime.
The game of global influence the CCP is playing while its pandemic ravages the world is a game it spent decades preparing for, while the people of the West are still trying to figure out the rules and measure the stakes.
Gates raised eyebrows this week by denouncing efforts to hold the CCP responsible for the pandemic it unquestionably unleashed as a “distraction” in which “a lot of incorrect and unfair things” have been said about the Communist regime. He asserted that “China did a lot of things right at the beginning.”
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The truth is that Beijing has been working on subverting globalist billionaires and Western Big Tech culture since the early days of “economic engagement” with that authoritarian regime.
The game of global influence the CCP is playing while its pandemic ravages the world is a game it spent decades preparing for, while the people of the West are still trying to figure out the rules and measure the stakes.
Gates raised eyebrows this week by denouncing efforts to hold the CCP responsible for the pandemic it unquestionably unleashed as a “distraction” in which “a lot of incorrect and unfair things” have been said about the Communist regime. He asserted that “China did a lot of things right at the beginning.”
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Chinese Communist Party Knew That Their Bio-Labs Were A Ticking Time Bomb In October
The communist Chinese government was painfully aware that bio-labs including the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where it is thought the coronavirus could have originated, were in desperate need of safety upgrades to prevent accidental leaks.
An article in Asian Review notes that Chinese President Xi Jinping has been discussing the need for “biosafety” improvements for the past year.
“Beijing had been preparing biosecurity law, but not fast enough,” the report notes, adding that “China has been preparing for it carefully for quite a long time, conscious of how the country was perceived overseas.”
The report goes on to explain that France, a country instrumental in the construction of the lab, found a significant flaw in the framework for ensuring the safety of virus research in China.
“China wanted to catch up with advanced countries in biotech research as soon as possible. To that end, it needed to establish related laws on par with those in countries like France, the U.S. and Germany.” the report continues.
A report was received by the Chinese parliament last October, detailing 8 points where safety needed to be upgraded:
1) The prevention and control of major emerging infectious diseases, animal and plant epidemics.
2) Research, development and application of biotechnology.
3) Ensuring biosecurity in laboratories.
4) Ensuring the security of China’s biological resources and human genetic resources.
5) Preventing the invasion of alien species and protect biodiversity.
6) Dealing with microbial drug resistance.
7) Preventing bioterrorism attacks.
8) Defending against the threat of biological weapons.
The report notes that “the measures were not introduced in time for China to prevent the Wuhan outbreak. Instead, information was initially covered up and China’s first steps were delayed.”
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An article in Asian Review notes that Chinese President Xi Jinping has been discussing the need for “biosafety” improvements for the past year.
“Beijing had been preparing biosecurity law, but not fast enough,” the report notes, adding that “China has been preparing for it carefully for quite a long time, conscious of how the country was perceived overseas.”
The report goes on to explain that France, a country instrumental in the construction of the lab, found a significant flaw in the framework for ensuring the safety of virus research in China.
“China wanted to catch up with advanced countries in biotech research as soon as possible. To that end, it needed to establish related laws on par with those in countries like France, the U.S. and Germany.” the report continues.
A report was received by the Chinese parliament last October, detailing 8 points where safety needed to be upgraded:
1) The prevention and control of major emerging infectious diseases, animal and plant epidemics.
2) Research, development and application of biotechnology.
3) Ensuring biosecurity in laboratories.
4) Ensuring the security of China’s biological resources and human genetic resources.
5) Preventing the invasion of alien species and protect biodiversity.
6) Dealing with microbial drug resistance.
7) Preventing bioterrorism attacks.
8) Defending against the threat of biological weapons.
The report notes that “the measures were not introduced in time for China to prevent the Wuhan outbreak. Instead, information was initially covered up and China’s first steps were delayed.”
More
South Korea: No Coronavirus Cases Linked to In-Person National Election
South Korea successfully held in-person elections this month without finding evidence for a single coronavirus transmission at an election station, South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) announced this week, the Epoch Times reported on Thursday.
“Twenty-nine million voters participated in the April 15 parliamentary election. … Not one [coronavirus] case related to the election has been reported during the 14 days of incubation period,” Yoon Tae-ho, MOHW’s director-general for public health policy, said at a press briefing.
Yoon thanked staff and voters who followed safety measures during elections, which included requiring voters to wear masks and gloves when casting ballots, maintaining at least a three-foot distance from one another, and regular disinfection of polling stations, according to the Epoch Times.
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“Twenty-nine million voters participated in the April 15 parliamentary election. … Not one [coronavirus] case related to the election has been reported during the 14 days of incubation period,” Yoon Tae-ho, MOHW’s director-general for public health policy, said at a press briefing.
Yoon thanked staff and voters who followed safety measures during elections, which included requiring voters to wear masks and gloves when casting ballots, maintaining at least a three-foot distance from one another, and regular disinfection of polling stations, according to the Epoch Times.
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Donald Trump: ‘DIRTY COP JAMES COMEY GOT CAUGHT’ Setting up Michael Flynn
President Donald Trump reacted strongly on Thursday to new documents showing the F.B.I set up his former National Security Advisor Gen. Michael Flynn to get him to lie.
“DIRTY COP JAMES COMEY GOT CAUGHT!” Trump wrote on Twitter in all-caps.
Newly unsealed documents show handwritten notes by F.B.I. officials discussing how to get Flynn to either admit to breaking the Logan Act or catching him in a lie.
One note in the F.B.I. documents asked whether the “goal” in the Flynn interview was “to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired.”
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“DIRTY COP JAMES COMEY GOT CAUGHT!” Trump wrote on Twitter in all-caps.
Newly unsealed documents show handwritten notes by F.B.I. officials discussing how to get Flynn to either admit to breaking the Logan Act or catching him in a lie.
One note in the F.B.I. documents asked whether the “goal” in the Flynn interview was “to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired.”
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National Archives Refutes Biden: Tara Reade’s Complaint Wouldn’t Go to Our Records
The National Archives and Records Administration on Friday disputed former Vice President Joe Biden’s claim that the record of a sexual harassment complaint allegedly made by former staffer Tara Reade would be in its possession.
Biden, who faces growing pressure on the topic from both allies and the media, told MSNBC’s Morning Joe that there was no truth to claims he either harassed or sexually assaulted Reade while she worked for his Senate office in the early 1990s.
“No, it is not true,” Biden told the show hosts. “I’m saying unequivocally it never, never happened and it didn’t. It never happened.”
The MSNBC appearance marked the first time that Biden has addressed the accusations directly since Reade reemerged last month.
Reade, who worked for Biden’s congressional office between 1992 and 1993, had initially come forward last April to accuse the former vice president of unwanted touching. At the time, she told a local California news outlet that she had filed a complaint noting the misconduct with the Senate’s personnel office when it purportedly occurred.
“There is only one place a complaint of this kind could be — the National Archives,” Biden said, adding that “the National Archives is where the records are kept” from the Senate Office of Fair Employment Practices, where Reade would have filed her complaint to while working on his staff.
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Biden, who faces growing pressure on the topic from both allies and the media, told MSNBC’s Morning Joe that there was no truth to claims he either harassed or sexually assaulted Reade while she worked for his Senate office in the early 1990s.
“No, it is not true,” Biden told the show hosts. “I’m saying unequivocally it never, never happened and it didn’t. It never happened.”
The MSNBC appearance marked the first time that Biden has addressed the accusations directly since Reade reemerged last month.
Reade, who worked for Biden’s congressional office between 1992 and 1993, had initially come forward last April to accuse the former vice president of unwanted touching. At the time, she told a local California news outlet that she had filed a complaint noting the misconduct with the Senate’s personnel office when it purportedly occurred.
“There is only one place a complaint of this kind could be — the National Archives,” Biden said, adding that “the National Archives is where the records are kept” from the Senate Office of Fair Employment Practices, where Reade would have filed her complaint to while working on his staff.
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Scalise says 'dirty cops' in FBI should go to jail
In light of bombshell FBI documents that reveal an alleged scheme to set up then-national security adviser Michael Flynn, Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., told “Fox & Friends” on Friday that the FBI was getting ready to close the Flynn case, but "anti-Trumper" agent Peter Strzok pushed it to continue.
"[Strzok] had motivations against Donald Trump, not as a cop trying to find out facts,” the House minority whip argued.
“Strzok and [FBI attorney Lisa Page] were both dirty cops in the beginning … it looks like they were literally trying to set a trap for him.”
“They had a motivation against Trump and against Flynn even though the evidence didn’t show that they should move forward. He’s the one who pushed to do it anyway because he had anti-Trump motivations. That’s not the kind of person you want with a badge. That’s what the definition of 'dirty cop' is all about," Scalise said.
“People ought to go to jail and he would be at the top of the list."
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https://www.foxnews.com/media/scalise-on-flynn-case-dirty-cops-in-fbi-were-out-to-get-trump-and-flynn
"[Strzok] had motivations against Donald Trump, not as a cop trying to find out facts,” the House minority whip argued.
“Strzok and [FBI attorney Lisa Page] were both dirty cops in the beginning … it looks like they were literally trying to set a trap for him.”
“They had a motivation against Trump and against Flynn even though the evidence didn’t show that they should move forward. He’s the one who pushed to do it anyway because he had anti-Trump motivations. That’s not the kind of person you want with a badge. That’s what the definition of 'dirty cop' is all about," Scalise said.
“People ought to go to jail and he would be at the top of the list."
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https://www.foxnews.com/media/scalise-on-flynn-case-dirty-cops-in-fbi-were-out-to-get-trump-and-flynn
Destroy Healthcare to Save It?
Weeks ago, medical experts and politicians warned that our hospitals would be overwhelmed with coronavirus patients. Cities and states across the country turned convention centers and other venues into makeshift hospitals, while the hospitals themselves banned “elective” surgeries in order to prepare for the overflow.
What happened?
Many hospitals are now empty and have been forced to lay off workers. The 500-bed U.S. Navy ship Comfort that New York City so desperately needed is about to head out to sea, never having been nearly so needed as anticipated. Field hospitals erected at great cost are closing without ever having treated a patient. As The Daily Wire reports, that’s because “forecasts [in New York City, for example,] predicted that 110,000 beds would be necessary. At the height of the outbreak, 18,825 beds, less than 20% of the predicted number, were needed.”
Don’t get us wrong: We’re glad that our hospitals were never pushed to the brink except for some “hot spots.” But these same facilities now face a crisis that may have been even worse than the virus. As President Donald Trump repeatedly states, “The cure can’t be worse than the problem itself.”
Well, it just might be. But our government’s intentions were good.
“One reason that we didn’t want hospitals to get overrun by COVID-19 patients is that we’d crowd out everyone else needing care,” National Review editor Rich Lowry writes, “but we’ve ended up crowding out many people needing care as a deliberate choice — even where COVID-19 surges haven’t happened and probably never will.”
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What happened?
Many hospitals are now empty and have been forced to lay off workers. The 500-bed U.S. Navy ship Comfort that New York City so desperately needed is about to head out to sea, never having been nearly so needed as anticipated. Field hospitals erected at great cost are closing without ever having treated a patient. As The Daily Wire reports, that’s because “forecasts [in New York City, for example,] predicted that 110,000 beds would be necessary. At the height of the outbreak, 18,825 beds, less than 20% of the predicted number, were needed.”
Don’t get us wrong: We’re glad that our hospitals were never pushed to the brink except for some “hot spots.” But these same facilities now face a crisis that may have been even worse than the virus. As President Donald Trump repeatedly states, “The cure can’t be worse than the problem itself.”
Well, it just might be. But our government’s intentions were good.
“One reason that we didn’t want hospitals to get overrun by COVID-19 patients is that we’d crowd out everyone else needing care,” National Review editor Rich Lowry writes, “but we’ve ended up crowding out many people needing care as a deliberate choice — even where COVID-19 surges haven’t happened and probably never will.”
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Tucker takes on ex-McKinsey exec over praise of China: It seems like an 'apology' for fascist behavior
Former McKinsey & Company senior partner Peter Walker joined "Tucker Carlson Tonight" Thursday, where he was grilled by the host about his former company's cozy relationship with China and his statement that Beijing response to the coronavirus pandemic deserved "high praise."
"I think the harsh action that they took, given the scale of China and the number of big cities ... was exactly what they needed to do to be able to prevent the outbreak from going any further," Walker responded.
"Am I happy about their lack of disclosure and lack of transparency? Absolutely not. They should be faulted for that. They should be accountable for that."
Carlson brought up the police state measures enforced by Chinese authorities as they scrambled to stop the COVID-19 from spreading.
"What would you say to the families of those who died, starved to death alone in their apartments, or the people who are wondering where their relatives went after they were bundled into Chinese police vans?" Carlson asked Walker. "How would you square their grief with the praise you just heaped on the quarantine?"
Walker said there should be grief and every death is "heartbreaking," but China prevented the virus from spreading "off the charts" to other cities. He said, to the contrary, the United States "got a late start when all is said and done" and was "more unprepared" to respond.
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"I think the harsh action that they took, given the scale of China and the number of big cities ... was exactly what they needed to do to be able to prevent the outbreak from going any further," Walker responded.
"Am I happy about their lack of disclosure and lack of transparency? Absolutely not. They should be faulted for that. They should be accountable for that."
Carlson brought up the police state measures enforced by Chinese authorities as they scrambled to stop the COVID-19 from spreading.
"What would you say to the families of those who died, starved to death alone in their apartments, or the people who are wondering where their relatives went after they were bundled into Chinese police vans?" Carlson asked Walker. "How would you square their grief with the praise you just heaped on the quarantine?"
Walker said there should be grief and every death is "heartbreaking," but China prevented the virus from spreading "off the charts" to other cities. He said, to the contrary, the United States "got a late start when all is said and done" and was "more unprepared" to respond.
More
https://www.foxnews.com/media/peter-walker-mckinsey-china-coronavirus-human-rights
Dr. Daniel Murphy: I've worked the front line in NYC, it's time to start opening up
I’m an emergency physician at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx. I have been in the ER every day these last few weeks, either supervising or providing direct care. I contracted a COVID-19 infection very early in the outbreak, as did two of my daughters, one of whom is a nurse. We are all well, thank God.
COVID-19 has been the worst health care disaster of my 30-year career, because of its intensity, duration and potential for lasting impact. The lasting impact is what worries me the most. And it’s why I now believe we should end the lockdown and rapidly get back to work.
From mid-March through mid-April, the ER staff at St. Barnabas huddled in groups of about 20 every morning. We asked ourselves what had happened over the previous shift. We generated a list of actionable tasks for the following 24 hours. At first, we addressed personal protective equipment and the management of patients with mild illness who were seeking COVID-19 tests.
Then came the wave of critically ill patients in numbers none of us had ever seen. This lasted for two weeks...
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https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/coronavirus-front-line-nyc-daniel-murphy
COVID-19 has been the worst health care disaster of my 30-year career, because of its intensity, duration and potential for lasting impact. The lasting impact is what worries me the most. And it’s why I now believe we should end the lockdown and rapidly get back to work.
From mid-March through mid-April, the ER staff at St. Barnabas huddled in groups of about 20 every morning. We asked ourselves what had happened over the previous shift. We generated a list of actionable tasks for the following 24 hours. At first, we addressed personal protective equipment and the management of patients with mild illness who were seeking COVID-19 tests.
Then came the wave of critically ill patients in numbers none of us had ever seen. This lasted for two weeks...
More
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/coronavirus-front-line-nyc-daniel-murphy
South Korean company gets emergency approval from FDA for Maryland's coronavirus tests
BALTIMORE — The South Korean company that provided to Maryland 500,000 coronavirus tests was given emergency approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The approval comes as some local officials are asking when the tests will be distributed and to whom.
The FDA authorization is an important step in the use of the tests, and it comes 27 days after the governor struck the secret deal to buy the tests from the South Korean company, LabGenomics.
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The approval comes as some local officials are asking when the tests will be distributed and to whom.
The FDA authorization is an important step in the use of the tests, and it comes 27 days after the governor struck the secret deal to buy the tests from the South Korean company, LabGenomics.
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YouTube Censors Video of California Doctors Calling for Re-opening of Country
YouTube has taken down a video of two doctors from Bakersfield, California, who held a press conference calling for the reopening of the country. According to the Google-owned video platform, the doctors “violated community guidelines.”
The doctors, Dan Erickson and Artin Massihi, operate out of an urgent care clinic in Bakersfield. Citing fatality statistics in California, the doctors argued that the Chinese virus has proven less deadly than anticipated.
“We have 39.5 million people, if we just take a basic calculation and extrapolate that out, that equates to about 4.7 million cases throughout the state of California,” said Dr. Erickson. “Which means this thing is widespread, that’s the good news. We’ve seen 1,227 deaths in the state of California with a possible incidents or prevalence of 4.7 million. That means you have a 0.03 chance of dying from COVID-19 in the state of California.”
The doctors made their case in a 50-minute press conference which was uploaded to YouTube. The Google-owned video platform has since taken the video down, replacing it with a message stating that the content violated its community guidelines.
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The doctors, Dan Erickson and Artin Massihi, operate out of an urgent care clinic in Bakersfield. Citing fatality statistics in California, the doctors argued that the Chinese virus has proven less deadly than anticipated.
“We have 39.5 million people, if we just take a basic calculation and extrapolate that out, that equates to about 4.7 million cases throughout the state of California,” said Dr. Erickson. “Which means this thing is widespread, that’s the good news. We’ve seen 1,227 deaths in the state of California with a possible incidents or prevalence of 4.7 million. That means you have a 0.03 chance of dying from COVID-19 in the state of California.”
The doctors made their case in a 50-minute press conference which was uploaded to YouTube. The Google-owned video platform has since taken the video down, replacing it with a message stating that the content violated its community guidelines.
More
Maryland COVID-19 Data 5-2-2020
COVID-19 Statistics in Maryland
Number of confirmed cases : 24,473
Number of negative test results : 101,049
Number of confirmed deaths : 1,156
Number of probable deaths : 95
Currently hospitalized : 1,657
Acute care : 1,091
Intensive care : 566
Ever hospitalized : 4,910
Released from isolation : 1,590
Cases and Deaths Data Breakdown:
Parenthesis = Confirmed death, laboratory-confirmed positive COVID-19 test result
Asterisk = Probable death, death certificate lists COVID-19 as the cause of death but not yet confirmed by a laboratory test
NH = Non-Hispanic
By County
County Cases Deaths
Allegany 121 (8)
Anne Arundel 1,885 (86) 8*
Baltimore City 2,237 (117) 9*
Baltimore County 3,183 (125) 14*
Calvert 160 (10) 1*
Caroline 79
Carroll 480 (46)
Cecil 187 (8)
Charles 622 (45) 2*
Dorchester 59 (2)
Frederick 976 (52) 7*
Garrett 4
Harford 468 (10) 6*
Howard 931 (19) 1*
Kent 80 (4)
Montgomery 4,919 (256) 26*
Prince George's 7,041 (257) 12*
Queen Anne's 57 (8)
St. Mary's 164 (7)
Somerset 32
Talbot 39 (1)
Washington 225 (6)
Wicomico 452 (10)
Worcester 72 (2) 1*
Data not available (77) 8*
By Age Range and Gender
Age/Gender Cases Deaths
0-9 348
10-19 701
20-29 2,868 (8)
30-39 4,207 (16) 1*
40-49 4,377 (28) 2*
50-59 4,400 (76) 8*
60-69 3,350 (176) 11*
70-79 2,270 (285) 14*
80+ 1,952 (490) 52*
Data not available (77) 7*
Female 13,005 (554) 53*
Male 11,468 (602) 42*
By Race and Ethnicity
Race/Ethnicity Cases Deaths
African-American (NH) 8,470 (482) 31*
Asian (NH) 502 (39) 3*
White (NH) 5,385 (468) 51*
Hispanic 4,258 (70) 3*
Other (NH) 876 (18)
Data not available 4,982 (79) 7*
Number of confirmed cases : 24,473
Number of negative test results : 101,049
Number of confirmed deaths : 1,156
Number of probable deaths : 95
Currently hospitalized : 1,657
Acute care : 1,091
Intensive care : 566
Ever hospitalized : 4,910
Released from isolation : 1,590
Cases and Deaths Data Breakdown:
Parenthesis = Confirmed death, laboratory-confirmed positive COVID-19 test result
Asterisk = Probable death, death certificate lists COVID-19 as the cause of death but not yet confirmed by a laboratory test
NH = Non-Hispanic
By County
County Cases Deaths
Allegany 121 (8)
Anne Arundel 1,885 (86) 8*
Baltimore City 2,237 (117) 9*
Baltimore County 3,183 (125) 14*
Calvert 160 (10) 1*
Caroline 79
Carroll 480 (46)
Cecil 187 (8)
Charles 622 (45) 2*
Dorchester 59 (2)
Frederick 976 (52) 7*
Garrett 4
Harford 468 (10) 6*
Howard 931 (19) 1*
Kent 80 (4)
Montgomery 4,919 (256) 26*
Prince George's 7,041 (257) 12*
Queen Anne's 57 (8)
St. Mary's 164 (7)
Somerset 32
Talbot 39 (1)
Washington 225 (6)
Wicomico 452 (10)
Worcester 72 (2) 1*
Data not available (77) 8*
By Age Range and Gender
Age/Gender Cases Deaths
0-9 348
10-19 701
20-29 2,868 (8)
30-39 4,207 (16) 1*
40-49 4,377 (28) 2*
50-59 4,400 (76) 8*
60-69 3,350 (176) 11*
70-79 2,270 (285) 14*
80+ 1,952 (490) 52*
Data not available (77) 7*
Female 13,005 (554) 53*
Male 11,468 (602) 42*
By Race and Ethnicity
Race/Ethnicity Cases Deaths
African-American (NH) 8,470 (482) 31*
Asian (NH) 502 (39) 3*
White (NH) 5,385 (468) 51*
Hispanic 4,258 (70) 3*
Other (NH) 876 (18)
Data not available 4,982 (79) 7*
Chinese State Media: U.S. ‘Is Likely to Regret’ Holding Beijing Accountable for Coronavirus
Chinese state media is still cranking out editorials denouncing U.S. lawsuits intended to hold Beijing accountable for the death and damage inflicted by the Wuhan coronavirus, suggesting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is more than a little worried about backlash from the pandemic, even if the legal principle of sovereign immunity protects it from these particular lawsuits.
As it has done in previous editorial broadsides against the suits, China’s state-run Global Times on Sunday expressed blustery confidence that sovereign immunity will protect the CCP from foreign efforts to collect damages for the pandemic.
The Global Times added some taunting about the number of coronavirus cases in the United States (which are reported honestly, unlike the highly questionable data Beijing has always provided on the Wuhan virus) and claimed the lawsuits filed by states like Missouri and Mississippi are merely political stunts to distract the American people from their misery.
Then, as always with CCP communiques, came the analysis from nameless “experts” and thinly-veiled threats:
More
As it has done in previous editorial broadsides against the suits, China’s state-run Global Times on Sunday expressed blustery confidence that sovereign immunity will protect the CCP from foreign efforts to collect damages for the pandemic.
The Global Times added some taunting about the number of coronavirus cases in the United States (which are reported honestly, unlike the highly questionable data Beijing has always provided on the Wuhan virus) and claimed the lawsuits filed by states like Missouri and Mississippi are merely political stunts to distract the American people from their misery.
Then, as always with CCP communiques, came the analysis from nameless “experts” and thinly-veiled threats:
More
Kudlow says 'the worst is nearly over' as unemployment tops 30 million
Larry Kudlow said Friday that even though the second quarter of fiscal year 2020 will be worse than the first, he believes the 'worst is nearly over' of economic depressionfrom coronavirus.
'That gives me hope that working cooperatively we can get through this. I believe – yes, I am an optimist, always – I believe we can get through this. I believe the worst is nearly over. I hope and pray that that is the case. And I think as this infection rate comes down, it's an omen that America is not far from getting to the other side,' Kudlow told CNBC in an interview Friday morning.
President Donald Trump's top economic adviser also admitted that the economy will continue to suffer as the pandemic enters another month.
'You probably saw in the GDP, a 13 per cent saving rate in the first quarter. That's a remarkable number, that just shows you there's pent up demand up there. The second quarter's going to be worse numbers, no question about it,' Kudlow said.
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'That gives me hope that working cooperatively we can get through this. I believe – yes, I am an optimist, always – I believe we can get through this. I believe the worst is nearly over. I hope and pray that that is the case. And I think as this infection rate comes down, it's an omen that America is not far from getting to the other side,' Kudlow told CNBC in an interview Friday morning.
President Donald Trump's top economic adviser also admitted that the economy will continue to suffer as the pandemic enters another month.
'You probably saw in the GDP, a 13 per cent saving rate in the first quarter. That's a remarkable number, that just shows you there's pent up demand up there. The second quarter's going to be worse numbers, no question about it,' Kudlow said.
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Millions of Doses of Remdesivir, Promising Drug in Virus War, Could Be Available By Next Year
By the end of May, Gilead Sciences says, it could produce 140,000 doses of remdesivir -- a drug which has shown promise in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The company hopes that'll rise to a million rounds of the drug by the end of 2020 and “several million” doses by next year.
CNBC reports that clinical tests of the drug on 397 patients with severe, advanced cases of COVID-19 showed that a five-day dosage cycle led to improvement in at least half.
Daniel O’Day, CEO of Gilead, said on the company’s website: “We are very pleased with these results. They provide valuable information on treatment duration in this severe patient population and show the outcome we had all hoped to see.”
He also noted that the company’s studies show that patients received the same benefit from remdesivir if they took it for five days or 10, meaning that more of the drug could become available more quickly, allowing treatment of more patients.
More
CNBC reports that clinical tests of the drug on 397 patients with severe, advanced cases of COVID-19 showed that a five-day dosage cycle led to improvement in at least half.
Daniel O’Day, CEO of Gilead, said on the company’s website: “We are very pleased with these results. They provide valuable information on treatment duration in this severe patient population and show the outcome we had all hoped to see.”
He also noted that the company’s studies show that patients received the same benefit from remdesivir if they took it for five days or 10, meaning that more of the drug could become available more quickly, allowing treatment of more patients.
More
A Viewer Writes: Covid Chart
Chart from CDC where they separated the flu like deaths such as influenza and only those who died from COVID,
not what MSN has been reporting all along. 11,000 not 51,000 as they say!
not what MSN has been reporting all along. 11,000 not 51,000 as they say!
This chart came direct from CDC website.
BARR: Upcoming Supreme Court Decisions Are Only Going To Make Nancy Pelosi Even More Angry
Speaker Nancy Pelosi this past weekend launched a broadside invective at the United States Supreme Court, calling the Court’s justices – apparently all nine of them — “political hacks.” Additional opinions expected in the coming weeks, however, are likely to heighten the Speaker’s ire.
While the country continues in the grip of a medical pandemic made worse by a series of draconian measures instituted by state governors and local officials limiting individual liberty, Ms. Pelosi found time to vent her anger at the Supreme Court. Interestingly, the Court did not incur the Speaker’s wrath because it dared limit what has become the Left’s most sacred shibboleth – unfettered access to abortion on demand. Nor was the Speaker’s anger precipitated by a majority of justices finding cause to support the right to possess a firearm, which, unlike the right to an abortion, is expressly guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.
More
While the country continues in the grip of a medical pandemic made worse by a series of draconian measures instituted by state governors and local officials limiting individual liberty, Ms. Pelosi found time to vent her anger at the Supreme Court. Interestingly, the Court did not incur the Speaker’s wrath because it dared limit what has become the Left’s most sacred shibboleth – unfettered access to abortion on demand. Nor was the Speaker’s anger precipitated by a majority of justices finding cause to support the right to possess a firearm, which, unlike the right to an abortion, is expressly guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.
More
A Viewer Writes: PARSONSBURG FIRE DEPARTMENT
Parsonsburg, Pittsville, and Salisbury were called to a house fire on Fred Adkins Road in Parsonsburg. There was a big fire in the house.
Salisbury and Pittsville got there first and Parsonsburg had be paged twice. They had to call Salisbury for more units.
Top college lab urged to come clean about ties to infamous Wuhan facility
Federal officials are pressing one of the most advanced bio-containment laboratories in the U.S. to reveal more information relating to their extensive work and contractual relationship with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a new letter from the Department of Education reveals.
The letter, dated April 24 and addressed to the University of Texas chancellor James Milliken, asks explicitly for disclosures as required under section 117 of the Higher Education Act.
"Between June 6, 2014, and June 3, 2019, U.T. reported approximately twenty-four contracts with various Chinese state-owned universities and ten contracts with Huawei Technologies, all purportedly worth a reported total of $12,987,896," the letter, signed by Reed D. Rubinstein, principal deputy general counsel for the U.S. Department of Education, states. "It is not clear, however, whether U.T. has, in fact, reported all gifts from or contracts with or relating to the Wuhan MCL, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and/or all other foreign sources, including agents and instrumentalities of the government of the Peoples' Republic of China."
The Galveston National Laboratory (GNL), which is part of the University of Texas system, is one of just 14 bio-safety level 4 labs in the U.S., and boasted in a 2018 release about its work in directing operations of the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
The 2018 agreement provided for the exchange of some of America's most talented research and national security scientists, in addition to wide-ranging research sharing — an arrangement that experts say poses serious national security risks, especially considering the Wuhan lab's burgeoning scrutiny and linkage to the coronavirus pandemic, formally termed COVID-19.
More
https://www.foxnews.com/us/university-texas-biolab-wuhan-connection
The letter, dated April 24 and addressed to the University of Texas chancellor James Milliken, asks explicitly for disclosures as required under section 117 of the Higher Education Act.
"Between June 6, 2014, and June 3, 2019, U.T. reported approximately twenty-four contracts with various Chinese state-owned universities and ten contracts with Huawei Technologies, all purportedly worth a reported total of $12,987,896," the letter, signed by Reed D. Rubinstein, principal deputy general counsel for the U.S. Department of Education, states. "It is not clear, however, whether U.T. has, in fact, reported all gifts from or contracts with or relating to the Wuhan MCL, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and/or all other foreign sources, including agents and instrumentalities of the government of the Peoples' Republic of China."
The Galveston National Laboratory (GNL), which is part of the University of Texas system, is one of just 14 bio-safety level 4 labs in the U.S., and boasted in a 2018 release about its work in directing operations of the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
The 2018 agreement provided for the exchange of some of America's most talented research and national security scientists, in addition to wide-ranging research sharing — an arrangement that experts say poses serious national security risks, especially considering the Wuhan lab's burgeoning scrutiny and linkage to the coronavirus pandemic, formally termed COVID-19.
More
https://www.foxnews.com/us/university-texas-biolab-wuhan-connection
Why Development of a COVID-19 Vaccine Will Take So Long
As the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic, the White House has warned time and time again that a vaccine for the SARS-CoV-2 virus won’t be available for another 12 to 18 months.
In a crisis, that sounds like forever.
>>> When can America reopen? The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission, a project of The Heritage Foundation, is gathering America’s top thinkers together to figure that out. Learn more here.
In the 2011 movie “Contagion,” the valiant researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention manage to discover the cause of the disease, develop the vaccine, and, by Day 131, start inoculating Americans.
So, why can’t we do the same?
It turns out that the real world is more challenging. Vaccine development is a complex, multistep process that includes rigorous clinical testing and regulatory hurdles.
Throughout the vaccine development process, scientists, policymakers, and government regulators must constantly walk the tightrope between speed, efficacy, and product safety to produce a vaccine that creates a neutralizing immune response to the virus.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the process.
More
In a crisis, that sounds like forever.
>>> When can America reopen? The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission, a project of The Heritage Foundation, is gathering America’s top thinkers together to figure that out. Learn more here.
In the 2011 movie “Contagion,” the valiant researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention manage to discover the cause of the disease, develop the vaccine, and, by Day 131, start inoculating Americans.
So, why can’t we do the same?
It turns out that the real world is more challenging. Vaccine development is a complex, multistep process that includes rigorous clinical testing and regulatory hurdles.
Throughout the vaccine development process, scientists, policymakers, and government regulators must constantly walk the tightrope between speed, efficacy, and product safety to produce a vaccine that creates a neutralizing immune response to the virus.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the process.
More
A Viewer Writes: OPA payroll loan coronavirus-19
Joe,
So we now are to believe Homeowners Associations are businesses? Let me try to get this right. OPA employees laid off due to the virus can collect unemployment plus $600 per week as well as collect a paycheck from tha association? At least that apparently is what this article is insinuating. The OPA gets a forgivable payroll loan to cover pay checks for employees laid off from the OPA Homeowners Association, which evidently is a for profit business(?). So they are able to collect $1.1 million of our tax dollars to cover laid off employees, which are eligible for unemployment benefits plus $600 per week! Am I missing something?
BREAKING: Sources Close to John Durham Say Criminal Actions Laid Out in Recent DOJ Documents Enough to Bring Charges Against Obama Deep State Officials (VIDEO)
Lou Dobbs reported on Friday that sources familiar with the John Durham investigation say Durham believes the criminal actions laid out in recently released documents are sufficient to bring charges against Obama FBI and DOJ.
This is very big news!
Lou Dobbs: Sources familiar with the investigation tell FOX News that US Attorney John Durham has reviewed the recently released documents from the Flynn case and that Durham now believes the corrupt actions laid out in those documents are sufficient to bring charges against members of the FBI and the Department of Justice who carried out criminal acts against General Flynn. Durham is said to be speaking regularly with Attorney General Bill Barr and is building what some sources call a serious case against those FBI and DOJ officials. Durham is expected to wrap up his investigation by the end of this summer.
More
This is very big news!
Lou Dobbs: Sources familiar with the investigation tell FOX News that US Attorney John Durham has reviewed the recently released documents from the Flynn case and that Durham now believes the corrupt actions laid out in those documents are sufficient to bring charges against members of the FBI and the Department of Justice who carried out criminal acts against General Flynn. Durham is said to be speaking regularly with Attorney General Bill Barr and is building what some sources call a serious case against those FBI and DOJ officials. Durham is expected to wrap up his investigation by the end of this summer.
More
China ups its spy game on US soil as it bids to control coronavirus narrative
But as the coronavirus, officially termed COVID-19, continues to assault the globe – Beijing is upping its spy game on U.S. soil with a focus on manipulating the narrative, officials and experts say.
The primary focus now, according to several current and former intelligence officials interviewed by Fox News, is attempting to control the disease narrative inside the U.S. and cast the blame game anywhere but Beijing.
One U.S. defense official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, underscored that the Chinese focus inside the U.S. remains centered on technology theft, military readiness and minimizing the blowback.
"Most assuredly, the American people will demand some kind of financial response, if not outright reparations in the many billions," the source explained. "And the Chinese cannot afford that, but they know Trump will cut into it, too."
A retired Pentagon officer underscored that its media operations are in "full swing," a slight shift from its typical focus on IP and technology theft.
"It is about saving face for them," said the source. "It's about leaking out false information, even to our [the U.S. intelligence] apparatus."
Late last month, Trump administration officials ignited a quest to root out suspected spies from prominent U.S. media outlets, as well as Chinese outlets suspected of filing predominantly false media reports to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
"There is hacking into computer systems, very active human (HUMINT) recruiting of U.S. citizens out of their embassies, consulates, and spies operating under diplomatic cover or non-official cover. They are extremely active against U.S. defense contractors and in and around technology industry hubs," noted retired Special Forces Col. James Williamson. "If not the parts themselves, at least critical components of parts, have been used in sensitive U.S. defense technology."
More
The primary focus now, according to several current and former intelligence officials interviewed by Fox News, is attempting to control the disease narrative inside the U.S. and cast the blame game anywhere but Beijing.
One U.S. defense official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, underscored that the Chinese focus inside the U.S. remains centered on technology theft, military readiness and minimizing the blowback.
"Most assuredly, the American people will demand some kind of financial response, if not outright reparations in the many billions," the source explained. "And the Chinese cannot afford that, but they know Trump will cut into it, too."
A retired Pentagon officer underscored that its media operations are in "full swing," a slight shift from its typical focus on IP and technology theft.
"It is about saving face for them," said the source. "It's about leaking out false information, even to our [the U.S. intelligence] apparatus."
Late last month, Trump administration officials ignited a quest to root out suspected spies from prominent U.S. media outlets, as well as Chinese outlets suspected of filing predominantly false media reports to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
"There is hacking into computer systems, very active human (HUMINT) recruiting of U.S. citizens out of their embassies, consulates, and spies operating under diplomatic cover or non-official cover. They are extremely active against U.S. defense contractors and in and around technology industry hubs," noted retired Special Forces Col. James Williamson. "If not the parts themselves, at least critical components of parts, have been used in sensitive U.S. defense technology."
More
https://www.foxnews.com/us/china-spying-us-soil-coronavirus-narrative
A Viewer Writes: Corona Virus Testing
We often hear about testing for this virus and how it's going to help open up our society. The Maryland Governor has been gracious enough to open up sixteen drive through testing facilities. All on the western shore. (Someone said there was some kind of a testing tent at the Shore Bird"s Stadium. Does anyone know?).But what is not being said is that in order to go through one of the drive in facilities you have to have an appointment by your doctor. What a lot of officials don't realize is that there are many, many people who do not have a regular doctor to make these appointments. Because of the great Obama Care Insurance Program, many people still simply can not afford to have health insurance. And if you remember when all this testing talk came about it was said there would be no charge to the person getting the test. You better believe that any time you go to a doctor, someone is going to pay whether it's Medicare, Medicaid or some other insurance. So officials, what say you? Can you enlighten us of how this testing is going to go here on the Shore? Senators, Delegates both State and Federal feel free to jump in here.
Increasingly looks like Biden is toast
The awful truth is dawning on too many Democrats: Joe Biden is too ravaged by mental infirmities and is too compromised in his treatment of women to be able to hold together their coalition and avert disaster at the polls in November. Despite all the downsides of dumping their presumptive nominee, in particular the inevitable demand that runner-up Bernie Sanders replace him — a certain electoral disaster in their view — they have no choice.
The corporate media dam has collapsed (emphasis in original):
On Thursday morning, ABC finally gave in and covered the latest. On Wednesday night, liberal host Chris Hayes featured the story in depth for over eight minutes. Keep in mind that, as of Tuesday morning, the whole MSNBC network only had accumulated 4 minutes and 39 seconds.
Hayes admitted that during #MeToo there have been moments "when we have heard about accusations against someone that we find ourselves desperately wanting not to believe." Like, presumably, the Tara Reade case. The host struggled and stammered in parts of the segment, but he admitted that the credibility of Reade is "rising[.]"
More
The corporate media dam has collapsed (emphasis in original):
On Thursday morning, ABC finally gave in and covered the latest. On Wednesday night, liberal host Chris Hayes featured the story in depth for over eight minutes. Keep in mind that, as of Tuesday morning, the whole MSNBC network only had accumulated 4 minutes and 39 seconds.
Hayes admitted that during #MeToo there have been moments "when we have heard about accusations against someone that we find ourselves desperately wanting not to believe." Like, presumably, the Tara Reade case. The host struggled and stammered in parts of the segment, but he admitted that the credibility of Reade is "rising[.]"
More
Prominent university bio lab urged to reveal extent of relationship with Wuhan lab at center of coronavirus outbreak
Federal officials are pressing one of the most advanced biocontainment laboratories in the U.S. to reveal more information relating to their extensive work and contractual relationship with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a new letter from the Department of Education reveals.
The letter, dated April 24 and addressed to the University of Texas chancellor James Milliken, asks explicitly for disclosures as required under section 117 of the Higher Education Act.
"Between June 6, 2014, and June 3, 2019, U.T. reported approximately twenty-four contracts with various Chinese state-owned universities and ten contracts with Huawei Technologies, all purportedly worth a reported total of $12,987,896," the letter, signed by Reed D. Rubinstein, principal deputy general counsel for the U.S. Department of Education, states. "It is not clear, however, whether U.T. has, in fact, reported all gifts from or contracts with or relating to the Wuhan MCL, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and/or all other foreign sources, including agents and instrumentalities of the government of the Peoples' Republic of China."
More
The letter, dated April 24 and addressed to the University of Texas chancellor James Milliken, asks explicitly for disclosures as required under section 117 of the Higher Education Act.
"Between June 6, 2014, and June 3, 2019, U.T. reported approximately twenty-four contracts with various Chinese state-owned universities and ten contracts with Huawei Technologies, all purportedly worth a reported total of $12,987,896," the letter, signed by Reed D. Rubinstein, principal deputy general counsel for the U.S. Department of Education, states. "It is not clear, however, whether U.T. has, in fact, reported all gifts from or contracts with or relating to the Wuhan MCL, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and/or all other foreign sources, including agents and instrumentalities of the government of the Peoples' Republic of China."
More
https://www.foxnews.com/us/university-texas-biolab-wuhan-connection
SUVs Are Being Parked In The Middle Of The Ocean As Auto Inventory Crisis Deepens
What happens when you have an auto glut that simply won't go away? What do you do with all of those unsold cars? It's a question wefirst explored way back in 2014 in an article called "Where the World's Unsold Cars Go to Die". In that piece, we highlighted images from around the world of various places unsold cars were being stored.
Back then, we could have never predicted that a pandemic would be the black swan that would have caused the next historic buildup of auto inventory. But now, with ports at capacity, tankers carrying automobiles - at least those tanker that aren't carrying oil - are being told to stay out at sea.
Such was the case on April 24 when a cargo of 2,000 Nissan SUVs was approaching the port of Los Angeles. They were told to drop anchor about a mile from the port and remain there. The port was full and the glut is indicative of just how the industry has collapsed in the U.S.
More
Back then, we could have never predicted that a pandemic would be the black swan that would have caused the next historic buildup of auto inventory. But now, with ports at capacity, tankers carrying automobiles - at least those tanker that aren't carrying oil - are being told to stay out at sea.
Such was the case on April 24 when a cargo of 2,000 Nissan SUVs was approaching the port of Los Angeles. They were told to drop anchor about a mile from the port and remain there. The port was full and the glut is indicative of just how the industry has collapsed in the U.S.
More
Joe Biden Was at Meeting Where James Comey Was Told to Brief Trump on Steele Dossier
New revelations about the possible motives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in meeting with then-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn in January 2017 raise questions about then-Vice President Joe Biden’s role.
Documents unsealed Wednesday, including notes and emails, indicate that FBI agents were not focused on the investigation of Russian “collusion” when they met with Flynn at the White House early in President Donald Trump’s term.
Rather, they were determined to extract an admission, or a lie, that would see Flynn prosecuted or fired.
In one note, an FBI agent wrote: “What’s our goal? Truth/admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?” The agents also appear to admit not having warned Flynn beforehand that he was under investigation.
Flynn had spoken to the Russian ambassador by telephone in late December 2016. The Department of Justice viewed those calls as a potential violation of the Logan Act — an obscure and barely enforced statute that bars private citizens from conducting diplomacy. Flynn was already incoming National Security Advisor at the time. He was later prosecuted for lying to the FBI about those conversations, though it is not clear that he actually did so.
More
Documents unsealed Wednesday, including notes and emails, indicate that FBI agents were not focused on the investigation of Russian “collusion” when they met with Flynn at the White House early in President Donald Trump’s term.
Rather, they were determined to extract an admission, or a lie, that would see Flynn prosecuted or fired.
In one note, an FBI agent wrote: “What’s our goal? Truth/admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?” The agents also appear to admit not having warned Flynn beforehand that he was under investigation.
Flynn had spoken to the Russian ambassador by telephone in late December 2016. The Department of Justice viewed those calls as a potential violation of the Logan Act — an obscure and barely enforced statute that bars private citizens from conducting diplomacy. Flynn was already incoming National Security Advisor at the time. He was later prosecuted for lying to the FBI about those conversations, though it is not clear that he actually did so.
More
'Over our dead bodies': Lindsey Graham vows Congress won't extend additional $600 coronavirus-related unemployment benefits, as US death toll crosses the 60,000 mark
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wednesday Congress would extend the additional $600 unemployment benefit provided in the coronavirus relief package past July only "over our dead bodies."
His remarks came the day that the US passed 60,000 deaths caused by the coronavirus, by far the largest reported death toll in the world.
The senator made the remarks while appearing on an April 29 panel for AccelerateSC, the coronavirus task force created by Gov. Henry McMaster to examine ways to revitalize the state's economy. He was joined by his fellow Republican senator from South Carolina, Tim Scott.
"I promise you over our dead bodies will this get reauthorized," Graham said of his and Scott's opposition to government spending on unemployment. "We've got to stop this. You cannot turn on the economy until you get this aberration of the law of fixed."
More
His remarks came the day that the US passed 60,000 deaths caused by the coronavirus, by far the largest reported death toll in the world.
The senator made the remarks while appearing on an April 29 panel for AccelerateSC, the coronavirus task force created by Gov. Henry McMaster to examine ways to revitalize the state's economy. He was joined by his fellow Republican senator from South Carolina, Tim Scott.
"I promise you over our dead bodies will this get reauthorized," Graham said of his and Scott's opposition to government spending on unemployment. "We've got to stop this. You cannot turn on the economy until you get this aberration of the law of fixed."
More
How Ballot-Harvesting Became The New Way To Steal An Election
With ballot-harvesting, paper votes are collected by intermediaries who deliver them to polling officials, presumably increasing voter turnout but also creating opportunities for mischief.
America’s electoral obsession isn’t Russian meddling anymore. It’s ballot-harvesting, a long-disputed practice implicated in fraud that’s come to the fore with the nationwide embrace of absentee voting in recent years — and especially in last month’s midterms.
With ballot-harvesting, paper votes are collected by intermediaries who deliver them to polling officials, presumably increasing voter turnout but also creating opportunities for mischief.
The latter is suspected in North Carolina, where uncharacteristic Democratic charges of vote fraud prompted an investigation into whether Republican-paid political operatives illegally collected and possibly stole absentee ballots in a still-undecided congressional race. A national spotlight was shone by The New York Times, which, like Democrats, often minimizes vote fraud; it flooded the zone in this case, assigning five reporters to a single story.
In California, by contrast, Democrats exulted as they credited a quietly passed 2016 law legalizing ballot-harvesting with their recent sweep of House seats in the former Republican stronghold of Orange County, thereby helping them win control of the House. In that case, it was Republican eyebrows that were arched. House Speaker Paul Ryan said what happened in California “defies logic.”
In Orange County, an estimated 250,000 harvested ballots were reportedly dropped off on Election Day alone. County Republican Chairman Fred Whitaker claimed the 2016 law “directly caused the switch from being ahead on election night to losing two weeks later.”
One interaction caught by a Santa Clarita family’s doorbell camera suggested how harvesting can work in practice. A harvester, identifying herself as Lulu, asks for Brandi, and says she is there to collect her ballot, explaining that there is “this new service, but only to, like, people who are supporting the Democratic Party.”
More
America’s electoral obsession isn’t Russian meddling anymore. It’s ballot-harvesting, a long-disputed practice implicated in fraud that’s come to the fore with the nationwide embrace of absentee voting in recent years — and especially in last month’s midterms.
With ballot-harvesting, paper votes are collected by intermediaries who deliver them to polling officials, presumably increasing voter turnout but also creating opportunities for mischief.
The latter is suspected in North Carolina, where uncharacteristic Democratic charges of vote fraud prompted an investigation into whether Republican-paid political operatives illegally collected and possibly stole absentee ballots in a still-undecided congressional race. A national spotlight was shone by The New York Times, which, like Democrats, often minimizes vote fraud; it flooded the zone in this case, assigning five reporters to a single story.
In California, by contrast, Democrats exulted as they credited a quietly passed 2016 law legalizing ballot-harvesting with their recent sweep of House seats in the former Republican stronghold of Orange County, thereby helping them win control of the House. In that case, it was Republican eyebrows that were arched. House Speaker Paul Ryan said what happened in California “defies logic.”
In Orange County, an estimated 250,000 harvested ballots were reportedly dropped off on Election Day alone. County Republican Chairman Fred Whitaker claimed the 2016 law “directly caused the switch from being ahead on election night to losing two weeks later.”
One interaction caught by a Santa Clarita family’s doorbell camera suggested how harvesting can work in practice. A harvester, identifying herself as Lulu, asks for Brandi, and says she is there to collect her ballot, explaining that there is “this new service, but only to, like, people who are supporting the Democratic Party.”
More
Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?😂
DONALD TRUMP: I've been told by my many sources, good sources - they're very good sources - that the chicken crossed the road. All the Fake News wants to do is write nasty things about the road, but it's a really good road. It's a beautiful road. Everyone knows how beautiful it is.
Joe Biden: Why did the chicken do the...thing in the...you know the rest.
SARAH PALIN: The chicken crossed the road because, gosh-darn it, he's a maverick!
BARACK OBAMA: Let me be perfectly clear, if the chickens like their eggs they can keep their eggs. No chicken will be required to cross the road to surrender her eggs. Period.
AOC: Chickens should not be forced to lay eggs! This is because of corporate greed! Eggs should be able to lay themselves.
HILLARY CLINTON: What difference at this point does it make why the chicken crossed the road.
GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road or not. The chicken is either with us or against us. There is no middle ground here.
DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?
BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken.
AL GORE: I invented the chicken.
JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.
AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white?
OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross the road so badly. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a NEW CAR so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.
ANDERSON COOPER: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.
NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.
PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.
DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.
GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough for us.
BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish it's lifelong dream of crossing the road.
BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2014, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken2014. This new platform is much more stable and will never reboot.
ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?
COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?
Joe Biden: Why did the chicken do the...thing in the...you know the rest.
SARAH PALIN: The chicken crossed the road because, gosh-darn it, he's a maverick!
BARACK OBAMA: Let me be perfectly clear, if the chickens like their eggs they can keep their eggs. No chicken will be required to cross the road to surrender her eggs. Period.
AOC: Chickens should not be forced to lay eggs! This is because of corporate greed! Eggs should be able to lay themselves.
HILLARY CLINTON: What difference at this point does it make why the chicken crossed the road.
GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road or not. The chicken is either with us or against us. There is no middle ground here.
DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?
BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken.
AL GORE: I invented the chicken.
JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.
AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white?
OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross the road so badly. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a NEW CAR so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.
ANDERSON COOPER: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.
NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.
PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.
DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.
GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough for us.
BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish it's lifelong dream of crossing the road.
BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2014, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken2014. This new platform is much more stable and will never reboot.
ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?
COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?
Maryland Attorney General News Releases: Attorney General Frosh Joins Lawsuit Challenging the Trump Administration’s Unlawful Assault on the Clean Water Act
BALTIMORE, MD – Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh today joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s final rule narrowing the definition of the “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act. The final rule continues the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) effort to weaken water quality protections under the Clean Water Act. Specifically, the new rule removes federal protections for all ephemeral streams, many wetlands, and other waters that were previously covered under the Act. In the lawsuit, the coalition argues that EPA’s rule directly conflicts with the text of the Clean Water Act, Supreme Court precedent, and the EPA’s own scientific findings.
“Repeated efforts by the EPA to weaken water quality protections threaten the health of our rivers, streams, and lakes - potentially rolling back decades of hard-fought progress in restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay,” said Attorney General Frosh. “We will continue to fight back against this relentless assault on environmental protections.”
The definition of “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act is critical to maintaining a strong federal foundation for protecting our waters. While the Act has yielded dramatic improvements to water quality, many of the Nation’s waters remain polluted. The 2015 Clean Water Rule, enacted during the Obama Administration, provided much-needed clarity and consistency in federal Clean Water Act protections by specifically including within the scope of protected waters the headwaters of rivers and creeks as well as other non-traditionally navigable waters, which have significant impact on downstream water quality. The 2020 rule narrows the definition of “waters of the United States” to eliminate federal protections for many of Maryland’s waterways, including waters that the state relies on for drinking water, wildlife habitat, agriculture, and recreation.
The coalition asserts that the 2020 rule is unlawful under the federal Administrative Procedure Act because it:
- Contradicts the Clean Water Act’s objective of maintaining and restoring the integrity of the Nation’s waters and the EPA's own scientific findings;
- Arbitrarily and capriciously reduces and eliminates protections for ephemeral streams, tributaries, adjacent waters, wetlands and other important water resources that significantly affect downstream waters;
- Fails to comply with controlling Supreme Court precedent established in Rapanos v. United States; and
- Lacks a reasoned explanation or rational basis for changing longstanding policy and practice.
In filing the lawsuit, Attorney General Frosh joined the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, the Commonwealths of Massachusetts and Virginia, and the District of Columbia, along with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the City of New York.
President Trump Confirms "High Degree Of Confidence" That COVID-19 Originated In Wuhan Lab: Live Updates
Reporter:
"Have you seen anything at this point that gives you a high degree of confidence that the [Wuhan lab] was the origin?
Trump:
"Yes, I have... Yeah I have, and I think the WHO should be ashamed of themselves because they were like the public relations agency for China."
"They shouldn't be making excuses when people make horrible mistakes, especially mistakes that are causing hundreds of thousands of people around the world to die," the president continued. "I think the World Health Organization should be ashamed of themselves."
The conversation drifted but the reporter came back to confirm:
"What gives you a high degree of confidence that this originated in the [Wuhan lab]..."
Trump responded:
"I can't tell you that... I am not allowed to tell you that."
Earlier during the same event, Trump was asked whether Chinese President Xi Jinping should be held responsible for the coronavirus outbreak.
"I don't want to say that, but certainly it could have been stopped," the president said.
"I wish they stopped it. The whole world wishes they stopped it."
Forward to the Q&A (around -22mins from the end):
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"Have you seen anything at this point that gives you a high degree of confidence that the [Wuhan lab] was the origin?
Trump:
"Yes, I have... Yeah I have, and I think the WHO should be ashamed of themselves because they were like the public relations agency for China."
"They shouldn't be making excuses when people make horrible mistakes, especially mistakes that are causing hundreds of thousands of people around the world to die," the president continued. "I think the World Health Organization should be ashamed of themselves."
The conversation drifted but the reporter came back to confirm:
"What gives you a high degree of confidence that this originated in the [Wuhan lab]..."
Trump responded:
"I can't tell you that... I am not allowed to tell you that."
Earlier during the same event, Trump was asked whether Chinese President Xi Jinping should be held responsible for the coronavirus outbreak.
"I don't want to say that, but certainly it could have been stopped," the president said.
"I wish they stopped it. The whole world wishes they stopped it."
Forward to the Q&A (around -22mins from the end):
More