bonginoreport--2020-05-22--Gamblers Turn to Day Trading to Feed the Itch

In a normal year , sports fans would be gearing up for the NBA playoffs at the end of May .
This spring , with no live competition , some are searching for thrills in the stock market .
U.S. brokerage firms have seen a flood of retail trading activity in recent months .
Analysts say a lack of pro sports-betting and casinos , more time to watch the markets , as well as stimulus checks have added to the day-trading trend during the pandemic .
Dave Portnoy , founder and CEO of Barstool Sports , said he dipped into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ competition , and fill the void while pro games were on hold .
Portnoy had a dormant E-Trade account with roughly $ 50 in it .
But he began investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in names like Boeing and Alibaba when shutdowns kicked in .
`` It 's the combination of no sports — so you ca n't bet on that — and you ca n't go outside .
There 's a lot of people sitting in front of their computers who ordinarily ca n't be day trading , '' Portnoy told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For a gambler , investing has a ton of similarities . ''
Sports gamblers looking for a thrill could be in for a rude awakening : Investing is not gambling .
Historically , day traders tend to lose money .
Even most professional investors ca n't beat a simple low-cost index fund tracking the market over time .
The most popular stocks among retail investors over the past few months , aside from Disney , have been volatile low-priced names – `` the sort of names that can move +10 % in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ firm DataTrek .
Robintrack , a third-party website that monitors top stocks on popular trading start-up Robinhood , shows Ford and General Electric as the most bought names on that platform .
Aurora Cannabis , Delta Air Lines , Carnival , and GoPro were among the top ten .
Participation in these stocks is up roughly 120 % in just the last two months , according to DataTrek .
GoPro , a stock which trades at $ 4 , has seen a more than 50 % increase in holdings since March 1 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ roughly doubled .
`` The rush of retail investors into U.S. equities is at least partly a function of a world with no casinos , no sports betting to speak of , and little to do outside the home , '' DataTrek co-founder Nick Colas said .
`` The dopamine rush of a full house is the same as holding a hat-sized stock into an up 3 % open on the S & P . ''
Chris Larkin , managing director of trading and investing products at E-Trade said investors are buying names @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in it as a dividend payer .
Ford was also a retail favorite as major automakers bring workers back to plants .
They also saw opportunity in biotech .
`` Traders seemingly bought the rumor of vaccination hopes and sold the news of disappointing trial results — names like GILD and REGN saw heavy selling activity thus far in May , '' Larkin said .
Even before the stay-at-home orders , retail investing had taken off at an historic pace thanks to commissions dropping to zero .
Fractional trading , which lets you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as little as $ 1 , also made investing more accessible .
Charles Schwab saw a 58 % increase in new accounts year over year , while TD Ameritrade and ETrade saw 149 % and 169 % jumps , respectively .
Robinhood , whose core demographic is millennials , saw first-quarter net deposits rise their month average from the last quarter of 2019 .
Daily trading volume in the first quarter was three times what it was in the last quarter of 2019 , according to the company .
`` Commission costs have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases .
Investing is now cheaper and easier than ever before , '' said Randy Frederick , vice president of trading and derivatives at Charles Schwab .
`` Following a nearly 12-year long bull market , the recent bear market has provided the first real buying opportunity that many young investors have ever seen . ''
Casinos began shutting their doors to comply with Federal guidelines .
Those closures may have been another factor for some to turn to stocks .
DataTrek used a 90-day chart of Google search volumes for `` buy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The spike in `` casino '' was around the period where every U.S. gambling house closed , and coincided almost to the day when searches for `` buy stock '' jumped .
`` When one door closed , another one opened , '' DataTrek 's Colas said .
`` You 're going to get your dopamine rush wherever you can . ''
JJ Kinahan , chief market strategist at TD Ameritrade , said while lack of pro games may be part of it , the `` more common denominator is that people have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is playing into this , but the real contributors are time , ability to focus with less distractions and people 's desires to improve their condition , '' Kinahan said .
Kinahan said TD Ameritrade has seen a jump in investor education .
Clients spent time on learning stock fundamentals , with investor visits to the firm 's education center up more than 280 % from a year ago .
Stimulus checks may have been another factor in recent boosted trading activity .
Stock trading was among the most common uses for U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bracket , according to software and data aggregation company Envestnet Yodlee .
Those making between $ 35,000 and $ 75,000 annually traded stocks about 90 % more than the week prior to receiving their stimulus check , according to the firm .
Still , new traders may not invest with the same enthusiasm when the economy , and sports re-open .
A week after professional golf returned with the TaylorMade Driving Relief event , another benefit tournament is taking place Sunday : Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Portnoy predicts retail interest will `` simmer down . ''
`` Most people will go back to their prior lives -- it takes a lot of time , and a lot of effort , to pay attention all day to the market , I think there will be a natural decline , '' Portnoy said .
`` I wo n't be sitting in from my computer , watching the stock market go up and down every second . ''

watch now
In a normal year, sports fans would be gearing up for the NBA playoffs at the end of May. This spring, with no live competition, some are searching for thrills in the stock market. U.S. brokerage firms have seen a flood of retail trading activity in recent months. Analysts say a lack of pro sports-betting and casinos, more time to watch the markets, as well as stimulus checks have added to the day-trading trend during the pandemic. Dave Portnoy, founder and CEO of Barstool Sports, said he dipped into the market to get a sense of competition, and fill the void while pro games were on hold. Portnoy had a dormant E-Trade account with roughly $50 in it. But he began investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in names like Boeing and Alibaba when shutdowns kicked in. "It's the combination of no sports — so you can't bet on that — and you can't go outside. There's a lot of people sitting in front of their computers who ordinarily can't be day trading," Portnoy told CNBC in a phone interview. "For a gambler, investing has a ton of similarities." Sports gamblers looking for a thrill could be in for a rude awakening: Investing is not gambling. Historically, day traders tend to lose money. Even most professional investors can't beat a simple low-cost index fund tracking the market over time. The most popular stocks among retail investors over the past few months, aside from Disney , have been volatile low-priced names – "the sort of names that can move +10% in a few days," according to research firm DataTrek. Robintrack, a third-party website that monitors top stocks on popular trading start-up Robinhood, shows Ford and General Electric as the most bought names on that platform. Aurora Cannabis , Delta Air Lines , Carnival , and GoPro were among the top ten.
watch now
Participation in these stocks is up roughly 120% in just the last two months, according to DataTrek. GoPro, a stock which trades at $4, has seen a more than 50% increase in holdings since March 1, while holdings of GE and Ford have roughly doubled. "The rush of retail investors into U.S. equities is at least partly a function of a world with no casinos, no sports betting to speak of, and little to do outside the home," DataTrek co-founder Nick Colas said. "The dopamine rush of a full house is the same as holding a hat-sized stock into an up 3% open on the S&P." Chris Larkin, managing director of trading and investing products at E-Trade said investors are buying names like GE, and may see opportunity in it as a dividend payer. Ford was also a retail favorite as major automakers bring workers back to plants. They also saw opportunity in biotech. "Traders seemingly bought the rumor of vaccination hopes and sold the news of disappointing trial results — names like GILD and REGN saw heavy selling activity thus far in May," Larkin said.
Rise in retail
Even before the stay-at-home orders, retail investing had taken off at an historic pace thanks to commissions dropping to zero. Fractional trading, which lets you buy parts of an expensive stock for as little as $1, also made investing more accessible. Charles Schwab saw a 58% increase in new accounts year over year, while TD Ameritrade and ETrade saw 149% and 169% jumps, respectively. Robinhood, whose core demographic is millennials, saw first-quarter net deposits rise their month average from the last quarter of 2019. Daily trading volume in the first quarter was three times what it was in the last quarter of 2019, according to the company. "Commission costs have fallen dramatically; to zero is come cases. Investing is now cheaper and easier than ever before," said Randy Frederick, vice president of trading and derivatives at Charles Schwab. "Following a nearly 12-year long bull market, the recent bear market has provided the first real buying opportunity that many young investors have ever seen."
More time, more stimulus


bonginoreport--2020-05-22--Biden “Promises” Not to Raise Taxes for Most Americans While Proposing $6 Trillion in New Spending

Former Vice President Joe Biden has repeatedly promised to raise your taxes directly or indirectly .
But now , the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is trying to spin his record to suggest otherwise .
During a Friday on CNBC ’ s Squawk Box , host Andrew Ross Sorkin pressed Biden on his support for raising taxes .
“ Nobody making under 400,000 bucks will have their taxes raised , ” the candidate quickly responded .
“ Period .
Bingo.
” If it sounds too good to be true that a candidate is promising more than in new government spending ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to healthcare ) without raising taxes , well , that ’ s because it is .
Unless this new promise from Biden is the precursor to him walking back much of his previous stances and policy proposals , it ’ s simply a misleading misdirection .
For one thing , there ’ s a minimum $ 2.2 trillion gap between the tax hikes Biden has proposed and the $ 6 trillion-plus in spending he has promised .
It is true that Biden 's official campaign plan nominally includes no tax hikes on individuals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that a President Biden would make up the $ 2.2 trillion budgetary difference with deficit financing , then he is indeed going to be taxing ordinary people — just deferring it to future generations as a constraint on their financial livelihoods .
This was also before the coronavirus crisis hit , which has prompted Biden to court the far Left of the party more aggressively and to shift to promises of a sweeping FDR-style agenda , which would require trillions more in spending .
Biden has also repeatedly promised , including during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corporate tax rate .
While this doesn ’ t technically count as a tax increase on individuals earning less than $ 400,000 , the actual burden of corporate taxes is often passed on to everyday consumers and workers .
According to the right-leaning , “ Labor bears between 50 percent and 100 percent of the burden of the corporate income tax , with 70 percent or higher the most likely outcome.
” What this means is that corporations simply “ pass on ” the true cost of the tax increase in the form @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Biden recently announced his to combat climate change .
Whether you support the policy or not , it 's simply a fact that carbon taxes are overwhelmingly regressive , meaning the economic burden is disproportionately borne by low-income and working-class families in the form of higher energy costs and consumer prices .
While supporting a carbon tax does n't technically violate Biden 's pledge because the tax is imposed on business , not consumers , the reality of its known impact sure does trample all over the spirit of the candidate 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to repeal the GOP ’ s 2018 tax reform .
“ First thing I would do as president is eliminate the president ’ s tax cut , ” Biden in June 2019 .
“ First thing I ’ d do is repeal those Trump tax cuts , ” he a South Carolina crowd last year .
All in all , Biden has promised to repeal the tax cuts too many times to count .
Some of Biden ’ s official campaign plans would imply only a partial repeal , but his public remarks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 2018 tax reform in its entirety .
According to , this would mean : So , voters shouldn ’ t believe Biden when he promises not to raise their taxes .

Former Vice President Joe Biden has repeatedly promised to raise your taxes directly or indirectly. But now, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is trying to spin his record to suggest otherwise.
During a Friday morning interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box, host Andrew Ross Sorkin pressed Biden on his support for raising taxes. “Nobody making under 400,000 bucks will have their taxes raised,” the candidate quickly responded. “Period. Bingo.”
"Nobody making under $400,000 will have their taxes raised. Period," says @JoeBiden. pic.twitter.com/zuB2Vq6dXl — Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) May 22, 2020
If it sounds too good to be true that a candidate is promising more than $6 trillion in new government spending (for everything from climate change to infrastructure to healthcare) without raising taxes, well, that’s because it is. Unless this new promise from Biden is the precursor to him walking back much of his previous stances and policy proposals, it’s simply a misleading misdirection.
For one thing, there’s a minimum $2.2 trillion gap between the tax hikes Biden has proposed and the $6 trillion-plus in spending he has promised. It is true that Biden's official campaign plan nominally includes no tax hikes on individuals earning under $400,000. But assuming that a President Biden would make up the $2.2 trillion budgetary difference with deficit financing, then he is indeed going to be taxing ordinary people — just deferring it to future generations as a constraint on their financial livelihoods.
This was also before the coronavirus crisis hit, which has prompted Biden to court the far Left of the party more aggressively and to shift to promises of a sweeping FDR-style agenda, which would require trillions more in spending.
Biden has also repeatedly promised, including during the Squawk Box interview, to hike the corporate tax rate. While this doesn’t technically count as a tax increase on individuals earning less than $400,000, the actual burden of corporate taxes is often passed on to everyday consumers and workers.
According to the right-leaning Tax Foundation , “Labor bears between 50 percent and 100 percent of the burden of the corporate income tax, with 70 percent or higher the most likely outcome.” What this means is that corporations simply “pass on” the true cost of the tax increase in the form of reduced wages and hiring.
Additionally, Biden recently announced his support for a carbon tax to combat climate change. Whether you support the policy or not, it's simply a fact that carbon taxes are overwhelmingly regressive, meaning the economic burden is disproportionately borne by low-income and working-class families in the form of higher energy costs and consumer prices.
While supporting a carbon tax doesn't technically violate Biden's pledge because the tax is imposed on business, not consumers, the reality of its known impact sure does trample all over the spirit of the candidate's promise.
Biden has also repeatedly vowed to repeal the GOP’s 2018 tax reform.
“First thing I would do as president is eliminate the president’s tax cut,” Biden said in June 2019. “First thing I’d do is repeal those Trump tax cuts,” he promised a South Carolina crowd last year. All in all, Biden has promised to repeal the tax cuts too many times to count. Some of Biden’s official campaign plans would imply only a partial repeal, but his public remarks repeatedly suggest he wants to roll back the 2018 tax reform in its entirety.
According to Americans for Tax Reform , this would mean:
"A family of four earning the median income of $73,000 would see a $2,000 tax increase. A single parent (with one child) making $41,000 would see a $1,300 tax increase. Millions of low and middle-income households would be stuck paying the Obamacare individual mandate tax."
So, voters shouldn’t believe Biden when he promises not to raise their taxes.


bonginoreport--2020-05-23--70 Percent of Dubai Business Expect to Close in the Next Two Months Due to Pandemic

DUBAI , United Arab Emirates — A staggering 70 % of businesses in Dubai expect to close their doors within the next six months as the coronavirus pandemic and global lockdowns ravage demand , a survey by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce revealed Thursday .
The Chamber surveyed 1,228 CEOs across a range of sectors between April 16 and April 22 , during the emirate 's strictest lockdown period .
Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed were small businesses with fewer than 20 employees .
Of the respondents , more than two-thirds saw a moderate-to-high risk of going out of business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % said they expected to lose their businesses within the next month , and 43 % expect to go out of business within six .
Dubai , which has one of the most diversified and non-oil dependent economies in the Gulf , relies on sectors like hospitality , tourism , entertainment , logistics , property and retail .
Its hotels and restaurants are internationally acclaimed , but nearly half the restaurants and hotels surveyed by the organization expected to go out of business in the next month alone .
Some 74 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to close in that time , and 30 % of companies in transport , storage and communications expect the same fate .
`` Full and partial city-lockdown measures are bringing demand in key markets to a standstill ...
The double-shock impact is pushing economic activity down to levels not seen even during the financial crisis , '' the Dubai Chamber wrote in its report released Thursday , entitled `` Impact of Covid-19 on Dubai Business Community . ''
A Dubai Chamber spokesman later on Thursday qualified some of the survey 's results , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chamber surveyed 1228 out of 245,000 companies in Dubai in April when the lockdown measures were in the most strict phase ... their sentiments were based on the expectation that the strictest lockdown phase would be prolonged . ''
`` We anticipate that business confidence will improve significantly in the coming weeks and months as businesses return to more normal operation . ''
But amid the current uncertainty , businesses in UAE 's seven emirates , as elsewhere across the world , are slashing salaries , putting employees on unpaid leave , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just over 26,000 confirmed coronavirus cases , with 233 deaths as of Thursday .
Dubai , the country 's commercial and tourism hub , imposed a strict 24-hour lockdown on its population of 3.3 million for about three weeks beginning in early April .
While the lockdown has been loosened through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan allowing malls and some businesses to open at a 30 % capacity , demand is slow to return and company layoffs are continuing .
Most hotels sit empty and tourism is nonexistent : there have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since March 24 .
For a country that relies on an 80 % expatriate population for much of its economic activity , the stakes are even higher : if residents can no longer find work , they will likely return to their home countries , depleting the consumer base needed to enable any economic recovery .
More than 150,000 Indian nationals and 40,000 Pakistani nationals had already left or registered to leave the UAE by early May , according to those countries ' diplomatic missions .
`` I so far think we 're @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 % for the year , '' Nasser al-Shaikh , former director general of the Dubai government 's department of finance , tweeted earlier this month .
The Dubai Chamber added in its report : `` Though this is a temporary shock for most markets – with recovery to gradually kick in as soon as restrictions are eased – trade with GCC markets is particularly challenging as they suffered double oil price / COVID-19 shocks . ''
In late March the Dubai government announced a 1.5 billion dirham ( $ 408 million ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cushioning the blow of the virus lockdowns , which included a raft of fee refunds and reductions , and reduced utility costs .
Abu Dhabi in the same month announced a $ 27 billion emergency stimulus plan to aid private sector businesses and banks .
The UAE 's central bank also deployed a $ 70 billion package to help commercial banks provide debt relief .
But many businesses still need more support , or are hesitant to take on new debt given the shaky outlook for recovery , according to reports .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , `` banks seem to have increased lending to SMEs which saw a 5.3 % y-o-y growth , to reach a value of AED93.4 billion ...
This improvement was mainly due to the government stimulus package announced in March . ''
`` Dubai Government continues to monitor and offer support where necessary to help all of Dubai 's business community during this time , '' a Dubai Chamber spokesman said in the hours after the survey 's release .
The coronavirus crisis follows a number of years of declining revenues for some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primarily real estate and hospitality .
Residential property prices had already fallen 30 % from their 2014 peak amid oversupply and weakening demand , and revenue per available hotel room was down more than 25 % since 2015 .
Last year Dubai 's economy grew at just 1.94 % , its slowest pace since the dark days of its near economic collapse in 2009 .
That crisis , more than ten years ago , was sparked by a property crunch that forced Dubai to seek a $ 20 billion bailout from its wealthier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Abu Dhabi .
But the global pandemic will likely exact a toll on Dubai far greater than the downturn of a decade ago .
The Chamber 's report warned : `` The impact of COVID-19 crisis on the world economy during 2020 is projected to be greater than the 2008-09 financial crisis . ''

A picture shows the closed compound of the Dubai Mall amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic on March 23, 2020 in the United Arab Emirates Giuseppe CACACE | AFP via Getty Images
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A staggering 70% of businesses in Dubai expect to close their doors within the next six months as the coronavirus pandemic and global lockdowns ravage demand, a survey by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce revealed Thursday. The Chamber surveyed 1,228 CEOs across a range of sectors between April 16 and April 22, during the emirate's strictest lockdown period. Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed were small businesses with fewer than 20 employees. Of the respondents, more than two-thirds saw a moderate-to-high risk of going out of business in the coming six months: 27% said they expected to lose their businesses within the next month, and 43% expect to go out of business within six. Dubai, which has one of the most diversified and non-oil dependent economies in the Gulf, relies on sectors like hospitality, tourism, entertainment, logistics, property and retail. Its hotels and restaurants are internationally acclaimed, but nearly half the restaurants and hotels surveyed by the organization expected to go out of business in the next month alone. Some 74% of travel and tourism companies said they expected to close in that time, and 30% of companies in transport, storage and communications expect the same fate. "Full and partial city-lockdown measures are bringing demand in key markets to a standstill ... The double-shock impact is pushing economic activity down to levels not seen even during the financial crisis," the Dubai Chamber wrote in its report released Thursday, entitled "Impact of Covid-19 on Dubai Business Community."
watch now
A Dubai Chamber spokesman later on Thursday qualified some of the survey's results, saying in a statement that "Dubai Chamber surveyed 1228 out of 245,000 companies in Dubai in April when the lockdown measures were in the most strict phase ... their sentiments were based on the expectation that the strictest lockdown phase would be prolonged." "We anticipate that business confidence will improve significantly in the coming weeks and months as businesses return to more normal operation."
A population contraction?
But amid the current uncertainty, businesses in UAE's seven emirates, as elsewhere across the world, are slashing salaries, putting employees on unpaid leave, and reducing staffing levels. The UAE has just over 26,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 233 deaths as of Thursday. Dubai, the country's commercial and tourism hub, imposed a strict 24-hour lockdown on its population of 3.3 million for about three weeks beginning in early April.
I so far think we're looking at a minimum population contraction of 10% for the year. Nasser al-Shaikh Former Director General, Dubai Department of Finance
While the lockdown has been loosened through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan allowing malls and some businesses to open at a 30% capacity, demand is slow to return and company layoffs are continuing. Most hotels sit empty and tourism is nonexistent: there have been no inbound passenger flights for non-UAE nationals since March 24. For a country that relies on an 80% expatriate population for much of its economic activity, the stakes are even higher: if residents can no longer find work, they will likely return to their home countries, depleting the consumer base needed to enable any economic recovery. More than 150,000 Indian nationals and 40,000 Pakistani nationals had already left or registered to leave the UAE by early May, according to those countries' diplomatic missions. "I so far think we're looking at a minimum population contraction of 10% for the year," Nasser al-Shaikh, former director general of the Dubai government's department of finance, tweeted earlier this month. The Dubai Chamber added in its report: "Though this is a temporary shock for most markets – with recovery to gradually kick in as soon as restrictions are eased – trade with GCC markets is particularly challenging as they suffered double oil price / COVID-19 shocks."
Stimulus packages
In late March the Dubai government announced a 1.5 billion dirham ($408 million) stimulus package aimed at enhancing liquidity and cushioning the blow of the virus lockdowns, which included a raft of fee refunds and reductions, and reduced utility costs. Abu Dhabi in the same month announced a $27 billion emergency stimulus plan to aid private sector businesses and banks. The UAE's central bank also deployed a $70 billion package to help commercial banks provide debt relief. But many businesses still need more support, or are hesitant to take on new debt given the shaky outlook for recovery, according to reports.
watch now
The Dubai Chamber report notes that in March, "banks seem to have increased lending to SMEs which saw a 5.3% y-o-y growth, to reach a value of AED93.4 billion ... This improvement was mainly due to the government stimulus package announced in March." "Dubai Government continues to monitor and offer support where necessary to help all of Dubai's business community during this time," a Dubai Chamber spokesman said in the hours after the survey's release.
Economy already slowing pre-Covid


bonginoreport--2020-05-23--Trump Administration Warms to More Direct Stimulus Payments to Individuals

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press as he departs the White House in Washington , DC , on May 21 , 2020 .
President Donald Trump and his advisors showed more support for a new round of coronavirus relief spending this week as economic damage from the pandemic mounts .
The president on Thursday said , `` I think we 're going to be helping people out '' and `` getting some money for them '' as tens of millions of Americans lose paychecks and businesses struggle to survive with public health restrictions still in place in much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. could take `` one more nice shot '' at stimulus .
Trump 's advisors have echoed his sentiment .
On Friday morning , economic advisor Kevin Hassett told CNN that another round of aid is `` pretty likely , '' saying he believes `` it 's coming sooner rather than later . ''
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday that he sees a `` strong likelihood '' the U.S. will need more stimulus .
Support has mounted in the White House as Congress fails to strike a consensus on how to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weight of the pandemic .
More than 38 million people have filed jobless claims since the crisis started , and second-quarter GDP is expected to plunge .
Democrats have pushed for an immediate , sweeping plan to push more spending money to individuals , expand the social safety net during the crisis and make voting safer by expanding mail-in ballot access .
The House passed a $ 3 trillion relief package last week .
After downplaying the need for more federal spending , the GOP-held Senate has started to open the door to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Trump this week that the next bill should not cost more than $ 1 trillion , according to Axios .
The president has generally showed more comfort with free spending than his Republican allies in Congress .
Policymakers will , of course , have to pin down a lot of details .
Democrats have pushed for a second stimulus check to individuals of up to $ 1,200 , and Trump appears to have embraced the idea .
Congressional Republicans already backed direct payments once in March .

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press as he departs the White House in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2020.
President Donald Trump and his advisors showed more support for a new round of coronavirus relief spending this week as economic damage from the pandemic mounts.
The president on Thursday said, "I think we're going to be helping people out" and "getting some money for them" as tens of millions of Americans lose paychecks and businesses struggle to survive with public health restrictions still in place in much of the country. He added that the U.S. could take "one more nice shot" at stimulus.
Trump's advisors have echoed his sentiment. On Friday morning, economic advisor Kevin Hassett told CNN that another round of aid is "pretty likely," saying he believes "it's coming sooner rather than later."
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday that he sees a "strong likelihood" the U.S. will need more stimulus.
Support has mounted in the White House as Congress fails to strike a consensus on how to lift a U.S. economy collapsing under the weight of the pandemic. More than 38 million people have filed jobless claims since the crisis started, and second-quarter GDP is expected to plunge.
Democrats have pushed for an immediate, sweeping plan to push more spending money to individuals, expand the social safety net during the crisis and make voting safer by expanding mail-in ballot access. The House passed a $3 trillion relief package last week.
After downplaying the need for more federal spending, the GOP-held Senate has started to open the door to a more narrow aid proposal. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Trump this week that the next bill should not cost more than $1 trillion, according to Axios. The president has generally showed more comfort with free spending than his Republican allies in Congress.
Policymakers will, of course, have to pin down a lot of details. Democrats have pushed for a second stimulus check to individuals of up to $1,200, and Trump appears to have embraced the idea. Congressional Republicans already backed direct payments once in March.


bonginoreport--2020-05-23--Joe Biden Wins Hawaii Primary

Joe Biden Wins Hawaii Primary

Joe Biden won the Democratic Party of Hawaii ’ s party-run presidential primary on Saturday , which was delayed by more than a month because of the coronavirus .
Biden won 16 of Hawaii 's delegates and Sanders will take eight .
Biden has a total of 1,566 delegates to the party ’ s national convention , according to the count by the Associated Press .
He needs 1,991 delegates to win the nomination , a threshold he is projected to reach in June .
A total of 35,044 voters cast ballots in the party-run primary .
All ballots were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ initially planned to hold the primary on April 4 and had expected most party members would vote by mail and some would cast ballots at about 20 in-person polling sites around the state .
It began mailing ballots to registered party members in early March back when Sanders and Biden were the two front-runners and Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard was still maintaining her long-shot bid for the nomination .
But concerns about the spread of the coronavirus forced the party to announce on March 20 it would cancel plans for in-person voting and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who expected to vote in person on April 4 a chance to cast a ballot , the party said it would mail another round of ballots to members and wait until late May for them to be returned and counted .
Amidst these shifts , Gabbard dropped out and endorsed Biden .
Sanders ended his bid and endorsed Biden on April 13 .
Voters were instructed to mark their top three choices on paper ballots .
Only candidates receiving at least 15 % of the votes cast in a given congressional district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for candidates who didn ’ t receive at least 15 % were redistributed to voters ’ second-ranked choices , starting with the candidate who received the lowest number of votes .
Gabbard represents Hawaii ’ s second congressional district in Congress , and got 4 % of the vote in the first round of voting .
She was absent from the district during much of the year while she campaigned for the presidency in Iowa and New Hampshire .
State Sen. Kai Kahele , a fellow Democrat , fiercely criticized her for neglecting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her seat , which covers suburban Honolulu and the more rural islands of the state .
Not long after , Gabbard said she wouldn ’ t run for reelection and would focus on her presidential bid .
Hawaii Democrats hired a contractor , Merriman River Group , to handle aspects of the election , including designing the vote-by-mail package and safely keeping returned ballots .
The company has experience running elections for labor unions and organizations such as the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative , the electric utility on Kauai island .
The Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after President Donald Trump was the only candidate to declare for the ballot by the Dec. 2 deadline .
The party is committing its national convention delegates to Trump .

article
Joe Biden won the Democratic Party of Hawaii’s party-run presidential primary on Saturday, which was delayed by more than a month because of the coronavirus.
Biden defeated Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders 63% to 37%.
Biden won 16 of Hawaii's delegates and Sanders will take eight. Biden has a total of 1,566 delegates to the party’s national convention, according to the count by the Associated Press. He needs 1,991 delegates to win the nomination, a threshold he is projected to reach in June.
A total of 35,044 voters cast ballots in the party-run primary. All ballots were cast by mail.
The party had initially planned to hold the primary on April 4 and had expected most party members would vote by mail and some would cast ballots at about 20 in-person polling sites around the state.
It began mailing ballots to registered party members in early March back when Sanders and Biden were the two front-runners and Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard was still maintaining her long-shot bid for the nomination.
But concerns about the spread of the coronavirus forced the party to announce on March 20 it would cancel plans for in-person voting and allow only mail ballots. To give those who expected to vote in person on April 4 a chance to cast a ballot, the party said it would mail another round of ballots to members and wait until late May for them to be returned and counted.
Amidst these shifts, Gabbard dropped out and endorsed Biden. Sanders ended his bid and endorsed Biden on April 13.
Voters were instructed to mark their top three choices on paper ballots.
Only candidates receiving at least 15% of the votes cast in a given congressional district were to be allocated delegates. Votes for candidates who didn’t receive at least 15% were redistributed to voters’ second-ranked choices, starting with the candidate who received the lowest number of votes.
Gabbard represents Hawaii’s second congressional district in Congress, and got 4% of the vote in the first round of voting. She was absent from the district during much of the year while she campaigned for the presidency in Iowa and New Hampshire. State Sen. Kai Kahele, a fellow Democrat, fiercely criticized her for neglecting her constituents and mounted a campaign for her seat, which covers suburban Honolulu and the more rural islands of the state. Not long after, Gabbard said she wouldn’t run for reelection and would focus on her presidential bid.
Hawaii Democrats hired a contractor, Merriman River Group, to handle aspects of the election, including designing the vote-by-mail package and safely keeping returned ballots. The company has experience running elections for labor unions and organizations such as the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, the electric utility on Kauai island.
The Republican Party of Hawaii canceled its presidential caucus after President Donald Trump was the only candidate to declare for the ballot by the Dec. 2 deadline. The party is committing its national convention delegates to Trump.


bonginoreport--2020-05-23--VP Pence: Nobody Wants to Reopen This Country More Than President Donald Trump

NORCROSS , Georgia — Vice President Mike Pence told Breitbart News that he and President Donald Trump are excited to get the United States reopened and moving again as the coronavirus pandemic recedes nationwide .
Backstage after a roundtable with local business leaders here at Waffle House corporate headquarters , where Pence and Georgia Gov .
Brian Kemp appeared to encourage the continued reopening of the country , Pence told Breitbart News that Georgia ’ s efforts led by Kemp to reopen aggressively have been successful and are a model for the nation .
All 50 states have begun reopening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted in the interview that aired on Breitbart News Saturday on SiriusXM 125 the Patriot Channel , citing Georgia and Florida—where Pence visited earlier in the week with Gov .
Ron DeSantis—as examples for the country .
“ It would be on April 15 , 30 days into the mitigation efforts that we presented to the country—that the president directed the White House Coronavirus Task Force to publish guidelines for opening up America , ” Pence said .
“ We believed because of what the American people were doing and continued to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be in a position for some states and some counties around the country to begin to reopen and put America back to work .
Nobody wants to reopen this country more than President Donald Trump .
So we equipped governors around the country to be ready for when the 45 Days to Slow the Spread came to an end .
Georgia and Florida and other states around the country evaluated the cases in their state , evaluated the data , and have been and have taken steps that are now demonstrating that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without putting the people of this country ’ s health and wellbeing at risk .
I think Gov .
Kemp also and Gov .
DeSantis also recognize that this isn ’ t a choice between health and a growing economy .
It really is a choice between health and health .
There are serious health consequences if we were to continue indefinitely the lockdowns that we asked the American people to embrace for 45 days .
I must tell you , I know the president is as grateful as I am that as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50 states—have begun the process of reopening their economies .
But Georgia is leading the way and demonstrating that you can safely and responsibly reopen your businesses , reopen your restaurants , and put the people of your state back to work , and still , hospitalizations are declining , cases are declining , and , most importantly , fatalities are declining .
The people of Georgia are doing it , and I couldn ’ t be more proud to be here.
” Asked if some Democrat governors , such as Michigan ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tom Wolf , are moving fast enough , Pence cited his close relationship with governors and noted that every state is ready to reopen .
He also praised the protesters nationwide pushing for a faster reopening of their states .
“ When the president tapped me to lead the White House Coronavirus Task Force , he directed me to forge a seamless partnership with governors around the country of both political parties .
We ’ ve done that , ” Pence said .
“ We continue to believe , whether it be on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county basis , that every state in America is in a position to begin the process of reopening .
Fortunately , as of this week , all 50 states have begun that process .
What we ’ re committed to doing , whether it be providing supplies for testing , whether it be providing personal protective equipment not just for healthcare workers , but for businesses that are beginning the process of reopening , we ’ re absolutely committed to being a full partner with states .
But the president and I truly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get this country open again .
There are profound costs that go well beyond the economy to a prolonged shutdown .
I ’ ve always believed this was a freedom-loving country .
I ’ m very heartened to see people across the country letting their voice be heard , letting governors in every state know they want their freedom back .
What Georgia is demonstrating is people are prepared to continue practicing the hygiene and social distancing necessary to protect their families and their neighbors and members of their community .
We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look at the president ’ s guidelines to open up America again and look for ways , whether it be a portion of a state or the entire state , to get the economy moving again.
” Pence , whom Trump appointed to lead the White House Coronavirus Task Force nearly three months ago , told Breitbart News that the country has learned a lot about the coronavirus since the beginning of this whole process as well .
“ It ’ s been a learning process every day , ” Pence said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus was several times more contagious than the common flu .
But there ’ s been hopeful developments as well .
We ’ ve seen that because of what the American people have done and the sacrifices they ’ ve made that , despite the fact we ’ re dramatically increasing testing , cases are still going down .
Positivity rates are declining .
Today , more than 40 states are finding that less than ten percent of the people who are tested test positive for the coronavirus—and 22 states , less than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive .
So we ’ ve learned a great deal about the impact of social distancing.
” Pence also pointed to a Department of Homeland Security ( DHS ) scientific study that demonstrates the half-life of the virus drops off significantly with ultraviolet light , higher heat , and humidity .
Such “ summer conditions , ” which are now here in most of the country , he said , will hopefully stop the spread of the virus even more .
“ We also , the Department of Homeland Security , did a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found that ultraviolet light—sunlight—and humidity , summer conditions , actually have a profound impact on reducing what ’ s called the half life of the virus and reducing its potential threat , ” Pence said .
“ But , finally , I think what we ’ ve also learned is that this is primarily conveyed through respiratory habits .
It ’ s the reason social distancing and hygiene continue to be important .
The CDC issued guidance reiterating the threat of transmission on hard surfaces is significantly less than conveyed through respiration .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ deal more about it , but I can tell you what I think we ’ ve learned the most is the American people will rise to any challenge when called upon to do so—when families that have put loved ones , especially the elderly ’ s health first , they make great sacrifices — businesses large and small .
We heard today from some small businesses before they learned there was going to be any federal assistance went out and a business owner borrowed against his home so he could keep people on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proud of the CARES Act and I ’ m very proud through Paycheck Protection that we found a way to keep people on the payroll of businesses that were shuttered through the 45 Days to Slow the Spread and through the course of this pandemic , but businesses responded with great charity and great generosity , and I think we ’ ve learned a lot about the virus , but I think we ’ ve reaffirmed everything we always knew about the goodness and common sense of the American people .
”

NORCROSS, Georgia — Vice President Mike Pence told Breitbart News that he and President Donald Trump are excited to get the United States reopened and moving again as the coronavirus pandemic recedes nationwide.
Backstage after a roundtable with local business leaders here at Waffle House corporate headquarters, where Pence and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp appeared to encourage the continued reopening of the country, Pence told Breitbart News that Georgia’s efforts led by Kemp to reopen aggressively have been successful and are a model for the nation. All 50 states have begun reopening in one way or another, Pence noted in the interview that aired on Breitbart News Saturday on SiriusXM 125 the Patriot Channel, citing Georgia and Florida—where Pence visited earlier in the week with Gov. Ron DeSantis—as examples for the country.
“It would be on April 15, 30 days into the mitigation efforts that we presented to the country—that the president directed the White House Coronavirus Task Force to publish guidelines for opening up America,” Pence said. “We believed because of what the American people were doing and continued to do over that 45 days that we would be in a position for some states and some counties around the country to begin to reopen and put America back to work. Nobody wants to reopen this country more than President Donald Trump. So we equipped governors around the country to be ready for when the 45 Days to Slow the Spread came to an end. Georgia and Florida and other states around the country evaluated the cases in their state, evaluated the data, and have been and have taken steps that are now demonstrating that we can safely and responsibly reopen our economy without putting the people of this country’s health and wellbeing at risk. I think Gov. Kemp also and Gov. DeSantis also recognize that this isn’t a choice between health and a growing economy. It really is a choice between health and health. There are serious health consequences if we were to continue indefinitely the lockdowns that we asked the American people to embrace for 45 days. I must tell you, I know the president is as grateful as I am that as we sit here today, 50 states—all 50 states—have begun the process of reopening their economies. But Georgia is leading the way and demonstrating that you can safely and responsibly reopen your businesses, reopen your restaurants, and put the people of your state back to work, and still, hospitalizations are declining, cases are declining, and, most importantly, fatalities are declining. The people of Georgia are doing it, and I couldn’t be more proud to be here.”
Asked if some Democrat governors, such as Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania’s Tom Wolf, are moving fast enough, Pence cited his close relationship with governors and noted that every state is ready to reopen. He also praised the protesters nationwide pushing for a faster reopening of their states.
“When the president tapped me to lead the White House Coronavirus Task Force, he directed me to forge a seamless partnership with governors around the country of both political parties. We’ve done that,” Pence said. “We continue to believe, whether it be on a statewide basis or a regional or county basis, that every state in America is in a position to begin the process of reopening. Fortunately, as of this week, all 50 states have begun that process. What we’re committed to doing, whether it be providing supplies for testing, whether it be providing personal protective equipment not just for healthcare workers, but for businesses that are beginning the process of reopening, we’re absolutely committed to being a full partner with states. But the president and I truly believe we [have] got to get this country open again. There are profound costs that go well beyond the economy to a prolonged shutdown. I’ve always believed this was a freedom-loving country. I’m very heartened to see people across the country letting their voice be heard, letting governors in every state know they want their freedom back. What Georgia is demonstrating is people are prepared to continue practicing the hygiene and social distancing necessary to protect their families and their neighbors and members of their community. We’ll continue to urge every state to look at the president’s guidelines to open up America again and look for ways, whether it be a portion of a state or the entire state, to get the economy moving again.”
Pence, whom Trump appointed to lead the White House Coronavirus Task Force nearly three months ago, told Breitbart News that the country has learned a lot about the coronavirus since the beginning of this whole process as well.
“It’s been a learning process every day,” Pence said. “We knew early on that the coronavirus was several times more contagious than the common flu. But there’s been hopeful developments as well. We’ve seen that because of what the American people have done and the sacrifices they’ve made that, despite the fact we’re dramatically increasing testing, cases are still going down. Positivity rates are declining. Today, more than 40 states are finding that less than ten percent of the people who are tested test positive for the coronavirus—and 22 states, less than five percent of those tested are testing positive. So we’ve learned a great deal about the impact of social distancing.”
Pence also pointed to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) scientific study that demonstrates the half-life of the virus drops off significantly with ultraviolet light, higher heat, and humidity. Such “summer conditions,” which are now here in most of the country, he said, will hopefully stop the spread of the virus even more.
“We also, the Department of Homeland Security, did a study we published a month ago that found that ultraviolet light—sunlight—and humidity, summer conditions, actually have a profound impact on reducing what’s called the half life of the virus and reducing its potential threat,” Pence said. “But, finally, I think what we’ve also learned is that this is primarily conveyed through respiratory habits. It’s the reason social distancing and hygiene continue to be important. The CDC issued guidance reiterating the threat of transmission on hard surfaces is significantly less than conveyed through respiration. So we’re understanding a great deal more about it, but I can tell you what I think we’ve learned the most is the American people will rise to any challenge when called upon to do so—when families that have put loved ones, especially the elderly’s health first, they make great sacrifices — businesses large and small. We heard today from some small businesses before they learned there was going to be any federal assistance went out and a business owner borrowed against his home so he could keep people on the payroll. I’m very proud of the CARES Act and I’m very proud through Paycheck Protection that we found a way to keep people on the payroll of businesses that were shuttered through the 45 Days to Slow the Spread and through the course of this pandemic, but businesses responded with great charity and great generosity, and I think we’ve learned a lot about the virus, but I think we’ve reaffirmed everything we always knew about the goodness and common sense of the American people.”
LISTEN TO VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE ON BREITBART NEWS SATURDAY:


bonginoreport--2020-05-23--U.S. Warship Equipped With Powerful Laser Weapon Destroys Airborne Drone

WASHINGTON : In a first , the USS Portland took down a target drone with a new solid state laser this week , the first step in the Navy ’ s quest to get the powerful weapon on more ships in the future .
The shot from the San Antonio-class landing platform ship tested out what ’ s known as the Technology Maturation Laser Weapon System Demonstrator , or LWSD , which has been aboard the ship for several months .
The May 16 test , announced by the Pacific Fleet today , is the first public acknowledgement of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Northrop Grumman-made LWSD is a high-energy laser weapon initially developed by the Office of Naval Research , and its operational employment marks “ the first system-level implementation of a high-energy class solid-state laser , ” according to a Pacific Fleet release .
The test comes as the US , in bits and pieces , ramps up operations in the Pacific as a counterweight to China — moves which include new , ambitious B-1 bomber flights close to Russian and Chinese territory .
Just this week , the USS Ronald Reagan and Theodore Roosevelt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Japan and Guam , respectively , while the USS Nimitz is getting its air wing up to speed off the coast of Washington state .
And earlier this month , two Navy ships sailed into the middle of an ongoing dispute between China and a neighbor in the South China Sea — steaming near a shadowing Chinese warship in Washington ’ s latest effort to show presence in an increasingly contested waterway .
The Littoral Combat Ship USS Montgomery and supply ship USNS Cesar Chavez sailed close to a Malaysian drillship , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warships who spent weeks harassing the commercial vessel in international waters illegally claimed by Beijing .
Since the passthrough , both the Chinese and Malasyian ships have moved away from one another .
Late last month , the destroyer USS Barry cruised near the Paracel Islands , claimed by China , followed a day later by the cruiser USS Bunker Hill sailing near the Spratlys conducting freedom-of-navigation operations .
On April 30 , a day after Bunker Hill ’ s transit , two B-1 bombers flew over the South China Sea .
These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America amphibious ship packed with Marine Corps F-35s passed through the South China Sea while conducting flight operations .
The laser test was much quieter , but no less significant in the long run .
“ By conducting advanced at sea tests against UAVs and small crafts , we will gain valuable information on the capabilities of the Solid State Laser Weapons System Demonstrator against potential threats , ” said Capt .
Karrey Sanders , commanding officer of Portland .
The LWSD is thought to pack about 150kw worth of power , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laser that was tested on the USS Ponce starting in 2014 .

WASHINGTON: In a first, the USS Portland took down a target drone with a new solid state laser this week, the first step in the Navy’s quest to get the powerful weapon on more ships in the future.
The shot from the San Antonio-class landing platform ship tested out what’s known as the Technology Maturation Laser Weapon System Demonstrator, or LWSD, which has been aboard the ship for several months. The May 16 test, announced by the Pacific Fleet today, is the first public acknowledgement of the system being put to use.
The Northrop Grumman-made LWSD is a high-energy laser weapon initially developed by the Office of Naval Research, and its operational employment marks “the first system-level implementation of a high-energy class solid-state laser,” according to a Pacific Fleet release.
The test comes as the US, in bits and pieces, ramps up operations in the Pacific as a counterweight to China — moves which include new, ambitious B-1 bomber flights close to Russian and Chinese territory.
Just this week, the USS Ronald Reagan and Theodore Roosevelt carriers went back to sea from bases in Japan and Guam, respectively, while the USS Nimitz is getting its air wing up to speed off the coast of Washington state.
And earlier this month, two Navy ships sailed into the middle of an ongoing dispute between China and a neighbor in the South China Sea — steaming near a shadowing Chinese warship in Washington’s latest effort to show presence in an increasingly contested waterway.
The Littoral Combat Ship USS Montgomery and supply ship USNS Cesar Chavez sailed close to a Malaysian drillship, the West Capella, warning off Chinese warships who spent weeks harassing the commercial vessel in international waters illegally claimed by Beijing. Since the passthrough, both the Chinese and Malasyian ships have moved away from one another.
Late last month, the destroyer USS Barry cruised near the Paracel Islands, claimed by China, followed a day later by the cruiser USS Bunker Hill sailing near the Spratlys conducting freedom-of-navigation operations.
On April 30, a day after Bunker Hill’s transit, two B-1 bombers flew over the South China Sea.
These transits came just days after the USS America amphibious ship packed with Marine Corps F-35s passed through the South China Sea while conducting flight operations.
The laser test was much quieter, but no less significant in the long run.
“By conducting advanced at sea tests against UAVs and small crafts, we will gain valuable information on the capabilities of the Solid State Laser Weapons System Demonstrator against potential threats,” said Capt. Karrey Sanders, commanding officer of Portland.
The LWSD is thought to pack about 150kw worth of power, a step up from the smaller, 50kw laser that was tested on the USS Ponce starting in 2014.


bonginoreport--2020-05-23--Poll: Dems Much More Likely Than Republicans to Report Neighbors for Lockdown Violations

“ Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to say they ’ d report neighbors for holding a social gathering in violation of coronavirus stay-at-home orders , according to a new Just the News Daily Poll with Scott Rasmussen .
“ There is a huge partisan difference , ” Rasmussen said .
“ By a 44 % to 31 % margin , a plurality of Democrats would turn in their neighbors .
By a 60 % to 25 % margin , Republicans would not . ''
Any more questions about why Cuban-Americans register majority Republican , and why many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrat policies ?
Though not mentioned , even by the conservative media , with regard to this issue , Castroite Cuba is the historic prototype of a snitch society .
Maybe it was a coincidence that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio—a Democrat who honeymooned in Cuba and quoted Che Guevara during his micro-campaign -- seemed particularly fond of installing neighborhood snitch/rat groups in his realm .
Forgot about de Blasio triumphantly blurting famous Che Guevara ’ s famous “ Hasta la Victoria Siempre !
” while campaigning ( in Miami , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a reminder .
You see , amigos : When Soviet satraps Fidel Castro and Che Guevara converted Cuba into a Soviet satrapy they installed ( as existed in all Soviet satrapies , though most efficiently in East Germany where it was grandfathered from the Nazi Gestapo ) neighborhood snitch committees to report any “ counter-revolutionary ” behavior .
These were ( are ) titled “ Committees for the Defense of the Revolution ” ( CDRs . )
Your humble servant well remembers members of these CDRs accosting him as a 7-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They ’ d surround me and menacingly inquire about any “ counter-revolutionary activities ” on the part of my parents , grandparents , uncles , aunts , cousins or neighbors , etc .
Actually , it was the children of the adult CDR members who ’ d usually do the accosting and attempt the interrogation of fellow children .
Several times these inquiries led to fisticuffs , as such are reckoned by 7-year-olds .
Many ( perhaps most ) of the Cubans who suffered in Castroite Cuba ’ s KGB/STASI-designed prisons and torture-chambers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crumpled in front its firing squads endured these sufferings because they were snitched on by their neighbors who belonged to the CDRs .
In fact , Cuba ’ s KGB-and STASI-founded and mentored snitch groups were much more numerous and much more “ efficient ” as agents of mass-repression than East Germany ’ s .
To wit : The liberal/celebrity-beloved Castro regime murdered more political prisoners ( out of a population of 6.5 million ) in its first three years in power than Hitler murdered ( out of a population of 80 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jailed and tortured political prisoners at a higher rate than the Soviet Union itself during Stalin ’ s Great Terror , these included the most BLACK , FEMALE and GAY political prisoners in the modern history of the Western Hemisphere ( thorough documentation for these stunning items provided here ) .
Interestingly , though some members of the alternative media ( Tucker Carlson , for instance ) brought up the commie connection in relation to these snitch groups , they usually mentioned East Germany as the prototype of a commie-snitch society .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that !
Any mention of communist oppression by any member of our national media should be celebrated .
But none of them mentioned Cuba—though official snitch groups were ( are ) much more numerous and effective in this Soviet satrapy on our very doorstep and though millions of refugees and their descendants from these nearby snitch groups live in the U.S.—and though Cuba absolutely crawls with U.S. mainstream press bureaus and their intrepid “ investigative reporters , ” U.S. “ academics ” on “ academic ” and “ cultural ” study junkets , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trips to Cuba .
Yet none of these “ investigators ” and “ fact-finders ” seem to notice what practically every person who has actually lived under the Castro-Soviet regime notices daily .
Instead , East Germany , a Soviet satrapy extinct for 30 years , with far-fewer familial connections to the U.S. -- and which actually jailed and tortured fewer of its subjects than did ( does ) the Soviet satrapy on our doorstep—this distant ( both historically and geographically ) east European totalitarian regime is the one mentioned as the prototype @ @ @ @ @ @ @ works out , and for going on 60 years now .
The notion of Castro ’ s Cuba as a murderous and stiflingly Stalinist nation never quite caught on among the “ enlightened.
” The regime was founded by “ beatniks , ” after all .
In 1960 Jean Paul Sartre hailed Cuba ’ s Stalinist rulers as “ les Enfants au Pouvoir ” ( the children in power ) .
A few months earlier Fidel Castro spoke at Harvard the same bill as beat poet Allen Ginsberg .
And ever since then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as top icon of youthful rebellion .
The reality differs grotesquely .
But let ’ s once again turn to Che Guevara for a partial explanation of this “ incongruity ” -- which qualifies as one of modern history ’ s most effective and persistent con-jobs : “ Much more valuable than rural recruits for our Cuban guerrilla force were American media recruits to export our propaganda , ” believed Ernesto “ Che ” Guevara .
Now regarding the persistent success of the con-job : “ The Castro regime assigns 20 security agents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Vicente Botin , who reported from Cuba for Madrid ’ s El Pais until he was booted from the Castro-family fiefdom for taking his job title seriously .
“ You play the regime ’ s game and practice self-censorship or you ’ re gone.
” These Gestapo-STASI-KGB inspired “ CDRs ” were a particular favorite of the famous Stalin-worshipper ( and flower-child icon ) Che Guevara .
When the Che-inspired forced-labor camps began filling with Cuban youths—especially gays , suspected gays , and long-haired , jean-wearing , rock-listening “ rockeros @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Che Guevara ’ s ire began their punishments it was usually a result of CDR snitching .
After all , gay behavior is often a private or “ closet ” issue .
So it was the CDR ’ s ( neighborhood busy-body/snitches ) who often uncovered it .
Yet leave it to the power of that relentless Cuban propaganda/Mainstream Media axis to somehow convert Che Guevara into a champion of gays !
Think I jest ?
Think that Che Guevara-related insanity can not possibly have reached a level where the Western Hemisphere ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the crime of being gay became a symbol of Gay Pride ?
Well , think again .
East Germany is also always the prototype of the horrible communist state that many people literally died trying to escape .
And yet OVER TEN TIMES as many people have died trying to escape communist Cuba as died trying to escape East Germany .
What makes this death toll in the Florida straits all the more appalling over the appalling one on the Berlin Wall is that prior to Castroism , Cuba was a developed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Europe , and inundated with immigrants , including from the U.S .
When presented with these thoroughly-documented items on national TV , Soledad O ’ Brien certainly seemed appalled—but not by the facts themselves .
Instead she seemed appalled at how an exposition of these facts exposed her ignorance of the Castro issue .

“Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to say they’d report neighbors for holding a social gathering in violation of coronavirus stay-at-home orders, according to a new Just the News Daily Poll with Scott Rasmussen.
“There is a huge partisan difference,” Rasmussen said. “By a 44% to 31% margin, a plurality of Democrats would turn in their neighbors. By a 60% to 25% margin, Republicans would not."
Any more questions about why Cuban-Americans register majority Republican, and why many of us have an instinctive—almost visceral—revulsion to many Democrat policies?
Though not mentioned, even by the conservative media, with regard to this issue, Castroite Cuba is the historic prototype of a snitch society.
Maybe it was a coincidence that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio—a Democrat who honeymooned in Cuba and quoted Che Guevara during his micro-campaign--seemed particularly fond of installing neighborhood snitch/rat groups in his realm.
Forgot about de Blasio triumphantly blurting famous Che Guevara’s famous “Hasta la Victoria Siempre!” while campaigning (in Miami, no less!) Well, here’s a reminder.
You see, amigos: When Soviet satraps Fidel Castro and Che Guevara converted Cuba into a Soviet satrapy they installed (as existed in all Soviet satrapies, though most efficiently in East Germany where it was grandfathered from the Nazi Gestapo) neighborhood snitch committees to report any “counter-revolutionary” behavior. These were (are) titled “Committees for the Defense of the Revolution” (CDRs.)
Your humble servant well remembers members of these CDRs accosting him as a 7-year-old on his way home from school. They’d surround me and menacingly inquire about any “counter-revolutionary activities” on the part of my parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins or neighbors, etc. Actually, it was the children of the adult CDR members who’d usually do the accosting and attempt the interrogation of fellow children. Several times these inquiries led to fisticuffs, as such are reckoned by 7-year-olds.
Many (perhaps most) of the Cubans who suffered in Castroite Cuba’s KGB/STASI-designed prisons and torture-chambers (which included my father) or crumpled in front its firing squads endured these sufferings because they were snitched on by their neighbors who belonged to the CDRs.
In fact, Cuba’s KGB-and STASI-founded and mentored snitch groups were much more numerous and much more “efficient” as agents of mass-repression than East Germany’s. To wit:
The liberal/celebrity-beloved Castro regime murdered more political prisoners (out of a population of 6.5 million) in its first three years in power than Hitler murdered (out of a population of 80 million) in its first six. It jailed and tortured political prisoners at a higher rate than the Soviet Union itself during Stalin’s Great Terror, these included the most BLACK, FEMALE and GAY political prisoners in the modern history of the Western Hemisphere (thorough documentation for these stunning items provided here).
Interestingly, though some members of the alternative media (Tucker Carlson, for instance) brought up the commie connection in relation to these snitch groups, they usually mentioned East Germany as the prototype of a commie-snitch society.
And there’s certainly no problem with that! Any mention of communist oppression by any member of our national media should be celebrated.
But none of them mentioned Cuba—though official snitch groups were (are) much more numerous and effective in this Soviet satrapy on our very doorstep and though millions of refugees and their descendants from these nearby snitch groups live in the U.S.—and though Cuba absolutely crawls with U.S. mainstream press bureaus and their intrepid “investigative reporters,” U.S. “academics” on “academic” and “cultural” study junkets, and U.S. politicians on “fact-finding” trips to Cuba.
Yet none of these “investigators” and “fact-finders” seem to notice what practically every person who has actually lived under the Castro-Soviet regime notices daily. Instead, East Germany, a Soviet satrapy extinct for 30 years, with far-fewer familial connections to the U.S. -- and which actually jailed and tortured fewer of its subjects than did (does) the Soviet satrapy on our doorstep—this distant (both historically and geographically) east European totalitarian regime is the one mentioned as the prototype of totalitarianism.
Funny how this always works out, and for going on 60 years now. The notion of Castro’s Cuba as a murderous and stiflingly Stalinist nation never quite caught on among the “enlightened.” The regime was founded by “beatniks,” after all. In 1960 Jean Paul Sartre hailed Cuba’s Stalinist rulers as “les Enfants au Pouvoir” (the children in power). A few months earlier Fidel Castro spoke at Harvard the same bill as beat poet Allen Ginsberg. And ever since then, long-haired Che Guevara has reigned worldwide as top icon of youthful rebellion.
The reality differs grotesquely. But let’s once again turn to Che Guevara for a partial explanation of this “incongruity”-- which qualifies as one of modern history’s most effective and persistent con-jobs:
“Much more valuable than rural recruits for our Cuban guerrilla force were American media recruits to export our propaganda,” believed Ernesto “Che” Guevara.
Now regarding the persistent success of the con-job:
“The Castro regime assigns 20 security agents to follow and monitor every foreign journalist,” said Vicente Botin, who reported from Cuba for Madrid’s El Pais until he was booted from the Castro-family fiefdom for taking his job title seriously. “You play the regime’s game and practice self-censorship or you’re gone.”
These Gestapo-STASI-KGB inspired “CDRs” were a particular favorite of the famous Stalin-worshipper (and flower-child icon) Che Guevara. When the Che-inspired forced-labor camps began filling with Cuban youths—especially gays, suspected gays, and long-haired, jean-wearing, rock-listening “rockeros” – when these special targets of Che Guevara’s ire began their punishments it was usually a result of CDR snitching.
After all, gay behavior is often a private or “closet” issue. So it was the CDR’s (neighborhood busy-body/snitches) who often uncovered it. Yet leave it to the power of that relentless Cuban propaganda/Mainstream Media axis to somehow convert Che Guevara into a champion of gays!
Think I jest? Think that Che Guevara-related insanity cannot possibly have reached a level where the Western Hemisphere’s top jailer and torturer of gays for the crime of being gay became a symbol of Gay Pride?
Well, think again.
East Germany is also always the prototype of the horrible communist state that many people literally died trying to escape. And yet OVER TEN TIMES as many people have died trying to escape communist Cuba as died trying to escape East Germany.
What makes this death toll in the Florida straits all the more appalling over the appalling one on the Berlin Wall is that prior to Castroism, Cuba was a developed nation with a higher living-standard than much of Europe, and inundated with immigrants, including from the U.S. When presented with these thoroughly-documented items on national TV, Soledad O’Brien certainly seemed appalled—but not by the facts themselves. Instead she seemed appalled at how an exposition of these facts exposed her ignorance of the Castro issue.


bonginoreport--2020-05-23--Real Estate Market, Tax Revenues in NYC Destroyed Amidst Pandemic

New York City ’ s real estate market , which functions as a prime source of tax revenue for the city and the state , is being crushed as many businesses and resident are simply refusing to pay their rent .
According to The Daily Mail , in April the city and the state collected $ 78.5 million in tax revenue on the sale of commercial and residential properties , a shocking plunge from $ 217.5 million in March .
Resident have fled their homes in the city to stay elsewhere ; many businesses simply haven ’ t made their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of their retail tenants missed rent payments in April and May .
On Wednesday , Real Estate Weekly noted , “ The Real Estate Board of New York ( REBNY ) reported that tax revenue generated from investment and residential sales in New York City and New York State decreased by 48 percent from April 2019 to April 2020 , and 64 percent from March 2020 to April 2020 .
These decreases represent a nearly $ 72 million loss in tax revenue for the City and State year over year , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to month.
” James Whelan , President of the Real Estate Board of New York , said on Wednesday , “ This dramatic loss in tax revenue is alarming .
The real estate sector is the city ’ s economic engine .
The pandemic has caused that engine to stall and we should expect such alarming trends to carry through May and June in the best-case scenario.
” Jay Martin , Executive Director for the Community Housing Improvement Project , echoed , “ There are hundreds of buildings in New York City operating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and many of them will not be able to survive another month without help .
If officials do not immediately target relief to lower-income renters and small owners who have mounting monthly expenses , they will not be able to reverse the damage this crisis will have on our city.
” “ Leasing and new rental inventory hit record lows in late March and April after Gov .
Andrew Cuomo imposed stay-at-home measures on New York State , which prohibited real estate brokers from showing apartments in person .
Listing website and data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that new rental inventory has risen from 1,750 listings during the last week of March to nearly 5,000 listings the week ending May 10 , ” The Commercial Observer reported on Thursday .
The Commercial Observer added , “ The number of new leases signed in April also cratered , reaching the lowest level since the Great Recession .
Leasing declined 71 percent year-over-year in April for Manhattan , from 4,831 leases signed in April 2019 to 1,407 in April 2020 .
Brooklyn experienced a 69 percent year-over-year drop in new leases—to 439 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent slide in new rental inventory.
” The Daily Mail noted that Vorndado , one of the city ’ s biggest landlords , revealed 80 % of its retail tenants did not pay rent in April and May , and Empire Realty Trust said 25 % of its office tenants skipped paying rent .
The Daily Wire , headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro , is a leading provider of conservative news , cutting through the mainstream media ’ s rhetoric to provide readers the most important , relevant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member .

New York City’s real estate market, which functions as a prime source of tax revenue for the city and the state, is being crushed as many businesses and resident are simply refusing to pay their rent. According to The Daily Mail, in April the city and the state collected $78.5 million in tax revenue on the sale of commercial and residential properties, a shocking plunge from $217.5 million in March.
Resident have fled their homes in the city to stay elsewhere; many businesses simply haven’t made their payment; one commercial landlord said 80% of their retail tenants missed rent payments in April and May.
On Wednesday, Real Estate Weekly noted, “The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) reported that tax revenue generated from investment and residential sales in New York City and New York State decreased by 48 percent from April 2019 to April 2020, and 64 percent from March 2020 to April 2020. These decreases represent a nearly $72 million loss in tax revenue for the City and State year over year, and a $139 million decrease from month to month.”
James Whelan, President of the Real Estate Board of New York, said on Wednesday, “This dramatic loss in tax revenue is alarming. The real estate sector is the city’s economic engine. The pandemic has caused that engine to stall and we should expect such alarming trends to carry through May and June in the best-case scenario.”
Jay Martin, Executive Director for the Community Housing Improvement Project, echoed, “There are hundreds of buildings in New York City operating at a loss because of COVID-19, and many of them will not be able to survive another month without help. If officials do not immediately target relief to lower-income renters and small owners who have mounting monthly expenses, they will not be able to reverse the damage this crisis will have on our city.”
“Leasing and new rental inventory hit record lows in late March and April after Gov. Andrew Cuomo imposed stay-at-home measures on New York State, which prohibited real estate brokers from showing apartments in person. Listing website and data a ggregator StreetEasy released data Tuesday showing that new rental inventory has risen from 1,750 listings during the last week of March to nearly 5,000 listings the week ending May 10,” The Commercial Observer reported on Thursday.
The Commercial Observer added, “The number of new leases signed in April also cratered, reaching the lowest level since the Great Recession. Leasing declined 71 percent year-over-year in April for Manhattan, from 4,831 leases signed in April 2019 to 1,407 in April 2020. Brooklyn experienced a 69 percent year-over-year drop in new leases—to 439 from 1,323 last April—along with a 28 percent slide in new rental inventory.”
The Daily Mail noted that Vorndado, one of the city’s biggest landlords, revealed 80% of its retail tenants did not pay rent in April and May, and Empire Realty Trust said 25% of its office tenants skipped paying rent.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member.


bonginoreport--2020-05-23--No, America’s Billionaires Have Not Gotten Richer During Pandemic

Americans for Tax Fairness and the Institute for Policy Studies released a report showing a startling statistic : America ’ s billionaires got $ 434 billion richer amid the pandemic .
“ The surge in billionaire wealth during a global pandemic underscores the grotesque nature of unequal sacrifice , ” said Chuck Collins , one of the study ’ s co-authors .
Billionaire wealth may well be grotesque , but a sensible way of looking at the underlying data would lead to the conclusion that America ’ s richest individuals lost wealth during the crisis , not gained it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ outlets including CNBC and Forbes , examines billionaires ’ wealth between March 18 — the rough start date of the pandemic shutdown , when most federal and state economic restrictions were in place — and May 19 .
It relied on the Forbes ’ billionaire list , which itself is built around stock-market performance .
Think about that in the market context .
The pandemic did not start March 18 ( nor , of course , had it ended on May 19 ) , and certainly market concerns about the pandemic did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A more logical way to think about whether billionaires got richer , or not , is to think about the performance from the Feb. 19 peak in the market , after which more investors began to get concerned by the novel virus .
You then get to see who got richer even in the face of the crippling economic blow .
The real answer is , not many have .
MarketWatch ran the numbers from the peak and , in the interest of time , only used the top 50 billionaires .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the S & P 500 SPX , for billionaires with private interests rather than Forbes ’ more complex method .
( Also , MarketWatch didn ’ t look at stock purchases during the month . )
Cumulatively , the top 50 billionaires lost $ 232 billion between the market ’ s peak and this Tuesday .
If the remaining billionaires on the Forbes list lost wealth at the same roughly 12.5 % rate that the top 50 experienced , that ’ s another $ 200 billion–plus wiped out .
Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 13.5 billion .
Bezos and Amazon have been big winners as people across the world rely on the service for an ever-increasing percentage of their consumption .
The Walton family , with their stakes in retail behemoth Walmart WMT , , also were winners .
Jim , Alice and Rob Walton each made about $ 3 billion during the Feb. 19–to–May 19 span .
Tesla ’ s TSLA , Elon Musk heads the losers list at $ 26 billion , and Microsoft MSFT , co-founder Bill Gates saw his fortune sour by @ @ @ @ @

Americans for Tax Fairness and the Institute for Policy Studies released a report showing a startling statistic: America’s billionaires got $434 billion richer amid the pandemic.
“The surge in billionaire wealth during a global pandemic underscores the grotesque nature of unequal sacrifice,” said Chuck Collins, one of the study’s co-authors.
Billionaire wealth may well be grotesque, but a sensible way of looking at the underlying data would lead to the conclusion that America’s richest individuals lost wealth during the crisis, not gained it.
The study, picked up by media outlets including CNBC and Forbes, examines billionaires’ wealth between March 18 — the rough start date of the pandemic shutdown, when most federal and state economic restrictions were in place — and May 19. It relied on the Forbes’ billionaire list, which itself is built around stock-market performance.
Think about that in the market context. The pandemic did not start March 18 (nor, of course, had it ended on May 19), and certainly market concerns about the pandemic did not start March 18. Far from it.
A more logical way to think about whether billionaires got richer, or not, is to think about the performance from the Feb. 19 peak in the market, after which more investors began to get concerned by the novel virus. You then get to see who got richer even in the face of the crippling economic blow.
The real answer is, not many have. MarketWatch ran the numbers from the peak and, in the interest of time, only used the top 50 billionaires. MarketWatch also took the cheat of using the S&P 500 SPX, -1.16% for billionaires with private interests rather than Forbes’ more complex method. (Also, MarketWatch didn’t look at stock purchases during the month.)
Cumulatively, the top 50 billionaires lost $232 billion between the market’s peak and this Tuesday. If the remaining billionaires on the Forbes list lost wealth at the same roughly 12.5% rate that the top 50 experienced, that’s another $200 billion–plus wiped out.
Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com AMZN, -2.06% did get richer, by $13.5 billion. Bezos and Amazon have been big winners as people across the world rely on the service for an ever-increasing percentage of their consumption.
The Walton family, with their stakes in retail behemoth Walmart WMT, -0.51% , also were winners. Jim, Alice and Rob Walton each made about $3 billion during the Feb. 19–to–May 19 span.


bonginoreport--2020-05-23--Biden: We Must Have a System “That Can Transmit Coal and Wind Across the Country”

Former Vice President and presumptive 2020 Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden said in an interview on CNBC ’ s Squawk Box on Friday that as president he would move away from domestic fossil fuel production and then went on to call for a nationwide system to distribute coal .
“ I would gradually move out of the position of relying on oil and gas , excuse me , on coal , ” Biden said .
“ No one is going to build another coal fired plant .
Period .
No matter what the law is.
” When host Joe Kernen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high-paying jobs in the oil and gas industry , Biden did not directly answer the question .
He said : We should become the net exporter of the new technology by investing the $ 40 billion in — the $ 400 billion I ’ m proposing in research and development for new ways to absorb carbon .
New ways , you know , [ to ] make sure that we have a system nationwide that can transmit coal and wind across the country .
But we ’ re not investing in those things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in any of it .
They all create jobs .
And by the way , they don ’ t wind does not cause cancer .
Windmills .
In fact , the Trump administration ’ s Department of Interior just approved the largest solar project in U.S. history , Newsweek reported : A large solar energy project in Nevada that is expected to generate enough electricity to power 260,000 homes has been green-lit by the federal government .
Upon its completion , around 2022 , the Gemini Solar Project could be the eighth-biggest solar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been described by officials from the Department of the Interior as being the “ largest solar project in United States history.
” The agency said the project will annually offset greenhouse emissions of about 83,000 cars , which is equivalent to roughly 384,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide .
A Gemini Solar Project record of decision—signed by the interior secretary David Bernhardt—approved Solar Partners XI , LLC to construct a facility about 30 miles northeast of Las Vegas .
“ Despite the challenges of the coronavirus , we ’ re pleased to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the biggest solar projects in the world , ” Abigail Ross Hopper , president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association , said in a statement .

Former Vice President and presumptive 2020 Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden said in an interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Friday that as president he would move away from domestic fossil fuel production and then went on to call for a nationwide system to distribute coal.
“I would gradually move out of the position of relying on oil and gas, excuse me, on coal,” Biden said. “No one is going to build another coal fired plant. Period. No matter what the law is.”
When host Joe Kernen asked Biden how he would preserve the high-paying jobs in the oil and gas industry, Biden did not directly answer the question. He said:
We should become the net exporter of the new technology by investing the $40 billion in — the $400 billion I’m proposing in research and development for new ways to absorb carbon. New ways, you know, [to] make sure that we have a system nationwide that can transmit coal and wind across the country. But we’re not investing in those things Joe. We’re not investing in any of it. They all create jobs. And by the way, they don’t wind does not cause cancer. Windmills.
In fact, the Trump administration’s Department of Interior just approved the largest solar project in U.S. history, Newsweek reported:
A large solar energy project in Nevada that is expected to generate enough electricity to power 260,000 homes has been green-lit by the federal government. Upon its completion, around 2022, the Gemini Solar Project could be the eighth-biggest solar facility in the world. It has been described by officials from the Department of the Interior as being the “largest solar project in United States history.” The agency said the project will annually offset greenhouse emissions of about 83,000 cars, which is equivalent to roughly 384,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. A Gemini Solar Project record of decision—signed by the interior secretary David Bernhardt—approved Solar Partners XI, LLC to construct a facility about 30 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
“Despite the challenges of the coronavirus, we’re pleased to see that Nevada will soon be home to one of the biggest solar projects in the world,” Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, said in a statement.
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bonginoreport--2020-05-23--NY Dem Congressman Slams  Mayor de Blasio Over Continued Lockdown – Calls Him an “Elitist Dilettante

NY Dem Congressman Slams  Mayor de Blasio Over Continued Lockdown – Calls Him an “Elitist Dilettante”

Democratic New York Rep. Max Rose took aim at Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for continuing to delay the city ’ s reopening despite lowering coronavirus numbers .
Appearing on Friday ’ s “ Your World with Neil Cavuto ” to react to de Blasio ’ s announcement that any sort of reopening won ’ t happen until June , Rose compared the NYC mayor ’ s comments to those of “ an elitist dilettante ” who “ does not understand the struggles of small business owners.
” “ You know , we can do this responsibly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sense of urgency , ” Rose said before outlining several ways it can be done , including personal protective equipment and standards .
Pointing out the irony of shoppers being allowed to visit large retailers but not small businesses , Rose speculated that , while de Blasio is likely looking at hospitalization numbers , he isn ’ t paying attention to “ the potential for a continued economic nuclear bomb to go off each and every week in New York City as our small businesses , our mom and pops die.
” While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the law or go against the mayor ’ s guidance , ” Rose called de Blasio ’ s leadership “ pitiful.
” ( RELATED : ‘ China Won ’ : Tucker Carlson Details ‘ Uncomfortable Facts ’ About Coronavirus Response In 15-Minute Opening Monologue ) “ And this city will be better off when he is no longer the mayor , ” he continued .
“ This is an enormous disappointment , and our businesses are going to suffer .
”

Democratic New York Rep. Max Rose took aim at Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for continuing to delay the city’s reopening despite lowering coronavirus numbers.
Appearing on Friday’s “Your World with Neil Cavuto” to react to de Blasio’s announcement that any sort of reopening won’t happen until June, Rose compared the NYC mayor’s comments to those of “an elitist dilettante” who “does not understand the struggles of small business owners.”
WATCH:
“You know, we can do this responsibly, but we have to have that sense of urgency,” Rose said before outlining several ways it can be done, including personal protective equipment and standards.
Pointing out the irony of shoppers being allowed to visit large retailers but not small businesses, Rose speculated that, while de Blasio is likely looking at hospitalization numbers, he isn’t paying attention to “the potential for a continued economic nuclear bomb to go off each and every week in New York City as our small businesses, our mom and pops die.”
While not advocating “for anyone to break the law or go against the mayor’s guidance,” Rose called de Blasio’s leadership “pitiful.” (RELATED: ‘China Won’: Tucker Carlson Details ‘Uncomfortable Facts’ About Coronavirus Response In 15-Minute Opening Monologue)
“And this city will be better off when he is no longer the mayor,” he continued. “This is an enormous disappointment, and our businesses are going to suffer.”


bonginoreport--2020-05-23--Rachel Maddows Appears to Be Losing It

Rachel Maddows Appears to Be Losing It

MSNBC host Rachel Maddow complained Friday that her show ran for an extra 30 minutes and claimed the coronavirus had reduced the network to `` anarchy . ''
`` Nothing is the same , '' she said .
`` Time has no meaning .
All days of the week are just days that end in Y now .
I have n't tied my shoes in weeks .
So , why not spread The Rachel Maddow Show out into 90 minutes instead of an hour on Friday night ?
Who are you going to complain to ?
The boss ? ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to sound exhausted by the coronavirus lockdowns .
On April 18 , CNN host Brian Stelter announced he had `` crawled into bed and cried for our pre-pandemic lives '' after feeling overwrought from the crisis .
`` The boss , at this point , is just like any of us , '' Maddow said .
`` The boss is just another inch-and-a-half tall head in a tiny Zoom box that sometimes cuts out in the middle of a meeting , especially when he 's talking .
I mean , it 's anarchy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attacked President Trump repeatedly during the coronavirus pandemic and was a leading voice calling for Trump 's briefings to be pulled from TV because he was `` lying '' to viewers .
The cable host has struggled to compete with Fox News rival Sean Hannity , who has bested her in viewership ratings for 52 consecutive weeks .

MSNBC host Rachel Maddow complained Friday that her show ran for an extra 30 minutes and claimed the coronavirus had reduced the network to "anarchy."
"Nothing is the same," she said. "Time has no meaning. All days of the week are just days that end in Y now. I haven't tied my shoes in weeks. So, why not spread The Rachel Maddow Show out into 90 minutes instead of an hour on Friday night? Who are you going to complain to? The boss?"
Maddow isn't the first left-wing host to sound exhausted by the coronavirus lockdowns. On April 18, CNN host Brian Stelter announced he had "crawled into bed and cried for our pre-pandemic lives" after feeling overwrought from the crisis.
"The boss, at this point, is just like any of us," Maddow said. "The boss is just another inch-and-a-half tall head in a tiny Zoom box that sometimes cuts out in the middle of a meeting, especially when he's talking. I mean, it's anarchy at this point."
Maddow has attacked President Trump repeatedly during the coronavirus pandemic and was a leading voice calling for Trump's briefings to be pulled from TV because he was "lying" to viewers.
The cable host has struggled to compete with Fox News rival Sean Hannity, who has bested her in viewership ratings for 52 consecutive weeks.


bonginoreport--2020-05-24--President Trump Suspends Travel From Brazil

President Donald Trump is suspending travel from Brazil to the U.S. as the coronavirus pandemic worsens in Latin America 's largest nation and economy .
The president 's order , published Sunday , denies entry to `` all aliens '' who were in Brazil two weeks prior to their attempted entry into the United States .
The order takes effect May 28 at 11:59 pm ET .
Brazil has rapidly become one of the hardest hit countries in the world as the World Health Organization warns that the epicenter of the pandemic has shifted from Europe and the U.S. to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many South American countries with increasing numbers of cases and clearly there 's a concern across many of those countries , but certainly the most affected is Brazil at this point , '' Mike Ryan , executive director of the WHO 's emergencies program , said Friday during a news briefing at the organization 's Geneva headquarters .
Brazil has more than 347,000 confirmed cases of the virus and at least 22,013 people have died , according to data from Johns Hopkins University .
At this point only the United States is harder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly downplayed the virus , dismissing it as a `` little flu '' and attacking stay-at-home orders imposed by governors as a `` crime . ''
He is a close ideological ally of Trump .
Bolsonaro 's own press secretary tested positive for the virus in March after attending a gathering with the Brazilian president and Trump at Mar-a-Lago .
The incident raised concern about the health of Bolsonaro and Trump at the time , though both leaders have tested negative for the virus .

President Donald Trump is suspending travel from Brazil to the U.S. as the coronavirus pandemic worsens in Latin America's largest nation and economy.
The president's order, published Sunday, denies entry to "all aliens" who were in Brazil two weeks prior to their attempted entry into the United States. The order takes effect May 28 at 11:59 pm ET.
Brazil has rapidly become one of the hardest hit countries in the world as the World Health Organization warns that the epicenter of the pandemic has shifted from Europe and the U.S. to South America.
"We've seen many South American countries with increasing numbers of cases and clearly there's a concern across many of those countries, but certainly the most affected is Brazil at this point," Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's emergencies program, said Friday during a news briefing at the organization's Geneva headquarters.
Brazil has more than 347,000 confirmed cases of the virus and at least 22,013 people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. At this point only the United States is harder hit in terms of total positive cases.
Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly downplayed the virus, dismissing it as a "little flu" and attacking stay-at-home orders imposed by governors as a "crime." He is a close ideological ally of Trump.
Bolsonaro's own press secretary tested positive for the virus in March after attending a gathering with the Brazilian president and Trump at Mar-a-Lago. The incident raised concern about the health of Bolsonaro and Trump at the time, though both leaders have tested negative for the virus.