Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf: Not Considering National Lockdown – Blames Internet Rumors – Says Current Closures Could Last Until Late April

Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf joined Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures this morning.

Wolf was asked about the online rumblings that the US was going to implement a national shutdown in the coming days.

Chad Wolf: We’ve seen a number of reports and I’ve personally gotten contacted a number of times about text messages or these screenshots going around that say “I know someone at DHS and they say we are going to have a national lockdown or a national quarantine. I would say that’s absolutely false. That’s not true. And it is part of a disinformation campaign. And what we know is whether it’s Russia or whether it’s other cyber actors they like to sew discord on any controversial issue. It doesn’t have to just be elections. It’s any issue and we’re seeing that now with the coronavirus. So what I would say to the American people is don’t believe it, don’t pass it along. And get your information from trusted officials like state officials and your federal officials.

Maria Bartiromo: And you’re going to have enough data by middle of April, end of April to figure out if this is working right?

Chad Wolf: Certainly the doctors on the task force, CDC, HHS and the like are really tracking that data day by day. What I will say is some of the aggressive measures we are putting in place now to see results in 3 to 4 to 5 weeks from now.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/03/acting-dhs-secretary-chad-wolf-not-considering-national-lockdown-blames-internet-rumors-says-current-closures-could-last-until-late-april-video/

"Stop The Coronavirus Corporate Coup": Here Is A List Of Everyone Demanding A Bail Out

Courtesy of BIG newsletter author and monopoly researcher, Matt Stoller, here is an ever expanding list of every industry and entity that has floated bailout demands in what Stoller dubs the "CoronavirusCoup" - which if allowed to continue will make America's big business bigger and more entrenched than ever, and crush most of the country's small business. Why? Because from Defense contractors, to billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, to meatpackers and the beer industry, everyone wants a piece, and thanks to their lobby connections and political bribes, they will get it.

Who won't get it? The mom and pop store down the street which will have to quickly shut down for good in the coming weeks.

Here is how Stoller summarizes the dynamic currently taking place in Congress, which is certainly not going to let this crisis go to waste, and jockeying for trillions and trillions in pork, all on the back of US taxpayers and the viability of the world's reserve currency.

We have to support industry in a moment of crisis. But the key here is the conditions, and what is likely to happen by allowing Mnuchin to set the terms of all aid is a consolidation of power in the hands of a few. No more small business. America will be unrecognizable.

His ever-growing list is below:

1. Here's a list of what's been floated, either publicly or privately, for the #CoronavirusCoup. I am told that Pelosi will take whatever McConnell negotiates in the Senate on the corporate side. $50 billion for airlines. $150 billion for anyone Mnuchin wants, likely Boeing.

1. Speeding up of payments to defense contractors. Lifting of Other Transaction Authority caps for the Pentagon to shovel money to defense contractors without restrictions. Transdigm likes to use this one. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/10/18/seeking-an-edge-over-geopolitical-rivals-pentagon-exploits-an-obscure-regulatory-workaround/ …

1. Elon Musk and Jeff Bezo want "$5 billion in grants or loans to keep commercial space company employees on the job and launch facilities open." They also want the IRS to give them cash for R&D tax credits.

1. "The hotel industry wants $150 billion. The restaurant industry wants $145 billion. The National Association of Manufacturers wants $1.4 trillion. The International Council of Shopping Centers wants a guarantee of up to $1 trillion." https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/21/coronavirus-1-trillion-rescue-package-might-not-be-enough-for-businesses.html …

1. "Adidas is seeking support for a long-sought provision allowing people to use pretax money to pay for gym memberships and fitness equipment." https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/us/politics/coronavirus-stimulus-lobbying.html …

1. Big meatpackers want expedited visas for seasonal workers. http://nppc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/PorkIndustryConcernsLetter.pdf …

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/stop-coronavirus-corporate-coup-here-list-everyone-demanding-bail-out

Bogota prison riot over coronavirus leaves 23 dead and 83 injured – Colombian justice ministry

At least 23 people have died and dozens more are injured following a riot over coronavirus in La Modelo prison in the Colombian capital Bogota, the country's justice ministry has said.

Seven prison guards were injured during the outbreak of violence on Saturday night, which took place as prisoner protests over sanitary conditions erupted into bloodshed. Two of the guards are in a critical condition, Justice Minister Margarita Cabello said on Sunday.

Cabello added that the riot was a massive escape attempt and similar riots were also seen in several other penitentiary centers across the country.

La Modelo prison was the scene of the worst of the violence, with graphic videos circulating on social media showing prisoners burning objects and a prison guard on the ground having apparently suffered serious injuries.

https://www.rt.com/news/483781-bogota-prison-riot-colombia-video/

'OVER MY DEAD BODY': DOJ's request for new 'emergency powers' over coronavirus met with swift condemnation

'If this is a joke, it's not funny. If it's not a joke, we've got much bigger problems'

The Justice Department has quietly asked Congress for new "emergency powers" amid the coronavirus outbreak, including the power to ask chief judges to indefinitely detain people without trial.

The DOJ has proposed numerous emergency measures, according to Politico, which obtained and reviewed documents the DOJ sent to lawmakers.

From Politico:

In one of the documents, the department proposed that Congress grant the attorney general power to ask the chief judge of any district court to pause court proceedings "whenever the district court is fully or partially closed by virtue of any natural disaster, civil disobedience, or other emergency situation."

The proposal would also grant those top judges broad authority to pause court proceedings during emergencies. It would apply to "any statutes or rules of procedure otherwise affecting pre-arrest, post-arrest, pre-trial, trial, and post-trial procedures in criminal and juvenile proceedings and all civil process and proceedings," according to draft legislative language the department shared with Congress. In making the case for the change, the DOJ document wrote that individual judges can currently pause proceedings during emergencies, but that their proposal would make sure all judges in any particular district could handle emergencies "in a consistent manner."

As Politico noted, the proposal — which would essentially permit indefinite detention — would likely violate a person's right to appear before a judge and seek release after being arrested, a constitutional right known as habeas corpus.

Specifically, the Constitution states, "The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it."

According to Politico, the DOJ is also asking to "pause the statute of limitations for criminal investigations and civil proceedings during national emergencies" as well as "expand the use of videoconference hearings, and to let some of those hearings happen without defendants' consent."

The reported proposals were met with swift bipartisan condemnation.

"OVER MY DEAD BODY," Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) responded. "If this is a joke, it's not funny. If it's not a joke, we've got much bigger problems. @realDonaldTrump, please refute and disavow this immediately."

https://www.theblaze.com/news/doj-asks-congress-for-new-emergency-powers

Merkel bends the knee to Erdoğan; promises more aid for migrants

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, giving in to pressure from Turkey due to the ongoing conflict between migrants being helped by the Turkish police and the Greek security forces, agreed to give money for migrants who are currently in Turkey.

After a four-way conference between French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Turkish President Recep Erdoğan, Merkel announced an aid package in the amount of 125 million euros to support the migrants in Turkey, according to a report by the Turkish news site Daily Sabah.

Merkel added that Germany is open to increasing its support if it becomes necessary.

The European Union has been under pressure to reach a new deal with Turkey regarding migrants since Erdoğan announced that his country would no longer stop those who were attempting to illegally enter the European Union through Greece by crossing Turkish territory at the end of February. Since then, tens of thousands of migrants have been clashing daily with Greek security forces at the Greek-Turkish border — who are being aided by the Turkish police — in their efforts to break through the border fence, as previously reported by Voice of Europe.

Erdoğan has been using the migrants as a bargaining chip in an effort to coerce the European Union into supporting Turkey in its conflict with Syria. He has also been trying to wrest favors from the EU in relation to the EU-Turkish customs union, and to force Europe to accept visa-free travel privileges for Turkish citizens in the EU’s Schengen Zone.

A new wave of migrants has been entering Turkey from Syria as the result of renewed military offensives and Russian bombing in the Idlib region. Merkel, therefore, stressed the need for Europe to help find a solution to the Syrian crisis. It has been estimated that Turkey is currently harboring approximately 3.7 migrants, most of whom want to go to Europe — a formidable weapon that Turkey can use to demographically and culturally destroy Europe without firing a single shot.

The meeting between the leaders was conducted by video conference, as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19) precautions.

https://voiceofeurope.com/2020/03/merkel-bends-the-knee-to-erdogan-promises-more-aid-for-migrants/

Iconic opera star Placido Domingo tests positive for coronavirus

Opera superstar Placido Domingo has said he's contracted the dreaded Covid-19 virus, taking a moment to urge his fans to follow basic health guidelines, as the death toll from the pandemic keeps growing.

“I feel it is my moral duty to announce to you that I have tested positive for COVID19, the Corona virus,” the singer said on Facebook on Sunday.

Domingo and his family will remain in self isolation “as long as it is deemed medically necessary.”

The star got tested for the virus after he “experienced fever and cough symptoms” and the results came back positive.

To help stop spreading the virus, Domingo appealed to his fans to „follow the basic guidelines by washing your hands frequently“ and follow other necessary measures so that „we can hopefully return to our normal daily lives very soon.”

The coronavirus pandemic did not spare top politicians and celebrities worldwide — and Domingo appears to be the latest to get on the list. A number of actors, including Tom Hanks, his wife Rita Wilson and Bond girl Olga Kurylenko, as well as renowned athletes and entrepreneurs have tested positive for the virus.

The outbreak afflicting the globe has already infected over 300,000, killing more than 13,000.

https://www.rt.com/news/483780-placido-domingo-coronavirus-positiv/

The System Will Not Return to "Normal," and That's Good; We Can Do Better

The pandemic is revealing to all what many of us have known for a long time: the status quo was designed to fail and so its failure was not just predictable but inevitable.

We've propped up a dysfunctional, wasteful and unsustainable system by pouring trillions of dollars in borrowed money down a multitude of ratholes to avoid a reckoning and a re-set. And very predictably, that's the "solution" to the unraveling triggered by the pandemic: borrow more trillions and pour most of it down the same old ratholes.

Here's what we should be talking about: the entire global system desperately needs a re-set. We can do better, and we should do better. That's what I've been writing about for the past 12 years.

To further the discussions we should be having about doing better, I'm cutting 30% off the price of seven of my books: ebooks are now $5, print books are now $10.

Every book has a free summary/sample page where you can find out more about the contents.

What better way to spend the weeks/months of lockdown than reading about the better future we need and deserve? To buy a book, click on the cover below:

The Nearly Free University and The Emerging Economy: The Revolution in Higher Education Reconnecting higher education, livelihoods and the real economy

This book outlines ways we can provide a superior college education for 10%-20% of the current (unaffordable) cost.

Why Things Are Falling Apart and What We Can Do About It

Our financial-political-social system has been rotten to the core for two decades. It doesn't have to be this way.

Resistance, Revolution, Liberation: A Model for Positive Change

The credo of liberation:

"I no longer care if the power centers of our society–the distant, fortified castles of our financial feudal system are changed by my actions, for I am liberated by the act of resistance. I am no longer complicit in perpetuating fraudulent feudalism and the pathology of concentrated power. I no longer covet signifiers of membership in the Upper Caste that serves the plutocracy. I am liberated from self-destructive consumerist-State financialization and the delusion that debt servitude and obedience to sociopathological Elites serve my self-interests."

An Unconventional Guide to Investing in Troubled Times

Written 9 years ago, the precepts of social capital and controlling your capital are even more relevant today.

A Radically Beneficial World: Automation, Technology and Creating Jobs for All: The Future Belongs to Work That Is Meaningful

We desperately need a profound re-set on the way we work, pay for work and prioritize what work gets done.

Pathfinding our Destiny: Preventing the Final Fall of Our Democratic Republic

Our political system and the economy it controls both need to be decentralized and relocalized.

http://charleshughsmith.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-system-will-not-return-to-normal.html

L.A. to Move Homeless into Neighborhood Recreation Centers

Mayor Eric Garcetti is going ahead with a plan to move thousands of homeless people in Los Angeles into recreation centers in residential neighborhoods as part of the city’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Rumors have been circulating among residents, and were confirmed on Saturday by the L.A. Times:

Mayor Eric Garcetti’s plan for transforming 42 recreation centers into homeless shelters got its start on Friday, with city crews bringing in supplies, spacing cots and laying tarp on gymnasium floors. The initiative is part of a larger strategy to blunt the spread of the novel coronavirus among the city’s most vulnerable residents.

…

At each site, the city will provide workers with protective equipment, including coveralls, face masks and gloves, said Ashley Rodriguez, spokeswoman for the Department of Recreation and Parks. Those who move in will receive socks, blankets and personal hygiene kits, she said.

…

At a special meeting of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority commission on Thursday, housing task force chief Amy Perkins said the new shelters were being limited to about 80% of their capacity to maintain proper spacing, as recommended by public health officials. Beds are expected to be 6½ feet apart.

Garcetti’s approach fits with the policy set by Governor Gavin Newsom, who has said he would like all of the state’s homeless to be moved indoors during the pandemic.

An alternative approach would be to leave homeless people out in the open air, where they can maintain a social distance, while still providing other forms of assistance.

But in Los Angeles, where many homeless people live in informal encampments, there appears to be a fear that homeless people will be exposed to the virus more readily.

The San Francisco Chronicle, citing federal officials not authorized to speak, reported that “they’re finding it’s safer to leave homeless camps outside in the open air, with proper spacing and sanitation facilities, than to move people into cramped settings indoors.”

https://www.breitbart.com/health/2020/03/22/coronavirus-los-angeles-to-move-homeless-into-neighborhood-recreation-centers/

Trump Gives Ford, General Motors, Tesla ‘The Go Ahead’ To Mass Produce Coronavirus Ventilators

President Donald Trump gave multiple car companies “the go ahead” on Twitter Sunday to mass produce ventilators to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

A senior White House official told the Daily Caller Sunday that Trump had now invoked the Defense Protection Act (DPA) “to ensure that the necessary authorities will be available to prioritize production of items under government contracts and to allocate scarce items where they are needed most.”

The official said Trump is using DPA to “drive the private-sector’s response to this crisis.”

A second official categorized the private sector’s response to the president’s call as “overwhelming” and “faster than anyone thought possible.”

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 21: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a briefing in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on March 21, 2020 in Washington, DC. With deaths caused by the coronavirus rising and foreseeable economic turmoil, the Senate is working on legislation for a $1 trillion aid package to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

https://dailycaller.com/2020/03/22/trump-ford-general-motors-gm-tesla-produce-ventilators-coronavirus/

U.S. Lines Up Multi-Trillion Dollar Coronavirus Aid Packages

Washington (AFP) – Congress and the US government were working furiously on Sunday to provide trillions of dollars in rescue money aimed at cushioning both businesses and ordinary Americans from the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill were nearing a deal to inject roughly $1.6 trillion into businesses and the pockets of millions of workers laid off as the Covid-19 virus continues to spread. A separate package would provide a stunning $4 trillion in liquidity to juice up the economy.

A procedural vote in the Senate on the smaller package was set for 3:00pm (1900 GMT) Sunday.

“We look forward to wrapping it up today,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told “Fox News Sunday.”

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said late Saturday that the deal was “very close.” His Democratic counterpart, Chuck Schumer, said that “to my delight and surprise there has been a great deal of bipartisan cooperation thus far.”

Mnuchin, who for days has been locked in intensive negotiations over virus-related rescue measures, also detailed a separate massive relief package being worked on to support hard-hit businesses.

Under one part of that plan a “significant package working with the Federal Reserve will have up to $4 trillion of liquidity that we can use to support the economy,” Mnuchin told “Fox News Sunday.”

Together, the urgent measures represented one of the most dramatic governmental rescue efforts outside time of war, with millions of people thrown out of work, thousands of businesses shuttered or badly suffering, travel severely curtailed and no certainty as to when things might improve.

They also came as the death toll from the pandemic continued to rise — especially in hotspots like New York City — and as local and state officials across the country warned of dire consequences in the absence of more aggressive federal action.

https://www.breitbart.com/news/us-lines-up-multi-trillion-dollar-coronavirus-aid-packages/

Wealth redistribution??

Fauci: Trump Coming at Coronavirus from a ‘Layperson’s Standpoint’ — I’m Coming from a ‘Scientific Standpoint’

Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci said President Donald Trump was only a “layperson” who has hope for success with existing drugs being successful in treating coronavirus.

Fauci added he was “coming from it from a scientific standpoint.”

Host Margaret Brennan asked, “You are the leading infectious disease expert in the U.S. government. You said this week that you differed from the president in his assessment that a combination of two drugs, Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin, could have the outcome he described to the public possibly could. Who is the president listening to? And do you see a concern here that those drugs could become, you know, basically over-prescribed and there could be a shortage who impact people who have persistent medical issues like Lupus who need those?”

Fauci said, “There’s an issue here of where we’re coming from. The president has heard, as we all have heard, what I call anecdotal reports that certain drugs work. So what he was trying to do in the express was to hope that if they might work, Let’s try and push their usage. I, on the other side, have said I’m not disagreeing with the fact anecdotally they might work, but my job is to prove definitively from a scientific standpoint that they do work. So I was taking a purely medical-scientific standpoint, and the president was trying to bring hope to the people. I think there’s this issue of trying to separate the two of us. There isn’t fundamentally a difference there. He’s coming from it from a hope, layperson’s standpoint. I’m coming from it from a scientific standpoint.”

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2020/03/22/fauci-trump-coming-at-coronavirus-from-a-laypersons-standpoint-im-coming-from-a-scientific-standpoint/

Turkey Arrests 64 For 'Provocative' Coronavirus-Related Social Media Posts

Turkey has established a well-known pattern of shutting down entire social media platforms — like Facebook and Twitter — the moment there's a crisis in the country which could make Erdogan's decision-making look bad or come under intense public scrutiny.

Recent events related to Syria, or Turkey's war on the Kurds, are prime examples which have seen either Twitter blocked inside Turkey, or in some cases internet access to non-state sources temporarily halted altogether.

So perhaps this is entirely to be expected amid the coronavirus pandemic: Turkey has detained 64 people over "provocative and baseless" social media posts about the new coronavirus pandemic, the interior ministry said, regional media has reported.

Press freedoms in Turkey are already ranked among the world's lowest, with hundreds if not possibly thousands of journalists locked up across the country. But now citizens need to worry about potential arrest should they post coronavirus-related information that runs afoul of Ankara's official narrative.

"We have found 242 suspects making baseless and provocative coronavirus posts on social media, and 64 have been detained," the ministry announced on Twitter Thursday, according to AFP.

Similar to other countries in the region, Turkey has recently enacted a nation-wide bad on public gatherings, shuttering everything from schools to cafes to universities. This as at least 359 Covid-19 cases have been confirmed, including four deaths.

But also similar to other regional countries, Turkey has been accused of downplaying and/or covering up the true levels of the outbreak. Syria to the south has been a prime example of this: the Assad government has ordered the closure of all schools, restaurants, theaters and public places, and yet is still officially reporting zero cases. However, it could also be the case they acted quickly enough, with WHO officials looking on and administering tests, amid all but the Lebanese border being for years shutdown due to war.

Lest anyone think Turkey will be the the only country to began actual legal investigations over citizens' social media posts related to the pandemic, governments across the globe, especially Israel for example, are fast giving themselves sweeping emergency powers which will likely end in severe online censorship. By the end of this, the locking up of journalists is likely to include other countries as well, possibly in the West, unfortunately.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/turkey-arrests-64-provocative-coronavirus-social-media-posts

Russia Deploys Military Virologists & Equipment To Italy After Putin Phone Call

Russia's Defense Ministry announced over the weekend that starting Sunday the military will deploy medical help to hard-hit Italy, the coronavirus epicenter in Europe which has seen its death toll take record jumps in the past days, now approaching 5,000 killed from the disease.

The Kremlin said the emergency aid was initiated on orders from President Vladimir Putin after he spoke with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Saturday, and will include eight mobile brigades of military medics and special disinfection vehicles.

The operation will see Russia's top military specialists in virology and epidemics deploy to the hardest hit regions of Italy. The doctors and specialized equipment is being flown on nine Il-76 aircraft from an airfield outside Moscow.

https://www.zerohedge.com/health/russia-sends-military-virologists-equipment-italy-after-putin-phone-call

Flights From Coronavirus Epicentres China, Iran, Italy STILL Landing In UK

The British government is still allowing flights to arrive at the nation’s airports from the countries where coronavirus infection is most widespread.

The British government has refused to ban air travel from coronavirus hotspots, allowing thousands of people to enter the country from coronavirus stricken countries including China, Iran, and Italy, despite the local lockdown measures imposed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Flights from Rome and Beijing are still being permitted to arrive in London every day. Iran Air flights from Tehran arrive in the British capital three times a week as well, even though the country has the third-highest death toll from the virus in the world.

On Saturday, two flights from Beijing and a flight from Shanghai arrived at Heathrow airport and a fourth landed at Gatwick airport.

Another flight from Iran is due to arrive in the capital this afternoon, according to The Times.

A spokesman for the government defended the decision to forego travel bans on inflected countries, claiming: “There is no evidence that interventions like closing borders or travel bans would have any effect on the spread of infection. Those who return to the UK would be advised to reduce their social contact by following the same social distancing measures as the rest of the country.”

The United Kingdom has refused to follow the lead of the United States and even the European Union, which have enacted travel bans during the coronavirus outbreak.

People arriving in the United Kingdom are being asked to self-isolate– yet there is no way for the government to ensure that they do.

The director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the United States, infectious disease expert Dr Anthony S. Fauci, has said that President Donald Trump’s decision to ban travel from China and Europe was a key element in reducing the spread of the virus in America.

“The two pillars, the two elements of our capability to contain the infection and the surge of infections in this country rely on two things: keeping infections from coming from without in. We’ve been very successful in doing that with China and with Europe,” Dr Fauci explained.

“Our shutting off travel from China and, more recently, travel from Europe, has gone a long way to not seeding very, very intensively the virus in our country,” he added.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/03/22/flights-from-coronavirus-epicentres-china-iran-italy-still-landing-in-uk/

Australia Warned Beer Could Run out if Not Classified as ‘Essential’ to Life

Australians face the grim prospect of running out of beer in a matter of weeks unless the amber fluid is classified as “essential” to life and breweries are exempted from a range of closures Down Under due to the Chinese coronavirus epidemic.

Carlton and United Breweries, whose major brewery is in Abbotsford, Melbourne, wants the Victorian state government to include breweries in the “essential services” that remain open as the country experienced a run on liquor stores Sunday as buyers panicked and stormed outlets to buy as much alcohol as they could.

“Carlton & United Breweries, Australia’s largest brewer, is greatly concerned about no beer being available in Australia for at least three months if beer is not given exempt status, and what this would mean for tens of thousands of jobs,” a spokesman told the Australian newspaper.

The company claims Australians “need normalcy in their lives” and believe this includes accessing unlimited beer supplies, something many Aussies took to social media to affirm:

“You can’t turn major breweries off and then quickly turn them back on. After re-opening there could be three months of no beer for pubs and bottleshops,” he said.

In a press conference late on Sunday night, Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said bottleshops, or “off license” alcohol retailers, would be excluded from closures of pubs and dining hotels but gave no indication as to the future of commercial breweries, as the Age newspaper reported.

“Off license parts of those premises [pubs and hotels], or bottle shops, that particularly applies in places like Tasmania, and in Queensland I understand, they will be excluded from these arrangements, they work like any other retail premises – they are not a place of people gathering, in an off-licence bottle shop,” he said.

Beer, wine and spirits were just the latest entrants to the list of items being stockpiled during the unfolding pandemic as Morrison sought to address the issue and soothe worries that the prospect of pubs with no beer was somehow an endangerment to life as it is written in Australian folklore:

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/03/22/crikey-australia-warned-beer-could-run-out-if-not-classified-as-essential-to-life/

Greeks Find Tunnel Full of Weapons Under Athens, Arrest Turkish Terrorists

Police in Greece arrested members of a Turkish terrorist organisation after a tunnel containing a cache of military-grade weapons was discovered under Athens.

Eleven members of the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party (DHKP-C), a Marxist-Leninist organisation, were arrested in an operation conducted by the Greek Anti-Terrorism Service and National Intelligence Service. The eleven men are all Turkish citizens, although some are believed to be of Kurdish descent.

In the raids carried out on properties in the Sepolia and Exarchia districts of Athens, police discovered a 47-metre (154-foot) tunnel that contained an arsenal of weapons including an anti-tank rocket launcher, grenade launchers, AK-47 rifles, and pistols, according to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini.

The Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party (DHKP-C) if a far-left revolutionary communist organisation that is classified as a terrorist organisation by the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the Turkish government.

The group, which is banned in Turkey, wishes to topple Islamist president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and establish a Marxist state.

The DHKP-C also opposes what it brands as “American Imperialism” in the region, and has attacked United States military and diplomatic missions in the past. It is believed to have been responsible for a suicide bombing at the U.S. embassy in Ankara.

Among those arrested in Athens was a 60-year-old man referred by the code name “Kostas”, who is believed to have been the ringleader of the terror cell. The man had been under surveillance by the government following trips he made to Greek Dodecanese Islands off the coast of Turkey.

The 60-year-old was arrested in 2013 for attempting to smuggle a load of explosives and weapons to Turkey from Greece by boat.

In 2017, nine members of the DHKP-C were arrested on terrorist charges in Greece ahead of a state visit from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — but last year the charges were dropped, according to the New York Times.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/03/22/greece-arrests-turkish-terrorists-in-tunnel-full-of-weapons-under-athens/

Trump Acknowledges Ancient Persian Holiday Predating Islam, Sends Message Of Hope To Iranian People

On Friday, President Trump used the occasion of the ancient Persian holiday of Nowruz, which dates back over 3,000 years and was celebrated in Persia (now Iran) 1,500 years before the advent of Islam, to send a message of hope to the Iranian people struggling to free themselves from the despotic Islamic regime. Trump stated, “The people of Iran have made it clear that they want leadership that represents them, not the interests of its corrupt regime.”

Trump wrote:

I send my best wishes to those here in America and around the globe celebrating Nowruz. Marking the first day of spring, Nowruz commences the Persian New Year and is celebrated by Iranians and many others across the Middle East, Central Asia, the United States, and around the world.

The past year has been historic for the people of Iran. We saw brave and courageous Iranians stand up in massive numbers across the entire country to protest their government’s corruption and demand accountability. The people of Iran have made it clear that they want leadership that represents them, not the interests of its corrupt regime. The Iranian people deserve leaders who listen to, respect, and invest in them, not leaders who target and persecute them while wasting money to advance their nuclear ambitions and test more missiles.

Nowruz is a time of renewal that encourages those observing the holiday to embrace a refreshed sprit of optimism. The Iranian people have great untapped potential. Their culture is vibrant, and Iranians excel in fields from math and science, law, technology, and the arts. They deserve a future of peace and prosperity at home and with all other nations. As they begin this season of renewed hope, we join our partners and allies around the world in praying for a brighter, freer future for Iran.

On behalf of the United States, I extend my warmest greetings for a joyous and peace-filled Nowruz. Today, we are reminded once more that the forces of freedom and liberty will always triumph over evil and oppression.

Nowruz Pirouz!

As National Geographic explains, Nowruz means “new day” and is set to mark the vernal equinox, the first day of spring. In Iran the solar calendar begins on Nowruz.

National Geographic notes, “Its roots are as a feast day in Zoroastrianism, a religion practiced in ancient Persia that viewed the arrival of spring as a victory over darkness. The holiday survived the Islamic conquest of Persia in the seventh century and the decline of Zoroastrianism’s popularity, and it spread across the globe through the diaspora of Persian people throughout history.”

http://www.cuzzblue.com/2020/03/trump-acknowledges-ancient-persian.html

Over 8,000,000 Mobile Phone Accounts ‘Disappeared’ During the “COVID-19” Outbreak in China — Is the C.C.P. Hiding the True Infection and Death Toll of the C-Virus?

https://archive.is/F5omw

For context:

Mobile phones are used for everything in China: as I.D., as a credit / debit card (Q-codes), as veritable passports and birth certificates

Due to the consolidated functionalities of it cellphones, for Chinese people to “switch carriers”, it is akin to a Westerner applying for a new passport or transferring all their finances to a new bank — i.e., they don’t do it often or lightly

So many users “disappearing” from a carrier is unprecedented, and very difficult to qualify with mere “Lunar New Year” or “Coronavirus shutdown” explanations (\if anything, for quarantined Chinese who were deprived of their yearly mass-migration for reunion with families, their phones / phone accounts would have taken on that much more importance)*

The Chinese gov’t, suffice it to say, the Middle Kingdom of mendacity: lying about everything from their G.D.P. figures — see: Western analysts forced to use pollution and energy usage to assay Chinese economic activity; premier Li Keyquing’s 2007 admission that “G.D.P. figures are man-made, and should not be trusted” (WikiLeaks)

The inordinate levels of Sulphur (S) in the atmosphere above Whan — a possible indication of mass-cremations

The fact that even the now Sino compromised W.H.O. found that the 2009 “swine flu” C.F.R. (Case Fatality Rate) was under-reported by China, by a factor of between 10 and 15…

Yeah… So, perhaps, Italy’s ski jump “curve” is more representational of what China had (has?), and the world should prepare for something a lot more dire than the constantly changing, and often contradictory “mainstream information” that is being disseminated by, mostly, politicians who are more interested in the shekel than their people.​

https://governmentslaves.news/2020/03/22/over-8000000-mobile-phone-accounts-disappeared-during-the-covid-19-outbreak-in-china-is-the-c-c-p-hiding-the-true-infection-and-death-toll-of-the-c-virus/

Jersey Man Arrested For Legal Gun, Ammo, Plans To Sue Over Ordeal

A New Jersey man who previously was arrested for carrying a handgun for which he had a permit, along with legal ammunition, now says he is considering a lawsuit against the police and prosecutor’s office who targeted him.

Roosevelt Twyne was arrested last month after he was pulled over for his car’s window tinting. Twyne informed the police officer that he had a handgun with him, and was arrested even though he had a license for the handgun and the ammo he was carrying was specifically listed as legal on a New Jersey police website, The Daily Wire reported.

New Jersey authorities eventually dismissed the charges against Twyne, but The Washington Free Beacon’s Stephen Gutowski, who has covered this story since the beginning, has reported that Twyne is looking to file a civil suit over the ordeal.

Twyne’s attorney, Evan Nappen, told the Free Beacon that his client has been on unpaid suspension from his job as a security guard since his arrest. While Nappen said he was “extremely pleased” the charges were dropped, his client has still suffered damages due to the arrest.

“We still need to get his gun back,” Nappen told the outlet. “We’re working on that. Then, of course, you want to clear the record with expungement so he doesn’t have an arrest record. We’re looking at and weighing the options on further civil action.”

Nappen acknowledged that it would be difficult for Twyne to win his lawsuit, but insisted it was being done to help put a stop to New Jersey’s onerous gun laws that routinely result in the arrest of innocent gun owners. The most famous case is that of Shaneen Allen, a young mother of two who obtained a permit for a handgun after her home was burglarized in Pennsylvania. Allen was arrested in New Jersey after informing a police officer she had a gun during a routine traffic stop. She did not know that her permit didn’t carry over. Ignorance of the law is obviously no excuse, but Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain came under heavy criticism for his decision to throw the book at Allen. The young mother was denied the chance to participate in a first-time offender deferral program, meaning she faced up to three-and-a-half years in prison. That same prosecutor allowed ex-Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice into the deferral program despite video showing him beating his wife.

“New Jersey’s over-zealous gun laws have enabled scenarios where law-abiding citizens—in this case, a security guard nonetheless—are being prosecuted,” Assemblyman John DiMaio (R) said in a statement regarding Twyne’s arrest. “Unfortunately, those good intentions have bad consequences. We want to fix that.”

DiMaio was one of several Republican lawmakers in the Garden State to introduce a bill that “would clarify the state’s restrictions against hollow-point ammunition, which is commonly used for self-defense in the rest of the country,” Gutowski reported.

http://www.hideoutnow.com/2020/03/jersey-man-arrested-for-legal-gun-ammo.html

CDC Director Robert Redfield says some previous flu deaths in US were misdiagnosed and actually due to COVID-19

This has me thinking, how long has COVID-19 been in the US? He doesn’t specify time-frame of those misdiagnoses, but could they have been from before 2020?

Makes things confusing in regards to where the hell this virus came from/how long has been around

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/cdc-director-robert-redfield-says-some-previous-flu-deaths-in-us-were-misdiagnosed-and-actually-due-to-covid-19/

Dr. Andrew Bostom: THE TIME IS NOW! Use Chloroquine (CQ) as Coronavirus Prophylaxis

Dr. Bostom is the latest medical professional to urge the use of chloroquine to not only treat the coronavirus but to use a prophylaxis by medical professionals.

Might/Should this be offered to healthcare workers as a “chronic”/daily regimen while they deal with the covid19 epidemic (analogous to lupus patients who take CQ chronically for anti-inflammatory benefits), or very short term for one high risk exposure to covid19–say a family member suddenly develops the disease, and the rest of the family could be offered high dose short term therapy?

See hypothesis paper of Chang, R.; Sun, W. “Repositioning Chloroquine as Ideal Antiviral Prophylactic against COVID-19 – Time is Now.” [Preprint] https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202003.0279/v1

“Here we reviewed CQ’s antiviral mechanisms, its laboratory efficacy activity against COVID-19, as well as CQ’s pharmacokinetics in its established use against malaria and autoimmune diseases to recommend safe and potentially efficacious dose regimens for protection against COVID-19: a pre-exposure prophylaxis of 250-500mg daily and post-exposure prophylaxis at 8mg/kg/day for 3 days. We recommend further urgent research on CQ for COVID-19 prevention and urge that the above regimens be investigated in parallel with mass deployment by relevant agencies in attempts to contain the pandemic without unnecessary regulatory delays as benefits far outweigh risks or costs.”

http://www.yourdestinationnow.com/2020/03/dr-andrew-bostom-time-is-now-use.html

=1 critical as magnitude 5.3 earthquake hits capital of Croatia, damages buildings and iconic cathedral

Strong quakes have struck Croatia’s capital Zagreb leaving at least one person in critical condition and damaging buildings downtown, including the city’s main historic cathedral.

A 15-year-old child is in critical condition after Zagreb was hit by a 5.3-magnitude earthquake, which was followed by a 5.1-magnitude tremor 40 minutes later. The epicenters of the two quakes were located 8km (five miles) and 7km (4.3 miles) from the city, respectively.

Health officials had reported that the child had died before later retracting their comments.

https://www.rt.com/news/483748-magnitude-60-earthquake-hits-croatia/

Bringing Back the Draft: 5 Possibilities for the Future of Military Conscription

Late in the evening on Jan. 2, as Americans contemplated a return to work after the New Year holiday, shocking news began to ricochet across the internet: The United States had conducted a deadly drone strike on Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, one of that country's most esteemed military officers. Suddenly, the U.S. appeared to be on a war footing with a sovereign nation, one with nuclear aspirations.

As whispers of a possible World War III gained viral speed, something unexpected happened: The nation's attention turned to a small federal institution that has been little more than a historical footnote since the end of the Vietnam War. Google search traffic for "the draft" reached its highest levels since at least 2004; the U.S. Selective Service System's website, which officials say was undergoing maintenance at the time, slowed nearly to a halt as panicked visitors flooded in. In the days that followed, the U.S. Army was forced to issue an announcement combating a malicious hoax. No, officials said: We will not conscript you and order you off to basic training via text message.

But while the hysteria over rumors of a return to a military draft was short-lived, it came as a congressional commission wrapped up a multi-year study that may have major implications for the future of selective service. On March 25, the National Commission on National Military and Public Service will release its findings, with 164 specific recommendations. The 11-member commission may propose, among other things, including women in selective service registration for the first time in U.S. history; otherwise expanding or altering the registered population; or even doing away with SSS altogether.

Some argue that the selective service is a relic from the age of trench warfare, saying the sophisticated and highly technological nature of future fights means the nation will never again have to flood the military ranks with ground-pounders who deploy en masse. Others say the nation is now closer than ever to the sort of existential security threat that could make mass mobilization our best hope of national survival. What most experts agree on, however, is this: If the draft ever does make a comeback, it should not and will not look the same as it did five decades ago.

More

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/03/22/bringing-back-draft-5-possibilities-future-military-conscription.html

BJP and Israel: Hindu Nationalism is Ravaging India’s Democracy

It was only a matter of time before the anti-Muslim sentiment in India turned violent.

A country that has historically prided itself on its diversity and tolerance, and for being ‘the largest democracy in the world’ has, in recent years, exhibited the exact opposite qualities – chauvinism, racism, religious intolerance, and, at times, extreme violence.

The latest round of violence ensued on February 23, one day before US President Donald Trump arrived in Delhi on his first official visit to India.

Trump is a beloved figure among Hindu nationalists, especially supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has ruled India since 2014.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200322-bjp-and-israel-hindu-nationalism-is-ravaging-indias-democracy/

DOJ Seeks To Suspend Constitutional Rights Because Coronavirus & MSM Says Vaping Tied To COVID-19

Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up with Ryan Cristián — The Last American Vagabond — a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours.

As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth is, or claiming they have the answer, is likely leading you astray, for one reason or another. Stay Vigilant.

https://www.activistpost.com/2020/03/doj-seeks-to-suspend-constitutional-rights-because-coronavirus-msm-says-vaping-tied-to-covid-19.html

Fight over $500 billion corporate loan funding holds up coronavirus stimulus

Democratic leaders are objecting to an ambitious Republican proposal to spend up to $500 billion to leverage loans to a variety of industries, ranging from airlines and energy companies to car manufacturers, as part of a coronavirus stimulus package.

As a result of this and other disagreements, Democratic leaders say they don’t have a deal ahead of a key procedural vote at 3 p.m. Sunday to proceed to consideration of the package.

“From my standpoint, we’re apart,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sunday morning before walking into a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who is pushing the massive infusion of cash to the Federal Reserve loan program, also attended the meeting in McConnell’s office.

Democrats say the corporate bailout fund falls short on several counts.

They argue that it doesn’t do enough to require companies to keep workers on payroll, urging them only to keep employees “to the extent possible,” which could result in mass layoffs after companies accept billions of dollars in taxpayer-guaranteed loans.

Democrats have countered with a proposal that corporate loans could be forgiven if major companies such as United Airlines, which has seen its market share plunge in recent weeks, retain more than 90 percent of their workers through the crisis.

They also are balking at the proposal’s weak restrictions on restricting corporate buybacks, which Mnuchin can waive.

U.S. airlines, for example, spent tens of billions of dollars in recent years on stock buybacks to boost their share prices. American Airlines alone spent $12.4 billion on stock buybacks since 2014.

The proposed loan program would give Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and the Federal Reserve broad discretion to hand out loans to industries that have been hit hard by the precipitous drop in economic activity.

The rescue fund, which the Senate Republican bill initially pegged at $208 billion, would extend beyond the airline industry, which has seen its stocks plummet in recent weeks, to other industries facing a credit crunch because of the health crisis.

Mnuchin on Sunday argued the proposed $500 billion appropriation to the Treasury Department to set up a capital buffer fund for the Fed would maximize the amount of liquidity Fed chair Jerome Powell can pump into the capital markets.

“We’ll have up to $4 trillion of liquidity that we can use to support the economy. And that’s —those are broad-based lending programs under Section 133. We can leverage our equity working with the Federal Reserve,” Mnuchin said on "Fox News Sunday," referring to a section of the Federal Reserve Act that gives the agency broad power to issue loans to borrowers who cannot secure loans.

But Democrats argue the fund has few restrictions, giving the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve broad discretion to hand out loans, perhaps even to President Trump’s own hotel and real estate empire.

Democrats also want to extend a proposed cap on executive compensation for companies that receive bailout loans beyond the two-year timeframe suggested by Republicans.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/488879-fight-over-500-billion-corporate-loan-funding-holds-up-coronavirus-stimulus