hotair--2020-11-09--Democratic moderate to AOC: She's 'advocating policies that are unworkable and extremely unpopular'

Consider this a companion piece to the one Jazz wrote earlier today .
AOC is doing her best to deny that far left policies she and the Squad have advocated are responsible for Democrats ’ disappointing outcome in the House .
As I pointed out here , Democrats were predicted to pick up 10-15 House seats this election .
Instead , Republicans have picked up 5 seats and could add more to that total when all is said and done .
It won ’ t be enough for the GOP to take control of the House but it could set @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So in the wake of this disaster , some Democrats are pointing to AOC and policies embraced by the Squad as the source of the problem .
Yesterday , Democratic moderate Conor Lamb from Pennsylvania gave an interview to the NY Times in which he did something few Democrats have been willing to do : Talk back to AOC .
What went wrong for House Democrats when they were supposed to pick up seats ?
I ’ m giving you an honest account of what I ’ m hearing from my own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extremely frustrated by the message of defunding the police and banning fracking .
And I , as a Democrat , am just as frustrated .
Because those things aren ’ t just unpopular , they ’ re completely unrealistic , and they aren ’ t going to happen .
And they amount to false promises by the people that call for them .
If someone in your family makes their living in some way connected to natural gas , whether on the pipeline itself , or you know , even in a restaurant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isn ’ t something to joke around about or be casual about in your language .
That ’ s what we ’ re trying to say : that the rhetoric and the policies and all that stuff — it has gone way too far .
It needs to be dialed back .
It needs to be rooted in common sense , in reality , and yes , politics .
Because we need districts like mine to stay in the majority and get something done for the people that we care about the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Squad , Lamb tried to walk a fine line , repudiating their policy stances without making the criticism personal : Is it the view of moderate Democrats that the progressives or the so-called Squad has taken up too much space in the national conversation ?
I wouldn ’ t put it that way .
Because that really focuses on them as individuals and their personalities .
And that is not what we ’ re trying to do .
We ’ re trying to have a discussion about policy , not personality .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , because I respect every one of those members and how hard they worked to get elected and how hard they have worked to stay elected and represent their constituencies .
But the fact is that they and others are advocating policies that are unworkable and extremely unpopular .
Specifically , he went on to say that AOC ’ s stance on fracking wasn ’ t helpful to him : If you ’ re wondering where some of this tension is coming from , it ’ s coming not just from AOC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something she said when she was interviewed by the same NY Times reporter on Saturday .
She attacked Conor Lamb by name and accused him of running a bad campaign : Some of this is criminal .
It ’ s malpractice .
Conor Lamb spent $ 2,000 on Facebook the week before the election .
I don ’ t think anybody who is not on the internet in a real way in the Year of our Lord 2020 and loses an election can blame anyone else when you ’ re not even really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve looked through a lot of these campaigns that lost , and the fact of the matter is if you ’ re not spending $ 200,000 on Facebook with fund-raising , persuasion , volunteer recruitment , get-out-the-vote the week before the election , you are not firing on all cylinders .
And not a single one of these campaigns were firing on all cylinders .
Lamb didn ’ t lose his election .
He won it , though it was a very tight race .
There is still some of the vote left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporting he won the race by just under 9,000 votes .
Lamb responded directly to AOC ’ s attack on his campaign : Again , Lamb is being a lot more polite in his responses than AOC was in her initial attacks , but don ’ t miss what he ’ s saying here .
AOC ’ s brand of far left politics might work in New York City but she wouldn ’ t stand a chance if she ran in his district and spending a lot of Facebook ads wouldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lesson AOC seems unable or unwilling to grasp .
She ’ s been putting money into progressive campaigns looking to defeat moderate Democrats .
A few of those candidates might win but , as we saw this cycle , the danger is that a far left Democratic Party continues to shrink until Democrats lose the House .
That ’ s a very real possibility two years from now .
The party that controls the White House often loses seats in the midterm elections .
I guess we ’ ll see how willing AOC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next two years .

Consider this a companion piece to the one Jazz wrote earlier today. AOC is doing her best to deny that far left policies she and the Squad have advocated are responsible for Democrats’ disappointing outcome in the House. As I pointed out here, Democrats were predicted to pick up 10-15 House seats this election. Instead, Republicans have picked up 5 seats and could add more to that total when all is said and done. It won’t be enough for the GOP to take control of the House but it could set them up to do so in 2022.
So in the wake of this disaster, some Democrats are pointing to AOC and policies embraced by the Squad as the source of the problem. Yesterday, Democratic moderate Conor Lamb from Pennsylvania gave an interview to the NY Times in which he did something few Democrats have been willing to do: Talk back to AOC.
What went wrong for House Democrats when they were supposed to pick up seats? I’m giving you an honest account of what I’m hearing from my own constituents, which is that they are extremely frustrated by the message of defunding the police and banning fracking. And I, as a Democrat, am just as frustrated. Because those things aren’t just unpopular, they’re completely unrealistic, and they aren’t going to happen. And they amount to false promises by the people that call for them. If someone in your family makes their living in some way connected to natural gas, whether on the pipeline itself, or you know, even in a restaurant that serves natural gas workers, this isn’t something to joke around about or be casual about in your language. That’s what we’re trying to say: that the rhetoric and the policies and all that stuff — it has gone way too far. It needs to be dialed back. It needs to be rooted in common sense, in reality, and yes, politics. Because we need districts like mine to stay in the majority and get something done for the people that we care about the most.
Asked if the problem was the Squad, Lamb tried to walk a fine line, repudiating their policy stances without making the criticism personal:
Is it the view of moderate Democrats that the progressives or the so-called Squad has taken up too much space in the national conversation? I wouldn’t put it that way. Because that really focuses on them as individuals and their personalities. And that is not what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to have a discussion about policy, not personality. And I want to be really clear on that, because I respect every one of those members and how hard they worked to get elected and how hard they have worked to stay elected and represent their constituencies. But the fact is that they and others are advocating policies that are unworkable and extremely unpopular.
Specifically, he went on to say that AOC’s stance on fracking wasn’t helpful to him:
I got to say, as you’ve talked a lot about Representative Ocasio-Cortez, she can put her name behind stuff and that’s I guess courageous, but when it’s a damaging idea or bad policy, like her tweeting out that fracking is bad in the middle of a presidential debate when we’re trying to win western Pennsylvania — that’s not being anything like a team player. And it’s honestly giving a false and ineffective promise to people that makes it very difficult to win the areas where President Trump is most popular in campaigns.
If you’re wondering where some of this tension is coming from, it’s coming not just from AOC’s Twitter feed but directly from something she said when she was interviewed by the same NY Times reporter on Saturday. She attacked Conor Lamb by name and accused him of running a bad campaign:
Some of this is criminal. It’s malpractice. Conor Lamb spent $2,000 on Facebook the week before the election. I don’t think anybody who is not on the internet in a real way in the Year of our Lord 2020 and loses an election can blame anyone else when you’re not even really on the internet. And I’ve looked through a lot of these campaigns that lost, and the fact of the matter is if you’re not spending $200,000 on Facebook with fund-raising, persuasion, volunteer recruitment, get-out-the-vote the week before the election, you are not firing on all cylinders. And not a single one of these campaigns were firing on all cylinders.
Lamb didn’t lose his election. He won it, though it was a very tight race. There is still some of the vote left to be counted but with 95% reporting he won the race by just under 9,000 votes. Lamb responded directly to AOC’s attack on his campaign:
She doesn’t have any idea how we ran our campaign, or what we spent, to be honest with you. So yeah, her statement was wrong. But there’s a deeper truth there, which is this — that our districts and our campaigns are extremely different. You know, I just leave it at that.
Again, Lamb is being a lot more polite in his responses than AOC was in her initial attacks, but don’t miss what he’s saying here. AOC’s brand of far left politics might work in New York City but she wouldn’t stand a chance if she ran in his district and spending a lot of Facebook ads wouldn’t save her.
That’s a lesson AOC seems unable or unwilling to grasp. She’s been putting money into progressive campaigns looking to defeat moderate Democrats. A few of those candidates might win but, as we saw this cycle, the danger is that a far left Democratic Party continues to shrink until Democrats lose the House. That’s a very real possibility two years from now. The party that controls the White House often loses seats in the midterm elections. I guess we’ll see how willing AOC and the Squad are to compromise over the next two years.


hotair--2020-11-09--Some Republican state and local officials admit: No, we're not seeing any voter fraud

The most surprising figure of the bunch is Geoff Duncan , the Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia , who ’ s just 45 and clearly well positioned to run for governor someday .
Or at least he was : Biden ’ s going to end up winning Georgia by at least 10,000 votes .
Only Duncan knows why he vouched for the credibility of his state ’ s process here , whether because he ’ s a good leader speaking up for the integrity of his team or because he thinks a bogus “ voter fraud ” narrative in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ big Senate runoffs in January .
But either way , he ’ s violating the most sacred priority of the Republican Party right now : Make sure the president ’ s feelings aren ’ t hurt .
The job of cronies like Lindsey Graham and 2024 jockey-ers like Ted Cruz is to sustain the unreality forcefield around Trump in which he didn ’ t actually lose the election , partly so that the president can absorb the truth at his own pace and partly in order to signal their own loyalty to MAGA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own loyalty , this was his chance to do so as someone close to the action in a battleground state and thus able to give that unreality forcefield a major boost .
He told the truth instead .
I ’ d say his political career is over .
Officials from Michigan and Pennsylvania have also spoken up in defense of the process in their states over the past few days : What ’ s so jarring — but also entirely predictable — about Team Trump ’ s “ voter fraud ” effort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If Trump really thought he ’ d been cheated out of a victory , he wouldn ’ t have been chilling on the golf course this weekend .
He would have been hunkered down in a legal war room 24/7 strategizing about how to “ stop the steal.
” And he definitely wouldn ’ t have agreed to make Rudy Giuliani , a character with no credibility left outside the Fox News viewing audience , the face of his operation .
Anti-Trumpers spent the weekend cackling at the fact that Giuliani ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Saturday was held not at the Four Seasons hotel in Philadelphia but in the parking lot of a landscaping company called “ Four Seasons ” at the edge of town located next to an adult bookstore .
To all appearances , someone on the campaign told an underling to book “ the Four Seasons ” for the presser and whoever made the reservation misunderstood .
It ended up playing like a bit from the Borat movie in which Rudy had a cameo , except this time Team Trump maneuvered themselves into it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Just this morning Politico is reporting on the first “ witness ” to voter fraud whom Giuliani introduced at that press conference : “ It ’ s such a shame .
This is a democracy , ” Daryl Brooks , who said he was a GOP poll watcher , said at the press conference , held at Four Seasons Total Landscaping in Northeast Philadelphia .
“ They did not allow us to see anything .
Was it corrupt or not ?
But give us an opportunity as poll watchers to view all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Trenton political insiders watched with bemusement as Brooks took the podium .
Brooks was incarcerated in the 1990s on charges of sexual assault , lewdness and endangering the welfare of a minor for exposing himself to two girls ages 7 and 11 , according to news accounts .
Brooks has run for various offices , including U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives .
Okay , but what about the “ Hammer ” and “ Scorecard ” computer fraud that supposedly flipped votes to Biden ?
That ’ s real , isn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this Daily Beast report on the “ infamous ‘ hoax ’ artist ” who ’ s responsible for that claim , who once managed to convince the U.S. government that he had discovered secret terrorist messages in Al Jazeera broadcasts about looming Al Qaeda plots .
The feds actually grounded several flights as a precaution because of them .
Quote : “ French intelligence officials , furious that [ Dennis ] Montgomery ’ s data had been used to ground French planes , debunked the ‘ technology ’ and reportedly convinced CIA officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Times.
” One intel official told the paper , “ We got played.
” There ’ s more at the link about the guy on whom the credibility of the “ Hammer ” and “ Scorecard ” story rests .
It ’ s BS , says Chris Krebs , the head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency : For a non-exhaustive list of other conspiracy theories being pushed — and debunked — at the moment , read this .
As I say , it ’ s jarring that this stuff is so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s all but guaranteed not to gain traction outside of the true blue MAGA base .
But it also makes sense if you recognize that the battle against “ voter fraud ” in court isn ’ t designed to succeed or to persuade skeptical Americans that Trump was actually cheated on a massive scale .
It ’ s just a cover story to let him save face — to spare his hurt feelings , as Tim Miller put it — as he gradually exits the stage .
And as with so many pre-political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an ego stroke but also partly a grift : Donations to Trump ’ s “ legal fund ” will be used not just for the court fight but to retire his campaign ’ s debt , it turns out .
All of that being so , why shouldn ’ t they hold a press conference next to a dildo store or trot out characters like Daryl Brooks or Dennis Montgomery as their key witnesses ?
It ’ s not a serious legal effort .
It ’ s a pantomime of a serious legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some bare pretext to say , “ Trump has never been defeated in a fair fight.
” I mean , really : Republican politicians have no choice but to play along if they value their careers , realizing that this is a pure loyalty exercise and that “ disloyalty ” will be held against them .
Right now , I promise , figures like Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are holding their breath and hoping that Trump throws in the towel so that they don ’ t need to keep up this charade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about Biden ’ s win into December or January .
But if Trump forces them to do it , they ’ ll do it .
Even though the conspiracy theory that Trump was cheated , especially in Philadelphia , continues to make no sense on the merits : If you ’ re going to rig the vote in Philly to benefit Biden , why would you make it so that Trump overperformed his 2016 numbers and Biden underperformed ?
If you ’ re going to rig it nationwide , why would you make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and gain in the House , leaving President Biden effectively powerless ?
And what happened to that army of poll-watchers whom Trump recruited this year ?
“ Over the past few months , I ’ ve had numerous local GOP officials boast about their poll-watching program , describing its sophistication , exuding confidence that they would have eyes and ears in every room as votes were being counted , ” wrote Tim Alberta recently in Politico .
“ ’ The Trump campaign is on it like white on rice .
They ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chair of the Outagamie County GOP in Wisconsin , told me last month .
If anyone tried to cheat , Albert emphasized , they wouldn ’ t stand a chance.
” Eyes and ears in every room — and there ’ s so little legitimate voter fraud to highlight that they ’ re relying on the likes of Daryl Brooks to try to scratch out a claim somewhere because they have nothing sturdier .
What ’ s really going to bring pressure from within the party on Trump to knock this off is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the “ I was robbed ” claims .
( To the extent polling can ever be trusted again , that is . )
Republicans desperately want to see David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler win their Senate runoffs , extinguishing Democrats ’ last chance at a majority .
They ’ re favored to win too , especially with Trump not on the ballot this time .
But if his cries of having been cheated turn off swing voters , that ’ s apt to push those voters towards Democrats .
And if his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who knows how that plays out ?
Maybe angry Republicans will turn out in Georgia to defeat the Dems or maybe they ’ ll stay home in disgust at the idea of participating in a system where “ cheating ” is rampant .
Keep an eye on McConnell .
If the Trump “ I was cheated ” defeat tour looks like it ’ s playing badly , he ’ ll start making noise recognizing Biden as president in order to distance the party from the president .

The most surprising figure of the bunch is Geoff Duncan, the Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia, who’s just 45 and clearly well positioned to run for governor someday. Or at least he was:
Georgia's Republican Lt Gov @GeoffDuncanGA says his office has "not seen any sort of credible examples" of systemic fraud or voter disenfranchisement. pic.twitter.com/LdNYGOnvlB — Alli Hedges Maser (@AllisonLHedges) November 9, 2020
Biden’s going to end up winning Georgia by at least 10,000 votes. Only Duncan knows why he vouched for the credibility of his state’s process here, whether because he’s a good leader speaking up for the integrity of his team or because he thinks a bogus “voter fraud” narrative in his state will alienate swing voters before the big Senate runoffs in January. But either way, he’s violating the most sacred priority of the Republican Party right now: Make sure the president’s feelings aren’t hurt.
I don’t think there’s enough appreciation for the fact that GOP senators/congressmen, most of the conservative commentariat/@FoxNews, and leaders of industry are all pretending like they think there might be election fraud just because the presidents feelings are hurt. — Tim Miller (@Timodc) November 9, 2020
The job of cronies like Lindsey Graham and 2024 jockey-ers like Ted Cruz is to sustain the unreality forcefield around Trump in which he didn’t actually lose the election, partly so that the president can absorb the truth at his own pace and partly in order to signal their own loyalty to MAGA Nation. If Duncan wanted to show his own loyalty, this was his chance to do so as someone close to the action in a battleground state and thus able to give that unreality forcefield a major boost. He told the truth instead.
I’d say his political career is over.
Officials from Michigan and Pennsylvania have also spoken up in defense of the process in their states over the past few days:
https://twitter.com/tlbsstory/status/1324868768342962183
“Counting votes is not a bad thing. Counting votes cast on or before Election Day by eligible voters is not corruption. It is not cheating. It is democracy,” says Philadelphia’s Republican election commissioner Al Schmidt. https://t.co/JroHtTzyhk pic.twitter.com/6l9EkZnIYk — 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) November 9, 2020
What’s so jarring — but also entirely predictable — about Team Trump’s “voter fraud” effort so far is how phoned-in it is. If Trump really thought he’d been cheated out of a victory, he wouldn’t have been chilling on the golf course this weekend. He would have been hunkered down in a legal war room 24/7 strategizing about how to “stop the steal.” And he definitely wouldn’t have agreed to make Rudy Giuliani, a character with no credibility left outside the Fox News viewing audience, the face of his operation. Anti-Trumpers spent the weekend cackling at the fact that Giuliani’s “Four Seasons” press conference on Saturday was held not at the Four Seasons hotel in Philadelphia but in the parking lot of a landscaping company called “Four Seasons” at the edge of town located next to an adult bookstore. To all appearances, someone on the campaign told an underling to book “the Four Seasons” for the presser and whoever made the reservation misunderstood. It ended up playing like a bit from the Borat movie in which Rudy had a cameo, except this time Team Trump maneuvered themselves into it with no help from Sacha Baron Cohen. Just this morning Politico is reporting on the first “witness” to voter fraud whom Giuliani introduced at that press conference:
“It’s such a shame. This is a democracy,” Daryl Brooks, who said he was a GOP poll watcher, said at the press conference, held at Four Seasons Total Landscaping in Northeast Philadelphia. “They did not allow us to see anything. Was it corrupt or not? But give us an opportunity as poll watchers to view all the documents — all of the ballots.” Trenton political insiders watched with bemusement as Brooks took the podium. Brooks was incarcerated in the 1990s on charges of sexual assault, lewdness and endangering the welfare of a minor for exposing himself to two girls ages 7 and 11, according to news accounts. Brooks has run for various offices, including U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives.
Okay, but what about the “Hammer” and “Scorecard” computer fraud that supposedly flipped votes to Biden? That’s real, isn’t it? You should read this Daily Beast report on the “infamous ‘hoax’ artist” who’s responsible for that claim, who once managed to convince the U.S. government that he had discovered secret terrorist messages in Al Jazeera broadcasts about looming Al Qaeda plots. The feds actually grounded several flights as a precaution because of them. Quote: “French intelligence officials, furious that [Dennis] Montgomery’s data had been used to ground French planes, debunked the ‘technology’ and reportedly convinced CIA officials to drop Montgomery, according to the Times.” One intel official told the paper, “We got played.”
There’s more at the link about the guy on whom the credibility of the “Hammer” and “Scorecard” story rests. It’s BS, says Chris Krebs, the head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency:
To be crystal clear on ⬇, I’m specifically referring to the Hammer and Scorecard nonsense. It’s just that – nonsense. This is not a real thing, don’t fall for it and think 2x before you share. #Protect2020 https://t.co/f2FpSbRXKy — Chris Krebs #Protect2020 (@CISAKrebs) November 7, 2020
For a non-exhaustive list of other conspiracy theories being pushed — and debunked — at the moment, read this. As I say, it’s jarring that this stuff is so threadbare and easily challenged that it’s all but guaranteed not to gain traction outside of the true blue MAGA base. But it also makes sense if you recognize that the battle against “voter fraud” in court isn’t designed to succeed or to persuade skeptical Americans that Trump was actually cheated on a massive scale. It’s just a cover story to let him save face — to spare his hurt feelings, as Tim Miller put it — as he gradually exits the stage. And as with so many pre-political Trump ventures, it’s partly an ego stroke but also partly a grift: Donations to Trump’s “legal fund” will be used not just for the court fight but to retire his campaign’s debt, it turns out.
All of that being so, why shouldn’t they hold a press conference next to a dildo store or trot out characters like Daryl Brooks or Dennis Montgomery as their key witnesses? It’s not a serious legal effort. It’s a pantomime of a serious legal effort for hardcore fans to give them some bare pretext to say, “Trump has never been defeated in a fair fight.” I mean, really:
This is from the Court of Appeals in the State of Michigan. The Donald Trump Legal Team cannot even file appeals the right way. They have reached shit show level of legal competency at this point. This is the most basic of tasks – filing an appeal accordingly. pic.twitter.com/wbiHfhAm0Z — Abed A. Ayoub (@aayoub) November 9, 2020
Republican politicians have no choice but to play along if they value their careers, realizing that this is a pure loyalty exercise and that “disloyalty” will be held against them. Right now, I promise, figures like Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are holding their breath and hoping that Trump throws in the towel so that they don’t need to keep up this charade of pretending to believe something was rotten about Biden’s win into December or January. But if Trump forces them to do it, they’ll do it. Even though the conspiracy theory that Trump was cheated, especially in Philadelphia, continues to make no sense on the merits:
Surprising stat from @hollyotterbein:
Trump ultimately earned more raw votes in Philly than in 2016, going from nearly 109,000 to more than 126,000 today.
W/ 96 % of the estimated votes counted, Biden is underperforming Hillary by about 26,000 voteshttps://t.co/drcEwBGH99 — Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) November 7, 2020
If you’re going to rig the vote in Philly to benefit Biden, why would you make it so that Trump overperformed his 2016 numbers and Biden underperformed? If you’re going to rig it nationwide, why would you make it so that Republicans hold the Senate and gain in the House, leaving President Biden effectively powerless?
And what happened to that army of poll-watchers whom Trump recruited this year? “Over the past few months, I’ve had numerous local GOP officials boast about their poll-watching program, describing its sophistication, exuding confidence that they would have eyes and ears in every room as votes were being counted,” wrote Tim Alberta recently in Politico. “’The Trump campaign is on it like white on rice. They’re watching everything,’ Matt Albert, chair of the Outagamie County GOP in Wisconsin, told me last month. If anyone tried to cheat, Albert emphasized, they wouldn’t stand a chance.” Eyes and ears in every room — and there’s so little legitimate voter fraud to highlight that they’re relying on the likes of Daryl Brooks to try to scratch out a claim somewhere because they have nothing sturdier.
What’s really going to bring pressure from within the party on Trump to knock this off is if polling in Georgia shows a backlash to the “I was robbed” claims. (To the extent polling can ever be trusted again, that is.) Republicans desperately want to see David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler win their Senate runoffs, extinguishing Democrats’ last chance at a majority. They’re favored to win too, especially with Trump not on the ballot this time. But if his cries of having been cheated turn off swing voters, that’s apt to push those voters towards Democrats. And if his cries manage to *convince* Republican base voters, who knows how that plays out? Maybe angry Republicans will turn out in Georgia to defeat the Dems or maybe they’ll stay home in disgust at the idea of participating in a system where “cheating” is rampant. Keep an eye on McConnell. If the Trump “I was cheated” defeat tour looks like it’s playing badly, he’ll start making noise recognizing Biden as president in order to distance the party from the president.


hotair--2020-11-09--Utah governor issues statewide mask mandate - "We all need to do more"

The Governor of Utah may have found the perfect way to mitigate an increasingly widespread outbreak of the coronavirus .
Governor Gary Herbert , a Republican , issued a statewide mask mandate as he declared a state of emergency in Utah on Sunday night .
He and the Utah Department of Health issued executive and public health orders to accomplish a refined mitigation approach .
He is not going to shut down the state ’ s economy .
Some of Utah ’ s larger counties already had face mask mandates in place .
But , though the cases of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two months , Governor Herbert has hesitated to issue a statewide mask mandate .
Herbert went on television to talk to Utah residents and explain what the new restrictions to mitigate the spread of the virus will be .
The time to debate the subject has passed , he said .
The good news is that he will not shut down businesses .
State officials sent out an emergency alert to state residents on their phones Sunday to alert them to Herbert ’ s televised address outlining the orders .
Earlier Sunday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the number of coronavirus hospitalizations as well as 2,386 more COVID-19 cases as the pandemic surges .
Some 424 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Sunday , according to the Utah Department of Health .
On Friday , hospitalizations stood at a then-record 395 COVID-19 patients .
Herbert ’ s office said in a statement Sunday that the mask-wearing mandate will be extended beyond Nov. 23 “ for the foreseeable future.
” Utah ’ s seven-day average of new daily cases has reached a record-breaking 2,290 .
In the past two weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the percentage of coronavirus tests that are positive – has increased from 18.5 % to 20.6 % , according to state data .
At least 659 residents have died of the coronavirus and more than 132,000 have been infected .
The governor ’ s mandate states that businesses must require their employees to wear face masks and to post a notice to customers that masks are required to be worn by them , too .
Any business that fails to follow the mask mandate will be fined .
He addresses the personal freedom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safety is an issue for everyone and uses seat belt laws as an example .
Most importantly , he is not shutting down businesses .
He is focusing on social gatherings .
His sounds like a very reasonable approach .
The focus on restricting social settings is for a period of two weeks , from Monday ( today ) to November 23 .
The incubation period for the virus is 14 days .
The mask mandate will continue “ for the foreseeable future.
” His new set of rules also calls for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ events , with the exception of high school championship games and Intercollegiate athletic events as long as testing and social distancing guidelines are adhered to .
Herbert also ordered a limit on “ casual social gatherings ” to household members only .
By Jan. 1 , all students at public and private universities who attend at least one class per week in person must be tested for COVID-19 on a weekly basis .
“ To make a real difference in slowing the spread of COVID-19 and turning around the dire situation in our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more , ” the governor said in a statement .
“ This is a sacrifice for all of us .
But as we slow the spread it will make all the difference for our overworked healthcare workers , who desperately need our help.
” The announcement came after Utah ’ s largest teachers union called on Friday for the governor to move all public secondary schools in high coronavirus transmission areas to remote learning .
The Utah Education Association also called for Herbert to suspend all extracurricular activities that can ’ t comply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas from the Thanksgiving holiday throughout winter break .
When discussing the limitation on “ casual social gatherings ” , the governor said he will issue guidance about Thanksgiving in the next few days .
Utah will increase its contact tracing efforts and testing of younger people don ’ t normally exhibit symptoms of the virus .
This will also include college students and workplace testing for employees under the age of 35 .
Utah National Guard personnel will help in contact tracing .
The governor ’ s biggest challenge is to free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the outbreak in Utah .
It will be interesting to watch if Utah can get the coronavirus under control by relying on the use of face masks and social distancing while allowing businesses to continue to operate .
The governor ’ s approach seems reasonable .

The Governor of Utah may have found the perfect way to mitigate an increasingly widespread outbreak of the coronavirus. Governor Gary Herbert, a Republican, issued a statewide mask mandate as he declared a state of emergency in Utah on Sunday night. He and the Utah Department of Health issued executive and public health orders to accomplish a refined mitigation approach. He is not going to shut down the state’s economy.
Some of Utah’s larger counties already had face mask mandates in place. But, though the cases of the virus have been rising over the last two months, Governor Herbert has hesitated to issue a statewide mask mandate. Herbert went on television to talk to Utah residents and explain what the new restrictions to mitigate the spread of the virus will be. The time to debate the subject has passed, he said. The good news is that he will not shut down businesses.
State officials sent out an emergency alert to state residents on their phones Sunday to alert them to Herbert’s televised address outlining the orders. Earlier Sunday, Utah health authorities announced a new high in the number of coronavirus hospitalizations as well as 2,386 more COVID-19 cases as the pandemic surges. Some 424 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Sunday, according to the Utah Department of Health. On Friday, hospitalizations stood at a then-record 395 COVID-19 patients. Herbert’s office said in a statement Sunday that the mask-wearing mandate will be extended beyond Nov. 23 “for the foreseeable future.” Utah’s seven-day average of new daily cases has reached a record-breaking 2,290. In the past two weeks, Utah’s positivity average – the percentage of coronavirus tests that are positive – has increased from 18.5% to 20.6%, according to state data. At least 659 residents have died of the coronavirus and more than 132,000 have been infected.
Due to the alarming rate of COVID infections within our state, tonight I issued a new state of emergency with several critical changes to our response. These changes are not shutting down our economy, but are absolutely necessary to save lives and hospital capacity. #utpol pic.twitter.com/BuSNBsCbiz — Gary R. Herbert (@GovHerbert) November 9, 2020
The governor’s mandate states that businesses must require their employees to wear face masks and to post a notice to customers that masks are required to be worn by them, too. Any business that fails to follow the mask mandate will be fined. He addresses the personal freedom aspect of the mandate that states personal safety is an issue for everyone and uses seat belt laws as an example. Most importantly, he is not shutting down businesses. He is focusing on social gatherings. His sounds like a very reasonable approach. The focus on restricting social settings is for a period of two weeks, from Monday (today) to November 23. The incubation period for the virus is 14 days. The mask mandate will continue “for the foreseeable future.”
His new set of rules also calls for a two-week pause on extracurricular activities including athletic events, with the exception of high school championship games and Intercollegiate athletic events as long as testing and social distancing guidelines are adhered to. Herbert also ordered a limit on “casual social gatherings” to household members only. By Jan. 1, all students at public and private universities who attend at least one class per week in person must be tested for COVID-19 on a weekly basis. “To make a real difference in slowing the spread of COVID-19 and turning around the dire situation in our hospitals, we all need to do more,” the governor said in a statement. “This is a sacrifice for all of us. But as we slow the spread it will make all the difference for our overworked healthcare workers, who desperately need our help.” The announcement came after Utah’s largest teachers union called on Friday for the governor to move all public secondary schools in high coronavirus transmission areas to remote learning. The Utah Education Association also called for Herbert to suspend all extracurricular activities that can’t comply with social distancing guidelines in high transmission areas from the Thanksgiving holiday throughout winter break.
When discussing the limitation on “casual social gatherings”, the governor said he will issue guidance about Thanksgiving in the next few days. Utah will increase its contact tracing efforts and testing of younger people don’t normally exhibit symptoms of the virus. This will also include college students and workplace testing for employees under the age of 35. Utah National Guard personnel will help in contact tracing. The governor’s biggest challenge is to free up hospital beds at this point of the outbreak in Utah.
“Our hospitals are full,” Herbert said in the clip. “This threatens patients who rely on hospital care from everything from covid-19 to emergencies like heart attacks, strokes, surgeries and trauma. We must work together to keep infections low until a vaccine is available.”
It will be interesting to watch if Utah can get the coronavirus under control by relying on the use of face masks and social distancing while allowing businesses to continue to operate. The governor’s approach seems reasonable.


hotair--2020-11-09--Police defunders now running away from defunding the police

From all of the endless chatter we heard over the spring and summer about the urgent need to embrace “ Democratic socialism ” ( which is really just plain old socialism ) and defund the police , you ’ d be forgiven for thinking that it was embedded in stone in the Democratic National Committee ’ s platform .
Technically it wasn ’ t , but that didn ’ t stop a parade of Democrats from endorsing the idea and multiple municipal leaders in cities from New York to the west coast actually slashing police budgets .
But after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such dangerous plans took at the polls last week , their tune seems to be changing a bit .
Most notably , we heard one of the louder voices on the far left changing her tune on these subjects .
Democratic Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was invited to speak with Jake Tapper on CNN ’ s State of the Union on Sunday and was pressed on the issue .
In what sounded like a complete about-face , AOC told Tapper that defunding the police was an idea generated by “ activists ” and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ platform supporting such plans or on embracing socialism either .
( Free Beacon ) After unexpected and significant losses on Election Day , House Democrats on Sunday distanced themselves from the “ defund the police ” movement and the label of “ socialism , ” claiming that they were merely slogans or Republican smears .
“ Not a single member of Congress that I ’ m aware of campaigned on socialism or defunding the police in this general election , ” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D. , N.Y. ) said on CNN ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These were largely slogans or they were demands from activist groups.
” The congresswoman , who is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America , added that “ Republicans levied very effective rhetorical attacks against our party ” by linking Democrats to the movements .
Rep. Ilhan Omar ( D. , Minn. ) , who called to “ completely dismantle ” her city ’ s police department this year , went further and said it was a Republican “ narrative ” that radical movements doomed Democrats in swing districts .
Here ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AOC where the question is raised .
The “ who me ?
” look she gives Jake should at least qualify her for a nomination at the Emmys next year .
You will recall that when New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio slashed a billion dollars from the NYPD budget , AOC said the measure didn ’ t go far enough and their work on defunding the police “ continues.
” Her partners on “ The Squad , ” Ayanna Pressley ( D. , Mass . )
and Rashida Tlaib ( D. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ endorse a bill aimed at stripping federal funding from police departments and abolishing some federal law enforcement agencies .
The idea that these newly minted progressive icons are suddenly back-peddling is a rather telling statement about how reality is smacking the Democrats on the sides of their heads .
I ’ ll give AOC credit for being at least slightly clever about this during her interview with Tapper .
She specifically said that sitting members of Congress had not “ campaigned on socialism or defunding the police.
” The word “ campaigned ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what appeared on their campaign websites or in prepared campaign speeches .
Of course , that only works if you were being willfully ignorant of all their other comments , votes and endorsements .
The fact is that nearly all of the exit polling we ’ ve seen has shown that defunding the police is an extremely unpopular idea outside of BLM marches and the speeches given by the more extreme socialist elements of the Democratic Party .
The people who live in the cities most heavily hit by the BLM/Antifa riots , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want the police to go away or be scaled back .
They ’ ve seen what happens when there is no law enforcement around to protect them .
Is this some sort of sign that we won ’ t be hearing as much about this nonsense during the midterms ?
I think that ’ s actually quite possible .
AOC hasn ’ t been living in the swamp for very long , but she ’ s clearly a fast learner .
And someone has clued her in that the defund the police “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Of course , the changes won ’ t stop there .
I ’ ve got a feeling that you ’ re suddenly going to be seeing fewer riots and certainly no MSM coverage of them if Joe Biden is sworn into office .
How do I know ?
I don ’ t .
Just call it a hunch .

From all of the endless chatter we heard over the spring and summer about the urgent need to embrace “Democratic socialism” (which is really just plain old socialism) and defund the police, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it was embedded in stone in the Democratic National Committee’s platform. Technically it wasn’t, but that didn’t stop a parade of Democrats from endorsing the idea and multiple municipal leaders in cities from New York to the west coast actually slashing police budgets. But after the beatings that some of the Democrats pushing such dangerous plans took at the polls last week, their tune seems to be changing a bit.
Most notably, we heard one of the louder voices on the far left changing her tune on these subjects. Democratic Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was invited to speak with Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday and was pressed on the issue. In what sounded like a complete about-face, AOC told Tapper that defunding the police was an idea generated by “activists” and that nobody had been running on a platform supporting such plans or on embracing socialism either. (Free Beacon)
After unexpected and significant losses on Election Day, House Democrats on Sunday distanced themselves from the “defund the police” movement and the label of “socialism,” claiming that they were merely slogans or Republican smears. “Not a single member of Congress that I’m aware of campaigned on socialism or defunding the police in this general election,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) said on CNN’s State of the Union. “These were largely slogans or they were demands from activist groups.” The congresswoman, who is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, added that “Republicans levied very effective rhetorical attacks against our party” by linking Democrats to the movements. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.), who called to “completely dismantle” her city’s police department this year, went further and said it was a Republican “narrative” that radical movements doomed Democrats in swing districts.
Here’s the portion of the interview with AOC where the question is raised. The “who me?” look she gives Jake should at least qualify her for a nomination at the Emmys next year.
You will recall that when New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio slashed a billion dollars from the NYPD budget, AOC said the measure didn’t go far enough and their work on defunding the police “continues.” Her partners on “The Squad,” Ayanna Pressley (D., Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) both signed on to endorse a bill aimed at stripping federal funding from police departments and abolishing some federal law enforcement agencies.
The idea that these newly minted progressive icons are suddenly back-peddling is a rather telling statement about how reality is smacking the Democrats on the sides of their heads. I’ll give AOC credit for being at least slightly clever about this during her interview with Tapper. She specifically said that sitting members of Congress had not “campaigned on socialism or defunding the police.” The word “campaigned” could be interpreted as meaning nothing but what appeared on their campaign websites or in prepared campaign speeches. Of course, that only works if you were being willfully ignorant of all their other comments, votes and endorsements.
The fact is that nearly all of the exit polling we’ve seen has shown that defunding the police is an extremely unpopular idea outside of BLM marches and the speeches given by the more extreme socialist elements of the Democratic Party. The people who live in the cities most heavily hit by the BLM/Antifa riots, including most minorities, don’t want the police to go away or be scaled back. They’ve seen what happens when there is no law enforcement around to protect them.
Is this some sort of sign that we won’t be hearing as much about this nonsense during the midterms? I think that’s actually quite possible. AOC hasn’t been living in the swamp for very long, but she’s clearly a fast learner. And someone has clued her in that the defund the police “movement” in an electoral loser. Of course, the changes won’t stop there. I’ve got a feeling that you’re suddenly going to be seeing fewer riots and certainly no MSM coverage of them if Joe Biden is sworn into office. How do I know? I don’t. Just call it a hunch.


hotair--2020-11-09--Cuomo: It's "bad news" that Pfizer announced these vaccine results before Biden takes office

This isn ’ t the first time he ’ s sounded discouraging notes about a vaccine , knowing full well how much persuasion it ’ ll take to convince skeptics to get the shot once it ’ s available .
I can ’ t believe I ’ m going to say this but I think the question needs to be asked in light of his track record .
Is this guy … pro-COVID ?
That criticism is often thrown at Trump because of his insane recklessness in holding rallies amid a pandemic and his relentless push to reopen for business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But between the body count Cuomo ’ s racked up in New York and his consistent casual denigration of a vaccine approved and administered by Trump ’ s administration , he ’ s certainly a finalist for coronavirus ’ s MVP among U.S. politicians .
Lotta complaints from Cuomo in the clip about empowering “ private providers ” to take charge of the distribution .
I dunno — if ever there were a day when “ private providers ” get to take a victory lap , today is it , my man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s “ Operation Warp Speed ” initiative to fund pharmaceutical companies in hopes of speeding up vaccine development .
They declined to participate , and they did so for a reason that should warm every conservative free-marketeer ’ s heart .
They didn ’ t want government bureaucracy to slow them down .
There ’ s only so much he can do about keeping Pfizer “ out of politics.
” Already Trumpers are speculating darkly that today ’ s announcement was delayed artificially to deny Trump a boost before Election Day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it wouldn ’ t be in a position to seek emergency approval by the FDA until mid-November at the earliest .
Pfizer ’ s senior VP told the Times that she didn ’ t learn the results of the clinical data until around 1 p.m. yesterday , after an outside panel of experts had finished reviewing it .
If there were an electoral calculation involved in slowing things down so that they wouldn ’ t have results before Election Day , my guess is that it ’ s the same one that led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preferred “ deadline ” of November 3 to produce the results of his investigation .
In both cases , teams of people have worked hard for months and want their results judged on the merits , not as an “ October surprise ” shiny object that would be instantly politicized in terms of what ’ s good or bad for the candidates .
Needless to say , while you wouldn ’ t know this from Cuomo ’ s handwringing , the CDC *is* considering how urgently different populations might need the vaccine as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I think , is prioritizing racial minorities because they ’ ve been hit harder by the virus than whites .
There are some experts who agree with him about that , but I ’ m not sure the timetable here would deny Biden ’ s administration some influence over deciding which groups go first .
Only a relatively small number of doses will be available before Trump exits and virtually everyone agrees that medical personnel should go to the front of the line .
Besides , a race-based priority list probably wouldn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you know Cuomo : If he can take a shot at Trump he ’ s going to take it , no matter what it means for the health of the people in his state .
Update : It can ’ t be overstated how exciting it is that the early results show efficacy of over 90 percent .
Scientists were expecting something in line with the flu shot .
“ This is really a spectacular number , ” an immunologist at Yale told the Times .
“ I wasn ’ t expecting it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preparing myself for something like 55 percent.
” Pfizer ’ s own VP for research said , “ I ’ ve been in vaccine development for 35 years .
I ’ ve seen some really good things .
This is extraordinary.
” If the 90 percent figure holds up after continued testing , the vaccine could crush COVID instead of making it a seasonal disease on par with the flu .
There *is* a logistical catch , though : “ The vaccine must be stored at super-cold temperatures , which could make it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” It ’ s also a two-shot vaccine , which further complicates things .
That ’ s the bad news .
The good news is that if Pfizer ’ s vaccine works this well , chances are some of the other contenders still being developed ( Moderna , Oxford , Novavax ) may work very well too — and might not present the same distribution difficulties .
Update : There ’ s only one good thing about the sustained , increasingly ferocious community spread of COVID that America ’ s experiencing right now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quickly whether a vaccine is effective or not .
Dr. Jansen said the global surge in coronavirus infections contributed to the speed with which participants in the trial got infected with the virus .
“ You can see for yourself , the rates are going up everywhere , ” she said .
“ So we think based on our predictions , it shouldn ’ t take us very long ” to get to 164 cases of Covid-19 .
Dr. Paul Offit , a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said the news that Pfizer ’ s trial was progressing quickly was a good sign for other trials , too .
“ If there ’ s any silver lining in the fact that our country is currently on fire with this virus , it ’ s that these trials can reach a conclusion much quicker than otherwise , ” he said .
If your test subjects are operating in a population where transmission of COVID is low and after a month or two they still haven ’ t contracted the disease , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s because the vaccine rendered them immune or because they simply didn ’ t encounter the virus “ in the wild ” over that period .
There ’ s no such ambiguity when the virus is burning through the population at an accelerating rate .
If they didn ’ t get infected after a month or two , it ’ s the vaccine , not luck .
The vaccine has arrived on Trump ’ s watch and will be authorized by his FDA , which should encourage Republican buy-in , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration , which should encourage Democratic buy-in .

This isn’t the first time he’s sounded discouraging notes about a vaccine, knowing full well how much persuasion it’ll take to convince skeptics to get the shot once it’s available.
I can’t believe I’m going to say this but I think the question needs to be asked in light of his track record.
Is this guy … pro-COVID? That criticism is often thrown at Trump because of his insane recklessness in holding rallies amid a pandemic and his relentless push to reopen for business no matter how high community spread gets. But between the body count Cuomo’s racked up in New York and his consistent casual denigration of a vaccine approved and administered by Trump’s administration, he’s certainly a finalist for coronavirus’s MVP among U.S. politicians.
!@NYGovCuomo says it’s “bad news” Pfizer’s Covid vaccine came during the Trump Admin; says he’s going to work w/ other governors to “stop” distribution “before it does damage" pic.twitter.com/ULembNWokW — Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) November 9, 2020
Ben Sasse just released this statement:
“What on earth is Governor Cuomo talking about? This is great news and everyone – Republicans and Democrats and apolitical folks – should all be jointly thrilled about the possibility of an effective vaccine. After this nasty virus has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans and put millions out of work, it is beyond disgusting that Governor Cuomo would use a glimmer of hope for another worn-out ‘Trump is bad’ talking point. When we get a vaccine, we’re going to need all hands on deck distributing it as fast as possible – shamelessly politicizing this is dangerous and stupid.”
Lotta complaints from Cuomo in the clip about empowering “private providers” to take charge of the distribution. I dunno — if ever there were a day when “private providers” get to take a victory lap, today is it, my man. Pfizer was *not* part of Trump’s “Operation Warp Speed” initiative to fund pharmaceutical companies in hopes of speeding up vaccine development. They declined to participate, and they did so for a reason that should warm every conservative free-marketeer’s heart. They didn’t want government bureaucracy to slow them down.
Pfizer's CEO Dr. Albert Bourla explained on @FaceTheNation in September why the company didn't take money through Operation Warp Speed for R&D of a COVID vaccine:https://t.co/8HvOOUME4U pic.twitter.com/54k4yYH41g — Melissa Quinn (@MelissaQuinn97) November 9, 2020
There’s only so much he can do about keeping Pfizer “out of politics.” Already Trumpers are speculating darkly that today’s announcement was delayed artificially to deny Trump a boost before Election Day, although the company said weeks ago that it wouldn’t be in a position to seek emergency approval by the FDA until mid-November at the earliest. Pfizer’s senior VP told the Times that she didn’t learn the results of the clinical data until around 1 p.m. yesterday, after an outside panel of experts had finished reviewing it. If there were an electoral calculation involved in slowing things down so that they wouldn’t have results before Election Day, my guess is that it’s the same one that led John Durham to miss Trump’s preferred “deadline” of November 3 to produce the results of his investigation. In both cases, teams of people have worked hard for months and want their results judged on the merits, not as an “October surprise” shiny object that would be instantly politicized in terms of what’s good or bad for the candidates.
Needless to say, while you wouldn’t know this from Cuomo’s handwringing, the CDC *is* considering how urgently different populations might need the vaccine as the rollout begins:
What Cuomo means, I think, is prioritizing racial minorities because they’ve been hit harder by the virus than whites. There are some experts who agree with him about that, but I’m not sure the timetable here would deny Biden’s administration some influence over deciding which groups go first. Only a relatively small number of doses will be available before Trump exits and virtually everyone agrees that medical personnel should go to the front of the line. Besides, a race-based priority list probably wouldn’t be constitutional anyway. But you know Cuomo: If he can take a shot at Trump he’s going to take it, no matter what it means for the health of the people in his state.
Update: It can’t be overstated how exciting it is that the early results show efficacy of over 90 percent. Scientists were expecting something in line with the flu shot. “This is really a spectacular number,” an immunologist at Yale told the Times. “I wasn’t expecting it to be this high. I was preparing myself for something like 55 percent.” Pfizer’s own VP for research said, “I’ve been in vaccine development for 35 years. I’ve seen some really good things. This is extraordinary.” If the 90 percent figure holds up after continued testing, the vaccine could crush COVID instead of making it a seasonal disease on par with the flu.
There *is* a logistical catch, though: “The vaccine must be stored at super-cold temperatures, which could make it extremely difficult to deliver to many places.” It’s also a two-shot vaccine, which further complicates things. That’s the bad news. The good news is that if Pfizer’s vaccine works this well, chances are some of the other contenders still being developed (Moderna, Oxford, Novavax) may work very well too — and might not present the same distribution difficulties.
The reason why I am so enthusiastic about this is that this is likely also great news for the other vaccine candidates. https://t.co/QLaCtZykZv — Florian Krammer (@florian_krammer) November 9, 2020
Update: There’s only one good thing about the sustained, increasingly ferocious community spread of COVID that America’s experiencing right now. It makes it easy to tell quickly whether a vaccine is effective or not.
Dr. Jansen said the global surge in coronavirus infections contributed to the speed with which participants in the trial got infected with the virus. “You can see for yourself, the rates are going up everywhere,” she said. “So we think based on our predictions, it shouldn’t take us very long” to get to 164 cases of Covid-19. Dr. Paul Offit, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the F.D.A.’s vaccine advisory panel, said the news that Pfizer’s trial was progressing quickly was a good sign for other trials, too. “If there’s any silver lining in the fact that our country is currently on fire with this virus, it’s that these trials can reach a conclusion much quicker than otherwise,” he said.
If your test subjects are operating in a population where transmission of COVID is low and after a month or two they still haven’t contracted the disease, it’s hard to know if that’s because the vaccine rendered them immune or because they simply didn’t encounter the virus “in the wild” over that period. There’s no such ambiguity when the virus is burning through the population at an accelerating rate. If they didn’t get infected after a month or two, it’s the vaccine, not luck.
Interesting observation from Fauci on vaccine: "This was a trial that was geared to 44,000 people and we are in the middle of a major surge right now. Those two things together make it much more likely that you’ll get an answer quickly, which is what happened." — David Wright (@DavidWright_7) November 9, 2020
Update: I completely agree with this:
I'd add to this: the political circumstances may have worked out fairly fortuitously, here. Trump/Pence are claiming credit for the vaccine. But Biden/Harris are taking over. Both sides are going to have some trusted voices promoting the vaccine as being a Good Thing. — Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) November 9, 2020
The vaccine has arrived on Trump’s watch and will be authorized by his FDA, which should encourage Republican buy-in, and will be mainly distributed by the Biden administration, which should encourage Democratic buy-in.


hotair--2020-11-09--Mitt Romney is worried Trump will "encourage authoritarians"

The fact that President Trump is continuing to explore any and all legal options before conceding defeat in last week ’ s election has clearly gotten under the skin of the media .
This fact was in evidence on the Sunday shows yesterday , where hosts were trotting out Democrats and NeverTrump Republicans to chime in on how awful the situation is .
That included a “ special ” edition of Meet the Press , where Senator Mitt Romney ( R-Utah ) was invited to weigh in .
To his credit , Romney didn ’ t just blurt out something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and slink out of the Oval Office in disgrace .
But the host did open the door for Mitt to issue some dire warnings .
His main point was that by questioning the results of the election , Trump might “ encourage authoritarians ” around the globe to similarly discredit their nations ’ own voting processes .
( NBC News ) Sen. Mitt Romney , R-Utah , on Sunday warned President Donald Trump to be “ careful ” as he continues to challenge the results of the 2020 election and not to push @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which would be very , very unfortunate.
” “ The people in the past , like myself , who lost elections , have gone on in a way that said , ‘ look , I know the eyes of the world are on us .
The eyes of our own people are on the institutions that we have .
The eyes of history are on us , ’ ” Romney said Sunday on a special edition of “ Meet the Press.
” “ In a setting like this , we want to preserve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our self or even our party — and that is preserve the cause of freedom and democracy here and around the world.
” I presume Romney was selected because of the rapid fashion in which he conceded the election on November 6th , 2012 .
Perhaps NBC News thought this might make a good counterpoint to the court challenges and recounts currently in the works .
But that was an almost entirely different world eight years ago .
Every network called that race shortly after the polls started closing on the west coast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , Romney had already lost Florida , Virginia , Pennsylvania , and Ohio .
He was on his way to what could really only be described as a “ landslide ” loss in modern terms .
( Obama eventually went on to beat him 332-206 in the electoral college and swept the popular vote as well . )
If Mitt hadn ’ t conceded quickly , he would have appeared foolish .
But the Obama-Romney battle wasn ’ t taking place in the middle of a pandemic .
There weren ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the background , continuing to show up for days after the actual election .
And the states hadn ’ t begun fiddling with their election laws at the eleventh hour to allow even more bags of ballots to keep showing up .
It was more of a “ normal ” election and the pollsters had miraculously come fairly close to pegging the state of the race in the final week or two .
2020 is a different kettle of fish , as it is with most any other topic you could name @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t get where Mitt is coming from , by the way .
There are clear concerns over the prospect of people questioning not just the outcome of the race , but the security and reliability of the underlying process .
There are actual authoritarians out there who frequently brush electoral questions under the rug despite significant evidence that they ’ ve cooked the books .
( Look no further than Venezuela for an example of that phenomenon . )
That doesn ’ t mean that legitimate questions don ’ t exist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though .
We have a legal system where such questions can and will be addressed .
I tend to agree with Karen ’ s assessment , posted when the hypothetical “ what if Trump refuses to leave office ” question was being bandied about yet again .
The lack of transparency involved in the counting in some of the swing states is off-putting at a minimum .
The massive numbers of mail-in ballots have produced some worrying signs of potential tampering .
Questions have been raised that deserve answers and that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such issues .
If those cases are quickly resolved and it ’ s found that Joe Biden was the legitimate winner , I have no doubt that Donald Trump will concede the election and get on with the transition .
But until then , Trump is going to be Trump , holding rallies and firing up his base .
To expect otherwise is a sign that you really haven ’ t been paying attention during his presidency or either of his campaigns .

The fact that President Trump is continuing to explore any and all legal options before conceding defeat in last week’s election has clearly gotten under the skin of the media. This fact was in evidence on the Sunday shows yesterday, where hosts were trotting out Democrats and NeverTrump Republicans to chime in on how awful the situation is. That included a “special” edition of Meet the Press, where Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) was invited to weigh in. To his credit, Romney didn’t just blurt out something about how Donald Trump should immediately concede and slink out of the Oval Office in disgrace. But the host did open the door for Mitt to issue some dire warnings. His main point was that by questioning the results of the election, Trump might “encourage authoritarians” around the globe to similarly discredit their nations’ own voting processes. (NBC News)
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, on Sunday warned President Donald Trump to be “careful” as he continues to challenge the results of the 2020 election and not to push America toward an “course in history which would be very, very unfortunate.” “The people in the past, like myself, who lost elections, have gone on in a way that said, ‘look, I know the eyes of the world are on us. The eyes of our own people are on the institutions that we have. The eyes of history are on us,’” Romney said Sunday on a special edition of “Meet the Press.” “In a setting like this, we want to preserve something which is far more important than our self or even our party — and that is preserve the cause of freedom and democracy here and around the world.”
I presume Romney was selected because of the rapid fashion in which he conceded the election on November 6th, 2012. Perhaps NBC News thought this might make a good counterpoint to the court challenges and recounts currently in the works. But that was an almost entirely different world eight years ago. Every network called that race shortly after the polls started closing on the west coast at 11 pm eastern. By that time, Romney had already lost Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. He was on his way to what could really only be described as a “landslide” loss in modern terms. (Obama eventually went on to beat him 332-206 in the electoral college and swept the popular vote as well.) If Mitt hadn’t conceded quickly, he would have appeared foolish.
But the Obama-Romney battle wasn’t taking place in the middle of a pandemic. There weren’t tens of millions of mail-in ballots lurking in the background, continuing to show up for days after the actual election. And the states hadn’t begun fiddling with their election laws at the eleventh hour to allow even more bags of ballots to keep showing up. It was more of a “normal” election and the pollsters had miraculously come fairly close to pegging the state of the race in the final week or two. 2020 is a different kettle of fish, as it is with most any other topic you could name.
It’s not that I don’t get where Mitt is coming from, by the way. There are clear concerns over the prospect of people questioning not just the outcome of the race, but the security and reliability of the underlying process. There are actual authoritarians out there who frequently brush electoral questions under the rug despite significant evidence that they’ve cooked the books. (Look no further than Venezuela for an example of that phenomenon.) That doesn’t mean that legitimate questions don’t exist about how this count is taking place, though. We have a legal system where such questions can and will be addressed.
I tend to agree with Karen’s assessment, posted when the hypothetical “what if Trump refuses to leave office” question was being bandied about yet again. The lack of transparency involved in the counting in some of the swing states is off-putting at a minimum. The massive numbers of mail-in ballots have produced some worrying signs of potential tampering. Questions have been raised that deserve answers and that’s why we have courts to handle such issues. If those cases are quickly resolved and it’s found that Joe Biden was the legitimate winner, I have no doubt that Donald Trump will concede the election and get on with the transition. But until then, Trump is going to be Trump, holding rallies and firing up his base. To expect otherwise is a sign that you really haven’t been paying attention during his presidency or either of his campaigns.


hotair--2020-11-09--American media beclowns itself again - mistakes fireworks in England for a celebration of Biden

An annual celebration that takes place in England that can last for several nights if it falls on a weekday happened on schedule this year .
Guy Fawkes Night , also called Bonfire Night , coincided with the calling of the election by the American media over the weekend .
American media outlets assumed that the fireworks displays overseas were in recognition of Biden ’ s victory .
The media was wrong about that assumption and they should be ashamed of themselves .
Americans are well aware that the media did the bidding of the Democrat Party to bring about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 70 million American voters now consider the media ’ s declaration that Biden is the winner of the presidential election a premature one .
There are legal challenges in several states that must play out now due to the appearance of irregularities ( fraud ) and this will likely take some time .
President Trump is entitled to use the process to get to the bottom of the claims of Democrats brazenly stealing the election , mostly due to the high volume of mail-in ballots .
The media is giddy with delight that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can not contain themselves .
Journalistic professionalism vanished during the Obama years when reporters took a nice long eight-year nap instead of doing their jobs .
Then , President Trump came into office , and suddenly reporting on the sitting president was back in style .
The crazier the story , the better .
Legit news sources ?
We don ’ t need no stinkin ’ on-the-record sources .
Story after story used anonymous sources .
Stories are often flat-out wrong .
Yet , the media persists .
So , when the media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declared victory , it is only normal that the media celebrated along with the Biden campaign .
There was just one problem with all the festivities being reported .
The fireworks that the networks were gushing over in London were not in joyful reaction to Biden ’ s election victory .
The fireworks were in recognition of Guy Fawkes Night .
Since 1606 , Brits have celebrated November 5 as Guy Fawkes Night when Parliament so proclaimed the date .
If that date falls on a weekday , celebrations usually continue through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new , spontaneous celebration .
Breitbart has a short history of Guy Fawkes Night : Guy Fawkes Night , also referred to as Bonfire Night , is celebrated every year in the UK on November 5th and its closest weekend with fireworks , public bonfires , and burning effigies of political figures as well as the traditional Guy .
It commemorates the failure of the Gunpowder Plot 0f 1605 , when Catholic Robert Catesby and his co-conspirators , including Guy Fawkes , plotted to blow up King James I and Members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Opening of Parliament on November 5th .
Catesby planned the terror attack because the King did not support tolerance for Catholicism in the country .
The conspirators were betrayed and the attack foiled , with Guy Fawkes being caught in Parliament ’ s cellar the day before , where 36 barrels of gunpowder had been planted .
Others in the plot either died resisting arrest or were tried , found guilty of high treason , and executed .
Parliament then proclaimed that the 5th of November should be recognised , with the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The tradition of using fireworks represents the explosives that were never detonated under the Palace of Westminster .
Guy Fawkes Night quickly spread to the American colonies , too , where since the 17th century it was known as Pope Day , though its celebration died out by the 19th century .
Guy Fawkes Night is still held in New Zealand .
Alas , outlets like ABC News , besotted with the vote count in Pennsylvania and the declaration that Biden won the election , went off the deep end and noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Naturally , some tweets have now been deleted .
The church bells that Zeleny references were not for Biden , either .
I ’ ll get to that shortly .
Fortunately , an Australian journalist knew the real story and corrected the others .
She clearly doesn ’ t suffer fools lightly .
Good for her .
The church bells in Paris that were reported to be ringing for Biden also was a false story .
Even the establishment Associated Press ran a fact-checker piece that labelled as “ false ” claims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saturday evening in celebration of a Biden ‘ victory ’ .
The Paris Diocese and the Diocese of Nanterre , a Parisien suburb , told the wire service that the claims were not true , and churches had not been instructed to ring their bells for Biden .
While France ’ s lockdown forbids public worship , the dioceses ’ spokesmen said the bells of some churches were still automatically scheduled to call worshippers to Saturday evening service .
“ This is the case for the bells of the Notre-Dame de l ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be seen and heard in a video shared on social media by a resident of the city , ” the Diocese of Nanterre told AP .
“ As every Saturday evening at 5:45 pm , bells of Notre-Dame de l ’ Assomption church in Meudon rang to announce the Mass at 6 pm.
” ABC News and CNN weren ’ t alone .
Fox News ran the same story , as did The Hill .
This is the kind of unverified media behavior we have come to expect .
They walk in lockstep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats .
The process has not played out yet .
President Trump deserves his day in court to contest the irregularities that have been reported .
The Democrats have conveniently forgotten the 2000 election when Al Gore was given all the time he wanted to contest that election .
The final election results were not declared for 36 days and centered on one state – Florida .
This election is focused on irregularities in several states .
This week is crucial for Team Trump .
Let them have the time .

An annual celebration that takes place in England that can last for several nights if it falls on a weekday happened on schedule this year. Guy Fawkes Night, also called Bonfire Night, coincided with the calling of the election by the American media over the weekend. American media outlets assumed that the fireworks displays overseas were in recognition of Biden’s victory. The media was wrong about that assumption and they should be ashamed of themselves.
Americans are well aware that the media did the bidding of the Democrat Party to bring about a victory for Biden. More than 70 million American voters now consider the media’s declaration that Biden is the winner of the presidential election a premature one. There are legal challenges in several states that must play out now due to the appearance of irregularities (fraud) and this will likely take some time. President Trump is entitled to use the process to get to the bottom of the claims of Democrats brazenly stealing the election, mostly due to the high volume of mail-in ballots.
The media is giddy with delight that Biden won, though, and they cannot contain themselves. Journalistic professionalism vanished during the Obama years when reporters took a nice long eight-year nap instead of doing their jobs. Then, President Trump came into office, and suddenly reporting on the sitting president was back in style. The crazier the story, the better. Legit news sources? We don’t need no stinkin’ on-the-record sources. Story after story used anonymous sources. Stories are often flat-out wrong. Yet, the media persists. So, when the media jumped the gun and their guy Biden declared victory, it is only normal that the media celebrated along with the Biden campaign.
There was just one problem with all the festivities being reported. The fireworks that the networks were gushing over in London were not in joyful reaction to Biden’s election victory. The fireworks were in recognition of Guy Fawkes Night. Since 1606, Brits have celebrated November 5 as Guy Fawkes Night when Parliament so proclaimed the date. If that date falls on a weekday, celebrations usually continue through the weekend. So, this was not a new, spontaneous celebration. Breitbart has a short history of Guy Fawkes Night:
Guy Fawkes Night, also referred to as Bonfire Night, is celebrated every year in the UK on November 5th and its closest weekend with fireworks, public bonfires, and burning effigies of political figures as well as the traditional Guy. It commemorates the failure of the Gunpowder Plot 0f 1605, when Catholic Robert Catesby and his co-conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, plotted to blow up King James I and Members of the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament on November 5th. Catesby planned the terror attack because the King did not support tolerance for Catholicism in the country. The conspirators were betrayed and the attack foiled, with Guy Fawkes being caught in Parliament’s cellar the day before, where 36 barrels of gunpowder had been planted. Others in the plot either died resisting arrest or were tried, found guilty of high treason, and executed. Parliament then proclaimed that the 5th of November should be recognised, with the first Guy Fawkes celebrations taking place in 1606. The tradition of using fireworks represents the explosives that were never detonated under the Palace of Westminster. Guy Fawkes Night quickly spread to the American colonies, too, where since the 17th century it was known as Pope Day, though its celebration died out by the 19th century. Guy Fawkes Night is still held in New Zealand.
Alas, outlets like ABC News, besotted with the vote count in Pennsylvania and the declaration that Biden won the election, went off the deep end and noted the fireworks but got the story wrong. Naturally, some tweets have now been deleted.
“Fireworks lit up the night sky over London, England, after Joe Biden was characterized to be the apparent winner of the presidential election,” the supposedly worldly network wrote on social media in a since-deleted Tweet. ABC wasn’t alone. On Saturday night, CNN reporter Jeff Zeleny was enchanted as well: “We heard church bells in Paris, fireworks in London. This is indeed a moment the world is watching!”
The church bells that Zeleny references were not for Biden, either. I’ll get to that shortly. Fortunately, an Australian journalist knew the real story and corrected the others. She clearly doesn’t suffer fools lightly. Good for her.
.@ABC deleted this tweet…but the same BS story ran in multiple publications. https://t.co/2G5gQSfLlk pic.twitter.com/6y04Ht9znu — Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) November 9, 2020
The church bells in Paris that were reported to be ringing for Biden also was a false story.
Even the establishment Associated Press ran a fact-checker piece that labelled as “false” claims that French churches rang their bells on Saturday evening in celebration of a Biden ‘victory’. The Paris Diocese and the Diocese of Nanterre, a Parisien suburb, told the wire service that the claims were not true, and churches had not been instructed to ring their bells for Biden. While France’s lockdown forbids public worship, the dioceses’ spokesmen said the bells of some churches were still automatically scheduled to call worshippers to Saturday evening service. “This is the case for the bells of the Notre-Dame de l’Assomption church in Meudon, which can be seen and heard in a video shared on social media by a resident of the city,” the Diocese of Nanterre told AP. “As every Saturday evening at 5:45 pm, bells of Notre-Dame de l’Assomption church in Meudon rang to announce the Mass at 6 pm.”
ABC News and CNN weren’t alone. Fox News ran the same story, as did The Hill. This is the kind of unverified media behavior we have come to expect. They walk in lockstep to favor only one side, the Democrats.
The process has not played out yet. President Trump deserves his day in court to contest the irregularities that have been reported. The Democrats have conveniently forgotten the 2000 election when Al Gore was given all the time he wanted to contest that election. The final election results were not declared for 36 days and centered on one state – Florida. This election is focused on irregularities in several states. This week is crucial for Team Trump. Let them have the time.


hotair--2020-11-09--ABC News announces Pfizer vaccine data showing that it's "more effective than a placebo"

There ’ s actually some potentially great news buried in this announcement , assuming you can get past the ABC News headline that popped up in my Twitter feed this morning .
“ JUST IN : Initial glimpse at the data from Pfizer ’ s ongoing late-stage clinical trial shows that the company ’ s vaccine is more effective at preventing COVID-19 than placebo .
” My immediate reaction was to wonder if they couldn ’ t have come up with a better description than “ better than a placebo , ” but the reality is that it looks far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact , they ’ re reporting a 90 % effectiveness rate , which sounds extremely encouraging .
There are still more regulatory hoops to jump through , but Pfizer seems to be close to applying for permission to begin broad production and release of the vaccine and a few other companies are hot on their heels .
In a promising development , an initial glimpse at the data from Pfizer ’ s ongoing late-stage clinical trial shows that the company ’ s vaccine is more effective at preventing COVID-19 than placebo .
An @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pfizer and partner Biotech was “ found to be more than 90 % effective in preventing COVID-19 ” according to an early analysis that included 94 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in trial participants .
“ With today ’ s news , we are a significant step closer to providing people around the world with a much-needed breakthrough to help bring an end to this global health crisis , ” said Dr. Albert Bourla , Pfizer Chairman and CEO , according to prepared remarks .
Moderna , AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson are also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data , though the latter two ran into some safety issues that caused delays .
They are still shooting for reaching the same stage of development as soon as early January , though .
Don ’ t go throwing away your facemasks and planning big parties just yet , however .
Even if the 90 % figure holds , Pfizer will still need to provide two months of safety data to the FDA , collected after the final rounds of injections in test subjects are complete .
Assuming the FDA is satisfied , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergency authorization to distribute the vaccine to the highest-risk subjects , including the elderly and those with underlying respiratory conditions .
After that , the company can apply for approval to generally release the vaccine to the public .
So the bottom line here is that if the approvals roll through on the expected schedule , we could start seeing vaccinations becoming available in early spring with much of the country being able to get them by June .
The less great news is that we ’ re anticipating the cold winter months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with some signs that this is happening already .
But assuming we make it through this wave , we could be set up to have broad levels of immunity well ahead of the following winter… assuming that the immunity provided by the vaccines lasts for a sufficient period of time .
That ’ s a question that remains up in the air .
And before we get too comfortable that rescue is on the way , don ’ t forget the 17 million minks currently being euthanized in Denmark .
They managed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mutate in their systems into something that may be resistant to a vaccine , and spread it back to human beings .
This virus is acting awfully adaptable and the medical community is going to have stay on top of this if we expect COVID to be contained at least as well as the seasonal flu .
But I ’ ll take some good news wherever I can find it these days , so let ’ s hope that Pfizer knows what they ’ re doing .
Exit question : How many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump said a vaccine would probably be developed by the end of the year and the networks beat him over the head with fact checks about that ?
I guess we ’ re not supposed to talk about that anymore .

There’s actually some potentially great news buried in this announcement, assuming you can get past the ABC News headline that popped up in my Twitter feed this morning.
JUST IN: Initial glimpse at the data from Pfizer's ongoing late-stage clinical trial shows that the company's vaccine is more effective at preventing COVID-19 than placebo. https://t.co/XZUSwQjbFQ — ABC News (@ABC) November 9, 2020
“JUST IN: Initial glimpse at the data from Pfizer’s ongoing late-stage clinical trial shows that the company’s vaccine is more effective at preventing COVID-19 than placebo. ”
My immediate reaction was to wonder if they couldn’t have come up with a better description than “better than a placebo,” but the reality is that it looks far, far better than that. In fact, they’re reporting a 90% effectiveness rate, which sounds extremely encouraging. There are still more regulatory hoops to jump through, but Pfizer seems to be close to applying for permission to begin broad production and release of the vaccine and a few other companies are hot on their heels.
In a promising development, an initial glimpse at the data from Pfizer’s ongoing late-stage clinical trial shows that the company’s vaccine is more effective at preventing COVID-19 than placebo. An early morning release said the vaccine from Pfizer and partner Biotech was “found to be more than 90% effective in preventing COVID-19” according to an early analysis that included 94 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in trial participants. “With today’s news, we are a significant step closer to providing people around the world with a much-needed breakthrough to help bring an end to this global health crisis,” said Dr. Albert Bourla, Pfizer Chairman and CEO, according to prepared remarks.
Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson are also on track to release their own promising data, though the latter two ran into some safety issues that caused delays. They are still shooting for reaching the same stage of development as soon as early January, though.
Don’t go throwing away your facemasks and planning big parties just yet, however. Even if the 90% figure holds, Pfizer will still need to provide two months of safety data to the FDA, collected after the final rounds of injections in test subjects are complete. Assuming the FDA is satisfied, they may apply to first gain an emergency authorization to distribute the vaccine to the highest-risk subjects, including the elderly and those with underlying respiratory conditions. After that, the company can apply for approval to generally release the vaccine to the public.
So the bottom line here is that if the approvals roll through on the expected schedule, we could start seeing vaccinations becoming available in early spring with much of the country being able to get them by June. The less great news is that we’re anticipating the cold winter months to produce a wave of new cases, with some signs that this is happening already. But assuming we make it through this wave, we could be set up to have broad levels of immunity well ahead of the following winter… assuming that the immunity provided by the vaccines lasts for a sufficient period of time. That’s a question that remains up in the air.
And before we get too comfortable that rescue is on the way, don’t forget the 17 million minks currently being euthanized in Denmark. They managed to catch the virus, have it mutate in their systems into something that may be resistant to a vaccine, and spread it back to human beings. This virus is acting awfully adaptable and the medical community is going to have stay on top of this if we expect COVID to be contained at least as well as the seasonal flu. But I’ll take some good news wherever I can find it these days, so let’s hope that Pfizer knows what they’re doing.
Exit question: How many of you are old enough to remember when Trump said a vaccine would probably be developed by the end of the year and the networks beat him over the head with fact checks about that? I guess we’re not supposed to talk about that anymore.


hotair--2020-11-10--The next Armenian genocide is postponed, thanks to... Russia?

For more than a month now , the long-simmering skirmishes between Azerbaijan and the Armenians have broken out into open conflict .
This development is largely being driven by the fact that the conflict has essentially turned into a proxy war .
Azeri forces are sporting plenty of new Turkish hardware and are being bolstered by militias believed to be composed of some of the Turkish tyrant Recep Tayyip Erdogan ’ s thugs .
All of this activity has had the region on edge , bringing back memories of the Armenian genocide .
But as of yesterday , things may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Maybe .
A ceasefire has been arranged , not by the two warring parties , but by Russia .
The Russians have long backed the Armenians , while Turkey has sided with the Azerbaijanis .
But this wasn ’ t just a matter of simple diplomacy .
The terms of the agreement call for thousands of Russian troops to be stationed in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave ( where most of the fighting is taking place ) to keep the peace by force if required .
But the agreement comes at a price that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to accept .
( Associated Press ) Armenia and Azerbaijan announced an agreement early Tuesday to halt fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan under a pact signed with Russia that calls for deployment of nearly 2,000 Russian peacekeepers and territorial concessions .
Nagorno-Karabakh has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a 1994 truce ended a separatist war in which an estimated 30,000 people died .
Sporadic clashes occurred since then , and full-scale fighting began on Sept. 27… Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was “ extremely painful for me personally and for our people.
” While the rest of the world would like to see an end to this bloody stalemate , any sort of lasting peace is hardly assured , even with the presence of Russian troops .
The agreement calls for the Armenians to concede significant portions of the territory they have occupied for generations , including the city of Shushi which was overrun by the Azeri forces this weekend .
Armenians flooded the public square in Yerevan last night , chanting “ we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The Armenian Prime Minister may find his career in trouble if he sticks to this agreement against the wishes of his people .
Fighting the Azerbaijanis is pretty much the defining characteristic of the current generation of Armenians at this point and expecting them to simply give up and go home would be out of character .
But it ’ s not just the Armenians who are unhappy .
Mere hours after the agreement was announced , Azeri forces shot down a Russian helicopter on the other side of the region that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ borders .
Two Russian military personnel were killed .
Azerbaijan said Monday that it shot down a Russian military helicopter that was flying over Armenia .
Two Russian servicemen were killed .
The helicopter was shot down as it flew near the border with the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan , which is surrounded by Armenia , Iran and Turkey .
The area is distant from Nagorno-Karabakh , the region where Armenian and Azerbaijani forces have been fighting heavily since late September .
Shooting down a Russian aircraft that wasn ’ t even near @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fighting has been going on seems like a significant escalation of hostilities .
And we can ’ t rule out the possibility that Azerbaijan was using some of their new Turkish hardware to pull it off .
This situation definitely appears to be edging closer and closer to a full-scale proxy war between Turkey and Russia .
That would be something of a surprise , because Erdogan has been cozying up to Vladimir Putin for the last couple of years , going so far as to sign contracts to purchase missile systems and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing the world needs is yet another war breaking out , but this very old fight is clearly drawing in new combatants and complicating the situation in the region considerably .

For more than a month now, the long-simmering skirmishes between Azerbaijan and the Armenians have broken out into open conflict. This development is largely being driven by the fact that the conflict has essentially turned into a proxy war. Azeri forces are sporting plenty of new Turkish hardware and are being bolstered by militias believed to be composed of some of the Turkish tyrant Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s thugs. All of this activity has had the region on edge, bringing back memories of the Armenian genocide.
But as of yesterday, things may be in the process of cooling down. Maybe. A ceasefire has been arranged, not by the two warring parties, but by Russia. The Russians have long backed the Armenians, while Turkey has sided with the Azerbaijanis. But this wasn’t just a matter of simple diplomacy. The terms of the agreement call for thousands of Russian troops to be stationed in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave (where most of the fighting is taking place) to keep the peace by force if required. But the agreement comes at a price that the Armenians don’t seem eager to accept. (Associated Press)
Armenia and Azerbaijan announced an agreement early Tuesday to halt fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan under a pact signed with Russia that calls for deployment of nearly 2,000 Russian peacekeepers and territorial concessions. Nagorno-Karabakh has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a 1994 truce ended a separatist war in which an estimated 30,000 people died. Sporadic clashes occurred since then, and full-scale fighting began on Sept. 27… Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Facebook that calling an end to the fight was “extremely painful for me personally and for our people.”
While the rest of the world would like to see an end to this bloody stalemate, any sort of lasting peace is hardly assured, even with the presence of Russian troops. The agreement calls for the Armenians to concede significant portions of the territory they have occupied for generations, including the city of Shushi which was overrun by the Azeri forces this weekend. Armenians flooded the public square in Yerevan last night, chanting “we won’t give up our land.” The Armenian Prime Minister may find his career in trouble if he sticks to this agreement against the wishes of his people. Fighting the Azerbaijanis is pretty much the defining characteristic of the current generation of Armenians at this point and expecting them to simply give up and go home would be out of character.
But it’s not just the Armenians who are unhappy. Mere hours after the agreement was announced, Azeri forces shot down a Russian helicopter on the other side of the region that was flying near the Iranian and Turkish borders. Two Russian military personnel were killed.
Azerbaijan said Monday that it shot down a Russian military helicopter that was flying over Armenia. Two Russian servicemen were killed. The helicopter was shot down as it flew near the border with the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan, which is surrounded by Armenia, Iran and Turkey. The area is distant from Nagorno-Karabakh, the region where Armenian and Azerbaijani forces have been fighting heavily since late September.
Shooting down a Russian aircraft that wasn’t even near the disputed region where most of the fighting has been going on seems like a significant escalation of hostilities. And we can’t rule out the possibility that Azerbaijan was using some of their new Turkish hardware to pull it off. This situation definitely appears to be edging closer and closer to a full-scale proxy war between Turkey and Russia. That would be something of a surprise, because Erdogan has been cozying up to Vladimir Putin for the last couple of years, going so far as to sign contracts to purchase missile systems and fighter jets from Moscow. The last thing the world needs is yet another war breaking out, but this very old fight is clearly drawing in new combatants and complicating the situation in the region considerably.