hotair--2020-03-13--Trump's emergency declaration includes plans for drive-thru coronavirus testing (Update: About that

Trump's emergency declaration includes plans for drive-thru coronavirus testing (Update: About that website...)

As Ed anticipated earlier today , President Trump has announced a national emergency to combat the spread of the coronavirus .
He did this at a White House news conference which included representatives from major industries in addition to government officials .
“ To unleash the full power of the federal government in this effort , today I am officially declaring a national emergency , ” Trump said .
He added , “ Two very big words.
” He then went on to outline a plan to offer as many as 5 million coronavirus tests to Americans , including through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up in the parking lots of major retailers .
To pre-screen people for testing and direct people who need a test where to go , Google will be helping to set up a website to identify those who may be at risk : Flanked by Vice President Mike Pence , Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and other top federal officials and corporate executives , Trump announced that 1.4 million new tests for coronavirus would be available next week and that 5 million would be available within the next month — although @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll need that ” quantity .
He also announced plans for a large-scale drive-thru protocol for testing for the virus .
Under the protocol , Trump and other officials explained , individuals who suspect they may be infected can fill out a screening questionnaire set up by Google , and if they have the appropriate symptoms or risk factors , they will be directed to nearby drive-thru testing centers .
Those centers , officials explained , will deliver the tests to laboratory automated machines , and test result will be produced in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus test that will make all of this possible runs on automated testing machines which are already in place at more than 100 labs around the country : The test was developed by diagnostics giant Roche Holding AG and is designed to run on the company ’ s automated machines , which are already installed in more than 100 laboratories across the U.S .
It will be available immediately .
It is only the third coronavirus diagnostic to receive emergency-use authorization from the FDA , following a test developed by the Centers for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the New York State Department of Health… Currently , all testing is based on identifying unique portions of the new coronavirus ’ s genetic sequence .
But Roche ’ s tests can be conducted faster than manual laboratory tests .
Its machines provide results in three and a half hours and can run many tests in parallel—though as they are located in laboratories , it will take additional time for samples to be sent for testing .
Its most advanced machine can process around 4,128 samples every 24 hours .
All of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week .
It ’ s certainly an ambitious plan .
Implementing it in hundreds of locations across the country won ’ t be simple .
I ’ m sure we ’ ll hear a lot about that next week .
The plan itself will undoubtedly have plenty of critics but the markets did react positively , ending a very tough week on a significant upswing .
You may need to scroll in about halfway to view the press conference : Update : Google Communications just put out a statement suggesting the website they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing soon but will only roll out nationwide “ over time.
” That ’ s not very specific but based on the presentation above the website is a part of the whole drive-thru testing scheme .
Here ’ s a screenshot of Dr. Deborah Birx explaining how it ’ s supposed to work .
That top blue box reads “ Screening Website.
” Update : The Verge has confirmed the statement above .
Carolyn Wang , communications lead for Verily , told The Verge that the “ triage website ” was initially only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care workers instead of the general public .
Now that it has been announced the way it was , however , anybody will be able to visit it , she said .
But the tool will only be able to direct people to “ pilot sites ” for testing in the Bay Area , though Wang says Verily hopes to expand it beyond California “ over time.
” The triage site should be put live within a few days , and it will be hosted at Project Baseline , the Verily website where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in clinical trials… As for the 1,700 Google engineers Trump referenced in the press conference , that appears to be related to a call for volunteers Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai put out in a company-wide memo earlier this week .
In all , the difference between the reality of what is being built and what was promised during the press conference is very large .
I mean…this is just not helpful .
You don ’ t have the President and Vice President announce a plan to the nation ( complete with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the company explain afterwards that nothing like that is really happening .
I honestly don ’ t understand how it ’ s possible Google and the White House hadn ’ t communicated on this before the press conference .
Just to be sure I wasn ’ t imagining things , I re-watched the announcement above .
Here ’ s what VP Pence said about the website that would soon be available : On the plus side , it sounds like the White House really does have some of the testing and retail pieces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Pence saying information about the website would be available Sunday , I guess they have two days to figure out how a site currently intended for the Bay Area can be expanded to the entire country very , very fast .

As Ed anticipated earlier today, President Trump has announced a national emergency to combat the spread of the coronavirus. He did this at a White House news conference which included representatives from major industries in addition to government officials.
“To unleash the full power of the federal government in this effort, today I am officially declaring a national emergency,” Trump said. He added, “Two very big words.”
He then went on to outline a plan to offer as many as 5 million coronavirus tests to Americans, including through drive-thru testing facilities that would be set up in the parking lots of major retailers. To pre-screen people for testing and direct people who need a test where to go, Google will be helping to set up a website to identify those who may be at risk:
Flanked by Vice President Mike Pence, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and other top federal officials and corporate executives, Trump announced that 1.4 million new tests for coronavirus would be available next week and that 5 million would be available within the next month — although he added that “I doubt we’ll need that” quantity. He also announced plans for a large-scale drive-thru protocol for testing for the virus. Under the protocol, Trump and other officials explained, individuals who suspect they may be infected can fill out a screening questionnaire set up by Google, and if they have the appropriate symptoms or risk factors, they will be directed to nearby drive-thru testing centers. Those centers, officials explained, will deliver the tests to laboratory automated machines, and test result will be produced in 24 to 36 hours.
The new coronavirus test that will make all of this possible runs on automated testing machines which are already in place at more than 100 labs around the country:
The test was developed by diagnostics giant Roche Holding AG and is designed to run on the company’s automated machines, which are already installed in more than 100 laboratories across the U.S. It will be available immediately. It is only the third coronavirus diagnostic to receive emergency-use authorization from the FDA, following a test developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and one from the New York State Department of Health… Currently, all testing is based on identifying unique portions of the new coronavirus’s genetic sequence. But Roche’s tests can be conducted faster than manual laboratory tests. Its machines provide results in three and a half hours and can run many tests in parallel—though as they are located in laboratories, it will take additional time for samples to be sent for testing. Its most advanced machine can process around 4,128 samples every 24 hours.
All of this is supposed to be available starting next week. It’s certainly an ambitious plan. Implementing it in hundreds of locations across the country won’t be simple. I’m sure we’ll hear a lot about that next week. The plan itself will undoubtedly have plenty of critics but the markets did react positively, ending a very tough week on a significant upswing.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared into the 4 p.m. trading close with a gain of about 1,980 points, or about 9.4%, to 23182, concluding a topsy-turvy session. The S&P 500 rose 9.2%, and the Nasdaq Composite jumped 9.3%.
Those moves recovered some ground on the heels of Wall Street’s worst day in more than three decades, when the Dow plunged 10% as the rapidly spreading coronavirus drove fears of a global slowdown despite action from the Federal Reserve and attempts by lawmakers and the White House to reassure investors and the public.
You may need to scroll in about halfway to view the press conference:
Update: Google Communications just put out a statement suggesting the website they are working on will be ready for testing soon but will only roll out nationwide “over time.”
“We appreciate the support of government officials and industry partners and thank the Google engineers who have volunteered to be part of this effort." — Google Communications (@Google_Comms) March 13, 2020
That’s not very specific but based on the presentation above the website is a part of the whole drive-thru testing scheme. Here’s a screenshot of Dr. Deborah Birx explaining how it’s supposed to work. That top blue box reads “Screening Website.”
Update: The Verge has confirmed the statement above.
Carolyn Wang, communications lead for Verily, told The Verge that the “triage website” was initially only going to be made available to health care workers instead of the general public. Now that it has been announced the way it was, however, anybody will be able to visit it, she said. But the tool will only be able to direct people to “pilot sites” for testing in the Bay Area, though Wang says Verily hopes to expand it beyond California “over time.” The triage site should be put live within a few days, and it will be hosted at Project Baseline, the Verily website where people can sign up to take part in clinical trials… As for the 1,700 Google engineers Trump referenced in the press conference, that appears to be related to a call for volunteers Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai put out in a company-wide memo earlier this week. In all, the difference between the reality of what is being built and what was promised during the press conference is very large.
I mean…this is just not helpful. You don’t have the President and Vice President announce a plan to the nation (complete with a flow-chart graphic) only to have the company explain afterwards that nothing like that is really happening. I honestly don’t understand how it’s possible Google and the White House hadn’t communicated on this before the press conference. Just to be sure I wasn’t imagining things, I re-watched the announcement above. Here’s what VP Pence said about the website that would soon be available:
On the plus side, it sounds like the White House really does have some of the testing and retail pieces of this plan on board. Based on Pence saying information about the website would be available Sunday, I guess they have two days to figure out how a site currently intended for the Bay Area can be expanded to the entire country very, very fast.


hotair--2020-03-14--Poll: Half of Brits think an extraterrestrial invasion is on the way

Continuing my quest for some non-virus related news this weekend ( and there ’ s precious little of it out there , folks ) , I ran across a recent survey out of Great Britain that appears to reflect some of the shifting attitudes around the world when it comes to the subject of UFOs and the possibility of extraterrestrial life visiting Earth .
We previously looked at the reasons why Gallup decided to poll Americans on the topic again last year and what that survey revealed .
But this British survey goes much further than simply asking people if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the universe .
This poll jumps straight past any sort of scientific theories about whether or not there might be alien microbes hitching rides on asteroids and goes straight to Hollywood .
Fox UK asked 2,000 people if they thought aliens might be preparing to invade our planet and potentially even attack us .
And of the Brits surveyed , more than half of them thought it might happen in our lifetimes .
( The Sun ) The study of 2,000 adults found half believe in alien existence , and think the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack within the next 50 years – by 2068 .
But far from coming in peace , 22 per cent of those are worried for their lives in the event of Martians coming to Earth .
It ’ s not just UFO ’ s people need to worry about though , as 71 per cent also suspect they ’ d face danger from other humans during an invasion .
To be clear , this poll was actually commissioned by Fox UK as part of the promotion of their new television series , War @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conducted by an experienced polling firm and they weren ’ t talking about the show , so the results are still worth considering .
Other notable results include the fact that 71 % of respondents who think an invasion is coming said they believe that the Earth has already been visited by extraterrestrials at some point in the past .
The same percentage worried that they would face additional danger from their fellow human beings as chaos washes over the landscape in the face of the alien attacks .
Interestingly , fully three-quarters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world know more about intelligent alien life than they are telling the public and are hiding that information , with 58 % believing that if their government had information about a possible , pending extraterrestrial invasion they would hide that information from the public as well to avoid creating a panic .
67 % felt that governments should have a plan in place to deal with the arrival of intelligent , extraterrestrial life .
In previous years , most of these beliefs were probably driven by movies , television shows and books @ @ @ @ @ @ @ height of its popularity , belief in the possibility of alien life and mistrust of the federal government surged in a number of polls .
But these days , such shifts in opinion are probably being driven far more by actual news outlets and social media discussion of those reports .
( I know it ’ s certainly impacted my own selection of stories to cover here . )
I ’ ll confess that I was rather surprised by the number of Brits who not only think the aliens are coming ( if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but that they might be preparing to attack us .
Ever since the revelation of the US Navy videos and the reports of the existence of the Pentagon ’ s AATIP program created to study UFOs , I ’ ve probably been one of the more persuadable writers you ’ ll run across on this subject .
But even I don ’ t buy the idea that they ’ re planning some sort of attack .
Why ?
Because if they wanted to take us out and they ’ ve got the sort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demonstrate , they probably could have already wiped us out by now .
Our own fighter pilots have admitted that we “ wouldn ’ t stand a chance ” against them if it came to a fight .
Assuming there really is some sort of non-human intelligence behind those craft , I tend to believe that they probably have the same motivations we generally do .
Exploration , discovery , scientific research and perhaps the exploitation of resources .
Of course , what do I know ?
Trying to infer the motivations of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an exercise in futility .
I just wish they would land , come introduce themselves and get it over with already .

Continuing my quest for some non-virus related news this weekend (and there’s precious little of it out there, folks), I ran across a recent survey out of Great Britain that appears to reflect some of the shifting attitudes around the world when it comes to the subject of UFOs and the possibility of extraterrestrial life visiting Earth. We previously looked at the reasons why Gallup decided to poll Americans on the topic again last year and what that survey revealed. But this British survey goes much further than simply asking people if they believe there might be life elsewhere in the universe.
This poll jumps straight past any sort of scientific theories about whether or not there might be alien microbes hitching rides on asteroids and goes straight to Hollywood. Fox UK asked 2,000 people if they thought aliens might be preparing to invade our planet and potentially even attack us. And of the Brits surveyed, more than half of them thought it might happen in our lifetimes. (The Sun)
The study of 2,000 adults found half believe in alien existence, and think the planet should be preparing itself for an attack within the next 50 years – by 2068. But far from coming in peace, 22 per cent of those are worried for their lives in the event of Martians coming to Earth. It’s not just UFO’s people need to worry about though, as 71 per cent also suspect they’d face danger from other humans during an invasion.
To be clear, this poll was actually commissioned by Fox UK as part of the promotion of their new television series, War of the Worlds. But it was conducted by an experienced polling firm and they weren’t talking about the show, so the results are still worth considering.
Other notable results include the fact that 71% of respondents who think an invasion is coming said they believe that the Earth has already been visited by extraterrestrials at some point in the past. The same percentage worried that they would face additional danger from their fellow human beings as chaos washes over the landscape in the face of the alien attacks.
Interestingly, fully three-quarters of those surveyed believe that governments around the world know more about intelligent alien life than they are telling the public and are hiding that information, with 58% believing that if their government had information about a possible, pending extraterrestrial invasion they would hide that information from the public as well to avoid creating a panic. 67% felt that governments should have a plan in place to deal with the arrival of intelligent, extraterrestrial life.
In previous years, most of these beliefs were probably driven by movies, television shows and books. When the X-Files was at the height of its popularity, belief in the possibility of alien life and mistrust of the federal government surged in a number of polls. But these days, such shifts in opinion are probably being driven far more by actual news outlets and social media discussion of those reports. (I know it’s certainly impacted my own selection of stories to cover here.)
I’ll confess that I was rather surprised by the number of Brits who not only think the aliens are coming (if they’re not already here) but that they might be preparing to attack us. Ever since the revelation of the US Navy videos and the reports of the existence of the Pentagon’s AATIP program created to study UFOs, I’ve probably been one of the more persuadable writers you’ll run across on this subject. But even I don’t buy the idea that they’re planning some sort of attack.
Why? Because if they wanted to take us out and they’ve got the sort of technology that the tic-tacs appear to demonstrate, they probably could have already wiped us out by now. Our own fighter pilots have admitted that we “wouldn’t stand a chance” against them if it came to a fight. Assuming there really is some sort of non-human intelligence behind those craft, I tend to believe that they probably have the same motivations we generally do. Exploration, discovery, scientific research and perhaps the exploitation of resources.
Of course, what do I know? Trying to infer the motivations of some hypothetical, totally alien lifeform is an exercise in futility. I just wish they would land, come introduce themselves and get it over with already.


hotair--2020-03-14--Trump: I've been tested for coronavirus

Trump: I've been tested for coronavirus

I hope he ’ s negative , firstly for his own sake and secondly because of the lesson that would be drawn by the public if he ’ s positive and turns out to be one of the septuagenarians lucky enough to shake the illness without medical intervention .
“ They told us this disease kills senior citizens , ” people would say .
“ Trump didn ’ t even miss a day of work !
” Social distancing would go right out the window for much of the population , assuming they ’ re seriously practicing it at all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bad lesson is bound to be drawn either way .
If he ’ s negative , people will look at all the contact he ’ s had lately with the infected and conclude that the disease isn ’ t as easily transmitted as the experts claim .
At least four people who were at Mar-a-Lago last weekend with him have tested positive , including the press secretary to the president of Brazil and the mayor of Miami .
BuzzFeed has a map of all the COVID-19 exposures around Trump over the past week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to White House meetings to CPAC .
If he ’ s negative , he ’ s lucky .
Many average joes won ’ t be as lucky , especially elderly ones : I don ’ t think the White House will tell us if he ’ s positive .
They ’ d be nervous about the public drawing the conclusion I described up top and wary of the blowback they ’ d get for Trump ’ s decision to continue to keep close quarters with every important official in the government ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a coronavirus test .
Watch , then read on .
Question : If he was tested yesterday , what was the White House doctor doing putting out this letter last night ?
I understand the political reasons for not testing him .
It seems unfair for VIPs to be insta-tested when the great unwashed masses are forced to do without ; plus , the administration wants to send the message at a moment when tests are being rationed that only those presenting symptoms that make infection seem likely should have a test wasted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ test .
I think that ’ s the wrong approach to an official as important as the president , who ’ s in constant contact with other important officials .
But if that ’ s the message , stick to it .
Don ’ t have him turn around 12 hours after this was released and say that he was tested out of an abundance of caution anyway .
Why can ’ t they get their story straight on anything , even something as easy as this ?
How did they go out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ building a website that will help direct patients nationwide to local testing locations when Google ’ s doing no such thing ?
It ’ s a separate company under the Google umbrella that ’ s working on a site .
They ’ re planning a trial in the Bay Area , not a nationwide run .
The site wasn ’ t even supposed to be accessible by the general public , although the company ’ s now going to open it up to everyone after the White House caught them off-guard by hyping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s coronavirus czar get this flow chart if there ’ s no actual website set to roll out tomorrow night ?
Anyway .
There ’ s another person whose name you ’ ll know who was at Mar-a-Lago last weekend along with COVID-19 .
Ironically , he ’ s the one person on the opinion side of Fox News who ’ s been treating this crisis with the full seriousness it deserves .
That ’ s Tucker Carlson , who reportedly shook hands with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro while his infected press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t a pure pleasure trip for Carlson , though .
He was there , according to the NYT , to warn Trump that COVID-19 isn ’ t fake news : A few days ago , after a Carlson monologue about the threat from COVID-19 that appeared to be aimed squarely at influencing Trump , I wrote that “ We may have arrived at a state of such dysfunction in terms of how the president processes information that having people like Anthony Fauci and the head of the CDC assure him daily that this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply can ’ t get through to him .
To really penetrate his consciousness , they need to appeal to a higher authority : Fox News primetime hosts.
” Maybe Tucker believes that too .
The fate of America may hang not on what Fauci and Deborah Birx are telling POTUS but what the 8 p.m. host on his favorite channel is saying .
Fortunately for all of us , Fauci , Birx , and Carlson are broadly in sync .
Meanwhile , as I ’ m writing this , news is breaking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mar-a-Lago last weekend .
That ’ s five people who were there and later tested positive , if in fact she ’ s positive .
I ’ m going to guess that she had some face time with Trump given her job , too .
I ’ ll leave you with these two praiseworthy clips of Carlson from last night , one of which has him grilling top HHS official Seema Verma about her refusal to say on Thursday whether we have enough ventilators in our stockpile for all of the people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We do not .

I hope he’s negative, firstly for his own sake and secondly because of the lesson that would be drawn by the public if he’s positive and turns out to be one of the septuagenarians lucky enough to shake the illness without medical intervention. “They told us this disease kills senior citizens,” people would say. “Trump didn’t even miss a day of work!” Social distancing would go right out the window for much of the population, assuming they’re seriously practicing it at all.
On the other hand, a bad lesson is bound to be drawn either way. If he’s negative, people will look at all the contact he’s had lately with the infected and conclude that the disease isn’t as easily transmitted as the experts claim. At least four people who were at Mar-a-Lago last weekend with him have tested positive, including the press secretary to the president of Brazil and the mayor of Miami. BuzzFeed has a map of all the COVID-19 exposures around Trump over the past week or so, from his Florida resort to White House meetings to CPAC.
If he’s negative, he’s lucky. Many average joes won’t be as lucky, especially elderly ones:
47 of 95 (49.5%) tested employees at the Life Care Center of Kirkland have tested positive for #COVID19. 19 patients have died. 37 people have died across Washington State. This is just the tip of the iceberg. — DCGomez (@AllThingsNatSec) March 14, 2020
I don’t think the White House will tell us if he’s positive. They’d be nervous about the public drawing the conclusion I described up top and wary of the blowback they’d get for Trump’s decision to continue to keep close quarters with every important official in the government’s task force while awaiting the results of a coronavirus test. Watch, then read on.
Question: If he was tested yesterday, what was the White House doctor doing putting out this letter last night?
I understand the political reasons for not testing him. It seems unfair for VIPs to be insta-tested when the great unwashed masses are forced to do without; plus, the administration wants to send the message at a moment when tests are being rationed that only those presenting symptoms that make infection seem likely should have a test wasted on them. No symptoms, no test. I think that’s the wrong approach to an official as important as the president, who’s in constant contact with other important officials. But if that’s the message, stick to it. Don’t have him turn around 12 hours after this was released and say that he was tested out of an abundance of caution anyway.
Why can’t they get their story straight on anything, even something as easy as this? How did they go out there yesterday and announce that Google is building a website that will help direct patients nationwide to local testing locations when Google’s doing no such thing? It’s a separate company under the Google umbrella that’s working on a site. They’re planning a trial in the Bay Area, not a nationwide run. The site wasn’t even supposed to be accessible by the general public, although the company’s now going to open it up to everyone after the White House caught them off-guard by hyping it.
Where the hell did Trump’s coronavirus czar get this flow chart if there’s no actual website set to roll out tomorrow night?
Anyway. There’s another person whose name you’ll know who was at Mar-a-Lago last weekend along with COVID-19. Ironically, he’s the one person on the opinion side of Fox News who’s been treating this crisis with the full seriousness it deserves. That’s Tucker Carlson, who reportedly shook hands with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro while his infected press secretary stood nearby. It wasn’t a pure pleasure trip for Carlson, though. He was there, according to the NYT, to warn Trump that COVID-19 isn’t fake news:
Off the air, Mr. Carlson has been urging Mr. Trump to take the threat of coronavirus more seriously. Last Saturday, Mr. Carlson drove from his residence in Florida to Mar-a-Lago, the president’s Florida resort, and spoke directly with Mr. Trump about the virus, according to a person with knowledge of their conversation.
A few days ago, after a Carlson monologue about the threat from COVID-19 that appeared to be aimed squarely at influencing Trump, I wrote that “We may have arrived at a state of such dysfunction in terms of how the president processes information that having people like Anthony Fauci and the head of the CDC assure him daily that this is much more threatening than the flu simply can’t get through to him. To really penetrate his consciousness, they need to appeal to a higher authority: Fox News primetime hosts.” Maybe Tucker believes that too. The fate of America may hang not on what Fauci and Deborah Birx are telling POTUS but what the 8 p.m. host on his favorite channel is saying. Fortunately for all of us, Fauci, Birx, and Carlson are broadly in sync.
Meanwhile, as I’m writing this, news is breaking:
Last night, @GOPChairwoman's doctor determined a test for COVID-19 was necessary given her symptoms. We will provide an update when the test results are available. pic.twitter.com/oLla7pLaDH — Michael Ahrens (@michaelahrens) March 14, 2020
Yes, McDaniel was also at Mar-a-Lago last weekend. That’s five people who were there and later tested positive, if in fact she’s positive. I’m going to guess that she had some face time with Trump given her job, too.
I’ll leave you with these two praiseworthy clips of Carlson from last night, one of which has him grilling top HHS official Seema Verma about her refusal to say on Thursday whether we have enough ventilators in our stockpile for all of the people who will soon need them. Spoiler: We do not.
Tucker Carlson talking about coronavirus testing failures: "Why was the richest, most advanced country on the planet not prepared?" He said "government incompetence played an awfully big role in all of this." pic.twitter.com/qMWyFt29GK — Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) March 14, 2020
CMS Administrator Seema Verma asked 4 times in 5 minutes whether there is a shortage of ventilators in the U.S. Verma dodges 4 times. Asked how many are stockpiled: “We’re still assessing” Asked if there are enough for case uptick: "I don’t want to make drastic predictions" pic.twitter.com/7pA5WhhLVG — JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) March 14, 2020
Update: Yes, the president is negative, says the White House.


hotair--2020-03-14--Sasse: Pelosi tried to include abortion funding in COVID-19 spending bill

The Daily Caller reported Thursday that Speaker Nancy Pelosi was trying to weasel in taxpayer funding for abortions in the emergency spending bill to combat the COVID-19 pandemic .
According to senior administration officials , Pelosi lobbied for a mandate for up to $ 1 billion to reimburse laboratory claims .
That mandate would have been taken as a loophole in health spending without protections outlined in the Hyde Amendment .
The Hyde Amendment is a legislative provision barring the use of federal funds to pay for abortion with two exceptions – to save the life of the woman , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or rape .
Pelosi was taking a page from the playbook of Rahm Emanuel .
Emanuel once famously said , “ You never let a serious crisis go to waste .
And what I mean by that it ’ s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.
” It sure looks like San Fran Gran was trying to pull a fast one for one of her pet projects .
Because of the Hyde Amendment , clinics are forbidden to use federal dollars to perform abortions .
Democrats have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the Hyde Amendment since President Trump was elected .
President Obama signed an executive order lifting the ban .
Knowing it was a controversial move , Obama signed it quietly , without fanfare , late on a Friday afternoon .
Democrats and Republicans have played this game since 1984 .
So , Pelosi took advantage of an emergency funding bill to push the Democrats ’ pro-abortion agenda .
One official called the money a “ slush fund ” for abortion services .
“ A new mandatory funding stream that does not have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one White House official explained .
“ Under the guise of protecting people , Speaker Pelosi is working to make sure taxpayer dollars are spent covering abortion — which is not only backwards , but goes against historical norms.
” A second White House official referred to the provision as a “ slush fund ” and yet another questioned “ what the Hyde Amendment and abortion have to do with protecting Americans from coronavirus ?
” Good question .
What does abortion have to do with emergency spending to address a pandemic ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ matter to the pro-abortion crowds .
Like Obama did while no one was paying attention , she thought she ’ d insist on a loophole going into the wording of the spending bill .
MSNBC ’ s Joy Reid inadvertently proved that point .
She ’ s a lefty who is a voice in the media for the abortion supporters .
She tweeted about the report and ended up not making the point she thought she was making .
Senator Ben Sasse sounded the alarm as negotiations continued between Pelosi and Treasury Secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pro-life and pro-abortion politicians .
The abortion funding loophole was removed in the final bill that the House voted on in the early morning hours of Saturday .
The usual suspects are angry .
They are always angry , right ?
Yamani Hernandez , the executive director of the National Network of Abortion Funds , said it is “ immoral to use the declaration of a global pandemic to turn people who need abortions into pawns for cheap political points.
” “ In a moment when legislators need to turn towards science and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public health crisis that threatens the most vulnerable among us , anti-abortion extremists are instead using fear to opportunistically sneak through ideologically cruel and medically unsound restrictions , ” Hernandez said .
“ We all deserve accurate and accessible healthcare , and this is no time to ram through ways to instead restrict people from any health care needs.
” Pelosi promises the battle will continue in a separate bill .

The Daily Caller reported Thursday that Speaker Nancy Pelosi was trying to weasel in taxpayer funding for abortions in the emergency spending bill to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. According to senior administration officials, Pelosi lobbied for a mandate for up to $1 billion to reimburse laboratory claims. That mandate would have been taken as a loophole in health spending without protections outlined in the Hyde Amendment.
The Hyde Amendment is a legislative provision barring the use of federal funds to pay for abortion with two exceptions – to save the life of the woman, or if the pregnancy arises from incest or rape. Pelosi was taking a page from the playbook of Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel once famously said, “You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” It sure looks like San Fran Gran was trying to pull a fast one for one of her pet projects.
Because of the Hyde Amendment, clinics are forbidden to use federal dollars to perform abortions. Democrats have tried in the past to do away with the Hyde Amendment since President Trump was elected. President Obama signed an executive order lifting the ban. Knowing it was a controversial move, Obama signed it quietly, without fanfare, late on a Friday afternoon. Democrats and Republicans have played this game since 1984.
So, Pelosi took advantage of an emergency funding bill to push the Democrats’ pro-abortion agenda. One official called the money a “slush fund” for abortion services.
“A new mandatory funding stream that does not have Hyde protections would be unprecedented,” one White House official explained. “Under the guise of protecting people, Speaker Pelosi is working to make sure taxpayer dollars are spent covering abortion — which is not only backwards, but goes against historical norms.” A second White House official referred to the provision as a “slush fund” and yet another questioned “what the Hyde Amendment and abortion have to do with protecting Americans from coronavirus?”
Good question. What does abortion have to do with emergency spending to address a pandemic? Absolutely nothing but that doesn’t matter to the pro-abortion crowds. Like Obama did while no one was paying attention, she thought she’d insist on a loophole going into the wording of the spending bill.
MSNBC’s Joy Reid inadvertently proved that point. She’s a lefty who is a voice in the media for the abortion supporters. She tweeted about the report and ended up not making the point she thought she was making.
Wow… @kasie just reported that Republicans' objections to the House Democrats' emergency coronavirus bill include issues related to abortion. What does that have to do with COVID19…? — Joy-Ann Pro-Democracy & Masks Reid 😷 (@JoyAnnReid) March 12, 2020
Senator Ben Sasse sounded the alarm as negotiations continued between Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin.
“While schools are closing and hospitals are gearing up, Speaker Pelosi is waging unnecessary culture wars. Speaker Pelosi should be fighting the coronavirus pandemic, not politicizing emergency funding by fighting against the bipartisan Hyde Amendment,” Sasse told National Review in a statement. “We need to be ramping up our diagnostic testing, not waging culture wars at the behest of Planned Parenthood. Good grief.”
AOC confirmed the battle between pro-life and pro-abortion politicians.
But Pelosi’s tactics were seemingly confirmed by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), who claimed in an interview on Fox News Thursday night that “right now we are hearing that some of the fights and some of the gridlock is because people are trying to put pro-life provisions into this.”
The abortion funding loophole was removed in the final bill that the House voted on in the early morning hours of Saturday. The usual suspects are angry. They are always angry, right?
Yamani Hernandez, the executive director of the National Network of Abortion Funds, said it is “immoral to use the declaration of a global pandemic to turn people who need abortions into pawns for cheap political points.” “In a moment when legislators need to turn towards science and data to stem the tide of a public health crisis that threatens the most vulnerable among us, anti-abortion extremists are instead using fear to opportunistically sneak through ideologically cruel and medically unsound restrictions,” Hernandez said. “We all deserve accurate and accessible healthcare, and this is no time to ram through ways to instead restrict people from any health care needs.”
Pelosi promises the battle will continue in a separate bill.


hotair--2020-03-14--Hmmm: Will Dems cancel Milwaukee convention over coronavirus concerns?

Old and busted : It ’ ll be 1968 all over again !
New hotness : It ’ ll be 1368 all over again !
DNC officials began to raise questions about the wisdom of holding a political convention in July , the Washington Post reports , as Wisconsin ’ s governor declared a health emergency two days ago .
Instead of putting thousands of people into a crowded public venue in Milwaukee , some party officials want “ contingencies ” explored for a virtual convention , perhaps even a mail-in system : Some Democratic Party officials this week began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tens of thousands of people to Milwaukee for the July convention , even as the party ’ s leadership said it was not entertaining canceling the event or holding it remotely .
In Wisconsin , where Gov .
Tony Evers on Thursday declared a health emergency over the coronavirus pandemic , Andrew Werthmann , a member of the Democratic National Committee , said he intended to raise questions about the need for contingencies .
“ We have to look at this , ” he said .
Concern deepened as state parties took it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compliance with health guidelines .
On Thursday , the Nevada Democratic Party canceled county conventions scheduled for next month .
And Werthmann said one of his counterparts in California had informed him via text message that meetings to elect new DNC members in the state had been canceled , replaced by a mail-in system .
It ’ s not just an issue of when the COVID-19 outbreak might recede .
Michigan Democrats also canceled their endorsement convention for March 21 , where Nancy Pelosi was due to speak .
The more states that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the delegate-assignment process becomes .
In fact , the more that people get pushed into “ social distancing ” — a wise strategy — the less likely they are to show up for the precursor precinct and congressional-district caucuses/conventions that nominate people for those delegate positions .
That means that this might be a problem even for parties that hold their state conventions to select delegates .
That ’ s no small issue , as delegates are more than just a proxy for one candidate or another .
They are bound on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by their state ’ s voters , but delegates do more than just vote for the presidential nominee .
They also vote on the party platform and do other organizing activities — as well as constantly socialize and network .
And if for some reason the nomination doesn ’ t get settled on a first ballot , then the legitimacy and representative nature of the delegates becomes a paramount concern .
If states interrupt those delegate-selection processes , it will at the very least call into question the legitimacy of those delegates who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially the case if parties have to hand-pick delegates rather than conduct the normal process of election .
In a cycle where Bernie Bros are already on edge over “ establishment ” opposition to their candidate , it ’ s just another potential flash point when Bernie Sanders inevitably gets locked out of the ticket .
This isn ’ t as big a problem for Republicans this year .
Their August convention might well outlast the coronavirus outbreak , but even if it did get canceled — or more likely made “ virtual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nominee , and he ’ s also going to be the platform , too , regardless of who gets elected to delegate positions .
The RNC made that call a couple of years ago when it effectively merged with the Trump 2020 campaign .
The Charlotte , NC convention is purely for show and socializing , and neither of them mean so much that it requires risking another round of amplifying the COVID-19 outbreak .
For now , Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett and DNC chair Tom Perez says “ all systems are go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mayor Tom Barrett on Wednesday echoed the comments of a top Democratic Party leader when asked about concerns that the coronavirus pandemic could force the cancellation of this summer ’ s Democratic National Convention .
“ There will be a convention in Milwaukee , ” Barrett said Wednesday in an interview with the Journal Sentinel .
“ All systems are go.
” … On Tuesday , Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez told National Public Radio that he believes the convention plans are moving forward .
“ I don ’ t think the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are in contact with federal , state and local authorities on a daily basis , a regular basis , ” Perez told NPR .
“ I met with some folks today , and I ’ m confident we can put that on.
” It ’ s far more likely that the COVID-19 outbreak will both be under control at that time and possibly receding sharply with the warm weather , but it ’ s not a non-zero chance for cancelation , either .
One has to wonder whether Democrats might not be better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though , given all of the chatter about uprisings involving Sanders ’ supporters if he ’ s not on the ticket .
It ’ s tough to go 1968 on a virtual convention , after all .
On the other hand , this is what a virtual convention might look like .
Damned if you do , damned if you don ’ t …

Old and busted: It’ll be 1968 all over again! New hotness: It’ll be 1368 all over again! DNC officials began to raise questions about the wisdom of holding a political convention in July, the Washington Post reports, as Wisconsin’s governor declared a health emergency two days ago. Instead of putting thousands of people into a crowded public venue in Milwaukee, some party officials want “contingencies” explored for a virtual convention, perhaps even a mail-in system:
Some Democratic Party officials this week began to express concern about plans to bring tens of thousands of people to Milwaukee for the July convention, even as the party’s leadership said it was not entertaining canceling the event or holding it remotely. In Wisconsin, where Gov. Tony Evers on Thursday declared a health emergency over the coronavirus pandemic, Andrew Werthmann, a member of the Democratic National Committee, said he intended to raise questions about the need for contingencies. “We have to look at this,” he said. Concern deepened as state parties took it upon themselves to alter their procedures in compliance with health guidelines. On Thursday, the Nevada Democratic Party canceled county conventions scheduled for next month. And Werthmann said one of his counterparts in California had informed him via text message that meetings to elect new DNC members in the state had been canceled, replaced by a mail-in system. “Wish us luck,” the California member requested.
It’s not just an issue of when the COVID-19 outbreak might recede. Michigan Democrats also canceled their endorsement convention for March 21, where Nancy Pelosi was due to speak. The more states that cancel these conventions, the more fraught the delegate-assignment process becomes. In fact, the more that people get pushed into “social distancing” — a wise strategy — the less likely they are to show up for the precursor precinct and congressional-district caucuses/conventions that nominate people for those delegate positions. That means that this might be a problem even for parties that hold their state conventions to select delegates.
That’s no small issue, as delegates are more than just a proxy for one candidate or another. They are bound on the first ballot to the presidential preference selected by their state’s voters, but delegates do more than just vote for the presidential nominee. They also vote on the party platform and do other organizing activities — as well as constantly socialize and network. And if for some reason the nomination doesn’t get settled on a first ballot, then the legitimacy and representative nature of the delegates becomes a paramount concern.
If states interrupt those delegate-selection processes, it will at the very least call into question the legitimacy of those delegates who do get selected. That’s especially the case if parties have to hand-pick delegates rather than conduct the normal process of election. In a cycle where Bernie Bros are already on edge over “establishment” opposition to their candidate, it’s just another potential flash point when Bernie Sanders inevitably gets locked out of the ticket.
This isn’t as big a problem for Republicans this year. Their August convention might well outlast the coronavirus outbreak, but even if it did get canceled — or more likely made “virtual” — Donald Trump will be the nominee, and he’s also going to be the platform, too, regardless of who gets elected to delegate positions. The RNC made that call a couple of years ago when it effectively merged with the Trump 2020 campaign. The Charlotte, NC convention is purely for show and socializing, and neither of them mean so much that it requires risking another round of amplifying the COVID-19 outbreak.
For now, Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett and DNC chair Tom Perez says “all systems are go” for the mid-July bash:
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett on Wednesday echoed the comments of a top Democratic Party leader when asked about concerns that the coronavirus pandemic could force the cancellation of this summer’s Democratic National Convention. “There will be a convention in Milwaukee,” Barrett said Wednesday in an interview with the Journal Sentinel. “All systems are go.” … On Tuesday, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez told National Public Radio that he believes the convention plans are moving forward. “I don’t think the Democratic convention is in jeopardy. We are in contact with federal, state and local authorities on a daily basis, a regular basis,” Perez told NPR. “I met with some folks today, and I’m confident we can put that on.”
It’s far more likely that the COVID-19 outbreak will both be under control at that time and possibly receding sharply with the warm weather, but it’s not a non-zero chance for cancelation, either. One has to wonder whether Democrats might not be better off with a virtual convention this year, though, given all of the chatter about uprisings involving Sanders’ supporters if he’s not on the ticket. It’s tough to go 1968 on a virtual convention, after all.
On the other hand, this is what a virtual convention might look like. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t …
Campaigning in 2020 during #Covid_19…audio of @JoeBiden is a little garbled but we can see him! pic.twitter.com/TDgVdzWEUK — Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) March 13, 2020
https://twitter.com/Cameron_Gray/status/1238633186785140736


hotair--2020-03-14--Presidential primary postponed: Louisiana re-schedules voting day

Louisiana ’ s presidential primary election date has been changed due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Originally scheduled for April 4 , it is postponed until June 20 .
Gov .
John Bel Edwards , a Democrat , and Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin , a Republican , made the announcement on Friday .
Louisiana becomes the first state to use a provision in state law that allows moving an election in an emergency situation to delay the primary .
The COVID-19 pandemic is changing life as we know it whether we like it or not .
In the case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change was made for a very basic reason – over half of the state ’ s election-day commissioners are 65 or older .
32 polling locations are in nursing homes or other senior facilities .
We know that people over the age of 60 are in the most vulnerable category .
Ardoin said it is impossible to expand mail-in voting to every voter at this late date and noted that the state moved election dates in 2005 and 2008 due to hurricanes .
Ardoin made the recommendation to Governor Edwards and the governor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an Edwards spokeswoman , said it ’ s an “ extraordinary measure but one we feel is prudent.
” “ We ’ re one of the few states that is supposed to have an election in early April , which we think could potentially be the height of some of this in Louisiana , ” Stephens said .
“ Our poll workers are by large elderly , over the age of 70 and we think it is unsafe for them to be monitoring the election .
We don ’ t think we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we should be discouraging people from congregating in that way.
” The state law says the governor , through an executive order declaring a state of emergency , can suspend or delay elections “ only upon the certification of the secretary of state that a state of emergency exists.
” Other states may have to make the same decision as we move further into the primary season , depending on the coronavirus .
We have no way of knowing how long the virus will remain a consideration , only scientific guesses based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at this point is that younger people without compromised immune systems are the most resilient to COVID-19 .
Exposure to large groups of voters to the most susceptible – the elderly poll workers – is not an acceptable option .
Four states are set to vote on Tuesday and they are moving forward without any changes .
Arizona , Florida , Illinois , and Ohio plan to leave their primary voting day in place .
A joint statement was released from officials in each of those states .
The Wyoming Democratic Party is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be held on April 4 but the in-person portion of the vote has been canceled .
The Democrat presidential campaigns , especially the Biden campaign must be panicking about the uncertainty of voter turnout .
Biden is relying on older Democrats voting for him and the Sanders campaign will have an advantage if they stay home out of fear of being exposed to the virus in crowds at polling places .
COVID-19 will likely have an effect on how the rest of the presidential primary season plays out .
The CDC is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and early voting as a way of reducing crowds at polling places on election day .
The Sanders campaign isn ’ t thrilled that big campaign rallies are being postponed but is relying on public health officials to offer guidance .
Sanders said that “ rescheduling elections is not something we do lightly or should do lightly.
” He said his campaign ’ s decision to cancel in-person events is “ hurting us.
” That is easy to understand since Sanders is able to get large crowds to attend his rallies .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in votes though , at least during the primary elections to date .

Louisiana’s presidential primary election date has been changed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Originally scheduled for April 4, it is postponed until June 20. Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, and Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin, a Republican, made the announcement on Friday.
Louisiana becomes the first state to use a provision in state law that allows moving an election in an emergency situation to delay the primary. The COVID-19 pandemic is changing life as we know it whether we like it or not. In the case of the Louisiana primary election, the change was made for a very basic reason – over half of the state’s election-day commissioners are 65 or older. 32 polling locations are in nursing homes or other senior facilities. We know that people over the age of 60 are in the most vulnerable category.
Ardoin said it is impossible to expand mail-in voting to every voter at this late date and noted that the state moved election dates in 2005 and 2008 due to hurricanes. Ardoin made the recommendation to Governor Edwards and the governor granted the delay Friday.
Christina Stephens, an Edwards spokeswoman, said it’s an “extraordinary measure but one we feel is prudent.” “We’re one of the few states that is supposed to have an election in early April, which we think could potentially be the height of some of this in Louisiana,” Stephens said. “Our poll workers are by large elderly, over the age of 70 and we think it is unsafe for them to be monitoring the election. We don’t think we would have enough poll workers…and we think we should be discouraging people from congregating in that way.” The state law says the governor, through an executive order declaring a state of emergency, can suspend or delay elections “only upon the certification of the secretary of state that a state of emergency exists.”
Other states may have to make the same decision as we move further into the primary season, depending on the coronavirus. We have no way of knowing how long the virus will remain a consideration, only scientific guesses based on past pandemics. What we do know at this point is that younger people without compromised immune systems are the most resilient to COVID-19. Exposure to large groups of voters to the most susceptible – the elderly poll workers – is not an acceptable option.
Four states are set to vote on Tuesday and they are moving forward without any changes. Arizona, Florida, Illinois, and Ohio plan to leave their primary voting day in place. A joint statement was released from officials in each of those states.
“Americans have participated in elections during challenging times in the past, and based on the best information we have from public health officials, we are confident that voters in our states can safely and securely cast their ballots in this election, and that otherwise healthy poll workers can and should carry out their patriotic duties on Tuesday,” a joint statement from Arizona Secretary of State Kathy Hobbs, Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee, Illinois Elections Board Chairman Charles Scholz and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose read.
The Wyoming Democratic Party is making adjustments, too. Its caucus will be held on April 4 but the in-person portion of the vote has been canceled.
“Our priority is ensuring that people are healthy and safe. Holding public events right now would put that in jeopardy, so this is the responsible course of action,” the state party wrote in a statement. “Voters are highly encouraged to vote by mail; as of now, voters may still vote via ballot pickup and drop off on March 28 and April 4. We will continue to work with public health officials, and assess local conditions, to ensure voters’ health and safety.”
The Democrat presidential campaigns, especially the Biden campaign must be panicking about the uncertainty of voter turnout. Biden is relying on older Democrats voting for him and the Sanders campaign will have an advantage if they stay home out of fear of being exposed to the virus in crowds at polling places. COVID-19 will likely have an effect on how the rest of the presidential primary season plays out.
The CDC is encouraging election officials to offer mail-in voting and early voting as a way of reducing crowds at polling places on election day.
The Centers for Disease Control recently issued guidance targeted to election officials that urges states and counties to encourage mail-in voting and early voting as much as possible, in an effort to “minimize direct contact with other people and reduce crowd size at polling stations.” The CDC also urged poll workers to routinely clean and disinfect polling stations, “limit nonessential visitors” and encourage as much social distancing as possible.
The Sanders campaign isn’t thrilled that big campaign rallies are being postponed but is relying on public health officials to offer guidance. Sanders said that “rescheduling elections is not something we do lightly or should do lightly.” He said his campaign’s decision to cancel in-person events is “hurting us.” That is easy to understand since Sanders is able to get large crowds to attend his rallies. That enthusiasm hasn’t always paid off in votes though, at least during the primary elections to date.


hotair--2020-03-14--New Greek president vows she will protect national borders

Greece just swore in their first female president , Katerina Sakellaropoulou , and she quickly realized that she was taking office in the middle of a series of firestorms .
Ever since Turkey announced that they were “ opening the doors ” for a flood of Syrian and Iraqi migrants to head north through Greece and onward into the interior of Europe , the Greeks have been trying to stave off the invasion .
This has included multiple incidents of citizen vigilante groups blocking their passage and occasionally attacking them .
So what does President Sakellaropoulou plan to do about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she announced almost immediately that she would be fighting to “ protect the national borders ” of Greece and keep the country secure .
I don ’ t know how well that ’ s going to sit with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron , but at least for the moment , Madam President is striking a rather nationalist tone , don ’ t you think ?
( Yahoo News ) Greece ’ s first woman president began her term on Friday with a pledge to protect the country ’ s borders and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to follow health rules as the country grapples with over 100 coronavirus cases .
Katerina Sakellaropoulou , a 63-year-old former senior judge , said she would “ walk together ” with Greeks to create a “ prosperous ” and “ cosmopolitan ” future “ that includes all of us.
” The new head of the Greek state begins her five-year term in a terse standoff with neighbouring Turkey , which has allowed tens of thousands of refugees to mass at the border .
Sakellaropoulou went on to insist that her people must “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ designs on our national sovereignty , ” but she didn ’ t clarify whether she was talking about Turkey or the refugees trying to breach the border .
Possibly both , but the message was definitely muddled .
The new president ’ s attitude strikes a very different chord than we saw as little as four years ago .
At that time , Greece was at the forefront of urging open borders for the EU and finding room for the millions of migrants flooding northward .
As we ’ ve mentioned here previously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lesbos were nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2016 for their work in shuttling migrants across the straits .
But now , however , all of that has changed .
And what did it take to bring about this new , protectionist attitude ?
One large part of it is unquestionably the rise of the coronavirus in Europe .
Greece has already seen more than 100 confirmed cases of the virus and they suffered their first death from COVID-19 two days ago .
President Sakellaropoulou no doubt became keenly aware of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office .
She was sworn in as president in front of an almost entirely empty room .
( CBS News ) Greece ’ s first-ever female president , Katerina Sakellaropoulou , was formally sworn into office for a five-year term Friday .
But what should have been a celebratory moment for the country was instead honored quietly due to the coronavirus pandemic .
The swearing-in ceremony for Sakellaropoulou , a former high court judge , took place in a nearly empty parliament as a preventative measure to try to stop the spread of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Only a handful of officials and journalists were present for the occasion .
In addition to almost no one being on hand to celebrate the inauguration of the country ’ s first female president , handshakes were forbidden at the end of the ceremony .
That made for something of an understated affair , considering the historic nature of the occasion .
The new president has plenty on her plate to be sure .
Greece ’ s economy is still teetering on the brink of collapse every few months or so .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ increasingly belligerent toward the European Union and cozier with Russia and Iran .
And now , like everyone else , they have the coronavirus to deal with .
One wonders if Sakellaropoulou is possibly having second thoughts about having run for office .
Best of luck , Madam President .
It sounds like you ’ re going to need it .

Greece just swore in their first female president, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and she quickly realized that she was taking office in the middle of a series of firestorms. Ever since Turkey announced that they were “opening the doors” for a flood of Syrian and Iraqi migrants to head north through Greece and onward into the interior of Europe, the Greeks have been trying to stave off the invasion. This has included multiple incidents of citizen vigilante groups blocking their passage and occasionally attacking them.
So what does President Sakellaropoulou plan to do about it? In a very anti-globalist moment, she announced almost immediately that she would be fighting to “protect the national borders” of Greece and keep the country secure. I don’t know how well that’s going to sit with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron, but at least for the moment, Madam President is striking a rather nationalist tone, don’t you think? (Yahoo News)
Greece’s first woman president began her term on Friday with a pledge to protect the country’s borders and defend human rights, whilst warning Greeks to follow health rules as the country grapples with over 100 coronavirus cases. Katerina Sakellaropoulou, a 63-year-old former senior judge, said she would “walk together” with Greeks to create a “prosperous” and “cosmopolitan” future “that includes all of us.” The new head of the Greek state begins her five-year term in a terse standoff with neighbouring Turkey, which has allowed tens of thousands of refugees to mass at the border.
Sakellaropoulou went on to insist that her people must “repulse the aggression of those who make designs on our national sovereignty,” but she didn’t clarify whether she was talking about Turkey or the refugees trying to breach the border. Possibly both, but the message was definitely muddled.
The new president’s attitude strikes a very different chord than we saw as little as four years ago. At that time, Greece was at the forefront of urging open borders for the EU and finding room for the millions of migrants flooding northward. As we’ve mentioned here previously, the fishermen of the Isle of Lesbos were nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2016 for their work in shuttling migrants across the straits.
But now, however, all of that has changed. And what did it take to bring about this new, protectionist attitude? One large part of it is unquestionably the rise of the coronavirus in Europe. Greece has already seen more than 100 confirmed cases of the virus and they suffered their first death from COVID-19 two days ago. President Sakellaropoulou no doubt became keenly aware of the situation before she was even officially in office. She was sworn in as president in front of an almost entirely empty room. (CBS News)
Greece’s first-ever female president, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, was formally sworn into office for a five-year term Friday. But what should have been a celebratory moment for the country was instead honored quietly due to the coronavirus pandemic. The swearing-in ceremony for Sakellaropoulou, a former high court judge, took place in a nearly empty parliament as a preventative measure to try to stop the spread of the virus, The Associated Press reports. Only a handful of officials and journalists were present for the occasion.
In addition to almost no one being on hand to celebrate the inauguration of the country’s first female president, handshakes were forbidden at the end of the ceremony. That made for something of an understated affair, considering the historic nature of the occasion.
The new president has plenty on her plate to be sure. Greece’s economy is still teetering on the brink of collapse every few months or so. As noted above, Turkey is growing increasingly belligerent toward the European Union and cozier with Russia and Iran. And now, like everyone else, they have the coronavirus to deal with. One wonders if Sakellaropoulou is possibly having second thoughts about having run for office. Best of luck, Madam President. It sounds like you’re going to need it.


hotair--2020-03-14--Omar's new husband made more than half a million off her campaigns

On Thursday , John wrote about the recently announced nuptials of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar ( D-Minn. ) and her then-campaign consultant Tim Mynett , the head of E Street Group .
( The company denies having anything to do with Bruce Springsteen . )
While Omar ’ s marital history still raises many questions , one of which I ’ ll get to in a moment , the current media scrutiny about this event has more to do with questions of potential campaign finance impropriety .
At the WaPo , Michelle Ye Hee Lee looks back at the new groom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaigns and the financial windfall it brought him and his firm .
Since 2018 , Omar ’ s campaign paid about $ 586,000 to E Street Group for a range of services that included digital advertising , fundraising consulting , digital communications and design .
The campaign also paid $ 7,000 to Mynett directly for fundraising consulting before hiring his consulting firm .
Payments to the firm in the 2019-2020 cycle for Omar ’ s reelection campaign comprised 40 percent of total campaign expenses , federal filings show .
Representatives for Omar ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said this week that there was nothing improper about the payments because they were made for legitimate work .
It turns out that nearly half ( 40 % ) of all of Omar ’ s 2020 election cycle campaign expenses went directly to her new husband ’ s firm .
And despite her repeated previous denials , the idea that the two of them weren ’ t engaged in a romantic relationship throughout that period of time is now simply laughable .
But was any of this against the law ?
There ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calling for an investigation into these payments .
Also , Charlie Kirk piped up recently to ask how this isn ’ t a campaign finance violation .
We should keep in mind , however , that there ’ s a difference between garbage optics in politics and actual violations of the law .
Yes , this all looks bad .
Really bad .
It stinks on ice .
But if E Street Group is a legitimate firm ( as it appears to be ) and they can document valid work that they were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s not illegal for your boyfriend ’ s firm to be the entity doing it .
And one of Mynett ’ s partners is already on record saying they can document all of the work that various staffers there did for Omar ’ s campaign on a daily basis .
Unless he ’ s lying , it sounds like the FEC will come up dry on this investigation .
As I mentioned above , most of the questions about Omar ’ s marriage to her new husband ( this is her fourth marriage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nobody ’ s business unless there are some campaign finance hijinks involved .
What may still be of slightly more interest , is her marriage to her previous husband , Ahmed Nur Said Elmi .
We ’ ve seen repeated reports alleging that Elmi and Omar are brother and sister .
Politifact , the Associated Press and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune have looked deeply into that question and none were able to reach a definitive answer one way or the other .
Why does it matter ?
Well , if we want to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ technically illegal to marry your sibling in any state in America , including Minnesota .
But almost no one is ever prosecuted for it .
Also , Omar ’ s previous marriages were all “ religious ceremonies ” without having a formal marriage license , so I don ’ t know if the state could make a case if it wanted to .
But what benefits , if any , accrued to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi from his marriage to Omar ?
Records on that guy are few and far between .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a British citizen , ” but did they ever try to obtain United States citizenship for him ?
That ’ s also unknown from what I could dig up , but if they did and the marriage was used as a partial basis for the application , that could add up to an immigration law issue .
But then , since there was no license , could their marriage even be considered ?
It ’ s enough to give you a headache just digging through all of this .
In the end , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there may be little or no fire underneath all of this smoke .
If Omar ’ s new spouse can show that he “ earned ” all of that campaign money by doing defensible work on Omar ’ s campaign , they likely won ’ t face any issues .
And even if she did marry her brother , if he didn ’ t wind up becoming a citizen , they ’ re probably in the clear there as well .
Yes , marrying your brother is incredibly creepy , but it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seat unless she winds up in some real trouble with the law .
And we ’ re still not entirely certain that Elmi even is her brother , to begin with .

On Thursday, John wrote about the recently announced nuptials of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and her then-campaign consultant Tim Mynett, the head of E Street Group. (The company denies having anything to do with Bruce Springsteen.) While Omar’s marital history still raises many questions, one of which I’ll get to in a moment, the current media scrutiny about this event has more to do with questions of potential campaign finance impropriety. At the WaPo, Michelle Ye Hee Lee looks back at the new groom’s involvement with Omar’s campaigns and the financial windfall it brought him and his firm.
Since 2018, Omar’s campaign paid about $586,000 to E Street Group for a range of services that included digital advertising, fundraising consulting, digital communications and design. The campaign also paid $7,000 to Mynett directly for fundraising consulting before hiring his consulting firm. Payments to the firm in the 2019-2020 cycle for Omar’s reelection campaign comprised 40 percent of total campaign expenses, federal filings show. Representatives for Omar’s campaign and Mynett’s firm said this week that there was nothing improper about the payments because they were made for legitimate work.
It turns out that nearly half (40%) of all of Omar’s 2020 election cycle campaign expenses went directly to her new husband’s firm. And despite her repeated previous denials, the idea that the two of them weren’t engaged in a romantic relationship throughout that period of time is now simply laughable. But was any of this against the law? There’s been an FEC complaint filed, calling for an investigation into these payments. Also, Charlie Kirk piped up recently to ask how this isn’t a campaign finance violation.
We should keep in mind, however, that there’s a difference between garbage optics in politics and actual violations of the law. Yes, this all looks bad. Really bad. It stinks on ice. But if E Street Group is a legitimate firm (as it appears to be) and they can document valid work that they were doing for the campaign, it’s not illegal for your boyfriend’s firm to be the entity doing it. And one of Mynett’s partners is already on record saying they can document all of the work that various staffers there did for Omar’s campaign on a daily basis. Unless he’s lying, it sounds like the FEC will come up dry on this investigation.
As I mentioned above, most of the questions about Omar’s marriage to her new husband (this is her fourth marriage to three different men) are probably nobody’s business unless there are some campaign finance hijinks involved. What may still be of slightly more interest, is her marriage to her previous husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. We’ve seen repeated reports alleging that Elmi and Omar are brother and sister. Politifact, the Associated Press and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune have looked deeply into that question and none were able to reach a definitive answer one way or the other.
Why does it matter? Well, if we want to get really picky, it’s still technically illegal to marry your sibling in any state in America, including Minnesota. But almost no one is ever prosecuted for it. Also, Omar’s previous marriages were all “religious ceremonies” without having a formal marriage license, so I don’t know if the state could make a case if it wanted to.
But what benefits, if any, accrued to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi from his marriage to Omar? Records on that guy are few and far between. He’s always described as being “a British citizen,” but did they ever try to obtain United States citizenship for him? That’s also unknown from what I could dig up, but if they did and the marriage was used as a partial basis for the application, that could add up to an immigration law issue. But then, since there was no license, could their marriage even be considered? It’s enough to give you a headache just digging through all of this.
In the end, as I suggested at the top, there may be little or no fire underneath all of this smoke. If Omar’s new spouse can show that he “earned” all of that campaign money by doing defensible work on Omar’s campaign, they likely won’t face any issues. And even if she did marry her brother, if he didn’t wind up becoming a citizen, they’re probably in the clear there as well. Yes, marrying your brother is incredibly creepy, but it’s not a threat to her congressional seat unless she winds up in some real trouble with the law. And we’re still not entirely certain that Elmi even is her brother, to begin with.


hotair--2020-03-14--NY Times: China is pushing coronavirus conspiracy theories (while the US left attacks the right for

NY Times: China is pushing coronavirus conspiracy theories (while the US left attacks the right for noticing)

China is lying its ass off about the coronavirus and the American left ( which includes a lot of the media ) doesn ’ t seem to understand why anyone cares .
A number of newspapers including the Washington Post and the Guardian have already reported that China is trying to spin the origin of the virus or , at a minimum , suggest the origin is unknown .
I pointed this out earlier in the week here .
Yesterday the NY Times published a piece headlined “ China Spins Tale That the U.S. Army Started the Coronavirus Epidemic.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the origins of the coronavirus : It is an American disease that might have been introduced by members of the United States Army who visited Wuhan in October .
There is not a shred of evidence to support that , but the notion received an official endorsement from China ’ s Ministry of Foreign Affairs , whose spokesman accused American officials of not coming clean about what they know about the disease .
This is what the Times is talking about .
A Chinese foreign ministry official sharing claims that the virus originated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in China .
Instead , Chinese people use a social media site called Weibo which is heavily censored by the government .
Foreign Ministry spox Lijian Zhao has been sending the same messages on Weibo and they have been viewed millions of times : Why is China doing this ?
The Times notes it is a very old tactic for autocratic regimes , i.e .
blame the U.S. for interfering in a way that distracts from your own failures .
China ’ s leader , Xi Jinping , has faced sharp criticism for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the outbreak , even at home .
Public anger erupted in February when a doctor who was punished for warning his colleagues about the coronavirus died , prompting censors to redouble their efforts to stifle public criticism .
Chinese officials have repeatedly urged officials in other countries not to politicize what is a public health emergency .
Conservatives in the United States , in particular , have latched on to loaded terms that have been criticized for stigmatizing the Chinese people .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo referred to the “ Wuhan virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican of California , called it the “ Chinese coronavirus.
” So to sum up the situation , China is being criticized for its initial cover-up of the virus and in response it is actively spreading a conspiracy theory that U.S. soldiers brought the coronavirus to Wuhan during the Military World Games .
There is no evidence this is true .
On the contrary , all the evidence points to the virus arising from a particular seafood market in Wuhan , probably after it spread from bats , through pangolins , which are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the face of actual communist propaganda , the American left has decided to…blame conservatives .
I wrote this week about Jim Acosta ’ s whose reaction to President Trump ’ s speech this week was to call it “ xenophobic.
” I ’ m sure China appreciated the contribution to their propaganda campaign .
As another example , here ’ s Jonathan Chait expressing his own confusion in a piece titled “ Why Are Conservatives Obsessed With Revenge on China for the Coronavirus ?
” If you have followed coronavirus news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experienced a story about a global pandemic , economic and cultural fallout , and federal government dysfunction .
If you are following it through the conservative media , as tens of millions of Americans do , you have probably understood the story as a narrative centered primarily around China .
From this perspective , the drama centers around the refusal of the media and liberal elites to acknowledge China ’ s guilt… What ’ s so strange about the right ’ s China obsession is that it lacks any policy implications .
Cotton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accountable those who inflicted it on the world , ” but what actions could he be threatening ?
Create a pandemic virus of our own in the United States ?
There is no prospective course of action that follows from blaming China .
It is a global pandemic .
And the reason the mainstream media and liberal elite are using the standard terms for the virus rather than the conservative movement ’ s preferred labels isn ’ t some delicacy about offending China .
It ’ s that we don ’ t actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
By this point in his piece , I ’ m ready to pull out my hair .
It would be fine to not care where the virus started if China wasn ’ t spreading a lie that it started here .
But since they are doing that , it would be great if a few people on the left , and in the media , would help set the record straight .
Conservatives should not be under attack from the left for speaking the truth in the face of a communist propaganda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even mention that China is engaged in this ongoing effort to blame American soldiers for the virus .
Does he not know about this ?
Part of me worries that he does know but just doesn ’ t care .
I realize many on the left don ’ t have a lot positive to say about America on most days of the week , but I guess I still expected when America was being lied about by a communist dictatorship , some would feel a tinge of sentiment that would lead them to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guess not .
People like Chait are scratching their heads as if the right ’ s reaction to this calumny makes no sense .
Last point : This matters not just because it ’ s offensive but because it ’ s dangerous .
As one of the experts quoted by the Times points out , what if Chinese authorities actually believe this lie about American soldiers seeding their country with a deadly virus that killed thousands of Chinese people ?
Wouldn ’ t that constitute an act of war ?
And what if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manage to convince millions of Chinese the U.S. is responsible .
How might that change our relationship in the future ?
For many reasons , we shouldn ’ t tolerate what China is doing any more than we tolerate people who claim 9/11 was an inside job ( another anti-American conspiracy theory ) or who claim we don ’ t know how many died in the Holocaust , etc .
Again , it would be great if a few people on the left could muster enough indignation to speak the truth even if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right who are already making the point .

China is lying its ass off about the coronavirus and the American left (which includes a lot of the media) doesn’t seem to understand why anyone cares.
A number of newspapers including the Washington Post and the Guardian have already reported that China is trying to spin the origin of the virus or, at a minimum, suggest the origin is unknown. I pointed this out earlier in the week here. Yesterday the NY Times published a piece headlined “China Spins Tale That the U.S. Army Started the Coronavirus Epidemic.”
China is pushing a new theory about the origins of the coronavirus: It is an American disease that might have been introduced by members of the United States Army who visited Wuhan in October. There is not a shred of evidence to support that, but the notion received an official endorsement from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose spokesman accused American officials of not coming clean about what they know about the disease.
This is what the Times is talking about. A Chinese foreign ministry official sharing claims that the virus originated in the US:
This article is very much important to each and every one of us. Please read and retweet it. COVID-19: Further Evidence that the Virus Originated in the US. https://t.co/LPanIo40MR — Lijian Zhao 赵立坚 (@zlj517) March 13, 2020
Twitter is blocked in China. Instead, Chinese people use a social media site called Weibo which is heavily censored by the government. Foreign Ministry spox Lijian Zhao has been sending the same messages on Weibo and they have been viewed millions of times:
Mr. Zhao’s remarks were spread on China’s most prominent social media platform, Weibo, under a hashtag: #ZhaoLijianPostedFiveTweetsinaRowQuestioningAmerica. By late afternoon on Friday, that hashtag had been viewed more than 160 million times, along with screenshots of the original Twitter posts. The State Department summoned the Chinese ambassador on Friday to protest Mr. Zhao’s comments, officials in the Trump administration said.
Why is China doing this? The Times notes it is a very old tactic for autocratic regimes, i.e. blame the U.S. for interfering in a way that distracts from your own failures.
China’s leader, Xi Jinping, has faced sharp criticism for the government’s initial handling of the outbreak, even at home. Public anger erupted in February when a doctor who was punished for warning his colleagues about the coronavirus died, prompting censors to redouble their efforts to stifle public criticism. Chinese officials have repeatedly urged officials in other countries not to politicize what is a public health emergency. Conservatives in the United States, in particular, have latched on to loaded terms that have been criticized for stigmatizing the Chinese people. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo referred to the “Wuhan virus,” while Representative Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California, called it the “Chinese coronavirus.”
So to sum up the situation, China is being criticized for its initial cover-up of the virus and in response it is actively spreading a conspiracy theory that U.S. soldiers brought the coronavirus to Wuhan during the Military World Games. There is no evidence this is true. On the contrary, all the evidence points to the virus arising from a particular seafood market in Wuhan, probably after it spread from bats, through pangolins, which are a delicacy in China, to humans.
In the face of actual communist propaganda, the American left has decided to…blame conservatives. I wrote this week about Jim Acosta’s whose reaction to President Trump’s speech this week was to call it “xenophobic.” I’m sure China appreciated the contribution to their propaganda campaign. As another example, here’s Jonathan Chait expressing his own confusion in a piece titled “Why Are Conservatives Obsessed With Revenge on China for the Coronavirus?”
If you have followed coronavirus news through the mainstream media, you have experienced a story about a global pandemic, economic and cultural fallout, and federal government dysfunction. If you are following it through the conservative media, as tens of millions of Americans do, you have probably understood the story as a narrative centered primarily around China. From this perspective, the drama centers around the refusal of the media and liberal elites to acknowledge China’s guilt… What’s so strange about the right’s China obsession is that it lacks any policy implications. Cotton has warned, “We will hold accountable those who inflicted it on the world,” but what actions could he be threatening? Create a pandemic virus of our own in the United States? There is no prospective course of action that follows from blaming China. It is a global pandemic. And the reason the mainstream media and liberal elite are using the standard terms for the virus rather than the conservative movement’s preferred labels isn’t some delicacy about offending China. It’s that we don’t actually care at this point where it started.
By this point in his piece, I’m ready to pull out my hair. It would be fine to not care where the virus started if China wasn’t spreading a lie that it started here. But since they are doing that, it would be great if a few people on the left, and in the media, would help set the record straight. Conservatives should not be under attack from the left for speaking the truth in the face of a communist propaganda campaign.
But Chait never bothers to even mention that China is engaged in this ongoing effort to blame American soldiers for the virus. Does he not know about this? Part of me worries that he does know but just doesn’t care.
I realize many on the left don’t have a lot positive to say about America on most days of the week, but I guess I still expected when America was being lied about by a communist dictatorship, some would feel a tinge of sentiment that would lead them to defend their own country. But I guess not. People like Chait are scratching their heads as if the right’s reaction to this calumny makes no sense.
Last point: This matters not just because it’s offensive but because it’s dangerous. As one of the experts quoted by the Times points out, what if Chinese authorities actually believe this lie about American soldiers seeding their country with a deadly virus that killed thousands of Chinese people? Wouldn’t that constitute an act of war? And what if they don’t believe it but manage to convince millions of Chinese the U.S. is responsible. How might that change our relationship in the future?
For many reasons, we shouldn’t tolerate what China is doing any more than we tolerate people who claim 9/11 was an inside job (another anti-American conspiracy theory) or who claim we don’t know how many died in the Holocaust, etc. Again, it would be great if a few people on the left could muster enough indignation to speak the truth even if that means siding with people on the right who are already making the point.


hotair--2020-03-15--NYC Mayor: Say, this would be a great time to nationalize some private industries

Apparently , Democrats/socialists just can ’ t help themselves .
Taking to heart the old political maxim of never letting a perfectly good crisis go to waste , New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio went on Joy Reid ’ s MSNBC show yesterday to discuss ( what else ? )
the coronavirus .
After blaming everything conceivable on Donald Trump , Hizzoner declared that the extraordinary nature of this threat requires extraordinary measures to combat it .
Since we don ’ t have enough test kits , respirators and other key medical equipment , the federal government needs to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are made and start cracking the whip .
( Washington Examiner ) New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio advocated for nationalizing certain industries to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus… And after de Blasio blamed the shortcomings of the federal government for the decreased supply of testing kits and ventilators , he called for the federal government to nationalize “ crucial factories and industries.
” “ This is a case for a nationalization , literally a nationalization , of crucial factories and industries that could produce the medical supplies to prepare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Just as a brief reminder to those who may have missed it , this is a guy who was running for president last year and there were people who took him seriously .
And when an actual crisis comes along , his first impulse was to have the federal government seize control of private corporations .
De Blasio went on to say that those factories should be “ running 24/7 ” all the time .
He is apparently under the impression that the companies manufacturing respirators or COVID-19 test kits are sitting around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opportunity is knocking on their doors .
The Mayor is apparently unaware of the realities of creating the test kits in question .
As Modern Healthcare noted just this week , the manufacturers of the test kits have run into significant challenges in developing new kits for the novel coronavirus , including reagent supply shortages and a lack of instrument access .
They finally got into production and are cranking them out as fast as they can , but there are limits on how many can be produced in a short period of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most popular manufacturers of that equipment are companies including Honeywell , 3M and Kimberley-Clark .
They ’ ve been doing this for a long time and know how the process works .
Respirators are not a high-volume sales item so they only make as many as the market typically requires and don ’ t keep huge backlogs in warehouses .
They ’ re already cranking up production but it doesn ’ t happen overnight .
Does Bill de Blasio honestly think that the federal government , model of efficiency and innovation that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faster and better than 3M ?
The instinct to seize control from the private sector runs deep in liberal politicians like de Blasio .
And a national emergency is the perfect cover to jump in and do just that .
This is simply one more example of why these people should never be put in charge of anything more complicated than a lemonade stand .
( And they ’ d probably run that out of business on the first day . )

Apparently, Democrats/socialists just can’t help themselves. Taking to heart the old political maxim of never letting a perfectly good crisis go to waste, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio went on Joy Reid’s MSNBC show yesterday to discuss (what else?) the coronavirus. After blaming everything conceivable on Donald Trump, Hizzoner declared that the extraordinary nature of this threat requires extraordinary measures to combat it. Since we don’t have enough test kits, respirators and other key medical equipment, the federal government needs to seize and nationalize the factories where they are made and start cracking the whip. (Washington Examiner)
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio advocated for nationalizing certain industries to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus… And after de Blasio blamed the shortcomings of the federal government for the decreased supply of testing kits and ventilators, he called for the federal government to nationalize “crucial factories and industries.” “This is a case for a nationalization, literally a nationalization, of crucial factories and industries that could produce the medical supplies to prepare this country for what we need.”
Just as a brief reminder to those who may have missed it, this is a guy who was running for president last year and there were people who took him seriously. And when an actual crisis comes along, his first impulse was to have the federal government seize control of private corporations.
De Blasio went on to say that those factories should be “running 24/7” all the time. He is apparently under the impression that the companies manufacturing respirators or COVID-19 test kits are sitting around twiddling their fingers while a massive market opportunity is knocking on their doors.
The Mayor is apparently unaware of the realities of creating the test kits in question. As Modern Healthcare noted just this week, the manufacturers of the test kits have run into significant challenges in developing new kits for the novel coronavirus, including reagent supply shortages and a lack of instrument access. They finally got into production and are cranking them out as fast as they can, but there are limits on how many can be produced in a short period of time.
As for respirators, the most popular manufacturers of that equipment are companies including Honeywell, 3M and Kimberley-Clark. They’ve been doing this for a long time and know how the process works. Respirators are not a high-volume sales item so they only make as many as the market typically requires and don’t keep huge backlogs in warehouses. They’re already cranking up production but it doesn’t happen overnight. Does Bill de Blasio honestly think that the federal government, model of efficiency and innovation that it is, knows how to produce respirators faster and better than 3M?
The instinct to seize control from the private sector runs deep in liberal politicians like de Blasio. And a national emergency is the perfect cover to jump in and do just that. This is simply one more example of why these people should never be put in charge of anything more complicated than a lemonade stand. (And they’d probably run that out of business on the first day.)