Sunday,  May 3rd, 2020

Fauci blocked from testifying before House committee The White House confirmed Friday it is blocking Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease who has taken on a prominent role in the Trump administration’s coronavirus response, from testifying before the Democrat-led House Appropriations Committee about the pandemic next week. White House spokesman Judd Deere said “it is counterproductive” to have someone like Fauci, who is heavily involved in the government’s efforts to re-open the American economy and expedite a coronavirus vaccine, step away from those tasks and testify. Deere did say the White House would work with Congress to find a more “appropriate time” for Fauci to testify. Fauci, who at times has dissented from President Trump on certain coronavirus-related matters, will reportedly appear before the Republican-led Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee the following week. Source:  CNN

European countries begin to ease some coronavirus restrictions Coronavirus restrictions continued to ease Saturday in some European countries, including Spain, one of the world’s hardest-hit nations. Adults were allowed outside to exercise for the first time in seven weeks, prompting runners and cyclists to hit the pavement, though social distancing guidelines remain in place. In Madrid, a field hospital set up by the military at a convention center was closed, as was a makeshift morgue established at an ice rink. Spain has more than 213,000 cases of COVID-19 with 24,543 deaths. Elsewhere, museums, zoos, and playgrounds were permitted to open for the first time in several weeks in Germany. Italy will begin loosening some restrictions Monday. Source: BBC

Newsom says California could ease restrictions in a matter of days Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Huntington Beach, south of Los Angeles, on Friday to protest California Gov. Newsom’s (D) decision to close beaches throughout the state as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, claiming the measure was a breach of individual liberties. Many of the protesters were reportedly not wearing masks. But during his Friday press conference, Newsom said he is hopefully just “days” away from lifting some restrictions in California’s stay-at-home order, which is one of the strictest in the country. The governor hinted that restaurants may soon be able to re-open for table service with some safety measures, but people will need to continue to shelter at home in the meantime before any changes come to fruition. Source: Reuters

North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency reports that leader Kim Jong-un attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a fertilizer plant today, in his first official appearance since his disappearance last month. (Reuters)

North and South Korean soldiers exchange gunfire at a South Korean guard post, but no injuries are reported. (Reuters)

At least 10 members of the Popular Mobilization Forces are killed by ISIL militants in attacks in the town of Mekeeshfa and the city of Balad. Iraq and the paramilitary forces’ official media report that scores of others were wounded. (Al Jazeera)

President of Palau Thomas Remengesau Jr. condemns the exclusion of Taiwan from the World Health Organization, saying that it “endangers, not only Taiwanese people, but people everywhere”. Palau remains one of Taiwan’s few political allies in the Pacific. (RNZ)

Inmates take seven guards hostage at a prison in Manaus, Brazil, during an attempted escape. A raid later frees the guards and ends the prisoner’s rebellion. (Global News)

 

Saturday,  May 2nd, 2020

The government of Sudan criminalises female genital mutilation. (The New York Times)

A riot over food shortages at the overcrowded Los Llanos prison in Guanare, Portuguesa, Venezuela, leaves at least 46 people dead and dozens more injured, including the prison’s director, according to the military. (BBC)

Syrian businessman and Syriatel owner Rami Makhlouf makes an “unprecedented” public appeal to his cousin, President Bashar al-Assad, on Facebook, saying a “cadre of officials” are seeking to seize his assets. Makhlouf, who was a part of President al-Assad’s inner circle, says he will pay the President himself but not the state. (The Washington Post)

This Week In Virology

Saturday,  May 2nd, 2020

FDA approves emergency use of remdesivir for COVID-19 treatment  The Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized the emergency use of the antiviral remdesivir on COVID-19 patients. Gilead Sciences revealed promising study results involving remdesivir on Wednesday, and the Trump administration announced the authorization, which sidesteps the usual testing required to approve a drug’s usage, during a Friday Oval Office meeting between President Trump, Health and Human Services Secretary Alexander Azar, FDA commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn, and Gilead Sciences CEO Daniel O’Day. In Gilead’s trial, at least 50 percent of patients treated with remdesivir improved, though the study wasn’t evaluated against a control group, and it’s unclear if those recoveries were natural. As clinical trials continue, doctors can use remdesivir on some patients. O’Day said Gilead is working to rapidly increase its supply. Source: NBC News

Canada bans all assault-style weapons  Canada on Friday banned the use and sale of all assault-style weapons, effective immediately, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced. The ban comes after a deadly shooting in Nova Scotia in April that ended with 22 people dead. The Associated Press writes the ban affects “over 1,500 models and variants of assault-style firearms, including two weapons used by the [Nova Scotia] gunman as well as the AR-15.” Trudeau said the weapons are unnecessary for hunting, and said “There is no use — and no place — for such weapons in Canada.” It is “no longer permitted to buy, sell, transport, import or use military-grade, assault weapons in this country,” said Trudeau, but it is not illegal to own the weapons. Source: The Associated Press

Biden denies Tara Reade’s sexual assault allegation  Former Vice President Joe Biden on Friday addressed for the first time former staffer Tara Reade’s allegation that he sexually assaulted her in 1993. “I want to address allegations by a former staffer that I engaged in misconduct 27 years ago,” Biden said in a statement. “They aren’t true. This never happened.” Biden said Reade’s story “has changed repeatedly in both small and big ways,” and he said he is asking the National Archives to identify a record of a complaint Reade says she filed in the Senate and release it to the press “if there was ever any such complaint.” Biden had been facing calls to personally address Reade’s allegation after his campaign previously denied it. Source: The Washington Post

North Korean state media: Kim Jong Un makes first public appearance in 20 days  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first public appearance in 20 days on Friday, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reports, citing state media. Kim reportedly made his appearance for the completion of a fertilizer plant north of Pyongyang. Kim was out of the public eye for weeks, sparking rumors he was in ill health or even dead. CNN reported in April that the U.S. was monitoring intelligence that Kim was “in grave danger after undergoing a previous surgery,” though South Korean officials disputed that report, saying he was “alive and well” and likely simply mildly sick or “being isolated because of coronavirus concerns.” While North Korean state media reported Kim’s appearance, few details were verifiable regarding his presence or his health. Source: Yonhap News Agency, The Associated Press

 

The End

Friday, May 1st, 2020

U.S. intelligence debunks conspiracy theories claiming COVID-19 is ‘manmade’  The Director of National Intelligence’s office released a statement Thursday concluding the coronavirus is not manmade or a bioweapon, as some conspiracy theories have claimed. However, the DNI’s office is still investigating to figure out exactly where the coronavirus came from. “The Intelligence community concurs with the wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not manmade or genetically modified,” the DNI office’s statement read. But it will continue to “rigorously examine … whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan.” The White House has also reportedly ordered U.S. intelligence to probe whether China hid information about the virus from the rest of the world in its early days. Source: NBC News

NBC News has reported that U.S. intelligence agencies saw early warning signs of a health crisis in Wuhan as far back as November and that the National Center for Medical Intelligence predicted that the coronavirus would cause a global pandemic in February, well before the WHO declared one.

Well if they didn’t get the word out to the public than this is the biggest intelligence failure in history. The intelligence agencies along with half of congress was trying to impeach the President and not focusing on actual national security.

The intelligence agencies along with everybody else just didn’t find this alarming enough in January to warrant making a bigger deal of it then. Saying that they did now in retrospect is disingenuous. One can simply consult the headlines on wikipedia for the dates in question to see what was being said and talked about with any urgency.

January 20th is the first time wikipedia decided to list coronavirus as a headline.

Previous to this all news stories concerning China are concerning other topics. On that particular day the stories linked on wikipedia mention there being 136 infections in China and three deaths and a case in South Korea.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin temporarily steps down after being diagnosed with COVID-19; he will be replaced by Andrey Belousov. (Reuters)

Jobless claims during coronavirus crisis surpass 30 million  The Labor Department said on Thursday that more than 3.8 million additional Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, which brings the six-week total to about 30.3 million. Last week’s total officially meant that all of the job gains since the Great Recession had been wiped out. The latest 30 million number represents roughly 18 percent of the workforce. Thursday’s report came in above the 3.5 million filings economists were expecting, CNBC reports, but is a decrease following the previous week’s 4.4 million new filings. On Wednesday, the Commerce Department said the economy during the first quarter of this year experienced its biggest contraction since the Great Recession, but the worst is expected to come in the second quarter. Source:  NBC News

 

Macy’s announces ambitious plan to reopen 775 stores in 6 to 8 weeks  More than a month after all of its stores were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Macy’s announced on Thursday it plans on reopening each one within the next six to eight weeks. Macy’s is one of the largest department store chains in the United States, and the goal is to reopen 775 Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Bluemercury stores. The company said it is only reopening in areas where state and local governments have lifted restrictions on nonessential businesses, and is expected to open 68 stores in Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas on Monday. There will be social distancing guidelines, and employees will have to wear masks. Beauty counters will not be able to give consultations or have testers out, and a limited number of fitting rooms will be open. Source: The New York Times

 

California closes Orange County beaches and parks  California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Thursday announced an order to temporarily close state beaches and parks in Orange County, effective Friday, to curb spreading of the COVID-19 coronavirus.The move comes after crowds gathered at many Southern California beaches last weekend, and as Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that his city would offer coronavirus testing for anyone who wants it, regardless of whether they have COVID-19 symptoms. Los Angeles County and Orange County have been the hotbed for coronavirus infections in California. “We can reopen very, very quickly but … we’ve got to make sure we get this right,” said Newsom, pledging to work with local officials, some of whom have criticized the move as government overreach. Source: Los Angeles Times

Congressman Justin Amash joins the Libertarian Party and announces his bid for the presidency. This also makes him the first Libertarian in Congress in the party’s 48-year history. (Reason)

NASA officially selects SpaceX, Blue Origin and Dynetics to build its next-generation lunar lander to carry American astronauts to the Moon by 2024. (Reuters)