hotair--2020-04-15--Operation Gridlock in Lansing, Michigan protests Gov. Whitmer's stay-at-home order

A group calling itself the Michigan Conservative Coalition organized a protest of the state ’ s stay-at-home order which attempts to maintain social distancing by having everyone remain in their cars .
The event , called Operation Gridlock , took place outside the state capitol in Lansing today at noon .
Hundreds , perhaps thousands , of people drove into Lansing and have surrounded the Michigan Capitol Building to create a traffic jam – a symbolic gesture of disagreement with Gretchen Whitmer ’ s Stay Safe , Stay Home directive… Arguing that more emphasis be placed on reopening business , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distancing measures add only a marginal benefit at the expense of the state ’ s economy .
The protest was supposed to start at noon on Wednesday but people were already packing the roads by 9 a.m. and hundreds of people were standing in front of the Capitol and not social distancing .
More drivers were jammed on Capitol Ave , where the one-way three-lane road was bumper to bumper for several miles north of the Capitol .
You can read the group ’ s flyer promoting the protest here .
It reads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for those afflicted with COVID 19 .
Yes , many of the personal behaviors we have been reminded to use are good practices .
Wash your hands .
Cover your cough .
Stay home if you are sick .
That said , Michiganders are fed up !
Our Governor and her allies are infecting ALL of us with their radical , progressive agenda .
There is NO reasoned and public plan to promote our overall physical and Whitmer wants Michigan to be in gridlock .
We plan to give her a gridlock in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ Whitmer police ” will likely be out to enforce social distancing .
That said we need to display our flags , take signs , make noise and make our unhappiness known !
Local reporters were on hand to cover the protest which got started before the published noon start time .
And the cars kept coming : Not everyone is pleased about the protest : The cars were honking their horns as they passed the Capitol .
Some people did get out of their cars to protest on the Capitol grounds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ire in Lansing is Gov .
Whitmer ’ s recent extension of a stay-at-home order which is one of the most restrictive ( and confusing ) in the country .
Jazz will have more on that shortly .
Meanwhile , here ’ s a local news report on the protest :

A group calling itself the Michigan Conservative Coalition organized a protest of the state’s stay-at-home order which attempts to maintain social distancing by having everyone remain in their cars. The event, called Operation Gridlock, took place outside the state capitol in Lansing today at noon.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people drove into Lansing and have surrounded the Michigan Capitol Building to create a traffic jam – a symbolic gesture of disagreement with Gretchen Whitmer’s Stay Safe, Stay Home directive… Arguing that more emphasis be placed on reopening business, many residents are worried the restrictive social distancing measures add only a marginal benefit at the expense of the state’s economy. The protest was supposed to start at noon on Wednesday but people were already packing the roads by 9 a.m. and hundreds of people were standing in front of the Capitol and not social distancing. More drivers were jammed on Capitol Ave, where the one-way three-lane road was bumper to bumper for several miles north of the Capitol.
You can read the group’s flyer promoting the protest here. It reads in part:
We are all concerned for those afflicted with COVID 19. Yes, many of the personal behaviors we have been reminded to use are good practices. Wash your hands. Cover your cough. Stay home if you are sick. That said, Michiganders are fed up! Our Governor and her allies are infecting ALL of us with their radical, progressive agenda. There is NO reasoned and public plan to promote our overall physical and economic health!… Whitmer wants Michigan to be in gridlock. We plan to give her a gridlock in Lansing! Stay in your vehicle as the “Whitmer police” will likely be out to enforce social distancing. That said we need to display our flags, take signs, make noise and make our unhappiness known!
Local reporters were on hand to cover the protest which got started before the published noon start time.
More than an hour before the “Operation Gridlock” rally, trucks bedecked in flags, pulling boat trailers, sporting hand painted messages on their roofs have gathered around the state Capitol.
A decent amount of protesters are on foot as well. pic.twitter.com/I9lEfITahU — Beth LeBlanc (@DNBethLeBlanc) April 15, 2020
Following the Operation Gridlock rally in Lansing, blocks from the Capitol, on bike. part 1 pic.twitter.com/4WUKVT7BPi — MIRSnews.com (@MIRSnews) April 15, 2020
And the cars kept coming:
Bumper-to-bumper traffic at Lansing exit for the West Michigan convoy headed to #OperationGridlock. Protest at the Capitol already going on. More pics from Lowell @wzzm13 pic.twitter.com/iKo4lo2dfa — Noah Fromson (@NoahFromson) April 15, 2020
Not everyone is pleased about the protest:
Seymour Ave, about a half mile from the Captiol. Traffic stalled, horns honking. A man opens the door of his home and yells “Go home, stupid m***erf***ers.” @wzzm13 pic.twitter.com/yR6IgaPeeg — Noah Fromson (@NoahFromson) April 15, 2020
The cars were honking their horns as they passed the Capitol.
Honking vehicles circling the capital in Lansing. @WOODTV pic.twitter.com/PXjAuH9lFq — Heather Walker (@_HeatherWalker) April 15, 2020
Talking to lots of small business owners out here. Operation Gridlock protesting the extended stay-at-home order from @GovWhitmer. @WOODTV pic.twitter.com/DFf18VNZ4d — Heather Walker (@_HeatherWalker) April 15, 2020
Some people did get out of their cars to protest on the Capitol grounds:
From the Capitol steps for Operation Gridlock. pic.twitter.com/KrWHrHBgpE — MIRSnews.com (@MIRSnews) April 15, 2020
Another look at #OperationGridlock happening in downtown Lansing as people protest @GovWhitmer's stay-at-home order. pic.twitter.com/Q2S1WeI1GW — Barrett Tryon (@btreports) April 15, 2020
The focus of much of the ire in Lansing is Gov. Whitmer’s recent extension of a stay-at-home order which is one of the most restrictive (and confusing) in the country. Jazz will have more on that shortly. Meanwhile, here’s a local news report on the protest:


hotair--2020-04-15--China propaganda mouthpiece to US: We have "serious concerns" over effort to defund WHO

I ’ ll bet they do .
Those serious concerns have plenty to do with losing resources for one of China ’ s most effective allies in their propaganda war more than fighting the COVID-19 pandemic that China amplified through its deliberate cover-up .
After Donald Trump announced yesterday that the US would withhold funds from the World Health Organization pending an investigation into their misinformation on the pandemic , China ’ s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian criticized the move in a press conference : At his Wednesday press conference , Zhao attacked President Donald Trump ’ s decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , warning the move will undermine global efforts to defeat COVID-19 coronavirus .
Zhao said the president ’ s decision will “ weaken the WHO ’ s capabilities and undermine international cooperation.
” Zhao added that China has “ serious concerns ” over the freeze , though said Beijing “ will as always support the WHO in playing an important role in international public health and global anti-epidemic response.
” It doesn ’ t help China ’ s credibility much to leave this messaging to Zhao Lijian .
The last time we heard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came from the US Army in an effort to discredit Beijing .
Zhao also spread disinformation about US COVID-19 infections in September , a claim that China ’ s ambassador to the US later publicly refuted : Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian took to Twitter on Friday to double down on an unproven claim that the US military brought the new coronavirus to the central city of Wuhan , where the outbreak began .
Zhao urged his more than 287,000 followers in two tweets on Friday morning to widely share an allegation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus – which has become a global pandemic – originated in the US rather than the Wuhan seafood market that is thought to be its source .
That infuriated the White House , forcing ambassador to distance Beijing from Zhao — at least for the moment : Ambassador Cui Tiankai said in an interview with “ Axios on HBO ” that he stood by his Feb. 9 statement that it would be “ crazy ” to spread such theories , even though a foreign ministry spokesman has repeatedly floated the idea on Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will help nobody .
It ’ s very harmful , ” Cui told Axios .
“ Eventually , we must have an answer to where the virus originally came from .
But this is the job for the scientists to do , not for diplomats.
” Cui ’ s comments represent a sharp public rebuke to foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian , who has publicly questioned whether the virus originated in China and even touted the idea that it may have been introduced by U.S. Army athletes .
Such public differences are rare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their ability to stick closely to the Communist Party ’ s official line .
If China expects us to take these “ concerns ” seriously , then perhaps they should express them in some other channel than through their rabid propagandist .
Using Zhao to send this message strongly suggests that China sees WHO as an asset in their propaganda war , not so much to promote world health .
If they were concerned about fighting COVID-19 , they would share the real data on infections in China with WHO — and stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too .
At any rate , the funding freeze doesn ’ t mean that the US will stop working with WHO .
CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield pledged to continue joint efforts with the organization , saying that funding decisions were not part of his purview : “ You know , I ’ m just going to say the WHO has been a longstanding partner for CDC .
We ’ ve worked together to fight health crises all around the world .
We continue to do that , ” Redfield told “ CBS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts to quash the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo .
“ WHO has been a long-term and still is a great partner for us .
We ’ re going to continue to do all we can together to try to limit this , ” he added , referring to the coronavirus .
That makes sense ; as long as they are operating , there ’ s no reason not to work with them to get whatever information we can .
But as long as China ’ s using them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with unreliable data , there ’ s always going to be a big asterisk on whatever data they do provide .
And American dollars should go to resources that don ’ t operate as mouthpieces for Beijing in or out of a crisis .
Finally , let ’ s mull over this warning from the Washington Post , which sees a very dark outcome from defunding WHO : I think we ’ re already there — and that ’ s the problem .

I’ll bet they do. Those serious concerns have plenty to do with losing resources for one of China’s most effective allies in their propaganda war more than fighting the COVID-19 pandemic that China amplified through its deliberate cover-up. After Donald Trump announced yesterday that the US would withhold funds from the World Health Organization pending an investigation into their misinformation on the pandemic, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian criticized the move in a press conference:
At his Wednesday press conference, Zhao attacked President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze U.S. funding for the WHO, warning the move will undermine global efforts to defeat COVID-19 coronavirus. Zhao said the president’s decision will “weaken the WHO’s capabilities and undermine international cooperation.” Zhao added that China has “serious concerns” over the freeze, though said Beijing “will as always support the WHO in playing an important role in international public health and global anti-epidemic response.”
It doesn’t help China’s credibility much to leave this messaging to Zhao Lijian. The last time we heard from Zhao, he claimed that COVID-19 came from the US Army in an effort to discredit Beijing. Zhao also spread disinformation about US COVID-19 infections in September, a claim that China’s ambassador to the US later publicly refuted:
US CDC admitted some #COVID19 patients were misdiagnosed as flu during 2019 flu season. 34 million infected & 20000 died. If #COVID19 began last September, & US has been lack of testing ability, how many would have been infected? US should find out when patient zero appeared. — Lijian Zhao 赵立坚 (@zlj517) March 22, 2020
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian took to Twitter on Friday to double down on an unproven claim that the US military brought the new coronavirus to the central city of Wuhan, where the outbreak began. Zhao urged his more than 287,000 followers in two tweets on Friday morning to widely share an allegation from a Canada-based conspiracy website that the coronavirus – which has become a global pandemic – originated in the US rather than the Wuhan seafood market that is thought to be its source.
That infuriated the White House, forcing ambassador to distance Beijing from Zhao — at least for the moment:
Ambassador Cui Tiankai said in an interview with “Axios on HBO” that he stood by his Feb. 9 statement that it would be “crazy” to spread such theories, even though a foreign ministry spokesman has repeatedly floated the idea on Twitter in recent weeks. “Such speculation will help nobody. It’s very harmful,” Cui told Axios. “Eventually, we must have an answer to where the virus originally came from. But this is the job for the scientists to do, not for diplomats.” Cui’s comments represent a sharp public rebuke to foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, who has publicly questioned whether the virus originated in China and even touted the idea that it may have been introduced by U.S. Army athletes. Such public differences are rare among Chinese officials who are famous for their ability to stick closely to the Communist Party’s official line.
If China expects us to take these “concerns” seriously, then perhaps they should express them in some other channel than through their rabid propagandist. Using Zhao to send this message strongly suggests that China sees WHO as an asset in their propaganda war, not so much to promote world health. If they were concerned about fighting COVID-19, they would share the real data on infections in China with WHO — and stop lying to everyone else about it, too.
At any rate, the funding freeze doesn’t mean that the US will stop working with WHO. CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield pledged to continue joint efforts with the organization, saying that funding decisions were not part of his purview:
“You know, I’m just going to say the WHO has been a longstanding partner for CDC. We’ve worked together to fight health crises all around the world. We continue to do that,” Redfield told “CBS This Morning,” citing ongoing joint efforts to quash the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “WHO has been a long-term and still is a great partner for us. We’re going to continue to do all we can together to try to limit this,” he added, referring to the coronavirus.
That makes sense; as long as they are operating, there’s no reason not to work with them to get whatever information we can. But as long as China’s using them as their propaganda arm and providing them with unreliable data, there’s always going to be a big asterisk on whatever data they do provide. And American dollars should go to resources that don’t operate as mouthpieces for Beijing in or out of a crisis.
Finally, let’s mull over this warning from the Washington Post, which sees a very dark outcome from defunding WHO:
Trump announced the U.S. will suspend WHO funding. That could leave another global initiative under China’s influence.
I think we’re already there — and that’s the problem.


hotair--2020-04-15--Hmmm: 36% at Boston homeless shelter tested positive for COVID-19, vast majority without symptoms

That ’ s two days in a row with a study suggesting greater prevalence of coronavirus within a particular population than one might expect .
Yesterday doctors in a NYC hospital reported that 15 percent of women who gave birth in their care during late March and early April tested positive for the virus .
Of that number , 88 percent had no symptoms .
Today there ’ s a new study out of Boston , this time of a population of homeless people .
Result : An even greater prevalence of COVID-19 but still the same large share of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unanswered questions in the obstetric study remains unanswered here too , though .
How many of these people never had symptoms and how many went on to have some after they were tested ?
Everyone infected with the virus is pre-symptomatic at some point .
What we want to know is how many remain asymptomatic throughout their infection .
Fully 83 percent of those at the shelter who tested positive had no symptoms , in line with the share of infected pregnant women .
Note too that both the New York tests and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , i.e .
the nose/throat swab that detects whether the virus is present in the person *at that moment .
* Conceivably , some members of each group had already had the virus and recovered , clearing it from their system before the PCR test was done .
Detecting that would require an antibody test .
If we ’ re looking for evidence that many more Americans have had the disease than thought and most didn ’ t even know it , that ’ s something to consider .
Another question raised by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the total U.S. population .
I floated a theory yesterday for why pregnant women might not be a good yardstick for the average American : They ’ re visiting doctor ’ s offices more often than most people are during the final stages of their pregnancy so they may have picked up the virus there .
( There may also be immune complications from pregnancy . )
It ’ s easy to see why the homeless might not be a good yardstick either .
In cramped quarters like a homeless shelter , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even outside the shelter , the homeless don ’ t have the luxury you and I do of hunkering down in a private space .
They need to panhandle or visit soup kitchens to eat , where they ’ re bound to end up in close contact with others .
Poor nutrition , and poor health generally , doubtless has an effect on immunity too .
On the other hand , the fact that only a small percentage of a vulnerable population like the homeless were symptomatic — at least at the moment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those of us who want to believe the disease is more common , and much less severe , across the entire population than the current gruesome spike of cases in NYC and elsewhere suggests .
But let ’ s not get our hopes up .
Doctors in Iceland have been seeing cases in their country since late February and by mid-March were testing the population , both those who seemed at special risk for infection and a random sample of people to see how far it might have spread .
The result wasn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Oxford model of the epidemic .
As of April 4 , a total of 1221 of 9199 persons ( 13.3 % ) who were recruited for targeted testing had positive results for infection with SARS-CoV-2 .
Of those tested in the general population , 87 ( 0.8 % ) in the open-invitation screening and 13 ( 0.6 % ) in the random-population screening tested positive for the virus .
In total , 6 % of the population was screened .
Most persons in the targeted-testing group who received positive tests early in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in contrast to those who tested positive later in the study .
Children under 10 years of age were less likely to receive a positive result than were persons 10 years of age or older , with percentages of 6.7 % and 13.7 % , respectively , for targeted testing ; in the population screening , no child under 10 years of age had a positive result , as compared with 0.8 % of those 10 years of age or older .
Fewer females than males received positive results both in targeted testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and in population screening ( 0.6 % vs. 0.9 % ) .
The haplotypes of the sequenced SARS-CoV-2 viruses were diverse and changed over time .
The percentage of infected participants that was determined through population screening remained stable for the 20-day duration of screening .
I ’ m open to theories that Iceland is unrepresentative of other populations .
Certainly their climate isn ’ t helping them to keep the virus at bay , though , as temperatures were in the 30s and 40s during March .
If the virus spreads like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientists think , why is prevalence in Iceland below one percent ?
Did they simply test “ too early , ” before exponential growth had time to work its magic ?
If you ’ re excited by the New York and Boston results , stay tuned for a much more representative population study courtesy of , uh … Major League Baseball .
About 10,000 employees from 27 of MLB ’ s 30 teams are being tested to detect whether they have already contracted and potentially recovered from the coronavirus .
Participants span the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executives , scouts , stadium ushers , hot-dog vendors and , in some cases , the players themselves… The doctors involved said that a study of this nature typically would take a year or more to complete .
With MLB ’ s help , the process is already near its conclusion after about a month .
Pinprick blood tests , to be self-administered by employees at their homes , generate a result within 10 minutes and should be completed by the end of the week .
Dr. Bhattacharya said he plans to write @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it out for peer review .
“ If you don ’ t know how far along the disease is we can ’ t do good forecasts , ” Dr. Bhattacharya said .
“ If we can ’ t do forecasts we can ’ t understand when it ’ s safe to open up the economy.
” Bhattacharya has been skeptical since the start that the virus is anywhere near as deadly as many scientists fear .
He suspects , as the Oxford researchers do , that many more people have been infected than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is harmless for most .
A sample of 10,000 is nice and big to show prevalence in a population like MLB employees that looks more like the general public than a sample of pregnant women or homeless persons does .
We ’ ll have our best sense yet soon of how many average Americans have contracted the illness .
I ’ m curious to see what sort of regional effects there are , too .
We can expect a higher rate of infection among New Yorkers right now than among Kansans , obviously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disparities in immunity are going to complicate interstate travel over the next 18 months , and the wider those disparities are , the more complicated it ’ s going to be .
Exit question : If the infection rate is 36 percent in a homeless shelter , what is it among the medical staff at a New York hospital right now ?
According to the CDC , health-care workers make up 10-20 percent of the entire country ’ s positive cases .
If there really is a gigantic share of asymptomatic carriers in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that a huge percentage of health-care pros already have had it .

That’s two days in a row with a study suggesting greater prevalence of coronavirus within a particular population than one might expect. Yesterday doctors in a NYC hospital reported that 15 percent of women who gave birth in their care during late March and early April tested positive for the virus. Of that number, 88 percent had no symptoms.
Today there’s a new study out of Boston, this time of a population of homeless people. Result: An even greater prevalence of COVID-19 but still the same large share of asymptomatic patients.
One of the key unanswered questions in the obstetric study remains unanswered here too, though. How many of these people never had symptoms and how many went on to have some after they were tested? Everyone infected with the virus is pre-symptomatic at some point. What we want to know is how many remain asymptomatic throughout their infection.
Whoa, 147 (36%) out of 408 people tested positive for the #coronavirus at a large homeless shelter in Bostonhttps://t.co/WsecQWxdDA More interestingly, only ~1/6 showed symptoms among those tested positive, i.e. 1:5 for symptomatic vs asymptomatic. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/ez9vTGZxou — Andy Biotech (@AndyBiotech) April 15, 2020
Fully 83 percent of those at the shelter who tested positive had no symptoms, in line with the share of infected pregnant women. Note too that both the New York tests and the Boston tests were done via PCR, i.e. the nose/throat swab that detects whether the virus is present in the person *at that moment.* Conceivably, some members of each group had already had the virus and recovered, clearing it from their system before the PCR test was done. Detecting that would require an antibody test. If we’re looking for evidence that many more Americans have had the disease than thought and most didn’t even know it, that’s something to consider.
Another question raised by both studies is how representative they are of the total U.S. population. I floated a theory yesterday for why pregnant women might not be a good yardstick for the average American: They’re visiting doctor’s offices more often than most people are during the final stages of their pregnancy so they may have picked up the virus there. (There may also be immune complications from pregnancy.) It’s easy to see why the homeless might not be a good yardstick either. In cramped quarters like a homeless shelter, the virus may spread like lightning. Even outside the shelter, the homeless don’t have the luxury you and I do of hunkering down in a private space. They need to panhandle or visit soup kitchens to eat, where they’re bound to end up in close contact with others. Poor nutrition, and poor health generally, doubtless has an effect on immunity too.
On the other hand, the fact that only a small percentage of a vulnerable population like the homeless were symptomatic — at least at the moment they were tested — is encouraging for those of us who want to believe the disease is more common, and much less severe, across the entire population than the current gruesome spike of cases in NYC and elsewhere suggests.
But let’s not get our hopes up. Doctors in Iceland have been seeing cases in their country since late February and by mid-March were testing the population, both those who seemed at special risk for infection and a random sample of people to see how far it might have spread. The result wasn’t encouraging for true believers in the Oxford model of the epidemic.
As of April 4, a total of 1221 of 9199 persons (13.3%) who were recruited for targeted testing had positive results for infection with SARS-CoV-2. Of those tested in the general population, 87 (0.8%) in the open-invitation screening and 13 (0.6%) in the random-population screening tested positive for the virus. In total, 6% of the population was screened. Most persons in the targeted-testing group who received positive tests early in the study had recently traveled internationally, in contrast to those who tested positive later in the study. Children under 10 years of age were less likely to receive a positive result than were persons 10 years of age or older, with percentages of 6.7% and 13.7%, respectively, for targeted testing; in the population screening, no child under 10 years of age had a positive result, as compared with 0.8% of those 10 years of age or older. Fewer females than males received positive results both in targeted testing (11.0% vs. 16.7%) and in population screening (0.6% vs. 0.9%). The haplotypes of the sequenced SARS-CoV-2 viruses were diverse and changed over time. The percentage of infected participants that was determined through population screening remained stable for the 20-day duration of screening.
I’m open to theories that Iceland is unrepresentative of other populations. Certainly their climate isn’t helping them to keep the virus at bay, though, as temperatures were in the 30s and 40s during March. If the virus spreads like wildfire, infecting many more people than scientists think, why is prevalence in Iceland below one percent? Did they simply test “too early,” before exponential growth had time to work its magic?
If you’re excited by the New York and Boston results, stay tuned for a much more representative population study courtesy of, uh … Major League Baseball.
About 10,000 employees from 27 of MLB’s 30 teams are being tested to detect whether they have already contracted and potentially recovered from the coronavirus. Participants span the organizational payroll, including owners, front-office executives, scouts, stadium ushers, hot-dog vendors and, in some cases, the players themselves… The doctors involved said that a study of this nature typically would take a year or more to complete. With MLB’s help, the process is already near its conclusion after about a month. Pinprick blood tests, to be self-administered by employees at their homes, generate a result within 10 minutes and should be completed by the end of the week. Dr. Bhattacharya said he plans to write a paper over the weekend and send it out for peer review. “If you don’t know how far along the disease is we can’t do good forecasts,” Dr. Bhattacharya said. “If we can’t do forecasts we can’t understand when it’s safe to open up the economy.”
Bhattacharya has been skeptical since the start that the virus is anywhere near as deadly as many scientists fear. He suspects, as the Oxford researchers do, that many more people have been infected than is commonly believed and that the disease is harmless for most. A sample of 10,000 is nice and big to show prevalence in a population like MLB employees that looks more like the general public than a sample of pregnant women or homeless persons does. We’ll have our best sense yet soon of how many average Americans have contracted the illness. I’m curious to see what sort of regional effects there are, too. We can expect a higher rate of infection among New Yorkers right now than among Kansans, obviously, but how much higher? Regional disparities in immunity are going to complicate interstate travel over the next 18 months, and the wider those disparities are, the more complicated it’s going to be.
Exit question: If the infection rate is 36 percent in a homeless shelter, what is it among the medical staff at a New York hospital right now? According to the CDC, health-care workers make up 10-20 percent of the entire country’s positive cases. If there really is a gigantic share of asymptomatic carriers in any discrete group, it may be that a huge percentage of health-care pros already have had it.


hotair--2020-04-15--Here's why grocery store shelves are empty

There is no shortage of food , according to food industry leaders , yet there are empty shelves in grocery stores .
Why is that ?
The reason goes beyond the fact that people began to hoard items last month .
There is also a problem with distribution and the fact that Americans are cooking at home instead of going out to eat .
When the economy began to slow last month , shoppers began hoarding canned goods and cleaning items .
The hoarding of toilet paper caught many retailers by surprise .
A hoarding mentality took over as shoppers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grocers are experiencing shortages in particular regions and stores .
Customers are focusing on a smaller selection of products , making standard abundances of choice unnecessary .
Grocery stores often offer 40,000 items for purchase .
In other words , shoppers are selecting specific products that must be replenished while other products sit on the shelves .
There is a problem with distribution .
With restaurant sales typically accounting for half of the sales , the distribution system was developed for bulk sales , not smaller packaging found in supermarkets .
With most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consumer demand is higher for grocery sales .
Overnight , restaurants closed and the alternative to cooking at home became picking up food or using a delivery service .
If a worker is unemployed and uncertain when he or she will be employed again , cooking at home is the economical choice .
Safety precautions are slowing down restocking shelves .
Stores are closing earlier than normal and deep cleaning any surface that is touched by customers , which slows down restocking efforts .
Shoppers are buying larger quantities of goods to eliminate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canned goods and items that will be safe to sit on home shelves for a long period of time are the most desirable purchases now .
With so much uncertainty of when or if life will go back to normal , shopping habits have changed to adapt to how we are living life during the coronavirus pandemic .
Some food manufacturers are having to limit the choices of products in order to keep up with demands .
For example , normally a shopper buying yogurt would have many choices but now only sees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like a superficial first world problem but it ’ s an adjustment mentally for shoppers .
If shelves look empty and choices are limited , panic sets in .
Grocery stores are offering items that consumers don ’ t need right now because that is what is sitting on the shelves .
Retailers were expected to adjust to the new normal quickly when increased demands quickly arose and they are scrambling to pivot .
People are learning to cook .
Also , the USDA and the FDA have deregulated labeling and packaging for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ normally sell food meant for restaurants more leeway in adjusting to new packaging needs .
The USDA and FDA have deregulated labeling and packaging for 60 days to allow food to be redistributed .
While there are usually four or five USDA food recalls each month , there hasn ’ t been a single one since the beginning of February , worrying food safety experts about lack of oversight .
Still , Wadiak said , the pandemic may change for the better the paradigm of how people shop .
“ I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a way that I haven ’ t seen in my lifetime , buying whole chickens , pork butts , things they might have previously thought of as daunting .
They have the time now ; they are learning and YouTubing.
” Fresh meat and produce is limited in many stores .
Meat processing plants are closing down when workers become ill with the coronavirus and this disrupts the supply chain .
There is no shortage of cows , pigs , or chickens .
Adjustments have to be made , though , to find @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others close .
The United States imports about half of its fruit .
About 20 % of vegetables are imported from Mexico this time of year .
Industries like the seafood and dairy industries that rely heavily on restaurants are having to find new creative ways to sell products .
Canned tuna sales are up 200 % , and SafeCatch is up 400 % because canned tuna is a cheap source of protein that will last for a long time on pantry shelves .
The seafood industry is asking everyone to buy its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pain it is feeling .
Some fish producers are trying to sell more of their product in the retail market to make up for the loss .
Customers are still buying plenty of food at grocery stores and sales are rising for many products there .
So if this 12-week campaign using social media and marketing to encourage more consumers to buy and cook seafood at home is successful , it could help the industry .
“ America ’ s seafood community is in crisis , ” The Seafood4Health Action Coalition said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poses a significant threat to the future of an industry that employs approximately 2 million Americans .
That ’ s why we ’ re asking everyone in America to support the seafood community by eating seafood and buying seafood each week.
” Unfortunately , with the problems of distribution facing America ’ s farmers and dairy producers , food and milk is going to waste .
This further hurts the dairy producers due to prices dropping with milk being dumped instead of heading to restaurants or schools .
Supermarket chains , like Kroger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies that sell to restaurants and school cafeterias , like Sysco and U.S. Food , to provide products like eggs that are increasing in price due to shortages because of distribution problems .
I know I can vouch for the price of a dozen eggs rising and lately I ’ ve been having trouble buying them .
Shortages are different in different parts of the country .
I have no problem finding ground beef here in Texas yet other areas of the country are experiencing shortages .
The same will likely be true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pork processing plants experiencing shutdowns due to employees testing positive to COVID-19 .
I ’ ll end with this little tidbit – the hot item now that shoppers are looking for is hair dye .
Salons and barbershops are closed and people are coloring their hair at home .
The great hunkering down has been going on for several weeks now and true hair color is being exposed .
That ’ s a little levity during all the stress of food purchasing during a pandemic .

There is no shortage of food, according to food industry leaders, yet there are empty shelves in grocery stores. Why is that? The reason goes beyond the fact that people began to hoard items last month. There is also a problem with distribution and the fact that Americans are cooking at home instead of going out to eat.
When the economy began to slow last month, shoppers began hoarding canned goods and cleaning items. The hoarding of toilet paper caught many retailers by surprise. A hoarding mentality took over as shoppers panicked. Along with the hoarding, grocers are experiencing shortages in particular regions and stores. Customers are focusing on a smaller selection of products, making standard abundances of choice unnecessary. Grocery stores often offer 40,000 items for purchase. In other words, shoppers are selecting specific products that must be replenished while other products sit on the shelves.
There is a problem with distribution. With restaurant sales typically accounting for half of the sales, the distribution system was developed for bulk sales, not smaller packaging found in supermarkets. With most meals now being made at home, consumer demand is higher for grocery sales. Overnight, restaurants closed and the alternative to cooking at home became picking up food or using a delivery service. If a worker is unemployed and uncertain when he or she will be employed again, cooking at home is the economical choice.
Fred Boehler, president and CEO of Americold, which provides a temperature-controlled supply chain to manufacturers, said U.S. grocery stores, food-service distribution centers, regional distribution centers and manufacturing facilities traditionally each hold up to about 30 days of product. Together, that’s four months of food in the system. “But at the flip of a switch, the food-service sector slowed down and people wiped the grocery stores clean,” he said. “It’s sitting in everyone’s home fridges and freezers, and we have to backfill the grocery stores.”
Safety precautions are slowing down restocking shelves. Stores are closing earlier than normal and deep cleaning any surface that is touched by customers, which slows down restocking efforts. Shoppers are buying larger quantities of goods to eliminate more frequent trips to the store. Canned goods and items that will be safe to sit on home shelves for a long period of time are the most desirable purchases now. With so much uncertainty of when or if life will go back to normal, shopping habits have changed to adapt to how we are living life during the coronavirus pandemic.
Some food manufacturers are having to limit the choices of products in order to keep up with demands. For example, normally a shopper buying yogurt would have many choices but now only sees basic flavors and varieties. That sounds like a superficial first world problem but it’s an adjustment mentally for shoppers. If shelves look empty and choices are limited, panic sets in.
Grocery stores are offering items that consumers don’t need right now because that is what is sitting on the shelves. Retailers were expected to adjust to the new normal quickly when increased demands quickly arose and they are scrambling to pivot. People are learning to cook. Also, the USDA and the FDA have deregulated labeling and packaging for 60 days. This allows distributors who normally sell food meant for restaurants more leeway in adjusting to new packaging needs.
The USDA and FDA have deregulated labeling and packaging for 60 days to allow food to be redistributed. While there are usually four or five USDA food recalls each month, there hasn’t been a single one since the beginning of February, worrying food safety experts about lack of oversight. Still, Wadiak said, the pandemic may change for the better the paradigm of how people shop. “I’m seeing folks interacting with real foods in a way that I haven’t seen in my lifetime, buying whole chickens, pork butts, things they might have previously thought of as daunting. They have the time now; they are learning and YouTubing.”
Fresh meat and produce is limited in many stores. Meat processing plants are closing down when workers become ill with the coronavirus and this disrupts the supply chain. There is no shortage of cows, pigs, or chickens. Adjustments have to be made, though, to find processing plants that can accommodate them when others close. The United States imports about half of its fruit. About 20% of vegetables are imported from Mexico this time of year.
Industries like the seafood and dairy industries that rely heavily on restaurants are having to find new creative ways to sell products. Canned tuna sales are up 200%, and SafeCatch is up 400% because canned tuna is a cheap source of protein that will last for a long time on pantry shelves. The seafood industry is asking everyone to buy its products on a weekly basis to ease the pain it is feeling.
Some fish producers are trying to sell more of their product in the retail market to make up for the loss. Customers are still buying plenty of food at grocery stores and sales are rising for many products there. So if this 12-week campaign using social media and marketing to encourage more consumers to buy and cook seafood at home is successful, it could help the industry. “America’s seafood community is in crisis,” The Seafood4Health Action Coalition said in a release. “The coronavirus poses a significant threat to the future of an industry that employs approximately 2 million Americans. That’s why we’re asking everyone in America to support the seafood community by eating seafood and buying seafood each week.”
Unfortunately, with the problems of distribution facing America’s farmers and dairy producers, food and milk is going to waste. This further hurts the dairy producers due to prices dropping with milk being dumped instead of heading to restaurants or schools.
Supermarket chains, like Kroger, have begun to partner with large companies that sell to restaurants and school cafeterias, like Sysco and U.S. Food, to provide products like eggs that are increasing in price due to shortages because of distribution problems. I know I can vouch for the price of a dozen eggs rising and lately I’ve been having trouble buying them.
Shortages are different in different parts of the country. I have no problem finding ground beef here in Texas yet other areas of the country are experiencing shortages. The same will likely be true of pork with some of the large pork processing plants experiencing shutdowns due to employees testing positive to COVID-19.
I’ll end with this little tidbit – the hot item now that shoppers are looking for is hair dye. Salons and barbershops are closed and people are coloring their hair at home. The great hunkering down has been going on for several weeks now and true hair color is being exposed. That’s a little levity during all the stress of food purchasing during a pandemic.


hotair--2020-04-15--The airlines are getting their bailout after all and it still stinks

Earlier this month , we looked at the congressional proposal to bail out the airlines , presumably to keep all of their employees on the job .
To say that I was unimpressed with the broad outlines of the plan is a bit of an understatement .
There was too much “ free money ” ( meaning your money ) involved and not enough assurances that the main benefactors would be the public rather than the airlines ’ stockholders .
Well , the Treasury Department has now announced that a deal has been made and the major airlines will have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take advantage of it .
Suffice it to say that the final details don ’ t look all that much better than what was originally being discussed .
( NBC News ) Ten of the country ’ s largest airlines , including American , Delta and United , are to receive a slice of the $ 25 billion Payroll Support Program… Alaska Airlines , Allegiant Air , American Airlines , Delta Air Lines , Frontier Airlines , Hawaiian Airlines , JetBlue Airways , United Airlines , SkyWest Airlines and Southwest Airlines “ have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ participate in the Payroll Support Program , ” according to a statement from Mnuchin .
American Airlines said it had received a $ 5.8 billion package .
The relief includes $ 4.1 billion in direct support , along with a $ 1.7 billion low-interest loan .
American Airlines also expects to apply for a loan from the Treasury for around $ 4.75 billion , the Texas-based company said in a statement .
In addition to the more than four billion dollar grant to American Airlines , Southwest will be receiving nearly two and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t have to pay back .
Other airlines are expected to be pushing their snouts up to the trough in short order .
What sort of assurances did we receive from the airlines in exchange for all of this taxpayer generosity ?
There weren ’ t many specifics offered in the announcement beyond some vague descriptions of , “ limits on stock buybacks , dividends and executive compensation.
” If you expected any promises to improve their service , restore some of our legroom and make flying economy class less of a nightmare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Treasury Department ever talking about “ limits ” on stock buybacks ?
If the airlines are in that much financial trouble and are so worried about keeping their workers on the payroll , there shouldn ’ t be one dollar going into any stock buybacks until every penny of those loans is repaid and they ’ ve proven that they kept their workers off the unemployment lines .
As for dividends , those are supposed to be given out to shareholders as a reflection of the company ’ s profits .
Since when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of bankruptcy go handing out dividends ?
Again , there should be none until their business with Uncle Sam and the public is responsibly concluded .
While I ’ ve brought this up before , it bears repeating .
None of this should have been considered necessary .
If there isn ’ t enough traffic to justify keeping all of those workers on the payroll , they could all qualify for federally enhanced unemployment benefits just like every other American that ’ s been locked out of their jobs until air travel returns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t see Congress doling out money to restaurants to keep the wait staff employed when they ’ re not serving any food .
The President has been complicit in this fiasco as well , by the way .
Despite originally saying he opposed the idea , Trump later came around and insisted that we “ can ’ t let the airlines go out of business.
” But the airlines weren ’ t going to go out of business even if they didn ’ t get a dime from Congress .
They would have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of them did between 2002 and 2011 , emerging intact after travel patterns return to normal .
But it ’ s too late now , I suppose .
Our politicians have to make sure that they look like they ’ re “ doing something ” ( anything ! )
during this crisis .
So they ’ ll just keep taking huge chunks of our GDP and setting them on fire .

Earlier this month, we looked at the congressional proposal to bail out the airlines, presumably to keep all of their employees on the job. To say that I was unimpressed with the broad outlines of the plan is a bit of an understatement. There was too much “free money” (meaning your money) involved and not enough assurances that the main benefactors would be the public rather than the airlines’ stockholders.
Well, the Treasury Department has now announced that a deal has been made and the major airlines will have a bailout available if they wish to take advantage of it. Suffice it to say that the final details don’t look all that much better than what was originally being discussed. (NBC News)
Ten of the country’s largest airlines, including American, Delta and United, are to receive a slice of the $25 billion Payroll Support Program… Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, United Airlines, SkyWest Airlines and Southwest Airlines “have all told us that they plan to participate in the Payroll Support Program,” according to a statement from Mnuchin. American Airlines said it had received a $5.8 billion package. The relief includes $4.1 billion in direct support, along with a $1.7 billion low-interest loan. American Airlines also expects to apply for a loan from the Treasury for around $4.75 billion, the Texas-based company said in a statement.
In addition to the more than four billion dollar grant to American Airlines, Southwest will be receiving nearly two and a half billion that they won’t have to pay back. Other airlines are expected to be pushing their snouts up to the trough in short order.
What sort of assurances did we receive from the airlines in exchange for all of this taxpayer generosity? There weren’t many specifics offered in the announcement beyond some vague descriptions of, “limits on stock buybacks, dividends and executive compensation.” If you expected any promises to improve their service, restore some of our legroom and make flying economy class less of a nightmare, dream on.
Why was the Treasury Department ever talking about “limits” on stock buybacks? If the airlines are in that much financial trouble and are so worried about keeping their workers on the payroll, there shouldn’t be one dollar going into any stock buybacks until every penny of those loans is repaid and they’ve proven that they kept their workers off the unemployment lines. As for dividends, those are supposed to be given out to shareholders as a reflection of the company’s profits. Since when does a business teetering on the edge of bankruptcy go handing out dividends? Again, there should be none until their business with Uncle Sam and the public is responsibly concluded.
While I’ve brought this up before, it bears repeating. None of this should have been considered necessary. If there isn’t enough traffic to justify keeping all of those workers on the payroll, they could all qualify for federally enhanced unemployment benefits just like every other American that’s been locked out of their jobs until air travel returns to normal volumes. I don’t see Congress doling out money to restaurants to keep the wait staff employed when they’re not serving any food.
The President has been complicit in this fiasco as well, by the way. Despite originally saying he opposed the idea, Trump later came around and insisted that we “can’t let the airlines go out of business.” But the airlines weren’t going to go out of business even if they didn’t get a dime from Congress. They would have sought bankruptcy protection just as nearly every one of them did between 2002 and 2011, emerging intact after travel patterns return to normal.
But it’s too late now, I suppose. Our politicians have to make sure that they look like they’re “doing something” (anything!) during this crisis. So they’ll just keep taking huge chunks of our GDP and setting them on fire.


hotair--2020-04-15--Politico/Morning Consult poll: Is America really ready for its grand re-opening?

It ’ s the question on everyone ’ s mind as unemployment claims skyrocket and retail sales crater .
Is it time yet to bring the American economy out of its induced coma ?
The answer , according to today ’ s Politico/Morning Consult poll , is a big no .
By an 81/10 margin , Americans don ’ t want to stop social-distance policies as long as the threat of the COVID-19 infection remains acute .
The problem , however , is the either/or nature of the question — and the ambiguity of “ social distancing ” in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nation ’ s economic engine — which was abruptly cut a month ago as the new coronavirus began to spread rapidly throughout the country — a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll shows the vast majority of voters support continuing the social-distancing measures that appear to be helping the U.S. hamper the rapid spread of Covid-19 , the illness caused by the virus .
More than eight in 10 voters , 81 percent , say Americans “ should continue to social distance for as long as is needed to curb the spread of coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the economy.
” Only 10 percent say Americans “ should stop social distancing to stimulate the economy , even if it means increasing the spread of coronavirus.
” Nine percent of voters have no opinion .
While Democrats ( 89 percent ) are more likely than Republicans ( 72 percent ) to say Americans should continue the “ social distancing ” measures , large majorities in all demographic groups say it ’ s more important to stop the spread of the virus than to resume economic activity that could undermine those mitigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is important , though , because it tends to assume maximalist positions in either direction .
Further questions tend to add more nuance than 81/10 allows .
For instance , the idea of allowing some workers to get back to their jobs even as the virus spreads is not popular at 37/52 , but only 32 % strongly oppose the idea , and more than a third of Americans support it to some degree .
Limiting workers ’ return to only 45 years of age and younger is less popular , 27/58 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 81/10 number seen for keeping current restrictions in place .
The problem with that topline question is that it assumes that “ social distance ” and business are incompatible .
Americans are smarter than that , however .
When asked if businesses can reopen while limiting the number of customers at any one time , support for an economic restart jumps to 66/24 , with only 10 % strongly opposing the idea .
That ’ s a huge difference from the lead result given by Politico .
The clear lesson from this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an or — it ’ s looking for an and .
Americans want to reopen the public square and continue social distancing and doing mitigation against the spread of the Wuhan Flu .
That won ’ t be easy and it will take a slow , deliberate process , but that is what the White House ’ s plan attempts to do , the Washington Post reports : Other agencies and White House officials have drafted similar planning documents , a White House aide said .
The version obtained by The Post appears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and contains granular instructions for a phased reopening of institutions such as schools , child-care facilities , summer camps , parks , faith-based organizations and restaurants .
… The plan lays out three phases : Preparing the nation to reopen with a national communication campaign and community readiness assessment until May 1 .
Then , the effort through May 15 would involve ramping up manufacturing of testing kits and personal protective equipment and increasing emergency funding .
Then staged reopenings would begin , depending on local conditions .
The plan does not give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before May 1.
” The first priority , according to the CDC response document , is to “ reopen community settings where children are cared for , including K-12 schools , daycares , and locally attended summer camps , to allow the workforce to return to work .
Other community settings will follow with careful monitoring for increased transmission that exceeds the public health and health care systems.
” The document also says that during phased reopenings , it is critical to strictly follow recommendations on hand-washing and wearing face coverings in group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warning : “ Models indicate 30-day shelter in place followed by 180 day lifting of all mitigation results in large rebound curve — some level of mitigation will be needed until vaccines or broad community immunity is achieved for recovering communities.
” Clearly , the CDC and FEMA are focusing on an and that will encourage people to slowly re-enter their economic lives .
The Politico/Morning Consult poll shows that Americans are champing at the bit to do so , under the right conditions and with deliberate care to keep their distance from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When the plan comes together more firmly , polling should be able to tell us whether Americans have enough confidence in it to engage again .
For now , though , don ’ t be fooled by the binary question that generated the 81/10 support for a continued coma .

It’s the question on everyone’s mind as unemployment claims skyrocket and retail sales crater. Is it time yet to bring the American economy out of its induced coma? The answer, according to today’s Politico/Morning Consult poll, is a big no. By an 81/10 margin, Americans don’t want to stop social-distance policies as long as the threat of the COVID-19 infection remains acute.
The problem, however, is the either/or nature of the question — and the ambiguity of “social distancing” in this context:
As Trump prepares to restart the nation’s economic engine — which was abruptly cut a month ago as the new coronavirus began to spread rapidly throughout the country — a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll shows the vast majority of voters support continuing the social-distancing measures that appear to be helping the U.S. hamper the rapid spread of Covid-19, the illness caused by the virus. More than eight in 10 voters, 81 percent, say Americans “should continue to social distance for as long as is needed to curb the spread of coronavirus, even if it means continued damage to the economy.” Only 10 percent say Americans “should stop social distancing to stimulate the economy, even if it means increasing the spread of coronavirus.” Nine percent of voters have no opinion. While Democrats (89 percent) are more likely than Republicans (72 percent) to say Americans should continue the “social distancing” measures, large majorities in all demographic groups say it’s more important to stop the spread of the virus than to resume economic activity that could undermine those mitigation efforts.
The framing of this question is important, though, because it tends to assume maximalist positions in either direction. Further questions tend to add more nuance than 81/10 allows. For instance, the idea of allowing some workers to get back to their jobs even as the virus spreads is not popular at 37/52, but only 32% strongly oppose the idea, and more than a third of Americans support it to some degree. Limiting workers’ return to only 45 years of age and younger is less popular, 27/58, but again not as dramatic as the 81/10 number seen for keeping current restrictions in place.
The problem with that topline question is that it assumes that “social distance” and business are incompatible. Americans are smarter than that, however. When asked if businesses can reopen while limiting the number of customers at any one time, support for an economic restart jumps to 66/24, with only 10% strongly opposing the idea. That’s a huge difference from the lead result given by Politico.
The clear lesson from this is that America’s not looking for an or — it’s looking for an and. Americans want to reopen the public square and continue social distancing and doing mitigation against the spread of the Wuhan Flu. That won’t be easy and it will take a slow, deliberate process, but that is what the White House’s plan attempts to do, the Washington Post reports:
Other agencies and White House officials have drafted similar planning documents, a White House aide said. The version obtained by The Post appears to be an early draft by FEMA and contains granular instructions for a phased reopening of institutions such as schools, child-care facilities, summer camps, parks, faith-based organizations and restaurants. … The plan lays out three phases: Preparing the nation to reopen with a national communication campaign and community readiness assessment until May 1. Then, the effort through May 15 would involve ramping up manufacturing of testing kits and personal protective equipment and increasing emergency funding. Then staged reopenings would begin, depending on local conditions. The plan does not give dates for reopenings but specified “not before May 1.” The first priority, according to the CDC response document, is to “reopen community settings where children are cared for, including K-12 schools, daycares, and locally attended summer camps, to allow the workforce to return to work. Other community settings will follow with careful monitoring for increased transmission that exceeds the public health and health care systems.” The document also says that during phased reopenings, it is critical to strictly follow recommendations on hand-washing and wearing face coverings in group settings. The plan also carries this warning: “Models indicate 30-day shelter in place followed by 180 day lifting of all mitigation results in large rebound curve — some level of mitigation will be needed until vaccines or broad community immunity is achieved for recovering communities.”
Clearly, the CDC and FEMA are focusing on an and that will encourage people to slowly re-enter their economic lives. The Politico/Morning Consult poll shows that Americans are champing at the bit to do so, under the right conditions and with deliberate care to keep their distance from each other as much as possible. When the plan comes together more firmly, polling should be able to tell us whether Americans have enough confidence in it to engage again. For now, though, don’t be fooled by the binary question that generated the 81/10 support for a continued coma.


hotair--2020-04-15--AOC: Sure, Tara Reade is a "legitimate" subject to discuss

You may not be able to find CNN uttering a peep about Tara Reade ’ s accusations against Joe Biden , but never fear .
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY ) is ready and willing to step into the breach .
During an online chat with a women ’ s group last night , AOC was asked about the accusations and whether or not Democrats should be dealing with that issue .
The woman asking the question is no fan of Donald Trump , but also resents the idea that her only other choice is somebody with “ a really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The congresswoman didn ’ t miss a beat before responding , siding with the questioner entirely .
She said that the issue is totally legitimate and needs to be confronted , rather than just “ silencing ” anyone who tries to bring it up .
( CBS News ) New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Tuesday night said the Democratic Party should discuss the recent sexual assault allegation against Joe Biden , a charge the presumptive nominee ’ s campaign has denied .
On Tuesday evening in an online conversation with The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for women , a questioner asked Ocasio-Cortez about the accusation recently leveled against Biden by Tara Reade , who worked for him when he was a Delaware senator in the 1990s .
The questioner opposes President Trump ’ s reelection , but also “ really resent [ s ] the fact that the other choice is someone who has a really long history of being creepy to women.
” Ocasio-Cortez responded , “ What you ’ re voicing is so legitimate and real .
That ’ s why I find this kind of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ form of gaslighting.
” I don ’ t know how willing the MSM will be to cover this story , but there was one person who definitely noticed .
And that was Tara Reade herself .
Seeing Reade tossing some flowers to Ocasio-Cortez shouldn ’ t be all that surprising .
She ’ s still a Democrat after all , even if she has a serious complaint against her party ’ s presumptive nominee .
And she likely suspected that AOC would be receptive to the message since the congresswoman is still smarting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primary .
For her part , AOC went on at length , talking about how Democrats need to have the integrity to confront # MeToo issues , even when it ’ s “ inconvenient ” for them .
She added that it ’ s not right to simply prioritize beating Donald Trump if it comes at the expense of failing to deal with sexual assault issues which are “ very legitimate things.
” These are precisely the type of headlines that the DNC is trying desperately to avoid .
( And they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the majority of media outlets thus far . )
But to be honest , this sort of conversation is pretty much right on brand for AOC , so she ’ s at least demonstrating some consistency here .
It ’ s also hard to ignore the possibility that she really doesn ’ t mind getting in some shots at Joe Biden .
I ’ m not saying that she wants to see Biden damaged to the point where he has to be yanked from the ticket , perhaps opening the door back up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also not saying she ’ d be terribly upset if things happened to work out that way .
Of course , this doesn ’ t mean that there ’ s about to be some sort of sea change among Democrats or the mainstream media outlets who love them .
If most of the cable news networks and major newspapers are taking their cues from the New York Times , I find it hard to believe that we ’ ll be hearing much , if anything about Tara Reade for the remainder of what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primary or the general election .
And even if we do , the mentions will be packed with plenty of caveats questioning the veracity of Reade ’ s charges .
In the meantime , however , AOC will probably still be out there advocating for Bernie Sanders and acting as a burr under the Democrats ’ collective saddle .

You may not be able to find CNN uttering a peep about Tara Reade’s accusations against Joe Biden, but never fear. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is ready and willing to step into the breach. During an online chat with a women’s group last night, AOC was asked about the accusations and whether or not Democrats should be dealing with that issue. The woman asking the question is no fan of Donald Trump, but also resents the idea that her only other choice is somebody with “a really long history of being creepy to women.”
The congresswoman didn’t miss a beat before responding, siding with the questioner entirely. She said that the issue is totally legitimate and needs to be confronted, rather than just “silencing” anyone who tries to bring it up. (CBS News)
New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Tuesday night said the Democratic Party should discuss the recent sexual assault allegation against Joe Biden, a charge the presumptive nominee’s campaign has denied. On Tuesday evening in an online conversation with The Wing, a networking and community space for women, a questioner asked Ocasio-Cortez about the accusation recently leveled against Biden by Tara Reade, who worked for him when he was a Delaware senator in the 1990s. The questioner opposes President Trump’s reelection, but also “really resent[s] the fact that the other choice is someone who has a really long history of being creepy to women.” Ocasio-Cortez responded, “What you’re voicing is so legitimate and real. That’s why I find this kind of silencing of all dissent to be a form of gaslighting.”
I don’t know how willing the MSM will be to cover this story, but there was one person who definitely noticed. And that was Tara Reade herself.
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is literally the first member of Congress to address publicly what happened to me when I worked for Joe Biden. Thank you @AOC https://t.co/TuN43vpQKq — Tara Reade 🦋 (@ReadeAlexandra) April 15, 2020
Seeing Reade tossing some flowers to Ocasio-Cortez shouldn’t be all that surprising. She’s still a Democrat after all, even if she has a serious complaint against her party’s presumptive nominee. And she likely suspected that AOC would be receptive to the message since the congresswoman is still smarting over Bernie Sanders’ exit from the primary.
For her part, AOC went on at length, talking about how Democrats need to have the integrity to confront #MeToo issues, even when it’s “inconvenient” for them. She added that it’s not right to simply prioritize beating Donald Trump if it comes at the expense of failing to deal with sexual assault issues which are “very legitimate things.”
These are precisely the type of headlines that the DNC is trying desperately to avoid. (And they’re getting a lot of cover from the majority of media outlets thus far.) But to be honest, this sort of conversation is pretty much right on brand for AOC, so she’s at least demonstrating some consistency here. It’s also hard to ignore the possibility that she really doesn’t mind getting in some shots at Joe Biden. I’m not saying that she wants to see Biden damaged to the point where he has to be yanked from the ticket, perhaps opening the door back up for Bernie. But I’m also not saying she’d be terribly upset if things happened to work out that way.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that there’s about to be some sort of sea change among Democrats or the mainstream media outlets who love them. If most of the cable news networks and major newspapers are taking their cues from the New York Times, I find it hard to believe that we’ll be hearing much, if anything about Tara Reade for the remainder of what’s left of the Democrats’ primary or the general election. And even if we do, the mentions will be packed with plenty of caveats questioning the veracity of Reade’s charges.
In the meantime, however, AOC will probably still be out there advocating for Bernie Sanders and acting as a burr under the Democrats’ collective saddle.


hotair--2020-04-15--Six Days in Hubei: How China's lies and intimidation cost the world its last chance to stop a pandem

Six Days in Hubei: How China's lies and intimidation cost the world its last chance to stop a pandemic

Six days ?
The cover-up of the Wuhan Flu and its pandemic potential went on for much longer than six days , but the Associated Press highlights the final six days of Beijing ’ s initial campaign of lies and denial over COVID-19 .
Even though they knew that community transmission had turned the infection into a wildfire , China allowed Wuhan to host a party for “ tens of thousands , ” while watching millions transit to celebrate New Year .
In the six days after top Chinese officials secretly determined they likely were facing a pandemic from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the epicenter of the disease hosted a mass banquet for tens of thousands of people ; millions began traveling through for Lunar New Year celebrations .
President Xi Jinping warned the public on the seventh day , Jan. 20 .
But by that time , more than 3,000 people had been infected during almost a week of public silence , according to internal documents obtained by The Associated Press and expert estimates based on retrospective infection data .
That delay from Jan. 14 to Jan. 20 was neither the first mistake made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confronting the outbreak , nor the longest lag , as governments around the world have dragged their feet for weeks and even months in addressing the virus .
A “ mistake ” ?
This was no mistake .
It was a deliberate cover-up by Beijing , which included public humiliation of those who tried to break the “ public silence.
” Furthermore , the reason other governments “ dragged their feet ” for weeks afterward was because China continued to lie about COVID-19 and suppress those who tried to tell the truth .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ promulgate bogus numbers in an attempt to play down their responsibility for unleashing this pandemic .
The AP ’ s reporting makes that much clear , even if its language tends toward the anodyne : [ T ] he six-day delay by China ’ s leaders in Beijing came on top of almost two weeks during which the national Center for Disease Control did not register any cases from local officials , internal bulletins obtained by the AP confirm .
Yet during that time , from Jan. 5 to Jan. 17 , hundreds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just in Wuhan but across the country .
It ’ s uncertain whether it was local officials who failed to report cases or national officials who failed to record them .
It ’ s also not clear exactly what officials knew at the time in Wuhan , which only opened back up last week with restrictions after its quarantine .
But what is clear , experts say , is that China ’ s rigid controls on information , bureaucratic hurdles and a reluctance to send bad news up the chain of command muffled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doctors for “ rumor-mongering , ” broadcast on national television on Jan. 2 , sent a chill through the city ’ s hospitals .
That ’ s what makes the “ six days ” construct more than a little misleading .
January 2 is in fact eighteen days before January 20 , the day that the AP credits Xi Jinping with finally acting on its Wuhan Flu outbreak .
Those doctors didn ’ t start blowing the whistle on January 2 either , but had begun issuing warnings in mid-December about a strange @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got the national-TV rebuke treatment only after Beijing failed to shut them up .
Beijing got their money ’ s worth out of that show trial , too .
January 5 would be fifteen days in which China could have acted , well before Wuhan ’ s mass banquet and the Lunar New Year travel .
No one had the nerve to bring up the Wuhan Flu for almost two weeks after that , at least not in official records , boosting Beijing ’ s denial strategy .
The eruption of hospital cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two-week cycle of seeding and spread , should have had Beijing apologizing to the doctors they humiliated for telling the truth and attempting to head off a public-health disaster .
What did they do ?
They covered those up too , and made sure the world didn ’ t hear about community spread and human-to-human transmission .
In that cause , China had a willing partner in the World Health Organization , which blithely accepted the effluvium Xi Jinping ’ s government shoveled at them rather than listen to their own experts .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that brings us to why .
It ’ s hard to imagine , although not impossible , that China would have gone to all this trouble just to cover up a viral jump from animals to humans in a wet market in Wuhan .
It ’ s certainly possible , because dictatorial communist regimes will overreact in weird and irrational ways even to natural disasters .
However , it certainly seems more likely that Beijing had more specific incompetence to cover up — namely , the Wuhan Institute of Virology and its work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from bats , work that prompted a series of State Department warnings about the potential for a leak and a global disaster .
We can ’ t know for sure , because China is still lying while people are dying .
It ’ s gone on for a lot longer than six days , in Hubei and elsewhere .
The AP is correct that those specific six days represented the last opportunity for Xi ’ s regime to act responsibly and avert a global disaster , but let ’ s not pretend that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in any of the days that have followed .

Six days? The cover-up of the Wuhan Flu and its pandemic potential went on for much longer than six days, but the Associated Press highlights the final six days of Beijing’s initial campaign of lies and denial over COVID-19. Even though they knew that community transmission had turned the infection into a wildfire, China allowed Wuhan to host a party for “tens of thousands,” while watching millions transit to celebrate New Year.
In the six days after top Chinese officials secretly determined they likely were facing a pandemic from a new coronavirus, the city of Wuhan at the epicenter of the disease hosted a mass banquet for tens of thousands of people; millions began traveling through for Lunar New Year celebrations. President Xi Jinping warned the public on the seventh day, Jan. 20. But by that time, more than 3,000 people had been infected during almost a week of public silence, according to internal documents obtained by The Associated Press and expert estimates based on retrospective infection data. That delay from Jan. 14 to Jan. 20 was neither the first mistake made by Chinese officials at all levels in confronting the outbreak, nor the longest lag, as governments around the world have dragged their feet for weeks and even months in addressing the virus.
A “mistake”? This was no mistake. It was a deliberate cover-up by Beijing, which included public humiliation of those who tried to break the “public silence.” Furthermore, the reason other governments “dragged their feet” for weeks afterward was because China continued to lie about COVID-19 and suppress those who tried to tell the truth. To this day, China continues to promulgate bogus numbers in an attempt to play down their responsibility for unleashing this pandemic.
The AP’s reporting makes that much clear, even if its language tends toward the anodyne:
[T]he six-day delay by China’s leaders in Beijing came on top of almost two weeks during which the national Center for Disease Control did not register any cases from local officials, internal bulletins obtained by the AP confirm. Yet during that time, from Jan. 5 to Jan. 17, hundreds of patients were appearing in hospitals not just in Wuhan but across the country. It’s uncertain whether it was local officials who failed to report cases or national officials who failed to record them. It’s also not clear exactly what officials knew at the time in Wuhan, which only opened back up last week with restrictions after its quarantine. But what is clear, experts say, is that China’s rigid controls on information, bureaucratic hurdles and a reluctance to send bad news up the chain of command muffled early warnings. The punishment of eight doctors for “rumor-mongering,” broadcast on national television on Jan. 2, sent a chill through the city’s hospitals.
That’s what makes the “six days” construct more than a little misleading. January 2 is in fact eighteen days before January 20, the day that the AP credits Xi Jinping with finally acting on its Wuhan Flu outbreak. Those doctors didn’t start blowing the whistle on January 2 either, but had begun issuing warnings in mid-December about a strange and virulent new respiratory disease. They got the national-TV rebuke treatment only after Beijing failed to shut them up.
Beijing got their money’s worth out of that show trial, too. January 5 would be fifteen days in which China could have acted, well before Wuhan’s mass banquet and the Lunar New Year travel. No one had the nerve to bring up the Wuhan Flu for almost two weeks after that, at least not in official records, boosting Beijing’s denial strategy.
The eruption of hospital cases, almost now predictable on the familiar two-week cycle of seeding and spread, should have had Beijing apologizing to the doctors they humiliated for telling the truth and attempting to head off a public-health disaster. What did they do? They covered those up too, and made sure the world didn’t hear about community spread and human-to-human transmission. In that cause, China had a willing partner in the World Health Organization, which blithely accepted the effluvium Xi Jinping’s government shoveled at them rather than listen to their own experts.
China lied; people died. And that brings us to why. It’s hard to imagine, although not impossible, that China would have gone to all this trouble just to cover up a viral jump from animals to humans in a wet market in Wuhan. It’s certainly possible, because dictatorial communist regimes will overreact in weird and irrational ways even to natural disasters. However, it certainly seems more likely that Beijing had more specific incompetence to cover up — namely, the Wuhan Institute of Virology and its work on the very same classes of coronaviruses from bats, work that prompted a series of State Department warnings about the potential for a leak and a global disaster.
We can’t know for sure, because China is still lying while people are dying. It’s gone on for a lot longer than six days, in Hubei and elsewhere. The AP is correct that those specific six days represented the last opportunity for Xi’s regime to act responsibly and avert a global disaster, but let’s not pretend that Xi or his regime have acted responsibly in any of the days that have followed.


hotair--2020-04-15--Chris Cuomo's "fat tire biker" fires back

Yesterday we talked about CNN host Chris Cuomo ’ s meltdown on his radio show where he talked about not enjoying his job anymore and potentially moving on from it .
Part of the rant involved some choice words for a “ fat tire biker ” who he claims harassed him on his property in East Hampton on Long Island .
In his version of the story , the biker “ got in his space ” and started “ hassling ” him .
But now the biker in question has gone public and his version of the story is quite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last name is given ) , he wasn ’ t even on Cuomo ’ s property .
He had paused on his bike ride when he thought he recognized the CNN host , and then Cuomo ’ s wife approached him .
He asked why Cuomo wasn ’ t still under quarantine and following his brother ’ s social distancing rules .
( Cuomo ’ s brother is the Governor . )
At that point , he claims Chris approached him and went ballistic , threatening him with some sort of unspecified revenge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bully ” and “ scary stupid ” sometimes .
He also claims to have filed a report with the police .
The Long Island resident blasted as a “ jackass loser fat-tire biker ” by Chris Cuomo in a radio rant told The Post on Tuesday that the CNN host is nothing but a bully — and has even filed a complaint with cops against him .
“ Sometimes he ’ s scary stupid , ” the East Hampton man , who asked to only be identified by his first name , David @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s little brother… David told The Post he was stunned that Cuomo verbally attacked him the way he did .
This is a very different version of events than Cuomo related on his radio program .
First of all , he seemed to at least imply that he was at home in Southampton when this happened , describing how he was on “ his property ” when the biker approached .
But the incident took place on a property in East Hampton that Cuomo purchased last year .
A house is under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not living there yet , so clearly he broke quarantine and left his home on Easter Sunday .
I was a bit confused originally because when Cuomo talked about “ a biker harassing him , ” for some reason I assumed it was a motorcyclist .
David , however , was riding a bicycle .
And he claims he never set foot on Cuomo ’ s property .
He stopped his bike well away from the property line and was originally approached by Cuomo ’ s wife who asked if he need help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ radio rant , Cuomo only expressed his frustration at not being able to tell the biker off and get up in his face .
But according to David ( and presumably his police report ) , Cuomo demonstrated no such restraint .
“ He said , ‘ Who the hell are you ?
!
I can do what I want !
’ ” David said .
“ He just ranted , screaming , ‘ I ’ ll find out who you are !
’ “ I said to him , ‘ Your brother @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re not even following his rules — unnecessary travel , ’ ” the resident said .
“ He just began to boil more .
“ He said , ‘ This is not the end of this .
You ’ ll deal with this later .
We will meet again.
’ If that ’ s not a threat , I don ’ t know what is , ” David said .
I suppose you could say that David is partially at fault for instigating the encounter in the first place instead of minding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a public figure , for better or worse , and people are going to notice his activities .
And violating his own brother ’ s rules about quarantines and social distancing is certainly something people will comment on .
We should also remember that this is one of those “ he said , he said ” situations for the moment .
All we have at this point is David ’ s word that Cuomo boiled over and began threatening him .
But then , Chris has a documented history of blowing his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people he feels have wronged him.Does David ’ s story really sound out of character for him ?
In any event , get back to your house and stay in the basement until your quarantine period is over , Mr. Cuomo .
Set a good example for others , please .

Yesterday we talked about CNN host Chris Cuomo’s meltdown on his radio show where he talked about not enjoying his job anymore and potentially moving on from it. Part of the rant involved some choice words for a “fat tire biker” who he claims harassed him on his property in East Hampton on Long Island. In his version of the story, the biker “got in his space” and started “hassling” him. But now the biker in question has gone public and his version of the story is quite different.
According to David (no last name is given), he wasn’t even on Cuomo’s property. He had paused on his bike ride when he thought he recognized the CNN host, and then Cuomo’s wife approached him. He asked why Cuomo wasn’t still under quarantine and following his brother’s social distancing rules. (Cuomo’s brother is the Governor.) At that point, he claims Chris approached him and went ballistic, threatening him with some sort of unspecified revenge. David describes Cuomo as a “bully” and “scary stupid” sometimes. He also claims to have filed a report with the police.
The Long Island resident blasted as a “jackass loser fat-tire biker” by Chris Cuomo in a radio rant told The Post on Tuesday that the CNN host is nothing but a bully — and has even filed a complaint with cops against him. “Sometimes he’s scary stupid,” the East Hampton man, who asked to only be identified by his first name, David, said of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s little brother… David told The Post he was stunned that Cuomo verbally attacked him the way he did.
This is a very different version of events than Cuomo related on his radio program. First of all, he seemed to at least imply that he was at home in Southampton when this happened, describing how he was on “his property” when the biker approached. But the incident took place on a property in East Hampton that Cuomo purchased last year. A house is under construction there, but he’s not living there yet, so clearly he broke quarantine and left his home on Easter Sunday.
I was a bit confused originally because when Cuomo talked about “a biker harassing him,” for some reason I assumed it was a motorcyclist. David, however, was riding a bicycle. And he claims he never set foot on Cuomo’s property. He stopped his bike well away from the property line and was originally approached by Cuomo’s wife who asked if he need help with anything.
Further, during his radio rant, Cuomo only expressed his frustration at not being able to tell the biker off and get up in his face. But according to David (and presumably his police report), Cuomo demonstrated no such restraint.
“He said, ‘Who the hell are you?! I can do what I want!’” David said. “He just ranted, screaming, ‘I’ll find out who you are!’ “I said to him, ‘Your brother is the coronavirus czar, and you’re not even following his rules — unnecessary travel,’” the resident said. “He just began to boil more. “He said, ‘This is not the end of this. You’ll deal with this later. We will meet again.’ If that’s not a threat, I don’t know what is,” David said.
I suppose you could say that David is partially at fault for instigating the encounter in the first place instead of minding his own business. But Chris Cuomo is a public figure, for better or worse, and people are going to notice his activities. And violating his own brother’s rules about quarantines and social distancing is certainly something people will comment on.
We should also remember that this is one of those “he said, he said” situations for the moment. All we have at this point is David’s word that Cuomo boiled over and began threatening him. But then, Chris has a documented history of blowing his top and going on verbal tirades against people he feels have wronged him.Does David’s story really sound out of character for him?
In any event, get back to your house and stay in the basement until your quarantine period is over, Mr. Cuomo. Set a good example for others, please.