AP FACT CHECK: Trump, ‘wartime’ pandemic leader or ‘backup’?

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/ap-fact-check-trump-wartime-pandemic-leader-or-backup

  Is he a wartime president or a backup point man? President Donald Trump seems to go back and forth on that, or both ways at once, in responding to the coronavirus pandemic that takes more lives by the hour.

In his recent rhetoric, the president who declared “It’s a war” and invoked wartime powers enabling him to direct the production and shipment of critical medical supplies sought to avoid responsibility for persistent shortages. “The federal government,” he told New York’s governor, “is merely a back-up for state governments.” Meantime the government changed its online description of the national stockpile to put state responsibility more front and center.

And after public-health authorities warned that infection and death are spreading at a needlessly fast rate because Americans are not respecting social-distancing guidelines as they should, Trump incongruously asserted we should all be “thrilled” with how that’s going. Separately, he bragged inaccurately about his Facebook followers.

A look at how some statements over the past week compare with the facts:

 

NYT: Nearly 40k flew to U.S. from China after Trump's coronavirus travel ban

https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-trump-china-travel-ban-45a2da12-8063-4ad9-ba28-61cdeb1ce0b3.html

Nearly 40,000 Americans and authorized travelers have come into the U.S. from China since President Trump imposed travel restrictions more than two months ago, the New York Times reports.

WHO says following Taiwan virus response closely, after complaints

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-taiwan-who/who-says-following-taiwan-virus-response-closely-after-complaints-idUSKBN21G0F9

TAIPEI (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) is closely following the development of the coronavirus in Taiwan and is learning lessons from how they are fighting it, the body said on Sunday, after complaints from Taiwan it was being intentionally ignored.

 

After Kushner says 'it's our stockpile,' HHS website changed to echo his comments on federal crisis role

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/kushner-stockpile-hhs-website-changed-echo-comments-federal/story?id=69936411

At Thursday's briefing on how the government is responding, Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner scolded states for not building up their own stockpiles, saying that the "the notion of the federal stockpile was it’s supposed to be our stockpile, it’s not supposed to be states’ stockpiles that they then use."

But the national stockpile actually is intended for states' use, which was clearly explained on the government's own website -- until the language was changed, without explanation, hours after Kushner provided his inaccurate description. 

 

Until Friday morning, the website of the Department of Health and Human Services, which maintains the stockpile, read, "When state, local, tribal, and territorial responders request federal assistance to support their response efforts, the stockpile ensures that the right medicines and supplies get to those who need them most during an emergency."

But midday Friday, hours after Kushner directly contradicted the language on the HHS website, the text was changed without explanation. Retroactively matching what Kushner said, the website no longer says states can rely on the stockpile, but now says it exists to “supplement” them.

Jared Kushner Is Running ‘Shadow’ Coronavirus Task Force and Causing Confusion, Officials Say

https://www.thedailybeast.com/jared-kushner-is-running-shadow-coronavirus-task-force-and-causing-confusion-officials-say

President Trump’s son-in-law and White House adviser Jared Kushner created his own coronavirus team to work alongside the official coronavirus task force, The Washington Post reports. The team reportedly consists of Kushner’s government allies and individuals from private industry who are focused on setting up drive-through testing sites and delivery of health care supplies. However, Kushner’s team has reportedly sowed confusion within the Trump administration—with some calling it a “shadow task force” that makes requests outside of the regular coronavirus response efforts. “We don’t know who these people are,” one official told the Post. “Who is this? We’re all getting these emails.”

Kushner was reportedly pulled into the coronavirus effort last week, at the request of Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff. In an interview, Kushner said his goal was to bring an “an entrepreneurial approach” to the pandemic response. “We’re getting things done in record speeds and are doing everything possible to avoid damage and mitigate the negative impacts,” he said. “In America, some of our best resources are in our private sector.” A spokeswoman for Pence said the vice president and Kushner were in constant contact, speaking to each other “ten times a day.” Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said Kushner has been “essential” to the effort and in bringing private sector “insights.”

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu: 'More women are immersing in ritual baths'

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/278245

Tzfat Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu has said that many women who were not in the habit of immersing in a mikvah (ritual bath), are now doing so.

"Many women who for years did not come to the mikvahs, are now coming to immerse, in ever-growing numbers," he said.

"The situation that Israel has found itself in over the past few months connects people to their roots. At one mikvah, located in a secular neighborhood in Tzfat, the number of women immersing has doubled several times in the past month. Apparently the desire to become clean and purify yourself is stronger than all fears."

 

Telzstone beats back its severe coronavirus outbreak

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Telzstone-beats-back-its-severe-coronavirus-outbreak-623239

 Two weeks ago, the haredi town of Kiryat Ye’arim, known as Telz-Stone, had the highest rate of coronavirus infections per capita in the country. Almost one-third of its population was under Health Ministry quarantine orders.

Today, although the ultra-Orthodox town’s residents are all confined to their homes, just 100 people are officially quarantined, and only one new case has been reported over the last seven days.

 

Social disease: how fraudsters adapt old scams to exploit coronavirus

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2020/mar/29/coronavirus-social-disease-fraudsters-adapt-old-scams

The email is immediately threatening. “I know every dirty little secret about your life,” it begins. “To prove my point, tell me, does [REDACTED] ring any bell to yοu? It was one οf your passwords.”

The message goes on to inform recipients that the sender knows where they live, to whom they talk and how they spend their days, before delivering the punchline: “You need tο pay me $4,000. You’ll make the payment via bitcoin … If I do not get the payment: Ι will infect every member οf your family with the coronavirus.”

Kushner ‘Doesn’t Know What The Hell He’s Talking About’ Com. Of Katrina Task Force | All In | MSNBC

Jim Acosta yells at Trump that he’s been president for 3 years when he blames Obama

Defense Leaders Back Navy Secretary's Firing of Captain Over COVID-19 Warning. His Sailors Cheered Him as He Left His Ship

https://time.com/5815610/sailors-cheer-navy-captain-fired-coronavirus/

 U.S. defense leaders are backing the Navy’s decision to fire the ship captain who sought help for his cornonavirus-stricken aircraft carrier, even as videos showed sailors cheering him as he walked off the vessel.

Videos went viral on social media Friday, showing hundreds of sailors gathered on the ship chanting and applauding Navy Capt. Brett Crozier as he walked down the ramp, turned, saluted, waved and got into a waiting car.

Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly abruptly fired Crozier on Thursday, saying the commander created a panic by widely distributing a memo detailing the escalating virus outbreak on his ship and pleading his leadership for help. Modly said Crozier “demonstrated extremely poor judgment” in the middle of a crisis.

Acosta to Trump: Who dropped the ball on pandemic preparation?

Trump fires intelligence community watchdog who told Congress about whistleblower complaint that led to impeachment

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/03/politics/trump-fires-inspector-general-michael-atkinson/index.html

President Donald Trump on Friday fired Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson, who had told Congress about the whistleblower complaint that led to Trump's impeachment, the President told Congress in a letter obtained by CNN.

Atkinson will leave his job in 30 days, Trump told the House and Senate Intelligence committees, and he has been placed on administrative leave effective immediately, according to a congressional source.

Trump did not name a permanent successor.

 

Fact check: Georgia governor says we only just learned people without symptoms could spread coronavirus. Experts have been saying that for months

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/02/politics/fact-check-georgia-gov-brian-kemp-coronavirus-no-symptoms-stay-at-home/index.html

Atlanta (CNN)Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said on Wednesday that new information on the spread of coronavirus influenced his decision to issue a stay-at-home order. In particular, Kemp pointed to what he said was the recent discovery that the virus can be spread by people who are not exhibiting symptoms.