thetennesseestar--2020-05-02--Ohio Extends Its Stay-at-Home Order till May 29

Gov .
Mike DeWine announced Friday that the Ohio Department of Health ( ODH ) extended the state ’ s stay-at-home order till May 29 .
The new “ Stay Safe Ohio Order , ” which replaced the current stay-at-home order ending Friday night , incorporates the business and service openings announced as part of the Responsible RestartOhio plan , according to the governor ’ s press release .
Ohio has been in lockdown since March 22 due to the coronavirus .
While Ohio has been locked down , many Ohioans have lost their jobs .
Over the last six @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have filed for unemployment benefits .
Earlier this week , DeWine released the Responsible RestartOhio plan that detailed how businesses would start opening in Ohio : • May 1 : doctor visits , well-care checks , out-patient surgeries , imaging procedures , diagnostic tests , and dental and veterinary services .
• May 4 : general office environments and businesses in manufacturing , distribution , and construction The new ODH order encourages businesses set to open to allow workers to work from home , but if that is not possible the health department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away from each other , take people ’ s temperatures daily and have workers wear face coverings .
Facial coverings are not required by the public to wear when going into businesses , but these companies must allow people to wear facial coverings in their business place .
Businesses that will remain closed until May 29 include restaurants and bars , barbershops , salons , tattoo parlors , gyms , indoor family entertainment centers , child care services and senior centers .
In the “ Stay Safe Ohio Order , ” it prohibits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This part does not apply to weddings , funerals and religious gatherings .
Wedding receptions are limited to 10 people .
For elderly people and those who are vulnerable to the coronavirus , the order asks that these people stay home as much as possible unless they need to seek medical attention .
When people do leave the house , the order stresses that people try to remain six feet apart from each other .
For people who are planning on staying in Ohio while this order is ongoing , the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days .
As of Friday , ODH numbers show that the state has 17,962 cases and 1,002 deaths .
Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Star News Digital Media .
If you have any tips , email Zachery at [ email protected ] Photo “ Mike DeWine and Amy Acton ” by Mike DeWine .

Gov. Mike DeWine announced Friday that the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) extended the state’s stay-at-home order till May 29.
The new “Stay Safe Ohio Order,” which replaced the current stay-at-home order ending Friday night, incorporates the business and service openings announced as part of the Responsible RestartOhio plan, according to the governor’s press release.
Ohio has been in lockdown since March 22 due to the coronavirus. While Ohio has been locked down, many Ohioans have lost their jobs. Over the last six weeks, more than 1 million people have filed for unemployment benefits.
Earlier this week, DeWine released the Responsible RestartOhio plan that detailed how businesses would start opening in Ohio:
May 1: doctor visits, well-care checks, out-patient surgeries, imaging procedures, diagnostic tests, and dental and veterinary services.
May 4: general office environments and businesses in manufacturing, distribution, and construction
May 12: consumer, retail and service businesses
The new ODH order encourages businesses set to open to allow workers to work from home, but if that is not possible the health department wants businesses to keep employees six feet away from each other, take people’s temperatures daily and have workers wear face coverings.
Facial coverings are not required by the public to wear when going into businesses, but these companies must allow people to wear facial coverings in their business place.
Businesses that will remain closed until May 29 include restaurants and bars, barbershops, salons, tattoo parlors, gyms, indoor family entertainment centers, child care services and senior centers.
In the “Stay Safe Ohio Order,” it prohibits the gathering of more than 10 people. This part does not apply to weddings, funerals and religious gatherings. Wedding receptions are limited to 10 people.
For elderly people and those who are vulnerable to the coronavirus, the order asks that these people stay home as much as possible unless they need to seek medical attention.
When people do leave the house, the order stresses that people try to remain six feet apart from each other. For people who are planning on staying in Ohio while this order is ongoing, the state is asking them to self-isolate for 14 days.
As of Friday, ODH numbers show that the state has 17,962 cases and 1,002 deaths.

– – –
Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Star News Digital Media. If you have any tips, email Zachery at [email protected]
Photo “Mike DeWine and Amy Acton” by Mike DeWine.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-02--Oregon Man Arrested in Minnesota Was Traveling to White House to Kill President Trump

An Oregon man who was arrested this week in Minnesota was apparently on his way to the White House to kill President Donald Trump .
Jail records show 30-year-old Nicholas Daniel Bylotas was taken into custody Tuesday and is being held at the Sherburne County Jail on a felony charge of making threats against the president .
According to a federal affidavit obtained by The Oregonian , authorities arrested Bylotas after he told a U.S. Secret Service agent that he was going “ directly to see the president.
” Authorities arrested him in Minnesota and believe he was traveling eastward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week , Bylotas said on Facebook that he was going “ to stomp ” the president ’ s “ baby skull against the sidewalk , ” the affidavit reveals .
“ We have to kill Donald Trump because he is a known evil and is doing a job that is supposed to be for good people , ” he wrote on Facebook last week .
“ The law is supposed to stop that from happening .
I am the Revolution .
Execute the traitors.
” Social media posts uncovered by journalist Andy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaigns of Sens .
Bernie Sanders ( I-VT ) and Elizabeth Warren ( D-MA ) .
Bylotas acknowledged on Twitter in February that he was being watched by “ the FBI and others ” for “ terror.
” “ Eat the rich indeed .
They shall fall like colossi , ” he said , stating in another post that people like Trump need to be killed “ before they become president.
” The federal affidavit claims Bylotas was fired from Intel earlier this year after he sent threatening emails to the company ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bylotas in late January after he urged Trump to “ surrender peacefully and agree to my conditions , or prepare for your doom.
” Chedester placed a mental health hold on Bylotas , who briefly received treatment at the Unity Center for Behavioral Health in Portland .
According to the affidavit , he was released February 12 in an “ improved condition ” and didn ’ t meet the criteria for an involuntary commitment .
The Secret Service was contacted this week after Bylotas said on Facebook that he was traveling to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ travels online .
“ Do you want to join me for the journey to the White House ?
I am going to go over there and disrupt whatever the hell they are trying to hurt the people with , ” he said .
In another social media post this week , Bylotas said he would “ like to see more forward destructive action happen to the USA.
” Bylotas reportedly had a detention hearing scheduled for Friday .
The federal charge of making threats against the president comes with a penalty of up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star .
Follow Anthony on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .

An Oregon man who was arrested this week in Minnesota was apparently on his way to the White House to kill President Donald Trump.
Jail records show 30-year-old Nicholas Daniel Bylotas was taken into custody Tuesday and is being held at the Sherburne County Jail on a felony charge of making threats against the president.
According to a federal affidavit obtained by The Oregonian, authorities arrested Bylotas after he told a U.S. Secret Service agent that he was going “directly to see the president.” Authorities arrested him in Minnesota and believe he was traveling eastward to Washington, D.C.
As recently as last week, Bylotas said on Facebook that he was going “to stomp” the president’s “baby skull against the sidewalk,” the affidavit reveals.
“We have to kill Donald Trump because he is a known evil and is doing a job that is supposed to be for good people,” he wrote on Facebook last week. “The law is supposed to stop that from happening. I am the Revolution. Execute the traitors.”
Social media posts uncovered by journalist Andy Ngo suggest that Bylotas supported the presidential campaigns of Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
Bylotas acknowledged on Twitter in February that he was being watched by “the FBI and others” for “terror.”
“Eat the rich indeed. They shall fall like colossi,” he said, stating in another post that people like Trump need to be killed “before they become president.”
The federal affidavit claims Bylotas was fired from Intel earlier this year after he sent threatening emails to the company’s CEO.
Detective Jeremy Chedester contacted Bylotas in late January after he urged Trump to “surrender peacefully and agree to my conditions, or prepare for your doom.” Chedester placed a mental health hold on Bylotas, who briefly received treatment at the Unity Center for Behavioral Health in Portland. According to the affidavit, he was released February 12 in an “improved condition” and didn’t meet the criteria for an involuntary commitment.
The Secret Service was contacted this week after Bylotas said on Facebook that he was traveling to the White House and posted pictures of his travels online.
“Do you want to join me for the journey to the White House? I am going to go over there and disrupt whatever the hell they are trying to hurt the people with,” he said.
In another social media post this week, Bylotas said he would “like to see more forward destructive action happen to the USA.”
Bylotas reportedly had a detention hearing scheduled for Friday. The federal charge of making threats against the president comes with a penalty of up to five years in prison.
– – –
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].


thetennesseestar--2020-05-02--Whitmer Extends State of Emergency Order, Slams Republicans Lawmakers

Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer extended the state of emergency and disaster declarations to May 28 earlier this week in a move that went head-to-head with Republicans in the Michigan legislature .
Whitmer ended the existing state of emergency and disaster declarations , which were set to end on April 30 , and reissued them under the Emergency Powers of the Governor Act of 1945 and the Emergency Management Act of 1976 .
Both new orders are set to expire on May 28 .
“ COVID-19 is an enemy that has taken the lives of more Michiganders than we lost during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a statement .
“ While some members of the legislature might believe this crisis is over , common sense and all of the scientific data tells us we ’ re not out of the woods yet.
” The extension follows the passing of a Senate bill that would require both members of the Michigan legislature to approve an extension of such orders .
Whitmer said she intends to veto the bill when it is presented to her and she will not sign other bills that restrain her power to “ protect the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a timely manner .
“ By refusing to extend the emergency and disaster declaration , Republican lawmakers are putting their heads in the sand and putting more lives and livelihoods at risk , ” Whitmer said .
“ I ’ m not going to let that happen.
” The governor has previously gone up against the legislature , which refused to grant her a 70-day extension she originally asked for in early April .
Republican leaders in both the House and the Senate said that the requested extension was too long .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 23 days .
“ We ’ re all in this together .
Defeating COVID-19 is an all hands on deck moment for our state , and I remain hopeful that Republicans in the legislature will stop the partisan games and start working with me to re-engage our economy safely and responsibly , ” Whitmer said this week .
Michigan currently has more than 42,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus , according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services .
The death toll in the state is 3,866 .
Jordyn Pair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Follow her on Twitter at @ JordynPair .
Email her at [ email protected ] Photo “ Gretchen Whitmer ” by Gretchen Whitmer .

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer extended the state of emergency and disaster declarations to May 28 earlier this week in a move that went head-to-head with Republicans in the Michigan legislature.
Whitmer ended the existing state of emergency and disaster declarations, which were set to end on April 30, and reissued them under the Emergency Powers of the Governor Act of 1945 and the Emergency Management Act of 1976. Both new orders are set to expire on May 28.
“COVID-19 is an enemy that has taken the lives of more Michiganders than we lost during the Vietnam War,” Whitmer said in a statement. “While some members of the legislature might believe this crisis is over, common sense and all of the scientific data tells us we’re not out of the woods yet.”
The extension follows the passing of a Senate bill that would require both members of the Michigan legislature to approve an extension of such orders. Whitmer said she intends to veto the bill when it is presented to her and she will not sign other bills that restrain her power to “protect the people of Michigan form this deadly virus in a timely manner.
“By refusing to extend the emergency and disaster declaration, Republican lawmakers are putting their heads in the sand and putting more lives and livelihoods at risk,” Whitmer said. “I’m not going to let that happen.”
The governor has previously gone up against the legislature, which refused to grant her a 70-day extension she originally asked for in early April. Republican leaders in both the House and the Senate said that the requested extension was too long. The legislature eventually granted her an extension of 23 days.
Whitmer blamed Republican lawmakers for “partisan games.”
“We’re all in this together. Defeating COVID-19 is an all hands on deck moment for our state, and I remain hopeful that Republicans in the legislature will stop the partisan games and start working with me to re-engage our economy safely and responsibly,” Whitmer said this week.
Michigan currently has more than 42,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The death toll in the state is 3,866.
– – –
Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Michigan Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair. Email her at [email protected]
Photo “Gretchen Whitmer” by Gretchen Whitmer.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-02--Minnesota House Rejected Third Resolution to End Peacetime Emergency

The DFL-controlled Minnesota House rejected a third resolution this week that would have ended Gov .
Tim Walz ’ s peacetime emergency declaration .
“ Additionally , the resolution would have allowed the Minnesota Legislature to fulfill its proper role in developing policy instead of permitting unilateral control by the governor , ” Rep. Steve Drazkowski ( R-Mazeppa ) explained in a press release .
The resolution was rejected along party lines in a Tuesday vote of 59-73 .
The vote marked the third failed attempt by House Republicans this month to end the peacetime emergency declared by Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The governor announced on April 13 that he was extending his emergency declaration for an additional 30 days and has now issued 49 executive actions using his emergency powers .
“ The time has come for Gov .
Walz to recognize the seriousness of our economic situation , ” Drazkowski added .
“ We need to reopen the economy and let Minnesotans reclaim control of their lives .
Instead , Democrats are making promises they can ’ t keep : loans and grants that they can ’ t sustain when state tax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not spend its way out of this economic disaster with blank checks .
The best way to get this economy moving again is to put people back to work .
We will continue to push for this state to reopen , and we hope the people of Minnesota will make their voices heard by contacting their elected officials , ” he continued .
In response to the Republican efforts , House Speaker Melissa Hortman ( DFL-Brooklyn Park ) introduced a resolution to waive the House ’ s right to terminate a peacetime emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faced harsh criticism Thursday from Republican lawmakers after he extended his stay-at-home order for another two weeks .
“ If we fail to correct our course , we will see devastating effects and no amount of taxpayer money will fix the problems we are creating , ” Rep. Jeremy Munson ( R-Lake Crystal ) said in a statement .
“ Every time we meet the objectives set by an order , Gov .
Walz changes the goal .
The original goal was to flatten the curve – it ’ s flat .
Then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have hundreds of extra ICU beds.
” As of Friday , Minnesota had 5,730 confirmed COVID-19 cases , 371 deaths , and 369 current hospitalizations .
Of those who are hospitalized , just 118 are in an ICU , according to the Department of Health .
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star .
Follow Anthony on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .
Photo “ Minnesota House Chambers ” by Chris Gaukel .
CC BY-SA 2.0 .

The DFL-controlled Minnesota House rejected a third resolution this week that would have ended Gov. Tim Walz’s peacetime emergency declaration.
“Additionally, the resolution would have allowed the Minnesota Legislature to fulfill its proper role in developing policy instead of permitting unilateral control by the governor,” Rep. Steve Drazkowski (R-Mazeppa) explained in a press release.
The resolution was rejected along party lines in a Tuesday vote of 59-73. The vote marked the third failed attempt by House Republicans this month to end the peacetime emergency declared by Gov. Walz in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The governor announced on April 13 that he was extending his emergency declaration for an additional 30 days and has now issued 49 executive actions using his emergency powers.
“The time has come for Gov. Walz to recognize the seriousness of our economic situation,” Drazkowski added. “We need to reopen the economy and let Minnesotans reclaim control of their lives. Instead, Democrats are making promises they can’t keep: loans and grants that they can’t sustain when state tax revenues have shrunk.”
“Minnesota cannot spend its way out of this economic disaster with blank checks. The best way to get this economy moving again is to put people back to work. We will continue to push for this state to reopen, and we hope the people of Minnesota will make their voices heard by contacting their elected officials,” he continued.
In response to the Republican efforts, House Speaker Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park) introduced a resolution to waive the House’s right to terminate a peacetime emergency for a 30-day period.
The governor faced harsh criticism Thursday from Republican lawmakers after he extended his stay-at-home order for another two weeks.
“If we fail to correct our course, we will see devastating effects and no amount of taxpayer money will fix the problems we are creating,” Rep. Jeremy Munson (R-Lake Crystal) said in a statement. “Every time we meet the objectives set by an order, Gov. Walz changes the goal. The original goal was to flatten the curve – it’s flat. Then it was to build ICU beds – we have hundreds of extra ICU beds.”
As of Friday, Minnesota had 5,730 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 371 deaths, and 369 current hospitalizations. Of those who are hospitalized, just 118 are in an ICU, according to the Department of Health.
– – –
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Minnesota House Chambers” by Chris Gaukel. CC BY-SA 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-02--Gov. Lee Announces Plan to Test Every Nursing Home Resident, Staffer at White House Press Conference

President Donald Trump commended Tennessee Gov .
Bill Lee for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and said he has done a “ fantastic job ” during a Thursday press conference .
“ My administration is doing everything possible to support the state-led management of nursing homes and here today is a governor who I happen to like a lot , ” said Trump .
“ And he ’ s done a fantastic job , and a fantastic state .
A state that I happen to like a lot .
It ’ s called Tennessee.
” Lee joined the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ press conference on their efforts to protect elderly populations in nursing homes from the coronavirus .
“ For some reason they like me .
I haven ’ t figured that out , but they like me in Tennessee , ” Trump added .
The governor said during the press conference that the state has committed to testing “ every resident and every staff in every one of our 700 long-term care facilities.
” “ It will be a great undertaking but it honors the value of these lives in those facilities , lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hardest of times , ” Lee said .
“ It ’ s time for us to protect them.
” As of Friday , Tennessee had 478 confirmed COVID-19 cases across 43 long-term care facilities .
The Gallatin Center for Rehabilitation in Sumner County has the largest outbreak of any nursing home in Tennessee with 162 cases and 23 deaths .
Nursing homes across the state have reported a total of 44 coronavirus-related deaths , according to the Tennessee Department of Health .
The Life Care Center of Athens has also seen a significant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as of Friday .
“ No effort will be spared to give America ’ s seniors the care and support and devotion and love they have earned , ” the president said Thursday .
Gov .
Lee joined Fox News Friday morning to discuss his meeting with the president and thanked Trump for working hard “ to make sure the federal effort is supportive and complementary of the states.
” “ It ’ s really our turn to protect them and as the most vulnerable in this coronavirus effort we have to put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said of Tennessee ’ s nursing home population .
“ We know it ’ s where the greatest risk is and it ’ s where the greatest focus should be put.
” Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star .
Follow Anthony on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .

President Donald Trump commended Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and said he has done a “fantastic job” during a Thursday press conference.
“My administration is doing everything possible to support the state-led management of nursing homes and here today is a governor who I happen to like a lot,” said Trump. “And he’s done a fantastic job, and a fantastic state. A state that I happen to like a lot. It’s called Tennessee.”
Lee joined the president at the White House Thursday for a press conference on their efforts to protect elderly populations in nursing homes from the coronavirus.
LIVE: POTUS Delivers Remarks on Protecting America's Seniors https://t.co/CCZrEZ9XxH — The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 30, 2020
“For some reason they like me. I haven’t figured that out, but they like me in Tennessee,” Trump added.
The governor said during the press conference that the state has committed to testing “every resident and every staff in every one of our 700 long-term care facilities.”
“It will be a great undertaking but it honors the value of these lives in those facilities, lives that have protected our country in the hardest of times,” Lee said. “It’s time for us to protect them.”
As of Friday, Tennessee had 478 confirmed COVID-19 cases across 43 long-term care facilities. The Gallatin Center for Rehabilitation in Sumner County has the largest outbreak of any nursing home in Tennessee with 162 cases and 23 deaths. Nursing homes across the state have reported a total of 44 coronavirus-related deaths, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.
The Life Care Center of Athens has also seen a significant uptick in cases with 93 confirmed cases as of Friday.
“No effort will be spared to give America’s seniors the care and support and devotion and love they have earned,” the president said Thursday.
Gov. Lee joined Fox News Friday morning to discuss his meeting with the president and thanked Trump for working hard “to make sure the federal effort is supportive and complementary of the states.”
Early morning with @foxandfriends to discuss yesterday's visit with @realDonaldTrump, measures to protect our vulnerable populations amid #COVID19, and strategies to safely reopen Tennessee. Watch more: pic.twitter.com/FsycD0Eyf2 — Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) May 1, 2020
“It’s really our turn to protect them and as the most vulnerable in this coronavirus effort we have to put a real emphasis there,” Lee said of Tennessee’s nursing home population. “We know it’s where the greatest risk is and it’s where the greatest focus should be put.”
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].


thetennesseestar--2020-05-02--Metro Coronavirus Task Force Chair Claim: Counties Surrounding Nashville Now Have Higher COVID-19 Nu

Metro Coronavirus Task Force Chair Claim: Counties Surrounding Nashville Now Have Higher COVID-19 Numbers

Counties that surround Nashville and Davidson County now have a higher number of COVID-19 cases than Davidson County does , according to a claim made by Metro Coronavirus Task Force Chair Alex Jahangir at a press conference Friday .
Jahangir said that , as of Friday , Davidson County had 2,832 confirmed COVID-19 cases , which was an increase of 163 individuals in the previous 24 hours .
Counties surrounding Davidson , meanwhile , tallied an additional 3,227 cases — or an increase of 955 people in just one day , he said .
“ The total for our region @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Jahangir said .
“ Of the Davidson County cases , 1,339 are currently active , and 1,466 residents have recovered and have been cleared.
” COVID-19 claimed two additional lives in Nashville Thursday , an 85-year-old woman and an 87-year-old man .
Both people had underlying medical conditions .
The virus has now killed 27 people in Davidson County , Jahangir said .
“ The 163 new cases in Davidson County is concerning , but we need to see more data over the next several days before drawing any conclusions , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dashboard shows the transmission rate in the 14-day trend of new cases both continue to be yellow , or less than satisfactory , while the other four metrics are green or satisfactory , including our public health capacity , hospital bed capacity , and testing capacity.
” Jahangir said community assessment centers in Davidson County are open five days a week each Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m .
In addition , county officials are finalizing plans to have mobile testing teams respond to long-term care facilities in other places @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ So far we have tested 1,600 people this week at our centers , and nearly 7,000 people have been tested since we opened on March 31 , ” Jahangir said .
Jahangir said the county ’ s assessment hotline is open every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 615-862-7777 for people who think they have the virus or think they were exposed to it .
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ]

Counties that surround Nashville and Davidson County now have a higher number of COVID-19 cases than Davidson County does, according to a claim made by Metro Coronavirus Task Force Chair Alex Jahangir at a press conference Friday.
“We now have 2,832 confirmed cases. That’s an increase of 163 cases in the last 24 hours. There are an additional 3,227 cases in the surrounding counties. That’s an increase of 955 in one day. Now, for the first time, the surrounding counties have more cases than Davidson County,” Jahangir said at Friday’s press conference.
“The total for our region is over 6,000 [cases],” Jahangir said.
“Of the Davidson County cases, 1,339 are currently active, and 1,466 residents have recovered and have been cleared.”
COVID-19 claimed two additional lives in Nashville Thursday, an 85-year-old woman and an 87-year-old man. Both people had underlying medical conditions. The virus has now killed 27 people in Davidson County, Jahangir said.
“The 163 new cases in Davidson County is concerning, but we need to see more data over the next several days before drawing any conclusions,” Jahangir said.
“Today’s dashboard shows the transmission rate in the 14-day trend of new cases both continue to be yellow, or less than satisfactory, while the other four metrics are green or satisfactory, including our public health capacity, hospital bed capacity, and testing capacity.”
Jahangir said community assessment centers in Davidson County are open five days a week each Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. In addition, county officials are finalizing plans to have mobile testing teams respond to long-term care facilities in other places that may need testing, he added.
“So far we have tested 1,600 people this week at our centers, and nearly 7,000 people have been tested since we opened on March 31,” Jahangir said.
Jahangir said the county’s assessment hotline is open every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 615-862-7777 for people who think they have the virus or think they were exposed to it.
– – –
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected]


thetennesseestar--2020-05-03--More than 12,000 Tennesseans Test Positive for COVID-19 as of Saturday

Exactly 12,661 Tennesseans tested positive for COVID-19 as of Saturday , while the state ’ s death count for the @ @ @ @ @ to the Tennessee Department of Health .
The COVID Tracking Project reported that Tennessee hospitals @ @ @ @ @ admitted 1,125 confirmed COVID-19 patients since the pandemic reached the United States .
Meanwhile , @ @ @ @ @ Trousdale counties had the state ’ s highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases as of @ @ @ @ @ department of health ’ s website .
Tennessee Gov .
Bill Lee announced Friday that @ @ @ @ @ at the Hartsville-based Trousdale Turner Correctional Center , in Trousdale County , tested positive for @ @ @ @ @ Pickett counties , meanwhile , continued to have zero confirmed cases .
According to TDH @ @ @ @ @ the following number of cases as of Saturday : Chris Butler is an investigative journalist @ @ @ @ @ Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ]

Exactly 12,661 Tennesseans tested positive for COVID-19 as of Saturday, while the state’s death count for the virus reached 209, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.
The COVID Tracking Project reported that Tennessee hospitals had, in total, admitted 1,125 confirmed COVID-19 patients since the pandemic reached the United States.
Meanwhile, Davidson, Shelby, and Trousdale counties had the state’s highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Saturday, according to the department of health’s website.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced Friday that 1,224 inmates and 22 staff at the Hartsville-based Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, in Trousdale County, tested positive for the virus.
Hancock and Pickett counties, meanwhile, continued to have zero confirmed cases.
According to TDH numbers, Tennessee counties had the following number of cases as of Saturday:
• Davidson County: 2,773
• Shelby County: 2,672
• Trousdale County: 1,344
• Sumner County: 640
• Bledsoe County: 596
• Rutherford County: 547
• Williamson County: 419
• Wilson County: 268
• Knox County: 236
• Bedford County: 193
• Hamilton County: 168
• Robertson County: 168
• Montgomery County: 148
• Madison County: 138
• Putnam County: 136
• Tipton County: 99
• McMinn County: 97
• Dickson County: 77
• Cumberland County: 74
• Blount County: 63
• Fayette County: 59
• Washington County: 57
• Lake County: 55
• Bradley County: 52
• Sevier County: 49
• Sullivan County: 49
• Cheatham County: 48
• Gibson County: 48
• Hickman County: 44
• Macon County: 44
• Maury County: 44
• Greene County: 43
• Coffee County: 38
• Loudon County: 37
• Dyer County: 36
• Franklin County: 36
• Hawkins County: 30
• Marion County: 29
• Anderson County: 28
• Grundy County: 28
• Haywood County: 23
• Marshall County: 23
• Weakley County: 23
• Jefferson County: 22
• Monroe County: 22
• Smith County: 22
• Lauderdale County: 21
• Carroll County: 18
• DeKalb County: 18
• Hamblen County: 18
• Hardeman County: 17
• Lawrence County: 17
• Campbell County: 16
• Cocke County: 16
• Obion County: 15
• Carter County: 14
• Lincoln County: 14
• Henry County: 13
• Cannon County: 12
• Perry County: 12
• Humphries County: 11
• McNairy County: 11
• Polk County: 11
• Scott County: 11
• Chester County: 10
• Henderson County: 9
• Meigs County: 9
• Overton County: 9
• Giles County: 8
• Warren County: 8
• Crockett County: 7
• Jackson County: 7
• Roane County: 7
• Stewart County: 7
• White County: 7
• Benton County: 6
• Grainger County: 6
• Morgan County: 6
• Claiborne County: 5
• Clay County: 5
• Hardin County: 5
• Houston County: 5
• Rhea County: 5
• Sequatchie County: 5
• Decatur County: 4
• Fentress County: 4
• Wayne County: 4
• Johnson County: 3
• Moore County: 3
• Lewis County: 2
• Unicoi County: 2
• Van Buren County: 2
• Hancock County: 0
• Pickett County: 0
– – –
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected]


thetennesseestar--2020-05-03--Commentary: ‘Flattening the Curve,’ and Other Lies

To our betters in the American ruling class : Just a note to say thanks for giving us a much-needed lesson in the wisdom of our Founding Fathers , who were not shy at all in admonishing us to be wary of surrendering the kind of government power you people have wielded , supposedly for our benefit , since the Chinese Communist virus hit our shores at some indeterminate point in the recent , or maybe not-so-recent , past .
You told us that Patient Zero in America for the Wuhan ChiCom virus came to Seattle and first landed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ built an entire response to the virus based on that , and three months later more than 26 million Americans are out of work , and the projections are that some 24 percent of our economy will have evaporated in the second quarter of this year thanks to that response .
In the meantime we ’ ve watched , on our TVs and computer screens , as moms and dads have been arrested for taking their kids to the park , as some of you have issued edicts preventing us from traveling from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as some of you are attempting to mandate that we wear masks in public , and as some of you are shutting down events and gatherings even eight months from now , as though you have crystal balls to see what the future so far out will hold .
What you ’ ve done has made an abject mockery of the idea we have God-given , unassailable rights .
Instead what we have are permissions from our political betters .
Thomas Jefferson and Samuel Adams would be busy decorating trees with your hides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from you in the past three months .
And why ?
Because they knew what we ’ ve apparently forgotten — as another of the titans of our past once said , “ Those who would give up essential Liberty , to purchase a little temporary Safety , deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
” Ben Franklin wouldn ’ t have a particularly fond judgment of what we ’ ve let you do lately .
Because what he knew , and what Jefferson and the rest knew , was that a government to which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abuse and debase them , and the power to whom it ’ s been ceded won ’ t easily be reclaimed by the people .
Some of us are beginning to remember this .
More of us will recognize it as evidence of your perfidy and incompetence mounts .
After all , several things are true .
First , most of you spent several decades essentially rewarding Red China for the Tiananmen Square massacre by throwing open trade and granting the most murderous political apparatus in human history Most Favored Nation trade status @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to help build a hostile world superpower rival we didn ’ t have after the fall of the Soviet Union , at the expense of our manufacturing base .
You thought that was a good idea , partially because you ’ re naive and stupid and partially because you were bought off , but what we ended up with is a rogue regime that cooks up infectious diseases in laboratories , incompetently lets them out into the open and proceeds to lie about them for months while the World Health Organization , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fund with hundreds of millions of dollars of our money , covers up for China despite their providing barely a tenth of what we do .
Then , while you tell us this virus is nothing to worry about , you build a response based on the numbers and data coming from that lying rogue regime and the incompetent government of Italy , which it turns out presides over a perfect storm of an atrocious socialized medicine regime and a teeming cesspool of sweatshop Chinese labor , coupled with an innovative method of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus whether actual or not , as a virus death .
You throw all of that garbage into data models built and funded by apocalyptic leftists with extensive dealings with the Chinese , and proceed to govern by them .
It doesn ’ t occur to you until weeks later , when those models utterly fail to predict anything like the real impact of the virus , that what they reflect is garbage in , garbage out .
And one main reason your models fail so completely is the public health bureaucrats you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bothered to wonder what it would mean if the Chinese communists were lying to us about the virus .
Namely , that if they denied its existence for two months , the virus was probably everywhere long before your response kicked in , and shutting down the American economy was a tragic waste of lives , livelihoods , and capital .
We now know this was the case , because at long last somebody is finally doing antibody testing — and as they conduct studies in places like California , where the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re finding out what was obvious to lots of people .
It turns out Patient Zero wasn ’ t Zero at all — at least two people had died of the virus well before the “ outbreak ” supposedly started .
What that means is we were a lot further along this curve you told us putting us under house arrest was going to flatten than you knew .
And because we were further along that curve , the potential impact of the virus on our health-care system was never even remotely close @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would be .
That ’ s OK , though .
Lives are more important than money , right ?
Except you ’ ve spent decades pushing government programs aimed at redistributing wealth on us based on the premise , which we ’ ve been promised is true ( and might well be ) , that poverty , unemployment , and social isolation create catastrophic health outcomes .
So making the whole country broke , unemployed , and unable to interact in person with their friends is now a good idea … because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dangerous is the virus ?
Well , it could kill more than two million of us , and everybody is at risk .
Or maybe more like 250,000 of us , most of whom are old .
Or , perhaps it ’ s more like 100,000 of us , and the vast majority have serious health issues like morbid obesity , hypertension , diabetes , or are immunocompromised .
Or maybe it ’ s 60,000 .
Which is a number more like a bad flu season .
But we don ’ t dare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s 10 times more dangerous than the flu .
Well , not unless you ’ re over 60 and have those comorbidities .
If you ’ re 45 or younger and you ’ re healthy , the flu is probably more likely to kill you than the Chinese coronavirus .
And then those studies come out and — guess what !
— this virus has about the same fatality rate , once you project all the people who ’ ve actually had it , as the flu .
Wonder what the numbers would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t copied the Italians ’ model of chalking up everybody who even thought of having the virus as a virus death .
Sometimes you ’ re not even testing people before assigning their deaths to the virus .
Hey , running up the score is good for getting federal disaster funding , right ?
Better make sure the public stays scared !
But the medical system was going to be overwhelmed , and so we had to “ flatten the curve ” and keep everybody home and socially distanced .
Because that would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Or actually , no , it wouldn ’ t , because everybody ultimately gets the virus .
We just needed to make sure we didn ’ t all get it at the same time , because the hospitals would fill up .
And it ’ s a good thing we shut the economy down , because the hospitals didn ’ t fill up .
In fact , the hospitals are empty , and they ’ re laying off doctors and nurses .
Y ’ know , the doctors and nurses who are such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mad when they harangue people who question whether or not this is as serious as they make it out to be on the six o ’ clock news .
Those doctors and nurses — they ’ re swamped with patients , you know .
When they ’ re not laid off because there are no patients to see .
By the way , thanks for designing such a precise , well-thought-out shutdown .
After all , it makes perfect sense that you can get an abortion but not a colonoscopy .
No need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while Macy ’ s is shuttered .
Or why surfing or golfing alone are prohibited , because “ social distancing , ” but buying lottery tickets is cool .
Or why you can ’ t get a haircut unless you ’ re a mayor or governor who “ has ” to go on TV to preen at a press conference daily .
Or why buying booze is OK but going to the gym is dangerous .
That has all made perfect sense .
Good job on thinking all that through .
Just imagine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you hadn ’ t shut the economy down .
Look at what those data models showed !
You guys are real heroes .
We shouldn ’ t be upset at all about losing our jobs .
We should be thanking you for free government swag and unemployment checks … which in some cases are more than our jobs were paying , and so those businesses you shuttered can ’ t reopen because they can ’ t bring back their employees who have no motivation to get back to work .
But now that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overloaded ( not from being shut down like all the other businesses , though , which means you ’ ve damaged it in other ways with stupid public policy ) , it ’ s time to go back to work , right ?
Well , no .
No , you tell us , you have to be careful about how you do that .
Too much freedom is a bad thing , right ?
We have to embrace the “ new normal.
” The “ new normal ” means we can go back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and we can live our lives how you dictate we can .
And why ?
Because we don ’ t want a “ second wave ” of the outbreak .
Wait , why would we have a second wave ?
Because not everybody got the virus in the first wave .
And until everybody has more or less had it you can ’ t get to “ herd immunity , ” which is how these viruses are defeated .
But the virus ultimately spreads everywhere .
We know this because there have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for them to spread to , and that ’ s how a coronavirus works .
So why wouldn ’ t we want to just get this over with and protect the people most vulnerable to the virus ?
Because that would be irresponsible , right ?
You have to — how does it go ?
— “ test , trace , isolate ” before you can let people do what they want .
You might even need to give people “ immunity papers ” proving they ’ re safe to be around before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work at their “ non-essential ” jobs or eat at a restaurant .
We promise we won ’ t notice none of that was in the initial justification for forcing us to stay home .
We wouldn ’ t suspect you guys of bad faith for having bait-and-switched us like that .
Because we know that if we did notice , and we did express dissatisfaction , we would be descended upon by our betters at the Big Tech companies , who are doing us a big favor by censoring “ misinformation ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questioning the WHO or noting the virus likely came out of a Chinese bioweapons lab .
Or we ’ ll get arrested because protesting is “ non-essential.
” Or maybe we ’ ll just be griped at by the hordes of busybody Karens across the country who call us “ selfish ” for wondering whether this wasn ’ t all just a too-costly overreaction .
No , we won ’ t do any of that .
We ’ ll just say thanks , and that you ’ re really doing a hell of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You ’ re doing a hell of a job .
Scott McKay is publisher of the Hayride , which offers news and commentary on Louisiana and national politics .
He ’ s also a novelist — check out his first book “ Animus : A Tale of Ardenia , ” available in Kindle and paperback .
Photo “ Screening Station ” by The National Guard .
CC BY 2.0 .

by Scott Mckay
To our betters in the American ruling class:
Just a note to say thanks for giving us a much-needed lesson in the wisdom of our Founding Fathers, who were not shy at all in admonishing us to be wary of surrendering the kind of government power you people have wielded, supposedly for our benefit, since the Chinese Communist virus hit our shores at some indeterminate point in the recent, or maybe not-so-recent, past.
You told us that Patient Zero in America for the Wuhan ChiCom virus came to Seattle and first landed in a hospital on January 19. You built an entire response to the virus based on that, and three months later more than 26 million Americans are out of work, and the projections are that some 24 percent of our economy will have evaporated in the second quarter of this year thanks to that response.
In the meantime we’ve watched, on our TVs and computer screens, as moms and dads have been arrested for taking their kids to the park, as some of you have issued edicts preventing us from traveling from one property we own to another, as some of you are attempting to mandate that we wear masks in public, and as some of you are shutting down events and gatherings even eight months from now, as though you have crystal balls to see what the future so far out will hold.
What you’ve done has made an abject mockery of the idea we have God-given, unassailable rights. Instead what we have are permissions from our political betters. Thomas Jefferson and Samuel Adams would be busy decorating trees with your hides for less than we’ve tolerated from you in the past three months.
And why? Because they knew what we’ve apparently forgotten — as another of the titans of our past once said, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
Ben Franklin wouldn’t have a particularly fond judgment of what we’ve let you do lately.
Because what he knew, and what Jefferson and the rest knew, was that a government to which you surrender your natural rights will shortly abuse and debase them, and the power to whom it’s been ceded won’t easily be reclaimed by the people.
Some of us are beginning to remember this. More of us will recognize it as evidence of your perfidy and incompetence mounts.
After all, several things are true.
First, most of you spent several decades essentially rewarding Red China for the Tiananmen Square massacre by throwing open trade and granting the most murderous political apparatus in human history Most Favored Nation trade status. The result of that has been to help build a hostile world superpower rival we didn’t have after the fall of the Soviet Union, at the expense of our manufacturing base. You thought that was a good idea, partially because you’re naive and stupid and partially because you were bought off, but what we ended up with is a rogue regime that cooks up infectious diseases in laboratories, incompetently lets them out into the open and proceeds to lie about them for months while the World Health Organization, which you put us on the hook to fund with hundreds of millions of dollars of our money, covers up for China despite their providing barely a tenth of what we do.
Great move.
Then, while you tell us this virus is nothing to worry about, you build a response based on the numbers and data coming from that lying rogue regime and the incompetent government of Italy, which it turns out presides over a perfect storm of an atrocious socialized medicine regime and a teeming cesspool of sweatshop Chinese labor, coupled with an innovative method of counting every conceivable death related to the virus whether actual or not, as a virus death. You throw all of that garbage into data models built and funded by apocalyptic leftists with extensive dealings with the Chinese, and proceed to govern by them.
It doesn’t occur to you until weeks later, when those models utterly fail to predict anything like the real impact of the virus, that what they reflect is garbage in, garbage out. And one main reason your models fail so completely is the public health bureaucrats you put all your faith in never even bothered to wonder what it would mean if the Chinese communists were lying to us about the virus.
Namely, that if they denied its existence for two months, the virus was probably everywhere long before your response kicked in, and shutting down the American economy was a tragic waste of lives, livelihoods, and capital. We now know this was the case, because at long last somebody is finally doing antibody testing — and as they conduct studies in places like California, where the virus would have spread earliest, they’re finding out what was obvious to lots of people. It turns out Patient Zero wasn’t Zero at all — at least two people had died of the virus well before the “outbreak” supposedly started.
What that means is we were a lot further along this curve you told us putting us under house arrest was going to flatten than you knew. And because we were further along that curve, the potential impact of the virus on our health-care system was never even remotely close to what your awful data models said it would be.
That’s OK, though. Lives are more important than money, right? Except you’ve spent decades pushing government programs aimed at redistributing wealth on us based on the premise, which we’ve been promised is true (and might well be), that poverty, unemployment, and social isolation create catastrophic health outcomes. So making the whole country broke, unemployed, and unable to interact in person with their friends is now a good idea … because of this virus?
Well, how dangerous is the virus? Well, it could kill more than two million of us, and everybody is at risk. Or maybe more like 250,000 of us, most of whom are old. Or, perhaps it’s more like 100,000 of us, and the vast majority have serious health issues like morbid obesity, hypertension, diabetes, or are immunocompromised. Or maybe it’s 60,000.
Which is a number more like a bad flu season. But we don’t dare call this the flu! It’s 10 times more dangerous than the flu.
Well, not unless you’re over 60 and have those comorbidities. If you’re 45 or younger and you’re healthy, the flu is probably more likely to kill you than the Chinese coronavirus.
And then those studies come out and — guess what! — this virus has about the same fatality rate, once you project all the people who’ve actually had it, as the flu. Wonder what the numbers would have looked like if you hadn’t copied the Italians’ model of chalking up everybody who even thought of having the virus as a virus death. Sometimes you’re not even testing people before assigning their deaths to the virus. Hey, running up the score is good for getting federal disaster funding, right? Better make sure the public stays scared!
But the medical system was going to be overwhelmed, and so we had to “flatten the curve” and keep everybody home and socially distanced. Because that would keep us from getting the virus. Or actually, no, it wouldn’t, because everybody ultimately gets the virus. We just needed to make sure we didn’t all get it at the same time, because the hospitals would fill up.
And it’s a good thing we shut the economy down, because the hospitals didn’t fill up. In fact, the hospitals are empty, and they’re laying off doctors and nurses. Y’know, the doctors and nurses who are such heroes that nobody is supposed to get mad when they harangue people who question whether or not this is as serious as they make it out to be on the six o’clock news. Those doctors and nurses — they’re swamped with patients, you know. When they’re not laid off because there are no patients to see.
By the way, thanks for designing such a precise, well-thought-out shutdown. After all, it makes perfect sense that you can get an abortion but not a colonoscopy. No need to explain why Walmart is selling shirts while Macy’s is shuttered. Or why surfing or golfing alone are prohibited, because “social distancing,” but buying lottery tickets is cool. Or why you can’t get a haircut unless you’re a mayor or governor who “has” to go on TV to preen at a press conference daily. Or why buying booze is OK but going to the gym is dangerous. That has all made perfect sense. Good job on thinking all that through.
Just imagine how bad it would have been if you hadn’t shut the economy down. Look at what those data models showed! You guys are real heroes. We shouldn’t be upset at all about losing our jobs. We should be thanking you for free government swag and unemployment checks … which in some cases are more than our jobs were paying, and so those businesses you shuttered can’t reopen because they can’t bring back their employees who have no motivation to get back to work.
But now that you saved the health-care system from being overloaded (not from being shut down like all the other businesses, though, which means you’ve damaged it in other ways with stupid public policy), it’s time to go back to work, right? Well, no.
No, you tell us, you have to be careful about how you do that. Too much freedom is a bad thing, right? We have to embrace the “new normal.”
The “new normal” means we can go back to work when you tell us, and we can live our lives how you dictate we can. And why?
Because we don’t want a “second wave” of the outbreak.
Wait, why would we have a second wave? Because not everybody got the virus in the first wave. And until everybody has more or less had it you can’t get to “herd immunity,” which is how these viruses are defeated.
But the virus ultimately spreads everywhere. We know this because there have been viruses spreading since there have been people for them to spread to, and that’s how a coronavirus works.
So why wouldn’t we want to just get this over with and protect the people most vulnerable to the virus? Because that would be irresponsible, right? You have to — how does it go? — “test, trace, isolate” before you can let people do what they want. You might even need to give people “immunity papers” proving they’re safe to be around before you’ll let them go to work at their “non-essential” jobs or eat at a restaurant.
We promise we won’t notice none of that was in the initial justification for forcing us to stay home. We wouldn’t suspect you guys of bad faith for having bait-and-switched us like that. Because we know that if we did notice, and we did express dissatisfaction, we would be descended upon by our betters at the Big Tech companies, who are doing us a big favor by censoring “misinformation” about the virus like for example people questioning the WHO or noting the virus likely came out of a Chinese bioweapons lab. Or we’ll get arrested because protesting is “non-essential.” Or maybe we’ll just be griped at by the hordes of busybody Karens across the country who call us “selfish” for wondering whether this wasn’t all just a too-costly overreaction.
No, we won’t do any of that. We’ll just say thanks, and that you’re really doing a hell of a job.
Seriously. Literally. You’re doing a hell of a job.
Signed,
The irritated, unwashed, and involuntarily broke American people
– – –
Scott McKay is publisher of the Hayride, which offers news and commentary on Louisiana and national politics. He’s also a novelist — check out his first book “Animus: A Tale of Ardenia,” available in Kindle and paperback.
Photo “Screening Station” by The National Guard. CC BY 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-03--Survey: Majority of Americans Are Spending Less Money due to Stay-at-Home Orders, Social Distancing

With 30 million people filing for unemployment , stores closed and stay-at-home orders still in place in many states , it should come as no surprise that 77 percent of people who responded to a recent survey are spending less money .
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis , the U.S. economy shrank by 4.8 percent in the first quarter of 2020 , the worst decline since the fourth quarter of 2008 when the nation was headed into what became the “ Great Recession.
” President Donald Trump held a roundtable discussion with business leaders from across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopen the economy .
According to WalletHub ’ s Coronavirus Shopping Survey , 58 million people out of 329 million , roughly 16 percent , are spending more while shut in .
“ The coronavirus pandemic is changing the way the world shops , perhaps forever in some respects , ” writes Adam McCann , financial writer at the consumer finance site .
“ One of the most surprising results of the survey was that 58 million Americans are actually spending more money while social distancing , despite being able to go out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people are participating in ‘ comfort buying ’ – or shopping as a way to relieve stress and boredom.
” The nationally representative survey asked questions ranging from whether Americans ’ spending has increased , to what types of non-essential items they are purchasing most , and whether they have concerns about deliveries of packages and food .
Among those surveyed , 77 percent said they were spending less money due to social distancing and 57 percent said they were not making “ comfort buying ” purchases to make them feel better during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people shopping , 43 percent of them said they were spending money to relieve stress ; 57 percent admitted they were worried about package safety of deliveries , and 60 percent said they were worried about food contamination .
A slight majority said they preferred comfort animals over comfort savings and comfort shopping , the survey found .
The online survey was nationally representative of more than 450 respondents .
WalletHub normalized the data by age , gender and income to reflect U.S. demographics .
Last year , U.S. consumers racked up $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an all-time high , according to an analysis published by WalletHub .
In its 2020 Credit Card Debt Study , the findings represented a “ worrisome ” trend nationwide .
Bethany Blankley is a contributor to The Center Square .

by Bethany Blankley
With 30 million people filing for unemployment, stores closed and stay-at-home orders still in place in many states, it should come as no surprise that 77 percent of people who responded to a recent survey are spending less money.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the U.S. economy shrank by 4.8 percent in the first quarter of 2020, the worst decline since the fourth quarter of 2008 when the nation was headed into what became the “Great Recession.”
President Donald Trump held a roundtable discussion with business leaders from across the country Wednesday to discuss how to slowly reopen the economy.
According to WalletHub’s Coronavirus Shopping Survey, 58 million people out of 329 million, roughly 16 percent, are spending more while shut in.
“The coronavirus pandemic is changing the way the world shops, perhaps forever in some respects,” writes Adam McCann, financial writer at the consumer finance site. “One of the most surprising results of the survey was that 58 million Americans are actually spending more money while social distancing, despite being able to go out less, in large part because many people are participating in ‘comfort buying’– or shopping as a way to relieve stress and boredom.”
The nationally representative survey asked questions ranging from whether Americans’ spending has increased, to what types of non-essential items they are purchasing most, and whether they have concerns about deliveries of packages and food.
Among those surveyed, 77 percent said they were spending less money due to social distancing and 57 percent said they were not making “comfort buying” purchases to make them feel better during the shutdown.
Of the number of people shopping, 43 percent of them said they were spending money to relieve stress; 57 percent admitted they were worried about package safety of deliveries, and 60 percent said they were worried about food contamination.
A slight majority said they preferred comfort animals over comfort savings and comfort shopping, the survey found.
The online survey was nationally representative of more than 450 respondents. WalletHub normalized the data by age, gender and income to reflect U.S. demographics.
Last year, U.S. consumers racked up $77 billion in credit card debt, an all-time high, according to an analysis published by WalletHub. In its 2020 Credit Card Debt Study, the findings represented a “worrisome” trend nationwide.
– – –
Bethany Blankley is a contributor to The Center Square.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-03--Majority of Voters Believe Steele Dossier Is Accurate Despite Mountain of Evidence That It Is Not: P

Majority of Voters Believe Steele Dossier Is Accurate Despite Mountain of Evidence That It Is Not: Poll

A majority of Americans say the Steele dossier ’ s allegations of collusion between Donald Trump and Russia are accurate , even though two government reports have poured cold water on the salacious Democrat-funded document , according to a recent poll .
The survey , released by the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University and The Harris Poll , asked 2,394 registered voters the question : “ Do you think that the Steele dossier , with its accusations of Trump ’ s relationships to Moscow , was real in its findings of Trump colluding with the Russians or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research documents fueled by a Russian disinformation campaign ?
” Fifty-three percent of respondents said they believed the dossier , written by former British spy Christopher Steele , compared to 47 % who said they believe it is the product of Russian disinformation .
Opinions broke along partisan lines , with 77 % of Democrats saying they believe the dossier , compared to just 29 % of Republicans .
The poll was conducted between April 14 and April 16 .
The results suggest that the majority of respondents either have not kept track @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or do not believe a series of revelations that have undermined Steele ’ s credibility .
The special counsel ’ s report poured cold water on Steele ’ s main assertion that the Trump campaign was involved in a “ well-developed conspiracy of cooperation ” with the Kremlin .
Investigators found no evidence that Trump associates conspired with the Russian government or acted as agents of the Kremlin , according to the report .
A Justice Department inspector general ( IG ) delved further into the dossier and its sources .
Steele ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump-Russia project disputed many of the major claims in the dossier , according to the report .
Steele himself told his FBI contacts on Oct. 3 , 2016 , that he believed that a major sub-source for the dossier was a “ boaster ” and “ embellisher.
” The IG report also said that the FBI received evidence in 2017 that Russian intelligence operatives might have fed disinformation to Steele .
The report cited evidence regarding Steele ’ s memos claiming that former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen visited Prague in August 2016 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dossier ’ s most eye-catching allegation : that the Russians have video of Trump with prostitutes in Moscow in 2013 .
The IG report went further , saying that the U.S. intelligence community gave the FBI a report in June 2017 that laid out evidence that two Russian intelligence operatives knew in July 2016 that Steele was investigating Trump .
The majority support for the dossier is a testament to the media ’ s coverage of the Russia investigation during Trump ’ s tenure , according to Mollie Hemingway , a senior editor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poll .
“ It ’ s nothing short of a scandal that 53 percent of Americans believe that this completely discredited document ‘ was real in its findings of Trump colluding with the Russians , ” she wrote .
“ But how could they think otherwise ?
” “ While the false Steele dossier was legitimized and parroted daily for three years in every major media outlet , the IG findings of its falsehood were buried.
” National news outlets that reported breathlessly on developments in the special counsel ’ s investigation have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ footnotes .
– – – Syndey Shea is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation .

by Sydney Shea
A majority of Americans say the Steele dossier’s allegations of collusion between Donald Trump and Russia are accurate, even though two government reports have poured cold water on the salacious Democrat-funded document, according to a recent poll.
The survey, released by the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University and The Harris Poll, asked 2,394 registered voters the question:
“Do you think that the Steele dossier, with its accusations of Trump’s relationships to Moscow, was real in its findings of Trump colluding with the Russians or was the Steele dossier just campaign opposition research documents fueled by a Russian disinformation campaign?”
Fifty-three percent of respondents said they believed the dossier, written by former British spy Christopher Steele, compared to 47% who said they believe it is the product of Russian disinformation.
Opinions broke along partisan lines, with 77% of Democrats saying they believe the dossier, compared to just 29% of Republicans.
The poll was conducted between April 14 and April 16.
The results suggest that the majority of respondents either have not kept track of developments in the dossier saga, or do not believe a series of revelations that have undermined Steele’s credibility.
The special counsel’s report poured cold water on Steele’s main assertion that the Trump campaign was involved in a “well-developed conspiracy of cooperation” with the Kremlin. Investigators found no evidence that Trump associates conspired with the Russian government or acted as agents of the Kremlin, according to the report.
A Justice Department inspector general (IG) delved further into the dossier and its sources.
Steele’s primary source of information for his Trump-Russia project disputed many of the major claims in the dossier, according to the report. Steele himself told his FBI contacts on Oct. 3, 2016, that he believed that a major sub-source for the dossier was a “boaster” and “embellisher.”
The IG report also said that the FBI received evidence in 2017 that Russian intelligence operatives might have fed disinformation to Steele.
The report cited evidence regarding Steele’s memos claiming that former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen visited Prague in August 2016 to meet with Kremlin operatives, and the dossier’s most eye-catching allegation: that the Russians have video of Trump with prostitutes in Moscow in 2013.
The IG report went further, saying that the U.S. intelligence community gave the FBI a report in June 2017 that laid out evidence that two Russian intelligence operatives knew in July 2016 that Steele was investigating Trump.
The majority support for the dossier is a testament to the media’s coverage of the Russia investigation during Trump’s tenure, according to Mollie Hemingway, a senior editor at The Federalist who spotted the Harvard-Harris poll.
“It’s nothing short of a scandal that 53 percent of Americans believe that this completely discredited document ‘was real in its findings of Trump colluding with the Russians,” she wrote.
“But how could they think otherwise?”
“While the false Steele dossier was legitimized and parroted daily for three years in every major media outlet, the IG findings of its falsehood were buried.”
National news outlets that reported breathlessly on developments in the special counsel’s investigation have largely ignored the release of the IG footnotes.
– – –
Syndey Shea is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-03--Commentary: The Betrayal of General Mike Flynn

He acted as an agent of Russia .
He colluded with the Kremlin to rig the 2016 presidential election .
He turned on his country by attempting to undermine U.S. foreign policy .
He purposely misled the vice president .
He had an extramarital affair with a Russian asset .
He is a liar .
Those are just some of the accusations that have been leveled against Lt. General Michael Flynn for nearly four years .
Flynn , a three-star U.S. Army general with tours in Afghanistan and Iraq , made the mistake of crossing the Obama White House ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever since .
And the country he heroically served for decades , for the most part , betrayed him .
From the U.S. Justice Department to the president of the United States to the federal court system to his own lawyers , Flynn has been deceived at every turn in what certainly is one of the most tragic miscarriages of justice in recent political history .
The Federal Bureau of Investigation , under the leadership of the villainous James Comey , began targeting Flynn shortly after he was fired by then-Director of National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Obama Administration ’ s approach to Islamic terrorists .
“ It infuriates me when our president bans criticism of our enemies , and I am certain that we can not win this war unless we are free to call our enemies by their proper names : radical jihadis , failed tyrants , and so forth , ” Flynn explained in an op-ed about why he was fired in 2014 .
“ With good leadership , we should win .
But we desperately need good leaders to reverse our enemies ’ successes.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York Post on July 9 , 2016 .
Three weeks later , the FBI launched an official probe into Flynn , Obama ’ s former Defense Intelligence Agency chief , and three others for allegedly colluding with Russia to rig the election in favor of Donald Trump , whose campaign Flynn was advising at the time .
After campaigning for Trump in 2016 and leading chants of “ lock her up ” during the Republican National Convention , Flynn rose to the top of Obama ’ s Chicago machine-style political hit list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oval Office , Obama warned Trump not to hire Flynn as his national security advisor .
Trump didn ’ t heed his advice—and Flynn and Trump both have paid a steep price .
Using their functionaries in the news media , the Obama White House and their loyalists in the Justice Department concocted a scheme to destroy Flynn ’ s career .
The ruse would involve phone calls between an Obama-friendly Russian ambassador ( he visited the Obama White House twice in October 2016 ) , Sergei Kislyak , and Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ordered weak sanctions against Russia for “ attacking ” our election , Kislyak desperately tried to reach Flynn in December 2016 to discuss how the sanctions would be handled by the incoming Trump Administration in hindsight seems like a calculated move .
The conversation would serve as the pretext to accuse Flynn of violating the Logan Act , a law that forbids private citizens from undermining U.S. foreign policy decisions .
No one ever has been prosecuted under the 1799 statute .
An Obama official leaked the Flynn-Kislyak conversation to the Washington Post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian collusion narrative .
( Disclosing classified government information is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison .
The leaker has not yet been charged . )
A few days after Inauguration Day , Comey bypassed protocol to ambush Flynn in the White House .
“ In the George W. Bush Administration or the Obama Administration .
.
.
if the FBI wanted to send agents into the White House itself to interview a senior official , you would work through the White House counsel , there would be discussions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Comey told Nicolle Wallace in December 2018 .
“ And I thought , it ’ s early enough , let ’ s just send a couple guys over .
We placed a call to Flynn , said ‘ hey we ’ re sending a couple of guys over , hope you ’ ll talk to them.
’ He said , ‘ sure.
’ Nobody else was there.
” Flynn was unaware the January 24 , 2017 discussion was an interrogation .
He met with the agents—one was Peter Strzok—in an informal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the formal investigation into Flynn even after the FBI closed the case against him , a bombshell disclosure revealed Thursday . )
The agents did not notify Flynn that he was under investigation or remind him of his legal rights ; Flynn viewed the agents not as investigators but as allies attempting to find out more about Russia ’ s election interference efforts .
The release of critical documents in Flynn ’ s ongoing court case , thanks to the tenacity of his new lawyer , Sidney Powell , proves the fix was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the meeting , FBI officials pondered the desired outcome .
“ What is our goal ?
” the note reads .
“ Truth/admission or to get him to lie , so we can prosecute him or get him fired.
” That question would be answered a few days later when Sally Yates , the acting attorney general and Obama holdover , visited Trump ’ s lawyer to push the Logan Act scheme and warn that Flynn was “ compromised with respect to the Russians ” and might be subject to blackmail by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ failed to oust Flynn , several officials illegally leaked details of the Flynn-Kislyak call to the Post .
On February 9 , 2017 , the paper reported that Flynn discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador despite his public denials .
Amid pressure , Flynn resigned four days later .
“ Unfortunately , because of the fast pace of events , I inadvertently briefed the Vice President-Elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian Ambassador , ” Flynn wrote in his February 13 , 2017 resignation letter .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Vice President , and they have accepted my apology.
” The bad guys had their first Trump-Russia collusion scalp .
In May 2017 , following Comey ’ s firing , Robert Mueller was appointed special counsel .
In December 2017 , Flynn pleaded guilty to making a false statement to federal investigators during the January 24 , 2017 ambush interview .
But even that plea deal is tainted .
Flynn ’ s former lawyers , according to recently released documents , made a secret side deal with the special counsel ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in exchange for not pursuing Flynn ’ s son .
( Flynn is petitioning the court to vacate his plea .
He has not yet been sentenced . )
Now the court is demanding that Flynn ’ s former law firm produce all correspondence with the Justice Department after the firm “ suddenly ” discovered thousands of pages of evidence they had been withholding .
Finally , after a three-year nightmarish journey , Flynn may find justice .
“ They tormented him , they destroyed him , ” Trump said of his former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s going to come back bigger and better .
What they did to General Flynn and others was a disgrace.
” A disgrace , indeed .
And a wholesale betrayal of a man who has served his country admirably .
He deserved better .
Julie Kelly is a political commentator and senior contributor to American Greatness .

by Julie Kelly
He acted as an agent of Russia. He colluded with the Kremlin to rig the 2016 presidential election. He turned on his country by attempting to undermine U.S. foreign policy. He purposely misled the vice president. He had an extramarital affair with a Russian asset. He is a liar.
Those are just some of the accusations that have been leveled against Lt. General Michael Flynn for nearly four years. Flynn, a three-star U.S. Army general with tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, made the mistake of crossing the Obama White House; he’s been suffering the consequences ever since.
And the country he heroically served for decades, for the most part, betrayed him. From the U.S. Justice Department to the president of the United States to the federal court system to his own lawyers, Flynn has been deceived at every turn in what certainly is one of the most tragic miscarriages of justice in recent political history.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the leadership of the villainous James Comey, began targeting Flynn shortly after he was fired by then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper for his outspoken criticism of the Obama Administration’s approach to Islamic terrorists.
“It infuriates me when our president bans criticism of our enemies, and I am certain that we cannot win this war unless we are free to call our enemies by their proper names: radical jihadis, failed tyrants, and so forth,” Flynn explained in an op-ed about why he was fired in 2014. “With good leadership, we should win. But we desperately need good leaders to reverse our enemies’ successes.”
That column was published in the New York Post on July 9, 2016. Three weeks later, the FBI launched an official probe into Flynn, Obama’s former Defense Intelligence Agency chief, and three others for allegedly colluding with Russia to rig the election in favor of Donald Trump, whose campaign Flynn was advising at the time.
Calculated Moves
After campaigning for Trump in 2016 and leading chants of “lock her up” during the Republican National Convention, Flynn rose to the top of Obama’s Chicago machine-style political hit list. During a post-election meeting in the Oval Office, Obama warned Trump not to hire Flynn as his national security advisor. Trump didn’t heed his advice—and Flynn and Trump both have paid a steep price.
Using their functionaries in the news media, the Obama White House and their loyalists in the Justice Department concocted a scheme to destroy Flynn’s career. The ruse would involve phone calls between an Obama-friendly Russian ambassador (he visited the Obama White House twice in October 2016), Sergei Kislyak, and Trump’s incoming national security advisor. After Obama ordered weak sanctions against Russia for “attacking” our election, Kislyak desperately tried to reach Flynn in December 2016 to discuss how the sanctions would be handled by the incoming Trump Administration in hindsight seems like a calculated move.
The conversation would serve as the pretext to accuse Flynn of violating the Logan Act, a law that forbids private citizens from undermining U.S. foreign policy decisions. No one ever has been prosecuted under the 1799 statute.
An Obama official leaked the Flynn-Kislyak conversation to the Washington Post in January 2017 to perpetuate the unfolding Russian collusion narrative. (Disclosing classified government information is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The leaker has not yet been charged.)
A few days after Inauguration Day, Comey bypassed protocol to ambush Flynn in the White House.
“In the George W. Bush Administration or the Obama Administration . . . if the FBI wanted to send agents into the White House itself to interview a senior official, you would work through the White House counsel, there would be discussions and approvals and who would be there,” Comey told Nicolle Wallace in December 2018. “And I thought, it’s early enough, let’s just send a couple guys over. We placed a call to Flynn, said ‘hey we’re sending a couple of guys over, hope you’ll talk to them.’ He said, ‘sure.’ Nobody else was there.”
Flynn was unaware the January 24, 2017 discussion was an interrogation. He met with the agents—one was Peter Strzok—in an informal setting without counsel. (Strzok re-opened the formal investigation into Flynn even after the FBI closed the case against him, a bombshell disclosure revealed Thursday.)
The agents did not notify Flynn that he was under investigation or remind him of his legal rights; Flynn viewed the agents not as investigators but as allies attempting to find out more about Russia’s election interference efforts.
The impromptu meeting, however, sealed Flynn’s fate.
Chicanery and Leaks
The release of critical documents in Flynn’s ongoing court case, thanks to the tenacity of his new lawyer, Sidney Powell, proves the fix was in. According to handwritten notes taken after the meeting, FBI officials pondered the desired outcome. “What is our goal?” the note reads. “Truth/admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired.”
That question would be answered a few days later when Sally Yates, the acting attorney general and Obama holdover, visited Trump’s lawyer to push the Logan Act scheme and warn that Flynn was “compromised with respect to the Russians” and might be subject to blackmail by the Kremlin.
When Yates’ chicanery failed to oust Flynn, several officials illegally leaked details of the Flynn-Kislyak call to the Post. On February 9, 2017, the paper reported that Flynn discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador despite his public denials.
Amid pressure, Flynn resigned four days later. “Unfortunately, because of the fast pace of events, I inadvertently briefed the Vice President-Elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian Ambassador,” Flynn wrote in his February 13, 2017 resignation letter. “I have sincerely apologized to the President and the Vice President, and they have accepted my apology.”
The bad guys had their first Trump-Russia collusion scalp.
In May 2017, following Comey’s firing, Robert Mueller was appointed special counsel. In December 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty to making a false statement to federal investigators during the January 24, 2017 ambush interview.
But even that plea deal is tainted. Flynn’s former lawyers, according to recently released documents, made a secret side deal with the special counsel’s office to extract the plea deal in exchange for not pursuing Flynn’s son. (Flynn is petitioning the court to vacate his plea. He has not yet been sentenced.)
Now the court is demanding that Flynn’s former law firm produce all correspondence with the Justice Department after the firm “suddenly” discovered thousands of pages of evidence they had been withholding.
Finally, after a three-year nightmarish journey, Flynn may find justice. “They tormented him, they destroyed him,” Trump said of his former aide on Thursday. “But he’s going to come back bigger and better. What they did to General Flynn and others was a disgrace.”
A disgrace, indeed. And a wholesale betrayal of a man who has served his country admirably. He deserved better.
– – –
Julie Kelly is a political commentator and senior contributor to American Greatness.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-03--Biden Asks Secretary of the Senate to Locate Any Tara Reade Complaint After Incorrectly Stating Nati

Biden Asks Secretary of the Senate to Locate Any Tara Reade Complaint After Incorrectly Stating National Archives Would Have It

2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden requested Friday that the secretary of the Senate locate any complaint made by his accuser Tara Reade .
The former vice president issued a letter to Secretary Julie Adams asking for her to find out whether Reade ever issued a sexual harassment complaint against him .
Biden ’ s request follows his Friday morning appearance on MSNBC where he denied Reade ’ s allegations and said that if any such complaint existed , it would be in the National Archives .
But the National Archives told the Daily Caller News Foundation that this is incorrect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personnel complaints from 1993 would have remained under the control of the Senate.
” Biden notes in his letter to Adams that he previously understood that such a complaint would be in the possession of the National Archives but has been since informed that it would be under the control of the Senate .
“ I am writing to request your assistance in determining whether 27 years ago a staff member in my United States office filed a complaint alleging sexual harassment , ” Biden wrote in the letter .
“ According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ms. Tara Reade , has stated that in 1993 she filed such a complaint with the office responsible for enforcing the Senate employees ’ rights in the workplace , ” Biden states in the letter .
Biden asks Adams to “ take or direct ” any necessary steps to find the complaint and to make its results public .
“ I would ask that the public release include not only a complaint if one exists , but any and all other documents in the records that relate to the allegation , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staffer for Biden in 1993 and has accused the then-senator of kissing her , touching her and penetrating her with his fingers without her consent .
After the alleged assault , Reade told the DCNF , she complained about sexual harassment to three Biden staffers : Marianne Baker , Biden ’ s executive assistant , and Dennis Toner and Ted Kaufman , who were both top Biden aides at the time .
But Kaufman , Baker and Toner would not take action when Reade complained to them about sexual harassment , Reade said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with an office she called the “ Senate Personnel Office.
” She was told that someone would call her in for a full discussion and meeting — but “ that never happened , ” she told the DCNF .
She said she does not have the complaint form .
Reade attempted to track the complaint down in 2019 .
She said she was told that “ it would have gone back to Joe Biden ’ s office , to the chief of staff.
” She is unsure who told her this , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If this complaint were located , she said , it would show that Biden ’ s staff members lied on the record when they said they did not have meetings with her , noting that she had more than five meetings total — informal and formal — with these staff members .
It would also show the approximate dates of when some of the events she has mentioned happened , she told the DCNF .
Mary Margaret Olohan is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation .
Photo “ Joe Biden ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Background Photo “ National Archives ” by David Samuel .
CC BY-SA 3.0 .

by Mary Margaret Olohan
2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden requested Friday that the secretary of the Senate locate any complaint made by his accuser Tara Reade.
The former vice president issued a letter to Secretary Julie Adams asking for her to find out whether Reade ever issued a sexual harassment complaint against him.
Biden’s request follows his Friday morning appearance on MSNBC where he denied Reade’s allegations and said that if any such complaint existed, it would be in the National Archives.
But the National Archives told the Daily Caller News Foundation that this is incorrect information: “any records of Senate personnel complaints from 1993 would have remained under the control of the Senate.”
Biden notes in his letter to Adams that he previously understood that such a complaint would be in the possession of the National Archives but has been since informed that it would be under the control of the Senate.
“I am writing to request your assistance in determining whether 27 years ago a staff member in my United States office filed a complaint alleging sexual harassment,” Biden wrote in the letter.
And Friday concludes with a request from @JoeBiden to the Secretary of the Senate to locate any complaint by Tara Reade pic.twitter.com/3V15k2R7i6 — Dave Catanese (@davecatanese) May 1, 2020
“According to public reports, the staff member, Ms. Tara Reade, has stated that in 1993 she filed such a complaint with the office responsible for enforcing the Senate employees’ rights in the workplace,” Biden states in the letter.
Biden asks Adams to “take or direct” any necessary steps to find the complaint and to make its results public.
“I would ask that the public release include not only a complaint if one exists, but any and all other documents in the records that relate to the allegation,” he concludes.
Reade worked as a Senate staffer for Biden in 1993 and has accused the then-senator of kissing her, touching her and penetrating her with his fingers without her consent.
After the alleged assault, Reade told the DCNF, she complained about sexual harassment to three Biden staffers: Marianne Baker, Biden’s executive assistant, and Dennis Toner and Ted Kaufman, who were both top Biden aides at the time.
But Kaufman, Baker and Toner would not take action when Reade complained to them about sexual harassment, Reade said, so she filed a written complaint with an office she called the “Senate Personnel Office.”
She was told that someone would call her in for a full discussion and meeting — but “that never happened,” she told the DCNF. She said she does not have the complaint form.
Reade attempted to track the complaint down in 2019. She said she was told that “it would have gone back to Joe Biden’s office, to the chief of staff.” She is unsure who told her this, but believes it might have been OWCR.
If this complaint were located, she said, it would show that Biden’s staff members lied on the record when they said they did not have meetings with her, noting that she had more than five meetings total — informal and formal — with these staff members.
It would also show the approximate dates of when some of the events she has mentioned happened, she told the DCNF.
– – –
Mary Margaret Olohan is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Joe Biden” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “National Archives” by David Samuel. CC BY-SA 3.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-03--Judge Denies Request to Block Trump’s Freeze on Green Cards

The Trump administration scored a major victory in the courtroom on Wednesday after a federal judge denied a request to block the president ’ s freeze on many green card applications .
Immigrant-rights groups asked U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon to issue a temporary injunction against Trump ’ s order blocking green card applications from foreign nationals living outside the United States , with the plaintiffs attempting to tie their request to a previous decision by the judge that blocked Trump ’ s ban on immigrants who could not afford health care .
Simon , however , ruled that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previous case .
“ The April 22nd Proclamation is completely unrelated to the October 4th Proclamation , ” he wrote in his order .
Simon rejected the suggestion by plaintiffs that the All Writs Act of 1789 affords him sweeping authority to take action concerning any immigration executive orders .
“ Simply because the April 22nd Proclamation may preclude or delay the processing of immigrant visa applications is too attenuated from the allegations in the First Amended Class Action Complaint to support an extraordinary writ under the All Writs Act , ” Simon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he would soon sign an executive order banning immigration into the United States .
The White House released that order two days later , which for 60 days suspends many green card applications from foreign nationals living outside the country .
The order , he said , was not only intended to protect Americans from the spread of coronavirus , but also to protect U.S. workers who were hurting under a faltering economy .
There are exceptions to the order , such as applicants who are younger than 21 years of age @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filed an emergency motion , arguing that the visa ban order puts at risk young applicants who will soon turn 21 and risk aging out of the professional status .
These same plaintiffs were successful in 2019 in requesting Simon order an injunction against Trump ’ s green card ban against applicants who lacked or could not afford health care .
The Oregon judge , nevertheless , found the pending case on health care was unrelated to the green card ban .
“ Just because the Court issued orders based on a complaint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ applications , that does not mean that the Court has the authority … to stop enforcement of every immigration-related executive order ( or other action ) that might affect members of the certified class , ” Simon , an Obama-appointed judge , wrote .
“ We applaud the court ’ s reasonable ruling , ” Dale L. Wilcox , executive director and general counsel of the Immigration Reform Law Institute ( IRLI ) , said in a statement released Thursday .
IRLI had previously filed a friend-of-the-court brief that defended the administration ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important because this was the first challenge to President Trump ’ s immigration pause , and its rejection will resonate in future assaults on his lawful authority to protect Americans ’ well-being during these dire economic times , ” Wilcox continued .
Jason Hopkins is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation .

by Jason Hopkins
The Trump administration scored a major victory in the courtroom on Wednesday after a federal judge denied a request to block the president’s freeze on many green card applications.
Immigrant-rights groups asked U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon to issue a temporary injunction against Trump’s order blocking green card applications from foreign nationals living outside the United States, with the plaintiffs attempting to tie their request to a previous decision by the judge that blocked Trump’s ban on immigrants who could not afford health care.
Simon, however, ruled that the order is not related to the previous case.
“The April 22nd Proclamation is completely unrelated to the October 4th Proclamation,” he wrote in his order.
Simon rejected the suggestion by plaintiffs that the All Writs Act of 1789 affords him sweeping authority to take action concerning any immigration executive orders.
“Simply because the April 22nd Proclamation may preclude or delay the processing of immigrant visa applications is too attenuated from the allegations in the First Amended Class Action Complaint to support an extraordinary writ under the All Writs Act,” Simon continued.
Trump tweeted on April 20 that he would soon sign an executive order banning immigration into the United States. The White House released that order two days later, which for 60 days suspends many green card applications from foreign nationals living outside the country.
The order, he said, was not only intended to protect Americans from the spread of coronavirus, but also to protect U.S. workers who were hurting under a faltering economy. There are exceptions to the order, such as applicants who are younger than 21 years of age.
Immigrant rights groups, however, filed an emergency motion, arguing that the visa ban order puts at risk young applicants who will soon turn 21 and risk aging out of the professional status. These same plaintiffs were successful in 2019 in requesting Simon order an injunction against Trump’s green card ban against applicants who lacked or could not afford health care.
The Oregon judge, nevertheless, found the pending case on health care was unrelated to the green card ban.
“Just because the Court issued orders based on a complaint relating to the processing of immigrant visa applications, that does not mean that the Court has the authority … to stop enforcement of every immigration-related executive order (or other action) that might affect members of the certified class,” Simon, an Obama-appointed judge, wrote.
Immigration hawks celebrated the ruling.
“We applaud the court’s reasonable ruling,” Dale L. Wilcox, executive director and general counsel of the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI), said in a statement released Thursday.
IRLI had previously filed a friend-of-the-court brief that defended the administration’s actions.
“It is especially important because this was the first challenge to President Trump’s immigration pause, and its rejection will resonate in future assaults on his lawful authority to protect Americans’ well-being during these dire economic times,” Wilcox continued.
– – –
Jason Hopkins is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.