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Tuesday, May 26, 2020

The Blue State Lockdown Blues

The state lockdowns are beginning to ease and the U.S. economic system ought to slowly start to get better. But it surely’s value noting that the states opening most slowly are large states run by Democrats that symbolize one thing like a 3rd of the U.S. economic system. This implies a slower restoration for these states and the U.S.

It’s been almost 10 weeks for the reason that Democratic governors of California, New York, New Jersey and Illinois ordered all companies of their states to close down save these they deemed important. Job losses in these states have been particularly extreme due to their strict lockdowns (see chart close by).

Practically two-thirds of leisure and hospitality jobs in New York and New Jersey and about half in California and Illinois disappeared between February and April in comparison with 43% in Florida, which was among the many final states to lock down and first to reopen. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis additionally offered exemptions for lower-risk companies together with contractors, producers and a few retailers. 4 % of development staff in Florida misplaced their jobs in comparison with 41% in New York, 27% in New Jersey, 17% in California and 11% in Illinois.

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‘You want to regulate common sense’: Crowds, lack of masks at Ocean City, other destinations prompt concern

The photos from Ocean City this weekend have been jarring to many.

Throngs of beachgoers crowded the city’s iconic boardwalk. Few wore masks. Many appeared to be standing closer than the recommended 6 feet apart.

Lauri Dixon was there.

“What I was surprised at was the amount of people that weren’t wearing their masks or weren’t social distancing,” said Dixon, an Edgewater resident who has owned a condominium in Ocean City for the past decade with her husband, Leroy. “They congregated without masks. I was surprised to see that many people. I understand people wanting to get out. But they need to do physical distancing and wear their masks.”

As Maryland and other states take continued steps toward reopening, the realities of how that is playing out on beaches, boardwalks and other tourist destinations is prompting concern among some residents and public health officials. From Ocean City to Florida to the Ozarks to Delaware, the first Memorial Day in a COVID-19 era played out differently in different jurisdictions.

For Dixon, the self-proclaimed beach lover’s usual euphoria turned to moments of anxiety this weekend by the sea of beachgoers crowding the boardwalk of Ocean City sans protective measures during this global pandemic.

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Doctors suspect a COVID-19 side effect is biggest predictor of death

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – COVID-19 affects the kidneys, the brain and the heart. But now doctors are seeing a specific part of the heart that is being affected more so than others. And patients found with this condition, researchers say, are more likely to die.

The condition is called right ventricular hypertrophy. This means the right ventricle, one of the four chambers of the heart, is getting bigger.

When this heart chamber is enlarged, a person can’t get enough oxygen, causing a shortage. A person also cannot get rid of carbon dioxide at the rate it needs to be eliminated from the body. Too much carbon dioxide build up can be just as dangerous as not getting enough oxygen. Thus the danger when this part of the heart–as a result of hypertrophy–can’t do its job.

Doctors from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City assessed 105 COVID-19 patients both with and without right ventricle enlargement using an echocardiogram. Forty-one percent of the people with the condition died compared to the 11% who died and did not have the condition. They determined right ventricle hypertrophy is one of the biggest predictors of death in COVID-19 patients.

The paper has been accepted for publication by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, but is not available just yet.

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EXCLUSIVE: Judge Emmett Sullivan, from General Flynn Trial, Arranged Speaking Gig for James Comey at Howard University for $100,000

The confused judge who has unconstitutionally inserted himself into the Justice Department’s case against General Flynn made some actions behind the scene that are just as troubling. 

Judge Sullivan helped Jim Comey get his speaking gig at Howard University for $100,000. 

How much more corruption can America take. The corrupt judge who inserted himself into the General Flynn case, who insinuated the General was a traitor, has a lifestyle that matches his actions in court. 

He’s not only famous for his unethical standards and actions in the Flynn trial, he also ordered that deported asylum seekers must be returned to the US. 

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Hollywood producer arrested for coronavirus relief fraud

The Hollywood executive reportedly stole money from the Paycheck Protection Program, that gives support to small businesses struggling during the coronavirus pandemic

The U.S. Department of Justice, the Security and Exchange Committee, and the U.S Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced fraud charges against former Hollywood executive producer William Sadleir on Friday. Sadlier allegedly stole $1.7 million in funds meant for coronavirus relief and swindled $25 million from an investor.

Sadleir, the founder and former chairman of Los Angeles-based film production company Aviron Pictures, reportedly lied on applications to get $1.7 million in Paycheck Protection Program funds from the federal government, according to the Department of Justice.

Sadleir obtained PPP loans in April through three Aviron entities; each said to have 33 employees. However, the entities had been removed from Aviron months earlier, and all but a handful of employees had been let go in January.

The PPP funds were part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to provide small businesses with loans to stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sadleir used the coronavirus money to pay his and his wife's American Express bills, and to make a $40,000 car payment.

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Virginia Reports Record Jump In New Cases Two Weeks After Reopening: Live Updates

Summary:

Virginia reports record jump in cases
Italy reports fewer than 100 cases; Sicilian 'coronavirus tsar' arrested on corruption charges
US just 500 deaths away from 100k
Spain on track to see 9th day with fewer than 100 deaths
Germany sees active cases drop below 10,000
Russia says 'mass vaccinations' could begin as soon as the fall
Nikkei finds 100s of unreported COVID-19 deaths
Japan lifts state of emergency
Spain to end quarantine restrictions for travelers on July 1
Videos of US partiers in the Ozarks spark outrage
Dominic Cummings faces the music
US just a few hundreds deaths away from 100k

Update (1445ET): Virginia public health officials just reported a record jump in deaths.

VIRGINIA POSTS 1,483 NEW COVID-19 CASES, BIGGEST SINGLE DAILY JUMP SO FAR -- LOCAL MEDIA

17 days have passed since VA. started reopening.

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Charlamagne Tha God Says Biden’s Presidential Ticket Could Bring ‘Voter Depression’

During an interview with MSNBC’s Joy Reid, radio host Charlamagne tha God said should the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden select a moderate vice president such as Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., it would cause “voter depression” among black voters in the 2020 election.

“On top of possible Russian interference and voter suppression, Dems have to worry about voter depression. That’s people staying home on election day because they just aren’t enthused by the candidate,” he said.

Charlamagne tha God criticized Biden for running a lack-luster campaign from his basement and expecting the black vote to turn out without making specific policy commitments to black voters.

“You can’t act like this is the most important election ever, but run a campaign from your basement and, you know, not make some real policy commitments to the black community. Not listening to some of the demands that the black community are making,” he said.

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JOE BIDEN IS A JOKE

The catch is, Americans are not laughing

We are 161 days out from the election and Joe Biden wants you to know that he will beat Joe Biden.

Biden has set himself up for disaster; he is clearly an old school racist from a bygone era and his latest statements have created a never-ending storm of criticism.

Democrats are scrambling to normalize the damage, promoting questionable poll numbers as their schizophrenic ideology clashes, regardless that everyone knows Joe Biden doesn’t stand a chance.

We are all just patiently awaiting what will be the most embarrassing Presidential debate in U.S. History.

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DETROIT NURSING HOME ATTACKER PLEADS NOT GUILTY; ALLEGEDLY ROBBED VICTIM AFTER BEATING HIM

Whatever you do: don’t notice any patterns

It’s looking like 20-year-old Detroit nursing home attacker Jaden Hayden may be looking to escape punishment by claiming insanity or diminished mental capacity.

From CNN:

The 20-year-old man accused of beating a 75-year-old in a Detroit nursing home pleaded not guilty to assault Sunday, said Maria Miller, Wayne County assistant prosecuting attorney.

Jaden T. Hayden of Ypsilanti was charged with two counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, larceny in a building and two counts of stealing/retaining a financial transaction without consent, according to a news release from the Wayne Country Prosecutor’s Office.

Hayden’s arrest and charges come after a video surfaced of him attacking the elderly man — identified as as Norman Bledsoe — at Westwood Nursing Center in Detroit, police said. Both were residents of the nursing home, though Hayden “is not a long-term resident of Westwood, but he was recently admitted for recovery and rehabilitation purposes on a temporary stay,” according to a statement from the nursing home’s attorneys.

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SIXTH NAME ON NYT’S LIST OF ‘CORONAVIRUS VICTIMS’ IS 27-YR-OLD MAN WHO WAS MURDERED

KOMO News reported last week that officials in Washington state included deaths from gunshot wounds in their state’s official “COVID-19 death count.”

Researchers only had to go six names in to the New York Times’ long list of nearly 100,000 “coronavirus victims” to find a person who was murdered rather than killed by the virus.

Press Corps Is Having a Rough 2020 Thanks to Kayleigh McEnany

Kayleigh McEnany vs. the Press Isn’t a Fair Fight

Although I write about the political media a lot, I don’t consume as much of it as most people might think. The political press in this country is full of tedious, irresponsible idiots, and who needs to subject themselves to that? White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany is changing my attitude on that a bit though.

McEnany so routinely chides the White House press corps that they’ll probably keep wearing masks long after the coronavirus pandemic is over just to hide their embarrassed faces.

Sarah Sanders was good at knocking the press pool around a little, but it’s McEnany’s style that I have fun watching. She effortlessly sneaks barbs in and she seems to really be enjoying herself.

Earlier in the month McEnany responded to a deliberately obtuse question from a reporter about Obamagate by noting that there had been a “lack of journalistic curiosity” in the press about the scandal.

Like her boss, McEnany is fond of reminding CNN what a bunch of hacks they are, which never, ever gets old.
Of Course, the Press Makes It All About Themselves

For too many years now journalists in general have been injecting themselves into stories, which was a professional taboo a very long time ago. In the Trump era, the White House press corps has really taken this lack of professionalism up a notch or two. CNN’s Jim Acosta is a self-aggrandizing tool who is just there to grandstand.

The press and talking heads on cable news are not pleased with McEnany’s performance so far, which just makes me like her even more, of course.

On this week’s Fox News Sunday, FNC’s Trump-hater in-chief Chris Wallace led a complaint panel that devoted some ti

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A Judge Isn’t a Philosopher-King. This One Didn’t Get the Memo.

In the United States, we don’t have kings or queens of any variety.

Still, some judges apparently think they are philosopher-kings, and an orderreleased last Tuesday by a federal district court judge in Texas shows he may be in that group.

Judge Fred Biery’s order that state officials allow mail-in voting for all eligible voters in upcoming elections seems totally disconnected from the law and reads like a manifesto from a wannabe philosopher-king, complete with rhetorical flourishes, endnotes, and appendices.

There are many issues with the opinion.

First, issues of Texas state law are still working their way through Texas state courts—and federal courts often abstain from ruling in such situations.

Second, Biery brushed aside the concerns of state officials over potential voter fraud, stating in colorful language, “The Court finds the Grim Reaper’s scepter of pandemic disease and death is far more serious than an unsupported fear of voter fraud in this sui generis experience.” He went on to say, “Indeed, if vote by mail fraud is real, logic dictates that all voting should be in person.”

Hold on.

NYT Libels U.S. Military with Ku Klux Klan Smear

The NYT editorial board chose Memorial Day weekend to smear the U.S. military with the Ku Klux Klan’s “blood-drenched tradition of racial terrorism.”

Maybe when they wrote “military” they meant to use “Democrats,” because as more people ought to know, the Klan was founded to serve as the Democratic Party’s shock troops against freed blacks in the South.

Pulling zero propaganda punches, the NYT’s banner art included an image of a white bullet with eyeholes cut out to look like a Ku Klux Klan hood.

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Maryland COVID-19 Data 5-26-2020

COVID-19 Statistics in Maryland

Number of confirmed cases : 47,687
Number of negative test results : 206,800
Number of confirmed deaths : 2,217
Number of probable deaths : 116
Currently hospitalized : 1,315
Acute care : 795
Intensive care : 520
Ever hospitalized : 8,179
Released from isolation : 3,334
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
CountyCasesDeaths
Allegany176(14)
Anne Arundel3,394(151)8*
Baltimore City4,997(227)9*
Baltimore County5,498(297)15*
Calvert308(14)2*
Caroline243

Carroll811(78)2*
Cecil353(21)
Charles1,001(68)2*
Dorchester130(2)
Frederick1,746(94)7*
Garrett10

Harford795(45)3*
Howard1,732(49)4*
Kent158(15)
Montgomery10,291(531)36*
Prince George's13,819(484)22*
Queen Anne's151(12)
St. Mary's400(15)
Somerset73(2)
Talbot86(1)
Washington413(12)
Wicomico908(22)
Worcester194(10)1*
Data not available
(53)5*
By Age Range and Gender
Age/GenderCasesDeaths
0-91,068

10-191,979(1)
20-296,480(12)1*
30-398,807(28)4*
40-498,644(65)4*
50-597,888(151)10*
60-695,678(351)12*
70-793,681(550)15*
80+3,462(1,007)65*
Data not available
(52)5*
Female24,816(1,091)69*
Male22,871(1,126)47*
By Race and Ethnicity
Race/EthnicityCasesDeaths
African-American (NH)14,116(921)37*
Asian (NH)907(83)6*
White (NH)9,484(924)60*
Hispanic11,819(199)7*
Other (NH)2,317(30)
Data not available9,044(60)6*

WICOMICO REGIONAL AIRPORT MANAGER DAWN VEATCH RESIGNS

Salisbury, MD ...Wicomico County Executive Bob Culver announced today that Dawn Veatch, Manager of Salisbury-Ocean City-Wicomico Regional Airport Manager has resigned effective May 21, 2020. Ms. Veatch's need to care for some family concerns has contributed to her decision.

Mrs. Veatch had a remarkable visionary leadership of the airport and she will be greatly missed. We wish her well and thank her for her outstanding leadership.

IF YOUR COMMENT IS ALL CAPITOL LETTERS, IT'S REJECTED

So you know, I'm rejecting all comments in capitol letters. I'm not even reading them. As soon as I see it I'm simply rejecting it. No More!

'The price you pay': Sweden's 'herd immunity' experiment backfires

Unlike its Nordic neighbors, Sweden decided early on in the pandemic to forgo lockdown in the hope of achieving broad immunity to the coronavirus. While social distancing was promoted, the government allowed bars, restaurants, salons, gyms and schools to stay open.

Initially, Sweden saw death rates from COVID-19 that were similar to other European nations that had closed down their economies. But now the Scandinavian nation’s daily death toll per 1 million people is 8.71 compared to the United States’ 4.59, according to online publication Our World in Data. Sweden's mortality rate is the highest in Europe.

"I’d say it hasn’t worked out so well," said Dr. George Rutherford, professor of epidemiology at the University of California, San Francisco. "I think the mortality in Norway is something like ten-fold lower. That’s the real comparator." (Norway's daily death rate is less than .01 per 1 million people.)

"If you let this go or don’t try very hard or go about it in somewhat of a more restrained way rather than we have here, this is the price you pay," Rutherford said. "Maybe it didn’t hurt businesses, but you have twice the mortality rate of the United States. All those people who died were part of families and they were citizens and part of the fabric of Swedish society. And now they’re gone because of a policy that hasn’t worked out quite the way they thought it would."

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10 Best Quotes from “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau

Although the essay was written 168 years ago, the subject of Civil Disobedience is more relevant than ever.

As people debate the scope of government power in regards to Covid-19 lockdowns, some are openly defying the law.

Henry David Thoreau believed that it was not only proper but necessary to disobey bad laws.

Civil Disobedience, or Resisting Civil Government as it was originally titled, was published in 1849. Thoreau was 32 years old, living in Massachusetts. At this point, Thoreau had already spent his time at Walden Pond.

Thoreau had also spent a night in jail years earlier after refusing to pay a poll tax, which he discusses in Civil Disobedience. He was actually annoyed when an anonymous person paid his bail because Thoreau saw his time in jail as a worthy sacrifice to protest the injustice of extortion AKA taxes.

Here are the ten best quotes from his 25-page essay.
1.

“I heartily accept the motto, ‘That government is best which governs least:’ and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe,-‘That government is best which governs not at all;’ and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have.”

This is how Thoreau begins the essay. The point is that government is only required when things need to be forced, and someday, we will live in a world where everything worth being done at all is done voluntarily.
2.

“The standing army is only an arm of the standing government. The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted, before the people can act through it.”

Sometimes people need to get together to make things happen. A government is one way to do that, if you need to build a road, or keep people safe. But sometimes governments also murder millions of people, keep entire segments of the population in slavery, and bring the earth to the brink of nuclear holocaust.

But they do build the roads…

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WHY DIDN’T THE 1958 AND 1918 PANDEMICS DESTROY THE ECONOMY? HINT: IT’S THE LOCKDOWNS

Leaving aside the fact there’s no evidence lockdowns actually work, we can nonetheless look to past pandemics
Media pundits and politicians are now in the habit of claiming it was the pandemic itself that has caused unemployment to skyrocket and economic growth to plummet.

The claim is that sick and dying workers, fearful consumers, and disrupted supply chains would cause economic chaos. Some have even claimed that economic shutdowns actually help the economy, because it is claimed allowing the spread of the disease will itself destroy employment and economic growth.1

Leaving aside the fact there’s no evidence lockdowns actually work, we can nonetheless look to past pandemics—where coercive government interventions were at most sporadic—we should see immense economic damage. Specifically, we can look to the the pandemic of 1957-58, which was more deadly than the COVID-19 pandemic has been so far. We can also look to the 1918-19 pandemic. Yet, we will see that neither produced economic damage on a scale we now see as a result of the government mandated lockdowns. This thoroughly undermines the claims that the lockdowns are only a minor factor in economic destruction, and that the virus itself is the real culprit.

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Rep Ilhan Omar says she believes Tara Reade's sexual assault allegations against Joe Biden and that he shouldn't be the Democratic presidential nominee - but will STILL vote for him

Democratic Rep Ilhan Omar says she believes Tara Reade's sexual assault allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden.

'I do believe Reade,' Omar told Britain's Sunday Times newspaper. 'Justice can be delayed, but should never be denied.'

The first-term Minnesota congresswoman, who endorsed and campaigned for SenBernie Sanders during his failed presidential bid, said that if it were up to her, Biden would not be the Democratic nominee.

She later confirmed on Twitter that she still plans to vote for Biden to get President Donald Trump out of the White House.

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Michigan Gov. Whitmer caught in Memorial Day lockdown controversy over husband's reported boat request

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer faced backlash from Republican lawmakers after a reported request from her husband to get the family's boat out on the water before Memorial Day weekend -- far from their home in Lansing.

Whitmer, a Democrat, famously has imposed one of the strictest lockdowns in the country, sparking frequent protests. What's more, she's told people not living in Northern Michigan to stay away from vacation spots there during the holiday weekend.

In Facebook posts no longer visible to the public, NorthShore Dock LLC and its owner, Tad Dowker, focused on what Dowker said was a request last week by Whitmer's husband, Marc Mallory. The posts caught the attention of Republican state lawmakers, who said the governor's family may not have wanted to follow the guidance she's issued for the rest of the state.

"This morning, I was out working when the office called me, there was a gentleman on hold who wanted his boat in the water before the weekend," Dowker posted. "Being Memorial weekend and the fact that we started working three weeks late means there is no chance this is going to happen."

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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/michigan-whitmer-memorial-day-husband-boat-request-coronavirus

Chicago suffers bloodiest Memorial Day weekend since 2015 with at least 9 killed, report says

With at least nine people shot dead and 27 others wounded, Chicago faced its bloodiest Memorial Day weekend since 2015 by Monday morning.

Despite the state’s coronavirus stay-at-home order, as of early Monday the weekend’s death toll had already surpassed last Memorial Day weekend when seven people were killed and 34 others injured. In 2015, 12 people were killed over the holiday weekend, according to the Chicago Sun-Times’ reporting.

The Sun-Times tally defined the Memorial Day weekend as beginning at 5 p.m. Friday and lasting until 5 a.m. Tuesday.

In 2018, seven people died by gunfire over Memorial Day weekend and in 2017 and 2016, six people were killed each year, according to the reports.

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https://www.foxnews.com/us/chicago-bloodiest-memorial-day-weekend-since-2015

Here We Go Folks, I'm Hearing OC Could Mostly Reopen This Week

I'm hearing bars and restaurants may be able to reopen this weekend, we should know for sure Thursday. Granted, that doesn't allow us enough time to restock but there does seem to be light at the end of a very dark tunnel. We also do not know at this time what capacity the Gods will allow us to open with but surely we are blessed, maybe?

Liz Peek: Madame Vice President — Biden's latest goof narrows field to these likely contenders

So much for Amy Klobuchar.

Joe Biden’s team is reportedly vetting the popular Minnesota senator to be his running mate. Klobuchar’s standing in her own critical toss-up state and her political compatibility with Biden make her an excellent pick. But, but her chances have suddenly plummeted.
Her problem: she isn’t black.

A recent op-ed in the Washington Post authored by seven female black activists demanded Biden choose an African-American woman as running mate. They wrote, “we resurrected Joe Biden’s campaign,” and “We are here to collect.”

In the wake of Biden’s offensive claim to radio host Charlamagne tha God that, “if you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black," those voices will get even louder.

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Biden: 'On Day One...I'm Sending...a Bill to Provide a Path to Citizenship for 11 Million Undocumented People'

(CNSNews.com) - If Joe Biden becomes president in January, he will make it possible for millions of people who came to this country illegally to compete against American citizens for jobs.

He will do that "on day one" by sending a bill to Congress to "provide a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented people."

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She Wrote Fake News for Cosmo, but Regrets Misleading Women on Feminism

LANDER, Wyo.—Sue Ellen Browder wrote fake news before “fake news” was ever a thing. Except she prefers not to call it that—not because she’s embarrassed to admit she wrote fake news (although she’s certainly not proud), but because she thinks the term “fake news” is too vague to understand.

Browder, a Cosmopolitan magazine writer for 20 years, describes what she wrote as “propaganda.”

The goal? To sell women on the idea that sexual liberation is the path to the single woman’s personal fulfillment.

“Propaganda is very sophisticated,” Browder tells The Daily Signal. “It’s half-truth, selected truth, and truth out of context.”

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Governor Carney Announces Lifting of Short-Term Rental Ban, Out-of-State Quarantine on June 1

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Tuesday announced that the State of Delaware will lift the ban on short-term rental unitsand the mandatory 14-day quarantine for out-of-state travelers on June 1 as part of the rolling reopening of Delaware’s economy.

Governor Carney previously lifted State of Delaware restrictions on Delaware beaches ahead of the Memorial Day weekend.

Phase 1 of Delaware’s economic reopening is scheduled to begin on June 1, allowing retail establishments, restaurants and other businesses to open at 30 percent of stated fire capacity with social distancing requirements and other public health guidance in place.

“We want visitors to enjoy Delaware, our world-class beaches and restaurants, but it’s important that everyone remember that COVID-19 is still very much active in Delaware,” said Governor Carney. “Delawareans who visited our beaches this past weekend acted responsibly, taking basic precautions to protect their families and their neighbors. Thank you. We all need to continue taking steps to protect our most vulnerable. Those steps aren’t complicated. Wash your hands frequently. Maintain distance between yourself and others. Wear a face covering when you’re in a public setting. Don’t let up.”

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Over 80,000 Americans Died of Flu Last Winter, Highest Toll in Years

Among the dead were 180 babies, children and teenagers, more than in any year since the C.D.C. began tracking pediatric deaths.

More than 80,000 Americans died of the flu in the winter of 2017-2018, the highest number in over a decade, federal health officials said last week.

Although 90 percent of those deaths were in people over age 65, the flu also killed 180 young children and teenagers, more than in any other year since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began using its current surveillance methods.

The estimates were released at a news conference held by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases to urge Americans to get vaccinated and to fight the myths that scare off some people — such as the common misconception that flu shots can cause flu.

The high mortality rate was unusual because it was caused by a “normal” — albeit severe — flu season, not by a new pandemic influenza strain.

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That picture of Ocean City doesn't show what the scolds say it shows

What’s more American than taking a walk on the boardwalk during Memorial Day weekend?

And what’s more fitting for these times than social media scolds yelling at the middle-class folks who do it?

One particular picture from Ocean City, Maryland, this weekend seems to show a totally packed boardwalk. This has led to all sorts of scolding. Here’s a Reuters congressional reporter cursing the walkers for lacking the self-control to stay inside and on Twitter, like responsible folks should do.

Here’s a co-host from The View saying this scene will kill people.

This is absurd. Maybe Ocean City is also full of folks crowding into karaoke joints for the night, or all playing spin the bottle, and so, we will get a breakout. But a scene of hundreds of folks on a massive boardwalk isn’t a reason to predict massive death.

For one thing, all the science suggests that passing exposure to people, particularly outdoors, does not carry a high risk of exposure.

Second, this camera is playing a trick on you.

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These 24 States Have Uncontrolled Coronavirus Outbreaks, Study Says

A shocking new report estimates that 24 states have an uncontrolled COVID-19 spread, right as the country considers reopening. "While we are confident that some states have controlled transmission, we are similarly confident that many states have not," the researchers, from Imperial College of London, wrote. They based their data on the number of people that might get infected by a single patient who has coronavirus. "Most states in the Midwest and the South have rates of transmission that suggest the epidemic is not yet under control." (They note that their study has not yet been peer-reviewed.) Click through the slideshow above for the 24 states that still haven't contained their coronavirus outbreaks, according to researchers.

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‘I steered clear of them’: Ocean City, other beach towns attract Memorial Day crowds, some not wearing masks or social distancing

The photos from Ocean City this weekend have been jarring to many.

Throngs of beachgoers crowded the city’s iconic boardwalk. Few wore masks. Many appeared to be standing closer than the recommended 6 feet apart.

Lauri Dixon was there.

“What I was surprised at was the amount of people that weren’t wearing their masks or weren’t social distancing,” said Dixon, an Edgewater resident who has owned a condominium in Ocean City for the past decade with her husband, Leroy. “They congregated without masks. I was surprised to see that many people. I understand people wanting to get out. But they need to do physical distancing and wear their masks.”

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Confirmed Maryland covid cases plateau; State hospital hotspot shows up on ZIP data

By May 25, 2020, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Maryland increased to 47,152 and the number of deaths climbed to 2,302. But by several metrics – including daily new confirmed cases, daily deaths and two-week population of new confirmed cases – the coronavirus outbreak in Maryland seems to have leveled off, for now.

With many parts of the state re-opening, reports of casual-to-non-existent compliance with social distancing at Maryland’s beachside vacation hubs, and expanded no-symptom-needed testing regimes coming online, it will be interesting to see how these trend-lines move over the next few weeks.

For instance, charted above, the daily population of people with cases confirmed in the preceding two-weeks has hovered between 12,400 and 13,400 since May 6, 2020.

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Palm Trees Just Arrived At Caribbean Joe's

Oh hell yes this is a massive risk! Like so many other local businesses we too are taking a HUGE risk spending tens of thousands of dollars to bring back that Caribbean look/feel with our fingers crossed that we can do some kind of business this year. What's done is done but every business in OC needs all of you to send a message to Governor Hogan, OPEN UP MARYLAND! 

Ocean City mayor downplays concerns after photos appear to show crowded boardwalk

Mayor urges governor to loosen restrictions on restaurants to help maintain proper distancing

The coastal resort town was one of a number of destinations to see big crowds and nice weather.

In an interview Monday on WBAL NewsRadio, Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan acknowledged parts of the boardwalk were crowded but called some pictures misleading.

"I think the pictures were a little misleading, taken at low level with lenses looking into the crowd. If you were actually up there in the crowd, it wasn't really like that, people were separated. I think people did their best to try to stay separated, be courteous," Meehan said.

Ocean City is also allowing nonresident property owners to return.

"We are a popular destination, and all of a sudden, the stay-at-home order has been lifted and people have been dying to get out and about, and a large number of them came to Ocean City," Meehan said. "When you go up the boardwalk, you know it's a narrow thoroughfare and there were a lot of people up there."

As of Monday, Worcester County has 185 confirmed coronavirus cases, and neighboring Wicomico County has 892 cases. Wicomico's rate is fueled by an outbreak in the poultry industry.

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COVID-19 in Maryland: 1,071 cases added in 24 hours

BALTIMORE, MD (WBFF) — The Maryland Department of Health has released new numbers in the state's battle against COVID-19.

As of 10 a.m., there were 45,495 cases of Coronavirus in MD, an increase of 1,071 cases in 24 hours.

Maryland has 2,130 deaths, 186,832 negative tests and 3,283 patients have been released from isolation.

Governor Larry Hogan announced this week that the state has reached a critical milestone in its long-term COVID-19 testing strategy, surpassing 200,000 tests and completing testing of 3.5 percent of the state’s population, and now has the capacity and supplies to offer to test to Marylanders who may have been exposed to the disease even if they do not have symptoms.

With this progress, Governor Hogan has directed the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) to make appointment-free COVID-19 testing available at community-based testing sites throughout the state.

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Did Japan Just Beat the Virus Without Lockdowns or Mass Testing?

Japan’s state of emergency is set to end with new cases of the coronavirus dwindling to mere dozens. It got there despite largely ignoring the default playbook.

No restrictions were placed on residents’ movements, and businesses from restaurants to hairdressers stayed open. No high-tech apps that tracked people’s movements were deployed. The country doesn’t have a center for disease control. And even as nations were exhorted to “test, test, test,” Japan has tested just 0.2% of its population -- one of the lowest rates among developed countries.

Yet the curve has been flattened, with deaths well below 1,000, by far the fewest among the Group of Seven developed nations. In Tokyo, its dense center, cases have dropped to single digits on most days. While the possibility of a more severe second wave of infection is ever-present, Japan has entered and is set to leave its emergency in just weeks, with the status lifted already for most of the country and Tokyo and the remaining four other regions set to exit Monday.

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Mardela Springs Maryland


28 Million Mail-In Ballots Went Missing in Last Four Elections

Between 2012 and 2018, 28.3 million mail-in ballots remain unaccounted for, according to data from the federal Election Assistance Commission. The missing ballots amount to nearly one in five of all absentee ballots and ballots mailed to voters residing in states that do elections exclusively by mail.

States and local authorities simply have no idea what happened to these ballots since they were mailed – and the figure of 28 million missing ballots is likely even higher because some areas in the country, notably Chicago, did not respond to the federal agency’s survey questions. This figure does not include ballots that were spoiled, undeliverable, or came back for any reason.

Although there is no evidence that the millions of missing ballots were used fraudulently, the Public Interest Legal Foundation, which compiled the public data provided from the Election Assistance Commission, says that the sheer volume of them raises serious doubts about election security.

These questions are particularly relevant as the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing states across the country to rapidly expand vote-by-mail operations in an election year. Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Ron Wyden have proposed the Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act of 2020, a bill that would allow every eligible voter the opportunity to vote by mail, regardless of state laws governing mail-in ballots.

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Check Out These Facts About The Lies The Local MSM Stated About Ocean City Maryland



I’m a professional photographer and a teacher. One of the things I talk about, when teaching photography, is the impact that focal length can have on the perspective of a photograph.

With a super wide angle, you can force perspective to make things that are closer to the camera look super large compared to the things that are further away.

With a long telephoto, you can compress the view and make things that aren’t close together look like they’re close together. The longer the lens, the more compression takes place.

This photo, taken by a Reuters photographer, is being used in articles to discuss how “crowded” it was yesterday on the OC boardwalk. And all over Twitter, people are talking about how stupid the people are, for crowding so close together like that.

Here’s the thing... it was taken with a VERY long telephoto lens. Do you see Fishers on the right side? And Ripley’s on the left? They almost look like they’re next to each other, but they’re THREE BLOCKS APART.

To be clear: I am not saying this photo was manipulated (or Photoshopped) in any way. This is exactly what the photographer saw... through a very, very, VERY long lens.

I also looked at the time lapse of yesterday’s boardwalk camera...there was never a point when it was close to being as crowded as it looks in this picture (included, from about 2:45 p.m. until sunset).

The bottom line: Take everything you see and read with a grain of salt and always do your research.

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Young People Are Rushing To Leave Big Cities In Favor Of "Less Infected" Suburbia

There's no doubt that the long-lasting impact of the coronavirus pandemic will include a major shift in how consumers look at homebuying. In fact, have already reported here on Zero Hedge about how many are leaving the city in favor of life in the suburbs, since the virus has spread faster in city areas.

Now, it looks as though the younger generation is following the cues of the older generation and doing the same. The effects could be pronounced, especially since the younger generation was responsible for the boom in many U.S. cities over the last decade.

That includes people like Desiree Duff, who Bloomberg highlighted late last week. A former NYC bartender, she has left her apartment in Brooklyn to move back in with her parents in South Carolina. She is currently using unemployment to pay her part of the rent and says that she is stuck "rethinking" the appeal of living in the big city.

She said: “Not knowing what my future there looks like does make me reconsider. Maybe after my lease is done I should move elsewhere, to a smaller city that was less infected, as much as that breaks my heart.”

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