inquisitr--2020-03-14--Viral Video Shows Donald Trump Touching His Mouth, Eyes, & Shaking Hands At Coronavirus Press Confer

Viral Video Shows Donald Trump Touching His Mouth, Eyes, & Shaking Hands At Coronavirus Press Conference

At his press conference declaring a national emergency over the coronavirus outbreak , Trump appeared to ignore numerous recommended precautions against the disease .
Describing it as “ two very big words , ” Donald Trump declared a “ national emergency ” on Friday to respond to the spiraling coronavirus crisis , according to an ABC News report .
The coronavirus outbreak has now caused large segments of American culture — including pro sports leagues , religious institutions , and even Disneyland — to simply shut down .
At the press conference outside the White House where he made the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the precautions against spreading the virus recommended by the Centers for Disease Control , violations that were captured in a viral Twitter video , seen below .
Trump said at the press conference that he had not been tested for coronavirus , but that “ I think I will be , ” adding that the test could occur “ fairly soon.
” The president appears to have been at least exposed to the virus on Sunday , when he was photographed standing next to Fabio Wajngarten , the communications secretary to Brazilian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Brazil visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach , Florida .
Wajngarten tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday .
Francis Suarez , the mayor of Miami , Florida , attended an event with the infected Brazilian on Monday , and is now self-isolating after receiving a positive coronavirus test .
Trump , however , said on Friday that he felt no need to self-isolate , and White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham earlier claimed that he had “ almost no interactions ” with Wajngarten .
The CDC recommends that to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should wash their hands frequently , and avoid touching their eyes or mouth — actions clearly taken by Trump in the viral video .
The president is also seen touching a podium microphone which is then touched by other speakers , including Anthony Fauci , the head of the Infectious Disease Department at the National Institutes of Health .
Trump was also asked by a reporter whether he took any responsibility for delays in implementing a coronavirus testing program , a delay that may have allowed the virus to spread at a more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in place .
Trump said that others were responsible for the testing delays .
“ I don ’ t take responsibility at all , ” Trump said , as quoted by Politico .
Instead , he claimed that a “ set of circumstances ” and “ rules , regulations and specifications from a different time ” were responsible for the testing delays .
The president did not specify the circumstances he was referring to , however .
According to a Politico reporter who has covered the administration ’ s coronavirus response , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feared that a spike in the number of cases could hurt his re-election chances .


inquisitr--2020-03-13--Twitter Will Not Penalize Controversial Joe Biden Video Of Donald Trump’s Coronavirus Comments, Repo

Twitter Will Not Penalize Controversial Joe Biden Video Of Donald Trump’s Coronavirus Comments, Report Says

Former Vice President Joe Biden ‘ s campaign recently posted an ad to Twitter that attacks Donald Trump and his comments on the coronavirus .
Although the media was deemed “ video manipulation ” by Washington Post fact-checker Meg Kelly , The Daily Caller reports that Twitter refused to label the clip under its new “ manipulated media ” policy .
According to the outlet , Twitter ’ s new policy began on March 5 , two days before Biden ’ s video was posted on March 3 .
For this reason , the platform will reportedly not be tagging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden ’ s campaign advertisement is cut to make it appear as if Trump calls coronavirus a hoax , per The Daily Caller .
In reality , the publication notes that Trump referred to the Democratic Party ’ s response to the virus as a hoax , but not coronavirus itself .
A second portion of the Biden campaign ’ s video is cut to suggest that Trump called white supremacists “ very fine people.
” As noted by The Daily Caller , the president ’ s comments were made during the deadly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are “ very fine people on both sides ” of the controversy surrounding the Robert E. Lee statue .
As noted by PolitiFact , the president clarified his remarks one day later .
In her fact-checking piece for The Washington Post , Kelly concluded that the Biden campaign ’ s clip was intentionally misleading .
“ Ultimately , the seriousness of the coronavirus outbreak , the fact that Trump had clarified his comments on the matter before the ad was released , and the blatant way the Biden camp isolated his remarks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Four Pinocchios , ” she wrote .
As The Inquisitr previously reported , Twitter first used its manipulated media policy to tag a video that White House social media director Dan Scavino posted .
The footage , which appeared to show Biden supporting the re-election of Trump , was later retweeted by the president .
But after Biden ’ s remark in the clip , the Democratic front-runner continued his sentence , which made it clear he was not supporting the re-election of the president .
In response to the tag , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter and claimed that the platform was trying to silence his campaign , as well as conservatives in general .

Former Vice President Joe Biden‘s campaign recently posted an ad to Twitter that attacks Donald Trump and his comments on the coronavirus. Although the media was deemed “video manipulation” by Washington Post fact-checker Meg Kelly, The Daily Caller reports that Twitter refused to label the clip under its new “manipulated media” policy.
According to the outlet, Twitter’s new policy began on March 5, two days before Biden’s video was posted on March 3. For this reason, the platform will reportedly not be tagging the footage as “manipulated media.”
Biden’s campaign advertisement is cut to make it appear as if Trump calls coronavirus a hoax, per The Daily Caller. In reality, the publication notes that Trump referred to the Democratic Party’s response to the virus as a hoax, but not coronavirus itself.
A second portion of the Biden campaign’s video is cut to suggest that Trump called white supremacists “very fine people.” As noted by The Daily Caller, the president’s comments were made during the deadly 2017 Charlottesville rally, when he said there are “very fine people on both sides” of the controversy surrounding the Robert E. Lee statue.
When the White House posted an unedited video of Joe Biden, Twitter marked it as “manipulated media” This video is ACTUALLY deceptively edited and pushes blatant lies about President Trump Will Twitter flag this highly manipulated video from a Democrat?pic.twitter.com/DFTCX3bNT2 — Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 9, 2020
As noted by PolitiFact, the president clarified his remarks one day later.
“And I was talking about people that went because they felt very strongly about the monument to Robert E. Lee, a great general. Whether you like it or not, he was one of the great generals.”
In her fact-checking piece for The Washington Post, Kelly concluded that the Biden campaign’s clip was intentionally misleading.
“Ultimately, the seriousness of the coronavirus outbreak, the fact that Trump had clarified his comments on the matter before the ad was released, and the blatant way the Biden camp isolated his remarks about the American Dream pushed us to Four Pinocchios,” she wrote.
“Campaigns must be willing to make their case without resorting to video manipulation.”
As The Inquisitr previously reported, Twitter first used its manipulated media policy to tag a video that White House social media director Dan Scavino posted. The footage, which appeared to show Biden supporting the re-election of Trump, was later retweeted by the president. But after Biden’s remark in the clip, the Democratic front-runner continued his sentence, which made it clear he was not supporting the re-election of the president.
In response to the tag, Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale lashed out at Twitter and claimed that the platform was trying to silence his campaign, as well as conservatives in general.


inquisitr--2020-03-13--Donald Trump And Mike Pence Seemingly Contradict Each Other With Coronavirus Messaging

With the number of COVID-19 cases increasing across the United States , President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have both spoken out about the pandemic .
But according to Politico , Trump ’ s statements about the coronavirus have contradicted those by Pence , whom the president put in charge of the White House response to the matter .
Recently , Trump spoke about testing for the respiratory virus , which has , so far , infected over 1,700 individuals in the United States , as Politico reported .
Thus far , less than 10,000 people have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of tests available .
When the president spoke about the tests on March 10 , he said that anyone can get tested whenever they need it .
“ When the professionals need a test , when they need tests for people , they can get the test , ” he said , adding that “ it ’ s gone really well.
” However , many members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have expressed their frustration about the status of the U.S. testing abilities .
Republican Senator James Lankford spoke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying that it was “ not accurate , ” and that there was still a “ long way to go ” before rapid testing is available .
Later that day , Pence addressed the issue .
When speaking about the Grand Princess cruise ship , which was docked along the San Francisco coast for several days after 21 people tested positive for the virus , Trump said that he would prefer the passengers aboard the ship to stay .
“ I don ’ t need to have the numbers double because of one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , however , said that the priority was to “ get Americans ashore.
” In regard to a vaccine , Trump said that one would roll out “ relatively soon.
” However , when Pence addressed the same issue , he said that it would first go to human trails within “ five to six weeks.
” Despite the perceived differences in messaging , Pence stated that Trump ’ s highest priority was to put the “ health of America first ” in a recent interview on the Today Show with Savannah Guthrie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added that the administration is choosing to focus on communities where the coronavirus has significantly spread .
In his recent Oval Office address , the president spoke about the coronavirus , saying that the travel ban he plans to institute will reduce the spread of the virus .
“ We will ultimately and expeditiously defeat this virus , ” he proclaimed .

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inquisitr--2020-03-14--Mitch McConnell Slammed For Taking Weekend Off, Attending Event With Brett Kavanaugh As Coronavirus

Mitch McConnell Slammed For Taking Weekend Off, Attending Event With Brett Kavanaugh As Coronavirus Bill Waits

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is coming under fire for taking the weekend off from Washington and attending an event with Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh while a bipartisan coronavirus stimulus bill awaits his approval .
As Talking Points Memo noted , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shepherded through an economic response package to the coronavirus that won widespread support among Republicans and a stamp of approval from President Donald Trump , but it now must wait until McConnell returns to the Senate after spending the weekend away .
The Courier-Journal reported that McConnell left Washington to attend an event in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be coming back until the end of the weekend .
Leaders in both the House and Senate are calling on McConnell to return to Washington and pass the legislation as quickly as possible so it can get to Trump ’ s desk .
“ Senator McConnell and Republicans should pass this legislation as is immediately so it can get to the president ’ s desk to he can sign it right away , ” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement on Twitter .
McConnell released a statement shortly after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a.m. on Saturday calling on senators to “ carefully review ” the bill but indicated that he would support it .
Reports indicated that Republicans were awaiting an indication from Trump that he would support the bill .
Though Trump had criticized Democrats as the bill was being crafted , he tweeted indications on Saturday that he would sign the bill .
The Kentucky Republican ’ s absence from the Senate has drawn criticism , especially given the pressing nature of the coronavirus outbreak .
As CBS News noted , the House legislation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beef up the federal government ’ s response to the outbreak , including a requirement that federal health providers and private insurance companies offer free testing for the virus .
It also expands food security programs , emergency family and sick leave , and unemployment insurance for workers affected by the virus .
The delay from McConnell prompted criticism , with many taking aim at the Majority Leader for his refusal to come back to Washington .
“ Honestly , I do not understand why Mitch McConnell is not passing the House bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president of the liberal think tank Center for American Progress .
“ Call folks into session .
It ’ s critical we get the message out to Americans that they can get paid for sick days as soon as possible .
The bill is expected to pass the Senate once McConnell returns from his time away .


inquisitr--2020-03-14--Donald Trump Says ‘Getting Away From Shaking Hands Is A Good Thing’ During Coronavirus Press Confere

Donald Trump Says ‘Getting Away From Shaking Hands Is A Good Thing’ During Coronavirus Press Conference

Donald Trump made a surprise appearance at a briefing on Saturday where he revealed to reporters that he had been tested for coronavirus , though the results aren ’ t expected for several days .
He suggested that people may finally stop shaking hands in the future thanks to the coronavirus .
As CNN reports , Trump spoke during a scheduled White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing where he spoke for a few minutes about the stock market , which rallied after devastating losses this week , and about the steps his administration is taking to monitor for the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had his temperature taken before entering the room , and reporters said that they had also been tested as a precaution .
“ I also took the test , ” he said .
“ They sent it to a lab.
” Trump admitted that he had continued to shake hands even though his own experts have said that people shouldn ’ t make physical contact during the pandemic .
He said that the behavior is a habit and he agreed that people shouldn ’ t be doing it , adding that he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ becoming a politician and that when people extend their hands it feels natural to reciprocate .
“ Frankly , I was a non-hand shaker , for the most part , I never believed that shaking hands… once you become a politician… , ” he said .
In his view , he thinks that perhaps coronavirus will make people more cautious about shaking hands in the future .
“ Getting away from shaking hands is a good thing , and possibly that ’ s something that comes out of this .
Maybe people shouldn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long term because it does transmit flu and other things , ” he added .
He also added during the briefing that his administration was working hard to stop the spread of the virus after declaring a national emergency on Friday and securing $ 8.3 billion to address the issue in a bipartisan legislative package .
The news of Trump ’ s coronavirus test comes just hours after the White House issued a late night press release saying that the president wouldn ’ t be tested for the COVID-19 virus because he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in contact last week with two individuals that have since tested positive for the virus but , as The Inquisitr previously reported , Trump ’ s physician said that the handshake and photo op didn ’ t constitute high-risk contact .
The CDC recommends that anyone who has been in contact with an individual who has tested positive for the virus should be tested themselves .


inquisitr--2020-03-14--After Donald Trump Said He Didn’t Know About Closing Pandemic Office, Democrat Proves He Warned Trum

After Donald Trump Said He Didn’t Know About Closing Pandemic Office, Democrat Proves He Warned Trump In 2018

Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that he knew nothing about his administration ’ s decision to close a pandemic response office in 2018 , saying he would not take responsibility for the move .
Later in the day , a Democratic senator released proof that Trump was aware of the change and that he was warned two years ago that it could have serious consequences if the United States were to face a pandemic .
As Cleveland.com noted , Trump was asked about why he decided to dissolve the White House ’ s National Security Council Directorate for Global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , part of a larger redesign of the NSC .
When asked about the decision , as well as the claims that it has cost the United States valuable time and resources with the outbreak of the coronavirus , Trump answered that he didn ’ t “ know anything about ” the closure .
That led Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown to speak out , tweeting a copy of a letter that he had sent directly to Trump back in 2018 warning that there would be severe consequences for closing the office .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are never more than a plane ride away , we must do all we can to prepare for the next , inevitable outbreak and keep Americans safe from disease , ” Brown wrote in the letter .
“ I urge you to act swiftly in reaffirming your commitment to global health security by taking immediate action to designate senior-level NSC personnel to focus on global health security , supporting adequate and appropriate funding for global health security initiatives , and leading the way in preparing for the next pandemic threat.
” “ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ systemic cuts to programs like this and the CDC ( Centers for Disease Control ) , and his constant sabotage of our healthcare system , ” Brown added .
Trump has been criticized both for his decision to close the office and for his response this week .
As The Inquisitr noted , Trump blasted PBS correspondent Yamiche Alcindor when she asked Trump about the office ’ s closure , calling it a “ nasty ” question before claiming that he knew nothing about its closure .
The answer was widely criticized since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s re-organization and had the final say as president .
Trump this week has laid blame on the Obama administration for unspecified rules that Trump said hampered his administration in the response to coronavirus .
Critics also say that Trump ’ s early attempts to downplay the severity of the coronavirus and referring to it as the Democrats ’ “ new hoax ” also impacted the initial response to it .


inquisitr--2020-03-14--Donald Trump Doesn’t Need Testing Because He Had ‘Low Risk’ Exposure To Coronavirus, White House Doc

Donald Trump Doesn’t Need Testing Because He Had ‘Low Risk’ Exposure To Coronavirus, White House Doctor Says

The White House issued a late-night press release just before midnight on Friday to say that President Donald Trump doesn ’ t need to be tested or quarantined for the coronavirus because he only had “ LOW risk ” exposure to the two people he met with who have since tested positive for the virus .
As NBC News reports , White House physician Sean P. Conley claimed that because Trump had little interaction with the two individuals , including a handshake , and because the two people weren ’ t showing symptoms at the time , that the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump met with two people in Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro ’ s delegation at Mar-a-Lago last week that have since been tested and have come back positive for the COVID-19 virus .
In public , he has dismissed that there is any threat that he contracted the virus , but one CNN reported said that in private Trump is concerned about exposure .
The president initially said that he might get tested to be safe , but Trump ’ s doctor now says that since the interaction is unlikely to make the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the time being .
“ All interactions occurred before any symptom onset , ” the memo read .
“ These interactions would be categorized as LOW risk for transmission per CDC ( U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ) guidelines , and as such , there is no indication for home quarantine at this time.
” “ Additionally , given the President himself is without symptoms , testing for COVID-19 is not currently indicated , ” he added .
However , the memo seems to contradict what the CDC has said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyone who has had close contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus should be tested , as should anyone who has been at an event where cases have been reported .
Additionally , those who come in contact with people who have confirmed cases of the disease should use caution and be monitored for symptoms .
“ Such clinical manifestations should prompt at least self-isolation with social distancing and clinician assessment for the need for medical evaluation , ” the CDC said .
Experts say that the disease can be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it appears to travel in the air , so direct contact isn ’ t necessary to spread the disease .
Top health officials have suggested that people avoid shaking hands to help contain the spread of the virus .
Trump has been criticized by people in recent days for continuing to shake hands despite the warning .
Trump ’ s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony S. Fauci said that he believes Trump should be tested , as The Washington Post reports , though he concluded that the decision should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doctor .


inquisitr--2020-03-14--Donald Trump Caught Google Off Guard With Claim It’s Building A Coronavirus Website

Donald Trump told the world on Friday during a coronavirus press conference that Google is building a nationwide website to help with the pandemic — only that ’ s not happening .
The internet giant was caught off guard after the president ’ s announcement and was forced to issue a clarifying statement .
As The Verge reports , Trump claimed during his speech announcing that he was issuing a national emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic , he claimed that Google was busy creating a nationwide website that would guide people to a nearby test facility if they needed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he took a swipe at the rollout of the website for Obamacare under former President Barack Obama .
“ Google is going to develop a website — it ’ s going to be very quickly done , unlike websites of the past — to determine if a test is warranted and to facilitate testing at a nearby convenient location , ” Trump said .
“ We have many , many locations behind us , by the way .
We cover this country and large parts of the world , by the way .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ talking about the world right now , but we cover very , very strongly our country .
Stores in virtually every location .
Google has 1,700 engineers working on this right now .
They have made tremendous progress.
” In reality , a sister company of Google called Verity , which falls under the Alphabet corporate umbrella , is building a website that would help triage people in the area for testing .
Said site was initially planned to target the Bay Area .
The website was intended to be made available to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but after Trump ’ s announcement , the company decided to make it available to everyone .
A spokesperson also said that they hope now to roll it out beyond the Bay Area .
The White House took the announcement a step further , with Debbie Birx , the coordinator for the coronavirus response team , displaying a flow chart that showed how the website would work .
Details about the website are slim at this juncture .
It ’ s also unclear when it will launch , or what the URL @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it will allow people to enter their symptoms to determine if they need to be tested and , if they do , it will direct them to the nearest testing facility .
This latest criticism is not the first that Trump has faced for making controversial public statements about the coronavirus .
He recently attacked Obama for causing the delay in coronavirus test kits , though some experts suggest that Trump ’ s position on the matter isn ’ t accurate .


inquisitr--2020-03-14--Donald Trump Spreads Unproven Claim That Florida Democrat Andrew Gillum Was Involved In ‘Sex Orgy’

Donald Trump took to Twitter on Saturday to pass along an unproven claim that Florida Democrat Andrew Gillum was involved in a “ sex orgy ” this week , one that led to the overdose of a friend .
Reports this week indicated that Gillum , the former mayor of Tampa who was the party ’ s gubernatorial candidate in 2018 , was found inebriated in a room where police responded to a cardiac arrest call .
As The Independent noted , the police report claimed that Gillum and a friend were found “ under the influence of an unknown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a hospital when he was too inebriated to answer questions .
Police also found baggies in the room that were suspected to contain crystal meth , per that same report .
Gillum released an apology afterward that denied he had been using drugs .
“ I was in Miami last night for a wedding celebration when first responders were called to assist one of my friends .
While I had too much to drink , I want to be clear that I have never used methamphetamines , ” he said , via @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apologize to the people of Florida for the distraction this has caused our movement.
” Trump seized on the report , sharing a tweet from conservative commentator Candace Owens that attacked Gillum .
Owens speculated that Gillum was participating in a “ sex orgy ” at the time of the incident .
“ Here is the last page of the report which sites [ sic ] the crystal meth , ” Owens tweeted , linking to an image of the police report in a message retweeted by Trump .
“ Guess Florida made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I am told @ AndrewGillum and his buddies were naked when cops arrived , which is the reason a sex orgy is suspected , but not confirmed.
” There are some reports casting doubt on Gillum ’ s version of events , the Independent noted .
His friend said in an interview that he gave this week that he did not know anything about the wedding that Gillum mentioned in his statement , and the New York Post ’ s report noted that the man who suffered a suspected drug overdose was an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had a profile on a site called RentMen.com .
The man claimed to be a “ pornstar performer ” who offered services that included “ gay massage , ” the report noted .
The Independent report noted that Trump ’ s attacks on Gillum came amid a coronavirus outbreak that is spreading across the United States .
Trump has been criticized for downplaying the outbreak , including making statements last month that the cases would likely go away in a matter of days .
Since then , there have been cases in 49 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incidences of the virus appearing thus far .


inquisitr--2020-03-14--Bernie Sanders Defeats Joe Biden In Northern Mariana Islands Caucus, 132 People Voted In Total

If Bernie Sanders launches a comeback to overtake Joe Biden and win the Democratic nomination , it will apparently start in the Northern Mariana Islands .
The American commonwealth held caucuses on Saturday to award a total of six delegates toward the party ’ s nomination .
Sanders defeated Biden by 27 points , winning the contest by a margin of 63 percent to 36 percent — with a total of just 132 people voting .
As ABC News reported , the results were made official after polls closed at 6 p.m. local time in the American commonwealth , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As the report noted , the results are a reversal from Sanders ’ s last performance in the sparsely populated island chain .
In the 2016 Democratic primary , he was defeated by Hillary Clinton by a margin of 54 percent to 34.4 percent .
The only other candidate remaining in this year ’ s race , Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard , did not receive any votes .
The preliminary results of Saturday ’ s contest showed that Sanders would pick up four delegates while Biden would receive two , a small @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly impossible gap for Sanders to overcome .
The Vermont senator was seen as the race ’ s frontrunner after wins in the New Hampshire primary and Nevada caucus , but Biden surged back into the race with a stronger-than-expected performance in the South Carolina primary and followed it with a string of major victories and upsets on Super Tuesday .
Biden followed that with even more wins in races last Tuesday , including defeating Sanders in Michigan and Missouri , states where Sanders had campaigned and expressed confidence he would win .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in delegates is now almost impossible for Sanders to make up .
The poll aggregator and political analysis site FiveThirtyEight projected that Biden had greater than a 99 percent chance of winning a majority of pledged delegates in the contest , winning the nomination at this summer ’ s Democratic National Convention outright and avoiding going to a second ballot , where superdelegates would then be in play .
Sanders has vowed to stay in the race despite some calls for him to drop out , and he is planning to debate Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ landscape does not appear to get any easier for Sanders , with Biden projected to score big wins in contests held on March 17 .
FiveThirtyEight projects Biden to win by double-digits in all four races that day — Ohio , Arizona , Florida , and Illinois .
Wins by these margins would leave Sanders with virtually no room left to recover .

If Bernie Sanders launches a comeback to overtake Joe Biden and win the Democratic nomination, it will apparently start in the Northern Mariana Islands.
The American commonwealth held caucuses on Saturday to award a total of six delegates toward the party’s nomination. Sanders defeated Biden by 27 points, winning the contest by a margin of 63 percent to 36 percent — with a total of just 132 people voting. As ABC News reported, the results were made official after polls closed at 6 p.m. local time in the American commonwealth, which is located in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.
As the report noted, the results are a reversal from Sanders’s last performance in the sparsely populated island chain. In the 2016 Democratic primary, he was defeated by Hillary Clinton by a margin of 54 percent to 34.4 percent. The only other candidate remaining in this year’s race, Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, did not receive any votes.
The preliminary results of Saturday’s contest showed that Sanders would pick up four delegates while Biden would receive two, a small step toward what is seen as a nearly impossible gap for Sanders to overcome. The Vermont senator was seen as the race’s frontrunner after wins in the New Hampshire primary and Nevada caucus, but Biden surged back into the race with a stronger-than-expected performance in the South Carolina primary and followed it with a string of major victories and upsets on Super Tuesday.
Biden followed that with even more wins in races last Tuesday, including defeating Sanders in Michigan and Missouri, states where Sanders had campaigned and expressed confidence he would win.
Political analysts say that the major gap in delegates is now almost impossible for Sanders to make up. The poll aggregator and political analysis site FiveThirtyEight projected that Biden had greater than a 99 percent chance of winning a majority of pledged delegates in the contest, winning the nomination at this summer’s Democratic National Convention outright and avoiding going to a second ballot, where superdelegates would then be in play.
Sanders has vowed to stay in the race despite some calls for him to drop out, and he is planning to debate Biden on Sunday in Arizona. But the landscape does not appear to get any easier for Sanders, with Biden projected to score big wins in contests held on March 17. FiveThirtyEight projects Biden to win by double-digits in all four races that day — Ohio, Arizona, Florida, and Illinois. Wins by these margins would leave Sanders with virtually no room left to recover.


inquisitr--2020-03-14--Donald Trump Slammed For ‘Stunningly Pathetic’ Dig At Reporter Who Asked About Him Disbanding Pandem

Donald Trump Slammed For ‘Stunningly Pathetic’ Dig At Reporter Who Asked About Him Disbanding Pandemic Office

A former Obama administration official is slamming Donald Trump for what he called a “ stunningly pathetic ” dig at a reporter who asked about the president ’ s decision to disband the pandemic preparedness office in 2018 .
In remarks to reports after he announced a national state of emergency over the fast-spreading coronavirus , the president was asked about why he dismantled the pandemic office during a reorganization of the National Security Council close to two years ago .
PBS NewsHour reporter Yamiche Alcindor asked whether Trump would take responsibility for the decision , prompting the president to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office was closed during Trump ’ s time as president , he did not immediately respond to the particulars of the question , calling the inquiry “ nasty.
” “ Well , I just think it ’ s a nasty question because what we ’ ve done , and Tony [ Fauci ] had said numerous times that we saved thousands of lives because of the quick closing , ” Trump replied , via AZCentral.com .
“ And when you say me , I didn ’ t do it .
We have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perhaps ask Tony about that because I don ’ t know anything about it .
I mean you say we did that , I don ’ t know anything about it .
It ’ s the administration , perhaps , they do that .
You know people let people go.
” The president ’ s response drew widespread criticism .
Tommy Vietor , a former NSC spokesperson during Barack Obama ’ s time in office and host of the podcast Pod Save the World , slammed the answer as “ stunningly pathetic.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yamiche was one of the most stunningly pathetic things I have ever seen , ” he wrote on Twitter .
While Trump may have been perceived as dodging responsibility for the closure — also saying that his administration has been strong in its fight against the coronavirus — the former leader of the pandemic office wrote in a Washington Post op-ed that the closure cost valuable time and leadership when the outbreak started .
The Trump administration has been criticized for its slow response in conducting coronavirus testing on suspected patients .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a number of inaccurate statements and contradicting his administration ’ s medical experts .
Alcindor later defended her question , taking to Twitter to say that it was relevant and fair to ask Trump whether closing the office had an effect on the response to the coronavirus .
Trump has clashed with Alcindor in the past , with critics saying that Trump is unusually harsh on her and other black women in the White House press corps .


inquisitr--2020-03-15--Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Blasted For Calling Coronavirus Market Dip A ‘Great Investment Opp

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Blasted For Calling Coronavirus Market Dip A ‘Great Investment Opportunity’

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is coming under fire after he said during an interview on CNBC that the coronavirus and the economic crater it has created is a “ great investment opportunity.
” Mnuchin appeared on Friday to speak about the stock market ’ s major dive since the coronavirus started spreading in the United States .
He struck an optimistic tone , saying that the economy would be able to pull through and that the spread of the virus could actually be a benefit for investors looking on a long-term horizon .
“ This is a short-term issue .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ but we ’ re going to get through this and the economy will be stronger than ever , ” Mnuchin said during an appearance on Squawk on the Street .
“ I look back at people who bought stocks after the crash in 1987 , people who bought stocks after the financial crisis .
For long-term investors , this will be a great investment opportunity.
” Mnuchin ’ s optimism came amid one of the worst stretches in recent history for the stock market , with the Washington Post noting that it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ market crash .
Markets did see a sharp rise to end the week as President Donald Trump addressed the country and promised speedier testing for the coronavirus .
But Mnuchin was also criticized for what many saw as downplaying the severity of the outbreak and suggesting that some could profit off the major economic impact that has already happened .
“ Steve Mnuchin – who made billions foreclosing on seniors and working families after the housing crisis – is telling his Wall Street buddies that this pandemic is an ‘ opportunity , ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criticism for the comment calling the stock market dip an investment opportunity , Mnuchin has also earned some bipartisan praise for his role in helping to develop an economic relief package to deal with the coronavirus .
Though there had been some disagreement between Trump and Democrats who were crafting the House version of the relief bill , Mnuchin was reportedly a force in bridging the gaps .
As Politico reported , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had praise for the role Mnuchin played in bringing the bill to fruition , saying that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the aisle came together to provide immediate relief for impacted Americans .
The bill included a number of measures to help American workers who are displaced during the pandemic and could be forced to take sick time off .


inquisitr--2020-03-14--Donald Trump’s White House & Mar-a-Lago May Be ‘Important Vectors’ For Spreading Coronavirus, Journa

Donald Trump’s White House & Mar-a-Lago May Be ‘Important Vectors’ For Spreading Coronavirus, Journalist Says

In response to a CNN report about an Australian official testing positive for coronavirus after meeting with Ivanka Trump and Attorney General William Barr , journalist Jeet Heer suggested that Donald Trump ‘ s White House and his Mar-a-Lago resort might be spreading the disease .
“ This sounds insane but it ’ s entirely possible that the White House and Mar-a-Lago are important vectors for spreading the pandemic , ” Heer tweeted Friday evening .
Not everyone appeared to think Heer ’ s theory is as crazy as he suggested .
“ How does that sound insane when it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” wrote editor Brooke Binkowski .
Per the previously mentioned CNN report , Australia ’ s home affairs minister , Peter Dutton , tested positive for coronavirus after meeting various White House officials , including Trump , Barr , Director of the Domestic Policy Council Joe Grogan , and Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway .
Ronna McDaniel , the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee ( RNC ) , is currently experiencing coronavirus symptoms and awaiting the results of a test , USA Today reported .
McDaniel reportedly attended several events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , including a Mar-a-Lago event with Trump on March 6 and a lunch event with Vice President Mike Pence on March 7 .
Other officials that have tested positive for coronavirus after meeting with White House officials included Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro , who dined with Trump at his Mar-Lago resort shortly before reports suggested he contracted the virus .
Despite the recent wave of high-profile coronavirus contractions , White House physician Sean P. Conley claimed on Friday that Trump is not at high risk for exposure to the virus .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who have since tested positive for coronavirus but noted they weren ’ t showing symptoms .
On Saturday evening , Conley reported that the president tested negative for the virus .
According to The Intercept , Republicans are continuing to deny the threat of coronavirus despite warnings from public health officials .
Republican Rep. Michael Cloud went so far as to ask Dr. Anthony Fauci to claim that the novel coronavirus is less lethal than other viruses , despite evidence suggesting otherwise .
“ No , absolutely not , ” Fauci reportedly said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is 10 times more deadly than the common flu .
“ This is a really serious problem that we have to take seriously , ” he added .


inquisitr--2020-03-15--Tucker Carlson Met With Donald Trump At Mar-a-Lago & Urged Him To Take Coronavirus Seriously, Report

Tucker Carlson Met With Donald Trump At Mar-a-Lago & Urged Him To Take Coronavirus Seriously, Report Says

A recent report for The New York Times claims that Fox News host Tucker Carlson traveled to Mar-a-Lago and personally urged Donald Trump to take coronavirus more seriously .
According to the piece , a person familiar with the conversation claimed that Carlson drove to the president ’ s Florida resort on Saturday , March 7 , and spoke with the president directly about the pandemic .
The revelation comes as Fox News host Trish Regan was benched for downplaying the coronavirus and suggesting that Democrats are using the crisis to destroy Trump .
Conversely , Carlson has been using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take the virus more seriously .
“ People you know will get sick ; some may die , ” he said .
After Trump ’ s recent announcement of a national emergency as COVID-19 continues to spread , Fox News reported that Carlson spoke of the coronavirus statistics in the U.S. and warned that things could potentially get worse .
Carlson pointed to the measures that other countries have taken to contain the virus , including Poland , Denmark , and Czech Republic , all of which have closed themselves off from outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a piece for The Washington Post , Carlson has avoided naming Trump and his White House for its purported failure to take the coronavirus seriously .
“ People you trust — people you probably voted for — have spent weeks minimizing what is clearly a very serious problem , ” Carlson said during one of his shows .
Wemple noted Carlson ’ s resistance to pointing fingers and suggested he isn ’ t the “ fearsome and independent commentator ” he sometimes appears to be .
Trump and his allies have taken criticism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which initially downplayed its severity .
Although Trump now appears to be taking the situation more seriously , Carlson ’ s fellow Fox News host , Sean Hannity , who is reportedly a close adviser of Trump ’ s , echoed Regan and suggested that Democrats are using coronavirus to harm Trump ’ s chances at re-election .
Although Carlson has long had a friendly relationship with Trump , he has also been critical of some of his decisions .
As The Inquisitr previously reported , the Fox News host slammed Trump and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the assassination of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani .


inquisitr--2020-03-15--Justin Amash Slams Donald Trump For Evading Responsibility Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Independent Rep. Justin Amash took to Twitter Sunday to slam Donald Trump ‘ s recent suggestion that the United States was not adequately prepared to deal with coronavirus .
“ Donald Trump has been president for more than three years , ” Amash wrote in response to Trump ’ s suggestion that the country was “ never set up ” for a pandemic .
In a subsequent tweet , Amash suggested that Trump ’ s evasion of responsibility is not helping build public trust .
“ It would help to build trust if the president would at least say that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situation , including this administration .
We made mistakes .
We take responsibility , and we will get it right for the American people.
” Amash ’ s comments come after Trump refused to take any responsibility for the coronavirus crisis during his declaration of the pandemic as a national emergency , The Guardian reported .
“ Yeah , no , I don ’ t take responsibility at all , because we were given a set of circumstances and we were given rules , regulations , and specifications from a different time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s evasion of responsibility , Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Laurie Garrett claimed that Trump destroyed the pandemic response infrastructure that was implemented by former President Barack Obama ‘ s administration .
According to Garrett , the decision was likely made out of spite .
As reported by The Hill , Ben Rhodes , who was Deputy National Security Adviser in Obama ’ s administration , recently appeared on MSNBC and fired back at Trump for his recent attacks on the alleged failures of the previous administration .
According to Rhodes , Obama left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was created using knowledge gleaned from the Ebola outbreak , echoing Garrett ’ s comments .
Rhodes pointed to Trump ’ s dismantling of the National Security Council ( NSC ) pandemic directorate in 2018 , which he claims was crucial for ensuring that there are White House officials who are dedicated to acting in response to the currently available information on a pandemic to get ahead of the curve .
As noted by Garrett , the network — which included the NSC — was created using Obama ’ s understanding that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pandemic response must have one person in charge .
According to The New York Times fact-checker Linda Qui , Trump ’ s recent attack on Obama ’ s H1N1 response conflicts with the reality that his administration had testing for the virus available less than two weeks after the virus was identified and before the first death occurred in the U.S .


inquisitr--2020-03-15--Andrew Yang Says Coronavirus Pandemic ‘Threatens To Be Worse’ Than 2008 Financial Crisis

Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang took to Twitter on Sunday morning to express his belief that the coronavirus pandemic could be a worse economic crisis than the 2008 financial crisis .
“ This threatens to be worse than the financial collapse of 2008 , ” he wrote .
“ The meltdown didn ’ t cause people to stay home , cancel mass gatherings and travel and shut down schools for weeks/months .
There needs to be a stimulus at an economy-wide scale to avoid the real chance of a depression.
” Yang , who has voiced support for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amid the crisis , echoed former President Barack Obama ‘ s chief economist , Jason Furman , who highlighted the economic inactivity of the current crisis and noted that it wasn ’ t present in 2008 .
In a subsequent tweet , Yang stressed the importance of treating the crisis not just as a pandemic but as an “ imminent economic depression and societal catastrophe ” created by one .
The 45-year-old serial entrepreneur ran a campaign that centered around a UBI , which he claimed is necessary in the face of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As reported by CNBC , Yang is joined by many prominent figures in his call for UBI amid the spread of COVID-19 .
Progressive New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for UBI on Thursday and claimed it is necessary to protect Americans amid the spread of the virus .
“ This is not the time for half measures , ” she wrote .
“ We need to take dramatic action now to stave off the worst public health & economic affects.
” Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard recently introduced H.Res.897 , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all American adults until the coronavirus ceases to be a public health emergency .
According to Yahoo Finance , the current impact of the coronavirus is limited to short-term earnings due to a disruption in supply chains and a decrease in global demand .
The publication notes that balance sheets remain strong and “ quite liquid.
” as opposed to the 2008 financial crisis , which it claims was defined by a lack of liquidity and “ toxic ” balance sheets .
As of now , President Donald Trump has made no indication @ @ @ @ @ @ @ combat the current economic damage and has voiced support for enacting a payroll tax cut to help hourly workers .
Amid reports of Trump ’ s plan , Yang noted that lower interest rates don ’ t help wage workers who are losing shifts and businesses that are losing money because people are staying inside .


inquisitr--2020-03-15--Donald Trump ‘Irrelevant,’ Leaving Other ‘Adults’ To Address Coronavirus, Says ‘Post’ Reporter

Nancy Pelosi , Steve Mnuchin , and other government leaders have reportedly taken over the coronavirus response , leaving President Donald Trump to the side as he becomes increasingly “ irrelevant , ” according to a new report from the Washington Post .
Jennifer Rubin , a conservative columnist , writes in a scathing post that people in Trump ’ s administration have been forced to step in to deal with the coronavirus pandemic , and that ‘ unfit ’ Trump has largely become tangential to the decision making process .
Rubin says that this was highlighted when Trump said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House bill , which didn ’ t include a large enough payroll tax .
In the end , House Speaker Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin reached an agreement that didn ’ t include the payroll tax .
“ Increasingly , the way to get anything done is for Pelosi and Mnuchin to hammer out a reasonable compromise , let Mnuchin sell it to the president and then present it as a fait accompli to the Senate Republicans , ” she says .
In her opinion piece , she also says that Trump has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , either exaggerating the situation , or speaking of things that are either not happening or aren ’ t ready – as he did with the national coronavirus website that he claimed Google was designing .
She says that the president has a difficult time understanding or conveying detail and doesn ’ t appear to have the tools necessary to be a good leader .
“ Trump is incapable of mastering any level of detail or accurately conveying it to the public .
He either can not remember , or never understood , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and instead often chooses to make himself look better , ” she writes .
As a result , she claims that leaders in the government let him speak and then move to address the issues facing the nation .
“ Increasingly , the best course of action seems to be to let him blather , but then hand off matters to the real adults who can correct his misstatements or take action in the real national interest , ” she concludes , adding that Americans can ’ t rely on the president to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rubin isn ’ t the only one critical of the job that the president has been doing during the COVID-19 outbreak .
Recent polls show citizens favoring Joe Biden in a 9 point lead over Trump after the two gave speeches addressing the pandemic , with 52 percent of voters favoring the former Vice President to 43 voters choosing to re-elect Trump .


inquisitr--2020-03-15--Joe Biden Opens Up 9-Point Lead Over Donald Trump In New Poll After Contrasting Coronavirus Response

Joe Biden Opens Up 9-Point Lead Over Donald Trump In New Poll After Contrasting Coronavirus Response Speeches

A new 'NBC News ' poll released on Sunday shows that Biden would take a clear victory over Trump if the election were held today .
After a week in which both Donald Trump and Joe Biden delivered major speeches on their plans to combat the coronavirus pandemic , a new poll shows that American voters prefer Biden .
If the election were held today , the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found , Biden would vanquish Trump by a nine-point popular vote margin .
According to the poll results , Biden would win 52 percent of the vote , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results have changed little from those in the same poll taken last month , in which Biden also won 52 percent , but Trump ’ s percentage was 44 .
Biden ’ s last remaining rival for the Democratic nomination , Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders , also would defeat Trump if the election were held today , according to the poll .
Sanders fails to win a majority of voters , and edges Trump by only four points , according to the NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey .
Sanders beats Trump in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also showed Biden crushing Sanders in the race for the Democratic nomination , with a lead of 29 points .
According to the poll , 61 percent of Democrats prefer Biden as the nominee to take on Trump in the November general election , while only 32 percent say Sanders would be the better Democratic nominee .
Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard , who also remains in the race , garnered support from 4 percent of Democrats in the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll .
Trump ’ s Wednesday address from the Oval Office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ability to handle the coronavirus crisis , with stock futures markets responding by plunging in real time as Trump delivered his televised speech , according to an account by The Atlantic .
Trump also misstated several of his own administration ’ s policies in the speech , requiring the White House to issue quick corrections , and his delivery of the address appeared “ awkward and stilted , ” according to Atlantic writer Peter Wehner .
According to an account by former Republican presidential adviser David Gergen , published by CNN , Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ normal president responds in crisis.
” “ His ideas were reasonable , his words calm and reassuring , and he related well with working people and the vulnerable , ” Gergen wrote , calling the former vice president ’ s Thursday address a “ classic presidential speech.
” The poll showing Biden leading Trump by nine points also showed a sharp disagreement about Trump ’ s handling of the coronavirus outbreak , along party lines .
While only 13 percent of Democrats said that they approve of Trump ’ s response to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans gave him a thumbs-up for how he has handled the deadly viral outbreak so far .

After a week in which both Donald Trump and Joe Biden delivered major speeches on their plans to combat the coronavirus pandemic, a new poll shows that American voters prefer Biden. If the election were held today, the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found, Biden would vanquish Trump by a nine-point popular vote margin.
According to the poll results, Biden would win 52 percent of the vote, to 43 percent for Trump. The results have changed little from those in the same poll taken last month, in which Biden also won 52 percent, but Trump’s percentage was 44.
Biden’s last remaining rival for the Democratic nomination, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, also would defeat Trump if the election were held today, according to the poll. Sanders fails to win a majority of voters, and edges Trump by only four points, according to the NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey. Sanders beats Trump in the poll, 49-45.
The same poll also showed Biden crushing Sanders in the race for the Democratic nomination, with a lead of 29 points. According to the poll, 61 percent of Democrats prefer Biden as the nominee to take on Trump in the November general election, while only 32 percent say Sanders would be the better Democratic nominee.
Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who also remains in the race, garnered support from 4 percent of Democrats in the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.
Trump’s Wednesday address from the Oval Office failed to reassure most Americans about his ability to handle the coronavirus crisis, with stock futures markets responding by plunging in real time as Trump delivered his televised speech, according to an account by The Atlantic.
Trump also misstated several of his own administration’s policies in the speech, requiring the White House to issue quick corrections, and his delivery of the address appeared “awkward and stilted,” according to Atlantic writer Peter Wehner.
According to an account by former Republican presidential adviser David Gergen, published by CNN, Biden’s speech “shows how a normal president responds in crisis.”
“His ideas were reasonable, his words calm and reassuring, and he related well with working people and the vulnerable,” Gergen wrote, calling the former vice president’s Thursday address a “classic presidential speech.”
The poll showing Biden leading Trump by nine points also showed a sharp disagreement about Trump’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak, along party lines. While only 13 percent of Democrats said that they approve of Trump’s response to the pandemic, an overwhelming 81 percent of Republicans gave him a thumbs-up for how he has handled the deadly viral outbreak so far.


inquisitr--2020-03-15--Donald Trump ‘Doesn’t Feel The Emotions Of Other People,’ Columnist Says

During an appearance on Sunday ’ s edition of NBC ’ s Meet the Press , New York Times columnist David Brooks spoke to host Chuck Todd about Donald Trump ‘ s handling of the coronavirus .
According to Brooks , Trump ’ s inability to empathize with other people is dragging down his administration ’ s handling of the pandemic .
Amid the crisis , Brooks noted that White House officials must “ hang back ” to avoid getting in Trump ’ s way .
As reported by Breitbart , Brooks then pointed out that caring for loved ones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ human nature ” and said that the current protective measures of social isolation go against such impulses .
“ We have a president who doesn ’ t feel the emotions of other people , ” Brooks continued .
“ Therefore , he can ’ t read the country .
Six months ago , he can ’ t say people are really hurting .
They ’ re afraid out there .
I have to act.
” Brooks also made an appearance on PBS News Hour and took aim at the president for his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Examiner , Brooks compared the Trump administration ’ s response to former President George W. Bush ’ s response to Hurricane Katrina and called the president a “ sociopath.
” According to Brooks , Trump ’ s response to the coronavirus crisis is different than how the average human would respond .
He urged the president to listen to his advisers and stop focusing on issues such as the stock market , which has crashed amid the pandemic .
As reported by Newsweek , Harvard psychiatry professor Lance M. Dodes previously suggested that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ achieve success .
Dodes claimed that understanding Trump ’ s behavior requires the public to realize that he is not like the average person and is more akin to a predator .
According to Dodes , realizing that Trump lacks empathy and conscience makes his behavior very easy to follow and understand .
John M. Talmadge , a physician and clinical professor of psychiatry at U.T .
Southwestern Medical Center , previously took to Twitter and said that Trump has the inability to think strategically or abstractly .
He claimed that the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought processes to those of a child , and suggested that he has trouble making rational decisions that effectively analyze risk .


inquisitr--2020-03-15--Donald Trump Tried To Purchase Exclusive Rights To A Coronavirus Vaccine, Report Says

A Sunday Reuters report claims that Donald Trump ‘ s administration attempted to purchase exclusive rights to the coronavirus vaccine that the German company CureVac is allegedly nearing .
According to the publication , Trump tried to convince CureVac to move its research to the U.S. , and the German government made counter-offers to the company to persuade it to stay in the country .
“ The German government is very interested in ensuring that vaccines and active substances against the new coronavirus are also developed in Germany and Europe , ” a Health Ministry spokeswoman said , per Reuters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government is in intensive exchange with the company CureVac.
” The Welt am Sonntag German newspaper reportedly quoted an unidentified government source who allegedly claimed that Trump was attempting to ensure that the vaccine that would only be accessible to the U.S. Karl Lauterbach , a professor of health economics and epidemiology and senior German lawmaker , expressed opposition to the United States ’ alleged attempts to secure rights to the potential vaccine .
In a statement released on Sunday , CureVac appeared to pour cold water on the claim that the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vaccine .
According to Reuters , Florian von der Muelbe , CureVac ’ s chief production officer and co-founder , claimed that the company has been researching multiple coronavirus vaccine candidates and is now in the process of selecting two to go to trials .
The company hopes to have a vaccine ready by June or July and is aiming to begin testing on humans at this time .
Per The Guardian , CEO and U.S. citizen Daniel Menichella was reported in March to be leaving the firm and is allegedly to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ founder , Ingmar Hoerr .
Menichella was reportedly invited to the White House earlier this month to discuss the rapid creation of a CODVID-19 vaccine with Trump , Vice President Mike Pence , and members of the White House ’ s coronavirus task force .
As previously reported by The Inquisitr , a coronavirus vaccine was reportedly near completion at the end of February .
At the time , Israeli research institute MIGAL claimed to be just weeks away from a medical breakthrough and claimed that a vaccine could be distributed within 90 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Conversely , Dr. Anthony Fauci , the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and infectious Diseases , claimed that a vaccine is at least a year to a year-and-a-half away .


inquisitr--2020-03-15--Donald Trump’s Presidency Is In ‘Slow-Motion Collapse’ Due To Coronavirus, MSNBC Contributor Says

During a Sunday morning appearance on MSNBC , former New York Times editor Howell Raines spoke about the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on Donald Trump ‘ s presidency .
As reported by Raw Story , Raines told Ali Velshi that the Trump administration ’ s response to COVID-19 , which has come under a great deal of scrutiny , will be the cause of the president ’ s downfall .
At one point , Velshi claimed that Trump has made the focus of his coronavirus discussions the notion that the purported “ media hype ” surrounding the virus is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to undermine his re-election .
“ What in your esteemed opinion has the role of the media been in this whole thing ?
Good or bad ?
” Velshi asked .
“ I think on balance , much better than that of the federal government and the president , ” Raines replied .
Raines highlighted that Trump has never experienced a great deal of popularity in a “ personal sense , ” pointing to his mid-40s popularity in terms of polling numbers “ I think we ’ re seeing the slow-motion collapse of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s leadership , ” he added .
Raines isn ’ t the only one to suggest that Trump ’ s coronavirus response is a danger to his presidency .
Writing for Foreign Policy , Michael Hirsh argued that the many “ defining attributes of his presidency ” are now “ flying back in his face ” and threatening his chances of re-election .
According to Hirsh , the biggest threat to Trump ’ s presidency is the declining U.S. economy , which Trump has regularly touted as one of his crowning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the coronavirus pandemic , Hirsh notes that it ’ s likely that both the U.S. and countries such as Europe and China will experience massive slowing .
Hirsh said that former Vice President Joe Biden , the Democratic frontrunner who has painted himself as a safe , middle-of-the-road candidate , is now looking more appealing to Americans amid Trump ’ s allegedly fumbled coronavirus response .
As Trump continues to face criticism for his handling of the crisis , The Inquisitr reported that there is the possibility he will use the event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theory was floated by Dr. Bandy X. Lee , a Yale University psychiatrist who has frequently been critical of Trump ’ s mental state and the purported danger it poses of the United States .
According to Lee , Trump won ’ t just try to cancel the elections but also blame the many deaths resulting from the virus on former President Barack Obama .


inquisitr--2020-03-15--Newt Gingrich Urges U.S. To ‘Act Big’ And ‘Act Now’ During Coronavirus Pandemic

Newt Gingrich , who served as the United States Speaker of the House in the late 1990s , recently urged the United States to “ act big ” and “ act now.
” A Republican , Gingrich , who is living abroad in Italy with his wife Callista , recently wrote an editorial for Newsweek detailing his experiences while living there amid the COVID-19 pandemic , which has shut down the country .
Gingrich noted that the strong measures that Italy took to help reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus have caused some significant economic challenges since everything aside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ specific factories are closed .
The former Speaker reported that the streets are nearly empty , which seems shocking , but he insisted that the situation in Italy is not an overreaction .
Airports in Italy ’ s largest cities are closed , and those that remain open are almost empty with minimal travel happening .
Gingrich praised President Donald Trump for deciding to stop travel from China and further restrict travel from Europe as the global situation unfolded .
After praising the steps that the president and Vice President Mike Pence have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insisted that for a pandemic , it is far better to be over-prepared than underprepared .
He explained that Italy had the largest elderly population , which caused the virus to hit its residents especially hard .
Still , the Speaker also said the U.S. also has a vulnerable population because of the large number of homeless people in the country ’ s large cities .
Gingrich urged the vice president ’ s task force to create a group that prepares for the possible worst-case scenario in the U.S. with the goal of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impact in the country .
In addition , he warned that leaders must also prepare to mitigate the economic impact that COVID-19 will have in the country as well as the world .
He noted that President Trump and other leaders “ have to recognize that we may need to grow strongly enough to help pull Europe out of a deep recession by this fall .
We can ’ t just think about what is happening economically in the United States .
A collapsing Europe would have huge impact on the entire world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vein , Gingrich recommended an economic growth strategy instead of stimulus or recovery packages from the U.S. government .
He urged Congress to stay in session until it creates and passes the type of program the country needs .


inquisitr--2020-03-15--Joe Biden Leads Bernie Sanders By Close To 30 Points In New National Poll

Joe Biden has seized control of the Democratic primary , with a new poll showing that he holds a lead of close to 30 points in a new national poll and has a string of favorable contests ahead .
The NBC News/WSJ poll released on Sunday showed that Biden had the support of 61 percent of Democratic voters compared to just 32 percent for Sanders .
Another 4 percent said they were supporting congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard , who has remained in the race despite holding just two delegates .
Biden has surged into the lead after poor performances in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , winning the fourth in South Carolina and riding the momentum to a string of upset victories on Super Tuesday .
Biden now holds a lead of more than 150 delegates over Sanders , with the gap expected to grow even more as Biden holds a wide lead in polling for the delegate-rich state of Florida .
With a rapidly shrinking path to winning a majority of delegates , Sanders has faced calls to drop out of the race .
Congressman James Clyburn , whose endorsement of Biden ahead of the South Carolina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vice president turn around his fortunes , said on Super Tuesday that Sanders should see the writing on the wall and leave the race .
“ I think when the night is over , Joe Biden will be the prohibitive favorite to win the Democratic nomination , and , quite frankly , if the night ends the way it has begun , I think it is time for us to shut this primary down , it is time for us to cancel the rest of these debates — because you don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if you continue in this contest when it ’ s obvious that the numbers will not shake out for you , ” Clyburn said , via The Hill .
Sanders has resisted the calls for him to leave the race , however .
The Vermont senator said he plans to debate Biden on Sunday in Arizona and has opened new campaign offices this week in Pennsylvania .
Sanders also said he plans to press Biden for his plans on addressing high medical costs for working people and small businesses .
As Sunday ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to firm up his support and now has double the amount of strong support as Sanders .
A total of 52 percent of respondents said they would “ definitely ” back Biden and just 26 percent said they were firmly behind Sanders .

Joe Biden has seized control of the Democratic primary, with a new poll showing that he holds a lead of close to 30 points in a new national poll and has a string of favorable contests ahead.
The NBC News/WSJ poll released on Sunday showed that Biden had the support of 61 percent of Democratic voters compared to just 32 percent for Sanders. Another 4 percent said they were supporting congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who has remained in the race despite holding just two delegates.
Biden has surged into the lead after poor performances in the first three contests of the Democratic primary, winning the fourth in South Carolina and riding the momentum to a string of upset victories on Super Tuesday. Biden now holds a lead of more than 150 delegates over Sanders, with the gap expected to grow even more as Biden holds a wide lead in polling for the delegate-rich state of Florida.
With a rapidly shrinking path to winning a majority of delegates, Sanders has faced calls to drop out of the race. Congressman James Clyburn, whose endorsement of Biden ahead of the South Carolina primary is credited with helping the former vice president turn around his fortunes, said on Super Tuesday that Sanders should see the writing on the wall and leave the race.
“I think when the night is over, Joe Biden will be the prohibitive favorite to win the Democratic nomination, and, quite frankly, if the night ends the way it has begun, I think it is time for us to shut this primary down, it is time for us to cancel the rest of these debates — because you don’t do anything but get yourself in trouble if you continue in this contest when it’s obvious that the numbers will not shake out for you,” Clyburn said, via The Hill.
Sanders has resisted the calls for him to leave the race, however. The Vermont senator said he plans to debate Biden on Sunday in Arizona and has opened new campaign offices this week in Pennsylvania. Sanders also said he plans to press Biden for his plans on addressing high medical costs for working people and small businesses.
As Sunday’s poll showed, Biden has continued to firm up his support and now has double the amount of strong support as Sanders. A total of 52 percent of respondents said they would “definitely” back Biden and just 26 percent said they were firmly behind Sanders.


inquisitr--2020-03-15--Fewer Democrats Will Die Of Coronavirus, Says Ex-Republican Columnist, Due To Party Taking Preventiv

Fewer Democrats Will Die Of Coronavirus, Says Ex-Republican Columnist, Due To Party Taking Preventive Measures

'Washington Post ' columnist Jennifer Rubin said Sunday that due to quick actions by party leaders , there will be 'less Democrat deaths ' in the coronavirus pandemic .
A new poll on Sunday showed a sharp partisan divide in American attitudes regarding the coronavirus pandemic , with Republicans largely believing that the worst of the crisis is over .
But the differing beliefs of the two parties will lead to a partisan divide in who survives the outbreak as well , according to a “ former Republican ” political columnist , speaking on Sunday morning .
Interviewed by MSNBC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen in the video below on this page , Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin said that Democratic candidates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders quickly canceled political rallies , and the Democrats also “ immediately started having their political figures ” set public examples of how to behave during the pandemic .
The result will be “ less Democrat deaths , ” Rubin told Reid , “ because there will be less mass gatherings.
” A lower number of such large congregations of people leads to less opportunity for the virus to spread , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he would continue to hold the large rallies that have been the signature not only of his campaign but also of his term in the White House , Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would put a temporary halt to the rallies , according to an Associated Press report .
Rubin also said that the conservative Fox News network exhibited “ a particular cruelty ” to its own “ core viewers , ” who tend to be older Americans , by broadcasting misinformation about the coronavirus outbreak .
Popular nighttime Fox News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a mass media “ conspiracy theory and their newest hoax.
” Trump himself has frequently appeared to downplay the risks of the outbreak , which could also endanger his core supporters .
Trump receives the strongest support from voters age 65 and over , according to Pew Research data reported by ThoughtCo .
Statistics show that the virus is most deadly for older patients .
While coronavirus sufferers between the ages of 40 and 49 die at a rate of only 0.4 percent , the rate goes up to 3.6 percent — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between the ages of 60 and 69 years old , according to numbers compiled by BuzzFeed News .
For patients ages 70 to 79 , the death rate hits 8 percent , and for those over 80 years old , the rate is 14.8 percent .
In other words , coronavirus victims over the age of 80 have shown a chance of dying 37 times higher than those in the 40-49 range , according to the numbers published by BuzzFeed News .
But speaking on Fox News on Sunday morning , Republican congressional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ network ’ s viewers to “ stop panicking , ” saying that the midst of the pandemic is “ a great time to just go out , go to a local restaurant .
Likely you can get in easily .
”


inquisitr--2020-03-15--60 Percent Of Republican Voters Believe Worst Of Coronavirus Pandemic Is Over, New ‘NBC News’ Poll S

60 Percent Of Republican Voters Believe Worst Of Coronavirus Pandemic Is Over, New ‘NBC News’ Poll Shows

The new poll also reveals that 81 percent of Republicans approve of how Donald Trump has handled the crisis , compared to just 13 percent of Democrats .
With 140 confirmed new cases and three deaths from coronavirus in the United States on Saturday alone , according to the statistical site Worldometers — with total deaths worldwide topping 6,000 out of more than 160,000 cases — a sizable majority of Republican voters remain unworried .
They believe that the worst of the pandemic is over , according to a new poll released on Sunday .
Only 40 percent of Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is yet to come , while 60 percent of all voters said the same thing .
Among Democrats , nearly eight out of 10 — 79 percent — told the pollsters that the worst of the outbreak is yet to come .
A similar divide between Democrats and Republicans turned up when voters in the poll were asked whether they approve of Donald Trump ’ s handling of the crisis .
While 45 percent overall said they approve of how Trump responded to the crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent , who said that they approve of Trump ’ s job performance overall — a whopping 81 percent of Republicans approve of how he has dealt with the pandemic .
But a mere 13 percent of Democrats , just over one out of 10 , said that they approved of Trump ’ s handling of the coronavirus crisis , while 43 percent of self-described Independents gave Trump a thumbs-up for his coronavirus approach .
The more casual attitude of Republicans towards the coronavirus outbreak appears to reflect Trump ’ s own public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consistently downplayed the severity of the crisis .
He claimed in late February that there were only 15 cases in the U.S. — there were 60 at the time of his comment — and that the total would be reduced to nearly zero “ within a couple of days.
” He has claimed that the virus would at some point simply disappear “ like a miracle , ” and Trump asserted earlier this week that “ nobody ever thought ” that the coronavirus pandemic “ would be a problem.
” But Trump himself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Fox cable network , as the fact that in 2019 he live-tweeted Fox News broadcasts 613 times — an average of 1.75 times per day — appears to illustrate .
He has also reportedly developed a close , personal relationship with Fox News host Sean Hannity .
But according to a Washington Post report , Hannity himself has been a particular source of misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic .
Hannity has referred to the pandemic as “ the mob in the media ” promoting a “ new conspiracy theory and their newest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impact of the virus , saying “ around 100 people die every single day from car wrecks , ” while the virus has killed far fewer Americans so far than car accidents .


inquisitr--2020-03-16--Joe Biden Says He Will Pick A Woman As His Running Mate

Joe Biden has committed to picking a woman as his running mate , saying during Sunday ’ s Democratic primary debate that he will field a diverse cabinet that reflects the makeup of the United States .
The former vice president faced his first one-on-one debate of the primary , meeting Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for a debate in Arizona held without audience members due to restrictions from the coronavirus outbreak .
As Axios reported , Biden committed during the debate to selecting a woman to run alongside him should he win the party ’ s nomination .
“ If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cabinet , my administration will look like the country , ” Biden said .
“ And I commit that I will in fact pick a woman to be vice president .
There are a number of women who are qualified to be the president of tomorrow .
I would pick a woman to be my vice president.
” Sanders said he would also likely select a woman , saying his pick would need to share his progressive values .
Biden has seized control of the Democratic primary after a string of major victories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last Tuesday ’ s contests .
Experts believe he has a chance to wrap up the nomination early this week with another set of favorable primaries on Tuesday , including the delegate-rich state of Florida , where he leads Sanders by a wide margin .
This is not the first time that Biden has hinted about picking a woman for his running mate should he face Donald Trump in November .
Late last year , Biden gave a list of women that he is considering selecting during a town hall event .
Though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by name , he mentioned that one is “ former attorney general who got fired , ” referring to Sally Yates .
She was one of the first major departures of Trump ’ s presidency , being fired after she instructed the Justice Department not to defend Trump ’ s immigration ban .
As The Hill reported , the others suggested by Biden included New Hampshire Democats Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan as well as Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams , who has gone on to lead voting rights efforts after her narrow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Abrams as a potentially strong choice given that Georgia could be in play for Democrats this year against Trump .
Biden has also committed to picking a black woman to serve on the Supreme Court , which would be the first in history .

Joe Biden has committed to picking a woman as his running mate, saying during Sunday’s Democratic primary debate that he will field a diverse cabinet that reflects the makeup of the United States.
The former vice president faced his first one-on-one debate of the primary, meeting Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in Arizona. The debate was held without audience members due to restrictions from the coronavirus outbreak. As Axios reported, Biden committed during the debate to selecting a woman to run alongside him should he win the party’s nomination.
“If I’m elected president, my Cabinet, my administration will look like the country,” Biden said. “And I commit that I will in fact pick a woman to be vice president. There are a number of women who are qualified to be the president of tomorrow. I would pick a woman to be my vice president.”
Sanders stated he would also likely select a woman, saying his pick would need to share his progressive values.
Biden has seized control of the Democratic primary after a string of major victories on Super Tuesday and more wins in last Tuesday’s contests. Experts believe he has a chance to wrap up the nomination early this week with another set of favorable primaries on Tuesday, including the delegate-rich state of Florida, where he leads Sanders by a wide margin.
This is not the first time that Biden has hinted about picking a woman for his running mate should he face Donald Trump in November. Late last year, Biden gave a list of women that he is considering selecting during a town hall event. Though Biden did not identify the potential candidates by name, he mentioned that one is “former attorney general who got fired,” referring to Sally Yates. She was one of the first major departures of Trump’s presidency, being fired after she instructed the Justice Department not to defend Trump’s immigration ban.
As The Hill reported, the others suggested by Biden included New Hampshire Democrats Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, as well as Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who has gone on to lead voting rights efforts after her narrow loss there. Many pundits have pegged Abrams as a potentially strong choice given that Georgia could be in play for Democrats this year against Trump.
Biden has also committed to picking a black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, which would be the first in history.


inquisitr--2020-03-16--Top Democrat Calls Donald Trump A Racist, Warns America Could ‘Go The Way Of Germany In The 1930s’

A top congressional Democrat is calling Donald Trump a racist and warning that modern-day America could become like Germany during the rise of the Nazi Party .
James Clyburn , a South Carolina congressman who serves as House Majority Whip , made the comments about Trump during an interview with Axios on HBO , which was released on Sunday .
Clyburn compared Trump ’ s attacks on members of the press to the clampdown on free press that took place under Adolf Hitler in Germany .
“ I used to wonder how could the people of Germany allow Hitler to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I ’ m beginning to understand how .
And that ’ s why I ’ m trying to sound the alarm , ” Clyburn said , accusing Trump of telling a series of lies during the State of the Union address.. “ Fully half of those lies , the Republican side of the House stood up and cheered they knew that was not true .
But they cheered him on.
” Clyburn continued in the comparison , saying that the German people knew Hitler was lying as well just as Americans know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrat also said during the interview that he believed Trump is a racist .
While he did not say Trump was a white supremacist , Clyburn said be believed there were white supremacists living in the White House .
As Axios noted , Clyburn did not name a specific person with that accusation .
Clyburn has played an important role in the Democratic primary , with his late endorsement of Joe Biden in the days before the South Carolina primary being credited with helping the former vice president to a larger-than-expected win there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trailing Bernie Sanders both in delegates and in polling , it sparked an abrupt turnaround for Biden as he went on to win a series of Super Tuesday contests just three days later and took control of the contest .
This is not the first time that a top Democrat has caused a stir with an accusation that Trump is a racist .
Last year , after Trump wrote a series of racially charged tweets attacking Democratic congresswomen of color , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi explicitly called the president ’ s words “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ floor .
As Politico reported , that led to objections from Republicans an an attempt to rule the remarks out of order and have them stricken from the congressional record .
The White House had not yet responded to Clyburn ’ s accusation that Trump is racist .

A top congressional Democrat is calling President Donald Trump a racist and warning that modern-day America could become like Germany during the rise of the Nazi Party.
James Clyburn, a South Carolina congressman who serves as House Majority Whip, made the comments about Trump during an interview with Axios on HBO, which was released on Sunday. Clyburn compared Trump’s attacks on members of the press to the clampdown on the free press that took place under Adolf Hitler in Germany.
“I used to wonder how could the people of Germany allow Hitler to exist. But with each passing day, I’m beginning to understand how. And that’s why I’m trying to sound the alarm,” Clyburn said, accusing Trump of telling a series of lies during the State of the Union address. “Fully half of those lies, the Republican side of the House stood up and cheered they knew that was not true. But they cheered him on.”
Clyburn continued the comparison, saying that the German people knew Hitler was lying as well, just as Americans know Trump is lying.
The South Carolina Democrat also said he believed Trump is a racist. While he did not say Trump was a white supremacist, Clyburn said be believed there were white supremacists living in the White House. As Axios noted, Clyburn did not name a specific person with that accusation.
Clyburn has played an important role in the Democratic primary. His late endorsement of Joe Biden in the days before the South Carolina primary is being credited as helping the former vice president with a larger-than-expected win there. Though Biden came into that primary trailing Bernie Sanders both in delegates and in polling, it sparked an abrupt turnaround for Biden as he went on to win a series of Super Tuesday elections just three days later, taking control of the contest.
This is not the first time that a top Democrat has caused a stir with an accusation that Trump is a racist. Last year, after Trump wrote a series of reportedly racially-charged tweets attacking Democratic congresswomen of color, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi explicitly called the president’s words “racist” in remarks on the House floor. As Politico reported, that led to objections from Republicans in an attempt to rule the remarks out of order and have them stricken from the congressional record.
The White House had not yet responded to Clyburn’s accusation that Trump is racist.


inquisitr--2020-03-16--Fox News Has Been ‘Getting People Killed For Years,’ Writer Says

During his Sunday appearance on MSNBC ’ s AM Joy , writer and former Media Matters staffer Eric Boehlert took aim at Fox News and its controversial coverage of the coronavirus outbreak , Breitbart reported .
“ Anyone waiting for Rupert Murdoch to do the honorable thing will wait a very long time after someone who has watched him for 20 years , ” he said .
“ Fox News has been getting people killed for years.
” Boehlert pointed to the network ’ s coverage against expanding Medicaid and its “ crusade ” against making health care affordable for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coverage , Boehlert suggested that it was nothing out of the ordinary , but admitted the current situation is “ far more dire.
” According to Boehlert , Fox News ’ most “ hardcore ” viewers are the type to go all-in on the topics the network is presenting , even in the case of a pandemic .
“ They believe misinformation about everything , ” he said .
“ And that is the danger of Fox News.
” Boehlert is far from the only one who has been critical of Fox News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by CNN , many of the network ’ s top hosts and personalities have chosen to downplay the severity of the coronavirus .
According to Sean Hannity , the “ mass hysteria ” surrounding the virus has been used as a weapon to harm the presidency of Donald Trump , who recently declared a national emergency to fight the pandemic .
As noted by CNN , multiple people on the network compared the current coronavirus death toll to that of the seasonal flu and suggested that the novel virus is less harmful .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ personalities — such as Harris Faulkner — spoke to doctors who gave “ sound medical advice , ” the majority of its coverage is allegedly aimed toward painting the response to the coronavirus as hysteric as opposed to reasonable .
In one example , Hannity compared the deaths from the coronavirus to those from the flu , even though he spoke to Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , the night before .
During the appearance , Fauci told him that the COVID-19 mortality rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the common flu , suggesting that Hannity knew he was misleading the public about the danger of the virus .
Conversely , Tucker Carlson has taken the disease seriously from the start and reportedly traveled to Mar-a-Lago on March 7 to urge Trump to do the same .


inquisitr--2020-03-16--Donald Trump Reportedly Says Coronavirus Can Help His Political Agenda To Close US Border

President Donald Trump reportedly believes that the upside to the coronavirus is that it will help him promote his political agenda , which includes closing off U.S. borders to immigrants .
In a recent report from The Washington Post , an insider says that Trump appeared at an event last weekend at his private Florida known as called Mar-a-Lago where he claimed that the pandemic could help him push his anti-immigration agenda .
“ At his resort that evening , Trump told the donors that ‘ nobody is blaming us ’ for the virus , according to an account from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quote the president ’ s private remarks , ” the Post writes .
“ Despite big drops in the stock markets , the president seemed eager to spin the potential upside — that the closing of borders around the world would promote his ‘ America First ’ agenda.
” The president was at the so-called “ Southern White House ” along with wealthy donors attending a Republican National Committee retreat and friends present to celebrate his son ’ s girlfriend , Kimberly Guilfoyle , who was celebrating her birthday that weekend .
While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he wouldn ’ t experience any fallout for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic , but that it might enable him to further his message .
One insider claims that Trump said that the travel industry might be hurt , but he has said that people shouldn ’ t travel outside of the U.S. anyway .
“ Certain industries are going to be hit very hard — cruise ships and airlines and certain industries , ” he said .
“ I ’ ve been saying for a long time people should stay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country.
” That might happen now , he allegedly said .
An individual present at the event says that Trump seemed to be in a positive mood and wasn ’ t concerned about the virus on a personal level , though reports have claimed that he is privately concerned about contracting the virus .
Trump has received criticism for his handling of the coronavirus , with some critics arguing that he seems overly focused on limiting travel and closing U.S. borders to foreigners over addressing the spread of the COVID-19 virus within the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus “ foreign ” in origin , and has pointed to China as the cause of the pandemic .
One of his first moves was to restrict travel from China in order to limit the virus ’ spread .
More recently , Trump banned travel from Europe , while initially exempting the United Kingdom and Ireland .
The Trump administration has also recently said that immigration across the U.S. borders can overwhelm the medical system within the country , and Trump has claimed that immigrants can carry disease into the U.S .


inquisitr--2020-03-15--Joe Biden Adopts Major Plans From Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren In Move To Win Over Progressives

Joe Biden is taking plans from some of his Democratic opponents , announcing on Sunday that his campaign would be adopting some of the major proposals from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren .
As The Hill reported , the more moderate Biden announced that he was taking on some progressive plans from his fellow candidates in what is seen as a move to win over some of their supporters .
That included a bankruptcy plan put together by Warren , and a plan from Sanders to make public colleges and universities free for families making less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country , middle and working class families are being squeezed by debt , ” he tweeted , via The Hill .
“ This is a massive problem , and one that we need all of the best ideas to solve .
That ’ s why today , I ’ m adopting two plans from @ BernieSanders and @ ewarren to achieve this.
” In announcing his decision to take on the plans , Biden said he would be willing to consider all plans from other candidates and would be adopting them as part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were a good idea for the U.S. “ This primary has brought out our party ’ s best ideas , and our nation is better for it , ” Biden wrote .
“ If I ’ m President , I ’ ll continue to bring the best ideas from all corners of the country and fight to make them reality.
” After falling behind Sanders early in the Democratic primary with losses in each of the first three contests , Biden has surged back after a better-than-expected win in the South Carolina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of upset wins on Super Tuesday .
Biden announced that he would be adopting part of Sanders ’ s platform just hours before the two were set to debate in Washington , D.C. Sanders had been facing calls to drop out of the race after his path to victory became nearly impossible , but he said this week that he would be staying in and wanted to press Biden to address his plans to counter out-of-control medical costs for average Americans .
Biden appears to be shifting to a general election race , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ steps to address the greater voting public rather than just Democratic primary voters .
This week he gave a major speech on the coronavirus crisis , outlining his proposal to make testing for the virus free and widely available and pushing back against misinformation .
“ We lead by science , ” Biden said , via The Hill .
“ Downplaying it , being overly dismissive , or spreading misinformation is only going to hurt us and further advantage the spread of the disease .
”

Joe Biden is taking plans from some of his Democratic opponents, announcing on Sunday that his campaign would be adopting some of the major proposals from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
As The Hill reported, the more moderate Biden announced that he was taking on some progressive plans from his fellow candidates in what is seen as a move to win over some of their supporters. That included a bankruptcy plan put together by Warren, and a plan from Sanders to make public colleges and universities free for families making less than $125,000.
“Across the country, middle and working class families are being squeezed by debt,” he tweeted, via The Hill. “This is a massive problem, and one that we need all of the best ideas to solve. That’s why today, I’m adopting two plans from @BernieSanders and @ewarren to achieve this.”
In announcing his decision to take on the plans, Biden said he would be willing to consider all plans from other candidates and would be adopting them as part of his own platform if he believed they were a good idea for the U.S.
“This primary has brought out our party’s best ideas, and our nation is better for it,” Biden wrote. “If I’m President, I’ll continue to bring the best ideas from all corners of the country and fight to make them reality.”
After falling behind Sanders early in the Democratic primary with losses in each of the first three contests, Biden has surged back after a better-than-expected win in the South Carolina primary that was followed by a string of upset wins on Super Tuesday.
Biden announced that he would be adopting part of Sanders’s platform just hours before the two were set to debate in Washington, D.C. Sanders had been facing calls to drop out of the race after his path to victory became nearly impossible, but he said this week that he would be staying in and wanted to press Biden to address his plans to counter out-of-control medical costs for average Americans.
Biden appears to be shifting to a general election race, turning his focus to Trump and taking steps to address the greater voting public rather than just Democratic primary voters. This week he gave a major speech on the coronavirus crisis, outlining his proposal to make testing for the virus free and widely available and pushing back against misinformation.
“We lead by science,” Biden said, via The Hill. “Downplaying it, being overly dismissive, or spreading misinformation is only going to hurt us and further advantage the spread of the disease.”