hotair--2020-05-12--Report: Looks like the coronavirus may have mutated, more contagious

The coronavirus is highly contagious , that fact has been made clear by now .
It sets it apart from other viruses , other flu-like epidemics , because of the intensity of its contagious nature .
So , the last thing we want to read about is a strain of the virus that seems to have mutated to a more contagious one .
Yet , here we are .
Let me say right up front that this is a report , an analysis by Houston Methodist Hospital , using the coronavirus circulating in the Houston area .
It is an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first infections treated here .
And , it is just now beginning to be peer-reviewed .
So , there are no concrete conclusions available yet .
That ’ s been the problem with this virus , though , hasn ’ t it ?
It ’ s been hard for medical professionals to get a firm grip on symptoms , diagnoses , and treatment options .
Beginning in early March , the virus that causes COVID-19 was introduced to the Houston area .
It was first diagnosed in patients who were returning from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ became infected during a Nile River cruise .
The earliest diagnosis was reported on March 5 .
That outbreak was likely caused by an Asian or European strain .
To date , there have been no strains associated with Africa .
Dr. James Musser , chairman of pathology and genomic medicine at Houston Methodist and a study author , says they have a snapshot of what the virus looked like after arriving in Houston .
This snapshot allows scientists to keep an eye out for less severe or more severe strains of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the coronavirus came from Asia , Europe , or South America – a multiple of geographic regions .
Musser attributes international origins of the outbreak in Houston to the city being “ an ethnically diverse , international city and transportation hub.
” The study found no evidence yet of mutations making any particular strain of the virus more virulent than others .
But 70 percent of the specimens studied , taken from COVID-19 patients treated at Methodist between early March and March 30 , had a mutation that changes the structure of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s ability to infect human cells .
Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory reported a week ago that the structural change enhances infectivity .
The Methodist study analyzed samples of the virus from the first 320 patients diagnosed and treated at the system ’ s eight hospitals .
This number represents 40 % of all confirmed cases in the area at the time .
This percentage of cases is likely due to the hospital having its own molecular diagnostic test at a time when testing was very limited .
The test allows Methodist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a virus — its genome .
Genomes from a number of virus samples allow them to compare mutations .
The team tested the hypothesis that distinct viral groups were associated with disease severity but found little evidence to support the idea .
But Musser said the matter warrants further study with a larger sample size and that such analysis is currently under way at Methodist .
The study also found no resistance-related mutations to antiviral drugs such as Remdesivir , recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration as an emergency COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respond well to Remdesivir , according to the study .
So , while the early , limited results are encouraging , the larger sample size study that is ongoing should provide more clarity .
Obviously , 320 viral samples out of 1.3 million people who have been infected globally is a very small sample of the pandemic .
Methodist Hospital continues to do genomic analyses of every one of its COVID-19 patients , which now number more than 1,000 cases sequenced .
Musser is working on a manuscript of those cases .
Knowing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in following spikes of outbreaks , new outbreaks , and making strategies moving forward .
The Methodist study is the third such genomic analysis of the virus ’ spread in a U.S. community and the largest to date .
The others were in Seattle and New York City .
Methodist Hospital ’ s paper has been submitted for peer review to a prominent scientific journal .
There is skepticism in the scientific community about the virus mutating .
Many scientists do not believe that there are two strains of the coronavirus .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cited by the Los Angeles Times , found a mutation in COVID-19 , known as D614G , that changes the protein ’ s shape .
The mutated form of COVID-19 became predominant in Europe , Australia , and North America .
But many scientists agree there isn ’ t enough evidence in the Los Alamos study to prove the mutation resulted in a different strain of COVID-19 .
Though COVID-19 has developed mutations , it is unlikely it has changed enough to be considered a new strain .
Viruses “ copy ” themselves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Mutations are random and neither good nor bad .
Mutating into a different strain , however , means the virus has changed so much it no longer “ acts ” like the original virus .
Different strains of the same disease often respond differently to vaccines .
This is why it is important to find when the virus forms a new strain .
Though researchers at Los Alamos posited the D614G mutation could have helped COVID-19 spread faster and further , researchers at Arizona State University came to the opposite conclusion in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , scientists generally agree there is only one strain of COVID-19 , and mutations have not yet made the virus more contagious , dangerous , or resistant to treatment .
Of the scientists who support the analysis that there are two strains of the coronavirus , with one more aggressive than the other , all agree that in order to make an effective vaccine all strains must be identified .
A vaccine will have to target features in all strains of the virus .
Studies involving larger groups of cases will be necessary @

The coronavirus is highly contagious, that fact has been made clear by now. It sets it apart from other viruses, other flu-like epidemics, because of the intensity of its contagious nature. So, the last thing we want to read about is a strain of the virus that seems to have mutated to a more contagious one. Yet, here we are.
Let me say right up front that this is a report, an analysis by Houston Methodist Hospital, using the coronavirus circulating in the Houston area. It is an analysis of the genetic makeup of the first infections treated here. And, it is just now beginning to be peer-reviewed. So, there are no concrete conclusions available yet. That’s been the problem with this virus, though, hasn’t it? It’s been hard for medical professionals to get a firm grip on symptoms, diagnoses, and treatment options.
Beginning in early March, the virus that causes COVID-19 was introduced to the Houston area. It was first diagnosed in patients who were returning from a cruise, a group of teachers who became infected during a Nile River cruise. The earliest diagnosis was reported on March 5. That outbreak was likely caused by an Asian or European strain. To date, there have been no strains associated with Africa. Dr. James Musser, chairman of pathology and genomic medicine at Houston Methodist and a study author, says they have a snapshot of what the virus looked like after arriving in Houston. This snapshot allows scientists to keep an eye out for less severe or more severe strains of the virus. It is likely the seedling of the coronavirus came from Asia, Europe, or South America – a multiple of geographic regions. Musser attributes international origins of the outbreak in Houston to the city being “an ethnically diverse, international city and transportation hub.”
The study found no evidence yet of mutations making any particular strain of the virus more virulent than others. But 70 percent of the specimens studied, taken from COVID-19 patients treated at Methodist between early March and March 30, had a mutation that changes the structure of a protein critical to the virus’s ability to infect human cells. Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory reported a week ago that the structural change enhances infectivity.
The Methodist study analyzed samples of the virus from the first 320 patients diagnosed and treated at the system’s eight hospitals. This number represents 40% of all confirmed cases in the area at the time. This percentage of cases is likely due to the hospital having its own molecular diagnostic test at a time when testing was very limited.
The test allows Methodist researchers to sequence all the genetic material in a virus — its genome. Genomes from a number of virus samples allow them to compare mutations. The team tested the hypothesis that distinct viral groups were associated with disease severity but found little evidence to support the idea. But Musser said the matter warrants further study with a larger sample size and that such analysis is currently under way at Methodist. The study also found no resistance-related mutations to antiviral drugs such as Remdesivir, recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration as an emergency COVID-19 treatment. The strains studied likely would respond well to Remdesivir, according to the study.
So, while the early, limited results are encouraging, the larger sample size study that is ongoing should provide more clarity. Obviously, 320 viral samples out of 1.3 million people who have been infected globally is a very small sample of the pandemic. Methodist Hospital continues to do genomic analyses of every one of its COVID-19 patients, which now number more than 1,000 cases sequenced. Musser is working on a manuscript of those cases. Knowing where the virus strains originated is important in following spikes of outbreaks, new outbreaks, and making strategies moving forward.
The Methodist study is the third such genomic analysis of the virus’ spread in a U.S. community and the largest to date. The others were in Seattle and New York City. Methodist Hospital’s paper has been submitted for peer review to a prominent scientific journal.
There is skepticism in the scientific community about the virus mutating. Many scientists do not believe that there are two strains of the coronavirus.
A study by Los Alamos National Laboratory, cited by the Los Angeles Times, found a mutation in COVID-19, known as D614G, that changes the protein’s shape. The mutated form of COVID-19 became predominant in Europe, Australia, and North America. But many scientists agree there isn’t enough evidence in the Los Alamos study to prove the mutation resulted in a different strain of COVID-19. Though COVID-19 has developed mutations, it is unlikely it has changed enough to be considered a new strain. Viruses “copy” themselves when they spread and commonly form mutations. Mutations are random and neither good nor bad. Mutating into a different strain, however, means the virus has changed so much it no longer “acts” like the original virus. Different strains of the same disease often respond differently to vaccines. This is why it is important to find when the virus forms a new strain. Though researchers at Los Alamos posited the D614G mutation could have helped COVID-19 spread faster and further, researchers at Arizona State University came to the opposite conclusion in a separate study. So for now, scientists generally agree there is only one strain of COVID-19, and mutations have not yet made the virus more contagious, dangerous, or resistant to treatment.
Of the scientists who support the analysis that there are two strains of the coronavirus, with one more aggressive than the other, all agree that in order to make an effective vaccine all strains must be identified. A vaccine will have to target features in all strains of the virus. Studies involving larger groups of cases will be necessary.


hotair--2020-05-13--Report: Some Trump advisors "anxious" about him attacking Obama's integrity

Meh .
I think this is a silly thing to worry about given how Biden ’ s preparing to weaponize Obama against Trump .
He already has , in fact .
It was just a few days ago that O called Trump ’ s coronavirus response an “ absolute chaotic disaster ” on a fundraising phone call that mysteriously leaked to the press .
Obama will be a factor in the campaign .
Trump has to deal with it somehow .
Plus , nothing but nothing gets righties motivated to vote like reminding them how much they dislike Obama .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ reelection running through massive turnout among his base , not winning over swing voters .
Making Obama his main foil is a logical way to facilitate that .
But yeah , there are risks to the “ ObamaGate ” strategy too .
Some of Mr. Trump ’ s advisers believe that there isn ’ t a downside in attacking Mr. Obama , who is vastly more popular than Mr. Biden .
They argue that Mr. Trump challenged Mr. Obama ’ s record throughout the 2016 campaign , and they take Mr. Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But the president is now attacking Mr. Obama ’ s integrity , not just his policies , a move that makes some of Mr. Trump ’ s advisers anxious .
In a survey of voters in 17 battleground states commissioned by the Republican National Committee in March , Mr. Obama was deeply popular , especially compared with current elected officials .
Sixty percent of respondents said they viewed Mr. Obama favorably , compared with 36 percent who said they saw him negatively , according to a person briefed on the data .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ polling , but he was popular in the final few months of his presidency too and that didn ’ t stop Trump from winning the presidency .
No risk for POTUS in attacking him again then , right ?
I don ’ t know .
Biden ’ s a very generic Democrat ; Hillary Clinton was … Hillary Clinton .
The Trump vs. Hillary election truly was a Trump vs. Hillary election , even with O cheering her on , as the Clintons have their own distinctive political brand .
A Trump vs. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ de facto Trump vs. Obama election because Biden doesn ’ t have his own distinctive brand .
And Trump vs. Obama is not a good match-up for the GOP given their respective favorable ratings .
Second , for obvious reasons , Obama has heavy influence with black voters .
Not as much influence as he ’ s cracked up to have , maybe : He stumped for Hillary in 2016 yet African-Americans still showed up for her at a smaller clip than they did for O , which may have doomed her in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it gets between Trump and the first black president , the greater the risk that black voters will take it personally too , and not just in terms of higher turnout .
Nonwhite voters are one of the few groups with whom Trump has made some gains in polling this year .
If war with O alienates them , those gains could be reversed .
And Trump needs every new voter he can get given his slide lately among senior citizens .
The main risk of the “ ObamaGate ” offensive doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s the “ what the hell is he talking about ?
” factor .
The saga of Mike Flynn and his plea bargain and the FBI and the Russian ambassador and “ unmasking , ” etc etc etc , is now sufficiently deep in the weeds that most voters might not be able to follow it .
That was a solid criticism of the impeachment saga too — for all the attention paid to it , it was sufficiently complicated and far afield from voters ’ core concerns that people largely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invest heavily in “ ObamaGate , ” plus a segment of the right ’ s activist class that ’ s Very Online , but remember that Trump got 63 million votes in 2016 and on a good night something like four or five million watch Fox .
Even to most Republicans , said David Frum in a piece a few days ago , the ObamaGate stuff may not be galvanizing so much as mystifying .
And mystification is a bad look in the middle of a pandemic and economic collapse in which Dems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focused .
[ T ] he most important thing to notice about the Trump-Fox blizzard of mania is how remote it is from anything that real-world voters care about .
In 2015 , Trump apprehended that most Republicans were talking about things that Republican voters did not then care about : deficits , taxes , productivity , and trade .
In 2015 , Trump apprehended that nobody was talking about things that Republican voters did care about : immigration , drugs , the declining status of less educated white men .
That Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has lost the plot .
He ’ s talking about things most voters could not even understand , let alone care about .
Yes , Flynn lied to the FBI .
But you have to see , the FBI ’ s interview was not properly predicated … Meanwhile , the country is on track to lose more people to the coronavirus than the Union lost in battle in the Civil War .
Meanwhile , 33 million Americans have filed unemployment claims .
One could say that Trump ’ s just being opportunistic in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His DOJ dropped the case against Flynn a few days ago , so there ’ s some renewed public attention to the circumstances of Flynn ’ s prosecution .
The president is leveraging that .
We could also say , a la making Obama a foil , that it ’ s great turnout material .
If you ’ re going to win with your base , give the base a reason to be angry at Democrats .
That ’ s the Flynn case .
Frum ’ s point , though , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by “ base turnout ” standards .
It ’ s not Republicans writ large who are particularly interested in it .
( Senate Republicans don ’ t even want to follow up on it . )
It ’ s Republican activists , people who are so ardently pro-Trump that they really would vote for him even if he shot someone on Fifth Avenue .
They ’ re going to support him this fall no matter what , in which case he may not be gaining anything by spending time on it .
To @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic he may be losing some voters who are otherwise considering supporting him .
His bizarre lashing out at Joe Scarborough a few days ago is of a piece with that .
It ’ s not that anyone ’ s going to vote for Biden because Trump was mean to poor “ Morning Joe.
” It ’ s that people might vote for Biden because they ’ re left thinking , “ Where the hell are this guy ’ s priorities ?
” Anyway .
Here ’ s McConnell reminding Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama started it — which may have been O ’ s goal , of course .
If he ’ s trying to bait Trump into making him a foil for strategic reasons , it ’ s working .

Meh. I think this is a silly thing to worry about given how Biden’s preparing to weaponize Obama against Trump. He already has, in fact. It was just a few days ago that O called Trump’s coronavirus response an “absolute chaotic disaster” on a fundraising phone call that mysteriously leaked to the press. Obama will be a factor in the campaign. Trump has to deal with it somehow.
Plus, nothing but nothing gets righties motivated to vote like reminding them how much they dislike Obama. Trump has always imagined his path to reelection running through massive turnout among his base, not winning over swing voters. Making Obama his main foil is a logical way to facilitate that.
But yeah, there are risks to the “ObamaGate” strategy too.
Some of Mr. Trump’s advisers believe that there isn’t a downside in attacking Mr. Obama, who is vastly more popular than Mr. Biden. They argue that Mr. Trump challenged Mr. Obama’s record throughout the 2016 campaign, and they take Mr. Trump’s victory as affirmation of his approach. But the president is now attacking Mr. Obama’s integrity, not just his policies, a move that makes some of Mr. Trump’s advisers anxious. In a survey of voters in 17 battleground states commissioned by the Republican National Committee in March, Mr. Obama was deeply popular, especially compared with current elected officials. Sixty percent of respondents said they viewed Mr. Obama favorably, compared with 36 percent who said they saw him negatively, according to a person briefed on the data.
Right, Obama is popular according to polling, but he was popular in the final few months of his presidency too and that didn’t stop Trump from winning the presidency. No risk for POTUS in attacking him again then, right? I don’t know. Biden’s a very generic Democrat; Hillary Clinton was … Hillary Clinton. The Trump vs. Hillary election truly was a Trump vs. Hillary election, even with O cheering her on, as the Clintons have their own distinctive political brand. A Trump vs. Biden election could end up as a de facto Trump vs. Obama election because Biden doesn’t have his own distinctive brand. And Trump vs. Obama is not a good match-up for the GOP given their respective favorable ratings.
Second, for obvious reasons, Obama has heavy influence with black voters. Not as much influence as he’s cracked up to have, maybe: He stumped for Hillary in 2016 yet African-Americans still showed up for her at a smaller clip than they did for O, which may have doomed her in swing states. But the more personal it gets between Trump and the first black president, the greater the risk that black voters will take it personally too, and not just in terms of higher turnout. Nonwhite voters are one of the few groups with whom Trump has made some gains in polling this year. If war with O alienates them, those gains could be reversed. And Trump needs every new voter he can get given his slide lately among senior citizens.
The main risk of the “ObamaGate” offensive doesn’t involve racial politics, though. It’s the “what the hell is he talking about?” factor. The saga of Mike Flynn and his plea bargain and the FBI and the Russian ambassador and “unmasking,” etc etc etc, is now sufficiently deep in the weeds that most voters might not be able to follow it. That was a solid criticism of the impeachment saga too — for all the attention paid to it, it was sufficiently complicated and far afield from voters’ core concerns that people largely tuned it out. Fox viewers will invest heavily in “ObamaGate,” plus a segment of the right’s activist class that’s Very Online, but remember that Trump got 63 million votes in 2016 and on a good night something like four or five million watch Fox. Even to most Republicans, said David Frum in a piece a few days ago, the ObamaGate stuff may not be galvanizing so much as mystifying. And mystification is a bad look in the middle of a pandemic and economic collapse in which Dems are already attacking Trump for not being focused.
[T]he most important thing to notice about the Trump-Fox blizzard of mania is how remote it is from anything that real-world voters care about. In 2015, Trump apprehended that most Republicans were talking about things that Republican voters did not then care about: deficits, taxes, productivity, and trade. In 2015, Trump apprehended that nobody was talking about things that Republican voters did care about: immigration, drugs, the declining status of less educated white men. That Trump is gone. Today’s Trump has lost the plot. He’s talking about things most voters could not even understand, let alone care about. Yes, Flynn lied to the FBI. But you have to see, the FBI’s interview was not properly predicated … Meanwhile, the country is on track to lose more people to the coronavirus than the Union lost in battle in the Civil War. Meanwhile, 33 million Americans have filed unemployment claims.
One could say that Trump’s just being opportunistic in seizing on the “ObamaGate” message. His DOJ dropped the case against Flynn a few days ago, so there’s some renewed public attention to the circumstances of Flynn’s prosecution. The president is leveraging that. We could also say, a la making Obama a foil, that it’s great turnout material. If you’re going to win with your base, give the base a reason to be angry at Democrats. That’s the Flynn case.
Frum’s point, though, is that ObamaGate is in the weeds even by “base turnout” standards. It’s not Republicans writ large who are particularly interested in it. (Senate Republicans don’t even want to follow up on it.) It’s Republican activists, people who are so ardently pro-Trump that they really would vote for him even if he shot someone on Fifth Avenue. They’re going to support him this fall no matter what, in which case he may not be gaining anything by spending time on it. To the contrary, by seeming distracted from the pandemic he may be losing some voters who are otherwise considering supporting him. His bizarre lashing out at Joe Scarborough a few days ago is of a piece with that. It’s not that anyone’s going to vote for Biden because Trump was mean to poor “Morning Joe.” It’s that people might vote for Biden because they’re left thinking, “Where the hell are this guy’s priorities?”
Anyway. Here’s McConnell reminding Trump’s daughter-in-law a few days ago that Obama started it — which may have been O’s goal, of course. If he’s trying to bait Trump into making him a foil for strategic reasons, it’s working.


hotair--2020-05-13--Freed: Manafort gets early release to home confinement over COVID-19 risk

Yesterday , Paul Manafort had four years left to serve on his seven-years-plus sentence in federal prison .
Today , he ’ s back at home to serve his sentence for multiple counts of fraud and tax evasion , thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic .
Manafort left federal prison this morning over concerns that his pre-existing conditions make him particularly vulnerable to a major infection by the coronavirus .
Number of confirmed cases at FCI Loretto ?
Zero : President Trump ’ s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort has been released from prison to serve the remainder of his sentence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the novel coronavirus , two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News .
Manafort was released from FCI Loretto in central Pennsylvania early Wednesday morning , the two sources said .
An attorney for Manafort confirmed he had been released to home confinement but declined to comment further .
The Bureau of Prisons also did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
Manafort ’ s hardly alone in this exodus .
The Bureau of Prisons has released 2500 other inmates to home confinement over the last two months , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s order on March 26th to reduce prison populations to avoid rapid transmission of COVID-19 .
That didn ’ t mean that the BoP wasn ’ t cognizant of how releasing Manafort would look , which is why they took their opportunity before most people had gotten out of bed this morning : Manafort , who was serving a four-year sentence for fraud and tax evasion related to his shady consulting work in Ukraine , left a federal prison in central Pennsylvania before dawn on Wednesday and was headed home to northern Virginia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was under cover of darkness , ” Todd Blanche , a lawyer for Manafort , told the Daily News .
“ I have spoken with him and he is good.
” There have been no COVID-19 cases reported yet at the prison where Manafort was housed in Loretto , Pennsylvania , but jails and prisons have become pandemic hot spots across the nation .
David Axelrod smells something fishy about this : Complicating the picture as well is the status of Michael Cohen , who had his release rescinded without any explanation almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Cohen repeatedly offered testimony about Trump , which turned out not to be much anyway , while Manafort kept his mouth shut .
And it came not long after Trump attorney Charles Harder sent Cohen a letter trying to warn him off from writing a tell-all memoir : On Thursday , Charles Harder , a lawyer for the Trump Organization , sent Cohen a letter warning him that he would be at legal risk if he wrote a book about his time working for Trump , according to several people .
Harder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment from CNBC .
The letter came 11 days after The Daily Beast reported that Cohen had been “ writing an explosive tell-all book about his stint ” as Trump ’ s lawyer “ and plans on releasing it before the election.
” “ The actor and comedian Tom Arnold , who has been in regular contact with Cohen while he has been in prison , says Cohen told him the book would pull no punches , ” The Daily Beast reported .
That disparity is certainly curious , especially since Manafort ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been catalogued by the Department of Justice for years before the 2016 election .
Still , not all of Trump ’ s critics disapproved .
Joe Scarborough gave Manafort ’ s release a thumbs-up , conditional on the BoP applying this idea much more widely : Perhaps this might prompt a long discussion about the necessity of prison confinement for non-violent perpetrators .
Home confinement with prison as the alternative for violations would lift significant financial burdens on state and federal budgets without much risk to public safety .
That would include Cohen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if not hundreds of thousands of others , who could then pay for their own upkeep rather than stick taxpayers with the bill .
Until then , though , Manafort seems to have been … fortunate in the BoP lottery .

Yesterday, Paul Manafort had four years left to serve on his seven-years-plus sentence in federal prison. Today, he’s back at home to serve his sentence for multiple counts of fraud and tax evasion, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Manafort left federal prison this morning over concerns that his pre-existing conditions make him particularly vulnerable to a major infection by the coronavirus.
Number of confirmed cases at FCI Loretto? Zero:
President Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort has been released from prison to serve the remainder of his sentence in home confinement because of concerns over the novel coronavirus, two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. Manafort was released from FCI Loretto in central Pennsylvania early Wednesday morning, the two sources said. An attorney for Manafort confirmed he had been released to home confinement but declined to comment further. The Bureau of Prisons also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Manafort’s hardly alone in this exodus. The Bureau of Prisons has released 2500 other inmates to home confinement over the last two months, in compliance with Attorney General William Barr’s order on March 26th to reduce prison populations to avoid rapid transmission of COVID-19. That didn’t mean that the BoP wasn’t cognizant of how releasing Manafort would look, which is why they took their opportunity before most people had gotten out of bed this morning:
Manafort, who was serving a four-year sentence for fraud and tax evasion related to his shady consulting work in Ukraine, left a federal prison in central Pennsylvania before dawn on Wednesday and was headed home to northern Virginia. “They staged it so it was under cover of darkness,” Todd Blanche, a lawyer for Manafort, told the Daily News. “I have spoken with him and he is good.” There have been no COVID-19 cases reported yet at the prison where Manafort was housed in Loretto, Pennsylvania, but jails and prisons have become pandemic hot spots across the nation.
David Axelrod smells something fishy about this:
So the Barr-led Bureau of Prisons frees Manafort to serve the REMAINING FOUR YEARS of his sentence at home despite the facts that there have been no COVID-19 cases at the prison where he was serving and he did not meet several of the bureau’s standards for COVID release. — David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) May 13, 2020
Complicating the picture as well is the status of Michael Cohen, who had his release rescinded without any explanation almost two weeks ago. Cynics might note that Cohen repeatedly offered testimony about Trump, which turned out not to be much anyway, while Manafort kept his mouth shut. And it came not long after Trump attorney Charles Harder sent Cohen a letter trying to warn him off from writing a tell-all memoir:
On Thursday, Charles Harder, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, sent Cohen a letter warning him that he would be at legal risk if he wrote a book about his time working for Trump, according to several people. Harder did not immediately return a request for comment from CNBC. The letter came 11 days after The Daily Beast reported that Cohen had been “writing an explosive tell-all book about his stint” as Trump’s lawyer “and plans on releasing it before the election.” “The actor and comedian Tom Arnold, who has been in regular contact with Cohen while he has been in prison, says Cohen told him the book would pull no punches,” The Daily Beast reported.
That disparity is certainly curious, especially since Manafort’s crimes were more extensive and had been catalogued by the Department of Justice for years before the 2016 election. Still, not all of Trump’s critics disapproved. Joe Scarborough gave Manafort’s release a thumbs-up, conditional on the BoP applying this idea much more widely:
Perhaps this might prompt a long discussion about the necessity of prison confinement for non-violent perpetrators. Home confinement with prison as the alternative for violations would lift significant financial burdens on state and federal budgets without much risk to public safety. That would include Cohen and Manafort, as well as thousands if not hundreds of thousands of others, who could then pay for their own upkeep rather than stick taxpayers with the bill.
Until then, though, Manafort seems to have been … fortunate in the BoP lottery.


hotair--2020-05-13--Trump: Fauci is playing "all sides of the equation" on reopening

Some Republicans have complained over the past few months that the media is trying to engineer a feud between Trump and Fauci , which is unfortunately true .
They ’ ve got their hero , the low-key man of science , and their villain , the bombastic right-wing populist strongman , and , well , the narrative writes itself .
These two simply must have a showdown .
It ’ s a fair cop .
All I ’ d add is that Fox News primetime is also all-in on the feud .
Their narrative is a little different : In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right-wing populist president and the villain is the out-of-touch unelected scientist-bureaucrat , but the end result is the same .
There must be a confrontation .
Is it happening at last ?
I don ’ t know what he means , exactly , by playing “ all sides of the equation.
” I think he means that Fauci talks out of both sides of his mouth , maybe sounding positive about reopening in private meetings and skeptical in public .
That ’ s how Maggie Haberman took him as well : Trump did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fauci elsewhere today , although that came packaged with some polite criticism too : Here ’ s what he meant in complaining about Fauci ’ s take on schools : You can watch what Fauci said yesterday about schools here .
He agreed with Rand Paul that in general children do “ much , much better ” than older people in fighting off the disease .
The number of deaths nationwide among people under 18 speaks for itself on that .
His point was that there are many things about the disease that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including what sort of effect the virus might have on children short of death .
He was referring to the strange phenomenon being seen right now in New York of kids coming down with a debilitating disease similar to Kawasaki syndrome called pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome .
Andrew Cuomo announced today that they ’ re now over 100 cases locally .
Three people have died of the illness .
Of the 82 kids in New York City diagnosed with it , 53 were also diagnosed with coronavirus .
What percentage of kids infected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fatal is it ?
How many should we expect to get it if we open schools nationally ?
No idea .
That ’ s Fauci ’ s point — as we rush back to work , we also rush headlong into the great unknowns about COVID-19 .
Trump ’ s attitude , however , is that we know the disease doesn ’ t affect most children so it ’ s worth the risk .
Let ’ s hope .
By the way , is there a disagreement between Fauci and Deborah Birx over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true ” coronavirus death count ?
Fauci was clear as can be yesterday in testifying before the Senate that he thinks deaths are being undercounted .
Birx reportedly thinks they ’ re being overcounted , at least if you go by the CDC ’ s count : During a task force meeting Wednesday , a heated discussion broke out between Deborah Birx , the physician who oversees the administration ’ s coronavirus response , and Robert Redfield , the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Birx and others were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system for tracking virus data , which they worried was inflating some statistics — such as mortality rate and case count — by as much as 25 percent , according to four people present for the discussion or later briefed on it .
Two senior administration officials said the discussion was not heated .
“ There is nothing from the CDC that I can trust , ” Birx said , according to two of the people .
According to the Daily Beast , Birx has asked the CDC “ to exclude from coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ either do not have confirmed lab results and are presumed positive or who have the virus and may not have died as a direct result of it , according to three senior administration officials.
” CDC officials pushed back , though , telling the Beast that complying with Birx ’ s request would “ falsely skew the mortality rate.
” The head of the agency ’ s branch on mortality statistics said , “ We ’ re almost certainly underestimating the number of deaths [ in the country ] .
” What ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is that she was on Jeanine Pirro ’ s Fox show less than two weeks ago and Pirro teed her up with a question to cast doubt on the death toll , and she passed .
Preexisting conditions make people more susceptible to dying of COVID , Birx explained , declining the opportunity to say that some patients were actually dying of those conditions instead of the virus .
Why ’ d she change now ?
Or did she ?
Assuming there ’ s ever another coronavirus task force briefing , some reporter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that out .
Assuming he isn ’ t fired by then , of course .

Some Republicans have complained over the past few months that the media is trying to engineer a feud between Trump and Fauci, which is unfortunately true. They’ve got their hero, the low-key man of science, and their villain, the bombastic right-wing populist strongman, and, well, the narrative writes itself. These two simply must have a showdown.
It’s a fair cop. All I’d add is that Fox News primetime is also all-in on the feud. Their narrative is a little different: In this case the hero is the economy-minded right-wing populist president and the villain is the out-of-touch unelected scientist-bureaucrat, but the end result is the same. There must be a confrontation.
Is it happening at last?
“Look, he wants to play all sides of the equation,” President Trump says when asked about Dr. Anthony Fauci’s testimony, where he cautioned that states reopening too early could lead to a spike in COVID-19 cases. https://t.co/xyNTDGeoUw pic.twitter.com/BkdGnhK6f5 — ABC News (@ABC) May 13, 2020
I don’t know what he means, exactly, by playing “all sides of the equation.” I think he means that Fauci talks out of both sides of his mouth, maybe sounding positive about reopening in private meetings and skeptical in public. That’s how Maggie Haberman took him as well:
Trump seems to be saying out loud the criticism of Fauci that some White House officials have made for weeks, which is not being as forceful privately as he is publicly https://t.co/mQNK5LFaVH — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) May 13, 2020
Trump did have some nice things to say about Fauci elsewhere today, although that came packaged with some polite criticism too:
Trump to Fox Business News on Fauci: "So Anthony is a good person, a very good person, I’ve disagreed with him. When I closed the border to China he disagreed with that and then ultimately he agreed. … I totally disagree with him on schools.” — Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) May 13, 2020
Here’s what he meant in complaining about Fauci’s take on schools:
Trump rebukes Fauci, says his testimony about how opening schools amid a pandemic might not be a great idea was "just not an acceptable answer." "This is a disease that attacks age. It attacks health," Trump adds. pic.twitter.com/qgdOG8qvKZ — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 13, 2020
You can watch what Fauci said yesterday about schools here. He agreed with Rand Paul that in general children do “much, much better” than older people in fighting off the disease. The number of deaths nationwide among people under 18 speaks for itself on that. His point was that there are many things about the disease that we still don’t know, including what sort of effect the virus might have on children short of death. He was referring to the strange phenomenon being seen right now in New York of kids coming down with a debilitating disease similar to Kawasaki syndrome called pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome. Andrew Cuomo announced today that they’re now over 100 cases locally. Three people have died of the illness. Of the 82 kids in New York City diagnosed with it, 53 were also diagnosed with coronavirus.
What percentage of kids infected with the virus develop PMIS? How fatal is it? How many should we expect to get it if we open schools nationally? No idea. That’s Fauci’s point — as we rush back to work, we also rush headlong into the great unknowns about COVID-19. Trump’s attitude, however, is that we know the disease doesn’t affect most children so it’s worth the risk. Let’s hope.
By the way, is there a disagreement between Fauci and Deborah Birx over the very sensitive subject of the “true” coronavirus death count? Fauci was clear as can be yesterday in testifying before the Senate that he thinks deaths are being undercounted. Birx reportedly thinks they’re being overcounted, at least if you go by the CDC’s count:
During a task force meeting Wednesday, a heated discussion broke out between Deborah Birx, the physician who oversees the administration’s coronavirus response, and Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Birx and others were frustrated with the CDC’s antiquated system for tracking virus data, which they worried was inflating some statistics — such as mortality rate and case count — by as much as 25 percent, according to four people present for the discussion or later briefed on it. Two senior administration officials said the discussion was not heated. “There is nothing from the CDC that I can trust,” Birx said, according to two of the people.
According to the Daily Beast, Birx has asked the CDC “to exclude from coronavirus death-count reporting some of those individuals who either do not have confirmed lab results and are presumed positive or who have the virus and may not have died as a direct result of it, according to three senior administration officials.” CDC officials pushed back, though, telling the Beast that complying with Birx’s request would “falsely skew the mortality rate.” The head of the agency’s branch on mortality statistics said, “We’re almost certainly underestimating the number of deaths [in the country].” What’s surprising about Birx’s skepticism is that she was on Jeanine Pirro’s Fox show less than two weeks ago and Pirro teed her up with a question to cast doubt on the death toll, and she passed. Preexisting conditions make people more susceptible to dying of COVID, Birx explained, declining the opportunity to say that some patients were actually dying of those conditions instead of the virus. Why’d she change now? Or did she?
Assuming there’s ever another coronavirus task force briefing, some reporter should get her and Fauci to hash that out. Assuming he isn’t fired by then, of course.


hotair--2020-05-13--Biden's rapid response director attacks Catherine Herridge, then deletes his tweet

A couple of hours ago , CBS News ’ Catherine Herridge tweeted out the declassified “ unmasking list ” of people who ’ d requested unmasking of Michael Flynn ’ s name between election day and Trump ’ s inauguration .
One of the prominent names on that list was Joe Biden .
Biden ’ s rapid response director leaped into action and attacked Catherine Herridge as a “ partisan , rightwing hack who is a regular conduit for conservative media manipulation ploys because she agrees to publicize things before contacting the target to ask for comment.
” He has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a screenshot : Some stuck up for Herridge and said the attack was “ beneath [ the ] integrity ” of the Biden campaign .
If so , this must have been really low .
The “ integrity ” of Biden ’ s campaign in the past few weeks has mostly consisted of # BelieveWomen-feminists suddenly deciding they don ’ t believe Tara Reade .
In addition to Bates now-deleted attack , he also retweeted someone else who responded to his tweet by questioning why CBS had ever hired Herridge : So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over a tweet in which she merely presented the documents .
As recently as 10 days ago , Joe Biden tweeted that attacking the press was part of the “ authoritarian playbook ” and said Trump had put us on a “ dangerous path.
” I guess his rapid response director Andrew Bates missed that .
In case you ’ re wondering about his apology to Herridge , there isn ’ t one , at least not so far .
Bates has since put out another statement to CBS .
This one says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and depth of concern across the American government… ” So there you have it .
The dignity of the Biden campaign has been restored , I guess , despite the lack of apology .

A couple of hours ago, CBS News’ Catherine Herridge tweeted out the declassified “unmasking list” of people who’d requested unmasking of Michael Flynn’s name between election day and Trump’s inauguration. One of the prominent names on that list was Joe Biden. Biden’s rapid response director leaped into action and attacked Catherine Herridge as a “partisan, rightwing hack who is a regular conduit for conservative media manipulation ploys because she agrees to publicize things before contacting the target to ask for comment.” He has since deleted the tweet but here’s a screenshot:
Andrew Bates, why'd you delete this tweet? pic.twitter.com/dSy2SqS12U — Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) May 13, 2020
Some stuck up for Herridge and said the attack was “beneath [the] integrity” of the Biden campaign. If so, this must have been really low. The “integrity” of Biden’s campaign in the past few weeks has mostly consisted of #BelieveWomen-feminists suddenly deciding they don’t believe Tara Reade.
Strong agree with Mark here. The unmasking list is not a big deal in terms of what it reveals; it's a big deal that Grenell did it – and why. But reporting it is perfectly in-bounds. Attacking reporters is what Trump does. Don't be that guy. — Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) May 13, 2020
In addition to Bates now-deleted attack, he also retweeted someone else who responded to his tweet by questioning why CBS had ever hired Herridge:
Yep- the question is why did cbs hire her https://t.co/ntcU9QM8uT — jim manley (@jamespmanley) May 13, 2020
So that makes two attacks directed at Herridge over a tweet in which she merely presented the documents.
As recently as 10 days ago, Joe Biden tweeted that attacking the press was part of the “authoritarian playbook” and said Trump had put us on a “dangerous path.” I guess his rapid response director Andrew Bates missed that.
Joe Biden's sanctimonious tweets vs. Joe Biden's campaign staff in reality. pic.twitter.com/X4YBhaA2Cq — Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) May 13, 2020
In case you’re wondering about his apology to Herridge, there isn’t one, at least not so far. Bates has since put out another statement to CBS. This one says the documents “simply indicate the breadth and depth of concern across the American government…”
.@JoeBiden camp responds to "unmasking" list: "These documents simply indicate the breadth and depth of concern across the American govt…over intelligence reports of Michael Flynn’s attempts to undermine ongoing American national security policy" via @AndrewBatesNC pic.twitter.com/bNl9Fp5JH1 — Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) May 13, 2020
So there you have it. The dignity of the Biden campaign has been restored, I guess, despite the lack of apology.


hotair--2020-05-13--CNN poll: Biden by five -- but Trump leads in battleground states

The big takeaway from today ’ s CNN poll is … maybe don ’ t take general election polls too seriously in May .
The next biggest takeaway ?
Get ready for a replay of 2016 , except without all of the Russia-collusion nonsense .
Once again , the Democratic nominee leads in the national topline .
And once again , we ’ re reminded that presidential elections aren ’ t won in the national popular vote : Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden ’ s lead over President Donald Trump now stands at five points , but Trump has an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could decide the electoral college , according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS .
In the new poll , 51 % of registered voters nationwide back Biden , while 46 % say they prefer Trump .
Partisans are deeply entrenched in their corners , with 95 % of Democrats behind Biden and the same share of Republicans behind Trump .
The two are close among independents ( 50 % back Trump , 46 % Biden , not a large enough difference to be considered a lead ) , but Biden ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ share of voters who identify as Democrats .
That ’ s true , but it ’ s also true that Biden ’ s lead comes mainly from states that aren ’ t in Electoral College play .
In the states that matter , Trump ’ s lead is even wider than Biden ’ s overall advantage : A seven-point lead is outside the margin of error even for a sample of 583 voters , which is the Overall demographics break down as expected except for a Trump deficit among seniors .
However , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the battleground states : The former vice president continues to hold healthy leads among women ( 55 % Biden to 41 % Trump ) and people of color ( 69 % Biden to 26 % Trump ) .
The two run more closely among men ( 50 % Trump to 46 % Biden ) and the President holds a clear edge among whites ( 55 % Trump to 43 % Biden ) .
The poll suggests Biden outpaces Trump among voters over age 45 by a 6-point margin , while the two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 45 ( 49 % Biden to 46 % Trump ) .
Though other recent polling has shown some signs of concern for Biden among younger voters and strength among older ones , few have pegged the race as this close among younger voters .
The results suggest that younger voters in the battleground states are tilted in favor of Trump , a stark change from the last CNN poll in which battleground voters were analyzed in March , even as other demographic groups shifted to a smaller degree .
Given the small sample @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is difficult to determine with certainty whether the movement is significant or a fluke of random sampling .
Nationally , Biden holds a lead over Trump among voters age 65 and older , a group which has been tilted Republican in recent presidential elections .
There are actually a few surprising demo results among battleground voters .
First , under-50 voters favor Trump by eighteen points , 55/37 , an astounding edge , while Biden wins over-50 voters by only four points , 52/48 .
Furthermore , Biden ’ s gender-gap advantage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women by only two points in a 49/47 virtual tie .
Trump also leads among unaffiliated battleground voters by 25 points , 59/34 .
On the economy , which is likely to be even more crucial to voting choices in the aftermath of the pandemic shutdown , Trump clobbers Biden even among the full sample of voters , 54/42 .
Trump wins double-digit majorities in every age demo on this issue except 65+ , which favors Biden by 53/45 .
Trump wins independents on the economy by twenty points at 58/38 , wins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and even manages to get 40 % of “ non-white ” voters .
In the battleground states , Trump gets 57 % from the “ non-white ” demo .
It ’ s still early in the cycle , and the national emergency has made it more difficult to see how polls in May will hold up in November as predictive models .
If I were on Team Trump , however , I ’ d find this very encouraging — and if I were on Team Biden , I ’ d be holding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

The big takeaway from today’s CNN poll is … maybe don’t take general election polls too seriously in May. The next biggest takeaway? Get ready for a replay of 2016, except without all of the Russia-collusion nonsense. Once again, the Democratic nominee leads in the national topline. And once again, we’re reminded that presidential elections aren’t won in the national popular vote:
Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s lead over President Donald Trump now stands at five points, but Trump has an edge in the critical battleground states that could decide the electoral college, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS. In the new poll, 51% of registered voters nationwide back Biden, while 46% say they prefer Trump. Partisans are deeply entrenched in their corners, with 95% of Democrats behind Biden and the same share of Republicans behind Trump. The two are close among independents (50% back Trump, 46% Biden, not a large enough difference to be considered a lead), but Biden’s edge currently rests on the larger share of voters who identify as Democrats.
That’s true, but it’s also true that Biden’s lead comes mainly from states that aren’t in Electoral College play. In the states that matter, Trump’s lead is even wider than Biden’s overall advantage:
New @CNN poll shows @JoeBiden leading President Trump nationally. But Trump has an edge in critical battleground states Registered voters nationwide
Biden 51%
Trump 46% Battleground state voters
Trump 52%
Biden 45%https://t.co/KxskQCPbbJ — Arlette Saenz (@ArletteSaenz) May 13, 2020
A seven-point lead is outside the margin of error even for a sample of 583 voters, which is the Overall demographics break down as expected except for a Trump deficit among seniors. However, Biden faces his own surprising age-demo challenge in the battleground states:
The former vice president continues to hold healthy leads among women (55% Biden to 41% Trump) and people of color (69% Biden to 26% Trump). The two run more closely among men (50% Trump to 46% Biden) and the President holds a clear edge among whites (55% Trump to 43% Biden). The poll suggests Biden outpaces Trump among voters over age 45 by a 6-point margin, while the two are near even among those under age 45 (49% Biden to 46% Trump). Though other recent polling has shown some signs of concern for Biden among younger voters and strength among older ones, few have pegged the race as this close among younger voters. The results suggest that younger voters in the battleground states are tilted in favor of Trump, a stark change from the last CNN poll in which battleground voters were analyzed in March, even as other demographic groups shifted to a smaller degree. Given the small sample size in that subset of voters, it is difficult to determine with certainty whether the movement is significant or a fluke of random sampling. Nationally, Biden holds a lead over Trump among voters age 65 and older, a group which has been tilted Republican in recent presidential elections.
There are actually a few surprising demo results among battleground voters. First, under-50 voters favor Trump by eighteen points, 55/37, an astounding edge, while Biden wins over-50 voters by only four points, 52/48. Furthermore, Biden’s gender-gap advantage evaporates in the battlegrounds; he wins women by only two points in a 49/47 virtual tie. Trump also leads among unaffiliated battleground voters by 25 points, 59/34.
On the economy, which is likely to be even more crucial to voting choices in the aftermath of the pandemic shutdown, Trump clobbers Biden even among the full sample of voters, 54/42. Trump wins double-digit majorities in every age demo on this issue except 65+, which favors Biden by 53/45. Trump wins independents on the economy by twenty points at 58/38, wins every income and educational demo by majorities, and even manages to get 40% of “non-white” voters. In the battleground states, Trump gets 57% from the “non-white” demo.
It’s still early in the cycle, and the national emergency has made it more difficult to see how polls in May will hold up in November as predictive models. If I were on Team Trump, however, I’d find this very encouraging — and if I were on Team Biden, I’d be holding off on Election Night victory confetti orders.


hotair--2020-05-13--LA County investigating possible coronavirus outbreaks at 23 homeless shelters

Despite the best efforts of LA ’ s homeless shelters , the coronavirus is now spreading among residents of 4 out of 5 shelters near Skid Row .
The county is currently investigating possible outbreaks at a total of 23 shelters : The latest cluster of cases identified is at downtown ’ s LA Mission , where 14 residents tested positive , and now have been moved off-site .
“ My first reaction was shock , and my second was disappointment , because we ’ ve tried so hard for six weeks following protocols to avoid this , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mission .
Clusters of cases have cropped up at other shelters , according to the LA County Department of Public Health website .
There were four people testing positive at both the Midnight Mission and at the Weingart Center , and 100 at the Union Rescue Mission .
Dr. Barbara Ferrer , director of the LA County Department of Public Health , said Monday the county is investigating possible outbreaks at 23 homeless shelters .
Not surprisingly , the shelters are finding that homeless people who are on the streets all day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are bringing the virus into the shelters at night .
Last month , LA County , in coordination with Governor Newsom , launched a program called Project Roomkey which was intended to provide free , temporary hotel rooms to homeless people , particularly those 65 and older .
Initially , the program planned to provide rooms for around 15,000 homeless but the reality has been closer to a tenth of that .
On Monday , the county did open a 460 room hotel which is being run under Project Roomkey by the Salvation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic , has opened once more — this time as an 11-floor , 460-room temporary homeless shelter .
It ’ s the biggest and most ambitious move yet to get people experiencing homelessness off the streets by putting a major hotel just blocks from Skid Row to use housing the city ’ s most vulnerable… The county set a goal of securing 15,000 motel and hotel rooms , but several weeks into the project , only 1,800 people are being housed as hundreds of hotels remain vacant .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been demanding that the county commandeer all empty hotel rooms for the homeless .
In recent weeks , housing advocates have criticized the program for its slow progress , demanding that local officials use their emergency powers to commandeer local hotels so they can move people into rooms faster .
They ’ ve said the officials should place particular pressure on hotels like the ones at the L.A Live complex , which have received generous tax subsidies from the city .
“ They ’ ve gotten millions and billions of dollars combined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are a mile away from the epicenter of homelessness in L.A. , ” says Street Watch L.A. organizer Jed Parriott… Earlier this month , Jed Parriott and a homeless activists named Davon Brown walked into the Ritz-Carlton where Brown claimed he was a rock star and asked to be shown a room .
When he got upstairs , Brown revealed that he was actually homeless and claimed the room for himself .
He demanding that all the empty rooms in the hotel be commandeered and given to the homeless .
Brown and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until they were arrested .
Even if the county or city of LA had commandeered the rooms , current plans are for Project Roomkey seem to be intended to last for a few months .
At some point , these people will probably be headed back to the streets or to shelters .
And there ’ s no reason to think the coronavirus is going to go away by then .
In the meantime , the spread of the virus in shelters is a concern because homeless people are more likely to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ becoming seriously ill or dying if infected .
Homeless shelters are a proverbial tinderbox for the virus , so the county needs to worry about this .
Here ’ s NBC4 LA ’ s report on the outbreaks at LA County shelters .

Despite the best efforts of LA’s homeless shelters, the coronavirus is now spreading among residents of 4 out of 5 shelters near Skid Row. The county is currently investigating possible outbreaks at a total of 23 shelters:
The latest cluster of cases identified is at downtown’s LA Mission, where 14 residents tested positive, and now have been moved off-site. “My first reaction was shock, and my second was disappointment, because we’ve tried so hard for six weeks following protocols to avoid this,” said Herb Smith, CEO of the LA Mission. Clusters of cases have cropped up at other shelters, according to the LA County Department of Public Health website. There were four people testing positive at both the Midnight Mission and at the Weingart Center, and 100 at the Union Rescue Mission. Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the LA County Department of Public Health, said Monday the county is investigating possible outbreaks at 23 homeless shelters.
Not surprisingly, the shelters are finding that homeless people who are on the streets all day, often without masks or social distancing, are bringing the virus into the shelters at night.
Last month, LA County, in coordination with Governor Newsom, launched a program called Project Roomkey which was intended to provide free, temporary hotel rooms to homeless people, particularly those 65 and older. Initially, the program planned to provide rooms for around 15,000 homeless but the reality has been closer to a tenth of that. On Monday, the county did open a 460 room hotel which is being run under Project Roomkey by the Salvation Army.
A downtown Los Angeles hotel, shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic, has opened once more — this time as an 11-floor, 460-room temporary homeless shelter. It’s the biggest and most ambitious move yet to get people experiencing homelessness off the streets by putting a major hotel just blocks from Skid Row to use housing the city’s most vulnerable… The county set a goal of securing 15,000 motel and hotel rooms, but several weeks into the project, only 1,800 people are being housed as hundreds of hotels remain vacant.
Homeless activists frustrated with the slow progress have been demanding that the county commandeer all empty hotel rooms for the homeless.
In recent weeks, housing advocates have criticized the program for its slow progress, demanding that local officials use their emergency powers to commandeer local hotels so they can move people into rooms faster. They’ve said the officials should place particular pressure on hotels like the ones at the L.A Live complex, which have received generous tax subsidies from the city. “They’ve gotten millions and billions of dollars combined, both hotels are vacant, and they are a mile away from the epicenter of homelessness in L.A.,” says Street Watch L.A. organizer Jed Parriott…
Earlier this month, Jed Parriott and a homeless activists named Davon Brown walked into the Ritz-Carlton where Brown claimed he was a rock star and asked to be shown a room. When he got upstairs, Brown revealed that he was actually homeless and claimed the room for himself. He demanding that all the empty rooms in the hotel be commandeered and given to the homeless. Brown and Parriott occupied the room for six hours until they were arrested.
@MayorOfLA refuses to commandeer vacant hotels to save lives, so today we are supporting our unhoused comrade Davon Brown who is commandeering a vacant hotel room for himself. We’re not leaving until you commandeer vacant rooms for ALL unhoused Angelenos. #NoVacancyCA pic.twitter.com/pXZ3ispGwr — Street Watch LA (@StreetWatchLA) May 1, 2020
Even if the county or city of LA had commandeered the rooms, current plans are for Project Roomkey seem to be intended to last for a few months. At some point, these people will probably be headed back to the streets or to shelters. And there’s no reason to think the coronavirus is going to go away by then.
In the meantime, the spread of the virus in shelters is a concern because homeless people are more likely to have underlying conditions that could lead to them becoming seriously ill or dying if infected. Homeless shelters are a proverbial tinderbox for the virus, so the county needs to worry about this.
Here’s NBC4 LA’s report on the outbreaks at LA County shelters.


hotair--2020-05-13--NYC sets record for no pedestrian deaths

I ’ m assuming everyone has had more than enough of the gloom and doom for one day and some of you might be looking for some good news .
This may not be anything particularly miraculous , but at least it ’ s on the positive side .
New York City has set a record in terms of pedestrians being killed by motor vehicles during the pandemic .
Since one week before the city shut down on March 22nd , not a single pedestrian has been struck and killed by an automobile in the five boroughs .
And that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a death since the city began keeping records .
( NY Post ) New York City has not recorded a single pedestrian death since before the state implemented strict coronavirus restrictions that kept residents largely at home , according to a report .
Tuesday marked 58 days since a pedestrian was killed in the Big Apple — the longest stretch since 1983 when the city starting keeping track , Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg revealed at a City Council committee hearing , ABC 7 reported .
New York on March 22 — 51 days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and required all nonessential government and private-sector employees to work from home .
The reason for their good fortune is obvious .
The streets are virtually empty .
Go take a look at this webcam covering 5th Avenue .
When I checked it this morning , shortly before noon on a Wednesday , there were almost no cars on the streets and only a handful of pedestrians on the sidewalks .
I have to travel to the Big Apple a couple of times per year for business reasons ( unfortunately ) and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply eerie sight .
On a normal day , the cars are bumper to bumper and the traffic at the rush hours and lunchtime is frequently so bad that you can get to your destination faster by walking .
But even then , the sidewalks are packed nearly as badly as the streets .
There has been an unanticipated downside to this good news , however .
The Transportation Commissioner also told reporters that the empty streets have proved too tempting for some of the people who are still on the road .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the same period last year and the NYPD has had to divert resources to traffic patrols as a result .
Before the virus came to town , it was almost impossible to get a speeding ticket because the traffic never allowed you to make it out of second gear .
If this turned out to be the new normal , I certainly wouldn ’ t complain .
But then again , that doesn ’ t seem possible .
If people can ’ t start moving again , commerce will grind to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ basic reason for existing would evaporate .
Wait a minute… what am I saying ?
Are we really sure that would be a bad thing ?
No , no… what was I thinking ?
Of course we wouldn ’ t want that to happen .
Right ?

I’m assuming everyone has had more than enough of the gloom and doom for one day and some of you might be looking for some good news. This may not be anything particularly miraculous, but at least it’s on the positive side. New York City has set a record in terms of pedestrians being killed by motor vehicles during the pandemic. Since one week before the city shut down on March 22nd, not a single pedestrian has been struck and killed by an automobile in the five boroughs. And that’s the longest stretch without such a death since the city began keeping records. (NY Post)
New York City has not recorded a single pedestrian death since before the state implemented strict coronavirus restrictions that kept residents largely at home, according to a report. Tuesday marked 58 days since a pedestrian was killed in the Big Apple — the longest stretch since 1983 when the city starting keeping track, Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg revealed at a City Council committee hearing, ABC 7 reported. New York on March 22 — 51 days ago — shut down all nonessential businesses and required all nonessential government and private-sector employees to work from home.
The reason for their good fortune is obvious. The streets are virtually empty. Go take a look at this webcam covering 5th Avenue. When I checked it this morning, shortly before noon on a Wednesday, there were almost no cars on the streets and only a handful of pedestrians on the sidewalks.
I have to travel to the Big Apple a couple of times per year for business reasons (unfortunately) and I can tell you that this is a simply eerie sight. On a normal day, the cars are bumper to bumper and the traffic at the rush hours and lunchtime is frequently so bad that you can get to your destination faster by walking. But even then, the sidewalks are packed nearly as badly as the streets.
There has been an unanticipated downside to this good news, however. The Transportation Commissioner also told reporters that the empty streets have proved too tempting for some of the people who are still on the road. Speeding violations have more than doubled compared to the same period last year and the NYPD has had to divert resources to traffic patrols as a result. Before the virus came to town, it was almost impossible to get a speeding ticket because the traffic never allowed you to make it out of second gear.
If this turned out to be the new normal, I certainly wouldn’t complain. But then again, that doesn’t seem possible. If people can’t start moving again, commerce will grind to a halt and New York City’s basic reason for existing would evaporate. Wait a minute… what am I saying? Are we really sure that would be a bad thing? No, no… what was I thinking? Of course we wouldn’t want that to happen. Right?


hotair--2020-05-13--CBS: Look at all the people who requested to unmask Flynn -- including one Joe Biden

And in such a short time frame , too .
Not even a full day after the Department of Justice declined to publish the list of people who requested the unmasking of Michael Flynn in an intercept of Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak ’ s communications , someone managed to leak it to CBS ’ Catherine Herridge .
The three page memo below contains a surprisingly robust list of Obama administration officials , with UN Ambassador Samantha Power literally at the top ( document embed via Jeff Dunetz ) : This only lists the requests made between November 8 , 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t recall — and the end of January 2017 , when Trump took office .
No fewer than sixteen officials requested the unmasking on the Kislyak conversation , with requests beginning on November 30 and continuing to January 11 .
Grenell ’ s memo notes that they can not confirm that every request was granted , but the request looks very … popular .
A handful of Treasury officials had one such request each .
Allahpundit reminded me earlier that Treasury generally enforces the type of sanctions applied against Russia in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a spy ring uncovered earlier ) , so those requests might make some sense .
For what legit purpose would Power have access to that information , however ?
Why would US Ambassador to Italy and the Republic of San Marino John R. Phillips need to know that information ?
And why was Joe Biden asking for that information on January 12 , 2017 ?
For that matter , what authority does a White House chief of staff have to make such a request ?
Let ’ s not forget that the collection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US is against the law without a specific warrant from a FISA court .
Material on US persons that is collected inadvertently through legitimate counterintelligence operations — such as tracking Russian diplomats — is masked unless there is a pressing threat that requires an extremely limited exposure of their identities .
Here we have sixteen Obama administration officials requesting access to Flynn ’ s identity between the election and Trump ’ s inauguration .
Recall too that presidential transition teams have legitimate reasons for contacting foreign diplomats .
The whole purpose of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough to perform on Day One of a new administration .
The fact that Flynn was in contact with Kislyak was not unusual nor actionable .
For that matter , neither was his discussion about sanctions , which after all relate to national policy and for which the incoming Trump administration would soon be responsible .
After having realized that control would pass to a Republican president , it sure seems like a whoooole lotta Obama administration officials wanted a peek at what the Trump transition team was doing .
When they didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it now appears that they ginned up a perjury trap to get rid of one of Barack Obama ’ s biggest bêtes noires and ensure that Flynn couldn ’ t influence policy .
Even apart from the obvious conclusions that this abuse demonstrates , the abuse itself is antithetical to democratic transitions of power .
Flynn ’ s identity , if it needed to be exposed at all , should have only been given to an extremely narrow set of individuals , maybe just three with specific counter-intel authority — Clapper , Brennan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ single request , Power ’ s seven requests , and the whole cast of characters who filed their requests between the election and inauguration make this look like counterintelligence wasn ’ t the issue at all .
There needs to be a reckoning for this abuse , but don ’ t count on the national media to provide it .
That will have to come through Senate hearings and a sustained pushback from the American people to this abuse of power and politicization of the intelligence process .
Or perhaps John Durham and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say about this .

And in such a short time frame, too. Not even a full day after the Department of Justice declined to publish the list of people who requested the unmasking of Michael Flynn in an intercept of Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak’s communications, someone managed to leak it to CBS’ Catherine Herridge. The three page memo below contains a surprisingly robust list of Obama administration officials, with UN Ambassador Samantha Power literally at the top (document embed via Jeff Dunetz):
SCOOP @CBSNews obtains @RichardGrenell notification to congress declassified “unmasking list” Flynn between late 2016 and January 2017 pic.twitter.com/axc8MHvYYd — Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) May 13, 2020
Unmasking Document by Jeffrey Dunetz on Scribd
This only lists the requests made between November 8, 2016 — Election Day, for those who don’t recall — and the end of January 2017, when Trump took office. No fewer than sixteen officials requested the unmasking on the Kislyak conversation, with requests beginning on November 30 and continuing to January 11. Grenell’s memo notes that they cannot confirm that every request was granted, but the request looks very … popular.
Samantha Power: seven requests (!)
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper: three requests
Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew: two requests
CIA Director John Brennan: two requests
Vice President Joe Biden: one request
FBI Director James Comey: one request
Obama chief of staff Denis McDonough: one request
A handful of Treasury officials had one such request each. Allahpundit reminded me earlier that Treasury generally enforces the type of sanctions applied against Russia in retaliation for their election interference (and a spy ring uncovered earlier), so those requests might make some sense. For what legit purpose would Power have access to that information, however? Why would US Ambassador to Italy and the Republic of San Marino John R. Phillips need to know that information?
And why was Joe Biden asking for that information on January 12, 2017? For that matter, what authority does a White House chief of staff have to make such a request?
Let’s not forget that the collection of intelligence on US persons while in the US is against the law without a specific warrant from a FISA court. Material on US persons that is collected inadvertently through legitimate counterintelligence operations — such as tracking Russian diplomats — is masked unless there is a pressing threat that requires an extremely limited exposure of their identities. Here we have sixteen Obama administration officials requesting access to Flynn’s identity between the election and Trump’s inauguration.
Recall too that presidential transition teams have legitimate reasons for contacting foreign diplomats. The whole purpose of presidential transition teams is to prepare well enough to perform on Day One of a new administration. The fact that Flynn was in contact with Kislyak was not unusual nor actionable. For that matter, neither was his discussion about sanctions, which after all relate to national policy and for which the incoming Trump administration would soon be responsible.
After having realized that control would pass to a Republican president, it sure seems like a whoooole lotta Obama administration officials wanted a peek at what the Trump transition team was doing. When they didn’t like what they saw, it now appears that they ginned up a perjury trap to get rid of one of Barack Obama’s biggest bêtes noires and ensure that Flynn couldn’t influence policy.
Even apart from the obvious conclusions that this abuse demonstrates, the abuse itself is antithetical to democratic transitions of power. Flynn’s identity, if it needed to be exposed at all, should have only been given to an extremely narrow set of individuals, maybe just three with specific counter-intel authority — Clapper, Brennan, and Comey. Biden’s single request, Power’s seven requests, and the whole cast of characters who filed their requests between the election and inauguration make this look like counterintelligence wasn’t the issue at all.
There needs to be a reckoning for this abuse, but don’t count on the national media to provide it. That will have to come through Senate hearings and a sustained pushback from the American people to this abuse of power and politicization of the intelligence process. Or perhaps John Durham and his grand jury might still have something to say about this.


hotair--2020-05-13--Ahmaud Arbery and the McMichaels may have had confrontation two weeks before killing

Every day there ’ s more news about the Arbery case , yet every day we get no closer to answering the central question .
Why did the McMichaels grab their guns and go looking for him when they saw him “ hauling ass ” through the neighborhood instead of calling the sheriff ?
Why confront him , especially if they feared that he was armed , as they claim ?
We do at least seem to have an answer now to the question of what Greg McMichael was referring to when he told the police after Arbery was shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ night.
” From the police report : When did they see him ?
A neighbor named Diego Perez claims it happened on February 11 .
Perez is friends with Larry English , the owner of the home in the neighborhood that ’ s under construction and where Arbery was caught on video at least once .
Footage shows he was there shortly before the fatal confrontation with the McMichaels on February 23 , but Perez says he was there before .
On February 11 , a motion-detection camera pinged English with new video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ miles away and pinged Perez to go have a look for him .
Then : Perez said he was armed when he left his home and walked up Satilla Drive that night .
As he walked toward the house under construction , Perez said Travis McMichael drove up from the opposite direction , and stopped his truck .
“ Travis saw him in the yard and Travis stopped , ” Perez told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday .
“ He confronted ( the man ) halfway into the yard .
He said ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Travis got spooked and went down the road.
” When McMichael returned , his father , Gregory McMichael , was with him and armed , said Perez , who added the elder McMichael had called the Glynn County Police Department .
Perez said he found no evidence of the young man around the house .
When police arrived , Perez described the vehicle to police that he believes the young man entered before it drove away .
Perez said they recognized the young man who had been in other security camera @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months before .
Perez was also in the vicinity on the day Arbery was killed and raced to the scene .
He says the man he found lying dead in the road was the same man whom Travis McMichael confronted coming out of English ’ s place on February 11 .
Was he , though ?
Here ’ s some of the surveillance video recorded by English ’ s motion-detection camera on the property .
It ’ s not dated , and there appear to be at least two different people who were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says that ’ s not him in the footage .
It doesn ’ t look like him to me or to Red State ’ s Jeff Charles , although there ’ s no way to be sure since the face is blurred .
( The color footage recorded on the property on the day Arbery was killed clearly *is* of him . )
Did Arbery , or anyone else who came onto the property , commit any crime while there ?
Not burglary , says English .
Nothing was ever taken from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ word ‘ burglary , ' ” [ English ’ s lawyer , Elizabeth Graddy ] said , adding that nothing has ever been stolen from or damaged at the property .
“ My client did not want people to come on to the property because it ’ s just not safe.
” English never shared any of this information with the McMichaels , whom he did not even know , according to his attorney .
“ Even if there had been a robbery , however , the English family would not have wanted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ They would have entrusted the matter to law enforcement authorities.
” English met Travis McMichael once , and only briefly .
He wasn ’ t the one who showed the McMichaels the surveillance video from the property .
Presumably Perez did .
So , no burglary .
There ’ s also no breaking and entering charge , I take it , since the structure wasn ’ t enclosed .
It was under construction .
Arbery is at least guilty of criminal trespassing , though , right ?
Actually , I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ ve committed that offense in Georgia if you enter “ upon the land or premises of another person … after receiving , prior to such entry , notice from the owner , rightful occupant , or , upon proper identification , an authorized representative of the owner or rightful occupant that such entry is forbidden.
” Were there notices posted that entry is forbidden ?
Did Perez show “ proper identification ” in warning Arbery on February 11 that entry is forbidden ?
Either way , criminal trespass is a misdemeanor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hunting this guy down over a misdemeanor — or a felony , for that matter — instead of calling the cops ?
And in case you ’ re wondering , no , the McMichaels hadn ’ t seen the footage of Arbery on English ’ s property earlier that afternoon when they killed him on February 23 .
English himself didn ’ t see the motion-detection footage from that day until after Arbery was dead .
Read Charles ’ s post for a thoughtful debunking of some other myths about the McMichaels ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Did the police ever question Arbery for being on the property after Perez reported the incident on February 11 to them ?
Or was it so low priority that they didn ’ t spend much time looking for him ?
That also tells us something about the gravity , or lack of gravity , in his alleged trespassing .

Every day there’s more news about the Arbery case, yet every day we get no closer to answering the central question. Why did the McMichaels grab their guns and go looking for him when they saw him “hauling ass” through the neighborhood instead of calling the sheriff?
Why confront him, especially if they feared that he was armed, as they claim?
We do at least seem to have an answer now to the question of what Greg McMichael was referring to when he told the police after Arbery was shot that he saw him “the other night.” From the police report:
When did they see him? A neighbor named Diego Perez claims it happened on February 11. Perez is friends with Larry English, the owner of the home in the neighborhood that’s under construction and where Arbery was caught on video at least once. Footage shows he was there shortly before the fatal confrontation with the McMichaels on February 23, but Perez says he was there before. On February 11, a motion-detection camera pinged English with new video from the property. English lives many miles away and pinged Perez to go have a look for him. Then:
Perez said he was armed when he left his home and walked up Satilla Drive that night. As he walked toward the house under construction, Perez said Travis McMichael drove up from the opposite direction, and stopped his truck. “Travis saw him in the yard and Travis stopped,” Perez told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday. “He confronted (the man) halfway into the yard. He said (the man) reached for his waistband, and Travis got spooked and went down the road.” When McMichael returned, his father, Gregory McMichael, was with him and armed, said Perez, who added the elder McMichael had called the Glynn County Police Department. Perez said he found no evidence of the young man around the house. When police arrived, Perez described the vehicle to police that he believes the young man entered before it drove away. Perez said they recognized the young man who had been in other security camera videos at the construction site in the months before.
Perez was also in the vicinity on the day Arbery was killed and raced to the scene. He says the man he found lying dead in the road was the same man whom Travis McMichael confronted coming out of English’s place on February 11.
Was he, though? Here’s some of the surveillance video recorded by English’s motion-detection camera on the property. It’s not dated, and there appear to be at least two different people who were caught on tape. The Arbery family says that’s not him in the footage. It doesn’t look like him to me or to Red State’s Jeff Charles, although there’s no way to be sure since the face is blurred. (The color footage recorded on the property on the day Arbery was killed clearly *is* of him.)
Did Arbery, or anyone else who came onto the property, commit any crime while there? Not burglary, says English. Nothing was ever taken from the premises.
“He never used the word ‘burglary,'” [English’s lawyer, Elizabeth Graddy] said, adding that nothing has ever been stolen from or damaged at the property. “My client did not want people to come on to the property because it’s just not safe.” English never shared any of this information with the McMichaels, whom he did not even know, according to his attorney. “Even if there had been a robbery, however, the English family would not have wanted a vigilante response,” Graddy said. “They would have entrusted the matter to law enforcement authorities.”
English met Travis McMichael once, and only briefly. He wasn’t the one who showed the McMichaels the surveillance video from the property. Presumably Perez did.
So, no burglary. There’s also no breaking and entering charge, I take it, since the structure wasn’t enclosed. It was under construction. Arbery is at least guilty of criminal trespassing, though, right? Actually, I’m not sure. This statute says you’ve committed that offense in Georgia if you enter “upon the land or premises of another person … after receiving, prior to such entry, notice from the owner, rightful occupant, or, upon proper identification, an authorized representative of the owner or rightful occupant that such entry is forbidden.” Were there notices posted that entry is forbidden? Did Perez show “proper identification” in warning Arbery on February 11 that entry is forbidden?
Either way, criminal trespass is a misdemeanor. Why was there an armed posse hunting this guy down over a misdemeanor — or a felony, for that matter — instead of calling the cops? And in case you’re wondering, no, the McMichaels hadn’t seen the footage of Arbery on English’s property earlier that afternoon when they killed him on February 23. English himself didn’t see the motion-detection footage from that day until after Arbery was dead.
Read Charles’s post for a thoughtful debunking of some other myths about the McMichaels’ confrontation with Arbery. Exit question: Did the police ever question Arbery for being on the property after Perez reported the incident on February 11 to them? Or was it so low priority that they didn’t spend much time looking for him? That also tells us something about the gravity, or lack of gravity, in his alleged trespassing.


hotair--2020-05-13--CNN's latest coronavirus special will feature noted pandemic expert...Greta Thunberg

CNN is having another coronavirus town hall this Thursday hosted by Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta .
The scheduled guests include the former acting director of the CDC , Richard Besser , the former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius ( both from the Obama administration ) and teen-climate-scold Greta Thunberg .
What expertise does a teenager who hasn ’ t finished high school have to offer on a global pandemic ?
It ’ s a fair question .
It really does seem like a stretch .
CNN ’ s Oliver Darcy offered an explanation for why Thunberg had been invited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made a donation to Unicef for children impacted by the coronavirus : So , according to Darcy , she ’ s not being invited on as an medical expert , just as a “ special guest.
” Of course , Sebelius and Besser are also listed as “ special guests ” so it still seems like an odd choice to round out the panel .
Unicef created this donation page for Thunberg ’ s new project which has the unwieldy title “ Let ’ s move humanity for children in the fight against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but it sounds as if she is in fact being positioned as a kind of activist/expert on the impact of the coronavirus on children .
Here ’ s a quote from Thunberg featured on the page : Here ’ s a related video in which Thunberg explains her new funding campaign .
I ’ m guessing that , or something very much like it , is what we ’ re going to hear from Thunberg during the CNN town hall .
CNN may not be presenting her as a “ medical expert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treat her as an expert on the impact of the virus and as someone to emulate on the proper response .
But I think the real issue here isn ’ t expertise so much as name recognition .
Unicef is asking for donations of $ 1.6 billion and Thunberg has volunteered to put her star-power behind it .
CNN is happy to have her on as a famous face to punch up its town hall special guest list .
I mean , who is really tuning in to hear from Kathleen Sebelius ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a line up ?
Not many I suspect , but a lot more would recognize Thunberg .
This isn ’ t the first time CNN ’ s coronavirus town halls have featured people who were basically there because they are famous faces .
The last one featured Al Gore and director Spike Lee .
Before that CNN did a town hall in April featuring Alicia Keys : Bottom line : CNN will drag anyone onto these very special after-school coronavirus specials if they think it might help the ratings .
Greta Thunberg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pretty famous .
Here ’ s the CNN promo for tomorrow night ’ s town hall :

CNN is having another coronavirus town hall this Thursday hosted by Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta. The scheduled guests include the former acting director of the CDC, Richard Besser, the former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (both from the Obama administration) and teen-climate-scold Greta Thunberg. What expertise does a teenager who hasn’t finished high school have to offer on a global pandemic? It’s a fair question.
What place does Greta Thunberg have in this town hall? pic.twitter.com/qIKOCV8QcP — Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) May 13, 2020
It really does seem like a stretch.
From now on, CNN just needs to feature her on every expert panel. Just to f*** with everybody. "TONIGHT ON CNN: EXPERT PANEL ON PARTICLE PHYSICS, FEATURING CHILD WHO YELLS AT ADULTS GRETA THUNBERG!" — Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) May 13, 2020
CNN’s Oliver Darcy offered an explanation for why Thunberg had been invited on the panel. Last month she made a donation to Unicef for children impacted by the coronavirus:
she is donating $100,000 (money she was awarded) to help kids affected by coronavirus! it's not like she's being brought on as a medical expert https://t.co/85YoXVcaur — Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) May 13, 2020
So, according to Darcy, she’s not being invited on as an medical expert, just as a “special guest.” Of course, Sebelius and Besser are also listed as “special guests” so it still seems like an odd choice to round out the panel.
Special guests: former CDC director, former HHS director, doctor, child. — Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) May 13, 2020
Unicef created this donation page for Thunberg’s new project which has the unwieldy title “Let’s move humanity for children in the fight against coronavirus.” Forgive me for saying so, but it sounds as if she is in fact being positioned as a kind of activist/expert on the impact of the coronavirus on children. Here’s a quote from Thunberg featured on the page:
Like the climate crisis, the coronavirus pandemic is a child-rights crisis. It will affect all children, now and in the long-term, but vulnerable groups will be impacted the most. I’m asking everyone to step up and join me in support of UNICEF’s vital work to save children’s lives, to protect health and continue education.
Here’s a related video in which Thunberg explains her new funding campaign.
I’m guessing that, or something very much like it, is what we’re going to hear from Thunberg during the CNN town hall. CNN may not be presenting her as a “medical expert” but they are asking viewers to treat her as an expert on the impact of the virus and as someone to emulate on the proper response.
But I think the real issue here isn’t expertise so much as name recognition. Unicef is asking for donations of $1.6 billion and Thunberg has volunteered to put her star-power behind it. CNN is happy to have her on as a famous face to punch up its town hall special guest list. I mean, who is really tuning in to hear from Kathleen Sebelius? How many Americans could identify Sebelius out of a line up? Not many I suspect, but a lot more would recognize Thunberg.
This isn’t the first time CNN’s coronavirus town halls have featured people who were basically there because they are famous faces. The last one featured Al Gore and director Spike Lee.
Former Vice President Al Gore, director Spike Lee and the author of “The Coming Plague” Laurie Garrett join @AndersonCooper & @DrSanjayGupta for a live #CNNTownHall. Coronavirus – Facts and Fears, tonight at 8 p.m. ET pic.twitter.com/giGc0mQp2F — CNN (@CNN) May 7, 2020
Before that CNN did a town hall in April featuring Alicia Keys:
Bottom line: CNN will drag anyone onto these very special after-school coronavirus specials if they think it might help the ratings. Greta Thunberg, for better or worse, is pretty famous. Here’s the CNN promo for tomorrow night’s town hall: