Monday, April 6, 2020
Coronavirus patient arrested on bus to Jerusalem
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/278320
Police arrested a coronavirus patient on a public bus on his way to Jerusalem Sunday.
The
incident began when police received information from the patient's
family, and a check by the police about his whereabouts revealed that
the patient was most likely on a public bus making his way on Route 1,
toward Jerusalem.
'He's a total disgrace': Trump defends firing U.S. intel watchdog
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-inspectorgeneral/hes-a-total-disgrace-trump-defends-firing-us-intel-watchdog-idUSKBN21M0KK
Atkinson’s firing prompted concerns among some Congressional Republicans and criticism from Democrats.
U.S. Senator Richard Burr, who chairs the Senate Intelligence
Committee, praised Atkinson, while noting Trump has the authority to
fire him.
“Like any political appointee, the inspector general
serves at the behest of the Executive,” Burr, a Republican from North
Carolina, said in a statement on Saturday. “However, in order to be
effective, the IG must be allowed to conduct his or her work independent
of internal or external pressure.”
U.S. Senator Charles Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, demanded a better explanation for Atkinson’s firing.
“Congress
has been crystal clear that written reasons must be given when IGs are
removed for a lack of confidence,” he said. “More details are needed
from the administration.”
Trump's coronavirus mismanagement again undercuts his CEO image
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/05/politics/president-management-covid-2020/index.html
In
his closing argument before the 2016 election, Donald Trump pointed
voters toward his "under budget and ahead of schedule" new Washington
hotel: "A metaphor for what we can accomplish for this country."
Trump
pitched himself as a successful businessman and an executive, even
though his actual record included a string of spectacular bankruptcies
and lawsuits -- including an effort during the 2008 financial crisis to sidestep
a $40 million debt to Deutsche Bank by invoking a "force majeure"
clause likening the economic catastrophe to riots or floods. Rather
than pay what he owed, he sued the bank claiming harm to his finances
and reputation, eventually settling out of court.
He has insisted the virus "snuck up on
us," faulting China for failing to give "earlier notice." Earlier, when
minimizing the risks posed by the disease, he said China's "very hard" work would protect Americans.
He
has blamed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for years in
which it "did nothing" to upgrade testing systems. Earlier, at CDC
headquarters, he called testing "perfect" and available to all.
As the damage has grown, so have Trump's attempts to absolve himself.
"I don't need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasn't our fault," he said, explaining his desire to keep a cruise ship with infected Americans offshore.
"I don't take responsibility at all," he said of the administration's testing woes.
Ultra-Orthodox community feeling stigmatized over coronavirus allegations
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Ultra-Orthodox-community-feeling-stigmatized-over-coronavirus-allegations-623673
“We have been turned into lepers and criminals.”
These were the words of David Rubinstein, a resident of the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, one of the main epicenters of the coronavirus in Israel and currently on a full lockdown because of the severity of the outbreak there.
Sunday, April 5, 2020
חולה קורונה נתפס עם נוסעים באוטובוס לירושלים
https://www.kikar.co.il/354666.html
חוסר אחריות: כוח משטרה עצר היום חולה קורונה חרדי שברח מבידוד בחיפה ונסע באוטובוס 'אגד' לירושלים • עשרות הנוסעים נשלחו לבידוד • נהג האוטובוס קיבל קנס
Coronavirus Is Coming—And Trump Isn’t Ready
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/now-trump-needs-deep-state-fight-coronavirus/605752/
We all knew the moment would come. It could have been over Iran or
North Korea, a hurricane or an earthquake. But it may be the new
coronavirus out of China that tests whether President Donald Trump can
govern in a crisis—and there is ample reason to be uneasily skeptical.
The
U.S. government has the tools, talent, and team to help fight the
coronavirus abroad and minimize its impact at home. But the combination
of Trump’s paranoia toward experienced government officials (who lack
“loyalty” to him), inattention to detail, opinionated rejection of
science and evidence, and isolationist instincts may prove toxic when it
comes to managing a global-health security challenge. To succeed, Trump
will have to trust the kind of government experts he has disdained to
date, set aside his own terrible instincts, lead from the White House,
and work closely with foreign leaders and global institutions—all things
he has failed to do in his first 1,200 days in office.
Trump briefly withdrew from politics after his “birther” campaign
against President Barack Obama was discredited, but his next big public
splash was a virulent, xenophobic, fearmongering outburst over the West
African Ebola epidemic of 2014. Trump’s numerous tweets—calling Obama a
“dope” and “incompetent” for his handling of the epidemic—were both
wrongheaded and consequential: One study found that Trump’s tweets were the single largest factor in panicking the American people in the fall of 2014.
How paranoid and cruel was Trump? He blasted Obama for evacuating an
American missionary back to the United States when that doctor
contracted Ebola while fighting the disease in Africa. Fortunately,
Obama ignored Trump’s protests, and Kent Brantley was successfully
treated in the U.S.; he continues doing good works today.
Some of the world’s leading infectious-disease experts continue to
serve in the administration, led by the incomparable Tony Fauci at the
National Institutes of Health, and the level-headed Anne Schuchat at the
CDC. These two, along with other leaders at key science agencies (and
scores of men and women working for them), have decades of experience
serving under presidents of both parties, and are among the world’s best
at what they do.
Rush Limbaugh So Mad At Deep State Coronavirus Liars Like Dr. Fauci, He Just Might Die!
https://www.wonkette.com/rush-limbaugh-so-mad-at-deep-staters-like-dr-fauci-he-just-might-die
Rush Limbaugh is telling your Republican parents
that it's cool to go outside and play right now, because the so-called
"experts" in the White House are actually just Deep State plants sent
(probably by Hillary Clinton) to make Donald Trump look bad.
You know, Rush Limbaugh has advanced lung cancer and he's not dead yet -- clearly -- but if he keeps going like this, ignoring the actual science about coronavirus, he might end up killing himself at least seven minutes before God planned to, and he might take a bunch of his old-balls-ass listeners with him in the process.
Right-Wing Influencers Are Convinced Dr. Anthony Fauci Is Working With Hillary Clinton To Undermine Donald Trump
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/qanon-right-wing-influencers-fauci-deep-state-clinton
Right-wing influencers and QAnon supporters are waging
an information war against Anthony Fauci, the director of the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and top-ranking member of
the White House's Coronavirus Task Force. They are falsely claiming that
Fauci is working with Hillary Clinton and the deep state to cause an
economic collapse and discredit President Donald Trump.
Coronavirus: Fox News host criticises top health expert for 'national suicide plan'
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/coronavirus-fox-news-tucker-carlson-dr-anthony-fauci-shutdown-national-suicide-a9447756.html
Fox News host Tucker Carlson has criticised infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci over his national recommendations to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Mr Carlson used time on his show on Friday evening to release a diatribe against the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and his suggestion of a nationwide lockdown.
"More than 10 million Americans have already lost their jobs," Mr
Carlson said. "Imagine another year of this. That would be national
suicide, and yet, that is what Anthony Fauci is suggesting, at least."
Anthony Fauci becomes a fringe MAGA target
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/24/anthony-fauci-fringe-maga-target-147401
The far-right’s most zealous Trump supporters have set their sights on Dr. Anthony Fauci.
To the vast majority of Republicans,
the entire medical community and the country at large, Fauci is the
government’s leading infectious disease expert, respected for providing
Americans with consistent, factual information about the coronavirus
pandemic — even if it means contradicting President Donald Trump while
he hovers feet away.
But to a vocal minority of right-wing
blogs and pro-Trump pundits, Fauci is the embodiment of the
establishment forces that have been arrayed against the president since
he came to Washington. And those voices are getting louder amid
rumblings about Fauci’s standing with Trump as the president itches to
get the economy restarted in the coming weeks.
Another Thing to Fear Out There: Coronavirus Scammers
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/05/us/politics/coronavirus-scams-fraud-price-gouging.html
The white banner with images of red
crosses had been hastily erected in front of two pop-up tents at a
convenience store parking lot in central Louisville, Ky. “Covid-19
testing here,” it read.
A clutch of
workers in white hazmat suits swabbed the mouths of drivers, who had
each forked over $240 to learn whether they had been infected with the
coronavirus.
“I have managed hospitals for years,” a man in charge told journalists and skeptical community activists at the scene on Wednesday. “We are doing things the right way.”
Jared Kushner and his shadow corona unit: what is Trump's son-in-law up to?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/05/jared-kushner-coronavirus-aid-trump-governors
His vast responsibilities include weighing requests from governors for aid and coordinating with private companies to obtain medical equipment, work he carries out from a special post
created for him inside the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where
his team is called “the Slim Suit crowd” for their distinctive
tailoring, the New York Times has reported.
First shipment of emergency eggs arrives in Ashdod
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/First-shipment-of-emergency-eggs-arrives-in-Ashdod-623633
The first shipment carrying millions of eggs arrived at Ashdod Port on
Sunday, after the government worked to import millions of eggs from
Spain after Israel was hit by a nationwide egg shortage.
The
second ship is expected to arrive on Tuesday. Government agencies
prepared trucks and logistics centers in order to bring the eggs to
stores starting on Sunday.
Trump spars with reporter over Kushner's 'our stockpile' remark
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/491124-trump-spars-with-reporter-over-kushners-our-stockpile-remark
President Trump defended his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner
on Friday for suggesting the federal stockpile of medical resources was
not for states, lashing out at a reporter for asking about the comments
and accusing her of having a “nasty tone.”
CBS News reporter
Weijia Jiang asked Trump what Kushner meant when he referred to the
national stockpile as “our stockpile” and implied it wasn’t for states
while appearing at the administration's daily coronavirus press
conference the previous day.
Donald Trump's murder math: Any death toll under 2 million is a "very good job"
https://www.salon.com/2020/03/31/donald-trumps-murder-math-any-death-toll-under-2-million-is-a-very-good-job/
The only thing more stunningly dumb than the willingness of
Donald Trump's disciples to die for the sake of their cult leader's
approval poll numbers is the fact that Trump, this past weekend,
established a new and terrifying benchmark for "success" in fighting the
COVID-19 outbreak.
During a presidency that's beyond satire, no one really
anticipated that Trump's Red Hat militia would end up being a death
cult, but here we are. The cult's warped calculus is basically this:
Trump will only be re-elected with a prospering economy, but if COVID-19
decimates the economy, Trump could lose. So we have to save the
economy, literally at any cost, even if it means we have to sacrifice
older Americans (who typically vote Republican).
That was the starting point — the first idea floated by several of Trump's propaganda flacks, including Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Glenn Beck and Fox News' Brit Hume.
However, during the Sunday edition of the Trump Show, the
president swerved into Mad King territory once again with a remarkably
desperate and perhaps psychotic attempt to rescue his chances for
re-election. As the U.S. death toll nears 9/11 territory, Trump blurted
out that forecasts suggested the death toll could have been as high as
2.2 million Americans had nothing been done to mitigate the spread of
the virus.
From there, he landed on a startling new range for acceptable pandemic deaths in America.
"So you're talking about 2.2 million deaths, 2.2 million people from this," the president began.
"And so if we could hold that down, as we're saying, to 100,000 — it's a
horrible number, maybe even less — but to 100,000. So we have between
100 and 200,000, and we all together have done a very good job." Cutting
through his usual refrigerator-magnet sentence structure, Trump
preemptively congratulated himself for presiding over the deaths of
100,000 to 200,000 Americans.
Police Impersonators 'Up to No Good' as Quarantine Rules Are Used to Defraud and Harass
https://www.newsweek.com/police-impersonators-quarantine-defraud-harass-1496121
People are impersonating police officers during the coronavirus
pandemic to defraud and harass others, law enforcement officials have
warned.
Orthodox EMS’ ventilator transfer solves hospital’s conflict with Jewish patients — for now
https://forward.com/news/442940/maimonides-medical-center-boro-park-protest-ventilators-nurses-coronavirus/#
Brooklyn’s biggest hospital has made concessions to the Orthodox
community in its neighborhood by allowing for broader and longer use of
ventilators amid the coronavirus crisis, in contrast with other New York
City hospitals who might increasingly need to start deciding who gets a
ventilator and who doesn’t due to the combination of more patients and
equipment shortages.
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.
Saturday, April 4, 2020
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.”
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