Trump: Why Waste a Crisis?

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/22/opinion/trump-coronavirus-immigration.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

When things aren’t going smoothly for President Trump, his go-to move is to change the subject to topics that cheer his supporters and drive his critics into paroxysms of outrage. Mr. Trump’s decision on Wednesday to, as he proclaimed on Twitter, sign an “Executive Order prohibiting immigration into our Country today” seems designed as just such a distraction.

The president first announced his intention in a late-night tweet on Monday, claiming it was a necessary response to “the attack from the Invisible Enemy” — his latest nickname for the coronavirus — and “to protect the jobs of our GREAT American citizens.” Like clockwork, Democrats denounced his “xenophobia” and accused him of trying to shift the nation’s focus away from his handling of the pandemic.

But the outcry is also behind the curve. In the name of protecting the nation, the Trump administration has already shut down most legal immigration through more piecemeal moves. In recent weeks, it has imposed tougher travel restrictions and has stopped processing most visas. Visa interviews are not taking place, nor are citizenship ceremonies. Migrants crossing the border are now turned back without the usual protections for minors and asylum seekers.

Fox News Stars Trumpeted a Malaria Drug, Until They Didn’t

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/22/business/media/virus-fox-news-hydroxychloroquine.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage

Laura Ingraham called hydroxychloroquine “a game changer.” But after a month of coverage, she stopped discussing the drug on the air.

 

Doctor Says He Was Removed From Federal Post After Questioning Hydroxychloroquine Treatment

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/22/us/coronavirus-live-coverage.html

The doctor who led the federal agency involved in developing a coronavirus vaccine said on Wednesday that he was removed from his post after he pressed for a rigorous vetting of a coronavirus treatment embraced by President Trump. The doctor said that science, not “politics and cronyism” must lead the way.

Dr. Rick Bright was abruptly dismissed this week as the director of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, and as the deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response.

Sweden's Relaxed Approach to the Coronavirus Could Already Be Backfiring

https://time.com/5817412/sweden-coronavirus/

A head doctor at a major hospital in Sweden says the current approach will “probably end in a historical massacre.” He says healthcare workers at his hospital who have tested positive for the virus but are asymptomatic have been advised to continue working. He asked to remain anonymous because “it is frowned upon to speak of the epidemic or to go against the official vision” but said he felt a need to speak out from an “ethical and medical point of view.”

 

Covid-19 causes sudden strokes in young adults, doctors say

https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/us-coronavirus-update-04-22-20/h_d7714f05dc8e434921f5b48ecce4484b

 The novel coronavirus appears to be causing sudden strokes in adults in their 30s and 40s who are not otherwise terribly ill, doctors reported Wednesday.

They said patients may be unwilling to call 911 because they have heard hospitals are overwhelmed by coronavirus cases.

There’s growing evidence that Covid-19 infection can cause the blood to clot unnaturally, and stroke would be an expected consequence of that.

Dr. Thomas Oxley, a neurosurgeon at Mount Sinai Health System in New York, and colleagues gave details of five people they treated. All were under the age of 50, and all had either mild symptoms of Covid-19 infection or no symptoms at all.

Problem of using homeopathic medicines

Why Bill Gates is the focus of the latest coronavirus conspiracy theories

https://www.fastcompany.com/90493469/why-bill-gates-is-the-focus-of-the-latest-coronavirus-conspiracy-theories

 Misinformation about the Microsoft founder and billionaire philanthropist is swirling around online as part of an effort to push an anti-vaccination agenda. 
 

“The Bible says there will be an Antichrist, a man that proclaims to be God, who will try to unite the world in a one-world government with a one-world financial system and establish a one-world religion,” says Pastor Adam Fannin, a controversial Florida preacher who has latched onto the anti-vaccination movement, in a recent YouTube video.

Who is this “man that proclaims to be God”? Fannin is referring to Microsoft founder and famed philanthropist Bill Gates, who has become the latest target of conspiracy theorists and anti-vaccination fringe groups.

In Fannin’s video, which has garnered 1.8 million views, he lambastes Gates for supporting vaccination and suggests that he is working on implantable devices with “digital certificates” and “quantum dot tattoos” that would identify people with COVID-19 and send their information to the United Nations. He goes on to call Gates the Antichrist. In Fannin’s other videos, he makes false claims about vaccines, including that they are “filled with filthy chemicals and aborted fetuses.”

Fannin also claims that Gates wants to use vaccination to “depopulate” the world, a myth that has been around for at least 10 years. As Snopes explains, Gates has said he sees slowing population growth as a key component of helping to lift people out of poverty—one of the goals of his philanthropic efforts. In addition to supporting new healthcare initiatives and birth control accessibility, Gates also touts mass vaccination as a way of lowering child mortality rates. He believes that as child mortality rates lower and stabilize, parents will choose to have fewer kids, because they are less worried their children will die.

“The Great Influenza” John M. Barry in conversation with David Rubenstein

Study finds no benefit, higher death rate in patients taking hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/21/health/hydroxychloroquine-veterans-study/index.html

Coronavirus patients taking hydroxychloroquine, a treatment touted by President Trump, were no less likely to need mechanical ventilation and had higher deaths rates compared to those who did not take the drug, according to a study of hundreds of patients at US Veterans Health Administration medical centers.

The study, which reviewed veterans' medical charts, was posted Tuesday on medrxiv.org, a pre-print server, meaning it was not peer reviewed or published in a medical journal. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the University of Virginia.

Top health official warns of possible ‘second wave’ outbreak in May

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-april-22-2020/

Sigal Sadetsky says Israelis could see higher infection rates and return to stricter measures if social distancing not observed

 

After decline in rate of new infections, Israel records biggest rise in a week

https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-decline-in-rate-of-new-infections-israel-records-biggest-rise-in-a-week/

443 additional COVID-19 cases since Tuesday morning bring total to 14,326, with 187 fatalities; increase comes amid jump in number of tests performed daily

Coronavirus in NY: Yeshivas moving underground to avoid lockdown rules

https://nypost.com/2020/04/21/brooklyn-yeshivas-moving-underground-to-avoid-lockdown-rules/

Brooklyn yeshivas are operating in the shadows to avoid coronavirus lockdown restrictions, according to a report.

The Orthodox Jewish schools are continuing to hold classes in private apartments and in locked buildings throughout Williamsburg, a source told The Forward.

A parent told the publication that their child was attending classes despite Mayor Bill de Blasio’s prohibition on gatherings that violate social distancing orders.

The source said his son attended school in a closed synagogue after a staffer’s relative unlocked a door and let him in.

The Forward also reported seeing screenshots of private messages between parents that revealed the illicit arrangements.

 

Yad Moshe English now available on Amazon as a paperback

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1456332147
Due to the difficulties to publish and distribute it because of virus I have made it available on Amazon. But it is now in paperback not hardcover. Content has not changed

Trump Halts New Green Cards but Backs Off Broader Immigration Ban

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/us/politics/coronavirus-trump-immigration-ban.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage

 After pledging on Twitter to end immigration during the pandemic, President Trump moved to block new green cards but stopped short of ending all work visas.