Joe Rogan Best of week May 17th, 2020

Good stuff. Predictions in May for now. Ventilator Blues. Hilarious. Beach fences. Interesting virus information.

Monday, Aug. 3rd, 2020

Hundreds of people gather and protest in Portland, Oregon, marking the 66th night of protests in the city. (CNN)

U.S. records 1,000 coronavirus deaths for 5th straight day  The United States on Saturday recorded more than 1,000 coronavirus fatalities in the previous 24-hour period for the fifth consecutive day. Data collected by Johns Hopkins University revealed more than 58,000 new infections in that same span. The pandemic has continued to take a toll around the world. South Africa on Saturday surpassed 500,000 cases after recording more than 10,000 in a single day, while the Philippines topped 100,000 infections after medical groups in the country said “we are waging a losing battle against COVID-19.” The Australian state of Victoria, home to Melbourne, declared a state of emergency Sunday and imposed new lockdown measures after a surge in infections despite earlier optimism that the country had successfully contained the virus. Source:  Al Jazeera

Wildfire scorches more than 20,000 acres in Southern California  The Apple fire in Riverside County, California, is still burning out of control, with fire authorities saying on Sunday that it is zero percent contained. So far, the blaze has scorched more than 20,000 acres. It was first reported on Friday evening in Cherry Valley, about 75 miles east of Los Angeles, and is sweeping through rugged terrain and steep hillsides. Fire authorities said the cloud of smoke is so immense that it is generating its own winds. Nearly 8,000 people have been evacuated, and there are more than 1,300 firefighters on the scene. The Apple fire is California’s first major wildfire this year. Source: Los Angeles Times

Crew Dragon Endeavour makes the first splashdown in 45 years after successfully completing Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission. (Space.com)

GOP convention will reportedly be closed to press In an unprecedented move, the scaled-back 2020 Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, will reportedly be closed to the press, although an official said the decision is not final and press coverage options are still being considered for the August event. A conventions spokesperson on Saturday said the decision was the result of “health restrictions and limitations in place within” North Carolina amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Associated Press reporter Zeke Miller, the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, called the decision “ill-advised” since the nomination of President Trump “is very much the business of the American people.” If the rules are not changed, the entire convention still won’t be completely private: A Republican official told CNN that the proceedings on the Monday of the convention, including the vote to formally nominate Trump, will be live-streamed. Source: CNN

 

The End

Joe Rogan Best of week May 17th, 2020

COVID comments at 08:55

Sunday,  Aug 2nd, 2020

China–United States trade war

ByteDance to divest U.S. TikTok operations TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, has agreed to divest the app’s U.S. operations, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Saturday. The report comes a day after President Trump said he would ban the popular app in the United States amid Washington’s concern over ByteDance’s data collection, which the Trump administration believes poses a national security threat. Under the proposed deal, Microsoft would take over U.S. operations. It’s unclear if Trump’s threat was little more than a negotiating tactic to force ByteDance into fully selling the app, rather than retaining a minority stake, as it had preferred. ByteDance’s apparent willingness to make that concession will test whether the president was bluffing. Source: Reuters

The Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates becomes operational following delays since 2017. It is the first commercial nuclear power station in the Arab world. (BBC)

A demonstration against coronavirus restrictions attended by thousands of people in Berlin, Germany, is terminated by police over “non-respect of hygiene rules”. Police say they launched legal action against the organisers. (Al Jazeera)

Officials say at least 86 people have died in recent days due to consuming toxic illegally-made alcohol in Punjab, India. Police are carrying out raids in the state, confiscating supplies of the suspected alcohol and have made 25 arrests. (BBC)

Top Democrats, White House conclude ‘productive’ coronavirus relief talks House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) resumed coronavirus relief negotiations with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on Saturday morning. The four negotiators met for several hours and while the talks didn’t result in anything tangible, Schumer and Meadows both said separately that it was the most productive meeting yet. Congress failed to reach an agreement Friday for the next iteration of the CARES coronavirus relief bill, ending the week of negotiations with frustration on all sides. Discussions will continue Sunday with staff-only meetings, before Pelosi, Schumer, Mnuchin, and Meadows return to the table Monday. Source:  Reuters

England pauses lockdown easing, French cases spike British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Friday it was time to “squeeze the brake pedal” on the easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions in England after an increase in daily new cases for the first time since May. England’s chief medical officer, Prof. Chris Whitty, added that the country has “probably reached near the limit, or the limits, of what we can do in terms of opening up society.” Cases are also on the rise in other European countries, including France, which has seen more than 1,300 new infections per day for the last three days. At the beginning of July, the number of daily new cases in France had dropped to several hundred. It’s been suggested the recent spike is related to increased holiday travel. Source: The Guardian

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