The Vince Coglianese Show

Mornings on the Mall

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Hosts: Vince Coglianese and Mary Walter

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Cal Thomas, Gen. Jack Keane, David Bauer, Charles Claburn and SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza joined WMAL on Wednesday!

 

5am – A/B/C  LATEST NEWS ON NUMBERS AND MODELS:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering changing its guidelines for self-isolation to make it easier for those who have been exposed to someone with the coronavirus to return to work if they are asymptomatic. The public health agency and the White House are considering an announcement as soon as today. Under the proposed guidance, people who are exposed to an infected person would be allowed back on the job if they are asymptomatic, test their temperature twice a day and wear a face mask.

TOP OFFICIALS REALLY HAVEN'T KNOWN ANYTHING FOR SURE... FROM MONDAY... CDC director downplays coronavirus models, says death toll will be 'much lower' than projected: “If we just social distance, we will see this virus and this outbreak basically decline, decline, decline. And I think that's what you're seeing,” said Robert Redfield, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control. “I think you're going to see the numbers are, in fact, going to be much less than what would have been predicted by the models,” he said. [EDS NOTE: The models accounted for mitigation.] [...]  At the same time, Dr. John Brownstein, a Harvard epidemiologist and ABC News contributor, said that Redfield’s comments could mislead Americans into feeling a sense that the disease’s spread is under control. “Projections and models across the board are accounting for a reduction in mobility because of social distancing, so it’s way too soon to declare any kind of victory,” he said. “This is not a moment for people to relax because they feel the models are wrong.”

NY TIMES: How Will We Know When It’s Time to Reopen the Nation? Some cities or states will recover sooner than others. It’s helpful to have criteria by which cities or states could determine they’re ready. A recent report by Scott Gottlieb, Caitlin Rivers, Mark B. McClellan, Lauren Silvis and Crystal Watson staked out some goal posts.

1.) Hospitals in the state must be able to safely treat all patients requiring hospitalization, without resorting to crisis standards of care.

2.) A state needs to be able to test at least everyone who has symptoms. Dr. Gottlieb and colleagues estimate that the nation would need to have the capacity to run 750,000 tests a week — this is after things have calmed down greatly.

3.) The state is able to conduct monitoring of confirmed cases and contacts. This will be a big challenge for most areas. Other countries have relied on cellphone tracking technology to determine whom people have been near. We don’t have anything like that ready, nor is it even clear we’d allow it. The United States also doesn’t have enough people working in public health in many areas to carry out this task. 4.) There must be a sustained reduction in cases for at least 14 days.

New York state recorded 731 new coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, marking its biggest one-day jump in the outbreak. Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the state's death toll since the beginning of the outbreak is now at 5,489. More people have now died from the coronavirus in New York City than perished in the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center. At least 4,009 people have been killed in the City by the virus, according to state officials. The 9/11 attacks, the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil, killed 2,753 people in Manhattan. The alarming number comes even as new hospital admissions have dropped compared to last week. Cuomo said the latest death tally reflects critically ill people hospitalized before this week.

DID SWEDEN GET IT RIGHT? If social isolation worked, wouldn’t Sweden, a Nordic country of 10.1 million people, be seeing the number of COVID-19 cases skyrocket into the tens of thousands, blowing past the numbers in Italy or New York City? As of today, there are 401 reported COVID-19 deaths in Sweden. The really good news is that in Sweden’s ICU census, which is updated every 30 minutes nationwide, admissions to every ICU in the country are flat or declining, and they have been for a week. As of this writing (based on currently available data), most of Sweden’s ICU cases today are elderly, and 77 percent have underlying conditions such as heart disease, respiratory disease, kidney disease, and diabetes. Moreover, there hasn’t been a single pediatric ICU case or death in Sweden — so much for the benefits of shutting down schools everywhere else. There are only 25 COVID-19 ICU admissions among all Swedes under the age of 30.

Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven warns citizens to prepare for THOUSANDS of deaths after global amazement at officials' refusal to order a lockdown amid coronavirus pandemic 

AUSTRIA TO REOPEN:

Austria set to be first European country to ease lockdown. Austria will gradually reopen shops after Easter, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Monday.

April 14: Smaller shops, DIY shops and garden shops

May 1: All shops, shopping centers and hairdressers

Mid-May or later: Restaurants and hotels

 

5am – D         NAVY SECRETARY RESIGNS: The acting Navy secretary, Thomas Modly, has resigned after having admonishing the former captain of the coronavirus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt. Defense Secretary Mark Esper says that Modly resigned of his own accord. Modly had publicly apologized Monday for his criticism of the Roosevelt's skipper, Capt. Brett E. Crozier. He had said last week that Crozier had shown "extremely poor judgment" in widely distributing a letter calling for urgent help with the COVID-19 outbreak aboard the aircraft carrier he was charged with overseeing. Replacing Modly as the Navy's civilian leader will be a Navy veteran, James McPherson, who is currently serving as undersecretary of the Army.

 

5am – E         Black Americans Face Alarming Rates of Coronavirus Infection in Some States:  “This is a call-to-action moment for all of us,” said Lori Lightfoot, the mayor of Chicago, who announced statistics of the outbreak in her city this week. African-Americans account for more than half of those who have tested positive and 72 percent of virus-related fatalities in Chicago, even though they make up a little less than a third of the population. “Those numbers take your breath away, they really do,” said Ms. Lightfoot, who is the city’s first black woman elected as mayor. She added in an interview that the statistics were “among the most shocking things I think I’ve seen as mayor." In Illinois, 43 percent of people who have died from the disease and 28 percent of those who have tested positive are African-Americans, a group that makes up just 15 percent of the state’s population. African-Americans, who account for a third of positive tests in Michigan, represent 40 percent of deaths in that state even though they make up 14 percent of the population. In Louisiana, about 70 percent of the people who have died are black, though only a third of that state’s population is.

 

6am – A         SMALL BUSINESS LOANS:

President Donald Trump on Tuesday pushed to add $250 billion to the new payroll program for small businesses. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said more money is needed for the popular new $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program, which took off with a start last Friday and proved incredibly popular as companies jumped at the chance to tap up to $10 million in forgivable loans to keep paychecks flowing amid the stay-home shutdown. Mnuchin said had requested the funds in private calls to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell said he hopes to get the increased amount through Congress this week, perhaps as early as Thursday.

Senate will vote to pass more small business aid Thursday, McConnell says. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he hopes to approve further funding Thursday to buoy small businesses devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. “I will work with Secretary Mnuchin and Leader Schumer and hope to approve further funding for the Paycheck Protection Program by unanimous consent or voice vote during the next scheduled Senate session on Thursday,” he said in a statement.  Congress late last month approved a $350 billion small business loan program as part of a more than $2 trillion stimulus bill aimed at helping the economy recover from the coronavirus pandemic. The program is aimed at helping small businesses that provide the engine of employment and entrepreneurship in the U.S. economy. 

Small business loan processing platform crashed: report. The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) loan processing platform crashed on Monday and was down for hours, preventing lenders from processing any loans, Bloomberg News reported. The system was back up on Monday afternoon. The SBA did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.  On Friday, the SBA and the Treasury Department rolled out applications for the $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program, designed to provide loans for small businesses to meet payroll and other basic expenses during the coronavirus pandemic. The Trump administration is still struggling to work out the program's kinks, as some banks say they remain unable to access the platform.

6am – B/C     ABORTION BANS DURING THE PANDEMIC: A federal appeals court has sided with Texas in allowing it to ban most abortions while the state is under an emergency order that limits non-essential surgeries during the coronavirus pandemic. A panel of judges at the New Orleans-based Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a decision by a lower court that blocked the ban last week. The ruling allows the ban to stay in place. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott last month ordered hospitals to cancel “non-essential” surgeries in order to free up hospital space and supplies that might be needed for coronavirus patients and doctors.

 

6am – D         INTERVIEW - CAL THOMAS - Syndicated columnist and author of new book "America's Expiration Date: The Fall of Empires and Superpowers . . . and the Future of the United States" 

6am – E         Schiff says acting DNI Grenell improperly overhauling intel community. House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff accused President Donald Trump's top intelligence official Tuesday of undermining "critical intelligence functions" by keeping Congress in the dark about organizational changes he's been implementing. "This effort appears to be proceeding despite the Coronavirus pandemic and amid indications ... of political interference in the production and dissemination of intelligence," Schiff wrote in a four-page letter to acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell. Schiff emphasized that under Grenell's management, every Senate-appointed official in the DNI's hierarchy had been removed. And Congress, he said, had not been consulted about the intelligence or national security implications of the changes. "President Trump did not nominate you for confirmation as permanent DNI," Schiff wrote, "and it would be inappropriate for you to pursue any additional leadership, organizational or staffing changes to ODNI during your temporary tenure."

Senior Intel Officials Criticize Adam Schiff’s Letter To Director Richard Grenell, Pressing Him Over ODNI Personnel Changes. One intelligence official noted that letters sent to ODNI by the Senate Intelligence Committee include signatures from both Chairman Richard Burrand Ranking Member Mark Warner and, often times, additional Senators from both parties. Schiff’s letter, the official pointed out, was sent from his office alone, without the notarization of Ranking Member Devin Nunes. “The [ODNI] staffers are so sick and tired of [Schiff] politicizing the intelligence community for his own gain,” the official told Daily Caller. “Notice how he sent the letter to the media before he sent it to ODNI.” [...]  In addition to the personnel concerns, Schiff’s letter highlights President Donald Trump’s recent firing of former Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson and alleged actions taken by an ODNI staff member involving classified information on election security. Schiff wrote Grenell that the House Intelligence Committee would be investigating both matters, urged him against attempting to interfere in either probe, and asked him to turn over any relevant documents on the two issues by April 16.

 

6am – F         NEW WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Kayleigh McEnany replaces Stephanie Grisham as White House press secretary. Trump campaign spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany is replacing White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who will return to the East Wing as First Lady Melania Trump's chief of staff, according to two sources familiar with the situation.

 

7am – A/B/C INTERVIEW - INTERVIEW - General Jack Keane - retired Four star general, Fox News Senior Strategic Analyst and chairman of the Institute for the Study of War.

NAVY SECRETARY RESIGNS: The acting Navy secretary, Thomas Modly, has resigned after having admonishing the former captain of the coronavirus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt. Defense Secretary Mark Esper says that Modly resigned of his own accord.

WHO FUNDING: President Trump said he would "put a hold" on U.S. funding for the World Health Organization, before later backtracking and claiming, "I'm not saying I'm going to do it." Trump made the comments at a White House press briefing as deaths and infections across the country continue to rise. Trump at first announced he would be cutting off U.S. funding to the organization. But when pressed on whether it was the right time, given the current worldwide pandemic crisis, he told reporters he was only considering it.

Graham backs Trump, vows no money for WHO in next funding bill

WHO’s bows to Beijing have harmed the global response to the pandemic.

TWEET: Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump: The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look. Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on. Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?

           

7am – D         INTERVIEW - David Bauer - president and CEO of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association – discussed why NOW is the best time to be fixing roads.

 

7am – E         LOCAL NEWS:

Northam To Postpone Action On Teacher Raises, Tuition Freeze. RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam plans to delay some long-sought Democratic priorities until more is known about how the pandemic will affect the economy, pushing back decisions on whether to give teachers and state workers raises, freeze in-state college tuition, and implement other new spending in the budget lawmakers passed only last month. Clark Mercer, the governor’s chief of staff, said Tuesday that too little is known about the impact on state revenues to move ahead now with billions of dollars in new spending, much of which would carry over into future years. “We’ve got to wait for the fog to lift to make budget decisions informed by facts and data,” Mercer said. He said the governor, a Democrat, is likely to request a budget reforecast this summer before calling lawmakers back for a special session this year to adjust spending priorities based on the new numbers.

The pandemic is pounding state governments nationwide with a one-two punch, costing them millions in containment efforts just as businesses shut down and tax revenue collapses.

Virginia’s House of Delegates will reconvene at the end of the month, but this time outside. Members of Virginia’s House of Delegates have agreed to reconvene on April 22, but lawmakers will meet outside to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus, according to a spokesman for House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn. “It is the Speaker’s preference, out of deep concern for the health and safety of membership, staff, and the public that the session be outdoors, with a contingency option for an inside location,” wrote spokesman for Filler-Corn Jake Rubenstein in an email to WAMU. The meeting would be an exception to Virginia’s emergency order that bans gatherings of more than 10 people.

District braces for massive budget cuts as a result of Coronavirus pandemic. MARYLAND (WMAL) – The District of Columbia’s being hit hard financially by the Coronavirus pandemic. Friday Mayor Muriel Bowser signed an order that freezes hiring, salary increases and travel for most government employees. She said there will be exceptions, including the Coronavirus response, public safety, human services and school staffing. Bowser said $607 million dollars will need to be cut from the budget for the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.

 

8am – A/B/CINTERVIEW - CHARLES CLABURN - 30 year veteran trucker based in Mississippi -- shared the real life experience of truckers helping keep the supply chain together during the coronavirus pandemic.

 

8am – D         INTERVIEW - SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza – discussed what small businesses need to know about the government's new forgivable loan program.

 

8am – E         FOX NEWS IN DC GETS A CORONAVIRUS CASE: Fox News Washington, DC, employee hospitalized with coronavirus. (The Hill) -  Fox News announced in an internal memo obtained by The Hill that an employee in its Washington, D.C., bureau has tested positive for the novel coronavirus and is currently hospitalized. The memo comes as almost all anchors, hosts and guests on the network have been broadcasting from home, which is the case across much of cable and broadcast news. "As soon as we learned of the test result, we contacted all staff who may have been impacted and mandated that the employee’s direct co-workers/team begin self-quarantining for the appropriate period of time since last contact at the direction of our medical professionals," wrote Bryan Boughton, senior vice president of the Fox News Washington Bureau. "We have been deep cleaning all areas affected and will be continuing all disinfecting efforts throughout the entire bureau."

KENNEDY CENTER: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has struck a deal with members of the National Symphony Orchestra after attempting to halt salary payments to the musicians. The organization's decision ignited a furor because it came just hours after President Donald Trump signed a stimulus package that sent the Kennedy Center $25 million. Tuesday's move is an attempt to quell the anger. The District of Columbia Federation of Musicians, the union that represents the orchestra members, announced to its 96 members on Tuesday morning that it had reached a deal to avoid unpaid furloughs stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Under the terms of the new agreement, musicians will take a partial pay cut as long as the Kennedy Center remains closed. They will also accept a wage freeze for the remainder of the calendar year.

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Mornings on the Mall Podcast - 2020-4-8

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[04:00:43] 8:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

INTERVIEW - HANS VON SPAKOVSKY - senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, Manager, Election Law Reform Initiative and former commissioner for the Federal Election Commission from 2006 to 2007

WISCONSIN PRIMARY STILL A GO TODAY: Wisconsin’s primary election will take place on Tuesday after the state supreme court overruled Governor Tony Evers’ effort to delay the election out of concern about spreading the coronavirus with voters at the polls. Evers had the backing from mayors of ten large Wisconsin cities to postpone the election to June 9. The U.S. Supreme Court weighed in Monday night saying absentee ballots must be submitted in person or postmarked by Tuesday to be counted. That ruling overturns a lower court decision to extend the deadline for six days as a result of the coronavirus. 15 states have delayed primary elections as a result of COVID-19.

DEMS PUSH FOR ALL-MAIL ELECTION: RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel: Democrats' coronavirus voting plan – this is the way to undermine democracy House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and former Vice President Joe Biden say we must throw election integrity to the wayside in favor of an all-mail election, fundamentally changing how Americans vote in eight months. The overhaul would vastly expand opportunities for fraud and weaken confidence in our elections, but all Washington Democrats see is a potential benefit for their party. Pelosi says she needs $4 billion, at the height of the pandemic, to "really democratize our whole system.” Pardon those of us who thought we already had democratic elections.

INTERVIEW – NEWT GINGRICH – Former Speaker of the House, host of “Newt’s World” podcast and author of book “Trump Vs. China: Facing America’s Greatest Threat” and author of new book "Shakedown" (a novel)

Italy unveils plans for ENDING lockdown: Health minister announces 'phase two' will involve more testing and continued social distancing - as nation records its lowest daily death toll for two weeks

INTERVIEW - BETHANY MANDEL - local journalist and founder of Kosher-19

Local Journalist Bethany Mandel has started an organization called Kosher-19, which raises money and sends Kosher pizza and meals to hospitals so Jewish health care professionals can keep kosher while working through the Covid-19 pandemic. The food that is sent is meant for all but allows kosher keeping Jews to partake as well. Bethany started this as a way to not only provide kosher meals but to also support kosher restaurants. She is based in Maryland. Www.kosher19.com is the website. https://www.gofundme.com/f/kosher19-feed-our-healthcare-workers

INTERVIEW - PETE SNYDER - Virginia entrepreneur / va30dayfund.com

Entrepreneur starts fund to help Va. businesses until federal aid arrives. RICHMOND — A Northern Virginia technology entrepreneur and potential contender for governor has created a fund to help small businesses weather the coronavirus crisis until federal funds arrive. Pete Snyder and his wife, Burson, have donated $100,000 in “seed money” to create the nonprofit Virginia 30 Day Fund, which is intended to help businesses meet payroll, preserve health-care coverage for workers and avoid layoffs while awaiting the federal aid expected to arrive in about a month. The fund will provide up to $3,000 to each approved small business. Recipients do not have to repay the money, but if they eventually are in a position to do so, it will be directed to another qualified business. Snyder said business and philanthropic leaders also are planning donations to the fund, which will “greatly expand” its reach. “While the small-business assistance on its way from the Trump administration is crucial, it is clear that many need help to survive and retain their employees while they await that relief,” Snyder said. Snyder, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in 2013, has been publicly considering a run for governor in 2021. He said the fund has no connection to any political plans. “This is a time for us to be helping each other,” he said. “There are other days for politics, but today is not one.”  To apply to Snyder’s fund, a business must fill out a one-page form at va30dayfund.com and submit a video no more than three minutes long about the enterprise and its employees. Applications will be evaluated by volunteers with MBAs from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, as well as “some of the top business minds from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,” Snyder said. Businesses will get an answer in three days, he said, and those approved “can expect an immediate transfer of funds.” Qualifying businesses must be based in Virginia, have operated for at least a year, employ three to 30 people and be owned and operated by a Virginia resident.

Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Hosts: Vince Coglianese and Mary Walter

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Pete Snyder, Newt Gingrich, Bethany Mandel, Hans Von Spakovsky joined WMAL on Tuesday!

 

5am – A/B/CCALLS FOR MODLY TO RESIGN OVER FIRING USS ROOSEVELT CAPTAIN: There’s a call for the resignation of acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly after he relieved Captain Brett Crozier of the USS Roosevelt for requesting help for 137 crewmembers who had tested positive for the coronavirus. Modly told the crew the captain was “too naïve or stupid” when Crozier didn’t follow standard procedures to report his concern. 17 Democratic senators want an investigation into the dismissal and Adam Smith (D-WA), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee has called for Modly’s dismissal.  https://www.businessinsider.com/lawmakers-say-acting-navy-secretary-should-be-fired-or-resign-2020-4

FIRST REPORTED BY THE DAILY CALLER... ‘Too Naive Or Too Stupid To Be CO’: Leaked Speech Transcript Shows Acting Navy Secretary Modly Trashing Fired Carrier Captain To Group Of Sailors. Acting Secretary to the Navy Thomas Modly flew to Guam Monday and delivered a fiery speech to the sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt after their captain was fired over a leaked letter pleading for those infected with coronavirus. The speech, a transcript of which was obtained by the Daily Caller, backs the decision to relieve Capt. Brett Crozier of his duties. Modly called the letter, which begged the Navy to send resources and help to at least 100 sailors on board who have the virus, a “betrayal of trust.” “If he [Crozier] didn’t think, in my opinion, that this information [the letter] wasn’t going to get out into the public, in this day and information age that we live in, then he was either A, too naive or too stupid to be a commanding officer of a ship like this. The alternative is that he did this on purpose,” Modly said, adding that the letter had “sensitive information” about the condition of the aircraft carrier. [...]

Recording: When Acting Navy Sec Thomas Modly Called Crozier ‘Stupid,’ Sailors Can Be Heard Shouting ‘What The F***’

Trump Signals He Will ‘Get Involved’ In Case Of Fired USS Theodore Roosevelt Captain. Trump, speaking at the daily White House coronavirus task force briefing, called Modly’s comments a “rough statement.” “I haven’t heard it exactly,” Trump explained before noting that Cozier not have “sent” and “leaked” his original letter, begging for coronavirus supplies to support the more than 100 positive cases onboard the ship. “I have heard very good things about both gentlemen,” the president continued. “I may look into it only from the standpoint that something should be resolved.” “You have two good people and they were arguing,” he added. “I am good at settling arguments.” Trump further stated that it was “unfair” to the families of the service members for Cozier to send his original letter and that it “shows weakness.” “The letter shouldn’t have been said, but with all that said, his career prior to that was very good,” he explained. “I’m going to get involved and see exactly what’s going on there because I don’t want to destroy someone for having a bad day.”

THEN... Modly Issues Apology To The Navy, CPT Crozier And USS Roosevelt Crew: “I want to apologize to the Navy for my recent comments to the crew of the TR. Let me be clear, I do not think Captain Brett Crozier is naïve nor stupid. I think, and always believed him to be the opposite. We pick our carrier commanding officers with great care. Captain Crozier is smart and passionate,” Modly began. Modly went on to say that he believed CPT Crozier had intended for his letter to reach the public domain, thus drawing attention to the situation on board the Theodore Roosevelt. “I also want to apologize directly to Captain Crozier, his family, and the entire crew of the Theodore Roosevelt for any pain my remarks may have caused,” Modly concluded. “They, and the entire Navy, have my full commitment that I will continue to help get the TR back to full health and back to sea where we can move forward beyond this unfortunate situation.”

TRUMP HINTS AT GETTING INVOLVED IN USS ROOSEVELT SPAT. Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly appeared to worsen the situation when he gave a surprise speech to sailors on the USS Theodore Roosevelt and called ousted Captain Brett Cozier "too naïve or too stupid" to be a commanding officer of a ship like this, Reuters reported. Modly later issued an apology to the Navy and Crozier and said, "Let me be clear, I do not think Captain Brett Cozier is naive nor stupid. I think, and always believed him to be the opposite. We pick our carrier commanding officers with great care. Captain Crozier is smart and passionate."

 

5am – D         Detroit rep says hydroxychloroquine, Trump helped save her life amid COVID-19 fight. LANSING – A Democratic state representative from Detroit is crediting hydroxychloroquine — and Republican President Donald Trump who touted the drug — for saving her in her battle with the coronavirus. State Rep. Karen Whitsett, who learned Monday she has tested positive for COVID-19, said she started taking hydroxychloroquine on March 31, prescribed by her doctor, after both she and her husband sought treatment for a range of symptoms on March 18. "It was less than two hours" before she started to feel relief, said Whitsett, who had experienced shortness of breath, swollen lymph nodes, and what felt like a sinus infection. She is still experiencing headaches, she said. [...] "It has a lot to do with the president ... bringing it up," Whitsett said. "He is the only person who has the power to make it a priority." Asked whether she thinks Trump may have saved her life, Whitsett said: "Yes, I do," and "I do thank him for that."

FLASHBACK: LAST WEEK: Michigan Gov. Whitmer reverses course on coronavirus drugs, is now asking feds for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer drew fire from some on the right after the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) sent a letter last week threatening "administrative action" against doctors who prescribed two experimental drugs that could potentially help coronavirus patients. The Whitmer administration has since removed the language threatening doctors from the letter and is now asking the federal government to send shipments of the drugs, Bridge magazine reports. The Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency authorization for the antimalarial drugs hydroxychloroquine sulfate and chloroquine phosphate on Saturday.

Michigan governor slammed by home-state paper over leadership during crisis. An editorial in The Detroit News slammed Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, accusing her of playing politics during the coronavirus pandemic. “Gov. Gretchen Whitmer must send an unequivocal message to her constituents that Michigan is her priority in this hour of crisis,” the editorial, which was published on Saturday, said. “Her running feud with President Donald Trump calls into question whether she's acting in the best interests of this state, or on behalf of the Democratic Party.”  “Unfortunately she's sending conflicting signals about her priorities and motivations,” the article continued. Whitmer, like her counterparts in other states, has seen her profile rise in recent weeks as the nation’s leaders coordinate response efforts to the coronavirus pandemic.

 

5am – E         Scoop: Inside the epic White House fight over hydroxychloroquine. (Axios/Jonathan Swan) -  The White House coronavirus task force had its biggest fight yet on Saturday, pitting economic adviser Peter Navarro against infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci. At issue: How enthusiastically should the White House tout the prospects of an antimalarial drug to fight COVID-19?

Behind the scenes: This drama erupted into an epic Situation Room showdown. Trump's coronavirus task force gathered in the White House Situation Room on Saturday at about 1:30pm, according to four sources familiar with the conversation. Vice President Mike Pence sat at the head of the table.

Numerous government officials were at the table, including Fauci, coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx, Jared Kushner, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, and Commissioner of Food and Drugs Stephen Hahn.

Toward the end of the meeting, Hahn began a discussion of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which Trump believes could be a "game-changer" against the coronavirus. Then Navarro got up. He brought over a stack of folders and dropped them on the table. People started passing them around. "And the first words out of his mouth are that the studies that he's seen, I believe they're mostly overseas, show 'clear therapeutic efficacy,'" said a source familiar with the conversation. "Those are the exact words out of his mouth."

Navarro's comments set off a heated exchange about how the Trump administration and the president ought to talk about the malaria drug, which Fauci and other public health officials stress is unproven to combat COVID-19.  Fauci pushed back against Navarro, saying that there was only anecdotal evidence that hydroxychloroquine works against the coronavirus.

'I'm a SOCIAL scientist!' White House adviser boasts about his credentials after shouting at Anthony Fauci that there was 'scientific' proof of unproven malaria drug as a coronavirus 'cure.' (Daily Mail) - Peter Navarro, Donald Trump's economic adviser, said Monday that he is qualified to weigh in on the effectiveness of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine on coronavirus because he is a social scientist. 'Doctors disagree about things all the time,' Navarro said when asked on CNN Monday morning why he is better qualified to talk about the drug's effectiveness on COVID-19 than Dr. Anthony Fauci. 'My qualifications in terms of looking at the science is that I'm a social scientist,' he continued. 'I have a PhD, and I understand how to read statistical studies, whether it's in medicine, the law, economics or whatever.'  Navarro, 70, earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1972, a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1979 and went on to obtain a PhD in Economics from Harvard in 1986.

 

6am – A/B/C CNN's Anderson Cooper accuses Trump of 'hijacking' White House presser, trashes his response to outbreak. (Fox News) - CNN anchor Anderson Cooper had some harsh words for President Trump on Monday night, accusing him of "hijacking" his own White House coronavirus task force press briefing. "If you tuned into it hoping you were going to hear from the country's top scientists, you were likely disappointed," Cooper began. "What you mostly heard was the president. And what you saw was a hijacking. A hijacking of the task force press conference by a president determined to rewrite the history of his early and reprehensibly irresponsible response to this virus. What the president showed us today is what the nation's top scientists have to deal with every day- a president who now uses these briefings as a reelection platform, an opportunity to lie, to deflect, to attack, to bully, and cover-up his own deadly dismissals of the virus for crucial weeks." The CNN anchor condemned Trump for his treatment of reporters who were "attacked and belittled" and defended the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General Christi Grimm, an Obama-era government official who released a report documenting widespread medical supply and testing availability shortages among hospitals. "I just have to point out that this is not normal and it matters because this is life or death," Cooper scolded the president.

 

6am – D         INTERVIEW - PETE SNYDER - Virginia entrepreneur / va30dayfund.com

Entrepreneur starts fund to help Va. businesses until federal aid arrives. RICHMOND — A Northern Virginia technology entrepreneur and potential contender for governor has created a fund to help small businesses weather the coronavirus crisis until federal funds arrive. Pete Snyder and his wife, Burson, have donated $100,000 in “seed money” to create the nonprofit Virginia 30 Day Fund, which is intended to help businesses meet payroll, preserve health-care coverage for workers and avoid layoffs while awaiting the federal aid expected to arrive in about a month. The fund will provide up to $3,000 to each approved small business. Recipients do not have to repay the money, but if they eventually are in a position to do so, it will be directed to another qualified business. Snyder said business and philanthropic leaders also are planning donations to the fund, which will “greatly expand” its reach. “While the small-business assistance on its way from the Trump administration is crucial, it is clear that many need help to survive and retain their employees while they await that relief,” Snyder said. Snyder, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in 2013, has been publicly considering a run for governor in 2021. He said the fund has no connection to any political plans. “This is a time for us to be helping each other,” he said. “There are other days for politics, but today is not one.”  To apply to Snyder’s fund, a business must fill out a one-page form at va30dayfund.com and submit a video no more than three minutes long about the enterprise and its employees. Applications will be evaluated by volunteers with MBAs from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, as well as “some of the top business minds from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,” Snyder said. Businesses will get an answer in three days, he said, and those approved “can expect an immediate transfer of funds.” Qualifying businesses must be based in Virginia, have operated for at least a year, employ three to 30 people and be owned and operated by a Virginia resident.

6am – E         ELECTION NEWS:

WISCONSIN PRIMARY STILL A GO TODAY: Wisconsin’s primary election will take place on Tuesday after the state supreme court overruled Governor Tony Evers’ effort to delay the election out of concern about spreading the coronavirus with voters at the polls. Evers had the backing from mayors of ten large Wisconsin cities to postpone the election to June 9. The U.S. Supreme Court weighed in Monday night saying absentee ballots must be submitted in person or postmarked by Tuesday to be counted. That ruling overturns a lower court decision to extend the deadline for six days as a result of the coronavirus. 15 states have delayed primary elections as a result of COVID-19.

DEMS PUSH FOR ALL-MAIL ELECTION: RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel: Democrats' coronavirus voting plan – this is the way to undermine democracy. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and former Vice President Joe Biden say we must throw election integrity to the wayside in favor of an all-mail election, fundamentally changing how Americans vote in eight months. The overhaul would vastly expand opportunities for fraud and weaken confidence in our elections, but all Washington Democrats see is a potential benefit for their party. Pelosi says she needs $4 billion, at the height of the pandemic, to "really democratize our whole system.” Pardon those of us who thought we already had democratic elections.

Flashback in March: Trump says mail-in ballot measures meant 'you'd never have a Republican elected in this country again'  PUBLISHED: 13:13 EDT, 30 March 2020. Donald Trump admitted that if the nation adhered to Democrat's proposed mail-in voting then Republican candidates would never be elected again. 'They had things – levels of voting that if you ever agreed to it you'd never have a Republican elected in this country again,' Trump said, referencing measures Democrats tried to get included in the coronavirus economic relief package. 'They had things in there about election days, and what you do, and all sorts of clawbacks and they had things that were just totally crazy, and had nothing to do with workers that lost their jobs, & companies that we have to save,' the president continued during a phone-in interview with Fox & Friends Monday morning.       

7am – A         INTERVIEW – NEWT GINGRICH – Former Speaker of the House, host of “Newt’s World” podcast and author of book “Trump Vs. China: Facing America’s Greatest Threat” and author of new book "Shakedown" (a novel)

Italy unveils plans for ENDING lockdown: Health minister announces 'phase two' will involve more testing and continued social distancing - as nation records its lowest daily death toll for two weeks

 

7am – B/C     BIDEN NEWS:

Donald Trump says he had 'really wonderful and warm' talks with Joe Biden on the coronavirus crisis after 2020 Democrat slammed his  administration's response

Alyssa Milano Says Joe Biden Deserves ‘Due Process’ In Sexual Assault Allegation. Actress Alyssa Milano defended former Vice President Joe Biden amid accusations of sexual misconduct, saying that he deserves due process. Milano supported independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2016 and has since endorsed Biden in the 2020 Democratic primary. She shared a video Monday — from her recent interview on “Andy Cohen Live” — explaining why, despite the accusations and her activism in the #metoo movement, she still supports Biden and will not be withdrawing her endorsement. [...] And Milano did appear to have a very different approach to “due process” when it came to the nomination — and eventual confirmation — of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

 

7am – D         SPORTS NEWS:

Sports continues to change schedules as a result of COVID-19 concerns, although the April 23-25 NFL draft will take place as planned, only it will be done online with team executives making bids from their homes and offices, rather than gathering in Las Vegas. The British Open, golf’s oldest championship, is being delayed for a year with a July, 2021 match set for the UK’s Royal St. Georges. The cancelation hasn’t occurred since 1945. 

MLB talks May return, hosting all games in Arizona without fans amid coronavirus: reports. Major League Baseball has discussed a plan on Monday that would have the season start as early as May, with all games played in the state of Arizona at empty ballparks amid the coronavirus outbreak, according to multiple reports. The plan -- still in its early stages -- reportedly has the support of high-ranking federal public health officials who believe it can safely operate during the coronavirus pandemic. It's embraced as the most likely option so far by the MLB and Players Association leadership, who started discussing it in multiple phone calls on Monday, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan. Although it reportedly still has many obstacles to overcome.

2020 NFL Draft will proceed in fully virtual format. Commissioner Roger Goodell informed all 32 NFL clubs that the 2020 NFL Draft would proceed in a fully virtual format in a memo sent out Monday obtained by NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. League and club facilities are set to remain closed indefinitely, to ensure the NFL is in compliance with current regulations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and therefore clubs were advised to prepare to conduct the draft outside of their facilities. Team personnel were furthermore advised to be in separate locations, using phone and the internet to communicate. Pelissero reported, per sources, the league informed a group of general managers it was proceeding with plans for a virtual draft during a conference call Friday.

 

 

7am – E         BORIS JOHNSON IN THE ICU:

Hospitalized with the coronavirus on Sunday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved to the intensive care unit as his condition has worsened. His office says Johnson has deputized Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to handle duties where necessary. Johnson was diagnosed with the coronavirus on March 27.

 

8am – A         INTERVIEW - BETHANY MANDEL - local journalist and founder of Kosher-19

Local Journalist Bethany Mandel has started an organization called Kosher-19, which raises money and sends Kosher pizza and meals to hospitals so Jewish health care professionals can keep kosher while working through the Covid-19 pandemic. The food that is sent is meant for all but allows kosher keeping Jews to partake as well. Bethany started this as a way to not only provide kosher meals but to also support kosher restaurants. She is based in Maryland. Www.kosher19.com is the website. https://www.gofundme.com/f/kosher19-feed-our-healthcare-workers

 

8am – B/C     DEM GOVS IN HOT SPOTS PRAISE TRUMP:

President Trump has agreed to York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s request to begin using the 1,000-bed hospital ship USNS Comfort for treatment of COVID-19 patients as a way to ease the strain on New York hospitals. Cuomo says there’s not a lot of non-coronavirus patients in the hospital system. During a Monday news conference Cuomo says the apex of coronavirus cases could be occurring due to a leveling off in the number of reported deaths (599 on Monday, 594 on Sunday and 630 on Saturday).

"They're very happy, every one of them" -- Trump on how all of the state governors are loving the job he's doing

Cuomo: 'Good signs' suggest 'possible flattening of curve' in NY

CUOMO: ‘We Don’t Need Any Additional Ventilators Right Now’. Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that the state does not need additional ventilators “right now.” In a change from his pleas for ventilators for New York coronavirus patients, Cuomo told members of the press on Monday that “we don’t need any additional ventilators right now.”

HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE WORKING??: Thousands of NY COVID patients are being treated with anti-malarial drug

CUOMO: asking federal government to increase hydroxychloroquine supply because there is some evidence that it appears to be working

 

8am – D         INTERVIEW - HANS VON SPAKOVSKY - senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, Manager, Election Law Reform Initiative and former commissioner for the Federal Election Commission from 2006 to 2007

WISCONSIN PRIMARY STILL A GO TODAY: Wisconsin’s primary election will take place on Tuesday after the state supreme court overruled Governor Tony Evers’ effort to delay the election out of concern about spreading the coronavirus with voters at the polls. Evers had the backing from mayors of ten large Wisconsin cities to postpone the election to June 9. The U.S. Supreme Court weighed in Monday night saying absentee ballots must be submitted in person or postmarked by Tuesday to be counted. That ruling overturns a lower court decision to extend the deadline for six days as a result of the coronavirus. 15 states have delayed primary elections as a result of COVID-19.

DEMS PUSH FOR ALL-MAIL ELECTION: RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel: Democrats' coronavirus voting plan – this is the way to undermine democracy House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and former Vice President Joe Biden say we must throw election integrity to the wayside in favor of an all-mail election, fundamentally changing how Americans vote in eight months. The overhaul would vastly expand opportunities for fraud and weaken confidence in our elections, but all Washington Democrats see is a potential benefit for their party. Pelosi says she needs $4 billion, at the height of the pandemic, to "really democratize our whole system.” Pardon those of us who thought we already had democratic elections.

 

 

 

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Mornings on the Mall Podcast - 2020-4-7

[00:00:00] 5:00 am - Mornings on the Mall

[01:00:16] 6:00 am - Mornings on the Mall

[02:00:25] 7:00 am - Mornings on the Mall

[03:00:36] 8:00 am - Mornings on the Mall

INTERVIEW - SHARON GLASGOW - co-owner of Glasgow Farm in Fredericksburg, Virginia, now she’s regularly hosting drive-in church sermons at her property.

Sharon Glasgow April 4 at 1:46 PM: Drive-In Church 2-3PM every Sunday till quarantine lifts. We’ll be raising a hallelujah at two services Easter Sunday! 2-3pm and 4-5pm-Invite friends!! He is RISEN- we have reason to CELEBRATE ! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1921212258011703&set=a.242626129203666&type=3

Stafford farm and wedding venue holds "drive-through" church. (THE FREE LANCE–STAR) -- Social distancing and restrictions against gatherings of more than 10 people means that most churches have had to shut their doors in response to the coronavirus outbreak. “So many people feel hopeless and discouraged right now,” said Sharon Glasgow. “Christ is truly the only one who can encourage them.” Sharon and her husband, Dale, own a farm and wedding venue in the Hartwood area of Stafford County. Recognizing that many people would miss the comfort of gathering together for worship, the Glasgows decided to host a drive-in church service this past weekend. “We knew we had parking for a large amount of people,” Sharon Glasgow said. “We had the sound system. And we found a worship leader.” Twenty-four hours before the service, which was held Sunday afternoon, the Glasgows posted information about their plans on Facebook and Instagram. “Those are the only two ways people knew about it, and we still had 63 cars there,” Sharon Glasgow said. Worship leader Becca Griffiths presided over the non-denominational Christian service. She drew from Psalm 91, which reads, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ ... He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.”

INTERVIEW - DREW HARWELL - a technology reporter for The Washington Post covering artificial intelligence and the algorithms changing our lives. 

WashPost: Thousands of Zoom video calls left exposed on open Web. Many of the videos include personally identifiable information and deeply intimate conversations, recorded in people’s homes. The Washington Post’s Drew Harwell reports: Thousands of personal Zoom videos have been left viewable on the open Web, highlighting the privacy risks to millions of Americans as they shift many of their personal interactions to video calls in an age of social distancing. Many of the videos appear to have been recorded through Zoom’s software and saved onto online storage space without a password. But because Zoom names every video recording in an identical way, a simple online search can reveal a long stream of videos that anyone can download and watch. Videos viewed by The Post included one-on-one therapy sessions; a training orientation for workers doing telehealth calls, which included people’s names and phone numbers; small-business meetings, which included private company financial statements; and elementary-school classes, in which children’s faces, voices and personal details were exposed.  Many of the videos include personally identifiable information and deeply intimate conversations, recorded in people’s homes. Other videos include nudity, such as one in which an aesthetician teaches students how to give a Brazilian wax. Five people identified in the videos and interviewed by The Post said they had no idea how the footage made its way online.

INTERVIEW - JOE DIGENOVA - legal analyst and former U.S Attorney to the District of Columbia 

Trump Fires Intelligence IG Who Told Congress About ‘Credible’ Whistleblower Complaint. President Donald Trump has fired the man who notified Congress that a whistleblower had concerns about a telephone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump notified both the House and Senate intelligence committees Friday about his decision to fire Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG) Michael Atkinson, who precipitated an impeachment inquiry when he relayed anonymous whistleblower testimony that the president’s conversation with Zelensky sought an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden in return for delivering military assistance.

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, April 6, 2020

Hosts: Vince Coglianese and Mary Walter

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Joe diGenova, Washington Post’s Drew Harwell and Sharon Glasgow joined WMAL on Monday!

 

5am – A/B/CActual Hospitalizations for Coronavirus Significantly Lower than Projections in Model. (Breitbart News) -- The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) model cited by White House Coronavirus Task Force officials appears to dramatically overstate the hospitalization of patients with coronavirus in the United States when the model’s projections are compared to actual data, a Breitbart News analysis finds. Breitbart News compared projections of the number of regular hospital beds needed to treat coronavirus patients made in the Friday, April 3 iteration of the IHME model for nine states to the actual number of cumulative hospitalizations (a number that includes current regular bed hospitalizations, current ICU hospitalizations, previously hospitalized and released patients, and previously hospitalized and deceased patients) reported by the respective health departments in those states as of Thursday, April 2.

New York Gov. Cuomo Reports A Drop In Number Of Deaths, But Warns It May Be A 'Blip' (NPR) -- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Sunday that for the first time in days, the state has seen the daily number of deaths, hospitalizations and intubations as a result of COVID-19 decrease. More patients are also being discharged from hospitals. "There's something a little bit different in the data today," Cuomo said, as state officials reported 594 new deaths on Sunday, down from 630 on Saturday. The governor stressed it was still too early to tell what that means for the long term. "We're not really a hundred percent sure what the significance is, as we're feeling our way through this." It's possible, he cautioned, that the drop me simply be a "blip.” New York has become the epicenter of the battle against the coronavirus in the United States, with more than 122,000 cases in the state and 4,159 deaths. The scale of the crisis and Cuomo's handling of it has pushed him to the fore as one of the leading voices during the crisis, often talking not just to New Yorkers, but to the nation as well.

IHME STILL WAY OVERESTIMATING NY HOSPITAL BEDS... (Hot Air) - Hope: Has New York State Begun To Turn The Corner Early On Coronavirus?

How do these actual numbers match up with the IHME model of the epidemic that reportedly heavily influenced the White House’s own model? It depends on what you’re measuring. IHME’s forecast of the daily death toll has been quite accurate so far. [...]

If anything, the model has underestimated deaths so far: On April 3 IHME projected 538 deaths from COVID-19 in New York State whereas the actual death roll was nearly 100 higher, beyond even the upper bound of the IHME’s range of likely fatalities for that day. Higher-than-expected numbers recently would make sense if in fact New York is peaking now instead of five days from now, as IHME’s forecast imagined, but it’d be hard to square an early peak with the social distancing measures that NYS has put it in place. Flattening the curve is supposed to delay the peak of the epidemic, not accelerate it, and to reduce the number of deaths during the peak. Right now New York may be peaking early — while also holding the number of peak deaths down from IHME’s projection of 855. How to reconcile that?

If you’re looking at hospitalizations instead of deaths, then IHME is way, way, waaaaaaaay off.

They thought 65,000+ hospital beds and 12,000 ICU beds would be needed to house the sick as of yesterday. The reality?

16,479 people hospitalized, 4,376 IC patients...

The current number of hospitalizations is literally a quarter of the IHME forecast. That’s a big miss.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser Rejects IHME Model In Favor Of More Dire CHIME Model -- From Penn Medicine. (Washington Post) - No model is perfect, and none should be read for confident predictions of the virus’s eventual toll. Projections will change frequently, but governments use models to aid planning and decision-making. Two in particular appear to be shaping government policy. The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, or IHME, was cited by White House officials this week and is the source of many graphs and projections making their way around the Internet this week. The COVID-19 Hospital Impact Model for Epidemics, or CHIME, developed by Penn Medicine, is the one used by the D.C. government. [...] According to city officials, the CHIME model takes into account social distancing measures from the closure of nonessential businesses and schools and the ban on mass gatherings — but it also calculates that many people will not comply. The model says some 93,000 D.C. residents will contract the coronavirus during the pandemic, with the vast majority of them recovering. “My experience with human beings is we don’t do everything perfectly, and our model accounts for people who are very strictly social distancing . . . and for all the variations we will experience with social distancing,” Bowser said. [...]

The IHME model says that the peak will come April 15 — but that the city will have enough hospital beds and ventilators at that time.

Using the CHIME model, the D.C. government has determined that it will need far more hospital beds for a summer peak.

Projections based on the CHIME model show the District needing an additional 2,705 intensive-care beds, while the IHME model shows the city would need only 47 more.

The city’s model also shows that D.C. hospitals would need more than 1,000 additional ventilators at the end of June, while the IHME model says the District would not need any more than it has today.

5am – D         Trump Fires Intelligence IG Who Told Congress About ‘Credible’ Whistleblower Complaint. President Donald Trump has fired the man who notified Congress that a whistleblower had concerns about a telephone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump notified both the House and Senate intelligence committees Friday about his decision to fire Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG) Michael Atkinson, who precipitated an impeachment inquiry when he relayed anonymous whistleblower testimony that the president’s conversation with Zelensky sought an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden in return for delivering military assistance.

Atkinson: Trump fired me because I handled whistleblower complaint properly. The intelligence community watchdog removed abruptly late Friday by President Donald Trump says he believes Trump ousted him because of his evenhanded handling of a whistleblower complaint that ultimately led to the president's impeachment. "It is hard not to think that the President’s loss of confidence in me derives from my having faithfully discharged my legal obligations as an independent and impartial Inspector General," Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community inspector general said in a statement Sunday, "and from my commitment to continue to do so."

5am – E         3M pushes back after Trump orders company to stop exporting N95 masks. (NY Post) - “There are, however, significant humanitarian implications of ceasing respirator supplies to healthcare workers in Canada and Latin America, where we are a critical supplier of respirators,” it continued. The manufacturing company said it feared other countries would retaliate if it stopped exporting masks made in the US, “as some have already done.”

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6am – A/B/C WORLD IMPACT: 

Africa bracing for ‘complete collapse of economies’ as coronavirus takes its toll. (Fox News) - African leaders are warning of an economic collapse if financial assistance isn’t provided to the millions of people out of work because of the novel coronavirus. More than half of Africa's 54 countries have imposed lockdowns, curfews, travel bans or other measures in a bid to prevent local transmission of the virus. "The African labor market is driven by imports and exports and with the lockdown everywhere in the world, it means basically that the economy is frozen in place,” Ahunna Eziakonwa, the United Nations Development Program regional director for Africa, told The Associated Press. "And with that, of course, all the jobs are gone."  With some governments saying they're unable to offer direct support, the fate of Africa's large informal sector could be a powerful example of what experts predict will be unprecedented damage to economies in the developing world.

India Bans All Exports of Virus Drug Often Touted by Trump. (Bloomberg) -- India banned all exports of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug that President Donald Trump has repeatedly touted as a “game changer” in the fight against Covid-19. Exports of the drug and its formulations are prohibited “without any exceptions” and with immediate effect, India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in an April 4 order on its website. The trade regulator had last month restricted overseas shipments of the drug, allowing only limited exceptions such as on humanitarian grounds and for meeting prior commitments. At a press conference on Saturday, Trump said he spoke to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and appealed for the release of shipments U.S. has already ordered. India is giving his request “serious consideration,” he said.

JAPAN LOCKDOWN: REUTERS: 'Lockdown', Japan-style: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is poised to declare a state of emergency over the coronavirus.

SOUTH KOREA: CNN: South Korea is extending its social distancing campaign for two more weeks until April 19, as the number of new coronavirus cases in the country fell to the lowest in over six weeks.

SWEDEN NOW GETTING HIT AFTER REFUSING TO LOCKDOWN: DAILY MAIL: Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven warns citizens to prepare for THOUSANDS of deaths after global amazement at officials' refusal to order a lockdown amid coronavirus pandemic.

U.K.: Boris Johnson remains in hospital due to persistent coronavirus symptoms: report. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson remained at a hospital Monday due to persistent symptoms related to the coronavirus. He was admitted Sunday night due to a high temperature that doctors said required additional tests. Downing Street officials said he was hospitalized as a “precautionary step” and that he still remained in charge of the government. “The PM is still at hospital,” a British government source told Reuters. “He spent the night in hospital.”

ITALY PHASE 2: Daily Mail: Italy unveils plans for ENDING lockdown: Health minister announces 'phase two' will involve more testing and continued social distancing - as nation records its lowest daily death toll for two weeks

EUTHANASIA IN SPAIN: Doctors facing 'temptation of euthanasia': French medic warns of terrible decision facing staff in coronavirus hit care homes while Spanish doctors are 'ordered to stop using ventilators for patients older than 80' https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8189385/Doctors-France-treating-coronavirus-patients-faced-temptation-euthanasia.html

6am – D         Fired Navy Captain Reportedly Tests Positive For Coronavirus. The Navy captain who was relieved of his duties after writing a letter begging for help for infected sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt has reportedly tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Capt. Brett Crozier sent a four-page letter asking officials to send the ship resources so his men didn’t die, according to the letter obtained by The Chronicle. Crozier was relieved of his duties Thursday after sending the letter and now reportedly has the virus. Two Naval Academy classmates of Crozier’s confirmed the news to the New York Times. Crozier reportedly had symptoms of the virus before he was removed from the ship Thursday.

Joe Biden Says USS Roosevelt Captain ‘Should Have A Commendation Rather Than Be Fired.’ Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was unequivocal Sunday in his support of the USS Theodore Roosevelt’s recently dismissed commanding officer, Capt. Brett Crozier, saying he should receive “a commendation.” Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly dismissed Crozier from his post earlier this week after the captain sent correspondence to the Department of Defense pleading for help for his sailors, more than 100 of whom had been striking with the coronavirus. Video showed Crozier leaving his ship to the cheers of his crews.

SCHUMER DEFENDS CROZIER & ATKINSON: On Saturday’s “CNN Newsroom,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson and USS Theodore Roosevelt Commanding Officer Captain Brett Crozier are examples of people the Trump administration fired for speaking the truth.

6am – E         Tiger at Bronx Zoo tests positive for coronavirus in first known case of the virus being detected in animal in the US. (The Hill) -- A tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City has tested positive for the coronavirus, while several other animals are being monitored for similar symptoms. In a press release, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which operates the zoo, said that the animals were likely infected by an asymptomatic carrier of the disease. It's the first known case of the virus being detected in an animal in the U.S. as well as the first confirmed case in a tiger anywhere in the world. "Nadia, a 4-year-old female Malayan tiger at the Bronx Zoo, has tested positive for COVID-19. She, her sister Azul, two Amur tigers, and three African lions had developed a dry cough and all are expected to recover," the WCS said in a statement.  “Our cats were infected by a person caring for them who was asymptomatically infected with the virus or before that person developed symptoms," the statement continued. Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the news in its own press release, adding that it was the first known case of the disease affecting a tiger in the world. "The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories has confirmed SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans) in one tiger at a zoo in New York. This is the first instance of a tiger being infected with COVID-19. Samples from this tiger were taken and tested after several lions and tigers at the zoo showed symptoms of respiratory illness," said the USDA's release. "Public health officials believe these large cats became sick after being exposed to a zoo employee who was actively shedding virus. The zoo has been closed to the public since mid-March, and the first tiger began showing signs of sickness on March 27. All of these large cats are expected to recover," the release continued. New York state is home to the most cases of the coronavirus in the U.S., with more than 122,000 cases confirmed in the state and a death toll that has passed 4,100.

Coronavirus can infect cats — dogs, not so much. (Nature.com) - Cats can be infected with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and can spread it to other cats, but dogs are not really susceptible to the infection, say researchers in China. The team, at Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, also concludes that chickens, pigs and ducks are not likely to catch the virus. Other scientists say the findings are interesting, but cat owners should not be alarmed just yet. The results are based on lab experiments in which a small number of animals were deliberately given high doses of the virus, SARS-CoV-2, and do not represent real-life interactions between people and their pets, says virologist Linda Saif at the Ohio State University in Wooster. There is no direct evidence that the infected cats secreted enough coronavirus to pass it on to people, she says.

Cat infected with COVID-19 from owner in Belgium. (Live Science) -  This is the first case of human-to-cat transmission of the novel coronavirus. A domestic cat in Belgium has been infected with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus that's spreading across the globe, the government's FPS Public Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment announced March 27, according to news reports.  This is the first human-to-cat transmission of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). About a week after its owner got sick with COVID-19, after returning from a trip to Northern Italy, the cat developed coronavirus symptoms: diarrhea, vomiting and respiratory issues, Steven Van Gucht, virologist and federal spokesperson for the coronavirus epidemic in Belgium, told Live Science. Cats and humans appear to have a similar "doorknob" on the surfaces of respiratory cells that lets the SARS-CoV-2 virus get inside, according to Van Gucht.  In humans, scientists have figured out that the SARS-CoV-2 virus attaches to a receptor protein called ACE2 that's on the outside of respiratory cells. Once inside of these cells, the virus hijacks certain machinery so it can replicate. "The feline ACE2 protein resembles the human ACE2 homologue, which is most likely the cellular receptor which is being used by Sars-CoV-2 for cell entry," Van Gucht said.

6am – F         Trapped in paradise: Newlyweds on their honeymoon are the ONLY guests at luxury Maldives resort after airports close. (Daily Mail) - A couple has found themselves trapped in an eternal honeymoon in Maldives after the rapid spread of the highly contagious coronavirus forced airports in their country to shutdown. Newlyweds Olivia, 27, and Raul De Freitas, 28, were only supposed to spend six days in paradise at the Cinnamon Velifushi Maldives before heading back to South Africa, where they are citizens. The De Freitas arrived in Maldives on March 22 and were supposed to head back home the following weekend.  Due to the mounting travel restrictions in multiple countries, the couple had made sure to check with their travel agent before embarking on their journey, according to The New York Times.  At that point, no restrictions for their itinerary had been announced and their agent told them that all South African citizens would be allowed back home.

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7am – A         INTERVIEW - JOE DIGENOVA - legal analyst and former U.S Attorney to the District of Columbia 

Trump Fires Intelligence IG Who Told Congress About ‘Credible’ Whistleblower Complaint. President Donald Trump has fired the man who notified Congress that a whistleblower had concerns about a telephone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump notified both the House and Senate intelligence committees Friday about his decision to fire Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG) Michael Atkinson, who precipitated an impeachment inquiry when he relayed anonymous whistleblower testimony that the president’s conversation with Zelensky sought an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden in return for delivering military assistance.

7am – B/C     HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE:

ON SUNDAY: President Trump: "I'm not acting as a doctor, I'm saying do what you want but there are some good signs."

CNN's Jeremy Diamond presses Trump on why he is promoting Hydroxychloroquine as a potential coronavirus treatment: "I want them to try it and it may work and it may not work... Only CNN would ask that question. Fake News."

EXAMPLES OF HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE WORKING: Despite the "unproven" narrative by the media, here are few examples of how numerous doctors and patients are saying it has worked for them:

Hydroxychloroquine rated 'most effective' coronavirus treatment, poll of doctors finds. (NY Post) - An international poll of thousands of doctors rated the Trump-touted anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine the best treatment for the novel coronavirus. Of the 6,227 physicians surveyed in 30 countries, 37 percent rated hydroxychloroquine the “most effective therapy” for combating the potentially deadly illness, according to the results released Thursday.

A groundbreaking study by Dr. Didier Raoult, respected infectious disease, came out from France about how these drugs can stop the virus in just SIX DAYS.

James Cai, a NJ medical worker who got Covid-19, said that using Chloroquine was essential to his survival. (NYPost)

Florida coronavirus patient, Rio Giardinieri, says Trump-backed drug saved his life (NYPost)

Dr. Stephen Smith on effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine: 'I think this is the beginning of the end of the pandemic' (FoxNews)

Connecticut dad says chloroquine helped him recover from coronavirus (NYPost)

Michigan man with COVID-19 says Hydroxychloroquine, Azithromycin saved him (Fox2Detroit)

NJ Man’s Battle with COVID-19 Led Him to Experimental Drug. A South Jersey man got a drug called hydroxychloroquine through connections in Taiwan. (NBC Philadelphia)

How Wuhan Virologists Pegged Chloroquine as a Potential COVID-19 Cure. In a paper published in February, Chinese scientists noted an anti-malaria drug as a promising treatment.

Dr Vladimir Zelenko, a board-certified family practitioner based in New York, claims to have successfully healed around 500 patients using a cocktail of hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin (Z-Pak), zinc sulfate. (IBTimes)

According to Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, the drug may show some promise for Covid-19 based on its ability to treat the SARS coronavirus.  (ABC News)

Actor Dae Kim, an actor known for his role in  “Hawaii Five-0”, Believes Chloroquine Helped Him Recover From Covid-19 (Yahoo! News)

Thousands of NY COVID patients are being treated with anti-malarial drug. Meanwhile: Cuomo Announces Coronavirus Deaths In New York Dropping For The First Time.

JONATHAN SWAN: Scoop: Inside the epic White House fight over. The White House coronavirus task force had its biggest fight yet on Saturday, pitting economic adviser Peter Navarro against infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci. At issue: How enthusiastically should the White House tout the prospects of an antimalarial drug to fight COVID-19? Toward the end of the meeting, Hahn began a discussion of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which Trump believes could be a "game-changer" against the coronavirus. Hahn gave an update about the drug and what he was seeing in different trials and real-world results. Then Navarro got up. He brought over a stack of folders and dropped them on the table. People started passing them around.  "And the first words out of his mouth are that the studies that he's seen, I believe they're mostly overseas, show 'clear therapeutic efficacy,'" said a source familiar with the conversation. "Those are the exact words out of his mouth." Fauci pushed back against Navarro, saying that there was only anecdotal evidence that hydroxychloroquine works against the coronavirus.

7am – D         INTERVIEW - DREW HARWELL - a technology reporter for The Washington Post covering artificial intelligence and the algorithms changing our lives. 

WashPost: Thousands of Zoom video calls left exposed on open Web. Many of the videos include personally identifiable information and deeply intimate conversations, recorded in people’s homes. The Washington Post’s Drew Harwell reports: Thousands of personal Zoom videos have been left viewable on the open Web, highlighting the privacy risks to millions of Americans as they shift many of their personal interactions to video calls in an age of social distancing. Many of the videos appear to have been recorded through Zoom’s software and saved onto online storage space without a password. But because Zoom names every video recording in an identical way, a simple online search can reveal a long stream of videos that anyone can download and watch. Videos viewed by The Post included one-on-one therapy sessions; a training orientation for workers doing telehealth calls, which included people’s names and phone numbers; small-business meetings, which included private company financial statements; and elementary-school classes, in which children’s faces, voices and personal details were exposed.  Many of the videos include personally identifiable information and deeply intimate conversations, recorded in people’s homes. Other videos include nudity, such as one in which an aesthetician teaches students how to give a Brazilian wax. Five people identified in the videos and interviewed by The Post said they had no idea how the footage made its way online.

7am – E         BIDEN NEWS:

VIRTUAL DEM CONVENTION? Biden tells Sanders he’s pushing ahead with VP, Cabinet picks. Biden told donors at a virtual fundraising event his campaign is to unveil a committee to vet potential vice presidential candidates “sometime in the middle of the month."

Biden tells Sanders he’s pushing ahead with VP, Cabinet picks. Biden told donors at a virtual fundraising event his campaign is to unveil a committee to vet potential vice presidential candidates “sometime in the middle of the month." Joe Biden disclosed Friday evening he has told his Democratic rival Bernie Sanders that he is moving forward with Cabinet and vice presidential picks. Biden told donors at a virtual fundraising event his campaign is to unveil a committee to vet potential vice presidential candidates “sometime in the middle of the month," and said he has held discussions with others about potential Cabinet positions.

Why Gretchen Whitmer's stock is rising with Team Biden. (The Hill) - Whitmer’s stock is also rising because she governs a state Democrats saw slip away in 2016. Biden scored a huge victory over Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the Michigan primary, and Democrats are desperate to win the state back in the 2020 general election. “There’s been a lot of talk about her internally,” said one source close to the campaign. “She has impressed a lot of people the past few weeks.” “She would be a fascinating choice,” a major donor added. Biden acknowledged this week that Whitmer is under consideration.

Joe Rogan: ‘I Would Rather Vote For Trump’ Than Joe Biden. “This is the real issue with the Democratic Party,” Rogan said. “They’ve essentially made us all morons with this Joe Biden thing.”  “Can you imagine?” asked Weinstein. “I can’t vote for that guy,” said Rogan. “I can’t vote for him, I can’t vote for Trump,” Weinstein said. “I’d rather vote for Trump than [Biden],” said the podcast host. “I don’t think he can handle anything. You’re relying entirely on his cabinet. If you want to talk about an individual leader who can communicate, he can’t do that. And we don’t know what the f*ck he’ll be like after a year in office.” Rogan contended that, unlike former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, who both visibly aged in office, Trump “seems to be fine” with the “pressure of being president.”

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8am – A         INTERVIEW - SHARON GLASGOW - co-owner of Glasgow Farm in Fredericksburg, Virginia, now she’s regularly hosting drive-in church sermons at her property.

Sharon Glasgow April 4 at 1:46 PM: Drive-In Church 2-3PM every Sunday till quarantine lifts. We’ll be raising a hallelujah at two services Easter Sunday! 2-3pm and 4-5pm-Invite friends!! He is RISEN- we have reason to CELEBRATE ! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1921212258011703&set=a.242626129203666&type=3

Stafford farm and wedding venue holds "drive-through" church. (THE FREE LANCE–STAR) -- Social distancing and restrictions against gatherings of more than 10 people means that most churches have had to shut their doors in response to the coronavirus outbreak. “So many people feel hopeless and discouraged right now,” said Sharon Glasgow. “Christ is truly the only one who can encourage them.” Sharon and her husband, Dale, own a farm and wedding venue in the Hartwood area of Stafford County. Recognizing that many people would miss the comfort of gathering together for worship, the Glasgows decided to host a drive-in church service this past weekend. “We knew we had parking for a large amount of people,” Sharon Glasgow said. “We had the sound system. And we found a worship leader.” Twenty-four hours before the service, which was held Sunday afternoon, the Glasgows posted information about their plans on Facebook and Instagram. “Those are the only two ways people knew about it, and we still had 63 cars there,” Sharon Glasgow said. Worship leader Becca Griffiths presided over the non-denominational Christian service. She drew from Psalm 91, which reads, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ ... He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.”

8am – B/C     D.C. BECOMING NEXT HOT SPOT:

Surgeon General: 'The Next Week Is Going to Be Our Pearl Harbor Moment... Our 9/11 Moment,' Everyone Needs to Do Their Part

Dr. Fauci warns: ‘This is Going to Be a Bad Week’; Saying We Have Coronavirus Under Control is a ‘False Statement’

DC is becoming more prominent on case data that the White House coronavirus task force showed on Sunday. Dr. Deborah Birx is looking at D.C. as one of the U.S.'s next big hot spots for COVID-19. And limiting your trips to the grocery store and pharmacy could help.

DC Closes Fish Market at The Wharf After Large Crowds Gather Despite Stay-At-Home Order. Vendors in the Municipal Fish Market at The Wharf in Southwest D.C. are being told to close by Mayor Muriel Bowser's office after large crowds gathered there on Saturday were not observing social distancing guidelines. The Wharf Community Association said in a statement that there would only be accessed allowed to the area for people's homes, offices, hotels and businesses. City officials said that businesses can reopen if they present a plan for social distancing and safe practices to the D.C. Restaurant Association.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser Rejects IHME Model In Favor Of More Dire CHIME Model -- From Penn Medicine. No model is perfect, and none should be read for confident predictions of the virus’s eventual toll. Projections will change frequently, but governments use models to aid planning and decision-making. Two in particular appear to be shaping government policy. The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, or IHME, was cited by White House officials this week and is the source of many graphs and projections making their way around the Internet this week.

8am – D         MARYLAND UPDATE:

Maryland reported Sunday morning that another 14 people had died after contracting the novel coronavirus, the most deaths reported in a single day. Overall, the District, Maryland and Virginia reported 810 additional infections Sunday, bringing the total number of known cases in the greater Washington region to 7,252. The death toll in the greater Washington region now stands at 140. The District reported one additional death Sunday; Virginia reported two but removed three earlier cases from its tally.

Washington Post headline: “Unafraid to call out Trump, Hogan emerges as lead GOP voice for urgent action on pandemic.” As the number of coronavirus infections and deaths has surged, so has the national profile of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), who has emerged as chief spokesman for the nation’s governors — and one of few Republicans willing to question the statements and actions of President Trump.  The media blitz is driven partly by Hogan’s role as chair of the National Governors Association. But it’s also fueled by his unvarnished predictions of an impending catastrophe, his resolute explanations of why the economic harm of a mass shutdown is worth the cost, and his position as one of the few Republicans willing to question statements by President Trump and declare that the United States was “caught flat-footed.” Hogan’s latest warning, based on the projections of epidemiologists advising him, is that the capital region will be the nation’s next hot spot, potentially crippling the federal government’s ability to respond.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan's Korean-Born Wife Negotiates For Shipment Of Tests From South Korea.

KYLE GRIFFIN: Republican Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland leaned on his wife, a Korean immigrant, to get supplies for his state: "Let’s talk to them in Korean, and tell them we need their help." Several companies in South Korea immediately said they would send tests. [...]

NYT: Mr. Hogan has also leaned on his wife, Yumi Hogan, a Korean immigrant, who was also at the governor’s convention, which included a dinner at the Korean ambassador’s home. As the first Korean first lady in American history, Ms. Hogan has become something of an icon in South Korea. “I just grabbed my wife and said, ‘Look, you speak Korean. You know the president. You know the first lady. You know the ambassador. Let’s talk to them in Korean, and tell them we need their help.’” Several companies in South Korea immediately said they would send tests.

With coronavirus at more than 80 nursing homes in Maryland, Gov. Hogan increases protective measures. (Baltimore Sun) - With confirmed cases of the new coronavirus found in over 80 nursing homes across the state, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan issued an emergency order Sunday aimed at curbing the spread of the illness in such facilities, many of which have been ravaged by similar outbreaks across the country. Per the order, “symptomatic” residents now qualify for expedited COVID-19 tests, administered either by the state or other public laboratories. The state is giving priority in testing to such residents, as well as health care workers, patients in hospitals and first responders believed to have the disease. Among the other measures included in the order, nursing home staff who interact with residents will be required to wear personal protective equipment, and homes must create separate areas with designated staff to care for positive and suspected cases of the disease.

LUNACY... California Is Forcing Nursing Homes To Take COVID-19 Patients. LAT: As fears escalate about the toll the coronavirus will take on the sick and elderly in nursing homes — who are among the most vulnerable to the deadly virus — California regulators have told skilled nursing facility operators that they must accept patients even if they have the disease. The order comes amid a fierce debate between healthcare providers. Hospitals are desperate to clear space for an expected wave of COVID-19 patients, so they are discharging as many patients as possible, including nursing home residents. Many nursing home administrators are equally desperate to keep those residents out until they are proven virus-free, fearing a catastrophic result if the deadly pathogen gains a foothold in their institutions.

8am – E         ‘We Don’t Live In A Police State’: Ted Cruz Blasts Democrats For ‘Driving A Car Alone’ Citation (Daily Caller) - Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz criticized Democrats for enforcing stay-at-home orders in a way that he thinks cross a line. “This is absurd. To Dem politicians (and it seems to be only Dems doing this, eg Wolf in PA, DeBlasio in NYC, Cooper in NC), protect public safety, but WE DON’T LIVE IN A POLICE STATE. Resist authoritarianism & don’t abuse power. Driving a car alone is not a public health threat,” Cruz tweeted Sunday.

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Mornings on the Mall Podcast - 2020-4-6

[00:00:00] 4:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

[01:00:16] 5:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

[02:00:26] 6:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

[03:00:37] 7:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

[04:00:46] 8:59 am - Mornings on the Mall