‘Buy American’ — White House Confirms Executive Order That Will End Medical Supply Chain Reliance On China

White House Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Peter Navarro confirmed Wednesday the administration is working on an executive order to eliminate the government’s reliance on foreign-made medical supplies. The “Buy American” order comes on the heels of concerns expressed by senators during their Tuesday meeting with President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill. Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said that during the meeting on easing coronavirus-related financial pressures on Americans, he asked Trump to support the Senate’s “efforts to invest in diversifying our supply chain, especially in pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.”

The order would prevent federal agencies from purchasing medical supplies, including face masks, gloves and ventilators, from China. As the United States has battled the domestic spread of coronavirus, consumers were alerted to the fact that China manufactures an overwhelming percentage of the federal government’s medical equipment. 90 percent of all U.S. antibiotics were manufactured in China.

China has prevented the export of surgical face masks, severely limiting supplies in the U.S. and countries around the world. “China has managed to dominate all aspects of the supply chain using the same unfair trade practices that it has used to dominate other sectors — cheap sweatshop labor, lax environmental regulations and massive government subsidies,” Navarro told New York Times. “As President Trump has said, what we need to do is bring those jobs home so that we can protect the public health and the economic and national security of the country.” He added that the EO would cover more than 400 “essential medicines” that “satisfy the priority health care needs of the population.” Additional products targeted in the order include “medical countermeasures” made to protect against chemical and biological threats, radiation, nuclear fallout and infectious diseases like coronavirus. “Nothing we do now will impede in any way our ability to get what we need when we need it from foreign sources,” he told CBS. Navarro estimated the administration will announce the order in the coming weeks, adding that this is not just a medical issue but also blosters “our very national defense.”

Trump will address the nation Wednesday night to give updates on the task force’s latest efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus. In addition to the task force’s mitigation efforts, the White House has been working on a packaging a financial stimulus in recent days.

https://dailycaller.com/2020/03/11/white-house-executive-order-buy-american-coronavirus-medical-supply-chain-china/

Coronavirus Spurs U.S. Efforts to End China’s Chokehold on Drugs

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/business/economy/coronavirus-china-trump-drugs.html

NCAA Officially Bans Fans From Attending March Madness Games Because Of Coronavirus

The NCAA has banned fans from attending March Madness games because of coronavirus. The NCAA released a statement Wednesday afternoon, and said the decision was based on information about the coronavirus and suggestions from the advisory panel.

Well, if we were at the brink of the Cuban Missile Crisis yesterday, then there’s missiles in the air as of right now. I’m literally at a loss for words right now. I’m absolutely crushed. There’s simply no other way to put it. I’m crushed, defeated and I want this nightmare to end. To make matters worse, there’s apparently a chance this whole thing could still get shut down entirely, according to Dennis Dodd. I wish I had better news for all the fans of March Madness out there, but I don’t. I just don’t. I haven’t been this disappointed in a very long time. This is just awful for the sport of college basketball on so many levels. It would almost be cruel if the Badgers now won the championship, and we were banned from going. I just don’t know what else to say other than I’ve had enough of this coronavirus nonsense.

https://dailycaller.com/2020/03/11/ncaa-coronavirus-march-madness-fans-banned/

https://twitter.com/InsidetheNCAA/status/1237838677591511040/photo/1

NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade canceled, latest victim of coronavirus

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade become the latest victim of the coronavirus on Wednesday, as sources said the fete was being scrapped over contamination fears. An insider on the committee told The Post that the world-famous annual celebration of Irish culture down Fifth Avenue was indeed canceled over coronavirus concerns, despite a waffling New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. “My understanding is that de Blasio wasn’t in the middle of it,” the source said. “De Blasio was less than helpful. He dithered. He wouldn’t make a decision one way or another.”

Instead, Parade Chairman Sean Lane and Gov. Andrew Cuomo stepped up to make decision to cancel the beloved parade, held annually since 1762, the source said. When asked about word of the cancellation at a press briefing after that meeting, Hizzoner was befuddled. “We’re waiting for confirmation,” said de Blasio. “We heard that, too, but again, from the information I had and the last conversation, that was not confirmed.” Mayor de Blasio had publicly mulled scrapping the parade, but signaled earlier Wednesday that he would lean heavily on organizers’ opinions. Cuomo’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his role.

And the parade committee insisted that the parade was yet to be officially canceled, despite sources saying the decision had been made. “At this point in time contrary to the media outlets and social media no decision has been made to cancel the NYC St Patricks Day Parade,” the committee wrote in a tweet.

Sources say the official cancellation was being postponed to get past tonight’s big gala, which costs $500 a ticket with tables going up to $50,000, and journal ads at $5,000 a page. There are 53 confirmed cases of the potentially deadly disease throughout the five boroughs, according to de Blasio, and over 200 statewide.

https://nypost.com/2020/03/11/nyc-st-patricks-day-parade-canceled-latest-victim-of-coronavirus/

>>8382336

'Not a Russia-only problem’: Intelligence community disputes media’s 2020 interference reports

National security officials told lawmakers on Tuesday the intelligence community has not concluded Russia is backing any particular 2020 candidate while warning about meddling from multiple countries. The information that appeared in an unclassified fact sheet from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which coordinates the nation’s 17 intelligence agencies, rejects a stream of media reports on classified briefings on election security. “The IC has not concluded that the Kremlin is directly aiding any candidate’s reelection or any other candidates’ election. Nor have we concluded that the Russians will definitely choose to try to do so in 2020,” the fact sheet read. '“This is not a Russia-only problem. China, Iran, other countries like North Korea and Cuba, and non-state actors all have the opportunity, means, and potential motive to interfere in the 2020 elections as a way to achieve their goals.” This statement counters anonymously sourced media reports in which unnamed sources said the intelligence community concluded Russia was helping President Trump with reelection and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont win the Democratic primaries.

The ODNI said Tuesday that “Russian social media and state media messaging has taken aim at some of the candidates from both parties, in part to signal Russia’s unhappiness with policy statements or choices” and “we expect that the intent of hostile state actors toward the 2020 election will evolve as the election nears.” William Evanina, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, conducted the ODNI portion of the briefing and was joined by FBI Director Christopher Wray, National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone, and acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf.

Last month, the intelligence community disputed information the media were given about a classified House Intelligence Committee briefing, with officials denying that lawmakers were told Russia is attempting to help Trump in 2020. “We cannot comment on classified briefings, but what we can tell you is that Shelby did not say Russia is aiding the reelection of President Trump,” an ODNI spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. That briefing took place on Feb. 13 and was conducted in part by Shelby Pierson, the election threats executive under then-acting DNI Joseph Maguire. Since then, Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell took over as acting spy chief, and Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas was renominated to take on the position permanently. He awaits Senate confirmation. According to sources cited by the New York Times, Pierson warned “Russia was interfering in the 2020 campaign to try to get President Trump reelected.”

Trump called it “another misinformation campaign” last month. “Nobody briefed me about that at all,” Trump said. “They leaked it, Adam Schiff and his group.” Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, tweeted that “your false claims fool no one” and “you’ve betrayed America — again.” Trump national security adviser Robert O’Brien has repeatedly insisted he has not seen any intelligence showing Russia was trying to get Trump reelected.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/not-a-russia-only-problem-intelligence-community-disputes-medias-2020-interference-reports

https://www.scribd.com/document/451252391/Election-Security-Talking-Points#fullscreen&from_embed

https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/Foreign_Threats_to_US_Elections.pdf

Supreme Court allows Trump to enforce 'Remain in Mexico' policy

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the Trump administration to continue enforcing a policy that requires asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico while their claims are heard.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the Trump administration to continue enforcing a policy that requires asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico while their claims are heard. The justices will allow the “Remain in Mexico” policy to continue while the administration appeals a lower court ruling which deemed the program illegal and ordered a suspension that was scheduled to take effect Thursday. Justice Sonia Sotomayor was the only justice to publicly dissent from the decision to allow the policy to continue.

Known officially as Migrant Protection Protocols, the policy aims to curb entry into the U.S. by asylum-seekers, many of whom are Central American migrants. More than 60,000 asylum-seekers have been barred from entry since the program was implemented just over a year ago, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The program has been used to “process tens of thousands of aliens applying for asylum … without the need to detain the applicants in the United States during the weeks and months it takes to process their applications,” read a court filing that DHS submitted to the justices last week.

Critics of the Trump administration policy say it’s a cruel measure that endangers the lives of those fleeing violence and other hardships. A federal district court in California last April ruled that the policy violates U.S. immigration law and contravenes international human rights norms. The court ordered the administration to stop the practice along the entire U.S. border.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit upheld the lower court’s legal ruling, but the appellate court narrowed the injunction to apply to California and Arizona, the two border states under its jurisdiction. The injunction, which was scheduled to take effect Thursday, would have affected those two states, but would not have applied to New Mexico or Texas.

The White House hailed the Supreme Court's move on Wednesday. "Today’s order from the Supreme Court is a major victory for the Trump Administration. By allowing the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) to remain in effect, the Court has prevented dangerous chaos at the southern border, avoided a significant escalation in public health threats, and mitigated damage to foreign relations," White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/487054-supreme-court-allows-trump-to-enforce-remain-in-mexico-policy