Information on the "Ike Dike" Coastal Barrier

May 24: Fox News: Former AG Whitaker on judge’s order in Flynn Case
Former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker reacted  to Judge Sullivan’s position on the Flynn Case during an interview on “Sunday Morning Futures.”  Whitaker said “There is no discretion of Judge [Emmet] Sullivan to not dismiss the case once the Department of Justice has decided to no longer pursue those charges… …I think ultimately it’s going to be a strange proceeding when the appeals court gets their filing from the judge, trying to defend his actions.”  He went on to say that “the case will be dismissed and the charges will no longer be held against him [Flynn].”

May 24: The Daily Caller: National Security Advisor O’Brien; Wouldn’t be
surprised if China stole the COVID-19 vaccine once developed
White House National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien on Sunday suggested that the Chinese Community Party would very likely try to steal American developments on a coronavirus vaccine.   O’Brien predicted that the United States would be the first country to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus. But he added that the Chinese government has been working diligently to steal the U.S. government’s coronavirus vaccine research.  He noted “Look, they’ve [China] got a many, many year history of stealing American intellectual property and knocking off American technology…”

May 24: United Press International: Weather could delay manned space launch
Weather has become a major concern for the planned launch of two American astronauts Wednesday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the first crewed mission from U.S. soil in nine years.  If delayed, the next possible launch window would be Saturday.

May 23: United Press International: Trump to attend US manned space launch
President Donald Trump is scheduled to travel to Florida on Wednesday to watch as SpaceXlaunches its Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft into orbit. If the launch goes according to plan, it will be the first spaceflight launched from U.S. soil with American astronauts on board since 2011. On Friday NASA and Space X completed a flight readiness review to launch NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley from Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island in Florida.  Wednesday's trip to Florida will be Trump's first not directly related to the coronavirus pandemic in two months. He's largely kept to the White House since March, when he declared a national emergency. Vice President Pence is also expected to attend.

May 23: Breitbart News: Poll: More trust Trump than Biden for economic recovery
When it comes to the nation’s economy a greater share of registered voters trust Trump to handle the economic recovery. 43% of registered voters surveyed, verses 40% for Biden, trust Trump to handle the economic recovery moving forward.  Similarly, 44 percent trust Trump on the economy in a general sense, compared to 41 percent for Biden. Forty-four percent of registered voters also trust the president on the issue of jobs — a four percent advantage over Biden.

May 23: The Washington Times: Rebel Dems in battleground states could be good news for Trump
Democratic lawmakers in battleground states have unexpectedly broken ranks in recent weeks to heap praise on President Trump, stirring up turmoil in their party.  Republicans see those rebels as a good sign for Trump and down-ballot races on Election Day in November.  Democrats in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Michigan suffered pushback for their pro-Trump rhetoric within the last month. The phenomenon is all the more startling because those are Trump-won states that Democrats hope to take back in 2020.

May 23: The Washington Examiner: Biden “no tax increase” pledge doesn’t
line up with his campaign tax plan
Joe Biden's vow Friday not to increase taxes on anyone earning less than $400,000 a year conflicts with his platform, according to outside tax experts.  “The tax policy proposals that he has already put forth would violate that promise because he is already proposing to raise taxes on households that earn less than $400,000,” said Kyle Pomerleau, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.  Pomerleau said the plan Biden released late last year includes tax increases that kick-in at roughly $160,000 since it caps itemized deductions at 28% for all taxpayers. That provision means filers in higher tax brackets suffer a tax increase.

May 23: The Washington Free Beacon: COVID-19 changed first time gum buyer’s politics
Scott Kane went 38 years without ever touching a gun. In March, fearful of the harassment his wife and child experienced over their Asian ancestry, Kane found himself in a California gun shop. His March 11 purchase of a 9mm would have been the end of the story, were it not for a political standoff over shutdown orders and background checks. Now Kane, a former supporter of gun-control measures and AR-15 bans, is frustrated by the arduous process that has denied his family a sense of security. The pandemic has made the soft-spoken software engineer an unlikely Second Amendment supporter.  "This has taken me, a law-abiding citizen with nary an unpaid parking ticket to my name, over a month," he said. "Meanwhile Joe Bad Guy has probably purchased several fully automatic AK-47s out of the back of an El Camino in a shady part of town with zero background checks."

May 22: The Washington Times: DOJ strikes a blow for federalism in a COVID-19 case
The Trump administration struck a blow for federalism Friday, filing papers in court telling Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker that the fight over his coronavirus shutdown order belongs before a state judge, not in federal court. The case was being heard by a state judge until Thursday, when the Governor’s lawyers had it moved to a federal district court. State Rep. Darren Bailey, who filed the lawsuit, accused the governor of creating arguments to try to find a friendlier judge than the state courtroom where the matter was being argued.  DOJ weighed in saying the matter should be decided inside the state.  The lawsuit says the powers the governor is using only last for 30 days, and he’s extended beyond that timeframe. 

May 22: Fox News: Nevada – A case study in voter fraud to swing an election
Democrats in Clark County, NV successfully got a new voting plan that was  “shrouded in mystery,” according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Officials would now increase the number of in-person voting locations in the Democrat-heavy region (thereby increasing the Democrat verses Republican turnout), mail ballots to all “voters” (even those that the state officials believed may have moved) and allow “field registrars,” commonly known as ballot harvesters, to pick mail ballots up. Weeks before the election, live ballots were piling up at apartment complexes. Others were found in the trash.  A postal worker reported finding thousands of ballots just “sitting in crates with no additional safeguards.” Some, she said were ballots for residents who “had all moved or died.”   A local Las Vegas resident said she found dozens of ballots pinned to community bulletin boards. “From Friday to Monday, I could have voted 20 times,” she said.

May 22: The Daily Caller: N.J. voter fraud as 3,000 votes not counted in local election
In a New Jersey city council election that was decided by just a handful of votes, over 3,000 ballots were reportedly set aside, raising questions about the legitimacy of the election.  In addition to the roughly 800 ballots that were discounted due to allegations of fraud from the US Postal Service, another 2,300 ballots were not counted, according to the Paterson Press. In total, 19% of all the ballots cast were disqualified. 

May 22: The Independent Journal Report: Biden: If You Can’t Decide on Voting for
Trump or Me, ‘Then You Ain’t Black’
Former Vice President  Joe Biden sparked some controversy over remarks about race during an interview on the New York City radio show “The Breakfast Club.”  Biden’s team had called the interview over but the Democrat added as a parting message, “If you have a problem figuring out whether me or Trump, then you ain’t black.”  He added, “Take a look at my record, man. I extended the Voting Rights Act 25 years. I have a record that is second-to-none. The NAACP’s endorsed me every time I’ve run. I mean, come on. Take a look at the record.”

May 22: The Washington Examiner: U.S. overtures to Taiwan may escalate tensions with China
President Trump’s administration plans to sell 18 torpedoes to Taiwan at a time when worsening tensions between the United States and China raise the specter of conflict over the island’s political sovereignty.   “Torpedoes are real important if you want to sink ships,” the Hudson Institute’s Seth Cropsey said. “One of Taiwan's large military issues at the tactical level is the possibility of a [Chinese military] blockade that would cut the Taiwanese off from importing and exporting. So, the increased ability to sink ships that you get with torpedoes makes sense.”

May 21: The Washington Times: Appeals Court: Judge Sullivan; respond to
request to remove case on Michael Flynn
A federal appeals court Thursday ordered the judge overseeing the case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn to respond to a petition from Flynn’s legal team seeking to remove him from the case.  In a one-page order, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan to “file a response addressing the petitioners’ request.”  Judge Sullivan has 10 days to address Flynn’s legal brief. The court also invited the Justice Department to weigh in on whether Judge Sullivan should be reassigned.

May 21: The Washington Free Beacon: Call for DOJ investigation of Planned
Parenthood fraudulently taking funding
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) led a group of lawmakers calling on the Department of Justice to investigate Planned Parenthood over allegations the abortion provider fraudulently obtained federal loans.  "Planned Parenthood fraudulently taking tens of millions of dollars that were intended to help keep those small businesses and nonprofit organizations afloat cannot stand and must be addressed," a letter sent by the lawmakers to Attorney General William Barr stated.  The letter points to a statement from Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the group's political action committee, criticizing the CARES act for excluding Planned Parenthood as evidence that the group fraudulently obtained the loans.

May 21: The Daily Caller: Terrorist attack against second Naval Air Station
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has determined that a Thursday morning shooting at the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi is terrorism related, according to ABC News.  The FBI also announced that “there may be a second person of interest at large in the community.”  A U.S. defense official told CNN that the suspect attempted to rush the security gate with a vehicle and security deployed a barrier to stop the vehicle.  The suspect exited the vehicle and began to fire, prompting security forces to return fire.  The attacker was killed, a security guard was injured.

May 21: New York Post: Trump in Michigan; Thanks Ford workers for ventilators
President Trump traveled to Michigan Thursday to visit a Ford plant converted to making ventilators, and thanked employees for their efforts to help save Americans’ lives during   coronavirus pandemic.  “With your help, not a single American has been denied a ventilator, not a single one,” Trump said during the campaign-style appearance at the Rawsonville plant in 2020 battleground Michigan.

May 21: The Washington Examiner: How secure are your mail in ballots?
S.C. ballots end up in Maryland!
“Maryland election officials found a bunch of ballots from South Carolina mixed in with their shipments to Baltimore,” Baltimore Sun reporter Emily Opilo tweeted. “They use the same vendor. I just talked to an elections official in SC, and he says they're ready to dump the company.”  Maryland and South Carolina use the same vendor.   South Carolina officials say this isn’t the first time they’ve had trouble with SeaChange, the Minnesota-based printer they use. 

May 21: The Washington Times: Democratic Party official admits to stuffing ballot boxes
A Philadelphia elections judge and Democratic Party official pleaded guilty Thursday to stuffing ballot boxes in favor of Democratic candidates in elections in 2014, 2015 and 2016, while collecting thousands of dollars in cash to make the changes.  Prosecutors hinted at an even broader conspiracy by an unnamed “political consultant” who charged his clients “consulting fees” then used some of the money to pay off multiple Election Board officials.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia won Thursday’s guilty plea from a Democratic Party ward chairman who served as a judge of elections, responsible for overseeing a polling place during voting.

May 20: The Daily Caller: Audio tapes of Biden and the $1 billion payoff leaked
A Ukrainian lawmaker with ties to the Russian KGB released on Tuesday excerpts of recorded phone calls reportedly made between former Vice President Joe Biden and former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in 2016 discussing the ouster of a Ukrainian prosecutor in return for a $1 billion loan guarantee.  The lawmaker, Andriy Derkach, said during a press conference Tuesday that Poroshenko recorded his phone calls with Biden and that he received the tapes from investigative journalists.

May 20: Fox News: Senate passes bill to remove rouge Chinese firms from the US stock exchanges
The U.S. Senate has passed a bill boosting oversight of companies based in China and other nations that could lead to their removal from American stock exchanges. The vote on the measure, introduced more than a year ago by Sens. John Kennedy, R-La., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., comes as Congress and the Trump administration seek ways to punish Beijing for its initial handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation says that if the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board -- a nonprofit established by Congress after the WorldCom and Enron scandals of the early 2000s -- is denied access to a foreign stock issuer's books for three years, the Securities and Exchange Commission will prohibit trading in the shares on U.S. exchanges.

May 19: The Hill: Texas Supreme Court: Not everybody can
vote by mail; Federal Judge: Not so; expect an appeal
A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that all Texans can apply to vote by mail during the coronavirus pandemic, after the state's Supreme Court, in separate litigation, blocked the expansion of absentee voting last week.  U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sided with the Texas Democratic Party, saying that to follow existing state absentee voting rules, in which you have to be 65 or older or have a stated disability, would put unconstitutional and illegal burdens on Texas voters. The case is likely to be appealed.
Editor's Note: The Federal Judge’s decision opens the door to possible vote harvesting and fraud while also meaning that Texas counties may not be able to get results from the November election for days and in some cases a week or more.

May 19: Breitbart News: COVID-19 Blue state governors not listening to cries from their constituents
Several blue state governors have refused to listen to the cries of residents begging them to reopen their respective states, instead issuing threats against localities and business owners who fail to comply with their draconian lockdown orders — threats that have, largely, failed to come to fruition.  One prime example is Governor Wolfe (D-PA) who threatened to withhold federal stimulus discretionary funds from counties defying his order and also issued a threat to business owners directly, warning that they could lose their health department certificate, liquor license, and certificate of occupancy, at the hands of the state.

May 19: News One Now: Michigan business defies Governor’s order opens for business
Erik Kiilunen, who owns two Michigan businesses impacted by the economy-crushing shutdown, is calling on others to defy the governor’s stay-at-home order that is set to expire May 28.    Gov. Whitmer, a first-term Democrat, angered the public weeks ago for her oddball lockdown orders that forced businesses to rope off paint aisles and garden seeds. More recently, the governor suggested the lockdown would continue because of massive protests that filled Lansing, and she ignored the GOP-led legislature that appears to have the legal authority to grant or deny Whitmer’s extension to the stay-at-home orders.

May 19: Fox News: Secretary of Treasury: People offered a job by
previous employers are not eligible for unemployment benefits
Treasury Secretary  Steven Mnuchin warned on Tuesday that individuals who reject an offer from their company to return to work after being laid off due to coronavirus are no longer considered eligible to receive federal unemployment benefits.  Mnuchin said that companies receiving benefits under the Payroll Protection Program who are inviting employees who had been laid off or furloughed due to the coronavirus crisis to return to work should plan to notify state unemployment offices of their offers.  If the employee, in turn, turns down the job, they would then be considered ineligible to receive expanded unemployment benefits.

May 19: The Washington Times: Trump signs order to deregulate in
order to speed up the COVID-19 economic recovery
President Trump ordered a sweeping emergency deregulation effort Tuesday to jump-start the economic recovery as states reopen from coronavirus shutdowns, and he directed federal agencies not to “over-enforce” regulations against small businesses that are working to bounce back.  Mr. Trump signed an executive order, in his first Cabinet meeting since the crisis hit, that directs federal agencies to rapidly use all emergency and “good cause” authorities to find red tape that can be rescinded or temporarily waived to promote job creation and economic growth. In addition to cutting regulations, the president’s order instructs Cabinet agencies to “consider exercising appropriate temporary enforcement discretion” for the good of the recovery.

May 19: United Press International: Trump threatens to permanently cut WHO
funding if changes aren’t made
President  Trump late Monday threatened to permanently pull funding from the World Health Organization  (WHO) unless it commits to "major substantive improvements within the next 30 days." The threat is an escalation to a hold Trump put on U.S. funding to the United Nations' health agency last month so as to conduct a review of the WHO's response to the coronavirus outbreak. Trump has accused it of "mismanaging and covering up" the spread of the disease.

May 18: Fox News: California illegally opens COVID-19 funding to immigrants
Undocumented immigrants in California are now allowed to apply for the state’s coronavirus relief program that will pay $500 per person and up to $1,000 per household, according to reports Monday.  Sacramento has freed up $75 million for the fund, which could help about 150,000 who may be facing severe hardships during the pandemic. The LA Times said the Center for American Liberty is suing the state, claiming that the money is “not a slush fund for the governor to spend as he sees fit.” It hopes to block the package.  Opponents of the measure insist that any taxpayer funds should be directed to U.S. citizens who are also struggling amid the pandemic.

May 18: The Washington Times: Obama inserts self in ways unthinkable for
former Presidents while Biden sits on the sidelines
Forget about Joe Biden. The race for The White House in 2020 looks more and more like a contest between President Trump and his predecessor Barack Obama.  The former president has returned to politics with a vengeance, inserting himself in ways previously unthinkable for those who have occupied the Oval Office and calling his successor a lawless incompetent.  Meanwhile, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said on Fox News that he believes Obama is inserting himself, partially at least, because of fear and anxiety over the recent revelations of his knowledge, and perhaps involvement in, the 2016 investigation of the Trump campaign.

May 18: The Washington Free Beacon: Lawmakers urge Trump to sanction
Chinese officials over COVID-19
In a letter to the State and Treasury Departments sent on Monday, Congressmen Jim Banks (R-IN)   Lance Gooden (R-TX),  and Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) urged the Trump administration to sanction at least ten top Communist Party officials over their efforts to conceal information about the coronavirus and for imprisoning those who sought to provide the world with the information. They encouraged Treasury to exercise its authority under the Magnitsky Act, which permits the U.S. government to punish global human-rights abusers.

May 18: United Press International: Maryland bar shows
ingenuity; “Bumper Tables” for social distancing
A Maryland restaurant preparing to reopen amid the ongoing  COVID-19 pandemic unveiled its fleet of wheeled bumper tables designed to enforce social distancing.  The Fish Tales bar and grill in Ocean City, which is currently open only for take-out service, shared a videoshowing employees testing out the social distancing tables the eatery plans to use once the governor's office gives the go-ahead for dining rooms to reopen.

May 18: The Daily Caller: How the FBI used “News Hooks” to further its investigation into Trump
A common theme that has emerged from the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation is bureau officials’ use of media reports and leaks to advance aspects of the bureau’s probe of the Trump campaign’s possible ties to Russia.  In at least five instances, FBI officials capitalized on the so-called news hooks and leaks as justification to open up new areas of the investigation.  James Comey, Andrew McCabe and Peter Strzok all took advantage of media reports to push the investigation forward. And in one case, Comey orchestrated a leak of his own to spur the appointment of a special counsel.

May 17: The New York Post: Two shot on Bolivar Peninsula (TX)
during Jeep Weekend
Two people were shot when a fight broke out at “Jeep Weekend,” an unofficial gathering for enthusiasts of the carmaker in Texas, according to a report.  Galveston County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting occurred just before midnight Saturday when two women became involved in a fight.  Two men then jumped into the fray, and one of them opened fire, striking two people, according to the report.  Both of the victims were airlifted to local hospitals, where they underwent surgery.  Their condition is not known.  Authorities are searching for the suspects.

May 17: The Washington Times: Confrontation with China increases as U.S.
COVID-19 death toll climbs
President Trump is stepping up his confrontations with communist China as the U.S. death toll mounts from the COVID-19 pandemic, blocking trade with Chinese tech giant Huawei, halting some U.S. retirement investments in China and floating the suggestion that Beijing should compensate the world for the coronavirus first discovered in Wuhan.  The president, who once for now with Mr. Xi, even as both sides negotiate quietly to uphold the massive trade deal signed at the White House in January.

May 17: The Washington Examiner: Pompeo to China: Don’t interfere with
U.S. journalists in Hong Kong
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a warning to communist China over threats to interfere with the reporting of U.S. journalists in Hong Kong.  He said any decisions to impact Hong Kong's autonomy could affect the United States' assessment of the territory's status.  He noted American journalists in Hong Kong  are members of a free press, not propaganda cadres, and their valuable reporting informs Chinese citizens and the world.  "Any decision impinging on Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedoms as guaranteed under the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law would inevitably impact our assessment of One Country, Two Systems and the status of the territory," he added.

May 17: Fox News: Some Governors across the nation facing lawsuits/protests
for going too far on COVID-19 executive orders
Stay-at-home orders aimed at reducing the spread of Chinese coronavirus are now facing legal challenges from residents and state officials alike, alleging that some measures – mostly put in place by Democrats -- go too far while the country gradually moves toward reopening.  California alone is facing at least a dozen lawsuits that include claims that the state has unjustly closed down gun shops and religious services, infringed on freedoms of speech and assembly by restricting protests, and one case where a resident alleges that being forced to remain at home constitutes forced detention without due process.  And California is not alone.  Lawsuits and protests have also been happening in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Kentucky.

May 16: The Washington Times: Judge blocks NC governor’s
church shutdown order
A federal judge in North Carolina on Saturday sided with conservative Christian leaders and blocked the enforcement of restrictions that Gov. Roy Cooper ordered affecting indoor religious services during the coronavirus pandemic. The order from Judge James C. Dever III came days after two Baptist churches, a minister and a Christian revival group filed a federal lawsuit seeking to immediately block enforcement of rules covering religious services within the Democratic governor’s executive orders. Dever agreed with the plaintiffs, who argued that the limits violate their rights to worship freely and treat churches differently from retailers and other secular activities.

May 16: The Washington Examiner: Susan Rice’s desire to be Vice President
hamstrung by Benghazi and unmasking
Susan Rice wants to be Joe Biden's running mate. The question is whether the presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee wants her on his ticket.  Rice, 55, was former President Barack Obama's national security adviser from 2013 to 2017, aligning herself with him early in his 2008 White House campaign over his then-rival Hillary Clinton.  Even though Rice, who's of Jamaican descent, ticks the boxes of being both a woman and a person of color, her record is both a help and hindrance if she hopes to become Biden's understudy. She was the one who claimed on nationwide television that the attack on the U.S. Consult in Benghazi was caused by a video, something that has been proven false.  She was also involved with the unmasking of Michael Flynn.

May 15: The Washington Times: Trump blocks shipments of semiconductors to China’s Huawei
President Trump moved on Friday to block shipments of semiconductors to Chinese giant Huawei Technologies from global chipmakers, a step that could escalate tensions with Beijing.  The Department of Commerce announced it is amending an export rule to “strategically target  Huawei’s acquisition of semiconductors that are the direct product of certain U.S. software and technology.”  Huawei uses semiconductors to make its smartphones. The company has warned that the Chinese government would retaliate if the U.S. took the action. Meanwhile Commerce extended a temporary license to allow U.S. companies to continue doing business with Huawei through Aug. 13, to give time them time to adapt to the change. It warned it expected this would be the final extension.

May 15: The Wall Street Journal: The Senate is in session while House moves
to allow proxy voting
The House approved a slate of rules changes that will allow lawmakers to cast votes by proxy during the coronavirus pandemic, a historic step that Democrats cast as pragmatic but that Republicans warned could alter the nature of Congress.  The Democratic resolution authorizing proxy voting and committees to operate remotely cleared the House by a vote of 217-189.  Could this could allow Speaker Pelosi to hold proxies in her pocket and cast votes for her House Democrats?

May 15: The Washington Examiner: U.S. oil heading to Belarus, Russia infuriated
An American company is sending a shipment of oil to Belarus this week, in a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s drive to dominate the former Soviet satellite. “It certainly will infuriate Russia, especially that it is U.S. oil,” a Baltic official said.  “The Kremlin tries hard to hide any signs of disagreement with Belarus. This is impossible to hide.”   Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hailed the shipment as a bulwark of “Belarusian sovereignty and independence” in a Friday statement, emphasizing that the sale could be the first of many between the two countries. Such applause from the top American diplomat underscores how President Trump’s administration is reaching out to the small authoritarian state, which has had poor relations with the United States for years, in an effort to diminish Putin’s leverage over the country.

May 15: The Free Beacon: Fundraising record helps California GOP candidate win
WinRed, the GOP's digital fundraising platform, raised nearly $60 million in April, funneling more than $500,000 toward a Republican victory in a California congressional race widely seen as a bellwether for November.  WinRed raised $59.8 million from more than 1.6 million small donations in April, the largest monthly haul in its 10-month history, according to Axios. Those efforts helped steer $503,087 to former Navy fighter pilot Mike Garcia, who became the first California Republican to flip a seat from the Democrats since 1998. Garcia won the race to replace congresswoman Katie Hill by double digits, despite the fact that the suburban district has 30,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans.  This is the seat once held by Congressman Barry Goldwater Jr.

May 14: The Washington Examiner:  Trump: Joe has absolutely no idea what is happening
President Trump, speaking ahead of an event at a medical supply facility in this key swing state, questioned Joe Biden’s mental faculties, at one point claiming his Democratic challenger “has absolutely no idea what’s happening.”  Trump was reacting to news that Biden had teamed up with former rival Sen. Bernie Sanders in naming Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez co-chairwoman of a climate change panel, which Trump said would help cost Biden the state of Pennsylvania.  “AOC is a disaster. She wants all fossil fuel out,” Trump said.   By allying with Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders on energy policy, Trump said, Biden “lost Texas. He lost Pennsylvania. He lost North Dakota. He lost Oklahoma. And he lost every other state where fuel is important — like about most of them.”

May 14: The Daily Caller: A new cold war: Senate GOP looking to confront China, investigate
and sanction them and perhaps seize their assets over COVID-19 disinformation
Several Senate Republicans are mobilizing plans to confront China for its delay, cover up and suppression of critical information in the lead up to the global coronavirus pandemic, the Daily Caller has learned. Options on the table even include “authorizing U.S. courts to seize Chinese government assets” once an investigation “determine[s] the damages China owes the US — and the world.”  Senator Ted Cruz said “We now know that leaders at the highest levels of the Chinese Communist Party actively hid the coronavirus outbreak from the world, silencing those who tried to sound the alarm, prevent a global pandemic, and save lives.”

May 14: Real Clear Politics: Richard Grenell is after one: the truth
Richard Grenell the acting Director of National Intelligence, is after one: the truth. As DNI, Grenell has used his power responsibly, thoughtfully, and constitutionally to find the facts about what happened across the intelligence agencies serving the American people and how they were weaponized for political purposes before and after the 2016 election.  Just weeks into his new role, Grenell began reforming the DNI office to enhance transparency and accountability while implementing measures to protect our intelligence agencies from future political interference.  Grenell’s most important contribution to justice — and truth — has been his decision to declassify the list of former Obama administration officials who "unmasked" the identity of the former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Thanks to Grenell’s efforts, Americans now know that the Obama administration abused its power during the 2016 campaign in order to illegally spy on Donald Trump’s associates.  

May 14: Independent Journal Report:  Trump, Azar Blast Ousted Vaccine Chief's Testimony
Dr. Bright, a self-proclaimed whistle blower, testified before a House Committee today claiming the Trump Administration failed to take his advice and that of other experts.   He also said contracts were given to “companies with political connections to the administration.”  He alleged his removal was due to his decision to limit the use of hydroxychloroquine — which Trump once touted as a possible “game-changer as a potential treatment of COVID -19.  But Azar, the Secretary Health and Human Services, claimed  Bright was “the sponsor” of the drug. “So, his allegations do not hold water.”  Trump said “I never met Dr. Bright. I don’t know who he is,” and added, “And to me, he seems like a disgruntled employee.”   

May 13: The Hill: Unmasking Michael Fynn: Dozens of Obama Administration officials requested
Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Richard Grenell declassified and then sent to Congress the list of names of dozens of Obama administration officials who they say asked for documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being "unmasked" from intelligence reports between the 2016 election and President Trump’s inauguration.  The list includes a who's who of Obama-era officials, including then-Vice President Joe Biden, former White House chief of staff Denis McDonough, former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan. A written justification for requesting that individuals names be “unmasked” is required before doing so.

May 13: Fox News: Federal Judge takes unusual step in considering Justice
Department request to drop charges against Michael Flynn
D.C. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan issued an unusual order Wednesday appointing a law firm partner "to present arguments in opposition to the government's motion to dismiss" the matter -- and to consider whether the court should hold Flynn in contempt for perjury.  The partner, a retired federal judge has openly criticized the Trump administration's handling of Michael Flynn's case, raising concerns that he was selected to improperly bolster Sullivan's efforts to keep the Flynn case alive even though both the government and defendant want it dismissed.  Sullivan previously suggested Flynn may have committed treason, in a bizarre 2018 courtroom outburst, and seemingly confused key details about Flynn's overseas lobbying work.  The precise reasons for the perjury review were not clear in Sullivan's order.

May 13: The Daily Caller: Alameda County CA caves after it is revealed Tesla
owner talking to Texas Governor Abbott about moving
Elon Musk may reopen his Tesla factory provided the electric vehicle maker meets safety requirements, local California officials announced Wednesday.  Tesla can reopen its Fremont, Calif., plant as soon as May 18 if the company meets an agreed upon safety measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, the Alameda County Public Health Department said. Alameda County’s decision comes after Musk threatened to move the plant to Texas.  Alameda County’s decision came after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he and Musk spoke about moving Tesla out of California.

May13: United Press International: Texas AG calls on local
officials to fix “unlawful” coronavirus orders
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has warned local officials that orders mandating face masks be worn and other emergency measures aimed at stemming the spread of the coronavirus are unlawful.   In letters sent Tuesday to Dallas, Travis and Bexar Counties and the cities of Austin and San Antonio, the attorney general's office said some local public health orders are unlawful and confuse citizens, urging officials to repeal them.  "A few Texas counties and cities seem to have confused recommendations with requirements and have grossly exceeded state law to impose their own will on private citizens and businesses," Paxton said.

May 13: Fox News: GOP looking to make gains in California and Wisconsin
GOP candidates in California and Wisconsin were outperforming expectations in two closely watched  Congressional special elections on Tuesday night, as former Navy combat pilot Mike Garcia inched closer to retaking Democrat Katie Hill's seat north of Los Angeles and Republican Tom Tiffany easily prevailed in Wisconsin.  Garcia grabbed a substantial early lead Tuesday in the fight leading Democrat Christy Smith 55.9 percent to 44.1 percent but California typically counts mail in ballot after the polls close and they could cause the totals to swing back to the Democrats.  In Wisconsin, Republican Tom Tiffany easily won his special election in the state's heavily conservative, rural 7th Congressional District.

May 13: The Washington Times: Iran trying to compensate for military blunders
Iran captured world attention by launching its first military satellite into orbit just weeks ago, but its armed forces remain plagued by high-profile mishaps that undermine the Islamic Republic’s carefully crafted image as a major regional power.  The death of 19 Iranians in a friendly-fire missile debacle Monday follows a pattern that saw Tehran’s military embarrassingly shoot down a civilian airliner, killing all 176 people on board four months ago.  The two deadly errors stand in stark contrast to Iran’s portrayal of itself as capable of going toe-to-toe with such Mideast rivals as Israel and Saudi Arabia — let alone fend off any potential American attacks on its homeland.

May 12: The Daily Caller: Judge in Fynn case isn’t tossing charge just yet
The federal judge handling the case against Michael Flynn signaled Tuesday he is not yet ready to grant the Justice Department’s request to throw out charges against the former national security adviser.  Emmet G. Sullivan, a district judge in Washington, D.C., said that he will allow for the submission of amicus curiae briefs, in which individuals and organizations who did not take part in the case can argue for or against the Justice Department’s request to withdraw charges against Flynn.  The Justice Department filed a motion last Thursday to drop charges against the retired general, citing evidence uncovered by U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Jensen.

May 12: The Galveston County Daily News: The Michael Flynn investigation was a travesty
In the investigation of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, high level White House and FBI officials went rogue searching for a crime, as opposed to investigating criminal acts where there was “probable cause” to obtain a warrant. Their “strong arm” tactics forced Flynn into financial ruin and even threatened to go after his son.  Those involved should be held accountable.  They should be required to financially compensate and make whole Flynn and others who were inappropriately targeted.

May 12: Fox News: AOC booted from union-backed party on primary ballot in New York
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez(D-NY) was booted from the progressive union-backed Working Families Party (WFP) ballot line by a Queens judge, a blow to her potentially competitive Democratic primary fight.  The freshman lawmaker was removed from the primary ballot after receiving only 13 signatures from members of the progressive group that has dubbed itself the "Tea Party of the left" -- two short of what she needed to get on the ballot. Now, she won’t be on the WFP ballot line in the November general election, either, said Martin O'Connor, attorney for AOC's Democrat opponent Michelle Caruso-Cabrera.

May 12: The Washington Free Beacon: Journalism organization cuts ties with Chinese firm Huawei
A major journalist association canceled its partnership with a Chinese telecommunications firm following public outcry.  The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) teamed up with Huawei, a company with ties to the Chinese government, to host a webinar about "the rise of misinformation" on Wednesday. CNN host Van Jones  and  African American personalities were set to discuss coronavirus misinformation at the event sponsored by the Chinese company despite warnings from national security officials that Huawei is a conduit for espionage.  Following widespread concerns about NABJ's partnership with Huawei, NABJ canceled the event on Tuesday, saying that "it has become a distraction from other priorities."

May 11: The Washington Times: It all depends upon whose ox is being gored! 
AG Holder or AG Barr, President Obama or Trump
President Obama lambasted the Justice Department’s abandonment of criminal charges against Micheal Flynn as unprecedented, but his Justice Department did the same thing in another highly politicized criminal case.  In April 2009, then-Attorney General Eric Holder pulled the plug on the prosecution of Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, a liberal Republican who sided with Democrats on key issues including climate change and abortion.  The comparisons between Mr. Stevens and Flynn are striking. Both men faced the same criminal charges of making false statements, the same judge, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, handled both cases, and each had their criminal prosecution undone by a handwritten note that was buried by federal prosecutors.

May 11: Fox News: Chaffetz: Flynn docs are “smoking gun;” Obama,
Biden are “scared” the truth will come out
The internal memos released from the FBI’s investigation of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn represent a “smoking gun” against the FBI under James Comey's leadership, former House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz said Monday.  Chaffetz noted a meeting - before President Trump was inaugurated - involving President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, former National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Comey and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates in which they discussed matters "very specific to General Flynn.” 

May 11: The Washington Examiner: Eighteen governors press Congress to
hold hearing on China’s deceit over the coronavirus
Governors from across the country called upon Congress to conduct hearings about China's "deceit" during the coronavirus outbreak.  Eighteen state chief legal officers sent a letter to congressional leaders over the weekend asking them to look into the disinformation tactics put out by the Chinese government when the virus first broke out in Wuhan at the end of 2019.  The letter cited incidents in which Chinese officials "muzzled" Taiwanese complaints about the virus and expelled U.S. media outlets from the country. The attorneys general also said the country has heightened its propaganda tactics amid the pandemic.

May11: The Daily Caller: Huntsman: The one thing the Chinese fear most is transparency
China’s Communist Party fears transparency more than anything else, former U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman said Monday. Huntsman praised a letter sent to Congress by 18 attorneys general demanding Congress investigate China’s coverup of the coronavirus outbreak in its early stages.  He said on Fox News “Well, I’ll tell you why this letter is such an important one… The Chinese have invested a lot in their relationship-building in our nation’s capital. But they’ve also spent a lot of time and resources — listen to me, we have 350,000 Chinese students at our universities across this great country — they have also invested in state-by-state relationships, thinking they can use one against the other.”

May 10: Independent Journal Review: DOJ spokeswoman slams NBC’s
Chuck Todd for deceptive editing of AG’s comments on Michael Flynn
In a tweet a Department of Justice spokeswoman accused NBC News of “deceptively editing” an interview with Attorney General Barr.  NBC's Chuck Todd asks
“In closing, this was a big decision [to dismiss] in the Flynn case, to – to say the least. When history looks back on this decision, how do you think it will be written?  What will it say about your decision making?”
Barr responds: “Well, history is written by the winner. So it largely depends on who’s writing the history.  But I think a fair history would say that it was a good decision because it upheld the rule of law.  It helped, it upheld the standards of the Department of Justice, and it undid what was an injustice."
When the edited clip was aired by NBC News, what is shown (in blue above) was included.  The remainder (shown in red) was omitted, leaving a very different impression in the viewer’s minds.

May 10: The New York Post: China pressured WHO to delay global COVID-19 warning
Chinese President Xi Jinping pressured the director of the World Health Organization in January to hold off on issuing a global warning about the coronavirus outbreak, according to a report in a German newspaper.  The Jan. 21 conversation cited intelligence from Germany’s federal intelligence service, known as the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND).  The report published over the weekend said Xi urged the WHO chief to “delay a global warning” about the pandemic and hold back information on human-to-human transmission of the virus.  The BND estimated that China’s action to conceal information resulted in a loss of four to six weeks in the fight against COVID-19.

May 10: The Washington Examiner: Oil price boom expected following
pandemic crash
If history is a guide, an oil price boom is coming after the pandemic-generated crash.  While the near-term demand picture is highly uncertain, as people reconsider their travel and work habits, this latest bust, the worst of them all, is unlikely to hasten the demise of oil.  “The only way to get away from the boom-bust cycle is to get off of oil,” said Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group. “That's really tough because there are no scalable substitutes. As a result, we expect a thirstier world will collide into insufficient supply, and crude prices will have to rise sharply to balance the market.”  Oil supply will take longer to return than demand as drillers shut-in a record amount of production, companies cut spending on new investments, and the U.S. shale revolution slows.

May 9: The Daily Caller:  Meat packing plants are starting to reopen
Tyson Foods reopened a plant in Waterloo, Iowa, after more than 1,000 workers at the facility tested positive for coronavirus, or COVID-19.  Meanwhile Sarah Little, a representative for the North American Meat Institute said President Donald Trump’s executive order mandating a reliable food supply has made a big difference in getting the plants reopened.   Meat packers are placing dividers between workstations, deep-cleaning facilities and assigning so-called social distance monitors to maintain safety precautions.

May 9: The Washington Free Beacon: GA county maintains gun shutdown
despite statewide opening
Despite a statewide reopening, residents in one Georgia county are still unable to legally obtain firearms-carry licenses after a federal judge allowed local authorities to shut down the permitting process, sparking a legal showdown.  District Court judge Steve Jones ruled that the plaintiffs did not have standing to challenge the state's permit law or the county's implementation of it during the coronavirus pandemic. Gun-rights activists have vowed to appeal the decision. The case has gained renewed energy as the county has refused to reopen the vetting office even as Republican governor Brian Kemp has lifted pandemic restrictions.

May 9: Fox News: Ex-FBI official: Obama White House may have seen
Flynn as an opportunity
It would be "abominable" if the Obama White House was behind the  FBI's controversial interview of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, a former assistant director of intelligence for the bureau said Friday night.  Kevin Brock shared his observations on “The Ingraham Angle” where he responded to reports that former President  Obama had claimed the “rule of law is at risk" after DOJ dropped its case against Flynn over charges of lying to investigators.  "I think they saw this as an opportunity to disrupt the general. And I think what we have to find out [is...] did the FBI conduct this interview at the behest of the White House or was it motivated by their own now well-established personal biases and prejudices against the president?" Brock said.

May 9: The Washington Times: Musk threatens to pull Tesla out of California
over virus restrictions
Eoln Musk threatened Saturday to move his electric automobile company Tesla out of California over measures imposed in response to the continuing global novel coronavirus pandemic. “Tesla is filing a lawsuit against Alameda County immediately. The unelected & ignorant ‘Interim Health Officer’ of Alameda is acting contrary to the Governor, the President, our Constitutional freedoms & just plain common sense!” Musk said on Twitter.  “Frankly, this is the final straw,  Tesla will now move its HQ and future programs to Texas/Nevada immediately. If we even retain Fremont manufacturing activity at all, it will be dependent on how Tesla is treated in the future. Tesla is the last carmaker left in CA.”

May 8: The Daily Caller: SCOTUS: Encouraging illegal aliens to remain in the US is a crime
The Supreme Court unanimously upheld a federal statute that forbids encouraging illegal aliens to remain in the U.S. unlawfully in a decision Thursday.  The SCOTUS justices voided an earlier decision by the San Francisco based Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which had ruled that a federal anti-harboring statute was unconstitutional on the grounds that it violated the First Amendment by restricting free speech. The ruling by the nation’s highest court Thursday upholds the law.  The Supreme Court not only vacated the appeals court’s decision, but also criticized the judges for “drastically” straying from judicial norms.

May 8: The Wall Street Journal: Businesses struggle to lure
workers away from unemployment benefits
Some workers are making more from unemployment than at their old jobs, thus complicating efforts to reopen the economy.  For some workers, unemployment benefits are now paying more than their old jobs did. For others, safety concerns or a lack of child care, as most schools and day-care centers remain closed, are making them hesitant to go back.  That means reopening may not go as quickly or as smoothly as some elected officials and business owners had hoped.

May 8: The Washington Examiner: Sally Yates: Comey kept her in the dark,
she learned of Flynn targeting from Obama
Newly released documents show that former FBI Director James Comey kept his superior Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates at the Justice Department in the dark about the bureau's investigation into retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn.  Yates told special counsel Robert Mueller’s team that President Obama, not FBI Director Comey, told her the FBI possessed and was investigating recordings of Flynn’s late 2016 conversations with a Russian envoy.    Yates, who was briefly the acting attorney general during the early days of the Trump administration also laid out how in the ensuing days, Comey kept the FBI's actions cloaked in secrecy and repeatedly rebuffed her suggestions that the incoming Trump team be made aware of the Flynn recordings.

May 8: The Washington Times: SCOTUS halts Dems access to Mueller grand jury information
Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday put a temporary hold on the release of secret materials from former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation to a Democrat-led House committee. The order stops the clock on a lower court’s ruling requiring the Justice Department to turn over confidential grand jury materials underlying the Russia probe to the House Judiciary Committee.  Grand jury information is typically held to be confidential.  Additionally, DOJ urged federal courts to stay out of the fight between the Executive and Legislative branches. If the federal courts weigh in, it would appear as if they were taking sides in partisan political fights, they said. The transfer of materials would have been required by Monday had not SCOTUS not intervened.

May 8: The Washington Free Beacon: Federal Judge reopens Massachusetts gun stores
A federal judge ordered Massachusetts to allow gun stores to reopen on May 9, in a decision that could pave the way for a future Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of shutdowns.  US District Judge Douglas P. Woodlock said there was "no justification" for Gov. Charlie Baker's total shutdown of gun stores in the state during the coronavirus pandemic. He said stores could reopen so long as they operate on an appointment basis and follow strict social distancing rules.  "I have enough information to say, in this very small corner of this emergency, we don’t surrender our constitutional rights," Woodlock said.

May 7: Fox News: Texas Supreme Court releases business
owner jailed by Dallas County District Court Judge
The Texas Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the release of salon owner Shelley Luther, who was jailed for opening in violation of the state’s rules, as Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order retroactively eliminating jail time as a consequence for violating the state's COVID-19 restrictions.  Shortly after Abbott's announcement, the Supreme Court of Texas ordered Luther’s release. An attorney for Luther, who is with her at the jail, told Fox News they don’t know the timing yet of when she will be freed.  "Throwing Texans in jail who have had their businesses shut down through no fault of their own is nonsensical, and I will not allow it to happen,” Abbott said in a statement.

May 7: The Daily Caller: Justice Department drops charges against General Michael Flynn
The Justice Department dropped its case against Michael Flynn on Thursday, citing “newly discovered” information from the investigation of the former national security adviser.  “Based on an extensive review and careful consideration of the circumstances, that continued prosecution of this case would not serve the interests of justice,” Timothy Shea, the U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., said in a court filing.  Shea cited an FBI memo recommending that the investigation of Flynn be closed on Jan. 4, 2017, because it had yielded an ‘absence of any derogatory information.

May 7: The Washington Times: DAG Rosenstein targeted Trump
Administration officials after the DNC-paid-for dossier fell apart
Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein put Trump campaign volunteer Carter Page under special counsel investigation after a year in which allegations against him in a Democratic Party-financed dossier had fallen apart.  The Justice Department has released a less-censored “scoping memo” which Rosenstein sent to Robert Mueller August 2, 2017. The memo authorized Mueller to target Mr. Page, retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, campaign volunteer George Papadopoulos and former campaign manager Paul Manafort.  At the time, there was no evidence that any of the four conspired with Russia to interfere in the 2016 election — O=other than the DNC-financed Steele dossier. No evidence ever materialized and Mueller closed his probe without charging any Trump associate with conspiracy.

May 6: The New York Post:  “Busted” 5 year old gets the ride he wanted in a Lamborghini!
A 5-year-old Utah boy who was busted driving his parents’ SUV while on a mission to buy a Lamborghini ended up scoring a ride in one of the luxury sports cars after all, according to a report Wednesday.  A neighbor offered him a ride in his own Lambo,  according to the “voice of Utah” KSL in Salt Lake City..  “He had the courage to just go after what he wanted, you know?” said Jeremy Neves. “He didn’t have the skill set, let alone the size to drive a vehicle, and he figured it out.”  “Maybe he’s getting punished, maybe he’s grounded, maybe he’s got some chores to do … At the same time, I thought it would be really cool to say, ‘Your dreams aren’t as far away as you think they are.’ ”

May 6: Breitbart News: CA Sheriff: I refuse to make criminals out of business owners
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco reaffirmed his stance on not enforcing stringent stay-at-home orders, telling the Riverside County Board of Supervisors this week that he refuses to “make criminals out of business owners, single moms, and otherwise healthy individuals for exercising their constitutional rights.”  Eight weeks ago, officials  “participated in something never done before in our nation’s history,” Bianco  began. Government “ordered residents into their homes, closed their businesses, made them wear masks, forbid them from going to church, and eliminated constitutional freedoms put in place over 200 years ago,” he explained.  “In the name of a public health crisis, our civil liberties and constitutional protections were placed on hold,” he continued.  Bianco said he did not enforce the stay-at-home order from the beginning, partly because he “trusted our residents’ ability to do the right thing without fear of being arrested” and emphasized that he continues to hold that position.

May 6: The Daily Caller: Get a grip Gov!  Healthcare volunteers who traveled
to NY to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic must pay NY income taxes
Health care workers that traveled from across the country to volunteer to help fight New York’s coronavirus outbreak will have to pay state taxes, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced.  In a Tuesday news conference, Cuomo said the state isn’t “in a position to provide any subsidies right now because we have a $13 billion deficit.”  However, it is unclear whether the $13 billion is COVID-19 related.

May 6: Fox News: Intelligence Committee transcripts show Schiff
came up empty on Russian collusion
Transcripts of House Intelligence Committee interviews that have been cleared for release show top law enforcement and intelligence officials affirming they had no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election, senior administration and intelligence community officials told Fox News on Wednesday. This aligns with the results of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.  Reports are that Chairman Schiff (D-CA) went into panic mode when the redaction process was completed and the results revealed.

May 6: Texas Score Card: Dallas County disregards Attorney General’s warning on voting by mail
Four days after Texas’ top law enforcement officer warned county officials to avoid misleading the public on vote-by-mail laws, the second-most populous county in Texas signaled support for allowing voters to disregard the laws due to fears of the Chinese coronavirus.  Dallas County Commissioners Court voted 4-1 Tuesday to approve a resolution allowing any voter to claim a “disability” and vote by mail ballot in any 2020 election.  The letter from AG Ken Paxton explained to the County Judge and county election that state election law does not allow voters to claim disability on mail-ballot applications based on fears of contracting the coronavirus.  Paxton’s letter also warned county officials could be criminally prosecuted for misleading the public about vote-by-mail laws.

May 5: Dallas Morning News: Businesswoman jailed for reopening shop in violation of court order
A Dallas salon owner will spend a week in jail after she was found in contempt of court Tuesday for violating an order to close her salon during the coronavirus pandemic.  In addition, Shelly Luther was fined $7,000 for continuing to operate her business in violation of a judge’s temporary restraining order issued against her business.   The judge’s action comes as such businesses are being allowed to reopen in Texas, demonstrations throughout the country, and continues the controversy over whether the government has the authority to shutdown business in the midst of the pandemic.  Luther was taken into custody immediately after the hearing and booked into the Dallas County.

May 5: The Washington Examiner: Cruz files bill to prohibit DOD contracting
with movie studios that allow Chinese censors
On Tuesday, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) announced he was introducing a bill  which would prohibit the Department of Defense from contracting with studios that allow China to censor their content. Cruz said the coronavirus pandemic has revealed the need to act immediately.  "The problem of censorship is a massive problem within China. China's own censorship and coverup of this pandemic helped produce 250,000 deaths worldwide, and when it comes to Hollywood, Hollywood is not an innocent bystander here," Cruz said. "Hollywood is fully complicit. Hollywood works with the Chinese censors."

Mar 5: The Washington Times: Hopes for recovery rise as states start lifting bans  
Florida joined a growing list of states easing restrictions against the coronavirus Monday, while retailer  J. Crew filed for bankruptcy protection, becoming the first major casualty of the pandemic and underscoring the urgency for the nation to get back to work.  Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida lifted restrictions for restaurants and stores in most parts of the state, allowing them to operate at 25% of indoor capacity. Remaining closed are schools, bars, hair salons and gyms.

May 5: The Daily Caller:  Federal Judge: New York must hold its June primary election
A federal judge ruled that New York must go forward with its presidential primary after the state’s board of elections voted to cancel it amid coronavirus fears. 

May 5: The Washington Examiner:  White House sees British trade talks as a
chance to cement an anti-Chinese alliance
Washington officials hope to tie London into a trade deal that would make it harder for China to extend its influence as the United Kingdom and the United States begin talks on Tuesday.  Boris Johnson’s government has made no secret of its desire for  rapid trade deals as the U.K. finds a new place in the world after leaving the European Union.  And as tensions rise with China and with months of economic gloom ahead, officials in Washington see an opportunity to score a win over Beijing’s expansionism.  The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative says it wants to be able, under the deal, to act if the U.K. strikes free trade deals with “non-market countries,” restricting London’s ability to negotiate with Beijing.

May 5: Fox News: Justice Ginsburg admitted to hospital again
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was hospitalized with an infection caused by a gallstone, the court announced Tuesday, adding that she's expected to remain in the hospital for a "day or two."  

May 4: The Washington Examiner: GOP House leaders seek info on Chinese
influence on US college campuses
House Republicans are investigating Chinese influence on U.S. campuses nationwide.   The ranking members on seven House committees sent a letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Monday, which was obtained by the Washington Examiner, noting that under her leadership the Education Department “has sought to improve transparency and reduce reliance on foreign investment in U.S. higher education” and “recent revelations of China taking steps to suppress academic research into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic underscores the importance of your efforts.”  The lawmakers are seeking “a better understanding of the Department’s efforts to address unreported foreign direct investment into the U.S. higher education system” as part of an effort “to investigate the Chinese government’s propaganda and cover-up campaign surrounding this pandemic.”

May 3: The New York Post: Knucklehead arrested in Austin after pushing
park ranger who was enforcing social distancing into a lake
A Texas park ranger was pushed into a lake while trying to enforcing social distancing regulations in Austin.  The plunge was caught on camera at Lake Austin with the clip beginning as the ranger seemingly politely asks a group of parkgoers to disperse and keep six feet apart to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.  But then a shirtless man, identified by police as Brandon Hicks, 25, can be seen running up and shoving the ranger, sending both into the water.  Hicks was arrested and faces charges of attempted assault on a public servant, according to the local NBC affiliate.

May 3: The Washington Examiner: DHS report: China “intentionally concealed
the severity” of COVID-19, hoarding supplies
China downplayed its coronavirus outbreak in order to buy time to hoard medical supplies needed to respond to the pandemic, according to intelligence documents.  A four-page DHS report dated May 1, showed that U.S. officials believe Chinese leaders “intentionally concealed the severity” of the virus, including how contagious it is and how large the country's outbreak was, from the rest of the world in January.  The analysis indicated that China increased imports of medical supplies and decreased exports while it was hiding the extent of the coronavirus and even attempted to cover up doing so by "denying there were export restrictions and obfuscating and delaying provision of its trade data."

May 3: The Washington Times: Development of COVID-19 vaccine likely this year
Prospects of landing a vaccine for the coronavirus this year are “pretty good” and a top candidate may show efficacy by June, a British front-runner in the medical race said Sunday, as the U.S. and other countries clamor for ways to shield people returning to work and other normal routines.  John Bell, an Oxford University professor, said his researchers have so many people to test the vaccine that they should have a sense of its safety and effectiveness within six weeks. He said “I certainly wouldn’t put the possibility at 80%. That’s a pretty big number… but we are gradually reeling it in bit by bit, and as every day goes by, the likelihood of success goes up.”

May 3: The Hill: FL Governor: COVID-19 stimulus funds for states shouldn’t
be used bailout state obligations that preexisted the pandemic
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Sunday that coronavirus relief funds should not include aid to states for financial obligations that predate the pandemic.  “Florida, we were flush before this. We were going well. Obviously, this is going to hit our revenues, because you have had key sectors of our economy, like tourism, that have taken a huge hit,” the Governor said. “What I would say is, it's one thing to help a state with lost revenue from the pandemic, but this pandemic should not be used to bail out obligations that were run up over 20 or 30 years.”

May 2: The Daily Caller: What the intelligence community (IC) thinks happened –COVID-19
The majority view among the U.S. intelligence community agencies is that COVID-19 is natural and accidentally leaked out of a laboratory in Wuhan, China, a senior intelligence official said.  While not all of the 17 agencies that make up the IC are fully behind the idea that the novel coronavirus was an accidental laboratory leak, most believe that to be the case, according to the senior official. The official added that the holdouts are still open to the possibility that the virus leaked from a laboratory. The unanimous view of the IC is that the virus was not the result of an intentional act, the senior official noted.

May 2: The Washington Times: Fauci to testify  before Senate Committee May 12th
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, is slated to testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on May 12, after the Trump administration blocked him from testifying to a House panel next week.  The White House had said it would be counterproductive to take Dr. Fauci away from the rigors of his job to testify before the Democrat-led House Appropriations Committee, which had sought his testimony at a subcommittee hearing on May 6 on the COVID-19 response.

May 2: The Washington Examiner: New sexual allegations against Biden
A woman alleges that Joe Biden made an inappropriate comment about her breasts more than a decade ago when she was 14 years old.  Eva Murry, now 26 recounted when she accompanied her aunt at an annual party and roast attended by Delaware politicians, journalists, and business leaders in 2008. She said  “I remember walking into the lobby and being in awe of all the people in such fancy clothes,” Murry told Law & Crime. “Our two parties of people gravitated towards each other, and everyone started saying their hellos. When it was Biden and my aunt’s turn to say hello, he quickly turned to me and asked how old I was. I replied with my age, and he replied with the comment: ‘Fourteen? You’re very well endowed for 14!’ I was confused, but it was definitely weird. He looked me up and down and hovered his eyes on my chest, so I had some clue [about] the notion of his comment but didn’t fully understand at the time. We quickly separated from his area after the encounter.”

May 1: Fox News: Intel Report: How China deceived the world and destroyed COVID-19 evidence
A 15-page intelligence document from U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand  intelligence agencies states that China intentionally hid or destroyed evidence of the coronavirus outbreak, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of lives around the world.  The report states that China's secrecy amounted to an “assault on international transparency."  The dossier touches on themes that have been discussed in media reports including initial denial that the virus could be transmitted between humans, the silencing or "disappearing" of doctors who tried to speak up, the destruction of evidence in laboratories and refusal to provide live samples to international scientists working on a vaccine.  Specifically, the file notes that China began censoring news of the virus on search engines beginning Dec. 31.

May 1: The New York Post: Kim Jong Un appears in public for first time in recent weeks
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, rumored for weeks to be deathly ill or even dead, has made his first public appearance in 20 days, North and South Korean media reported Friday.  Few details were immediately available, but if true, the appearance would belie rumors of Kim’s death following surgery.  The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim attended the ceremony with other senior officials, including his sister, Kim Yo-jong, who many analysts predicted would take over if her brother is suddenly unable to rule.

May 1: The Washington Times:  White House delays Fauci’s Congressional testimony
The White House said Friday it won’t allow Dr. Anthony Fauci to testify at a House hearing next week on the administration’s coronavirus response, saying he has more important things to do at the moment.  “While the Trump administration continues its whole-of-government response to COVID-19, including safely opening up America again and expediting vaccine development, it is counter-productive to have the very individuals involved in those efforts appearing at Congressional hearings,” White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere said in a statement. “We are committed to working with Congress to offer testimony at the appropriate time.”

May 1: The Washington Examiner: Weekend brings allure of beaches as lockdown is eased
Whether to open beaches and other outdoor spaces is a major consideration for governors and mayors this weekend as more of the country looks to emerge from pandemic lockdowns.   Beaches on the east coast and along the gulf coasts of Alabama and Florida have begun reopening, and people are expected to gather at beaches en masse this weekend.   Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has the state under a stay-at-home order but left the decision to close beaches up to county and local leaders. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry decided that beaches in Duval County, for instance, could stay open as long as people followed social distancing guidelines.   St. Petersburg and other popular beaches in Pinellas County will open Monday with law enforcement officials present to ensure that people don’t gather together and individual groups stay at least 6 feet away from one another.

May 1: The Hill: Trump’s New Press Secretary:  “I will never lie to you”
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany in her first formal briefing said Friday that she would never lie to the press.  “I will never lie to you. You have my word on that,” McEnany said when asked by a reporter if she would pledge to never lie to the White House press corps from the podium.

May 1: The Daily Caller: Chris Wallace: Case against Biden stronger than the one against Kavanaugh
Fox News host Chris Wallace said Friday that the case made by Joe Biden accuser Tara Reade is “a lot stronger” than the case made by Justice Brett Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford.  “I will say that the case that Tara Reade makes against Joe Biden is a lot stronger than the case Christine Blasey Ford made against Brett Kavanaugh, because Blasey Ford had not told anybody for decades after the event happened and really was incredibly sketchy and there was no real record that she and Brett Kavanaugh had ever met,” Wallace continued. “Clearly, Tara Reade worked for Joe Biden, worked in his office, and did tell people contemporaneously in ‘93 and in the years immediately thereafter that this happened.”

April 30: The Hill: Surprising support for the great lockdown
There is at least one political surprise amid the coronavirus crisis — the Great Lockdown is popular among Americans.  People are, of course, hardly thrilled by stay-at-home orders, closed schools and the myriad other uncertainties of the current situation.  But there is a resilient consensus around the need for such measures even though there are major concerns over the economic impact and many states are starting to relax restrictions

April 30: The Washington Fee Beacon: Seven top Dem women asked about
alleged assault as Biden remains silent
Seven leading female Democratic politicians have had to publicly defend Joe Biden against a sexual assault allegation even as the presumptive Democratic nominee has remained silent.  Progressive activists and women's rights advocates are putting pressure on Biden to personally address former aide Tara Reade's accusation that he penetrated her with his fingers in a Senate hallway in 1993. While Biden's campaign has denied the allegation, the candidate has not been pushed to comment on the matter despite conducting 19 different interviews since the allegation surfaced in March.

April 29: The Daily Caller: Hume: Two reasons a call for a national lockdown
is getting weaker and weaker
“Two things,” Brit Hume are the reasons calls for a national lockdown are getting weaker.  The first is the “collateral damage from it is extraordinary.”   : “We are saddling our country and future generations with debt on a scale that was already high and now it is far, far worse. Not to mention the toll on businesses with which won’t reopen and so on. The unemployment.”  The second reason Hume said  is that the virus is not impacting the entire nation equally.  Places outside major metropolitan areas like New York City are not feeling the impact to the same degree.

April 29: The Washington Times: Trump wants “sanctuary city adjustments”
if there is to be another COVID-19 stimulus package
President Trump warned Democrats on Tuesday that he will demand “adjustments” for sanctuary cities as a condition of bailout aid for states, as both parties take increasingly partisan paths toward the next round of emergency coronavirus relief. With Democrats demanding at least $500 billion to fill state coffers drained by business shutdowns, Trump said he doesn’t want to reward states “to recover 25 years of bad management.”

April 28: One News Now: A  bold prediction: Biden off the ticket by July 4th
A long-time observer of Washington, D.C. politics has a theory about Democratic nominee Joe Biden: He is just a place holder for bigger, bolder plans for the party.  Rick Manning, the leader of Americans for Limited Government, isn’t the first political observer to predict the ailing Biden, 77, will not be the nominee, but he speculates it is virtually certain the party will perform a switcheroo when the time is right.  In the Manning said Democrats were already concerned about Biden’s mental abilities and then came sexual assault accusations from Tara Reade, a former Biden staffer who claims the then-senator sexually assaulted her in 1993.  He predicts that both will end Biden’s candidacy even though he has gotten recent endorsements from Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

April 28: The Hill: Treasury Secretary says heirs should return COVID-19 check
sent to deceased relatives
Treasury Secretary  Mnuchiun said Tuesday that people who have received coronavirus relief payments for their deceased relatives should return that money to the federal government.  “You’re not supposed to keep that payment,” he told the Wall Street Journal. “We’re checking the databases, but there could be a scenario where we missed something, and yes, the heirs should be returning that money.”  Legislation Trump signed late last month provided for one-time direct payments to most of Americans of up to $1,200 per adult and $500 per child. The IRS started issuing the payments earlier this month.

April 28: The New York Post: NYC ignores social distancing as Blue Angels
and Thunder Birds do flyover
The New York Metro area blew off social distancing Tuesday, with hundreds packed shoulder-to-shoulder to catch a glimpse of the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds as they roared overhead in a tribute to coronavirus frontline workers.  Photos from throughout the region show large crowds jammed together in waterfront parks and venues in New York and New Jersey, looking skyward for a glance at the famous jets.  There was little local officials could do to stop them.

April 28: The Hill: Appeals Court considers Democrats challenge to Trump’s border wall
A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday heard arguments over a Democratic challenge to the Trump administration’s use of defense funding to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.  The House Democrats’ lawsuit arose early last year after President Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border. Trump’s move sought to free up additional funding after a congressional spending bill allocated some $1.3 billion for border security, far short of the nearly $5 billion Trump said was needed to complete his signature project.

April 27: The Supreme Court:  Decision: Government has an obligation to
reimburse insurers under Obamacare
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s now expired “Risk Corridors” statute—which set a formula for calculating payments to healthcare insurers for unexpectedly unprofitable plans during the first three years of online insurance marketplaces—created a Government obligation to pay insurers the full amount of their computed losses; and petitioners properly relied on the Tucker Act to sue for damages in the Court of Federal Claims.

April 27: Daily Caller: NY cancels Presidential primary; Sanders campaign objects
The New York State Board of Elections canceled the state’s June 23 Democratic presidential primary scheduled on Monday despite receiving a request from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign urging the primary to take place as planned.  Officials on the board acknowledged that the move to cancel the presidential primary outright will anger some of Sanders’s supporters, but said they couldn’t justify holding the election amid the coronavirus crisis.

April 27: The Washington Times: Barr orders legal action against governors
whose COVID-19 actions infringe on civil rights
Attorney General  Barr on Monday ordered federal prosecutors across the country to consider legal action against governors if their efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus infringe on Americans’ civil rights.  In a two-page memo, Barr said  U.S. attorneys to “be on the lookout” for local and state directives that could violate religious, free speech or economic rights under the Constitution.  “If a state or local ordinance crosses the line from an appropriate exercise of authority to stop the spread of COVID-19 into an overbearing infringement of constitutional and statutory protections, the DOJ may have an obligation to address that overreach in federal court,” Mr. Barr wrote in a memo to the 93 U.S. attorneys.

April 26: The Daily Caller: “I want the same equal treatment”: Biden’s accuser
said to media, women’s group, and Democrat politicians
Tara Reade condemned the media’s silence regarding her sexual assault allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden in an interview and demanded equal treatment as “other survivors” like Christine Blasey Ford.  56-year-old Reade lamented that her sexual assault accusation has become a “partisan tool,” saying that Republicans have weaponized her and Democrats have both ignored and discredited her.  “It’s inexcusable,” she told the DCNF. “I’m sorry that I’m politically inconvenient but my perpetrator was Joe Biden. And people need to deal with it.”

April 26: The Washington Examiner: Sources say Michael Flynn will be exonerated this week
This week is shaping up to be a critical one for retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn.  "Breaking News: sources tell me [Flynn] will be completely exonerated this week. It was a total fraud. A Set up. More tomorrow," tweeted Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo on Sunday.  Earlier in the day Bartiromo noted during a conversation with Rep. Devin Nunes that it would be an "important" week for Flynn. 

April 26: The Washington Free Beacon: Missouri AG confident he can make China pay for pandemic
Missouri attorney general Eric Schmitt is "confident" he will secure damages from the Chinese government for its responsibility in unleashing the coronavirus pandemic.  While congressional Republicans have floated legislation to allow American citizens to sue China for mishandling the coronavirus, Schmitt on Tuesday made Missouri the first state to file a lawsuit against the communist nation. The suit says the Chinese government must be held liable for the "enormous loss of life, human suffering, and economic turmoil" brought on by the deadly disease. Schmitt estimates that the virus has caused tens of billions of dollars in economic damage in the Show-Me State alone.

April 26: Fox News: Space Force: Iran’s military satellite “tumbling webcam in space”
The first satellite launched into space by Iran last week that revealed the country's secret military space program is nothing but “a tumbling webcam in space," the head of the U.S. military’s newest service said Saturday.  Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Wednesday it put up a “Noor," or "Light," satellite into a low orbit circling the Earth after using a mobile launcher at a new launch site.  U.S. Space Force commander Gen. Jay Raymond gave his military assessment "Iran states it has imaging capabilities—actually, it’s a tumbling webcam in space," he said.

April 25: The Washington Times: FLA Governor: Things are going in the right direction
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Saturday testing is up in his state but the percentage of people testing positive for the coronavirus is down, suggesting Florida is heading in a good direction in its battle against the Chinese coronavirus.  About 320,000 people have been tested in Florida.  In the past two days, 37,000 people reported having coronavirus tests and less than 2,000 of those came back positive, DeSantis announced.

April 25: The New York Post; North Korean dictator rumored to be dead, brain
dead, or just fine; who knows?
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is either dead, brain dead or just fine, depending on which Asian media report you believe. The dictator apparently underwent a stent procedure earlier this month that started a swirl of international speculation.  A Hong Kong broadcast network claimed Saturday that Kim died, citing a “very solid source.” A Japanese magazine, meanwhile, reported late Friday that he is in “a vegetative state.” On Kim’s home turf, the North Korean media has acted as if everything is perfectly normal. 

April 24: Info Wars: NJ driver wearing N95 mask passes out and hits telephone poll
A driver in Lincoln Park, New Jersey wrecked their car after the N95 mask they were wearing cut off their oxygen supply to the point they passed out and hit a telephone pole.  The driver, who remains unidentified, wore the mask for several hours before the incident and had been breathing in too much carbon dioxide and not enough oxygen, according to a Lincoln Park Police statement.  While the department-maintained citizens should continue wearing masks when in public, they did admit that “in most cases, the wearing of this type of mask while operating a vehicle with no other occupants is unnecessary.”

April 24: The Washington Times: Navy brass recommendation may reinstate Teddy Roosevelt CO
The fired commander of a Navy aircraft carrier now pier-side in Guam and stricken with the coronavirus could get his old job back following an official investigation by the vice chief of naval operations.  Senior Navy leadership will brief Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper on the results of their investigation into a coronavirus outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt and concerns over the crew’s health that resulted in the firing of Captain Crozier, the resignation of the secretary of the Navy and many of its 5,000 sailors being placed in quarantine.

April 24: Fox News: Protesters gather outside MI Governor’s house
Protesters gathered outside the home of  Michigan Gov. Whitmer on Thursday -- the same day reports emerged that she plans to extend the state’s coronavirus stay-at-home order by two weeks until May 15.  “We wanted to send Gretchen Whitmer a message, we didn't want to surrender our liberties just for a little temporary safety,” Brian Pannebecker, who helped organize the protest, told Fox 2.  Meanwhile, the Michigan Legislature has scheduled a special session for Friday with the goal of creating an oversight committee to review Whitmer’s coronavirus orders and possibly strip her of some of her powers,  The Detroit Free Press reported.

April 24: The Washington Examiner: World is far too dependent on China’s medical supply chain
Dozens of headlines over the past few weeks have confirmed an alarming fact: China’s medical supplies don’t work. Yet we continue to order them.  Canada’s public health authority is only the latest to announce that nearly one million KN95 respirators China had sent failed to meet health professionals’ standards. Spain’s health ministry had earlier announced that it is seeking compensation for 640,000 defective coronavirus tests that China had delivered. These tests were supposed to replace the old supply that Spain had purchased from China, which had also been defective.

April 24: The Daily Caller: Trump supporter: Georgia Democrat changes mind about resigning
Vernon Jones, a Democratic state representative in Georgia who attracted immense ire from his party after endorsing President Donald Trump, said he will remain in office.  Jones had announced on Wednesday that he would be resigning from his post within the Georgia House of Representatives, citing attacks and harassment from the Democratic Party for supporting Trump’s re-election. However, the renegade Democrat later said that, after an avalanche of public support, he has changed his mind and will not resign. 

April 23: The Washington Times: Biden wants Congress to fund
voting by mail for November
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is calling on Congress to provide enough money for every state to allow voters to cast a ballot by mail this November amid the coronavirus pandemic.  In making that pitch during an online fundraiser Thursday night, Biden blasted President Donald Trump for working to block emergency funding for the cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service, which would handle tens of millions of ballots this fall. Biden said it’s evidence that Trump already is trying to “undermine” the election and make it more difficult for Americans to vote.  But mail ballots could also open the opportunity for voter fraud.

April 23: The Washington Examiner:  SCOTUS rules green card
holders are subject to deportation
The Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision against a permanent immigrant resident subject to deportation for multiple crimes.  In a 5-4 decision split along ideological lines on Thursday, the high court issued a ruling to broaden the scope of crimes that make immigrants, including green card holders, ineligible to have their deportation orders canceled.  The case  involved the U.S. government ordering Jamaican immigrant to be deported in 2016 for multiple crimes in Georgia, including firearms violations, drug crimes, and aggravated assault offenses.

April 23: Fox News: San Diego protestors say county overreaching
on virus restrictions; sheriff threatens legal action
A coastal city in San Diego County is demanding that county officials return local control over its access to public spaces such as walking trails and beaches.   Encinitas, which is about 25 miles north of San Diego, made national headlines Sunday when a group of about 200 people gathered to protest the city’s closure of the Coastal Rail Trail and a portion of South Highway 101 to pedestrians amid the  COVID-19 pandemic.

April 22: The Daily Caller: GA state representative steps down
after harassment by his Democrat party
Democratic Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones announced that he is stepping down from office, citing attacks and harassment from his party following his endorsement of President Donald Trump for re-election.  Jones shocked the Georgia political establishment when he became the first state-elected Democrat to endorse Trump in early April. The blowback from Jones’ party is too much, and he is stepping down from his post as the representative for Georgia’s 91st House District, Jones said.  “I’m sick and tired of me and my family being attacked and harassed by the Democrat Party for putting my country before my party,” Jones said in a statement released Wednesday. 

April 22: The Washington Free Beacon:  MI Gov. Witmer blames state agency
for handing coronavirus contract to a campaign consultant
Michigan Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer denied responsibility after her administration awarded a coronavirus-related contract to a prominent Democratic consulting firm, blaming the decision on the state's health department.  "The department thought that that vendor was the best one for some reason. I don't know what that reason was.”  The Whitmer administration on Monday announced that it had awarded a contract to Great Lakes Community Engagement to conduct contact tracing in the state. This is the same firm had previously served as a Whitmer campaign vendor.

April 22: The Washington Examiner: N.Y. Gov. Cuomo: Unemployed?
Get an “essential” job you bums!
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has mostly earned high marks for his leadership amid the coronavirus pandemic. But not today.  The governor was asked at a press conference Wednesday to respond to the quarantine protesters who say the state’s economic lockdown cannot continue as-is because their cash savings are running out. After a lengthy back-and-forth with a reporter, Cuomo eventually said that if broke, out-of-work New Yorkers want a job so badly, then they should become “essential.”  That is some great advice. Why didn’t the more than 73,900 New Yorkers, including bricklayers, steelworkers, and carpenters, who lost their jobs between February and March, think of that first and become Amazon deliverymen?

April 22: The New York Post: IF Kim Jong Un dies it could spark
a civil war and military response
Rumors swirling that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has fallen critically ill have sparked fears that his demise would destabilize the region and lead to a refugee crisis that would draw in the US, South Korea and possibly other allies, according to a report.  But even if the 36-year-old overweight despot isn’t moribund, he does have health issues and a possible end to his rule would create turmoil, experts told the Military Times.  Although Kim has no named successor or heir apparent, his younger sister — senior ruling party official Kim Yo Jong — appears to be the most likely candidate to step in.  However, some experts believe a collective leadership, which could end the family’s dynastic rule, also could be possible.

April 21: Breitbart News: Pew Research: More than 9 in 10 Americans
call China’s power a “threat” to the U.S.
More than nine in ten Americans now call China’s power and influence in the world a “threat” to the United States.  About 91% Americans were of this opinion with 62%  believing China is a “major threat” with 29% saying they are a “minor threat.”  China’s economic rise has been at the expense of America’s economy and U.S. workers.  Since 2001, free trade with China has  cost millions of Americans their jobs. For example, the Economic Policy Institute has found that from 2001 to 2015, about 3.4 million U.S. jobs were lost due to the nation’s trade deficit with China.

April 21: The Washington Times: Trump announces 60-day pause
on immigration for guest workers
President  Trump said Tuesday he will order a 60-day halt to new immigrants with an eye toward preventing them from competing with Americans for jobs during the coronavirus crisis — though he said temporary guest workers will still be allowed.  Mr. Trump said he felt a “solemn duty” to Americans thrown out of work by what he calls the “invisible enemy” of coronavirus. “It would be wrong and unjust for Americans laid off by the virus to be replaced with new immigrant labor flown in from abroad,” the president said at the White House.

April 21: The Washington Examiner: DC police are actively investigating
sexual assault allegations against Joe Biden
The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia is actively investigating the complaint against Joe Biden brought by Tara Reade, the woman who accused Biden of sexually assaulting her in 1993, despite her allegation being impossible to prosecute since it is past the statute of limitations.   “This is an active, ongoing investigation, and there are no further details to provide at this time,” a Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson told the Washington Examiner Tuesday regarding Reade’s case. “Cases that are handled by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit go through a multi-review prior to being assigned a disposition. This case is progressing through the review process.”

April 21: The Daily Caller: Cash flush universities set to get millions in federal funding
Eight elite private colleges of the Ivy League are slated to receive millions in taxpayer-funded coronavirus stimulus money despite controlling endowments with a combined value in 2019 of over $140 billion.  Five of the posted operational surpluses in 2019.  Collectively they are set to receive an additional $61.7 billion in federal funds.

April 20: Fox News: Trump to sign executive order temporarily
halting immigration over coronavirus
President Trump announced late Monday he will soon sign an executive order "to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States," in what appeared to be a drastic escalation of his efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic and boost the economy.  "In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!" the president tweeted.  The precise contours of the president's planned executive order were not immediately clear. The White House did not immediately elaborate on Trump's announcement.

April 20: The Washington Times: “Unlawful mandates”:
Conservatives rebel against COVID restrictions
Conservatives rallied in state capitals from Pennsylvania to Arizona on Monday to reopen businesses from the coronavirus shutdown, a groundswell warning to governors to halt the unprecedented expansion of their powers.  Several hundred demonstrators in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, defied Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s’s ban on mass gatherings — and social-distancing guidelines — to protest the governor’s tight restrictions on “non-essential” business. The boisterous rally included an excavating company’s truck cab painted with the message “Jesus is my vaccine” that blew its horn as it drove past the gathering.  The White House said every state now has enough coronavirus testing capacity to satisfy “phase one” of the administration’s three-phase guidelines for reopening.  “It’s critical to continue the medical war while reopening the economy in a safe and responsible fashion,” said President Trump, who suggested that 30 states are in a position to do so.

April 20: The Daily Caller; North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
may be in “grave danger” after surgery
Reportedly the United States is monitoring intelligence that North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un is in “grave danger” following a surgery.  CNN reported Kim was last seen nine days ago on April 11th and recently missed the celebration of his grandfather Kim Il Sung on April 15th, raising questions regarding his health. According to Reuters, Kim was believed to be recovering from a cardiovascular procedure “at a villa in the Mount Kumgang resort county of Hyangsan  A separate U.S. official informed CNN that the reports concerning the North Korean leader’s health are legitimate, but the level of severity could not be confirmed.

April 19: The Washington Examiner: Barr: Chinese Communist Party
cannot be trusted
Attorney General William Barr and other U.S. leaders condemned the Chinese government’s move to arrest more than a dozen leaders from Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement for alleged crimes stemming from last year’s mass protests.  Over the weekend, the ruling Chinese Communist Party arrested 15 of the key leaders of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, a former British colony with semi-autonomous status, in an effort to continue to crack down on anti-authoritarian thought in the city following protests that rocked it last year. Some were released on bail over the weekend, and all must appear in court on May 18.

April 19: Fox News: China “cornered” the personal protective equipment
market and is “profiteering” during the coronavirus outbreak
White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said in an interview Sunday that China "cornered" the personal protective equipment (PPE) market during the coronavirus outbreak and “is profiteering.”   Navarro, who is also the National Defense Production Act policy coordinator reacted to recent reports citing multiple sources that are saying there is increasing confidence that the COVID-19 outbreak likely originated in a Wuhan laboratory, though not as a bioweapon but as part of China's attempt to demonstrate that its efforts to identify and combat viruses are equal to or greater than the capabilities of the United States.  Navarro noted “China did [several things] over the course of this thing,” which, he said, “led to the deaths of many people worldwide.”

April 19: Breitbart News: Trump: Coronavirus exposed dangers of supply chain dependence on China
President Trump said Saturday that the biggest lesson of the coronavirus crisis was that the U.S. shouldn’t rely on China for their supply chains.  “We’ve learned a lot about supply chains,” Trump said. “We’ve learned that it’s nice to make things in the U.S., I’ve been saying that for a long time.”  The president discussed the issue during the White House press briefing, recalling he ran for president on the dangers of America’s dependence on bad trade deals and foreign countries while gutting our country’s industries.  “If one thing comes out of this more than anything else is that we should make product in the United States,” he said.

April 18: The Washington Examiner: Brit Vet, 99, raises over $20 million for
UK National Health Serve by walking in his garden
A 99 year old British World War II veteran has raised more than $20 million for the country's National Health Service through a charity walk he started to commemorate his 100th birthday which is at the end of April. Last week, Tom Moore decided he would raise money to help the efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus by walking the length of his 82-foot garden back and forth 100 times, using his walker for support.  His initial goal was about $1,250, but he ultimately skyrocketed past that marker to raise approximately $23 million.

April 18: Breitbart News: Hong Kong: Pro-democracy lawmaker stabbed but will live
Ousted pro-democracy legislator “Long Hare” Leung Kwok-hung was stabbed as he protested outside Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong on Thursday, the South China Morning Post reports. An assailant attacked Leung with a sharp object, causing a gash by his waist, a Hong Kong police spokesman confirmed. Leung was subsequently taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and later discharged.

April 18: The Washington Times: TN allows drive in church services after law suit
A Tennessee mayor is reversing course to allow drive-in church services during the coronavirus pandemic after the city was sued over its ban.  Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke confirmed the change in policy Saturday on Twitter. The conservative legal group Alliance Defending Freedom recently filed a federal lawsuit over the drive-in church ban on behalf of Chattanooga-based Metropolitan Tabernacle Church.  “I have spoken to pastors who assured me they could operate drive in church safely, with spaces between the cars and no collection plates,” Berke said Saturday on Twitter. “This week’s order therefore permits drive in church. Please observe safely.

April 18: Fox Business: Coronavirus pressures US manufacturers to bring plant home from China
The COVID-19 pandemic has America rethinking its reliance on China for not only key medical supplies but production capacity in general after Beijing clamped down on exports of critical items used to combat the disease.  China is the world’s largest producer of masks, test kits and other medical equipment needed to control the spread of COVID-19, and the shipping restrictions sparked outrage in the U.S., which leads the world in infections with more than 706,000 cases.  Indeed, only about 11 percent of U.S. gross domestic product comes from manufacturing today, down from almost 40 percent in 1945.

April 18: The Daily Caller: Ohio, North Dakota, and Idaho to begin opening May 1
President Trump announced that three more states will begin a phased reopening process on May 1 after meeting the requirements for decreasing cases of COVID-19.  The governors of Ohio, North Dakota and Idaho all intend to begin the process – Texas was the first to announce a relaxing of restrictions. Reopening will occur in three phases for each state according to the severity of their outbreaks. Minnesota began relaxing distancing guidelines on Friday, but states with the most critical outbreaks like New York, New Jersey and Louisiana may take much longer to reach phase one.

April 17: The Daily Caller: NASA and Space X team up to
send astronauts to the space station
NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine announced Friday that in May, America’s space program would do something it hasn’t done since 2011.  He tweeted that NASA,  in partnership with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, would launch the Dragon spacecraft from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and carry astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurldy to the International Space Station.  The flight is the Dragon program’s first manned test in orbit and has been dubbed “Launch America.”

April 17: Dallas Morning News: Texas Governor first in the nation to relax coronavirus restrictions
Gov. Greg Abbott lifted some restrictions he put on Texans during the coronavirus pandemic but said Friday that public schools should remain closed for the rest of the academic year.  While teachers may return to campuses under controlled conditions to conduct remote instruction and perform administrative duties, Abbott said traditional public and charter schools should stay shuttered to help reduce spread of the novel coronavirus.  Starting April 24, retailers who previously were considered nonessential may begin providing pick up or home delivery for customers.  Starting Wednesday  restrictions on elective procedures and surgeries will be loosened;  cited biopsies for cancer as one example.  And on Monday, state parks will again open their gates, though visitors will have to wear masks or face coverings and keep at least six feet away from other visitors who aren’t members of their families.

April 17: Fox News: Pence: The states have enough tests to start Phase I
of the recovery if they choose to do so
On Friday the Trump administration talked about the availability of mass testing for the coronavirus, with Vice President Mike Pence telling reporters that states "have enough tests to implement the criteria of phase one" of the White House plan to reopen the economy "if they choose to do so."  A slide in the White House briefing room showed that the U.S. had completed more than 3,780,000 tests as of Thursday.    Many governors have expressed caution about lifting stay-at-home orders, saying they need more help from the federal government to make tests available. President Trump said governors must take responsibility and lamented "false reporting" on testing.  Meanwhile, protesters in several states have demanded the reopening of schools, businesses, and commerce.

April 17: The Washington Examiner: Trump: Some governors are taking
stay-at-home orders too far
President Trump criticized some Democratic governors who he believes have taken stay-at-home orders meant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus too far.  A number of communities placed under stay-at-home orders have taken to the streets to protest the strict restrictions in states such as Michigan and New Jersey. The president weighed in on the protests on social media Friday morning, appearing on the side of the protesters, saying that people in Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia "liberate" themselves and reopen their economies.

April 17: The Jerusalem Post: Trump unveils three stage process
for opening up after the coronavirus
US President Donald Trump proposed guidelines on Thursday under which US state governors could act to revive the US economy from its coronavirus shutdown in a staggered, three-stage process.  The plan suggests a 14-day "downward trajectory" in coronavirus cases before beginning a three-phase process of re-opening.  Guidelines: 
- First groups of more than 10 people should be avoided if appropriate distancing measures are not practical. Non-essential travel should be minimized, telework should be encouraged, and common areas in offices closed.
- Second, in states where there isn’t evidence of rebounding cases groups of more than 50 be avoided where social distancing is not practical. Non-essential travel can resume, while schools and youth camps can reconvene and bars with "diminished standing-room occupancy" may re-open.  And
- The third includes unrestricted staffing of workplaces.

April 16: The Wall Street Journal:  Texas: Dems want to expand mail voting over coronavirus
Texans may vote by mail if they are over 65, out of town for the weeks an election runs, sick or disabled. That is defined as having “a sickness or physical condition” that prevents them from appearing at a polling place without the likelihood of “injuring the voter’s health.”  Democrats want to expand this to include anybody who is “afraid of getting an illness.”  Voting by mail avoids the need for a photo ID and also opens avenues to possible voter fraud, Republicans contend.  [In Galveston we had a case where a person voted twice – once in Galveston by mail the other in person in Minnesota – in a Presidential election.  He was found guilty and paid $4,000 for doing so.]

April 16: The Daily Caller: A governor who has risen above the coronavirus
hysteria and defended the Constitution
Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is one of a few state governors who have not yet placed citizens under a stay-at-home order in response to the current outbreak. Not only has she not placed the order, she has been outspoken in her contention that doing so would stand against everything America is supposed to stand for. She sees her decision as empowering individuals to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves and their families.

April 16: The Washington Times: Trump: Some states will reopen starting May 1st
President  Trump announced Thursday that states with low amounts of coronavirus cases can begin to reopen for business on May 1, as he issued new guidelines calling for governors to move at their own pace amid mounting economic hardship from the crisis.  Citing medical data that nearly one-third of the nation has had no new cases of COVID-19 in the past seven days, the president said it’s time for many Americans to go back to work.

April 16: Fox News: Scott Walker: big power grab  has made people increasingly frustrated
Talking about how some in government have handled responding to the coronoavirus former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker said   “You need to look at the data and the facts,' They're just ignoring that in a big power grab,  and I think this is what has made people increasingly frustrated with what's going on all across the country, Michigan probably being the tip of the spear."  Hundreds of cars, trucks and SUVs descended on Michigan’s state capital Wednesday afternoon as part of a noisy protest against Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s social-distancing restrictions that critics say have gone too far.

April 15: The Washington Examiner: Trump to reveal guidelines for reopening US economy tomorrow
President Trump said the United States was past the peak of new coronavirus infections as he promised to unveil guidelines on Thursday for reopening the country’s shuttered economy.  “The battle continues, but the data suggests that nationwide we have passed the peak on new cases,” he said on Wednesday during his daily White House briefing.

April 15: The Daily Caller: Trump Administration refutes Pelosi claims that
temporarily stopping payments to WHO are “illegal”
An official explained that the funding allocation for is broken down into two groups: assessed dues and voluntary contributions made at an agency level.  WHO’s assessed dues, according to OMB, can be immediately halted because a treaty does not exist that legally binds the US to WHO.  Meanwhile, voluntary funds will be reassigned to different world health organizations, thereby continuing to use the fund for the purpose Congress intended (e.g., world health).

April 15: Fox News: Sources believe coronavirus originated in Wuhan lab as
part of Chinese effort to complete with U.S.
There is increasing confidence that  COVID-19 likely originated in a Wuhan laboratory not as a bioweapon, but as part of China's effort to demonstrate that its efforts to identify and combat viruses are equal to or greater than the capabilities of the United States, multiple sources who have been briefed on the details of early actions by China's government and seen relevant materials tell Fox News.   This may be the "costliest government coverup of all time," one of the sources said.     The sources believe the initial transmission of the virus was bat-to-human, and that "patient zero" worked at the laboratory, then went into the population in Wuhan. [See related April 14 Washington Post story]

April 14: The Washington Post:  Dept. of State officials warned of
issues with PRC labs two years ago
Two years before the novel coronavirus pandemic upended the world, U.S. Embassy officials visited a Chinese research facility in the city of Wuhan several times and sent two official warnings back to Washington about inadequate safety at the lab, which was conducting risky studies on coronaviruses from bats. The cables have fueled discussions inside the U.S. government about whether this or another Wuhan lab was the source of the virus — even though conclusive proof has yet to emerge.

April 15: The Jerusalem Post: Trump to halt U.S. funding of
WHO over coronavirus response
U.S. President Trump said that he instructed his administration to temporarily halt funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) over the organizational response regarding the coronavirus pandemic.  Trump claimed the official United Nations health body "failed in its basic duty and it must be held accountable" for its efforts towards the initial outbreak in Wuhan, China - adding that it was a “disastrous decision to oppose travel restrictions from China and other nations.”  He said the group had promoted China's "disinformation" and “defended the actions of the Chinese government” that likely led to a wider outbreak of the virus.  "With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have deep concerns whether America's generosity has been put to the best use possible," Trump said. 

April 14: The Washington Times: Freedom of Religion: DOJ supports allowing churches
to conduct drive in services
The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday sided with a Mississippi church that filed a lawsuit after local police broke up a “drive-in” service and slapped the automobile-bound worshipers with $500 tickets.  DOJ said the city of Greenville, Mississippi, had imposed coronavirus-related restrictions on the church that it had not applied to secular entities.  Attorney General William Barr said intervention was warranted to protect Americans’ right to exercise their religion freely.

April 14: The Washington Examiner: Petition to recall of Michigan Governor over
response to the coronavirus gets over 60,000 signatures in 24 hours
An online petition to recall Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gained an additional 60,000 signatures in less than 24 hours as people in the state grow increasingly frustrated with the Democrat's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.   Sitting at 216,000 signatures as of Tuesday morning, the petition accuses Whitmer of overreacting to the outbreak of the coronavirus in the state.   The petition cites a laundry list of grievances, including "closing and banning various non-essential business’s and activities while leaving others open. Further promoting the pandemic."

April 14: Fox News: Trump rejects push to expand voting by mail
Trump continued to  press against efforts by Democrats and even some Republicans to expand voting by mail and absentee ballot this November due to health threats from the coronavirus pandemic. The President said on Twitter: “Get rid of ballot harvesting, it is rampant with fraud, the USA must have voter ID, the only way to get an honest count!”    Ballot harvesting – also known as vote harvesting – is political speak for a practice in which organized workers, activists, or volunteers collect absentee or mail-in ballots and drop them off at a polling location or election office. It’s legal in some states and illegal in others like Texas). The term – which carries a negative connotation – suggests voting improprieties or even election fraud.

April 13: The UK Daily Mail: China moves carrier toward Taiwan as two U.S. WESPAC
carriers are dockside due to the coronavirus
China's aircraft carrier, Liaoning, passed through the Miyako Strait on Saturday.  Along with five other ships, the Liaoning, sailed in waters on Taiwan's east coast and then into seas to south of Taiwan, carrying out exercises, officials said.  Taiwan's armed forces monitored carrier group's progress as it conducted drills.  The USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Ronald Reagan are only two US carriers in Pacific, but both were forced to dock due to coronavirus cases onboard.  Without the presence of the two ships, China effectively has free range in region. 

April 14: The Daily Caller: Raleigh, NC: Protesting is not an essential activity
The Raleigh Police Department said Tuesday that protesting is “a non-essential activity,” as they attempted to disperse a crowd of protesters who gathered to demand businesses in the state be allowed to reopen.  North Carolina is one of 43 states currently under a stay at home order over the coronavirus pandemic, and protesters  gathered at the state capital in Raleigh in opposition to those restrictions. At least one person at the rally was arrested, according to local investigative reporter Jonah Kaplan, who estimated that over 100 people attended the rally in total.


April 13: The Washington Times: Watchdog group blasts “electioneering” in Wisconsin elections
The Honest Elections Project said Monday it will spend $250,000 on an ad campaign attacking Democratic attempts to change election laws.  The election watchdog group’s 30-second ad, “Hard to Cheat,” will run on television and online and blames Democrats for the chaos surrounding the April 7 state election in Wisconsin. A bitter court battle about whether and how to postpone the Wisconsin election amid the coronavirus-related social distancing guidelines did not stop Tuesday’s election, the results of which are expected to become public on Monday afternoon.

April 13: The Daily Caller: SCOTUS to hear oral arguments by telephone
The United States Supreme Court announced Monday that for the first time in history, it will hear select oral arguments via “telephone conference” in May, doing so in response to the coronavirus pandemic.  Among the 10 arguments being heard via teleconference are three cases involving President Trump’s personal finances. SCOTUS originally agreed to take up the cases back in December after lower courts all unanimously rejected the Trump legal teams’ arguments. All three were set to originally be heard in first March and then April but were finally postponed after the nation’s highest court rescheduled the remainder of the term’s cases over coronavirus fears.

April 13: Fox News: Protesters of stay at home order
At least 15,000 cars and trucks are expected to descend on Michigan’s state capital on Wednesday to protest what they’re calling Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s tyrannical new guidelines to slow the spread of Coronavirus in the state. The so-called “drive-by” demonstration – in order to maintain social distancing -- aims to bring traffic to a gridlock in Lansing and protest the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” executive order by Whitmer, a Democrat, mandating what businesses could stay home, what some businesses could sell and ordering people in her state against any gatherings – no matter the size or family ties.

April 12: The Independent Journal Report: Former FDA Commissioner: WHO
should investigate what China knew and when
Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb believes that if Chinese officials were more open about their coronavirus data, the spread of it could have slowed.   “China was not truthful with the world at the outset of this,” Gottlieb said during an interview on CBS News’ “Face The Nation” on Sunday.  He continued, “Had they been more truthful with the world, which would have enabled them to be more truthful with themselves, they might have actually been able to contain this entirely — and there is some growing evidence to suggest that.”

April 11; The Washington Free Beacon: Planned Parenthood asks Supreme
Court to ease virus-related abortion restrictions
Texas abortion providers asked the Supreme Court on Saturday to allow some forms of abortion to continue, despite a state order barring nonessential medical treatments.  Texas governor Greg Abbott (R.) on March 22 imposed a far-reaching ban on elective procedures, including abortion, to preserve medical supplies needed to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Though an initial challenge to the ban failed, lawyers for Planned Parenthood and the Center for Reproductive Rights are seeking an exception for pill-based abortions, which are effective in the early weeks of pregnancy.

April 11: The Washington Examiner: Federal data shows more than
16 million mail ballots went missing from 2016 and 2018 elections
Roughly 16 million mail-in ballots ended up missing in the 2016 and 2018 elections, according to federal data.   Data from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and the Election Administration and Voting Surveys for both the 2016 and 2018 elections show that 16.4 million ballots that were sent to registered voters by mail went missing.   In the 2018 election, about 42.4 million ballots were mailed to registered voters. Of those mailed, more than 1 million were undeliverable, more than 430,000 were rejected, and nearly 10.5 million went missing.  “Putting the election in the hands of the United States Postal Service would be a catastrophe,” J. Christian Adams, president of the Public Interest Legal Foundation, said.

pril 11: The Washington Times: Louisville church can hold drive in Easter
services Federal Judge says
A federal district court in Kentucky granted a temporary restraining order on Saturday against a ban on drive-in church services ahead of Easter Sunday.  Judge Justin Walker, a Trump-appointee, sided with the On Fire Christian Center, which had sought to hold drive-in church services.  But Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer had warned the authorities would take down license plate numbers and force people to quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kentucky is a state with a stay at home order.

Fox News reports similar bans on drive-in church occurred in Mississippi with police threatening parishioners with a $500 fine if they failed to depart.  Kelly Shackelford, president of the First Liberty Institute, argued that the city’s order “is just massively unconstitutional.”  “It targets churches in a way that it targets no other group,” he said. “Cars in parking lots are fine. It’s only a crime if the cars…” are in a church parking lot.  The Rev. James Hamilton of the King James Baptist Church in Greenville said on Tucker Carlson Tonight “We were abiding by the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines… and Members of the church were inside their cars, had their windows up, and I was preaching the Word of God. So, no one was outside, and also we had cars at a distance.”

April 10: The Daily Caller: FBI leadership knew of the Russian disinformation in the Steele dossier
The FBI received evidence that Russian disinformation polluted the infamous Steele dossier, according to information declassified Friday from the Justice Department inspector general’s report of the FBI’s surveillance of the Trump campaign.  FBI officials also had concerns as far back as 2015 of dossier author Christopher Steele’s relationship to Russian oligarchs, but those were never shared with the FBI team that led the Trump investigation.  Despite those red flags, the FBI continued relying on Steele’s information in applications to obtain surveillance warrants against Carter Page, the former Trump campaign aide.

April 10: Fox News: Trump establishes task force on reopening the economy
President Trump said Friday that that choosing when to move to reopen the U.S. economy amid the coronavirus pandemic would be "the biggest decision I've ever had to make."  "I want to get it open as soon as possible,” Trump told reporters at Friday's briefing with members of the White House task force. "This country was meant to be open and vibrant and great.”  The president added that he would formally convene an "Opening our Country" task force April 14 that will be comprised of doctors and business leaders. According to Trump, the second, smaller task force would "include names that you have a lot of respect for."

April 10: The Independent Journa Reviewl: Trump urges Congress to fund
small businesses with no additions
President Donald Trump said on Friday the funding measure to help small business should be approved by Congress with no additions, as a partisan skirmish in the U.S. Senate cut short a Republican effort to speed $250 billion in new assistance.  Republicans sought quick Senate passage of a small-business measure sought by Trump’s administration on Thursday but ran into opposition from Democrats who wanted to add provisions such as funds for hospitals, local governments and food assistance.  Democrats then tried to move their own measure, only to see it rejected by Republicans.

April 9: The Washington Times; Senate Dems block additional funding for small businesses
Senate Democrats blocked a move by the Trump Administration Thursday to provide businesses with another $250 billion to keep their employees on the payroll, even as 6.6 million more people applied for unemployment benefits and the three-week toll for job losses reached 1 in 10 American workers.  The partisan Senate showdown began just hours after the Federal Reserve announced $2.3 trillion in emergency lending for businesses and communities to weather the coronavirus pandemic, and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin predicted that Americans will return to work next month.

April 9: Fox News: AG Barr: Russia investigation not a mistake but something far more troubling
Attorney General  Bill Barr Thursday called the Russia investigation of President Trump "one of the greatest travesties in American history," adding that he believed it was an attempt to "sabotage" Trump's presidency.  Asked about U.S. Attorney John Durham's ongoing probe into the origins of the Russia investigation Barr said "My own view is that the evidence shows that we're not dealing with just the mistakes or sloppiness.  There was something far more troubling here. We're going to get to the bottom of it. And if people broke the law and we can establish that with the evidence, they will be prosecuted."

April 9: The Daily Caller: Tucker Carlson about the WHO; a dishonest organization
Fox News host Tucker Carlson blasted the World Health Organization (WHO) and its director, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Thursday.  “Looking back, we’ll conclude that no organization has dishonored itself more thoroughly during this pandemic than the World Health Organization,” Carlson said, pointing out a “series of lies” the organization has told “at the behest of the Chinese government,” lies that “undoubtedly cost people their lives.” 

April 9: The Washington Free Beacon: Trump Admin. moves to revoke Chinas
authority to provide telecommunications in the U.S.
The Trump administration on Thursday sought to "revoke and terminate" licenses that permit a Chinese company to provide telecommunication services to and from the United States.  The Department of Justice said in a release that it "identified substantial and unacceptable national security and law enforcement risks" associated with China Telecom, the U.S. subsidiary of China's state-owned telecommunications company. It recommended the Federal Communications Commission revoke licenses allowing the company to operate in the United States

April 9: The Wall Street Journal; Farmers dumping milk as demand shrinks amid restaurant closings
It was still dark outside at four o’clock on a recent morning when a tanker truck poured 6,000 gallons of milk into a manure pit on Nancy Mueller’s Wisconsin dairy farm.  The milk, collected from Mueller Dairy Farm’s 1,000 cows, should have been hauled to dairy processors across the state for bottling or to be turned into cheese. But the Chinese coronavirus is disrupting all that, closing restaurants and schools that buy the nation’s dairy products—and forcing hard choices for farmers

April 9: US News and World Report: Chinese coronavirus outbreak on USS Nimitz
There's been a very small number of breakouts on the Nimitz, and we're watching that very closely," Air Force Gen. John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday about the 5,000-member crews. He said that those sailors have "been isolated on the ship."   He pointed to the inherent problem of containing the spread of the virus, aboard a ship in which many crewmembers share quarters, sometimes with as many as two dozen sleeping in bunks in one room. The ship is attempting to isolate them on board.  

April 8: Fox News: Custom/ Border Patrol to stop exports of critical PPEs
until a determination can be made that they are not needed in the U.S.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) -- which is in short supply in hospitals across the country amid the coronavirus pandemic -- will be prevented from leaving the United States, the federal government said Wednesday. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it will prevent critical supplies such as respirators, surgical masks and surgical gloves from leaving the country while the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) determines whether to purchase the equipment, allow it to be exported or keep it for use in the U.S.

April 8: The UK Daily Mail: Coronavirus facts China wants
the world to forget
China’s official news agency has released a  coronavirus timeline to hit back at accusations that Beijing tried to cover up the full scale of the outbreak.  The 37-page document describes the efforts China has taken however it left out some of the most crucial events of the health crisis, each of which has played a decisive role in the development of the global emergency.  Omitted from the report are;
-The whistle blowers; eight Wuhan medical workers who sounded the alarm on the virus at the end of December and who were accused of spreading fake news and reprimanded by police.
-The Huanan seafood market; Since the beginning of the outbreak, researchers and authorities have linked the virus to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, a once-popular wet market in the city of 11 million.
-The Gag Order; A high-profile investigative report has accused Chinese officials of ordering labs to stop testing and destroy all samples of the coronavirus in the very early stages of the outbreak.

April 8: The Washington Examiner: Talk of freezing funds to WHO amidst
claims of being apologists for Chinese actions in coronavirus
Top Republican senators voiced support for President Trump’s suggestion that the United States should pull its funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) as the group faces allegations that it has a pro-China bias leading to a botched coronavirus response. Trump criticized WHO at the White House coronavirus task force briefing on Tuesday for not supporting a travel ban he implemented on China earlier this year meant to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus from the country where it originated, and he raised the possibility of at some point putting a "very powerful hold" on the "vast amounts" of funds the U.S. gives it.

April 8: Fox News: Bernie suspends campaign leaving Biden as the presumed Democrat nominee
Bernie Sanders has suspended his Democratic presidential campaign -- all but handing the nomination to former Vice President Joe Biden.  According to a brief campaign statement, He announced the decision during an all-staff conference call Wednesday.  Sanders' lingering presence in the race had agitated Biden allies, concerned he would continue to make it difficult for Biden to fully focus on a general election battle against President Trump.

April 8: The Jerusalem Post: Germany allows U.S. sanctioned Iranian “terror” bank to operate
The organization United Against Nuclear Iran published a report on Tuesday, disclosing that German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government is permitting Iranian banks sanctioned by the US government to operate within the federal republic.  “The oldest Iranian bank operating in Germany is Bank Melli, established in 1965 in Hamburg. It is also Iran’s national bank, wholly owned by the Government of Iran, and its biggest company by revenue. The US Treasury sanctioned Bank Melli in 2018 for its support of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), having enabled the IRGC and its affiliates to move funds inside and outside Iran,” wrote the report’s author, Daniel Roth.

April 7: The Daily Caller: VA Congressional candidate is producing 3D coronavirus
masks; donating them to local hospitals
Republican congressional candidate Ben Loyola is harnessing both his technological resources and his entrepreneurship as an American to create and donate COVID-19 masks through his 3-D modeling company.  Loyola, who is running to unseat a one term Democrat incumbent in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, started a multi-million dollar engineering company after retiring from thirty years in the U.S. Navy.  He is now he is using his company, Loyola Enterprises, to create masks to donate to local hospitals and first responders.

April 7: The Washington Free Beacon: Judge allows California’s closure of
gun stores amid the Chinese coronavirus
A federal judge on Monday denied a request by gun-rights groups to prevent California from shutting down gun stores during the coronavirus crisis in a legal battle that could end up before the Supreme Court.  Second Amendment activists had filed a federal suit to block California localities from including gun stores in emergency shutdown orders related to the coronavirus. Judge André Birotte Jr. denied the request, ruling that Los Angeles County—where the case was filed—or any other jurisdiction could close gun stores to prevent the spread of the virus

April 7: Independent Journal Review: Acting SecNav tenders resignation after
remarks revealed about the commanding officer of the USS Teddy Roosevelt
Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly submitted his resignation a day after audio of him calling the captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, Captain Brett Crozier, “stupid” surfaced, according to several reports.  In a speech to the crew of the Roosevelt, Modly blasted Crozier for raising the alarm after more than 100 crew members tested positive for the coronavirus.  Crozier had requested in a letter to Navy leadership that the crew of the ship be allowed to disembark and quarantine to prevent the spread of the virus.

April 6: The Daily Caller: Democrat Michigan State Rep credits Trump with saving her life
Democratic Michigan state Rep. Karen Whitsett credited President Trump for saving her life after she used hydroxychloroquine to treat her coronavirus.  Whitsett was diagnosed with the Chinese coronavirus late last month, and said she started to feel relief just two hours after taking the drug.  She praised the president’s advocacy for the drug, and said “Yes, I do” when asked if she thinks Trump may have saved her life.  “It has a lot to do with the president … bringing it up,” Whitsett said. “He is the only person who has the power to make it a priority.”

April 6: The Washington Times; Wisconsin Supreme Court overrules Governor;
Primary Election to proceed
The Wisconsin primary election on Tuesday is back on.  The state Supreme Court appeared to get in the the final word Monday evening, thwarting Gov. Tony Evers’ last-ditch attempt to postpone in-person voting in the state’s election and reschedule the vote for June 7. The U.S. Supreme Court later blocked state Democrats’ bid to extend early voting a week after the election.  The Wisconsin court ruled by a 4-2 margin that Mr. Evers, who had issued a statewide stay-at-home order in response to the coronavirus epidemic, lacked the authority to unilaterally change an election date through the executive order he had issued earlier in the day.

April 6: The Washington Free Beacon: Wisconsin Governor (Dem) postpones primary
election and bans in person voting; prompting GOP court challenge
A bewildering series of events left the fate of Wisconsin's elections in doubt less than a day before in-person voting was set to begin. Gov. Tony Evers (D.), who previously said he has no power to suspend elections, issued an extraordinary order on Monday delaying the state's elections until June 9, just 18 hours before precincts opened for voters to cast their ballots. The Republican-controlled legislature claims Evers has no authority to issue such a command and promised an immediate challenge to his order in the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

April 6: The Washington Examiner: State declines opportunity to join Hillary Clinton’s
attempt to dodge testifying under oath before Judicial Watch attorneys
The State Department declined to join former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s effort to convince an appeals court to let her dodge a judge-ordered sworn deposition about her use of a private email server and the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack.  “The Court agrees with Judicial Watch — it is time to hear directly from Secretary Clinton," U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth ruled in March ordering Clinton and her former Chief of Staff Cheryl to be deposed by the conservative watchdog.  Clinton’s legal team filed a petition with the D.C Circuit calling the lower court’s ruling outrageous.  Meanwhile the State Department, represented in court by Justice Department lawyers, declined to join Clinton’s legal argument on Friday.

April 6: The Washington Examiner: State designates Russian white supremist group a terrorist organization
A group of Russian militants involved in bombings in Europe and the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a white supremacist terrorist group, the State Department’s top counterterrorism official announced Monday.   “This is the first time the United States has ever designated white supremacist terrorists, illustrating how seriously this administration takes the threat,” Counterterrorism Coordinator and Ambassador Nathan Sales told reporters. “We are taking actions no previous administration has taken to counter this threat.”  The group, the Russian Imperial Movement, Sales explained “provides paramilitary-style training to neo-Nazis and white supremacists.”  He blamed the movement for a series of bombings in Sweden and acknowledged “public reports” that the group has tried to expand into the U.S.

April 5: The Washington Free Beacon: Illinois Congressman blames Trump for
coronavirus while avoiding questions about Chinese coverup
As COVID-19 spreads across the nation, Rep. Sean Casten (D., Ill.) has repeatedly attempted to blame Trump and Republicans for the death toll, accusing them of spreading fatal misinformation about the pandemic. Casten himself, however, has misinformed the public about China's role in the pandemic. When one of his constituents asked about the early Chinese response to the outbreak at a March 21 electronic town hall, the congressman refused to talk about the regime's coverup of the virus. Instead, he incorrectly said that China had successfully isolated the outbreak in Wuhan.

April 4; The Washington Examiner: Trump notifies Congress he is removing
intelligence IG, effective in thirty  days
Trump notified Congress late Friday he was exercising his power to remove Michael Atkinson from the intelligence community inspector general role, effective in 30 days, because he "no longer" had the fullest confidence in him. The president said he would submit a replacement “who has my full confidence and who meets the appropriate qualifications” at a later date.  Michael Horowitz, the Justice Department inspector general whose work in uncovering impropriety by law enforcement officials has been championed by allies of the president, particularly his investigations into alleged surveillance abuses also vowed that "aggressive, independent oversight" would continue unabated.

April 4: Fox News: Trump warns of a rough week ahead because of the coronavirus
President Trump on Saturday warned the nation of a deadly week ahead in the fight against the coronavirus.  "This will probably be the toughest week -- between this week and next week," Trump said Saturday at the beginning of his coronavirus task force briefing at the White House.  "There will be a lot of death, unfortunately. But a lot less death than if this wasn't done," Trump said of the nationwide precautions underway. "But there will be death."

April 4: The Daily Caller: China appointed to UN Human Rights Council
irrespective of their appalling human rights record
China has been appointed to an influential United Nations Human Rights Council panel — despite the Communist regime having a long history of violating human rights and persecuting religious groups.  Jiang Duan, China’s representative at the Geneva UN mission, will be part of the UN Human Rights Council’s Consultative Group and will be the Asia-Pacific advisor for the body.

April 3: Fox News: Dr. Fauci: It’s “mind boggling” that the Chinese wet markets
are still being allowed to operate
White House coronavirus task force member Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Friday that all of China's wet markets should be shut down immediately in light of the pandemic ravaging much of the world.  “It boggles my mind how, when we have so many diseases that emanate out of that unusual human-animal interface, that we just don't shut it down,” Fauci said.  “I don’t know what else has to happen to get us to appreciate that,” he contended.

April 3: The Daily Caller: Wisconsin Democrat Governor wants to delay primary
election; move to all mail in voting; despite Biden’s wishes
Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is calling the state legislature back to the capitol for a special session as he seeks to delay next Tuesday’s primary elections over the coronavirus pandemic.  Evers wants the legislature to take up all-mail voting, and extend the deadline to send in a ballot until May 26, according to a press release. The move comes a day after Democratic front-runner Joe Biden said he did not think Wisconsin should postpone its primary. The Democratic Party announced Thursday that it was postponing its national convention from mid-July to mid-August over the pandemic.

April 3: Towlerroad.com: Sailors cheer ousted Navy CO;
Crew cheers Captain Brett Crozier as he departs USS Teddy Roosevelt (CVN-71) after being relieved of duty for sounding the alarm over a coronavirus on his ship.   Stars and Strips reports: hundreds were pictured in the gathering in the ship’s hangar deck and many chanted Capt. Brett Crozier’s name in multiple videos posted to social media. One person posted “That’s how you send out one of the greatest captains you ever had!” Crozier was dismissed Thursday due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command and for not using his chain of command to make service leaders aware of his concerns about the virus outbreak that had infected more than 100 sailors on the ship, acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said at the Pentagon.

April 2: Fox News: California police take a “wipe” out of crime!
Beverly Hills officers took a “wipe” out of crime Tuesday after pulling over a stolen SUV and finding 192 rolls of toilet paper – a much sought-after commodity as people hoard supplies amid the  coronavirus pandemic.  Beverly Hills police posted a photo of officers searching the white SUV on social media. Two boxes stuffed with rolls of toilet paper are pictured outside the vehicle.  Police arrested the driver. It was unclear whether the toilet paper was also stolen.

April 2: The Daily Caller: Trump: Russia and Saudis considering cutting crude
oil production, good news for USA petroleum industry
Oil prices rallied Thursday after U.S. President Trump hinted his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told him they might reduce crude production.  The two countries have been in an oil production/price war.  Trump said he “spoke to my friend MBS (Saudi Crown Prince), who spoke with President Putin of Russia, & I expect & hope that they will be cutting back approximately 10 Million Barrels.”  The Dow Jones industrial average jumped more than 500 points after Trump’s remarks. The president’s bold talk provided hopes of a reprieve to a beleaguered oil industry, which saw the price of oil fall roughly 60% over the past month.

April 2: The Washington Examiner: With COVID-19 raging Pelosi & Schiff ramp up another investigation
The team is back in action. On Thursday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the creation of the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis. The new panel will have the authority to investigate any aspect of the virus emergency and the Trump administration's handling of it.   Pelosi's announcement came a day after House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff called for a 9/11-style independent commission to investigate "mistakes" in the virus response. Shortly after that, Schiff told the Washington Post, House Democrats must investigate the Trump administration's handling of virus testing and the government's distribution of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers.

April 2: The Daily Caller: Biden: Ignoring Chinese under reporting says U.S. has
more cases of COVID-19 than any other country
Former Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that America has “more coronavirus cases than anywhere in the world,” ignoring China’s widely acknowledged undercounting of coronavirus cases and deaths.  Biden, who has repeatedly spread misinformation about the federal coronavirus response, criticized President Donald Trump in a statement released Thursday

April 1; Fox News: Trump:  I can’t confirm China’s numbers because of possible under reporting
President Trump said Wednesday he could not confirm the veracity of the numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths being reported by China, as he warned Americans to brace for more “horrific” days in dealing with the virus.  While Trump said the numbers being reported by Beijing “seem to be a little on the light side,” the president and National Security Adviser Robert C. O'Brien said they currently have no way to confirm the number of COVID-19 cases being reported by the Chinese government. The comments follow accusations from critics that China is underreporting its cases.

April 1: The Daily Caller: Tom Cotton Blasts ‘Apologists’ In Media For Accepting Chinese
Propaganda Surrounding Coronavirus Origins
Senator Cotton (R-AR) said it is wholly appropriate to question whether the coronavirus outbreak originated from a biochemical lab in Wuhan, China, in an exclusive interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation.  Noting the Chinese government’s dishonesty surrounding the outbreak from its earliest stages, Cotton criticized the media for their inclination to accept Chinese propaganda at face value.  “The mainstream media are largely apologists for Chinese communists and they will accept Chinese communist propaganda,” Cotton said. “They immediately try to accuse anyone who raises these reasonable questions as conspiracy theorists that are accusing China of creating a biological weapon.”

April 1: The Washington Times;  Trump: Iran could be planning an attack on US forces
President Trump on Wednesday suggested that Iran could be planning a “sneak attack” on U.S. troops or assets in Iraq and warned Tehran would pay a “heavy price” if an attack is carried out.  The Trump administration has for months suggested that any Iranian, or Iran-backed militia attacks against Americans in the region would warrant harsh U.S. military retaliation, but Mr. Trump’s surprise announcement indicates new intelligence of a potential threat.  “Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq. If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!” Mr. Trump said in a tweet shortly after a closed-door intelligence briefing.

April 1: The Washington Examiner; Hunter Biden can’t deny impropriety any
more than he can deny paternity
In a recent interview Hunter Biden said his only error was in showing the “poor judgment” of not realizing his board position with a dicey foreign corporation might give “a hook to some very unethical people to act in illegal ways to try to do some harm to my father. That’s where I made the mistake.”   The Washington Examiner column notes there is a difference between doing something illegal and something that’s unethical.  The huge ethical problem with taking Burisma’s highly paid board position was that it unambiguously put a cloud over important U.S. diplomacy. When Biden joined Burisma's board on April 18, 2014, his father was already well-ensconced as the Obama administration’s point man on policy toward Ukraine, one of the world's leading diplomatic hot spots. Worse, Biden the son had no obviously relevant experience for the position.

March 31: The Washington Free Beacon: Idaho bars biological male athletes f
rom competing in all-female athletics
Idaho governor Brad Little (R.) on Monday signed the Fairness in Women's Sports Act to prohibit biologically male students from participating in all-female sports.  "Athletic teams or sports designated for females, women, or girls shall not be open to students of the male sex," the  legislation states.  The law cites differences in male and female physiology that results in distinct athletic capabilities.  "Under this bill, boys and men will not be able to take the place of girls and women in sports because it is not fair," state representative Barbara Ehardt said.

March 30: The Washington Times: China resumes allowing the selling of
wild animals, like bats, thought to be the origin of the coronavirus
Brit reporters say Communist China is permitting wild animal markets to resume selling bats, believed to be the source for the deadly coronavirus now killing people across the globe, including over 2,500 Americans to date.  A number of scientists say it is likely that bats either infected other market animals or humans directly. Bats carry a variety of coronaviruses and are blamed on for the 2002 SARS coronavirus epidemic that also originated in a Chinese market.

March 30: The UK Daily Mail: What happened to social distancing;
Crowds gather to see hospital ship Comfort arrive in NYC
Crowds gathered to watch the USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship with 1,000 beds for patients, arriving in New York City to alleviate the strain on the city's hospitals as it continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic - despite being warned to stay at home. The ship arrived at New York Harbor on Monday morning. It will welcome patients who do not have coronavirus but who still need care in order to clear out the city's other hospitals for those who have tested positive for COVID-19. It came as the death toll in New York City hit 790 and more than 36,000 cases were recorded. New York City is the epicenter of the virus in the US.

March 20: Breitbart News: Pelosi wants to investigate Trump’s response to coronavirus while in February she dismissed the threat during a visit to San Francisco’s Chinatown
House Speaker Pelosi wants to investigate President Trump for his actions in the lead-up to the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S, but in February she dismissed the threat with a visit to San Francisco’s Chinatown.  “We want to be vigilant about what is out there in other places,” Pelosi said to reporters in February as her entourage packed the sidewalk. “We want to be careful about how we deal with it, be we do want to say to people, ‘Come to Chinatown. Here we are. We’re careful, safe. Come join us.'”

March 29: The Washington Examiner: Brits reportedly furious with China
disinformation campaign over the coronavirus
The British government is reportedly furious with China over its handling of the coronavirus epidemic, particularly with the disinformation campaign that the U.S. Army is responsible for the COVID-19 virus outbreak.  Senior British government officials say China risks becoming a “pariah state” for its handling of the virus, which was first discovered in the city of Wuhan,. “There is a disgusting disinformation campaign going on and it is unacceptable. They [the Chinese government] know they have got this badly wrong and rather than owning it they are spreading lies,” a source said to the Daily Mail. 

March 29: Fox News: Trump predicts “peak” of deaths in about two weeks;
social distancing guidelines extended through April 30th
Speaking at a contentious White House coronavirus news briefing on Sunday,  President Trump declared that "the peak in death rate" in the coronavirus pandemic "is likely to hit in two weeks," and said the federal government will be extending its social-distancing guidelines through April 30.  Saying his earlier hope was that the country could reopen by Easter was "just an aspiration," Trump added: "We can expect that be June 1, we will be well on our way to recovery" and that "a lot of great things will be happening."

March 29: The Daily Caller: ICE takes deportees to Central America b
rings back stranded US citizens on the return trip
ICE Air Operations, the air transportation arm of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has so far rescued 466 U.S. citizens stranded in the Northern Triangle region of Central America amid the coronavirus pandemic.  Following orders of final removal, ICE deported Salvadoran and Honduran nationals back to their home countries on Friday. On the return leg of these flights, the agency took aboard U.S. citizens who were stranded due to COVID-19 lockdowns, according to an ICE press release.

March 29: The Wall Street Journal: Saudis intercept ballistic missiles from Yemen terrorist group
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said early on Sunday that the kingdom's air defenses intercepted two ballistic missiles on Saturday night launched by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group towards Riyadh and the city of Jizan, Saudi state news agency (SPA) said citing the coalition's spokesman.  The coalition's spokesman said that no fatalities had been recorded so far but that some shrapnel to fall on residential neighborhoods in the two cities.  The spokesman added that firing missiles at this time by the Houthis and Iranian Revolutionary Guards showed the real threat the group and Iranian regime supporting it pose, adding that this escalation does not reflect the group's announcement that it is welcoming a ceasefire.

March 28: Fox News: Trump: Quarantining NYC, NJ and CT should NOT be necessary
President Trump on Saturday night said the administration would not be issuing a quarantine on New York, parts of New Jersey and some of Connecticut as part of the efforts to curb the spread of the Chinese coronavirus.  "A quarantine will not be necessary," he tweeted, noting that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would issue a "travel advisory" later in the evening.  The CDC shortly after issued a Domestic Travel Advisory urging against "non-essential domestic travel" in the tri-state area for 14 days.

March28: The Daily Caller: World Health Doc cuts off interview when question
suggested Taiwan is not part of China
A senior World Health Organization (WHO) official appeared to pretend he couldn’t hear a reporter and then cancelled the call when she implied Taiwan was a separate country from China. The reporter asked whether the policy (of not allowing Taiwan to be a member of the WHO) might change during the coronavirus pandemic.  “Will the WHO reconsider Taiwan’s membership?” the reporter asked.  It has been widely reported that senior WHO leadership has sympathy, if not ties to, communist China.

March 28: The Washington Free Beacon: Kennedy Center: musicians will no longer
receive pay checks after the April 3 even with the $25 billion earmark in the
Chinese coronavirus stimulus bill
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts informed members of the National Symphony Orchestra that they would no longer be paid just hours after President Trump signed a $25 million taxpayer bailout for the cultural center.  Congress included $25 billion for the Kennedy Center in its $2+ trillion Chinese coronavirus stimulus package.  On Friday night nearly 100 musicians were notified by email that they will no longer receive paychecks after April 3, according to an email from the orchestra's Covid-19 Advisory Committee.  The apparent “abrupt email” said that librarians and musicians will not be paid again until the Center reopens.

March 27: Politico:  “Special deals” in the stimulus package
- Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt) managed got a minimum assistance figure for every state — $1.5 billion — to make sure small states like his weren’t left out in the legislation. 
- Casinos will be able to tap government loans for disaster assistance, a payback after casinos were blocked from receiving tax breaks extended to other businesses after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
- Travel agents will be able to apply for part of the $25 billion in loans and loan guarantees reserved for the airlines.
- The final package creates a new tax benefit for student loan borrowers whose employers help them pay off their debt. Under the bill, a company could pay up to $5,250 of an employee’s student loan payments each year on a tax-free basis.
- The deal includes language making it easier for Congress to dole out money for harbor dredging by exempting from discretionary spending caps the Army Corps of Engineers funding provided through the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. The provision is a boon for ports that need dredging work.

March 27: Market Watch: House passes $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package by voice vote
The House of Representatives on Friday approved a $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package in a voice vote, with the move coming after Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie’s push for a recorded vote -- that would create a record of how each member voted -- failed.. The legislation already has passed the Senate and is expected to be signed into law quickly by President Donald Trump.

March 27: MSN.com: Rep. Thomas Massie calling on roll call vote on the
$2 Trillion Chinese coronavirus stimulus bill
U.S. Representative Thomas Massie enraged President Donald Trump on Friday as he has leaders of Congress worried he will delay a planned Friday voice vote on a $2.2 trillion coronavirus economic rescue plan, drawing calls from the White House to throw him out of the Republican Party. But even though requiring a roll call vote might delay the passage of the stimulus package, it would also create a record of how each member voted.  With things that don’t related to the Chinese coronavirus in the bill, this could be damaging for some members of Congress come election time.

March 27: The Washington Free Beacon: PRC gives cold shoulder to U.S.
journalist request to remain in China
China hit out at what it called "biased" reporting on Friday in a frosty response to a request by three major U.S. newspapers (NYT, WSJ, and Washington Post) to reverse the expulsion of several of their China-based journalists.  The three newspapers published an open letter earlier this urging China to reconsider it’s decision, saying it was "uniquely damaging and reckless" at a time when the world is sharing the burden of fighting the coronavirus.  China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it welcomed media and reporters from all countries to report in China "in accordance with laws and regulations" but that it did not accept "the arrogance and prejudice" it said was revealed in the publisher’s letter.   The statement did not directly answer the newspapers' request but suggested Beijing was in no mood to accept it.

March 26: The Washington Examiner: DOJ charges Venezuela’s Maduro with narco-terrorism
Attorney General William Barr announced narco-terrorism charges against Venezuelan socialist leader Nicolas Maduro for his role in facilitating the global drug trade in coordination with the Colombia-based terrorist group known as the FARC.   The Justice Department said on Thursday that Maduro formed and leads his own drug ring, dubbed the Cartel of the Sun, and gives the FARC free reign to operate in parts of Venezuela.   Investigators said Maduro and his co-conspirators were being charged with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism, conspiracy to important hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States, and a variety of weapons charges. The Justice Department said Maduro expressly indented on flooding the U.S. with cocaine to harm the health and well-being of the nation. The chief justice of Venezuela was also charged with international money laundering.

March 25: The Washington Times: By unanimous consent Senate passes $2.2 trillion
Chinese coronavirus stimulus package
The Senate passed the $2.2 trillion emergency stimulus package to assist the overly stressed health care system and tumbling economy Wednesday night. The bipartisan deal passed on a 96-0 vote. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell touted the unanimous vote as a victory for bipartisanship, despite a drawn-out partisan negotiation process. With the country over a trillion dollars in debt the question some are asking is what will be the long-term impact with an additional $2.2 trillion added to the existing debt.

March 25: The Daily Caller: Former presidential economic advisor opposes
direct payments in Senate stimulus package
Sephen Moore , former economic adviser to President Trump, explained why he, along with economist Art Laffer, wrote an op-ed opposed to the direct payments in the Phase 3 stimulus plan, how Trump settled on April 12, Easter Sunday, as his optimistic date for ending the coronavirus shutdown and more. 

March 25: Fox News: Senate coronavirus stimulus bill contains big bucks for
non-virus-related projects
The Senate emergency stimulus compromise package allocates $75 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the nonprofit that funds National Public Radio (NPR), offers programming featuring the children's character "Big Bird" and supports other public stations.  The massive payout -- which the draft bill says would "make fiscal stabilization grants to public television and radio stations facing declines in non-federal revenues" -- is less than the $300 million that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had proposed in her own coronavirus stimulus proposal. The money nevertheless drew complaints from senators who called the spending unrelated to the coronavirus, and who have long accused NPR of overt political bias.

March 24: The Washington Free Beacon: Senator Scott  rips Pelosi and Dems for
distractions in the coronavirus stimulus package
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) on Tuesday criticized Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Democrats for slowing down the progress on the coronavirus stimulus package for partisan reasons.  "For absolutely no reason, the speaker's passion for partisan hogwash started causing the type of delays that doesn't simply cripple our economy, but it imperils our health care response to people who are infected by the coronavirus," Scott said on the Senate floor.

March 23: MSN.com: Trump considers relaxing stay-at-home
policy; cure shouldn’t be worse than the virus
President Trump on Sunday night said that the government would reassess the recommended period for keeping businesses shut and millions of workers at home after this week, amid millions of job losses caused by the efforts to contain the spread of the Chinese coronavirus.  “WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF,” Mr. Trump tweeted in all capital letters shortly before midnight. “AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!”

March 23: The Daily Caller: “We are open:” Cleveland abortion clinic
defies health department order to stop during coronavirus outbreak
An Ohio abortion clinic is refusing to cease abortions during the coronavirus pandemic despite an order from the Ohio Department of Health.  A Preterm employee confirmed on Monday that the clinic will not stop performing abortions, despite a Wednesday order from the Ohio Department of Health mandating that all non-essential and elective surgeries cease in order to preserve Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health workers.  This was followed by a Friday letter from the Ohio Attorney General ordering two specific Ohio abortion clinics to stop providing any services that require PPEs.

March 23: The Washington Free Beacon: Iranian officials steal $1 billion in funds
earmarked to help fight the coronavirus
Iranian regime officials stole more than $1 billion meant to help the country's people fight the spread of coronavirus, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.  European countries intended for more than $1 billion cash for medical supplies to go to the Iranian people, who have been ravaged by the virus. But American officials say regime leaders instead pocketed the money and are now using it to protect themselves from the virus as it spreads throughout the population. This includes hoarding medical supplies that were meant to aid Iranian citizens.

March 23: Fox News: Senate Democrats shoot down stimulus package for second time
Tensions flared on the Senate floor Monday as lawmakers viscerally clashed on camera over phase three of a coronavirus response package, with Democrats blocking Republican efforts to advance the massive stimulus bill for the second day in a row.  Leaving the legislation in limbo once more, the Senate stalled over the package Monday afternoon on a 49-46 vote. It needed 60 votes to advance.  Some believe, given the price-tag of $1+ trillion, that the logjam may not be a bad thing.

March 23: The Washington Examiner: FDA relaxing rules to help auto manufacturers
make ventilators to help combat the coronavirus
The Food and Drug Administration temporarily relaxed regulations on manufacturing regulators to give private companies more flexibility to build medical supplies needed to combat the coronavirus.  Ford, General Motors, and Tesla are adapting their facilities from building automobiles to pumping out regulators for hospitals struggling under an influx of COVID-19 patients. The federal government reportedly is simultaneously easing regulations to help the car companies pass through the bureaucratic process to make medical supplies faster. This includes easing restrictions on sourcing materials, allowing companies to buy ventilator components from a broader range of suppliers.

March 23: The Washington Times: Trump partnering with private sector making USA
supercomputers available for coronavirus research
The Trump administration has partnered with the private sector to make the nation’s supercomputing capabilities available to researchers fighting the coronavirus.  The White House Office of Science and Technology and the Department of Energy formed the new partnership on Sunday with Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, IBM and Microsoft.  Also participating in the COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium are five national laboratories, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

March 22: The Hill: Democrats are getting nervous about
delaying primary elections
Democrats are increasingly nervous about the coronavirus pandemic upending the Democratic primary calendar.  As more and more states postpone their primaries — delaying their elections as far back as June — some Democrats say that it will make the job of defeating President Trump more difficult.

March 22: The Associated Press:  “Chinese virus” arrives in Gaza
The arrival of the coronavirus in the Gaza Strip, an impoverished enclave where the health care system has been gutted by years of conflict, raised fears Sunday the pandemic may soon prey on some of the most vulnerable populations in the world.  Authorities in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007, confirmed its first two cases overnight, in returnees who had come from Pakistan.

March 21: The Daily Caller: China applauds Clinton for spreading communist line about
the “Chinese virus”
China’s ambassador to South Africa on Friday cheered former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for advancing the Chinese Communist Party’s official line about the coronavirus not being a “Chinese virus.”  The state-owned propaganda outlet China News noted how Clinton had been quick to criticize Trump calling COVID-19 the “Chinese virus” and saying his rhetoric was “racist.” It suggested he was desperate to “eclipse his poor response in curbing the virus outbreak.”

March 21: The Washington Times: McConnell: Getting close on coronavirus deal;
test vote planned for Sunday
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said late Saturday that lawmakers are close to striking a final deal on a coronavirus stimulus package, and he said they’re plowing ahead with plans for a first test vote Sunday afternoon.  “The past two days of intense bipartisan talks are very close to a resolution. I believe we are poised to deliver the significant relief that Americans need with the speed that this crisis demands,” Mr. McConnell said in a statement.

March 21: The Washington Examiner: Nunes considers legal action against Schiff
for releasing phone records
Rep. Devin Nunes said he is exploring "all" of his legal options in response to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff subpoenaing and releasing his phone records during the recent Ukraine-related impeachment investigation. Nunes, the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee said "We're going to look at all the legal remedies that we can take."  The phone call logs, subpoenaed from AT&T and Verizon, appear in a 658-page December report released by House Democrats.

March 20: The Washington Free Beacon: Government reaction to the “Chinese virus”
raises Constitutional issues
California's Gavin Newsom became the first governor to impose an extraordinary lockdown measure Thursday night, directing state residents to remain at home or face fines, except for essential tasks like grocery shopping or walking a pet. Yet it's unclear whether Newsom's order is constitutional. Even if it isn't, judges might allow such extreme steps, at least for a limited period of time.  Some of the legal questions presented by COVID-19 are new, like Newsom's confinement order, or whether the Centers for Disease Control can impose quarantines inside U.S. borders to contain the virus.  Professor James Hodge, a public health law specialist at Arizona State University, said "We've seen lockdowns in China and Italy. The capacity to pull off similar efforts in the United States at any level of government is sketchy at best because of rights to travel, due process and other specific constitutional norms."

March 20: The Washington Examiner: Israeli drug company donating
six million malaria drugs to help combat the Chinese coronavirus in the U.S.
Israel’s leading drug producer announced Thursday it will donate 6 million doses of anti-malaria drugs to the United States in hopes that it could be helpful treating  coronavirus symptoms. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries says the drug could potentially treat people with the coronavirus and will ship the hydroxychloroquine tablets through wholesalers nationwide by the end of the month and will provide 10 million doses in total.  “We are committed to helping to supply as many tablets as possible as demand for this treatment accelerates at no cost,” Teva Executive Vice President Brendan O’Grady said about the move.

March 20: Fox News: Trump:  Suspension of student loan payments
President Trump on Friday announced that the administration would allow federal student loan borrowers to suspend their payments without penalty for at least 60 days, and that standardized test requirements would not be enforced for elementary and high school students amid the coronavirus pandemic.  The president announced earlier this week that he had waived interest on federal student loans “until further notice,” but took that measure to the next level Friday by suspending payments.  “Borrowers should contact their lenders, but we’ve given them very strong instructions,” Trump added. “That’s a big thing, that’s going to make a lot of students very happy.”

March 20: Breitbart News: Trump Administration shuts down
northern and southern borders to all non-essential travel
During a press conference on Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf announced that the U.S. would be closing off its southern and northern borders for all non-essential travel to stop the spread of the Chinese coronavirus.  Non-essential travel at the southern and northern border includes tourism and recreational travel.  “We’ve reached an agreement with both Canada and Mexico to limit non-essential travel across our land borders,” Wolf said. “Let me be clear that neither of these agreements with Canada or Mexico applies to lawful trade or commerce. Essential commercial activities will not be impacted.”

March 19: The Hill: McConnell introduces massive coronavirus stimulus package
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) unveiled the Republicans third coronavirus funding package which, by some estimates, could cost a trillion dollars!  They will start negotiating the provisions of the 250-paged bill with Senate Democrats on Friday.  The measure will take 60 votes in order to jump the cloture threshold.  Among other provisions the bill proposes to pay individuals who earned up to $75,000 in 2018  $1,200 ($2,400 for married couples earning up to $150,000) and $500 for each child in the household.  It would also extend the federal income tax filing deadline to July 15th and provide relief for small businesses. [See more details]

March 19: The Hill: California estimates 56% of its population will be
infected in the next eight weeks
California Gov. Newsom (D) said in a letter to the Trump administration that 56 percent of the state’s population — 25.5 million people — is projected to be infected with the coronavirus over an eight-week period.   In the letter, Newsom asked Trump to deploy the USNS Mercy hospital ship to the port of Los Angeles until September of this year “to help decompress our current healthcare delivery system in the Los Angeles region in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.”  Jesse Melgar, a spokesman for the governor, specified that the estimate was without mitigating factors.  On Thursday the Trump Administration it would send USNS Mercy to New York City and that it planned to send Mercy to Seattle in the next five to 10 days. Washington is one of the states hit hardest by the virus, with more than 1,887 confirmed cases and 68 deaths.

March 19: MSN.com: California Governor issues statewide stay at home order
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered all Californians to stay at home, marking the first mandatory restrictions placed on the lives of all 40 million residents in the state’s fight against the Chinese coronavirus.  The governor’s action comes at a critical time in California, where 19 people have died and an additional 958 have tested positive for the disease.  The mandatory order allows Californians to continue to visit gas stations, pharmacies, grocery stores, farmers markets, food banks, convenience stores, take-out and delivery restaurants, banks and laundromats. People can leave their homes to care for a relative or a friend or seek healthcare services. It exempts workers in 16 federal critical infrastructure sectors, including food and agriculture, healthcare, transportation, energy, financial services, emergency response and others.

March 19: Yahoo News: Airlines sending airplanes for storage in Arizona desert
Ninety miles south of Phoenix is an airport located in the middle of the Arizona desert just off of an isolated strip of I-10. With only one runway and no passenger terminal, Pinal Air Park doesn't see commercial airline service but it is home to some of the most iconic aircraft ever to roam the skies.  Known in the industry as an aircraft boneyard, Pinal Air Park is where aircraft are housed for long-term storage. In other words, it's a retirement home of sorts for grounded airliners whose time has come as newer, younger planes take their place in airline fleets across the world.  Now Delta, among others, is sending aircraft that are not being used because of the coronavirus to this airfield.

March 19: Washington Free Beacon: Tom Cotton debuts plans to take back Rx
production from China
Sen. Cotton (R-AR) introduced legislation Thursday to repatriate pharmaceutical manufacturing from China to America, aiming to reduce a dependency that could seriously limit the U.S. coronavirus response.  The bill aims to severely curtail the volume of Chinese active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from the U.S. medical drug supply. The PRC currently produces most of the world's APIs—the "active ingredients" in commonly used drugs—leaving the United States and other nations critically dependent on it for medicines.  The White House has been urging “Buy American” efforts while many companies are beginning to see the cost-savings from Chinese-made pharmaceuticals as not worth the risk of undersupply during another pandemic, or during a potential conflict with America's main geostrategic rival.

March 18: The Washington Times:  PRC threatens electronic strikes on
U.S. Naval forces in the South China Sea
China has called for using electromagnetic attacks on U.S. warships transiting the South China Sea, according to a state-run Chinese outlet.  The Communist Party-affiliated organ Global Times, quoting a military expert, said the use of nonlethal electromagnetic and laser weapons should be used by the People’s Liberation Army to expel American warships from the disputed sea.  The report followed China’s potentially dangerous use of a laser against a Navy P-8A maritime patrol aircraft near Guam last month, and an earlier lasing two years ago of C-130 aircraft near China’s military base in Djibouti on the coast of Africa.

March 18: Fox News: President invokes the Defense Production Act;
unpacking what this means
The DPA is jointly administered by the Bureau of Industry and Security(BIS) in the Department of Commerce  and the Department of Defense.  The DPA gives the administration the authority to go to the head of the line in ordering items deemed critical to national security.  Under the DPA companies are required to accept and prioritize contracts from the government.  While this provision has historically been used to ramp up military production, in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic the act will be used for medical supplies such as ventilators, surgical masks, and the like.  The act also allows competing companies to work together, plan, and to coordinate with each other to increase the availability of supplies -- when doing so is approved by the government -- thereby protecting them from antitrust lawsuits.
[FYI: The editor of this blog served in BIS from its creation in 1987 until his retirement in 2004
and helped get the DPA reauthorized by Congress during his tenure at BIS]

March 18: The Washington Examiner: Senate passes $104 Billion Coronavirus package
The Senate cleared a $104 billion federal aid package Wednesday aimed at responding to the coronavirus pandemic, freeing up lawmakers to focus on a third, much more significant budget busting stimulus plan that could cost in the range of $1 trillion. The $104 billion measure, which President Trump is expected to sign quickly, provides up to 10 days of sick leave and 12 weeks of paid family leave for some workers. It also pays for free coronavirus testing for those who need it.

March 18: The Washington Times: Sanders opens campaign offices
in Biden’s home state of Pennsylvania
Despite Sen. Sander ‘ lackluster performance since Super Tuesday, the self-professed democratic socialist has beefed up his presence in  Joe Biden’s boyhood home state of Pennsylvania.  Sanders opened five offices in the key swing state and staffed them with about 20 staffers last week.   The campaign acknowledged, however, that these offices may be short-lived due to the spread of the coronavirus and the campaign’s transition to digital outreach through virtual rallies and town halls. The Pennsylvania primary is scheduled for April 28, though some states are moving their primaries to June because of fears of increased transmission COVID-19 in crowded polling spaces.

March 18: United Press International: 5.7 Earthquake hits Salt Lake City,
shakes homes 150 miles away
A strong magnitude-5.7 earthquake struck the Salt Lake City area on Wednesday, shaking buildings, closing the airport and cutting power to thousands.  The quake was the strongest to hit the city, which sits on a major tectonic fault, since 1992.   The quake that was felt as far as 150 miles from Salt Lake was followed by a 4.4 magnitude aftershock.

March 17: The Wall Street Journal: China bans journalists
from the WSJ, NYT, and Washington Post
China said it would revoke the press credentials of Americans working for three major U.S. newspapers in the largest expulsion of foreign journalists in the post-Mao era, amid an escalating battle with the Trump administration over media operating in the two countries.  China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday it was demanding that all U.S. nationals working for The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the Washington Post whose press credentials expire by the end of the year turn those credentials in within 10 days.

March 17: Fox News: Biden takes Florida and Illinois; Arizona too close to call
Biden has decisively won the delegate-rich Florida and Illinois primaries, Fox News projects, further cementing the former vice president as the dominant frontrunner in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination over rival Bernie Sanders.  Florida and Illinois will award a hefty 219 and 155 pledged delegates, respectively, meaning Biden will significantly pad his growing delegate lead from these victories.  Polls have also closed in Arizona, which has 67 delegates to offer, but it is too early to call.

March 17: Associated Press: Forget the eye-popping national deficit; Trump
asks Congress for authority to send checks to Americans
In a massive federal effort Tuesday, President Donald Trump asked Congress to speed emergency checks to Americans, enlisted the military for MASH-like hospitals and implored ordinary people — particularly socially active millennials — to do their part by staying home to stop the spread of the coronavirus.  His proposed economic package alone could approach $1 trillion, a rescue initiative not seen since the Great Recession. Trump wants checks sent to the public within two weeks and is urging Congress to pass the stimulus package in a matter of days.

March 17: USNI News: US Navy preparing hospital ships
Mercy and Comfort to assist in treatment of coronavirus patients
The Pentagon is starting the process of activating Navy hospital ships USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) and USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) as part of the Defense Department’s domestic response to the spreading COVID-19 virus. “We’ve already given orders to the Navy… to lean forward in terms of getting them ready to deploy,” Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told reporters on Tuesday.  The ships will now begin the several days-long process of bringing aboard medical staff and equipment ahead of deploying along the East and West coasts, a defense official confirmed.

March 17: USA Today: California: millions in lock down, people
calling 911 about neighbors coughing
Six counties across the Bay Area issued a “shelter in place” order on Monday for all residents – requiring about 6.7 million people to stay in their homes – in an attempt to slow the coronavirus outbreak.  For the next three weeks, people living in San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Marin, Contra Costa and Alameda counties will be restricted from all “non-essential travel”  by “foot, bicycle, scooter, automobile, or public transit” outside their homes. Also, most businesses will be forced to close until April 7, starting at midnight on Monday. Meanwhile some Coachella Valley police departments say they've started fielding 911 reports from concerned callers convinced a neighbor's overly loud sneeze or hacking cough is proof the person has the virus. 

March 16: The Washington Examiner: House GOP press for hearing
on Chinese threat to  U.S. pharmaceutical industry
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee demanded that Democrats schedule a hearing to look into the “threat” of relying on China for medicines used in the United States.  Striking a sense of urgency, a letter signed by ranking member Jim Jordan of Ohio, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, and 12 other Republicans argued the coronavirus pandemic has brought this issue to a head.  “The outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) has highlighted a critical threat to the domestic supply of life saving prescription drugs. Too many supply chains for our most critical medicines and medical devices are too dependent on China,” said the letter addressed to Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney.

March 16: Fox News: Trump releases guidelines to slow coronavirus
spread but warns it could be July or August before this is over
President Trump announced on Monday a set of guidelines that he said Americans should follow to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus -- despite admitting that the pandemic could stretch into July or August.  Speaking during a briefing of the coronavirus task force, Trump outlined a plan to slow the spread of COVID-19 in 15 days.  “With several weeks of focused action, we can turn the corner and turn it quickly,” Trump said. “Our government is prepared to do whatever it takes.”

March 16: Fox News New York: Oregon police say stop calling 911
complaining that you cannot get toilet paper
One police department in Oregon posted a reminder on their Facebook page, asking the public to not call for an emergency if they run out of toilet paper due to the coronavirus outbreak. "It’s hard to believe that we even have to post this," police in Newport, Oregon wrote. "Do not call 9-1-1 just because you ran out of toilet paper. You will survive without our assistance." 

Meanwhile, the Palo Alto High School Class of 61 posted comic information about the “Great Toilet Paper Pandemic of 2020” on its website.  Below is a sampling of that post: (Click on Image for larger view)

March 14: The Daily Caller: Trump adds UK and Ireland to the travel ban
Vice President Mike Pence announced during Saturday’s coronavirus press briefing that the United Kingdom has been added to the White House’s coronavirus travel restriction list.  President Trump announced Wednesday night that the U.S. would ban all travel for foreign nationals who had recently visited Europe but kept the U.K. off that list.  Politico accused the White House of exempting the U.K. in order to protect business at the three Trump-owned golf resorts in Scotland and Ireland. [Of course they said that…!  Editorial comment, the political gamesmanship needs to stop!]  Pence cited the rising number of cases in the U.K. as the reason for the new travel restrictions.

January 31: The Daily Caller: Clarence Thomas: Documentary
film in his own words
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is setting the record straight with a new documentary, “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas In His Own Words,” released January 31.  Thomas is most well-known for his fiery defense of his own character during his nomination process, in which his former employee Anita Hill accused him of sexual misconduct. According to Michael Pack, the director and producer of the film, Thomas sees this incident as a product of a more general media bias against black people who espouse conservative ideas. 
See the trailer | Playing through February 6th at the AMC theater, 3301 Town Center Blvd S, Sugar Land

January 31: The Wall Street Journal: Senate rejects witnesses in Trump impeachment trial
The U.S. Senate rejected Democrats’ demands to call new witnesses and documents in President Trump’s impeachment trial, clearing the way for an acquittal on abuse of power and obstruction of Congress charges next week.  The 51-49 vote late Friday afternoon represented a major victory for the Senate leadership which has sought to complete the trial as quickly as possible.

January 31: Politico: Senate puts off final vote in Trump trial to next week
The Senate impeachment trial for Donald Trump will drag into next week, with a vote set for Wednesday afternoon on two articles of impeachment against the president, according to a bipartisan resolution negotiated by party leaders.  The 4 p.m. vote will conclude a 20-day proceeding, only the third presidential impeachment trial in U.S. history. The Senate is virtually certain to acquit Trump, and even some Democrats may oppose an obstruction of Congress article approved by the House.

January 31: The Daily Caller:  Rep. Nunes:  Tucker (Carlson) I have some bad news for you
Congressman Nunes:  The bad news:  “…this isn’t going to end. I just can’t imagine that Adam Schiff, after three and a half years of this nonsense — and Jerry Nadler — are not going to continue this, right? They are going to go back and subpoena John Bolton. We’re going to have the same exact thing that you have been seeing for the last three and a half years. I just think you should prepare. Once Mueller collapsed completely, we thought, ‘okay, we’re going to get on to business,'” And then out of nowhere this Ukraine hoax appeared. …This was Adam Schiff and his staff concocting this all together with people that all know each other.   … I bet even after the acquittal we’re gonna be working on this.”

January 30: The Washington Examiner: Republicans feel increasingly
confident the Senate will not vote to call witnesses
“It does look to me like we are headed toward ending this week sometime,” Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) a member of the GOP leadership team  said Thursday. Republican senators will meet privately Friday morning before the trial convenes again at 1 p.m. When the trial convenes, impeachment managers and defense lawyers will each have two hours to present final arguments before the Senate takes a pivotal vote on whether to end the trial or call additional witnesses.  A vote approving a call for witnesses is now considered unlikely.  Three Republicans are seriously weighing a vote to call witnesses, but the vast majority of GOP senators want the trial to end this week.

January 30: The Daily Caller: Rep. Jeffries says hiring former British Spy to get dirt from
Russian sources about Trump isn’t foreign interference in the 2016 elections
Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, one of the House impeachment managers, argued Thursday that Democrats’ hiring of a former British spy Christopher Steele  to collect dirt from Russian sources about the Trump campaign does not constitute foreign interference in the 2016 presidential election because the information was “purchased” rather than simply obtaining it. “The analogy is not applicable to the present situation because first, to the extent that opposition research was obtained, it was opposition research that was purchased,” Jeffries contended in response to a question from Sen. Richard Burr and a group of Republican senators.

January 30: Fox News: Swing Senator announces he will vote against
hearing witnesses; acquittal of the impeachment of Trump seems likely
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) announced late Thursday night that he would not support additional witnesses in President Trump's "shallow, hurried and wholly partisan"  Senate impeachment trial, seemingly ending Democrats' hopes of hearing testimony from former national security adviser John Bolton and paving the way for the president's imminent acquittal as soon as Friday night.

January 30: You Tube: John Bolton’s interview with Radio Free Europe regarding Ukraine
Full interview of National Security Advisor John Bolton from August 28, 2019, where he describes President Trump’s two calls with the President of Ukraine as “warm and cordial.”

January 29: Fox News: Impeachment: Chief Justice blocks Paul
question that would reveal the name of the whistleblower
Chief Justice Roberts blocked Sen. Rand Paul  (R_KY) from posing a question during the Senate impeachment trial that would have named the alleged whistleblower at the center of the episode but Paul may try to force the issue during the question-and-answer session that begins Thursday afternoon.  For now Roberts has control over what can be asked but he may soon lose his grip on the proceedings amid a torrent of criticism both inside and outside the Senate.  Paul, who has long raised concerns about possible intelligence community overreach, has not yet indicated what action(s) he may take in the final day of questioning.

January 29: The Conservative Tree House:  Outnumbered and still Trump appears to
have them surrounded
Think about it…  The EU, Asia, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, China, Russia, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Iran, U.S. Congress, Democrats, U.S. Senate, Wall Street, the Big Club, Lobbyists, Hollywood, Corporate Media (foreign and domestic), and the ankle-biters in Never Trump…. All of these financial interests are aligned against Main Street USA and against President Trump.  Name one individual who could take them on simultaneously and still be winning, bigly. They say he’s one man.  They say they have him outnumbered.  Yet somehow, as unreal as it seems, he’s the one who appears to have them surrounded.  
[A friend just sent this to us. Although it was originally published six months ago, we just now became aware of it]