Why a Second Wave of Covid-19 Is Already a Worry

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-24/why-a-second-wave-of-covid-19-is-already-a-worry-quicktake

3. So how does a virus come back?

There are a number of possibilities. In the case of influenza, there’s the onset of cool weather, a factor that may affect the coronavirus, too. Or the pathogen can mutate. This is another feature of flu, which mutates more or less constantly. In the fall of 1918, a second wave of the historic influenza outbreak occurred and caused most of the deaths in the pandemic. Some researchers believe it was brought about by a mutation that made the virus again unrecognizable to most people’s immune systems. Another important variable is the movement of the virus to populations that haven’t been exposed before and don’t have immunity. In addition, the World Health Organization said on April 24 that there’s no evidence yet that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection.

 

1918 Pandemic Influenza: Three Waves

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/three-waves.htm

 There were 3 different waves of illness during the pandemic, starting in March 1918 and subsiding by summer of  1919. The pandemic peaked in the U.S. during the second wave, in the fall of 1918. This highly fatal second wave was responsible for most of the U.S. deaths attributed to the pandemic.

Are the Jews racist?

אמת ליעקב בראשית פרק ט פסוק כה
(כה) ויאמר ארור כנען עבד עבדים יהיה לאחיו51.
הנה ישנן משונאינו מאומות העולם הטוענים שכלל ישראל היא אומה גזענית, שהרי התורה אומרת שכנען ארור והוא יהיה עבד עבדים לאחיו, הרי שהשפילה התורה את גזע כנען למדרגת עבד. אבל האמת ודאי היא לא כן, דהא זה ברור שדעת התורה היא כנגד גזענות, וכבר הוכחתי זה בחידושי לעיל בפרשת בראשית [א' פכ"ב] מלשון המשנה בסנהדרין [דף ל"ז ע"א]: מפני מה נברא האדם יחידי שלא יאמר אדם לחבירו אבא גדול מאביך, הרי שבדוקא שינה הקדוש ברוך הוא במין האדם משאר המינים וברא רק אדם יחידי כדי שלא יבואו בני האדם לידי מדה מגונה זו. אלא שלפ"ז צריכים לבאר את פעולתו של נח במה שהוריד את כנען למדרגת עבד והשפילו משאר מין האדם, והרי זה לכאורה פעולה גזענית טהורה.
אבל באמת אין לזה שום שייכות עם גזענות, דגזענות פירושה שגזע אחד מתנשא מעל גזע אחר בגלל מוצאו ויחוסו וכאילו שהוא נוצר "מחומר" עילאי וטוב יותר וכדומה, אבל כאן הטעם שחילק ביניהם נח היה משום מדותיו המושחתות של חם ובנו כנען, ומדות אלו הנחיל הוא לבניו אחריו וכמו שאמרו חז"ל [פסחים דף קי"ג ע"ב]: חמשה דברים צוה כנען את בניו כו' אהבו את הגזל ואהבו את הזימה ושנאו את אדוניכם ואל תדברו אמת, ומכיון שראה נח מדות כאלו אצל משפחת כנען, מאז קילל אותם שישארו עבדים כל ימי חייהם ולא יבואו בקהל ישראל.
וכמו כן הוא מה שאנו אומרים "אתה בחרתנו מכל העמים", ששונאי ישראל טענו שמזה אנו מראים כאילו אנו חושבים את עצמנו למיוחסים יותר מאומות העולם, ודאי אין זה משום שדת ישראל גזענית היא חס ושלום, אלא שאנו אומרים שמכיון שאנו ירשנו מדות מהוגנות וישרות מאבירי דעה כאלו כמו אברהם יצחק ויעקב, ואנו עמדנו בהר סיני וקבלנו תורת ה' מפי משה רבינו, ממילא אנו בני מעלה יותר משאר העמים, כי הרי אנו שיפרנו את עצמנו במדות טובות ובהתקרבות להשי"ת, אבל הרי כל מי שרוצה יכול להתגייר ולהצטרף אלינו ואז גם הוא יכול לומר על עצמו "אתה בחרתנו מכל העמים", מה שאין זה אמת בשאר האומות הגזעניות שלא מרשים לאחד מן החוץ להצטרף אליהם.

Homosexuality - a heter?

Taz  (Bereishis 2:24):And therefore a man leaves…… The Holy spirit said this because if you say that Adam said it together with “This time …” .That can’t be since it serves no purpose to finish off his statement in that manner. .In contrast if it were said by the Holy spirit and then it is understood as a warning as Rashi explains. And they become one flesh – the Rambam asks “even animals become one flesh  in their offspring?”And in truth this is not really a problem at all because this verse is stated only to prohibit certain sexual relations such as bestiality as is stated in Sanhedrin 58a),”Rabbi Akiva said and cleave to his wife and not another male or the wife of another man and they shall become one flesh means only those sexual relations that result in one flesh through the offspring which excludes with animals because intercourse with them does not produce offspring. And this is what Rashi meant when he was explain the phrase “one flesh” teaches that intercourse with animals is prohibited But we rely on the gemora that “cleave” excludes homosexual relations  because the recipient gets no pleasure as Rashi notes. But why not learn this from “one flesh”because it cant produce offspring but then why is  the word cleave (davak) needed if everything is learned from “one flesh”? it appears to me that without the word “cleave” I would have explained the prohibition of bestiality as because it is lacking in unity. In other words with an animal there is a lack of constant togetherness and that is the reason that they are not one flesh  being together today but tomorrow the animal is with someone else. The Ramban says something a little bit similar concerning cleaving. Therefore I would have mistakenly thought that homosexual relation would be permitted because exclusive loyalty is possible between two males. Something similar is alluded to in the gemora noting that the Persians don’t write a Kesubah for a homosexual couple. Therefore the Torah states and cleaves to exclude homosexuality since the recipient does not get pleasure. But I might mistakenly think that if the prohibition is because of the lack of pleasue and the animal does get pleasure it  is therefore permitted! Therefore we learn from “one flesh” that it is prohibited. And this appears to me to be correct

Flynn judge to allow 'amicus' submissions, delaying immediate resolution and drawing planned ethics complaint

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge-in-flynn-case-to-open-up-case-for-amicus-submissions

D.C. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan issued an order Tuesday indicating he'll soon accept "amicus curiae," or "friend of the court" submissions, in the case of former national security adviser Michael Flynn -- drawing immediate scrutiny and a planned ethics complaint against Sullivan, who had previously refused to hear amicus briefs in the case.

Sullivan's order indicated that an upcoming scheduling order would clarify the parameters of who specifically could submit the amicus briefs, which are submissions by non-parties that claim an interest in the case. Sullivan specifically said he anticipated that "individuals and organizations" will file briefs "for the benefit of the court," as he prepares his response to the government's motion to dismiss the case.

"Judge Sullivan, who denied leave to file amicus briefs when he knew third parties would have spoken favorably of Flynn, now solicits briefs critical of Flynn," independent journalist Michael Cernovich wrote on Twitter Tuesday evening. "This is a violation of the judicial oath and applicable ethical rules. We will be filing a complaint against Sullivan. ... [He] is acting as a politician, not a judge."

 

Judge slows down effort to drop Flynn case

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/12/judge-slows-effort-drop-flynn-case-252725

Judge Emmet Sullivan said he’ll receive written arguments that are likely to oppose Justice’s bid to abandon the high-profile prosecution.

 

Somber warnings temper hopes about a fall return to school -- and normalcy

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/13/politics/coronavirus-schools-education-donald-trump-fauci/index.html

The contentious nature of school closures -- effective in 48 states and the District of Columbia, according to a CNN count -- exploded in a Senate hearing Tuesday after Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul warned Fauci he wasn't the "end-all" authority on issues like when kids should go back to class.

Paul pointed out that mortality rates for young people were comparatively low and misleadingly suggested that outside New England, the virus had been relatively "benign."

"I think the one-size-fits-all -- that we're going to have a national strategy and nobody's going to go to school -- is kind of ridiculous," Paul said. "We really ought to be doing it school district by school district. And the power needs to be dispersed because people make wrong predictions.

"If we keep kids out of school for another year, what's going to happen is the poor and underprivileged kids who don't have a parent that's able to teach them at home are not going to learn for a full year ... I think it's a huge mistake if we don't open the schools in the fall."

Fauci warned Paul that the country needed to be "very careful" about underestimating the effect of Covid-19 on young people, specifically citing the inflammatory syndrome that has killed a number of children in the United States and Europe.

 

Mitch McConnell's deeply disingenuous call for Barack Obama to keep 'his mouth shut'

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/12/politics/mitch-mcconnell-donald-trump-barack-obama/index.html

Taken broadly, what McConnell is doing here is what Trump and his party have been doing for the last three-plus years: Shattering every possible presidential norm with glee while also demanding that political opponents adhere to those same norms. I've lost count at the number of times Trump expresses faux shock at the language used by one of his rivals even as he curses and impugns them without a second thought. Or demands that someone be fired for making a mistake or airing an incorrect claim even as he has racked up literally thousands of misstatements and falsehoods during his time in office.

 

Fauci tells Congress that states face serious consequences if they reopen too quickly

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/12/politics/anthony-fauci-congress-hearing/index.html

 Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key member of the White House's coronavirus task force, warned senators Tuesday that states and cities face serious consequences if they open up too quickly, urging states not to reopen until they know they have the capabilities to handle an inevitable uptick in cases once they relax stay-at-home orders.

In a high-profile hearing where witnesses and many lawmakers joined via video conference, Fauci also told a Senate committee on Tuesday it was a "bridge too far" for schools to expect a vaccine or widely available treatment for Covid-19 by the time students return to campuses in the fall, though he expressed optimism a vaccine would be developed in the next year or two.

 

Alexander and other Republicans on the panel viewed Tuesday's hearing as a showcase for what the administration has been working on, hoping that the reputations of scientists like Fauci would lend credibility to the work that is occurring. In his opening statement, Alexander urged senators not to engage in "finger-pointing" when the entire world underestimated the virus.

 

 

"As much as I respect you, Dr. Fauci, I don't think you're the end-all," Paul said. "I don't think you're the one person that gets to make a decision. We can listen to your advice, but there are people on the other side saying there's not going to be a surge and that we can safely open the economy. And the facts will bear this out."

Slammed by COVID-19, ultra-Orthodox Jews try to understand what God hath wrought

https://www.timesofisrael.com/slammed-by-covid-19-ultra-orthodox-jews-try-to-understand-what-god-hath-wrought/

Why would the heavenly power permit such evil? Posters see punishment for gossip and women’s immodesty; rabbis spy signs of messiah’s coming; others say they just don’t know

 

Dr. Fauci: Reopening early could have 'really serious' consequences

Rand Paul says Fauci isn't the 'end all'. See Fauci's response

“Obamagate” conspiracy theory falls apart after a reporter asks President Trump one question

https://www.salon.com/2020/05/12/obamagate-conspiracy-theory-falls-apart-after-a-reporter-asks-president-trump-one-question/

"It is true that the investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign, and into Russia in particular, began during the Obama administration. But it continued well into Trump's own administration. The investigation into Flynn was taken over by a special counsel who was appointed by Rod Rosenstein, Trump's own deputy attorney general," the outlet explained. "The internal FBI correspondence that has emerged in the last two weeks also doesn't reveal agents saying that the goal of the investigation was to take down a president."

 

Despite a lack of evidence to support the conspiracy theory, Fox News quickly became an echo chamber for Trump's attacks.

Fox News Judge Jeanine Pirro accused former Vice President Joe Biden of participating in a "bloodless coup" in the Obama administration to overthrow Trump.

Fellow host Sean Hannity claimed that Obama's leaked comments showed that he was "sending a message to deep state operatives to go out and do more dirty work."

Fox Business host Lou Dobbs went all-in on the conspiracy theory on his show.

"We know that the whole thing was not only a conspiracy to overthrow a president, but it was a web of deceit and lies that were the basis for the special counsel and all of the nonsense that the radical Dims, the deep state, and yes, the Obama administration put in motion," he alleged. 

But outside of that Fox echo chamber, Trump and his allies were accused of using the conspiracy theory to distract from his bungled coronavirus response.

Cooper: Trump's testing claim is not and has never been true