freedomdaily--2020-04-03--Indianapolis CBP K9 Sniffs Out $1.5 Million Fentanyl Seizure

On March 30 , Indianapolis U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted approximately four-and-a-half pounds of fentanyl in a package destined to East Elmhurst , New York .
The shipment was transiting through a local express consignment facility when CBP K9 Balbina alerted to the package .
When officers opened the shipment they found a white styrofoam cooler lined with padded black material .
The cooler held two sealed packages of white powder that tested positive for fentanyl .
The street value for the fentanyl is about $ 1.5 million .
Indianapolis Port Director James Moore praised the canine staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pose a real danger to every community in America and are having fatal consequences across our nation , ” said Moore .
“ This week our CBP officers were able to stop an enormous amount of these deadly narcotics from hitting our streets.
” Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid drug with a potency roughly 100 times greater than morphine .
It was originally developed to control pain for cancer patients .
Large quantities of fentanyl have been manufactured in China but it is now mostly made in Mexico , according to the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show our resolve to prevent these deadly drugs from entering our communities , ” said Chief CBP Officer Tim Hubbard .
With more than 1,500 canine teams , the CBP Canine Program is the largest and most diverse law enforcement canine program in the country .
The Canine Program supports canine training initiatives and serves as a resource center for a multitude of domestic and international law enforcement partners , and its graduates consistently excel in the field and in competition .
CBP conducts operations at ports of entry throughout the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and cargo for narcotics , weapons , and other restricted or prohibited products .
CBP strives to serve as the premier law enforcement agency enhancing the Nation ’ s safety , security , and prosperity through collaboration , innovation , and integration .
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freedomdaily--2020-04-03--Miami Vice? $1 Million worth of cocaine seized by CBP

– While U.S. Customs and Border Protection ( CBP ) remains fully engaged in our nation ’ s whole-of-government response to the coronavirus pandemic , CBP officers continue to conduct their traditional enforcement missions , including narcotics interdiction .
On March 18 , CBP officers seized 90 pounds of cocaine they discovered aboard a coastal freighter on the Miami River .
The cocaine has an estimated street value of $ 1 million .
A CBP Contraband Enforcement Team inspected numerous containers of cargo being unloaded from a freighter that arrived from the Dominican Republic .
A CBP narcotics detector dog @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the containers .
Upon closer examination , CBP officers discovered kilo-sized packages containing a white powdery substance which field tested positive for cocaine .
Officers turned the cocaine over to Homeland Security Investigations ( HSI ) special agents for investigation “ Even though Customs and Border Protection , like many across the country , are hyper-focused on the impacts and threats of COVID19 , we still have a job to do and part of that job is to protect our communities from the scourge of dangerous drugs , ” said Jorge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Miami .
“ CBP , and our federal , state and local law enforcement partners , remain steadfast in our commitment to disrupt transnational criminal organizations from smuggling cocaine and other illicit narcotics from entering the United States.
” CBP officers screen international travelers and cargo , and search for illicit narcotics , unreported currency , weapons , counterfeit consumer goods , prohibited agriculture , and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public , U.S. businesses , and our nation ’ s safety and economic vitality .
CBP seized an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every day across the United States last year .
Learn more about what CBP accomplished during “ A Typical Day ” in 2019 .
CBP officers on duty at Seaports across the U.S. ( file ) Wake up Right !
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freedomdaily--2020-04-02--WHO Official Defends China, Says Everyone Is ‘Over-Focused’ On Regime’s Coronavirus Numbers

World Health Organization official Dr. Michael Ryan defended the Chinese government against allegations that it has manipulated its coronavirus data , saying at a press conference this week that observers have become “ over-focused ” on the issue .
The Chinese foreign ministry ’ s chief spokeswoman amplified Ryan ’ s remarks on Thursday , saying he had “ refuted ” allegations that Beijing has manipulated coronavirus data .
“ I think we need to be very careful also to not to be profiling certain parts of the world as being uncooperative or non-transparent , and we need to look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ryan , the executive director of WHO ’ s health emergencies program , said at a press conference in Geneva .
A reporter had asked officials about Beijing ’ s new policy to include asymptomatic coronavirus patients in the government ’ s overall coronavirus infection tally .
The reporter also asked whether WHO has been “ manipulated or taken for a ride ” by accepting China ’ s data .
Ryan rejected the premise of the reporter ’ s question , suggesting that governments around the globe are struggling to report accurate data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
“ We need to be balanced in that and we need to recognize that systems under pressure find it hard to share everything on a minute-to-minute basis , ” Ryan said .
“ Frankly , at times I think we get over-focused on this issue.
” He pointed to a “ lack of precise information from Italy ” — which has been hit hard by the virus — but said that the medical system there has been overwhelmed with an influx of patients .
“ Are we saying they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the data every day ?
” Ryan asked rhetorically of Italy .
“ No.
” WHO has come under intense scrutiny over its deference to the Chinese government .
U.S. intelligence officials reportedly concluded that the communist regime has concealed the extent of the pandemic inside the country .
Florida Sen. Rick Scott on Tuesday called for a congressional investigation into WHO ’ s role in “ promoting misinformation ” to help the Chinese government “ cover up a global pandemic.
” Scott cited a Daily Caller News Foundation report about Dr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ led a fact-finding mission to China in February .
Aylward has heaped praise on the Chinese government ’ s “ agile and aggressive ” response to the coronavirus pandemic .
He said at a Feb. 24 press conference that the response “ changed the course ” of the pandemic .
If the Chinese government ’ s draconian crackdown of its citizens helped slow the spread of coronavirus within the country , the rest of the world has not fared so well .
There were around 80,000 official cases of coronavirus in the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comments , most of them in China .
As of Thursday , just over 1 million cases have been reported across the globe , with nearly 240,000 of those in the United States .
China ’ s propaganda outlets have touted Aylward ’ s remarks .
Xinhuan News Agency , China Daily and People ’ s Daily have used video from his press conferences and interviews to promote a pro-China narrative .
China ’ s foreign ministry and Xinhuan News Agency , the regime ’ s top propaganda outlet , did the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The most qualified judges are WHO and experts in the field of infectious disease or disease control , not a few politicians with mouthfuls of lies , ” China ’ s foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a press conference Thursday .
“ Just yesterday , April 1 , at a press conference held in Geneva , the relevant person in charge of WHO once again refuted the unjustified accusations of opaqueness of Chinese data.
” Chunying accused U.S. officials of trying to “ slander and discredit ” the Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politicians by name , but she tweeted a link to a CNN report that Vice President Mike Pence blamed China for the U.S. ’ s delayed response to the pandemic .
The WHO ’ s embrace of data from China has seemingly led the world health agency to draw inaccurate conclusions about the threat posed by coronavirus .
On Jan. 14 , the WHO published a tweet accepting China ’ s assurances that the novel coronavirus was not spread through human-to-human transmission .
Aylward insisted for weeks that China ’ s data suggested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asymptomatic patients .
Researchers have since compiled data undercutting both theories .
It is not clear that coronavirus is spread through person-to-person contact .
Scientists also believe that at least 25 % of coronavirus carriers display few symptoms of illness .
One prominent expert on infectious disease blasted the WHO this week for creating a false sense of security about the threat posed by coronavirus .
“ Many of us were incredibly disappointed for lack of a better word in the WHO and its response , ” Dr. Michael Osterholm , the director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Policy at the University of Minnesota , said in a podcast interview published Tuesday .
“ When you look at what WHO did I think they set us back a great deal because they made countries believe if just a few countries that were going to get this would just do the containment work , we could stop it .
”


freedomdaily--2020-04-03--Coronavirus case counts are going to go up – but that doesn’t mean social distancing is a bust

The last few weeks have brought previously unimaginable changes to the lives of people throughout the United States .
Americans everywhere are waking up to a new reality in which they can ’ t go to work or school outside the home and they have to stay six feet away from others .
More than 80 % of Americans are under such stay-at-home orders .
People are also seeing charts in the news showing rapidly increasing case counts .
This is likely to continue to occur .
The United States surpassed Italy and China to have the most confirmed cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to wonder if these social distancing measures are working if the case numbers keep climbing .
The problem is that the number of reported cases is not the same as the number of people who are infected .
It takes time for people to develop symptoms , seek treatment and get tested and for the results to come back .
So the effects of social distancing might not be obvious from the numbers for a while .
As an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan , I can assure you that staying at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways to slow the spread of COVID-19 .
A key reason for the delay between people severely restricting their movements and a drop in the number of new cases is that COVID-19 can have a long incubation period , the time between getting infected and becoming sick .
The average incubation period is around 5 days , but it can be as long as 14 days or more .
This means that a person infected before a stay-at-home order might not get diagnosed until days later .
Testing is another factor in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and seeing the results .
Many Americans don ’ t even know if they ’ ve been infected with the new coronavirus – SARS-CoV-2 .
Though the United States is finally ramping up production of test kits in federal , state and private laboratories , there are stringent criteria on who can get tested .
Testing is mostly limited to people with symptoms , frontline health care workers and first responders , and older people .
However , scientists have found asymptomatic and presymptomatic transmission of COVID-19 .
Asymptomatic spread has probably contributed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States .
Overall , as restrictions on testing ease , case counts are going to rise because more people , including those with mild or no illness , will be able to get tested .
Finally , it ’ s important to note that current COVID-19 tests take 24 to 72 hours to generate a result .
Even in China , where testing is widely available , the average time from the onset of symptoms to a diagnosis of COVID-19 is five days .
It takes one to three days to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether the virus ’ s genetic material is present inside a patient ’ s body .
This requires replicating the virus ’ s genome using specialized laboratory equipment .
Scientists are developing tests that look for telltale signs of the patient ’ s immune system response to virus , and these blood tests should provide quicker results .
Believing can help make it so Unfortunately , people will , for the next few weeks , see increasing case counts even as they might be rigorously complying with government directives to avoid contact with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporting cases could make people feel that the actions they ’ re taking – staying at home and limiting in-person social interactions – aren ’ t working .
When people think that what they do works , they ’ re more likely to do it , a concept known as self-efficacy .
It turns out to be an important predictor of human behavior .
For example , people who expect to be able to quit smoking are more likely to quit .
As self-efficacy diminishes , people could become less motivated and relax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from previous pandemics in the 21st century shows that people ’ s behaviors and attitudes change over the course of the outbreak .
As the 2009 H1N1 pandemic progressed , people became less likely to want a vaccine and to perceive themselves at risk .
Researchers who conducted monthly interviews with Hong Kong residents over the course of the SARS outbreak found that people ’ s perceptions of the effectiveness of staying at home and avoiding going to work decreased as the outbreak wore on .
If Americans see increases in case counts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ineffective , they might be less inclined to follow through on social distancing .
This could lead to increased contact among people , which could make it more difficult to bring the pandemic under control .
Hopefully widespread testing and faster test results will lead to a more accurate understanding of who is and is not infected with the disease , not unlike what South Korea has accomplished so far .
In the meantime , Americans should not take an increase in COVID-19 cases to mean that their sacrifices aren ’ t worth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the latest research .
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Abram Wagner receives funding from the National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number K01AI137123


freedomdaily--2020-04-03--Blue dye from red beets – chemists devise a new pigment option

What ’ s your favorite color ?
If you answered blue , you ’ re in good company .
Blue outranks all other color preferences worldwide by a large margin .
No matter how much people enjoy looking at it , blue is a difficult color to harness from nature .
As a chemist who studies the modification of natural products to solve technological problems , I realized there was a need for a safe , nontoxic , cost-effective blue dye .
So my Ph.D. student , Barbara Freitas-Dörr , and I devised a method to convert the pigments of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be used in a wide range of applications .
We call it BeetBlue .
Blue is strongly associated with nature , largely because it is reflected in the sky and on bodies of water .
But compared to other colors , blue pigments are not commonly found in living organisms .
The feathers of many birds are blue , not because they produce a pigment , but because the microscopic structure of their feathers is able to filter light .
This physical phenomenon is very interesting but difficult to adopt for common @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When they do , their pigments rarely remain stable after extraction .
The same is true for blue mushrooms like the indigo milky cap and other species that develop a blue stain when disturbed .
You might wonder how something red can be turned into something blue .
One approach is to change the way its molecules absorb and reflect light .
The white light coming from your lamp contains a rainbow of colors , even though you can not see them – without the use of a prism , that is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looks red because , at the molecular level , it is absorbing all the colors except red , which is reflected and eventually reaches your eyes .
The color of your chair would change from red to blue if you modified the molecular structure of its dye , making it reflect blue light instead of red .
The secret is in the number of carbon atoms in the dye and how they are connected to each other .
Beets produce chemical compounds called betalains , which are natural pigments and antioxidants .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to produce almost any hue .
We realized that if we increased the number of alternating single-double bonds in betalain molecules , we could change their color from orange or magenta to blue .
Making blue dye with adequate intensity and light-fastness is difficult because it must absorb yellow and orange light efficiently .
Solving this problem required lots of molecular tweaking .
My lab has been working with betalains for over 10 years to understand their function in nature and their unique chemical features , so it took only one experiment to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than two years to optimize the process , though . )
We broke apart the betalain molecules using alkaline water with a pH of 11 .
Then we mixed the resulting compound , called betalamic acid , with a commercial chemical compound called 2,4-dimethylpyrrole in an open vessel at room temperature .
BeetBlue is formed almost instantly .
Because we changed the characteristic carbon-nitrogen chemical bond of betalains into a carbon-carbon bond , BeetBlue is a new class of pseudo-natural dyes we call quasibetalains .
The chemical synthesis of BeetBlue is fast and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is so simple that anyone can do it if all the chemicals are available .
BeetBlue dissolves easily in water and other solvents , maintains its color in acidic and neutral solutions , and may provide an alternative to expensive blue colorants that often contain toxic metals , which limit the scope of their applications .
Live zebrafish embryos as well as cultured human cells were not affected by BeetBlue .
Although more experiments are necessary to make sure it is safe for human consumption , maybe you can dye your hair , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the future using a dye made from beets .
This work shows the importance of basic science for the development of technological applications .
We did not patent BeetBlue .
We want people to use it freely and understand , by interacting with nature in a different and sustainable way , the future can be bright .
[ Insight , in your inbox each day .
You can get it with The Conversation ’ s email newsletter . ]
Erick Leite Bastos receives funding from the São Paulo Research Foundation ( FAPESP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scientific and Technological Development ( CNPq ) , and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior ( CAPES ) .


freedomdaily--2020-04-03--Blue dye from red beets – chemists devise a safer new pigment option


freedomdaily--2020-04-03--Blue dye from red beets

Blue dye from red beets


freedomdaily--2020-04-03--Military Expands Medical Support in New York City, New Orleans and Dallas

Topics in this post : coronavirus the Department of Defense At the request of FEMA , the Department of Defense will expand its medical support to include COVID-19 positive patients at the Javits Federal Medical Station ( FMS ) in New York City , the Morial FMS in New Orleans , Louisiana , and the Kay Bailey Hutchinson FMS in Dallas , Texas .
These three DoD-supported locations will now provide support to COVID-19 positive patients in convalescent care , as well as low-acuity patients .
These patients , who require a lower level of medical care , must first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Additionally , screening for care on the USNS Comfort will be modified and will now occur pier-side in an effort to reduce the backlog at some of the nearby New York hospitals .
The screening effort for the USNS Comfort will no longer require a negative test , but each patient will still be screened by temperature and a short questionnaire .
This assistance will further unburden the local hospital and ambulance systems in these areas , allowing them to focus on the more serious COVID-19 cases .
We will immediately implement this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each area on the details of patient arrival .
We understand that introducing COVID-19 positive patients into the FMS environments elevates the risk of transmission to other patients and our medical providers .
This decision was risk-informed and made to ensure that DoD can continue to provide these local communities the type of medical care they most need .
Force health protection is a top priority and our medical professionals will have the required personal protective equipment needed for this mission .
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freedomdaily--2020-04-03--A small trial finds that hydroxychloroquine is not effective for treating coronavirus

On Saturday the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of two antimalarial drugs , hydroxychloroquine and a related medication , chloroquine , for emergency use to treat COVID-19 .
The drugs were touted by President Trump as a “ game changer ” for COVID-19 .
However , a study just published in a French medical journal provides new evidence that hydroxychloroquine does not appear to help the immune system clear the coronavirus from the body .
The study comes on the heels of two others – one in France and one in China – that reported some benefits in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 patients who didn ’ t have severe symptoms of the virus .
I am a medicinal chemist who has specialized in discovery and development of antiviral drugs for the past 30 years , and I have been actively working on coronaviruses for the past seven .
I am among a number of researchers who are concerned that this drug has been given too much of a high priority before there is enough evidence to show it is indeed effective .
There are already other clinical studies that showed it is not effective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ viruses .
And , more importantly , it can have dangerous side effects , as well as giving people false hope .
The latter has led to widespread shortages of hydroxychloroquine for patients who need it to treat malaria , lupus and rheumatoid arthritis , the indications for which it was originally approved .
The idea that the combination of hydroxychloroquine with an antibiotic drug , azithromycin , was effective against COVID-19 gained more attention after a study published on March 17 .
This study described a trial of 80 patients carried out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Although some of their results appeared to be encouraging , it should also be noted that most of their patients only had mild symptoms .
Furthermore , 85 % of the patients didn ’ t even have a fever – one of the major telltale symptoms of the virus , thus suggesting that these patients likely would have naturally cleared the virus without any intervention .
In another study , posted on medRxiv , which has not yet been peer-reviewed , Chinese scientists from Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University , in Wuhan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with only mild infections who were free of medical issues , similar to the Gautret study .
The results showed that the 31 patients who received the drug showed a lessening of their symptoms 24 hours earlier than patients in the control group .
In addition , pneumonia symptoms improved in 25 of the 31 patients versus 17 of 31 in the control group .
As noted in several of the comments associated with the manuscript , there are issues related to the translation of the paper , thus clouding interpretations of some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appears to focus more on pneumonia than COVID-19 .
However , these issues may cleared up or addressed once the paper finishes the peer-review process .
But two other studies have conflicting results .
A second French group , led by Jean-Michel Molina , has now tested the hydroxychloroquine-azithromycin combination treatment in 11 patients at the Hôpital Saint-Louis in Paris , France , and their results were strikingly different .
Like the Marseille study , the Molina trial was also a small pilot study .
Molina and colleagues used the same dosing regimen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to the Gautret study , eight of the 11 patients had underlying health conditions , and 10 of 11 had fevers and were quite ill at the time the dosing began .
These Paris researchers found that after five to six days of treatment with hydroxychloroquine ( 600 mg per day for 10 days ) and azithromycin ( 500 mg on day 1 and 250 mg on days 2 to 5 ) , eight of the 10 patients still tested positive for COVID-19 .
Of these 10 patients , one patient died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and another had to be removed from the treatment due to serious complications .
In addition , a similar study in China also showed no difference in viral clearance after seven days either with or without the hydroxychloroquine with the patients in the trial .
This supports Molina ’ s findings .
Thus , despite the recent approval of this drug for use against COVID-19 , questions remain as to the efficacy of this treatment .
As Molina and colleagues note : “ Ongoing randomized clinical trials with hydroxychloroquine should provide a definitive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ combination and will assess its safety.
” [ You need to understand the coronavirus pandemic , and we can help .
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Katherine Seley-Radtke receives funding for her research from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases .


freedomdaily--2020-04-03--Democrats Introduce Bill Giving Coronavirus Relief To Illegal Aliens

Several House Democrats introduced legislation that , if signed into law , would allow illegal aliens to obtain funds from the recently-passed coronavirus relief package .
California Rep. Lou Correa , along with two other Democratic lawmakers , introduced the Leave No Taxpayer Behind Act on Friday .
The legislation would amend the CARES Act — the $ 2 trillion stimulus package intended to help Americans suffering under the coronavirus pandemic , and allow individuals living in the U.S. unlawfully to apply for funds .
“ I was appalled to learn hardworking , taxpaying immigrants were left out of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Correa said in a statement released Friday .
“ By casting out immigrants , we are placing some of our most vulnerable residents in grave danger .
Every individual taxpayer , irrespective of citizenship status , needs government assistance now , ” he continued .
President Donald Trump signed the coronavirus bailout package on March 17 .
The $ 2.2 trillion stimulus bill will provide a $ 1,200 payment to all single Americans who earn less than $ 75,000 annually , or $ 2,400 for families that earn under $ 150,000 — including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , these funds do not provide assistance to individuals who don ’ t have Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers , which would include foreign nationals living and working in the U.S. unlawfully .
Supporters of the Leave No Taxpayer Behind Act likened this stipulation to discrimination .
“ This virus does not care about immigration status .
It does not discriminate and neither should we .
Immigrants own businesses and homes , support families , and pay rent , and contribute to their communities , ” said California Democratic Rep. Judy Chu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freeze on deportations amid the pandemic .
“ Making it impossible for them to receive the same benefit we are sending to everyone else just means those immigrants will have a harder time affording food or rent , and that leaves us all worse off .
I hope to see this corrected in the next relief package , ” Chu continued .