theblaze--2020-03-30--'Go the f*** home!': Woman repeatedly screams bloody murder, drops f-bombs on anti-abortion street p

'Go the f*** home!': Woman repeatedly screams bloody murder, drops f-bombs on anti-abortion street preacher in Seattle 'Gayborhood'

'Go the f*** home ! '
: Woman repeatedly screams bloody murder , drops f-bombs on anti-abortion street preacher in @ @ @ @ @ continue screaming .
Would you like that ?
Because I 'm actually finding it really @ @ @ @ @

It used to be that abortion-hungry types were intimidated by sign-carrying anti-abortion activists — but those days are long gone. In fact, the opposite now appears to be true.
As we've seen repeatedly over recent years, those who go public on a pro-life stance have opened themselves to far more vitriol and indeed physical harm than those espousing sociopolitically popular pro-choice beliefs.
What happened this time?
Anti-abortion activist Matthew Wiersema was on a street corner in Seattle recently preaching the gospel and reminding passersby that abortion is murder, Pulpit & Pen reported.
Well, a woman suddenly appeared with Wiersema on the corner and began cursing at him and repeatedly screaming at him — and he recorded most of the jaw-dropping interaction and posted it to YouTube Wednesday.
"I could hear you from where I live, and I'm f***ing tired of it," the woman told Wiersema, adding that "you're f***ing too loud."
Image source: YouTube screenshot
When Wiersema said he was trying to save people from hell and babies from being aborted, the woman unleashed a loud, lengthy, high-pitched scream at him.
"Did that feel good?" she asked him afterward. "Because that's what I hear every time I hear you talking."
When Wiersema tried to answer, she screamed again, adding that "there's a stay-at-home order that you are literally not following" and "go the f*** home, you asshole!"
It isn't clear why the woman was on the streets as well, other than simply exercising her constitutionally protected First Amendment rights.
Anyway, gaining momentum, the woman raised the bar: "I will continue screaming. Would you like that? Because I'm actually finding it really, really relaxing."
On cue, buttons pushed, she unleashed a third prolonged scream at Wiersema as he again tried to engage her; she added afterward, "Go the f*** home."
White knight to the rescue
At that point the purple-haired woman was joined by a dark-bearded white knight who — besides also never having met an F-bomb he didn't immediately take to — threatened to call police on Wiersema: "He's been doing this for weeks. Everyone's f***ing sick of it. So you can stay and talk to police and enjoy that. And every single time you're out here, I will be out here calling the cops on you because you're supposed to be at home!"
Image source: YouTube screenshot
Ending his threat in a growl, Mr. Tough Guy also called Wiersema an "a**hole" and — for good measure — a "d**kwad." Yikes!
'This is the Gayborhood, and you are not welcome!'
The woman turned up the heat on the street preacher a little more, as she explained to him in front of a rainbow-colored sidewalk in an even higher-pitched squeal that "this is the Gayborhood, and you are not welcome!" As you might already know, sections of certain U.S. cities with high LBGTQ populations have been known as Gayborhoods.
"That's why I need to be here," Wiersema replied before the woman let fly yet another prolonged scream — number four, if we're keeping count.
"You need Jesus, ma'am," he managed to utter until she cut him off with scream number five.
While the white knight called police on Wiersema, the woman screamed more — all told over a dozen times.
Here's the clip. Content warning: Language — what else?
Public Education: Screaming Woman Tells Abolitionist to Go Home youtu.be
Anything else?
Wiersema told Pulpit & Pen that folks should treat the woman with respect as they comment about her.
"For everyone visiting my page because you've seen my recent viral screaming Seattle woman video, please don't post demeaning comments about her in the comment thread. She is created in the image of God and needs your prayers, not your hate," he said. "… May many be reached with the gospel through this and emboldened to reach the lost on the streets. Pray for the woman in the video."


theblaze--2020-03-30--Planned Parenthood sues states that are suspending abortions to dedicate more resources to coronavir

Planned Parenthood sues states that are suspending abortions to dedicate more resources to coronavirus Debate over whether abortion is 'essential @

Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion organizations are suing several states for temporary suspension of elective abortion in order to preserve medical resources for potential treatment of COVID-19 patients, according to The Hill.
Iowa, Texas, Alabama, and Oklahoma have been sued for similar measures by Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union, and/or the Center for Reproductive Rights. These states have banned nonessential surgical procedures to preserve equipment for anticipated spikes in the number of COVID-19 patients.
Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and the Center for Reproductive Rights argue that abortion is a time-sensitive and essential procedure.
"A global pandemic is not an excuse to attack essential, time-sensitive medical procedures like abortion," said Alexis McGill Johnson, acting president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, according to The Hill.
Iowa's order calls for the "delay of all nonessential and elective surgeries that can be postponed without 'undue risks to the current or future health of a patient.'"
"These actions will help us preserve the personal protective equipment as well as our health care workforce," Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) said Thursday in announcing the policy.
The delay of elective abortions don't create "undue risks" to patients' health, but the pro-abortion argument is that if women are forced to wait, some may then have to give birth if they cross a certain point in their pregnancy. Iowa's order, for example, is in place until April 16. Abortions in Iowa are legal up to 20 weeks.
Some states such as Virginia, New Jersey, Washington and New York, have declared abortion an essential procedure that can go forward. Alabama has reportedly not clarified whether abortion is suspended, but doctors in violation of the ban on nonessential procedures could be subject to criminal penalties.
Abortion providers in Ohio indicated that they would not comply with an order from the state's attorney general to suspend nonessential abortions.


theblaze--2020-03-31--Popularity of 'Tiger King' documentary prompts sheriff to ask for leads in cold case of woman's miss

Popularity of 'Tiger King' documentary prompts sheriff to ask for leads in cold case of woman's missing former husband

Popularity of 'Tiger King ' documentary prompts sheriff to ask for leads in cold case of woman 's missing former @ @ @ @ @ 's second husband went missing in 1997

The sheriff of Hillsborough County, Florida, has issued a renewed plea to the public for any information regarding the 1997 disappearance of a man who was the second husband of an animal rights activist featured in the chart-topping new Netflix docuseries, "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness."
What are the details?
"Tiger King" — which was released last week as a growing number of Americans were urged to stay home due to the coronavirus pandemic — follows the rise and fall of a longtime private zoo owner known as Joe Exotic and delves into years of his bitter battles with animal activist Carole Baskin, who owns a Florida sanctuary called Big Cat Rescue.
The attention led the sheriff of the county where Baskin lives to capitalize on the opportunity to revive the cold case of her missing former husband, Don Lewis.
Sheriff Chad Chronister tweeted Monday, "Since @netflix and #Covid19 #Quarantine has made #TigerKing all the rage, I figured it was a good time to ask for new leads. #CaroleBaskin #DonLewis #Netflix #Tiger #BigCatRescue #JoeExotic #TigerKingNetflix #HCSO"
Multiple people interviewed during the series — especially Mr. Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage — speculated that Baskin was somehow responsible for the death of Lewis, a claim she adamantly denies.
In a blog post on Sunday, Baskin lambasted the "Tiger King" docuseries as "salacious and sensational," condemning the creators for suggesting "with lies and innuendos from people who are not credible, that I had any role in the disappearance of my husband."
Mr. Exotic is currently serving time in federal prison, after being convicted of plotting to have Baskin killed, and other charges.
A number of people have called for his release since seeing the series about his story, including rapper Cardi B, who offered to start a GoFundMe for Mr. Exotic in hopes of winning his freedom.
Last week, Mr. Exotic filed a $94 million lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others over what he says is a wrongful conviction. He is also seeking a pardon from President Donald Trump, according to the New York Post.
Anything else?
Sheriff Chronister has been a busy man this week already.
Also on Monday, he held a news conference announcing that he had an arrest warrant for a preacher charged with violating Hillsborough County's "Safer-at-Home Order" urging businesses deemed "non-essential" to close in order to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne, who defied authorities by holding two services at his church on Sunday, turned himself in on two misdemeanor charges following the news conference. He was released on $500 bail.


theblaze--2020-03-31--CDC considering recommending Americans wear face masks in public: report

If implemented , the guidance would 'make clear ' that medical masks should be reserved for health care workers

Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are mulling over whether to issue guidance recommending that Americans wear face masks while out in public, but want to make it "clear" that medical masks should be reserved for health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report.
What are the details?
The Washington Post reported Monday that the CDC is "considering altering the official guidance to encourage people to take measures to cover their faces amid the coronavirus pandemic," according to multiple unnamed sources.
One official "said the new guidance would make clear that the general public should not use medical masks — including surgical and N95 masks — that are in desperately short supply and needed by health-care workers," the outlet reported.
A second source told the newspaper that the guidelines being considered would recommend that individuals don do-it-yourself cloth face coverings in order to help cut down on the spread of COVID-19.
If implemented, the new guidance would be an about-face from current policy.
Since the coronavirus outbreak began, the federal government has recommended that people not wear face masks, in part, to keep the general public from buying up medical masks that were already in short supply and prioritized for health care professionals caring for patients.
One month ago, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams tweeted, "Seriously people - STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can't get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!"
MarketWatch reported early this month that "Americans don't seem to be heeding health officials' advice," citing several examples of companies experiencing shortages in supplies (particularly masks) and noting that "several sites have sold out of face masks entirely."
Yet, as the Post noted, "In recent days, an assortment of scientists, health experts, pundits and influencers has vigorously advanced their position that everyone venturing into public or crowded places should wear a mask or face shield — even a homemade one — to lower the rate of transmission of COVID-19."
When asked about the prospect during a news conference Monday, President Donald Trump answered, "That's certainly something we could discuss. It could be something like that for a limited period of time."


theblaze--2020-03-31--Houston's Democratic mayor tells criminals to 'chill' and stop committing crime until after coronavi

Houston's Democratic mayor tells criminals to 'chill' and stop committing crime until after coronavirus

Houston 's Democratic mayor tells criminals to 'chill ' and stop committing crime until after coronavirus His plea to criminals @ @ @ @ @

Houston's Democratic mayor announced to the crooks and the criminals that they need to "chill" and wait until the coronavirus pandemic is over to commit crimes.
Mayor Sylvester Turner made the plea to criminals during a media briefing Monday on the coronavirus response in Houston.
"Let me just make my plea. Until the coronavirus is resolved, criminals take a break, OK!" said Turner.
"Stay home, OK? Stay home. And don't commit any crimes!" he added.
"And that way, they'll stay safe and out of jail, and police officers can stay safe and go home to their families, OK?" Turner concluded. "So everybody chill! Crooks, criminals, you chill! Wait until the coronavirus is over! OK, and then we'll all be OK!"
Turner's suggestion to the criminals of Houston drew sharp criticism on social media.
The Houston Health Department reported that the city had 309 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with three deaths.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo also spoke at the briefing and indicated that the violent crime rate had dropped in the city, except for domestic violence cases.
Here's more of the mayor's statement:


theblaze--2020-03-31--Pittsburgh food bank line reaches one mile long amid surge in need

Pittsburgh food bank line reaches one mile long amid surge in need Police set up portable toilets for the crowds @ @ @ @

Traffic patterns in Duquesne, Pennsylvania, were disrupted on Monday due to a mile-long stretch of vehicles lined up as people waited for hours seeking hunger relief boxes from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
Law enforcement set up portable toilets along the roadway every 3/10ths of a mile for the crowd that began forming at around 7 a.m. Distribution of food began at noon.
What are the details?
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette multimedia editor Andrew Rush posted footage of the traffic jam taken from a helicopter, showing the line of cars bumper-to-bumper.
WPXI-TV reported that food bank's distribution event changed traffic patterns in the area, causing police to step in and help direct drivers. New access restrictions were established for folks attempting to reach the facility in order to prevent further disruption from the mile-long line stretch taking up two lanes.
Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank employees told the outlet that the surge in need was due to a sharp increase in unemployment claims from business closings and layoffs caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the social distancing measures that have come in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus.
The Morning Call reported Monday that unemployment claims in Pennsylvania soared to an "unprecedented" 835,000 over the past two weeks. The volume of filings caused the state's unemployment website to crash over the weekend, according to KYW-TV.
Anything else?
Food pantries across the country are experiencing the same surge in traffic.
The Orange County Register reported another mile-long line of vehicles formed outside the Second Harvest Food Bank in Anaheim, California, on March 21, during a pop-up distribution event.
Vice reported that food banks across the U.S. are experiencing a "tsunami" of people in need amid the coronavirus crisis, noting that "some places are seeing double their normal amount of clientele."


theblaze--2020-03-31--Liberals are outraged Trump invited MyPillow CEO to the podium after he announced he was dedicating

Liberals are outraged Trump invited MyPillow CEO to the podium after he announced he was dedicating his company's resources to manufacture badly-needed masks

Liberals are outraged Trump invited MyPillow CEO to the podium after he announced he was dedicating his company 's resources @ @ @ @

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell announced during the coronavirus task force media briefing that he would be dedicating his resources to the fight against the spread of coronavirus, and he got mocked and ridiculed by liberals for it.
Lindell said during the Monday briefing that he is adapting his factories in order to manufacture desperately needed medical face masks. He also gave an inspirational and religious message during his statements.
"God gave us grace on November 8, 2016, to change the course we were on. God had been taken out of our schools and lives," Lindell said. "A nation had turned its back on God. I encourage you to use this time at home to get back in the Word, read our Bibles."
Despite his sacrifices to help with the pandemic, Lindell became a target for Trump critics on social media.
"Trump just called the 'My Pillow' guy up to the podium in the Rose Garden. You cannot make this stuff up," said MSNBC host Ali Velshi.
"Are you f cking kidding me, HE HAS THE MY PILLOW GUY ON TO SELL HIS GARBAGE PRODUCT DURING A PANDEMIC BRIEFING???!!!" said James O'Grady.
"No one fights a pandemic better or more scientifically than the insane mypillow guy talking bible," smirked Molly Jong-Fast.
"My Pillow is now making highly absorbent pillows so you can cry yourself to sleep after watching this press conference," joked comedian Samantha Bee.
"Apparently if you advertise on Fox News like My Pillow you get to speak at a White House press conference about a deadly virus that has killed nearly 3,000 Americans!! This is absolute BS!!" tweeted Muslim comedian Dean Obeidallah.
Lindell had previously announced that he would transition his factories to manufacture medical face masks to be shipped to hospitals across the country.
Here is the announcement from Mike Lindell:
My Pillow CEO details how company is fighting COVID-19 | MSNBC www.youtube.com
Editorial note: In the interest of full disclosure, MyPillow is a current advertiser on a program that appears on BlazeTV.


theblaze--2020-03-31--'You are a lying scum bag' — Greg Gutfeld slams liberal media reporter accusing 'The Five' of ignori

'You are a lying scum bag' — Greg Gutfeld slams liberal media reporter accusing 'The Five' of ignoring coronavirus

'You are a lying scum bag ' — Greg Gutfeld slams liberal media reporter accusing 'The Five ' of ignoring @ @ @ @ @ receipts to this one

Greg Gutfeld slammed a reporter from a liberal media watchdog group for claiming "The Five" on Fox News had ignored the coronavirus and downplayed the threat.
"You called me a liar when there is footage of me showing the importance it was taken. You are a lying scum bag for knowing that fact and denying it. You know you lied. Now be a man and admit it," tweeted Gutfeld to Andrew Lawrence of Media Matters for America.
You called me a liar when there is footage of me showing the importance it was taken. You are a lying scum bag for knowing that fact and denying it. You know you lied. Now be a man and admit it.
— GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) March 31, 2020
Gutfeld pointed to a video of his comments from Jan. 28 on "The Five" where he talks about how medical experts were worried about the coronavirus. He was defending President Donald Trump's decision to restrict air travel from China.
Lawrence relied on two quotes from Gutfeld's co-host, Jesse Watters, to substantiate his claim against the show. In one quote from March 3, Watters said that he was not worried about the virus.
"You want to know how I really feel about the coronavirus, Juan? If I get it, I'll beat it," said Watters in the quote.
"I'm not lying. It's called the power of positive thinking and I think America needs to wake up to that. I live in Manhattan, I got off work the other night, went straight to the subway. Asian guy sits down to me — mask on. What do I do? Finish the ride, then I go home and I order Chinese food. I'm not afraid of the coronavirus, and no one else should be that afraid either," he adds.
New York City has since become one of the worst hot spots for coronavirus cases and deaths.
Lawrence also quoted Watters admitting on March 16 that he had not taken the social distancing order seriously:
I went to visit my mom this weekend and she made me wear gloves to come inside of her house. She is suspicious that I might have coronavirus. I wore the gloves all afternoon in the house. That's what it is. I didn't take the social distancing that seriously Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night, I went out to dinner here in the city. And I woke up this morning I realized that was not the right move. I am no longer going out to dinner. I was trying to help my local restaurants.
Gutfeld demanded a retraction based on the video of his comments on the show from Jan. 28.
"Care to comment. We covered the virus early and often. Retract now," he tweeted.
Here's a Gutfeld commentary on the virus from February:


theblaze--2020-03-31--'Trump has essentially made the press insignificant': Candace Owens on the REAL reason the left want

'Trump has essentially made the press insignificant': Candace Owens on the REAL reason the left wants to shut down WH briefings

'Trump has essentially made the press insignificant ' : Candace Owens on the REAL reason the left wants to shut @ @ @

In an exclusive GlennTV interview, Blexit founder Candace Owens explains how — much to the dismay of the leftist media — President Donald Trump is knocking it out of the park with his daily coronavirus press briefings.
"People are looking to this president and saying 'Wow, this guy is really leading,' and ... they [leftists] want people to stop seeing that," Candace said. "It's also humanized him. He's got that one-on-one, FDR, fireside-chat-thing going on. And it's not good for the left. They're getting angry and saying, 'Let's just shut it down completely so we can control the narrative.' But they can no longer control the narrative. Trump has essentially made the press insignificant, and at the same time, the press created him. They've made him significant from the beginning because they can't stop covering him."
Watch the video below to catch more of the conversation:
The full episode of "GlennTV" is available exclusively on BlazeTV.com.
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To enjoy more of Glenn's masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.


theblaze--2020-03-31--GOP congressman introduces bill to rescind $25 million for Kennedy Center

Rep. Ryan Steil ( R-Wis. ) says it is 'inappropriate funding ' from the coronavirus package

Wisconsin Rep. Bryan Steil (R) introduced legislation on Friday to rescind the $25 million that Congress approved for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from a $2 trillion coronavirus relief package, saying it was "inappropriate" for the funds to be included in the stimulus bill in the first place.
What are the details?
"Families and workers are struggling to pay rent, pay their mortgage, and buy groceries," Steil said in a statement explaining his bill, reported by Kenosha News. "Americans need relief and assistance now which is why I supported the CARES Act. However, some in Washington felt it was important to spend $25 million of taxpayer dollars on the Kennedy Center when there are obviously bigger needs right now."
He added, "This is frivolous spending in the midst of a national emergency."
News of the Kennedy Center receiving funds outraged several Republicans, many of whom fought to have the funds excluded from the final coronavirus relief package. Hours after the CARES Act passed — with the Kennedy Center's bailout funds intact — the Center informed the nearly 100 members of the National Symphony Orchestra that they would be laid off.
Rep. Steil told the Daily Caller he was against the pork going to the Kennedy Center as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act from the get-go.
"So we were negotiating this bill," the congressman recalled. "[House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) holds up getting relief to Americans to try to get this and other things in the bill. And so the day that the House passed this bill, I drove from Janesville, Wisconsin, to Washington, D.C., to be there."
"I spoke on the bill, spoke about how I thought the funding for the Kennedy Center was inappropriate," Steil continued. "And then before I left Washington, D.C., to drive back home, the day we passed the bill, I dropped this bill into the hopper and introduced it to start day one. The moment after we passed a bill to begin the work of improving it and getting out of the bill, inappropriate funding."
He added, "A handful of days later, after this passes and you find out that the Kennedy Center is laying people off. That's almost the icing on the cake."
Congressman Steil's legislation to strip the $25 million from the Kennedy Center currently has 15 cosponsors, including House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.).
Editor's note: The original version of this story incorrectly referred to Rep. Steil as "Ryan" Steil rather than Bryan. TheBlaze regrets the error.


theblaze--2020-03-31--US Navy captain seeks help as coronavirus outbreak spreads on 4,000-person ship: 'Sailors do not nee

US Navy captain seeks help as coronavirus outbreak spreads on 4,000-person ship: 'Sailors do not need to die'

US Navy captain seeks help as coronavirus outbreak spreads on 4,000-person ship : 'Sailors do not need to die' At @ @ @ @ @ the virus

The captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt is asking for more help to deal with a spreading coronavirus outbreak on the ship, which is carrying 4,000 crew members, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
At least 100 crew members have tested positive for COVID-19, and the close quarters of the ship create an environment in which proper isolation methods are difficult or impossible.
"Removing the majority of personnel from a deployed U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier and isolating them for two weeks may seem like an extraordinary measure. ... This is a necessary risk," Capt. Brett Crozier wrote to senior military officials. "Keeping over 4,000 young men and women on board the TR is an unnecessary risk and breaks faith with those Sailors entrusted to our care."
The ship has been docked in Guam since the infections were discovered last week. Crozier is concerned that without a coordinated effort, sailors could needlessly die.
"This will require a political solution but it is the right thing to do," Crozier wrote in the letter. "We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset — our Sailors."
Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly addressed Crozier's concerns on CNN and explained some of the difficulties of coming up with a good solution.
"I heard about the letter from Capt. Crozier (Tuesday) morning, I know that our command organization has been aware of this for about 24 hours and we have been working actually the last seven days to move those sailors off the ship and get them into accommodations in Guam," Modly said. "The problem is that Guam doesn't have enough beds right now and we're having to talk to the government there to see if we can get some hotel space, create tent-type facilities."
None of the infected sailors are yet suffering from serious symptoms, but the number of cases has multiplied steadily since the first three were discovered on March 24.
(H/T: New York Times)


theblaze--2020-03-31--A 95-year-old veteran battled coronavirus and won: 'I survived the foxholes of Guam, I can get throu

A 95-year-old veteran battled coronavirus and won: 'I survived the foxholes of Guam, I can get through this bulls**t’

A 95-year-old veteran battled coronavirus and won : ' I survived the foxholes of Guam , I can get through @ @ @ @ @ through the Great Depression , WWII , and now COVID-19

A 95-year-old veteran from Oregon has recovered after contracting COVID-19, and his granddaughter is sharing his story to inspire others.
Bill Kelly, who lived through the Great Depression and served in the South Pacific during World War II, fought his latest battle two weeks ago after falling ill from the coronavirus, the Oregonian reported.
On March 15, Kelly informed his family that he wasn't feeling well after he started experiencing fever symptoms. Due to several underlying health conditions — such as kidney disease, a congenital heart condition, and high blood pressure — his family elected to take him to the hospital for treatment and testing.
Two days later, the test results came back positive — Kelly had contracted COVID-19.
Kelly had left the hospital a day earlier and was instructed to quarantine at home for 14 days along with family members who live with him. Kelly shares a home with his granddaughter, her mother, her husband, and their two small children, who are 5 years old and 11 months old.
"Grandpa Bill's pretty hardcore," his granddaughter, Rose Etherington, 41, told the Oregonian. "But it was still nerve-wracking. We were just drinking hot tea all the time. Taking zinc. Washing our hands constantly."
For the first week, the family was told to avoid Kelly, who was cooped up in his room resting, praying, and watching old movies. When Kelly did come out of his room, the family made sure to disinfect any surface he touched.
"It was seven days where we treated the poor guy like a leper," Rose's husband, Isaac Etherington, 42, said.
But Kelly kept in good spirits: "We're doing just fine here. We're toughing it out. I've got two great-grandsons to keep me busy. I've been very fortunate."
On Monday, he completed his 14-day quarantine and had fully recovered.
In a Facebook post during the quarantine, Rose Etherington shared the family's experience in order to give hope to others who may be battling the virus.
"MY 95 YEAR OLD GRANDFATHER CONTRACTED THE COVID-19 VIRUS AND IS KICKING IT IN THE BUTT!!" the post reads. "In his words — 'I survived the foxholes of Guam, I can get through this [coronavirus] bull**** .'"
Etherington was careful to note that she is "in no way downplaying the seriousness of this disease. It's real and it's here and it needs to be respected," she said. "Just hoping grandpa Bill's story will encourage you and put a smile on your face."
She also added that the rest of the family remained healthy through the quarantine.


theblaze--2020-03-31--Cop pulls over speeding doctor. Instead of a ticket, he gives her a stack of masks from his own supp

Cop pulls over speeding doctor. Instead of a ticket, he gives her a stack of masks from his own supply.

Cop pulls over speeding doctor .
Instead of a ticket , he gives her a stack of masks from his @ @ @ @ @ story if there ever was one

A Minnesota police officer gave a hurried doctor who was speeding a handful of masks — rather than a speeding ticket.
What are the details?
A Minnesota police officer pulled over cardiologist Sarosh Ashraf Janjua for speeding on Interstate 35 last week.
Janjua, who lives in Massachusetts but often travels to Minnesota for work, shared the interaction on Facebook, and said that when the unnamed officer pulled her over, she feared the worst: a ticket.
Instead, he handed over five N95 face masks from his own personal stash.
"[The officer] went back to his patrol car to look up my license, and when he returned, quite firmly told me it was very irresponsible of me to be speeding, especially since I would not only take up resources if I got into an accident, but would also not be in a position to help patients," Janjua wrote in the now viral post.
It was at that time he told her that he would let her off with a warning, and handed her the masks.
"As I sputtered to apologize and say thank you, he reached in to hand me what I assumed was my license back," she recalled. "It wasn't until my hand had closed around what he was giving me that its unexpected bulkiness drew my eyes to it."
She continued, "Five N95 masks, from the supply the state had given him for his protection."
What happened next?
Janjua said that she was moved to tears by the officer's kind and selfless gesture.
"I burst into tears," she admitted. "And though it may just have been the cold wind, I think he teared up a little as well, before wishing me well and walking away. Like all health care workers and emergency responders around the world, I have felt afraid of not having adequate protective equipment, and in my darkest moments, have worried about what would happen if I fell sick far from home.
"This complete stranger, who owed me nothing and is more on the front lines than I am, shared his precious masks with me, without my even asking," she concluded. "We are going to be OK."
Janjua appeared on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360°" this week to share her experience.


theblaze--2020-03-31--Coronavirus still much deadlier than the flu, but not as bad as previously reported: study

Coronavirus still much deadlier than the flu , but not as bad as previously reported : study Members of the @ @ @ @ @ 's Emergency Medical Team wheel in a patient with coronavirus Monday to the Elmhurst Hospital @ @ @ @ @ of New York City .
( Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images )

A new study by the medical journal the Lancet Infectious Diseases shows that while COVID-19 is significantly deadlier than the flu, the death rate for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus is lower than has been previously reported, according to CNN.
At the beginning of March, the World Health Organization announced that the COVID-19 death rate was 3.4%, although there was wide expectation that the actual rate was lower due to the number of people who were asymptomatic or suffering only mild symptoms.
What did they find? The study in the Lancet attempted to account for people with COVID-19 who who were mild or asymptomatic cases. Most reported death rates only account for confirmed cases. Using that methodology, they found a death rate of 0.66% for COVID-19. The number goes up to 1.38% when accounting for only confirmed cases. Here's how they did it, CNN reported:
In this study, researchers tried to estimate the true "infection fatality rate." In other words, out of everybody infected -- not just those sick enough to get tested -- how many people will die?
To find out, researchers looked at how widespread infections were among people repatriated to their home countries on flights from Wuhan, China.
According to the study, these people received PCR tests -- a type of test that would be able to identify how many of those travelers were shedding the virus, even if they didn't show symptoms.
The death rate the study found for people 80 years of age and older was 7.8%, but the death rate didn't exceed 0.16% for any age group under 40 years old. And for children 9 years old and younger, the death rate was only 0.00161%.
The death rate for the flu is estimated at 0.1%.
The takeaway: There have been stories of otherwise healthy young or middle-age people getting severely sick from the coronavirus, but the outsized media attention those cases get can make them appear more common than they are.
"There might be outlying cases that get a lot of media attention, but our analysis very clearly shows that at aged 50 and over, hospitalization is much more likely than in those under 50, and a greater proportion of cases are likely to be fatal," said Azra Ghani, a professor at Imperial College London and an author of the study.


theblaze--2020-03-31--Survey: Vast majority of Democratic college students say offensive jokes can constitute hate speech

Survey : Vast majority of Democratic college students say offensive jokes can constitute hate speech Republican students also are way @ @ @ @ @ to say sensitive topics are acceptable in jokes

Political correctness, woke culture, safe spaces, and trigger warnings on college campuses have made these once-favored destinations of many comedians little more than free speech andfree expression kill zonesfavored by the left.
Therefore it should come as no surprise that a vast majority of Democratic college students — a whopping 76% — said that offensive jokes can constitute hate speech, according to the results of a recent College Pulse survey of 2,000 undergraduates.
What are the details?
Among the survey's findings:
Almost two-thirds of students (64%) believe comedians can be successful without making offensive jokes, but more than one-third (36%) say political correctness is detrimental to comedy.
Male students are much more likely than female students to say political correctness hurts comedy (54% versus 24%), and Republican students are far more likely than Democratic students to agree (59% versus 20%).
A majority of students say offensive jokes can promote stereotypes (69%) and constitute hate speech (60%) — but there's a political party caveat: 76% of Democrats believe jokes can constitute hate speech while only 36% of Republicans agree.
While a majority of students (52%) say sexual assault isn't appropriate for comedy, female students are twice as likely as male students to concur (66% versus 31%).
In addition, female students are twice as likely to say comedians shouldn't joke about abortion (30% versus 15%) or fatal tragedies (44% versus 23%). And only 17% of female students say no topics are off the table while more than half of male students (52%) say so.
Republican students also are way more likely than Democratic students to say sensitive topics are acceptable to joke about (50% versus 19%). While nearly a third of Republican students (32%) say comedians should not joke about sexual assault, about two-thirds (66%) of Democratic students agree.
More from the results:
Students overall see a distinction between someone joking about their own identity versus making fun of groups they do not belong to. Only 3% of students say it is not OK for a comedian to joke about their own race, while 26% say it is not OK for comedians to joke about other races. Similarly, 4% of students say a comedian shouldn't joke about their own sexual orientation, compared to 21% who say they shouldn't joke about other sexual orientations.
On a more personal level, a majority of students have experienced jokes targeting some aspect of their identity. Almost two-thirds (64%) of students report that their gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation is often the punchline to a joke. Race is a major factor, as black students are far more likely than white students to say some aspect of their identity is often a punchline (86% vs. 56%).
(H/T: The College Fix)


theblaze--2020-03-31--'I don't want to shoot him, but I'm going to have to!': Woman on 911 call repeatedly warns burglar t

'I don't want to shoot him, but I'm going to have to!': Woman on 911 call repeatedly warns burglar to leave her home before firing gun

' I do n't want to shoot him , but I 'm going to have to ! '
: Woman @ @ @ @ @ burglar to leave her home before firing gun The suspect allegedly tried breaking into other @ @ @ @

A Florida woman shot a burglar who broke into her Deltona home early Tuesday morning after warning him repeatedly to leave while on a 911 call, Volusia County Sheriff's officials told the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
What are the details?
Joseph Roberts, 32, can be seen shattering one of the home's windows just before 5:45 a.m. in a video surveillance recording released by the sheriff's office, the paper said, after which he climbed into the house.
Soon after, the 42-year-old homeowner confronted Roberts, the News-Journal said.
"Oh my God, don't shoot!" Roberts could be heard yelling at the homeowner as she yelled several warnings at him to leave while on a 911 call, the paper said.
"I don't want to shoot him, but I'm going to have to!" the homeowner was heard hollering to a dispatcher, according to the News-Journal. "Get out of my window! Get out of my window!"
The woman fired one shot and hit Roberts in the arm, after which she then escaped to the back yard with her three children and three of their friends, the paper said.
Roberts remained in the house where responding deputies found him, Sheriff's spokesman Andrew Gant told the News-Journal.
What happened afterward?
Roberts was airlifted to a hospital with injuries that weren't life threatening, sheriff's deputies told the paper, adding that he's charged with four counts of burglary of an occupied dwelling and four counts of criminal mischief.
Gant added to the News-Journal that the homeowner who fired at him isn't facing any charges.
Investigators told the paper the woman's home was the fourth on the block that Roberts tried to break into that morning.


theblaze--2020-03-31--GOP House member tweets out his cellphone number, urges people worried about coronavirus to call: 'T

GOP House member tweets out his cellphone number, urges people worried about coronavirus to call: 'Together we're going to get through this'

GOP House member tweets out his cellphone number , urges people worried about coronavirus to call : 'Together we 're @ @ @ @ @ 'If you just want to just talk about what 's going on around you ... @ @ @ @ @ that call '

As the coronavirus continues to spread across the U.S., people are naturally stressed out and full of questions.
Am I going to get sick? What about my family?
Will I lose my job? How will I pay my bills?
How long will this last? Is there any real hope that we'll beat this?
At times like these, many people will choose to hurt themselves or the people around them.
One Republican lawmaker is so determined to make sure people don't feel overwhelmed and harm themselves or others that he decided to share his cellphone number for anyone who wants to talk.
Who is this guy?
U.S. House Rep. Tim Burchett from Tennessee posted a video Monday to Twitter and urged Americans to open up about their stress during the COVID-19 chaos.
Burchett said that his community had seen nine people take their own lives, so he wants people to feel free to talk to him to unburden themselves.
"I know everybody's under a lot of pressure right now with what's going on with the coronavirus," the congressman began. "If you're feeling all that pressure, it's getting to you — you know, the last little bit here we've had nine people in our community taking their life; that's a horrible, horrible thing, somebody taking their own life."
Sometimes all people are needing is someone to listen, so Burchett made it clear that that's what he's there for.
"But if you feel like you're going to hurt yourself or maybe hurt somebody around you, why don't y'all just call me, let's talk. 865-978-1822," he said, adding, "And if I can't help you, I'll get you to somebody who can."
And the offer is not just to his 2nd Congressional District.
"If you just want to just talk about what's going on around you — I don't even need to know your name; you don't even have to live in my congressional district — please, I'd appreciate that call," Burchett said.
He concluded with encouragement for all: "Together we're going to get through this, folks. Just hang in there."
(H/T: New York Post)


theblaze--2020-03-31--Nancy Pelosi gets called out after proposing tax benefit that would help only wealthy Americans

Democrats routinely demonize the Republican Party as wanting to give big corporations and wealthy Americans a tax break, arguing that conservative economic plans hurt middle and lower income Americans.
Now, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) wants to give higher-earning Americans tax relief in the next coronavirus stimulus package.
In an interview with the New York Times, Pelosi suggested reversing a $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions — known as SALT — included in the 2017 Republican tax reform bill.
"We could reverse that for 2018 and 2019 so that people could refile their taxes," Pelosi said. "They'd have more disposable income, which is the lifeblood of our economy, a consumer economy that we are."
The rollback "would provide a quick cash infusion in the form of increased tax rebates to an estimated 13 million American households," according to the Times.
However, those benefiting would be exclusively American households earning more than $100,000 per year — dare we say, the wealthiest Americans.
Democratic politicians oppose the SALT deduction limits because they often represent wealthier Americans who live in states and cities with high taxes, such as California, New York, and New Jersey.
Pelosi's idea generated bipartisan opposition..
"Restoring the SALT deduction, as Speaker Pelosi advocated, would once again force low and middle income people to subsidize wealthy individuals in high tax states and municipalities — like the Speaker's home in San Francisco, California," Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) said, The Hill reported.
Meanwhile, Seth Hanlon, a senior fellow at the liberal Center for American Progress, told the Times that Pelosi's proposal "doesn't strike me as the most effective way of targeting economic stimulus."
"There are ways you could target it to truly middle-class people," Hanlon explained. "The problem is, relatively few middle-class people claim SALT."


theblaze--2020-03-31--'Contagion' star Kate Winslet teaches us how to wash our hands to prevent COVID-19 spread — and gets

'Contagion' star Kate Winslet teaches us how to wash our hands to prevent COVID-19 spread — and gets mercilessly mocked

'Contagion ' star Kate Winslet teaches us how to wash our hands to prevent COVID-19 spread — and gets mercilessly @ @ @ @ @ her take on how ships can avoid hitting icebergs ? '

Actress Kate Winslet appeared on a video reminding viewers that to prepare for her role in the movie "Contagion" — in which she plays an epidemiologist trying to contain the spread of a worldwide virus — she "spent time with some of the best public health professionals in the world."
Winslet added to viewers that those experts taught her to "wash your hands like your life depends on it. Because right now, it just might." Not to mention the lives of those we love or those we come in contact with as the coronavirus spreads across the globe, she said.
What happened next?
With that, the actress — probably best known for her starring role in "Titanic" opposite Leonardo DiCaprio — demonstrated an actual hand-washing step by step, offering tidbits she said she learned from health experts, such as how soap molecules bind to the water and to the grease on your hand, after which the virus is washed away.
Winslet echoed other commonly known facts about how to avoid contracting COVID-19, such as coughing into your elbow and not touching your face.
"I know this is hard, and this is new, and it's scary," she told viewers. "But you really can defend yourself and the people you love with a bar of soap, a sink, some water, and by listening to the public health experts where you live. We all want a cure. But until we have one, we have to be that for each other — starting now."
How did observers react?
As you might imagine, with celebrities getting hammered for offering the rest of us the best ways to live and solve problems, Winslet didn't escape the mockery of the Twitter mob for her video advice:


theblaze--2020-03-31--Study: Droves of Americans are turning to prayer in the face of COVID-19 fear and uncertainty

Study : Droves of Americans are turning to prayer in the face of COVID-19 fear and uncertainty

A new report says that more than half of Americans are praying that COVID-19 will quickly come to an end.
What are the details?
The new poll from the Pew Research Center reports that more Americans are turning to prayer to fight the coronavirus outbreak.
"The virus also has impacted Americans' religious behaviors," the poll notes. "More than half of all U.S. adults (55%) say they have prayed for an end to the spread of coronavirus. Large majorities of Americans who pray daily (86%) and of U.S. Christians (73%) have taken to prayer during the outbreak — but so have some who say they seldom or never pray, and people who say they do not belong to any religion (15% and 24%, respectively)."
The poll reports that 82% of evangelicals have prayed for an end to the COVID-19 outbreak — which is unsurprising, but 26% of religious "nones" — or "nothing in particular" — self-report that they, too, have been turning to prayer as a means to end COVID-19. The poll also reports that at least 15% of people who say they seldom to never pray are also praying for an end to the deadly pandemic.
At least 40% of Americans who say they attend church on a monthly basis now say that they have been virtually attending worship services online or via television on a regular basis.
To note, the poll finds that "Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say their personal life has changed in a major way as a result of the coronavirus outbreak: About half of Democrats and Democratic leaners (51%) say this, compared with 38% of Republicans and those who lean to the GOP."
The survey, taken by 11,537 Americans, was conducted between March 19-24.
You can read the poll's full findings here.
What else?
As pointed out by the Washington Examiner, nearly half of the United States believes that the COVID-19 outbreak is a "wake-up call" from God.
A new national survey for The Joshua Fund — which was conducted by McLaughlin & Associates — says that 44% of people polled believe that the virus should encourage people to "turn back to faith in God."
Further, 29% of people surveyed said they believe that the coronavirus pandemic indicates that humans are living in "the 'last days.'"
The poll notes that of all people surveyed, 30% of Jewish Americans, 30% of Democrats, 39% of Republicans, 40% of African Americans, and 50% of Hispanics believe that the COVID-19 outbreak is indicative of the end of days.
In a statement, Joshua Fund founder Joel C. Rosenberg says, "Americans in near full lockdown are anxious, and understandably so. Yet millions are turning to God, the Bible, and Christian sermons for answers, some of them for the first time. That may be the most important silver lining in this crisis so far."
McLaughlin & Associates conducted the survey from March 23-26 on 1,000 likely American voters.


theblaze--2020-03-31--President Trump says Andrew Cuomo would make a better presidential candidate than Joe Biden

President Donald Trump said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) would be a better presidential candidate than former Vice President Joe Biden, who is the presumptive Democratic nominee, Politico reported.
Cuomo has received heightened national attention as the state of New York has become the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, leading some to speculate about his potential as a presidential candidate.
"I wouldn't mind running against Andrew," Trump said Monday on Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "I've known Andrew for a long time. I wouldn't mind that, but I'll be honest, I think he'd be a better candidate than Sleepy Joe. Now, it's every poll that says I'm going to win, because you say [Cuomo's] gotten good marks, but I've gotten great marks on what we've done with respect to this. I've gotten great marks and even from almost every Democratic governor, so I've gotten great marks also, but we want to always make sure we have a great president and somebody that's capable. I personally don't think Joe Biden is capable."
President Trump also said that Cuomo has been successful in handling the coronavirus situation because the Trump administration has equipped him to be successful through the provision of resources.
Cuomo, focused on an escalating public health crisis in his state, said Monday he has no presidential aspirations at this time, and that he's grateful to the president for the assistance he's given.
"I said from day one I wasn't running for president, and I am not running for president now," Cuomo said during a news conference. "I am not playing politics. I just want partnership to deal with this. And I said to the president quite clearly, look, when you do good things for my state and you are a good partner, I will be the first one to say you are a good partner and I have. I went to the ship Comfort today. I said, 'Thank you, Mr. President.' We opened up the Javits Center, I said thank you to the Army. They did a great job here, the Army Corps of Engineers."
More than 1,500 deaths have been linked to coronavirus in New York, and there have been more than 9,000 confirmed cases. The rapidly increasing number of cases in the state has led to concerns about shortages of personal protective equipment and hospital beds.
The USNS Comfort hospital ship arrived in New York Harbor on Monday to expand the state's capacity to treat patients.


theblaze--2020-03-31--Doctors say it's not a good idea to wash fruits and vegetables with soap and water — and here's how

Doctors say it's not a good idea to wash fruits and vegetables with soap and water — and here's how to deal with groceries during COVID-19

Doctors say it 's not a good idea to wash fruits and vegetables with soap and water — and here @ @ @ @ @ groceries during COVID-19

Benjamin Chapman, a professor at North Carolina State University and a food specialist, says that washing fruits and vegetables with soap and water is not necessarily a good idea.
Other experts also weighed in with their own tips for food safety and staying healthy during the COVID-19 outbreak.
What's the deal with fresh foods?
Chapman told Live Science that there are "toxicity issues" with household dish soaps.
"We've known for 60 years that there are toxicity issues about consuming household dish soaps," he said. "Drinking dish soap or eating it can lead to nausea, can lead to upset stomach. It's not a compound that our stomach is really built to deal with."
Chapman said that a good rinse with cold water will suffice.
How about grocery shopping?
In a now-viral video, Dr. Jeffrey VanWingen, a private practice doctor out of Michigan, warned about the dangers of grocery shopping.
"I felt an urgency to get the word out to people that despite the stay-at-home order, we need to use caution when we go out," he said. "That's really the most important piece of the message: If you don't have to go out, don't. But if you must, to get food, do so with caution."
VanWingen says that people who have no choice but to leave the house and grocery shop should take the highest precautions when keeping germ-free.
PSA Safe Grocery Shopping in COVID-19 Pandemic UPDATED!!! www.DrJeffVW.com www.youtube.com
Some recommendations include wiping down grocery carts with disinfectant or disinfectant wipes. He also recommends that people store newly purchased dry goods on a porch or in a garage for at least three days, and says that containers should be disinfected or discarded.
Chapman added, however, that there's no evidence that food or its packaging can transmit the virus, and says that VanWingen's suggestion isn't "based on any science."
Chapman said that people should simply put away their groceries and wash their hands well with soap and water.
"[R]inse fresh fruits and vegetables with running cold water," Chapman says. "That may remove 90 to 99% of what's there."
What else?
Donald Schaffner, a professor at Rutgers University, echoed Chapman's sentiments about washing hands after returning from the grocery store.
"[I]f you're still feeling worried after you put all your groceries away, wash your hands and/or use hand sanitizer," he said.
Schaffner also said that if COVID-19 is on the food, "it's not going to make you sick from eating that food" because coronavirus reportedly dies in stomach acid.
Conclusions?
Schnaffner says that people should be more worried about spending time in the grocery store rather than disinfecting their foods — and to wash your hands.
"That's the big risk right there," he said.
(H/T: Fox News)


theblaze--2020-03-31--Man claiming to have coronavirus allegedly coughs at FBI agents who were investigating him for hoard

Man claiming to have coronavirus allegedly coughs at FBI agents who were investigating him for hoarding, price gouging medical supplies

Man claiming to have coronavirus allegedly coughs at FBI agents who were investigating him for hoarding , price gouging medical @ @ @ @ @ within four to five feet of him , Feldheim allegedly coughed in their direction without @ @ @ @

A man claiming to be infected with the coronavirus allegedly coughed at FBI agents who were investigating him for hoarding and price gouging medical supplies, the New York Post reported, citing the U.S. Attorney's Office.
What's the background?
Baruch Feldheim, a 43-year-old from Brooklyn, is suspected on March 18 of selling a New Jersey doctor about 1,000 N95 respirator masks for $12,000 — a roughly 700% markup — authorities told the Post on Monday.
The doctor contacted Feldheim through a WhatsApp chat group labeled "Virus2020!" WABC-TV reported, adding that Feldheim directed the doctor to a pick-up location — an auto repair shop in Irvington, New Jersey, containing enough hand sanitizers, Clorox wipes, chemical cleaning supply agents, and surgical supplies, to outfit an entire hospital.
On March 23, Feldheim was operating out of his Brooklyn residence and offered surgical gowns to a nurse, federal officials told the Post, adding that two days later he received shipment of about eight pallets of face masks.
The stake out
FBI agents began staking out his house and first noticed empty boxes of N95 masks outside, the paper said. By Sunday, they observed "multiple instances" of people approaching Feldheim's house and walking away with what appeared to be medical supplies, the Post added.
The confrontation
Agents confronted Feldheim outside his house and made sure to keep a safe distance over coronavirus concerns, the paper said.
"When the agents were within four to five feet of him, Feldheim allegedly coughed in their direction without covering his mouth," the U.S. attorney's release said, according to the Post, adding that Feldheim also told the FBI agents that he had the coronavirus.
He then allegedly lied to FBI agents about hoarding and price gouging, telling them he worked for a company that bought and sold personal protective equipment and that he never took possession of the materials, the paper said.
Feldheim was arrested and faces charges of assault and making false statements to federal officials, the Post said. If convicted, he faces up to six years in prison and a $350,000 fine, WNBC-TV reported.
The suspected stash
The FBI on Monday night raided a warehouse in Linden, N.J., that housed Feldheim's suspected stash of 80,000 masks, the paper said, citing a source, after which mask-wearing agents and workers placed the eight pallets of medical supplies into a box truck.


theblaze--2020-03-31--CNN's Chris Cuomo tests positive for coronavirus, will continue primetime show from his basement

CNN 's Chris Cuomo tests positive for coronavirus , will continue primetime show from his basement ' I just found @ @ @ @ @ for coronavirus '

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo announced on Twitter Tuesday morning that he has tested positive for coronavirus.
In a post on the social media platform, Cuomo said that he had been exposed to the novel coronavirus in recent days after coming into contact with people who have subsequently tested positive for the virus.
"In these difficult times that seem to get more difficult and complicated by the day, I just found out that I am positive for coronavirus," Cuomo wrote.
"I had fevers, chills and shortness of breath," he wrote. "I just hope I didn't give it to the kids and Cristina. That would make me feel worse than this illness!"
Cuomo, 49, will reportedly continue anchoring his primetime program from the basement of his New York home, where he will remain quarantined for the next two weeks.
The CNN anchor's brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), spoke about the news in a press briefing Tuesday morning, saying the virus is "the great equalizer" that does not discriminate based on race, gender, wealth, or status.
The governor said that he is thankful the situation is not worse and assured that his brother will be "fine" because he is "strong."
He also added that the news does provide a "lesson" for Americans; that they should be extra careful and take the virus seriously.


theblaze--2020-03-31--CBS News caught using footage of an overwhelmed Italian hospital in coronavirus coverage about NYC

CBS News has admitted it made a "mistake" in airing footage of an overwhelmed Italian hospital while reporting on the coronavirus outbreak in New York City.
"It was an editing mistake. We took immediate steps to remove it from all platforms and shows," a spokesperson told Fox News on Monday.
The footage in question was shot by Sky News and aired in a video report the outlet uploaded to YouTube on March 19, which documented the ongoing crisis in Italy's coronavirus epicenter in Bergamo.
The Sky News report shows medical staff scrambling to treat direly ill patients with limited resources in an overcrowded hospital. Several patients can be seen desperately gasping for air. The outlet hoped to demonstrate to the world just how bad the situation was in the European country.
But last Wednesday, CBS News included a short clip from the Sky News video in a segment about the outbreak of COVID-19 in New York City, which the outlet calls "America's Epicenter."
A production administrator for Turning Point USA posted clips of the two broadcasts on Twitter to show viewers that the same footage is being used.
In northern Italian cities such as Bergamo where the Sky News report was shot, the health care system faced near collapse during the height of the outbreak. Doctors were reportedly having to choose between patients due to limited time and resources, in many cases, leaving elderly patients to die.
The death toll was so high in the country that the military was deployed to transport dead bodies to be cremated.
As of Monday, New York City had reported more than 36,000 confirmed cases, with 790 resulting deaths.
Here's the full "CBS This Morning" segment from last Wednesday:


theblaze--2020-03-31--Nancy Pelosi blames Trump for coronavirus deaths. But footage shows she downplayed virus after Trump

Nancy Pelosi blames Trump for coronavirus deaths. But footage shows she downplayed virus after Trump took action.

Nancy Pelosi blames Trump for coronavirus deaths .
But footage shows she downplayed virus after Trump took action .
'Come @ @ @ @ @ are — we 're , again , careful , safe — and come join us @

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has laid responsibly for American deaths from the coronavirus at President Donald Trump's feet, claiming his "delayed" response to the virus is costing American lives.
Pelosi said on CNN over the weekend:
The president, his denial at the beginning, was deadly. His delaying of getting equipment to where it continues his delaying in getting equipment to where it's needed, is deadly.
As the president fiddles, people are dying.
But just one month ago, as COVID-19 was ravaging China and beginning to emerge in the west, Pelosi told her constituents to practically ignore warnings about the virus.
Amid concerns that Chinese Americans were experiencing racial backlash, Pelosi urged San Franciscans to visit San Fran's Chinatown, referring to COVID-19 as some far-away reality.
"It's exciting to be here, especially at this time, to be able to be unified with our community," the California Democrat said on Feb. 24. "We want to be vigilant about what is out there in other places. We want to be careful about how we deal with it, but we do want to say to people 'Come to Chinatown, here we are — we're, again, careful, safe — and come join us.'"
Speaker Pelosi Visits SF's Chinatown To Show Support Amid Coronavirus Fears www.youtube.com
Just two days after Pelosi's pronouncement, the San Francisco Chronicle published a story titled, "Get ready now for probable coronavirus pandemic in U.S., federal officials warn."
But some of Trump's response to COVID-19 was actually proactive.
In late January, just days after the first American COVID-19 case was confirmed in Seattle, the Trump administration announced travel restrictions on China and a mandatory 14-day quarantine for U.S. citizens returning from China's Hubei province, where COVID-19 originated.


theblaze--2020-03-31--Horowitz: Is this quarantine or tyranny?

Horowitz : Is this quarantine or tyranny ?
There are constitutional limits to even the emergency authority of governors and @ @

Everyone agrees that states have broad internal police power to take action to stop the spread of a public health crisis. You know, kind of like the federal government has power to stop the security and health crisis at our border, yet failed to act upon it for over a year. But are there no limits whatsoever to these internal powers? Can any governor or county executive simply flick his pen and shut every business even if it doesn't create crowds? Can they unilaterally restrict every aspect of the Bill of Rights indefinitely without any oversight, due process, benchmarks, or transparency?
In Jacobson v. Massachusetts (1905), the Supreme Court ruled, "It is within the police power of a State to enact a compulsory vaccination law, and it is for the legislature, and not for the courts, to determine." It therefore held that the state's mandatory vaccine against smallpox was within its constitutional authority. This built upon the established concept alluded to in the landmark Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) case that "reasonable regulations established directly by legislative enactment as will protect the public health and the public safety."
However, that same court made it clear that there is a point where states can enact policies in "such an arbitrary, unreasonable manner, or might go so far beyond what was reasonably required for the safety of the public" that they would be outside constitutional bounds.
A vaccine is a onetime action that helps an entire community. But what about governors and mayors holding press conferences every day trying to outdo each other with broad, arbitrary, and indefinite restrictions on people's movement outside their homes with few exceptions, even when they never tested positive for the virus? Traditionally, our quarantine laws throughout history were targeted to those who had the disease or to those aliens or even Americans landing at a port of entry, not applied against an entire state.
It is true that in Compagnie Francaise de Navigation a Vapeur v. Louisiana State Board of Health (1902), the Supreme Court sided with a Louisiana quarantine law barring even healthy people from entering the ports of an infected part of the state. However, even there it was not a shelter-in-place law against every single citizen already residing in the state; rather, it walled off certain parts of the state from new entrants, primarily foreign nationals, disembarking from ships.
We've simply never done this before in our history. These are not mere quarantine laws that supporters cite to justify what is going on today. Quarantine laws traditionally separate an individual or an entire group of people from the general population. What we are doing now, however, is locking down the entire general population.
Whether they use the term or not, governors are ordering nothing short of martial law, shutting down nearly all businesses and churches to the point that there will be no public services for Easter and Passover under any circumstance, and unemployment will surpass the levels of the Great Depression. Yes, there are times when that might be necessary, but the question should require a debate, transparency, time limits, and the production of more evidence about the value of these additional measures, which will undoubtedly grow legs in the coming days.
One might retort that in this circumstance, with modern travel, the disease is already rampant everywhere. But that is circular logic. In that case, it casts doubt on the entire premise of categorical lockdown, given that this has already spread to every state. Locking everyone down indoors is not a proven method of quarantine in this circumstance, where the virus is already ubiquitous.
Moreover, most of the past court cases were over clearly constructed statutes. These edicts are nothing more than memos unilaterally drawn up by governors and mayors every few days. They are arbitrarily constructed and enforced. Mass transit, the ultimate virus spreader, is still open, yet single businesses with few people in the office are closed, and individuals just driving alone in their cars for pleasure or strolling in a state park can get pulled over by a cop. Marijuana shops are considered essential in California, but not gun shops. So many important medical procedures are banned, while abortion in many states is still considered "essential."
There's got to be some limit. As the Supreme Court said in the landmark Shelton v. Tucker (1960) case, "Even [when] the governmental purpose [is] legitimate and substantial, that purpose cannot be pursued by means that broadly stifle fundamental personal liberties when the end can be more narrowly achieved." It can't be unlimited and indiscriminate, and pronouncing the death penalty on jobs, the economy, and the mental health of hundreds of millions of people is as broad as it gets.
Remember, these governors are just getting warmed up. We're only two weeks into this phase. At this pace, if we don't rise up and demand answers, there is no limit to what these politicians might do with their divine right of kings. It's appalling that Congress and state legislatures are in recess indefinitely, as random executives – from governors and mayors to county supervisors and sheriffs – rule the nation by fiat. It's time for some real debate and accountability with public input and hearings (remotely, if needed).
All of us are willing to sacrifice for public safety – a lot. But there are limits, and there are serious questions about whether those sacrifices are even helping, or in some instances, downright hurting. Either way, we will never recover from this devastating blow to liberty.
As Patrick Henry warned in 1788, "Show me that age and country where the rights and liberties of the people were placed on the sole chance of their rulers being good men, without a consequent loss of liberty! I say that the loss of that dearest privilege has ever followed, with absolute certainty, every such mad attempt."


theblaze--2020-03-31--'I’ve never actually done this on the air': MSNBC host asks Bishop T.D. Jakes to pray on live TV

' I ’ ve never actually done this on the air ' : MSNBC host asks Bishop T.D .
Jakes @ @ @ @ @ 'Give us the peace that passes all understanding '

An MSNBC host shocked viewers on Monday when he asked Dallas-area megachurch pastor Bishop T.D. Jakes to lead viewers in prayer.
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The moment unfolded during "MSNBC Live" when host Craig Melvin was speaking with Jakes about the COVID-19 crisis. Melvin abruptly posed a fascinating question.
"For folks who aren't able to get to church yesterday, I've never actually done this on the air," Melvin proclaimed. "Can you lead us in prayer for 30 seconds?"
Jakes responded affirmatively and proceeded to offer the following invocation:
Our Father and our God, we bow our heads to you in humility, understanding that we are not competent in and of ourselves to handle this kind of global calamity. We look to you, Lord, to be the source, the strength, the help, the light that we need, strengthen our first responders, strengthen even our broadcast people, strengthen all of us whose lives have been devastated and disrupted and give us the peace that passes all understanding. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
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theblaze--2020-03-31--Parents face several charges of child endangerment after throwing a packed bat mitzvah party

Parents face several charges of child endangerment after throwing a packed bat mitzvah party Why would these people do this @ @

Authorities have charged two New Jersey parents with child endangerment after the adults decided to host a bat mitzvah party for one of their children.
What are the details?
The couple, 37-year-old Eliezer Silber and 34-year-old Miriam Silber, hosted a party on Sunday in Lakewood, New Jersey.
NBC News reports that 40 to 50 people were at the residence celebrating the bat mitzvah.
Authorities descended upon the house and ordered all of the attendees, who were gathered in the family's front yard, to immediately disperse. The Silbers were charged with one count of child endangerment for each of their five children. Authorities also charged Eliezer with violating a rule or regulation adopted by the governor.
Last week, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) announced a state emergency stay-at-home order, which also prohibited such gatherings due to the deadly COVID-19 outbreak.
The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office warned that the couple — and any other people violating the order — will be prosecuted.
"My office will prosecute any individual who defies or breaks the law, State of Emergency or otherwise," prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a statement. "Everyone must respect and follow the law."
The Silbers will be required to appear at a not-yet-determined court date.
At the time of this writing, there have been at least 16,636 cases of COVID-19 in New Jersey. At least 198 people have died in the state because of the virus.
What else?
On Monday, Murphy blasted news of another New Jersey man who decided to host a house party with at least 47 guests — and a DJ.
The party, which took place on Friday, was shut down after local authorities received an anonymous phone call reporting the incident.
In a Twitter statement, Murphy said, "Last night, Ewing Township police broke up a party with 47 people — including a DJ — crammed into a 550-square foot apartment. The organizer was charged, as they should have been and deserve to be. This is not a game. Stay home. Be smart."
He later added, "Can't believe I have to say this at all, let alone for the second time. But here we are. NO CORONA PARTIES. They're illegal, dangerous, and stupid. We will crash your party. You will pay a big fine. And we will name & shame you until EVERYONE gets this message into their heads."


theblaze--2020-03-31--Police sources: Woman, 86, dies after being hit in head, knocked to hospital floor for violating cor

Police sources: Woman, 86, dies after being hit in head, knocked to hospital floor for violating coronavirus social distancing

Police sources : Woman , 86 , dies after being hit in head , knocked to hospital floor for violating @ @ @ @ @ alleged attacker has 17 arrests on her record

An 86-year-old woman died Saturday after being hit in the head and knocked the floor of a New York City hospital by another patient for violating coronavirus social distancing, police sources told the New York Daily News.
What happened?
Janie Marshall was at Woodhull Hospital in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, for a bowel obstruction about 2 p.m. Saturday when she grabbed a metal stand in a hallway, police told the paper.
Apparently that upset a nearby seizure patient — 32-year-old Cassandra Lundy — who complained Marshall wasn't following coronavirus social distancing guidelines and allegedly hit her in the head and knocked her to the floor, the Daily News said, citing police sources.
Marshall died a few hours later, just before 5:40 p.m., the paper said.
What happened to the alleged attacker?
Some of the confrontation was caught on video, the Daily News said, adding that no one witnessed it. Hospital police issued Lundy a disorderly conduct summons and released her, the paper said, citing sources.
Lundy of Bedford-Stuyvesant has 17 prior arrests on charges that include drug possession, trespass, assault, and strangulation, the Daily News said, citing sources.
After releasing Lundy with a summons, the hospital didn't contact the New York Police Department until almost five hours after Marshall died, sources told the paper.
The city medical examiner on Monday ruled Marshall's death a homicide caused by heart disease with blunt impact injury of head as a contributing factor, the Daily News said in a follow-up story.
The paper noted that police sources indicated if Marshall's death is ruled a homicide caused by the alleged attack Lundy could face upgraded charges.
What did the hospital have to say?
NYC Health and Hospitals, which runs Woodhull, said in a statement to the Daily News that it was “saddened" by Marshall's death and is "collaborating with the NYPD in their investigation." The agency didn't respond to the paper's question about why it took so long for them to call police.
What did Marshall's family have to say?
The Daily News said in a follow-up story that the hospital contacted Marshall's sister more than nine hours after her death — about 3 a.m. Sunday — saying she died of "heart failure."
Marshall's niece, Antoinette Leonard-Jean Charles, didn't find out what reportedly happened until much later Sunday when she read about it in the Daily News, she told the paper.
NYC Health & Hospitals spokeswoman Stephanie Guzman, in response to the family's allegations, cited patient confidentiality and said the hospital is cooperating with the NYPD, the Daily News noted.


theblaze--2020-03-31--Man goes viral for using bucket truck to visit elderly mother on the third floor of her nursing home

One Pennsylvania man was dead set on visiting his elderly mother, who lives in a nursing home during the COVID-19 outbreak — so he decided to put his company's bucket truck to use and visit her in a rather unconventional way.
What are the details?
Charley Adams, 45, told ABC's "Good Morning America" that his mother, 80-year-old Julia Adams, lives on the third floor of a nursing home in New Middletown, Ohio.
She'd been asking him to take her to dinner in recent weeks, but didn't seem to understand that the area — including her assisted living facility — was in lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic.
"[She] kept calling me and saying she wanted to go out to dinner," said Charley, who owns Adams Tree Preservation. "I kept explaining to her, 'Mom, that's not possible. ... You can't do that right now.' She was getting a little bit frustrated and disappointed."
Charley said that he was desperate to see his mother — who refused to take no for an answer — and cheer her up, so he drove his bucket truck to her facility and visited her from outside the window of her room.
Charley said that he phoned his mother and said, "'I'm right outside your window."
Julia, who came to the window, was tickled when she saw him outside the facility.
"She [said], 'Oh, my awesome kid, what are you doing?'" Charley recalled. "[My mother] loves trucks. When I was a little boy, she used to take me to look at trucks, tractors, and other equipment."
What else?
According to "GMA," Charley shared the story to his Facebook page, where it quickly went viral and caught the attention of strangers as well as the Adams' family and friends.
"[Friends and family] are calling her," he added. "It's been really great because of all the phone calls really cheer her up."
Charley added that he's hoping the story will spread some joy and positivity, even if briefly.
“If this little story can make somebody, even if it's just for two seconds, smile," he said. "It means we're doing something right."


theblaze--2020-03-31--NJ governor begrudgingly reverses his gun store shutdown after Trump admin labels them 'essential' b

NJ governor begrudgingly reverses his gun store shutdown after Trump admin labels them 'essential' businesses

NJ governor begrudgingly reverses his gun store shutdown after Trump admin labels them 'essential ' businesses Gun stores are open @ @ @ @ @ Jersey

New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy reversed his order to force the closure of gun stores in the state Monday following backlash from gun-rights groups and a directive from the Trump administration.
Gun stores will now be allowed to reopen after a nearly two-week shutdown, but would operate "by appointment only and under limited hours."
Murphy made the announcement begrudgingly in a news conference Monday, saying the reversal came after the Department of Homeland Security issued guidelines over the weekend referring to gun dealers, ranges, and manufacturers as "essential" businesses.
"It wouldn't be my definition, but that's the definition at the federal level and I didn't get a vote on that," Murphy said during the briefing, according to NJ.com.
Murphy issued an executive order on March 21 that closed all nonessential retail businesses — including gun stores — amid the state's coronavirus outbreak. The order effectively shut down all firearm sales in the state as the online portal used to process background checks was also forced to close.
The New Jersey Second Amendment Society, along with a local firearms shop, blasted the move in a lawsuit, arguing that Murphy's executive order infringed upon citizens' right to keep and bear arms.
"The exigencies surrounding this viral pandemic both justify and necessitate changes in the manner in which people live their lives and conduct their daily business," the lawsuit stated. "However, this emergency (like any other emergency) has its constitutional limits. It would not justify a prior restraint on speech, nor a suspension of the right to vote. Just the same, it does not justify a ban on obtaining guns and ammunition."
In spite of the lawsuit, Murphy had previously lauded the order's effect on gun retailers, arguing during a press briefing that "a safer society for my taste has fewer guns and not more guns."
"The guns that do exist are at the hands of the right people, particularly trained members of law enforcement," he added at the time. "Crime has been down and let's hope it stays down, but we're very comfortable where we landed on that."
Murphy's recent reversal on the forced closure of gun stores follows in the footsteps of a similar decision by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, who backed off his previous executive order after taking heat from Second Amendment supporters in his state.


theblaze--2020-03-31--ROUND 2: Dr. Fauci predicts another coronavirus outbreak after the first is contained

ROUND 2 : Dr. Fauci predicts another coronavirus outbreak after the first is contained

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the United States, warned Monday that there will be another coronavirus outbreak in the fall.
The prediction was made during President Donald Trump's daily COVID-19 briefing in response to a reporter who asked whether the White House expects the virus to reemerge in the fall.
"In fact, I would anticipate that that would actually happen because of the degree of transmissibility," Fauci said.
However, the doctor said COVID-19's reemergence would be a "totally different ballgame" because of what is being learned during the first outbreak.
"There'll be several things that'll be different. Our ability to go out and be able to test, identify, isolate, and contact trace will be orders of magnitude better than what it was just a couple of months ago," Fauci explained. "In addition, we have a number of clinical trials that are looking at a variety of therapeutic interventions. We hope one or more of them will be available.
"And importantly ... is that we have a vaccine that's on track and multiple other candidates," he continued. "So I would anticipate that, you know, a year to a year and a half, we'd be able to do it under an emergency use. If we start seeing an efficacy signal, we may be able to even use a vaccine at the next season. So things are going to be very, very different.
"What we're going through now is going to be more than just lessons learned; it's going to be things that we have available to us that we did not have before," Fauci said.
Fauci and other infectious disease experts have warned that COVID-19 could be cyclical, meaning it reemerges in a seasonal cycle, much like the flu.
Developing a vaccine and methods to combat COVID-19 is critical to ensuring the virus does not trigger another pandemic.
Unfortunately, Fauci predicted over the weekend that the American death toll from COVID-19 will likely be measured in the hundreds of thousands.


theblaze--2020-03-31--Federal judges stop states from suspending elective abortions during coronavirus outbreak

They say the harm outweighs the benefit An order by Texas Republican Gov .
Greg Abbott to pause all nonessential @ @ @ @ @ federal judge .
( Tom Fox-Pool/Getty Images )

Federal judges blocked orders in Texas, Alabama, and Ohio that sought to include abortion within bans on nonessential surgical procedures during the coronavirus emergency, The Hill reported.
In order to preserve personal protective equipment for potential increases in cases of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, states have suspended nonessential surgeries. Some hospitals have faced shortages of critical protective equipment such as masks, gloves, and gowns.
Some conservative states have chosen to include abortion in those orders, while some liberal states like New York and Virginia have deemed abortion essential.
On Monday, federal judges sided with the opinion that abortion was essential and that banning it would cause too much potential harm to pregnant women.
"The benefits of a limited potential reduction in the use of some personal protective equipment by abortion providers is outweighed by the harm of eliminating abortion access in the midst of a pandemic that increases the risks of continuing an unwanted pregnancy, as well as the risks of traveling to other states in search of time-sensitive medical care," U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel wrote in the Texas case.
Yeakel issued a temporary restraining order and wrote that the inclusion of abortion in the nonessential surgery bans violated the Supreme Court's ruling in Roe v. Wade, which established the right to a pre-viability abortion.
Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion groups sued Texas, Ohio, Alabama, Iowa, and Oklahoma over the inclusion of abortion in their bans.
"Abortion is essential healthcare, and it's a time-sensitive service, especially during a public health crisis," Amy Hagstrom Miller, president and CEO of Whole Woman's Health, said, The Hill reported. "Many people are already financially insecure and futures are uncertain. We applaud today's ruling, which will allow us to do what we do best, provide safe and compassionate abortion care to those who need it."


theblaze--2020-04-01--A CNN pundit referred to President Trump as 'retarded.' It did not go over well.

A CNN pundit referred to President Trump as 'retarded . '
It did not go over well .

A CNN pundit took heavy online ridicule for her word choice on Tuesday, after referring to President Donald Trump as "retarded" in a now-deleted social media post.
What are the details?
Sophia Nelson, who describes herself as a "frequent" guest on CNN, was reacting to a critical tweet about the president from fellow anti-Trump Republican Rick Wilson, when she replied, "They just always got an excuse to cover for his retarded ass!"
The backlash came quickly against Nelson, the former GOP counsel for the House Oversight Committee, and she explained that she deleted her comment after the father of a special needs child called her out "with class and grace" for using the derogatory term. Nelson then noted that the "nasty ass twitter bully mob" still came after her.
Nelson admitted that she understood why the word "retarded" is offensive to many people, yet she continued to defend herself for her choice of language. She argued that she used the word because it was used frequently among people of her generation in the past, while asserted that referring to the president as "retarded" was "being kind."
Nelson is also a senior adviser to the Lincoln Project, whose mission is to "defeat President Trump and Trumpism at the ballot box." Wilson is a co-founder of the initiative.
When a reporter from the Daily Caller pointed out Nelson's position, she doubled down and insisted on calling the president "retarded" once again.
"This is a great hit job you guys are attempting because I called Trump a 'retarded ass.' He is that," Nelson wrote. "This has zero reference to disabled or special needs persons."


theblaze--2020-04-01--Study finds 95% of worldwide cases of coronavirus could have been prevented if China had acted earli

Study finds 95% of worldwide cases of coronavirus could have been prevented if China had acted earlier

Study finds 95 % of worldwide cases of coronavirus could have been prevented if China had acted earlier They love @ @ @ @ @ but ignore the evidence China did it

While many are debating the culpability of the communist Chinese government for the global pandemic, one study says that 95% of cases could have been prevented if China had only acted a few weeks earlier.
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Southampton and considered non-pharmaceutical interventions such as travel restrictions and single case isolation.
Researchers found that their research model indicated that 95% of cases would have been prevented if China had acted three weeks earlier.
Intervention one week earlier would have resulted in 66% mitigation, while two weeks would have led to 86% fewer cases.
China has been excoriated by many for attempting to cover up its culpability in the spread of the global pandemic that originated in Wuhan. One Chinese official went as far as to accuse the U.S. Army of being the source of the virus.
"Our study demonstrates how important it is for countries which are facing an imminent outbreak to proactively plan a coordinated response which swiftly tackles the spread of the disease on a number of fronts," said study author Dr. Shengjie Lai.
The study also showed that the pandemic could have been far worse if China waited longer than it did to intervene.
A more recent report from the Wall Street Journal quoted a top Chinese health official that admitted that the country was not adding asymptomatic persons who tested positive to its national tally.
Editor's note: The original version of this story incorrectly stated the percentage mitigation reported by the study. TheBlaze regrets the error.
Here's more about the Chinese coronavirus:


theblaze--2020-04-01--MIT researcher warns COVID-19 could travel 27 feet, remain in air for hours

MIT researcher warns COVID-19 could travel 27 feet , remain in air for hours She says current social distancing guidelines @ @

A researcher from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is calling for social distancing guidelines worldwide to be updated, warning that evidence shows the novel coronavirus could travel as far as 27 feet between people and remain airborne for hours.
What are the details?
Dr. Lydia Bourouiba, an associate professor at MIT, published a new study last week citing studies showing that particles from a sneeze or cough could create "a cloud that can span approximately 23 to 27 feet," arguing that droplets carrying COVID-19 could reach such distances and remain airborne for hours at a time.
Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that individuals stay six feet away from each other in public spaces to avoid the spread of COVID-19, and the World Health Organization recommends people keep a distance of three feet apart.
According to Bourouiba, the current guidelines from federal and international health officials may not cut it in the fight against the rapidly spreading coronavirus.
"There's an urgency in revising the guidelines currently being given by the WHO and the CDC on the needs for protective equipment, particularly for the frontline health care workers," Bourouiba told USA Today.
In reaction to Bourouiba's study, University of Washington infectious disease professor Dr. Paul Pottinger told the newspaper, "For me, the question is not how far the germs can travel, but how far can they travel before they're no longer a threat."
He explained, "The biggest threat — we think — with the coronavirus is actually the larger droplets. Droplets of saliva, snot, spit. Droplets that almost look like rain, if you will, when someone sneezes. Those droplets are large enough that gravity still acts on them. Usually, within about 6 feet of leaving somebody's body, those larger, more infectious droplets will drop to the ground. That's where the 6-foot rule comes from."
Anything else?
Coronavirus task force member Dr. Anthony Fauci was asked about the MIT study during a news conference on Tuesday and called it "misleading," the Daily Mail reported.
"This could really be terribly misleading," Fauci said of the findings. "What it was was looking at the droplets by speaking, by coughing, by sneezing. So if you go way back and go 'atchooo' and go like that, you might get 27 feet."
He added, "If you see somebody do that, get out of the way, but that is not practical."


theblaze--2020-04-01--Jim Acosta tries to get Dr. Fauci to blame Trump for coronavirus deaths, but he dismantles his quest

Jim Acosta tries to get Dr. Fauci to blame Trump for coronavirus deaths, but he dismantles his question instead

Jim Acosta tries to get Dr. Fauci to blame Trump for coronavirus deaths , but he dismantles his question instead @ @ @ @ @ them to say the U.S. response was too late

CNN reporter Jim Acosta asked if President Donald Trump failed to act quickly enough against the coronavirus pandemic to prevent as many deaths as possible, but instead, Dr. Anthony Fauci dismantled the assumptions of his question.
The interaction happened during Tuesday's coronavirus task force media briefing.
"This may be an uncomfortable question, what would the models have looked like, that Dr. Birx and Dr. Fauci showed us, if we had started the social distancing guidelines sooner in February, or January, when China and South Korea were doing those sorts of things," asked Acosta, referring to projections about coronavirus deaths.
"Well, I'm gonna let them answer that, yeah," responded Trump.
"But remember this, and again I say that, and everybody says it, you know who says it better than anybody is Dr. Fauci, I had a decision to make, maybe it was my biggest decision," he continued. "China was heavily infected, and thousands and thousands of people were coming from China to the United States, and against the wishes, and not even wishes, but they disagreed with the decision, I made a decision to stop China from coming in. Took a lot of heat!"
The president asked Dr. Deborah Birx to respond, and she explained that there was a lack of information from before the pandemic took off in the United States.
Fauci backed up Birx and gently scolded Acosta for seeking a sound bite that could be taken out of context.
"Just to underscore what Dr. Birx was saying, if there was no virus in the background, there was nothing to mitigate," Fauci explained.
"If there was virus there that we didn't know about, then the answer to your question is probably yes. Now the only trouble with that is that whenever you come out and say something like that, it always becomes almost a sound bite that gets taken out of context," he added.
"But I think that is very important what Dr. Birx has said, is that if there was covert infections here that we didn't know about, and we didn't mitigate them, then that would have made a difference," Fauci continued.
"If there was nothing there, then there's nothing to mitigate, and I don't know the answer to your question," he added.
Acosta pressed for an answer based on testing that hadn't been done.
"In a perfect world, it would have been nice to know what was going on there; we didn't, but I believe, Jim, that we acted very, very early in that," Fauci concluded.
Acosta later said on CNN that he believed the president had changed his tone on the situation with coronavirus and that he was taking it more seriously than he had before.
Here's video of the interaction: