WAYNE ALLYN ROOT: Mr. President, Call It Extortion

Remember when Rahm Emanuel let the secret out of the bag, “Never let a crisis go to waste.”

Just days ago, South Carolina Democrat Congressman James Clyburn repeated almost the exact same words to his Democrat colleagues.

Clyburn said, “this is a tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision.” Meaning he wants to use a life and death Coronavirus pandemic to push through the extreme, radical, socialist agenda of Democrats, while everyone in Washington DC (including President Trump) is desperate and distracted.

How disgusting and disgraceful.

This latest 1400 page bill put together by Nancy Pelosi and Democrats is everything everyday Americans hate about government. It is the very definition of the worst of the DC Swamp. It is filled with totally unrelated pork to pay off Pelosi’s and Democrat’s deep-pocket supporters. It is filled with their socialist wish list that could neverpass under normal circumstances.

But Pelosi and Democrats expect it to pass by holding you and me hostage. They know the US economy is about to collapse- literally. They know we are on the verge of a Great Depression. Actually, worse than a Great Depression. We are on the verge of 30% or higher unemployment.

That’s higher than anything we saw in the depths of the Great Depression.

Democrats know almost every small business in America is on the verge of bankruptcy. They must know many proud small business owners are thinking of suicide. This is a national disaster of epic proportions.

And all Democrats can think of is loading the bill to rescue the US economy with extreme, radical, ultra-liberal poison pills. If it passes, out of desperation and distraction, they get all the DC Swamp pork and payoffs they ever dreamed of. Plus, as a bonus, their socialist agenda. But if it doesn’t pass, they’ll blame President Trump and Republicans.

How cynical can you get?

What’s in Pelosi’s 1400 page bill? Arts funding; free Obamaphones; strict new affirmative action and diversity rules for corporate Boards; disgraceful giveaways to government employee unions; massive new draconian environmental rules; elimination of the Postal Service’s debt; and forcing government to favor banks owned by minorities. Add in nationwide “ballot harvesting” (ie Democrat voter fraud used to steal elections).

What does any of this have to do with a Coronavirus pandemic, or a health crisis, or an economic collapse?

In short, Pelosi’s version of a ”rescue bill” includes every extreme, radical, socialist and far left proposal Democrats have ever dreamed of. Smack dab in the middle of the worst crisis in US history.

Isn’t that called extortion? Democrats are putting a gun to the heads of President Trump, the GOP Senate and every American. Congratulations Ms. Pelosi. The Gambino Crime Family couldn’t have done a better job.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/03/wayne-allyn-root-mr-president-call-it-extortion/

House Stimulus Bill Creates "Digital Dollar" To Send Virus-Aid To The 'Unbanked'

Update (1115ET): Coindesk's Nikhilish De reports that mentions of a "digital dollar" in a coronavirus-related relief bill before the U.S. House of Representatives have been scrubbed.

House Democrats' latest version of the "Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act," revealed late Monday, does not contain any language around a "digital dollar" in its section on direct stimulus payments.

As CoinTelegraph's Kollen Post detailed earlier, amid contentious debate over the massive stimulus package in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Democrats in the United States House of Representatives look to implement the digital dollar to streamline payments to U.S. citizens outside of the traditional financial system.

https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/house-stimulus-bill-creates-digital-dollar-send-virus-aid-unbanked

EU left Italy ‘practically alone' to fight coronavirus, so Rome looked for help elsewhere, incl Russia – ex-FM Frattini

The EU’s initial response to the massive outbreak of coronavirus in Italy was largely “inadequate,” and a lack of European solidarity opened the doors for Russia and China, former Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told RT.

The new epicenter of the dreaded pandemic, Italy, has been struggling to stop the spread of Covid-19 for weeks now. The disease has already killed more than six thousand people in the country, with over 60 thousand people infected.

EU tried to pin the blame on Italy

The EU clearly underestimated the virus, blaming the outbreak in Italy on its national healthcare system flaws, according to the two-time foreign minister and OSCE representative. As a result, Brussels, which preaches pan-European solidarity, failed to act when this solidarity was needed in the face of a crisis that eventually affected the entire bloc.

Frankly speaking, Brussels is not doing enough. At the very first moment, Italy was practically alone against the virus. Many said it was all because of the Italian habits, because Italians do not respect the rules. Suddenly, they realized all the other countries were equally affected.

The situation in other major EU states like Germany and France deteriorated rapidly, forcing them to deal with thousands of infected on their own soil.

“Everyone just focused on the situation at home before even thinking about helping others,” Andrea Giannotti, the executive director of the Italian Institute of Eurasian Studies, told RT.

https://www.rt.com/news/483897-italy-eu-coronavirus-solidarity-russia/

Musk Cops Out On Tesla Making Ventilators, Buys Them From China Instead

Man, Elon Musk and China sure are getting along very well over the last couple years…

Not just content with trying to get some good PR by sticking his nose into another humanitarian crisis (after failing to fix the Flint Water crisis, the Thai Cave rescue, etc.), Musk has now thrust himself into the middle of the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic.

But only after he downplayed the severity of the virus weeks ago - before the infection and death numbers in the U.S. went through the roof. Then, ostensibly realizing that the virus was getting the best of his PR efforts, Musk claimed that Tesla was going to to make ventilators.

This chart, by Twitter user @EVdefender, lays out exactly how Musk has humiliated himself so far responding to the virus publicly.

https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/musk-cops-out-tesla-making-ventilators-buys-them-china-instead

Devil in the details: Media jumps to blame Trump for death of man who self-medicated with FISH TANK CLEANER containing chloroquine

An Arizona man has died after consuming a substance used to clean aquariums – but is also found in a drug the US president said could treat Covid-19 – prompting the US media to hop aboard the Trump blame train, details be damned.

The Phoenix-area man and his wife – who survived – ingested a form of chloroquine used as a fish tank cleaner on Monday, reportedly after hearing President Trump mention the chemical on TV. Though the substance is similar to one used in an anti-malaria drug touted as a possible treatment for the coronavirus, the aquarium additive comes in a different form and is highly toxic to humans. But that hasn’t stopped a spate of media outlets from casting blame on the president, insisting he encouraged the couple to guzzle down a lethal dose of a dangerous drug.

From NBC, to the Hill – which falsely claimed the man had taken a “malaria medication” – to ABC and beyond, much of the US press corps rushed to place the tragedy squarely on Trump’s shoulders. Netizens soon pointed out the problem with that framing, however, shredding the news agencies for running with a “dishonest” narrative.

While the president did suggest the anti-malarial had “very encouraging early results” in treating Covid-19, he noted it would still have to undergo clinical trials. At no point did he recommend anyone self-administer the drug outside the care of a doctor, and certainly never called for the consumption of any form of fish tank cleaner, as many pointed out on social media.

“BREAKING FROM @NBCNews! Do NOT ingest FISH TANK CLEANER,”wrote former Trump staffer Boris Epshteyn

https://www.rt.com/usa/483908-media-blame-trump-chloroquine/

Former first minister of Scotland Alex Salmond cleared of sex assault charges

Alex Salmond, former Scottish National Party leader and first minister of Scotland, has been acquitted of sexual assault charges by a jury at Edinburgh's High Court.

After about six hours of deliberation, the jury found Salmond not guilty on 12 charges of attempted rape, sexual assault and indecent assault. A further charge, sexual assault with attempt to rape, was "not proven by majority.”

Salmond had denied all of the charges, which were made by nine women who are all either former Scottish government officials or SNP politicians, as "deliberate fabrications" for political purposes.

The allegations against the former first minister, who presents a show on RT UK, spanned a period of six years between 2008 and 2014.

The verdicts were read out on Monday after an 11-day trial. His defense team had argued that the charges had come from the same "political bubble" with no direct witnesses, and noted there had been inconsistencies in the testimonies of the women.

Speaking to reporters outside the court, Salmond said he had been through a "nightmare." He then said that was nothing compared to the nightmare the world is going through with the Covid-19 pandemic and advised reporters to go home and "take care of your families, and god help us all."

Two members of the jury were dismissed on Monday morning, apparently in relation to concerns over the Covid-19 outbreak, some reports said. The trial was also moved to a large courtroom due to fears around transmission of the virus.

https://www.rt.com/uk/483861-alex-salmond-acquitted-sexual-assault/

Pennsylvania Supreme Court clears way for the governor to shut down gun stores indefinitely, citing the coronavirus

The order effectively shuts down all gun sales in the state

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied a request by gun-rights advocates to exempt gun stores from an order mandating the closure of businesses amid the coronavirus outbreak in the state.

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf issued the executive order on March 19, which forced the shutdown of all businesses in the state deemed not "life-sustaining" for an indefinite period of time, gun stores included.

What are the details?

Gun-rights advocates took issue with the inclusion of firearms retailers in the list of non life-sustaining businesses, and argued that the mandatory closures violated state and federal constitutional protections and interfered with citizens' Second Amendment rights. They brought their case before the state's Supreme Court, but on Sunday, the seven-member court denied their request.

One of the three dissenting judges, Justice David Wecht, called the order an "impermissible intrusion upon a fundamental constitutional right" and pointed to other industries that have received exemption from the shutdown. An example would be restaurants in the state, which have been permitted to operate in some capacity through take-out and delivery options.

"In my view, it is incumbent upon the Governor to make some manner of allowance for our citizens to continue to exercise this constitutional right," Wecht argued, making the case that gun stores could be permitted to operate in limited capacities. "Such an accommodation may be effectuated while preserving sensible restrictions designed to slow the spread of COVID-19, but nonetheless provide a legal avenue for the purchase and sale of firearms, thus avoiding an impermissible intrusion upon a fundamental constitutional right."

According to the Washington Free Beacon, Gov. Wolf argued that his order to close gun stores on an emergency basis "does not abridge the right to bear arms" because "it merely suspends — temporarily — a variety of stores from acting as centers of contagion."

Adam Kraut, the director of legal strategy for the Firearms Policy Coalition and one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs in the case, told the Free Beacon he is "disappointed" in the court's decision, especially at a time "when many are deciding that the ability to defends one's home and family is more necessary than ever."

Kraut's comments made reference to the national spike in gun sales in recent weeks.

"The Governor's Order amounts to an absolute and indefinite prohibition on the acquisition of firearms by citizens of the Commonwealth," Kraut continued. "Such a prohibition cannot withstand constitutional scrutiny and directly infringes upon the core of the Second Amendment."

Anything else?

For most other products normally purchased in stores, consumers are now going online to purchase and having the products delivered to their door. But in Pennsylvania, residents don't have that option as it pertains to firearms.

Under Pennsylvania law, citizens are required to physically pick up guns purchased online at gun stores. So the executive order closing gun stores is effectively shutting down gun sales in the state.

"Pennsylvanians cannot simply order a firearm online and enjoy home delivery, or curbside service, as many first-time gun buyers are finding out. Their politicians have been lying to them," Kraut noted.

The Free Beacon reported that plaintiffs in the case are now weighing an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/pennsylvaniapennsylvania-shuts-down-gun-stores-coronavirus