The Politicians Standing in the Way of Emergency Relief

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) torpedoed a bipartisan deal Sunday on a lifeline for the U.S. economy. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who had previously praised the negotiations, followed her lead.

Pelosi then introduced her alternative — a pork-laden Democrat wish list of unrelated items from the “Green New Deal” and other radical policies.

Aside from Pelosi and Schumer, here is a list of the other politicians blocking the relief.

(Note that this does not include those with ordinary objections — worthy or not — to the bill, based on concerns that it is too generous to corporations, or that it does not provide enough money for hospitals, et cetera. Those are largely rationalizations and talking points, but they are to be expected in the rough-and-tumble of political debate.)

This list focuses on those whose reasons appear linked to special interests, pure partisanship, or incompetence.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA): The co-sponsor of the “Green New Deal” told Andrea Mitchell of MSNBC on Monday that he opposed the bill precisely he backs the special interest provisions that Pelosi wants to put into it: “We want to make sure that it has workers’ protections in it … if they want to give the money to oil companies, gas companies, coal companies, but not to wind and solar companies, we should know that right up front,” he said.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA): Schiff actually defended Pelosi adding completely irrelevant, radical changes to voting, like nationwide “ballot harvesting,” telling Chris Hayes of MSNBC: “I think what they’re really focused on is, we want to make sure that we protect not only the health of the economy, but the health of our democracy, and for that reason, we wanted to make sure that we provide that people can vote by mail, and have early voting.”

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL): On Monday, Durbin defended Pelosi’s intervention in the negotiations, flying in from San Francisco at the last minute to disrupt a deal in the Senate. Durbin said: “She is the Speaker of the House, you know. And the measure, whatever we do here, is headed over there for consideration. The fact that she would want to be party to that negotiation is not an outrageous idea.” He did not explain why she needed her own new bill.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT): When CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Murphy why Democrats were demanding “solar panel tax credits and collective bargaining rights” in Pelosi’s new legislation, he pleaded ignorance. “I don’t know where those reports come from,” he said. But GOP Senators spent much of the debate on Monday listing all of the giveaways in Pelosi’s proposal; the “reports” were coming from the Senate floor, about a bill from his own party.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/03/24/the-politicians-standing-in-the-way-of-the-stimulus/

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Was Accused Of Covering Up Cholera Epidemics In Africa

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, was accused in 2017 of downplaying cholera epidemics that hit Ethiopia and Sudan.

A group of American doctors wrote that Tedros was “fully complicit in the terrible suffering and dying” that stemmed from a cholera outbreak in Sudan.

Before that, Tedros faced allegations that he refused to investigate three cholera outbreaks when he served as Ethiopia’s health minister.

He is now under fire for accepting the communist Chinese government’s spin about its handling of coronavirus, which has killed more than 16,000 people to date.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus came under fire in 2017 over his handling of cholera epidemics in Ethiopia and Sudan. Physicians and health professionals at the time accused him of failing to properly classify outbreaks of the disease in order to avoid embarrassing the two African regimes.

Nearly three years later, Tedros is facing similar allegations over his response to the novel coronavirus pandemic that originated from China. He and the WHO have come under heavy scrutiny for defending the Chinese government’s response to an outbreak in the Wuhan province in November 2019.

A group of American doctors blasted Tedros in September 2017, accusing him of failing to investigate outbreaks of cholera in the African country, which neighbors Ethiopia. Sudanese leaders classified the outbreak as “acute watery diarrhea” rather than cholera, which is caused by a bacteria found in unsanitary drinking water.

The terminology affected whether outside health organizations would marshal resources to fight an outbreak of the deadly bacteria.

“Your silence about what is clearly a massive cholera epidemic in Sudan daily becomes more reprehensible,” the doctors wrote in a Sept. 11, 2017, letter to Tedros.

“The inevitable history that will be written of this epidemic will surely cast you in an unforgiving light,” they also wrote, adding that Tedros was “fully complicit in the terrible suffering and dying that continues to spread.”

Months earlier, Lawrence Gostin, the director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, had lobbied against Tedros taking over WHO because of his handling of cholera outbreaks in Ethiopia in 2006, 2009 and 2011.

Tedros served as Ethiopa’s health minister from 2005 to 2012, when he took over as the east African nation’s foreign minister.

“Dr. Tedros is a compassionate and highly competent public health official,” Gostin told The New York Times. “But he had a duty to speak truth to power and to honestly identify and report verified cholera outbreaks over an extended period.”

According to The New York Times, WHO officials had privately complained that Ethiopian health officials lied about the outbreaks. The Washington Post reported in August 2016 that the Ethiopian government restricted international aid organizations from calling the outbreak anything other than “acute watery diarrhea,” as well as from publishing the number of people sick from the epidemic.

Tedros insisted to The New York Times that the Ethiopian outbreaks were “acute watery diarrhea,” and that it was difficult to test for cholera. He has long dismissed the cholera allegations as a smear campaign waged by political rivals.

Meanwhile, Henry Thayer, a professor at the University of Texas-San Antonio, and Lianchao Han, the vice president of Citizens Power Initiatives for China, accused Tedros of turning a “blind eye” to China’s culpability in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

They wrote in a March 17 op-ed in The Hill that both Xi and Tedros should “be held accountable for recklessly managing this deadly pandemic.”

https://dailycaller.com/2020/03/23/world-health-organization-tedros-adhanom-ghebreyesus-cholera-coronavirus/

Greeks continue to repel violent foreign invaders along its border

Despite continued attacks on its border fence by Turkish regime leader Recep Erdogan’s army of 12,000 migrants, courageous Greeks continue to stand their ground and defend Europe against the foreign invasion.

As Voice of Europe reported on Sunday, hordes of fighting-age male migrant invaders gathered along Evros river near the Greek border and built makeshift ladders with the tree trunks designed to allow them to scale Greece’s border fence.

In addition to fighting the invisible enemy that is coronavirus, for nearly a month now, the Greek’s have been holding back thousands of fighting-age male enemy invaders who’ve relentlessly attempted to breach its border.

Numerous videos have circulated on social media depicting Turkish police aiding the illegal migrants by shooting tear gas at the Greek border guards.

Less than two weeks ago, a video circulated throughout social media which depicted at Turkish tactical armored combat vehicle ripping down the border fencing along the Greek-Turkish border in a brazen attempt to aid the migrants to cross over illegally into Greece.

Despite less coverage due to the global pandemic clogging up headlines, the war along the Evros river and the Greek border continues to rage, where roughly 2,00 migrants continue to invade the country with the help of the Turkish government, Greek Reporter reports.

In the video clip below – shot from the Turkish side of the border – Turkish police yet again shoot tear gas at the Greek side of the border while migrants a few meters away hurl projectiles towards Greek border guards.

https://voiceofeurope.com/2020/03/watch-greeks-continue-to-repel-violent-foreign-invaders-along-its-border/

After Ten Deaths, India Puts 1.3 Billion Citizens Into Lockdown for 21 Days

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a “total lockdown” in the country of 1.3 billion people during a televised address Tuesday night, the most extensive stay-at-home order yet in the world’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

The 21-day lockdown was set to begin at midnight.

“To save India and every Indian, there will be a total ban on venturing out of your homes,” Modi said, adding that if the county failed to manage the next 21 days, it would be set back by 21 years.

Indian health officials have reported 469 actives cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, and 10 deaths.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/03/24/after-ten-deaths-india-puts-1-3-billion-citizens-into-lockdown-for-21-days/

Mike Pompeo calls Coronavirus pandemic a Exercise live on CNN

https://youtu.be/3Qscuw_3aUk

WTF

201 Event :The Planned Coronavirus Pandemic

https://youtu.be/PCF_AoenybE

Mexican President Encourages People to Still Mingle amid Coronavirus

While Mexico’s health officials are asking the public to keep a safe distance and to stay indoors, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador still holds mass gatherings and encourages constituents to mingle at restaurants.

As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to grow in Mexico, the country’s health officials kicked off various public awareness campaigns to encourage social distancing. Individual states and municipalities are taking more drastic measures such as closing schools, beaches, mass events, and businesses. On Sunday night, Mexico recorded 316 confirmed cases of Coronavirus, by Monday afternoon, officials announced the third fatality related to the virus.

In contrast, Lopez Obrador still makes appearances at large events where he hugs supporters and greets children with kisses.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2020/03/24/mexican-president-encourages-people-to-still-mingle-amid-coronavirus/

Bloomberg Sued by Former Campaign Staffer for Fraud

A former staffer for Mike Bloomberg’s presidential campaign filed a class-action lawsuit Monday alleging the billionaire broke a promise to pay his thousands of campaign workers through November, regardless of whether his 2020 bid was successful.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York City, accuses Bloomberg of “fraudulently” enticing people to join his campaign with promises he did not fulfill and breaching his contract with those employees by laying them off shortly after he ended his campaign on March 4.

The named plaintiff in the lawsuit, Donna Wood, worked as a field organizer for the former New York mayor’s campaign.

The complaint notes that many of the staffers resigned or took leaves of absences from their current jobs or moved to take a position on Bloomberg’s campaign and are now left hunting for jobs — and without health care — during the coronavirus pandemic and as the economy experiences a significant contraction.

“Defendant’s termination of (field organizers) and other campaign employees deprived them of promised income and health care benefits, leaving them and their families potentially uninsured in the face of a global pandemic,” the lawsuit reads.

The lawsuit seeks damages for “fraudulent inducement and breach of contract,” as well as unpaid overtime pay.

A campaign representative said the campaign paid its staff wages and benefits “that were much more generous than any other campaign this year” and that staffers were given several weeks of severance and health care through March.

The representative also said that given the coronavirus crisis, “a fund is being created to ensure that all staff receive healthcare through April, which no other campaign has done.”

Bloomberg offered campaign workers unusually generous pay and benefits and promises of work through November to join his team, an atypical assurance from a campaign.

Those commitments helped the candidate build out a staff of thousands across 43 states within months of his late entry into the race.

Bloomberg initially indicated that, even if he didn’t win the nomination, he would transition his campaign apparatus into an independent entity working to help the Democratic Party defeat Trump.

But after winning just one U.S. territory during the March 3 Super Tuesday primary contests, Bloomberg bowed out of the race the next day and laid off most of his staff soon afterward.

He told them they were welcome to reapply to work with the Democratic National Committee in many states.

Former Bloomberg campaign staffers in field offices in six key battleground states were kept on and will continue to be paid by his campaign through the first week in April and have full benefits through the end of April. After that, they’ll have to reapply to work with the DNC.

Bloomberg, one of the world’s wealthiest people with a net worth estimated to exceed $60 billion, has continued his involvement in Democratic politics since dropping out of the race through multimillion-dollar investments in various Democratic turnout and advocacy groups.

Last week, his campaign announced it would transfer $18 million to the DNC to help the party build out its operation in key states.

http://www.cuzzblue.com/2020/03/bloomberg-sued-by-former-campaign.html

Adrenachrome Patent runs out today. Dupont bloodline involved. All hospitals are children hospitals.

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/adrenachrome-patent-runs-out-today-dupont-bloodline-involved-all-hospitals-are-children-hospitals/

US Troops at Camp Taji Still Facing Radioactive Trash Burn Fallout - Pentagon IG

The US Department of Defense Inspector General (IG) has blasted the conditions at Camp Taji in Iraq, where US troops continue to live in the shadow of toxic burn pits where trash is improperly disposed of years after the IG called attention to the problem.

A recent audit by the DoD IG made public on Friday has revealed the ongoing disagreements between watchdogs and Pentagon brass over the danger of an open-air trash pit near Camp Taji, an Iraqi military base north of Baghdad where large numbers of US troops are stationed.

”In the absence of a contract requirement to dispose of solid waste in accordance with US Central Command environmental guidance, the contractor continued to use its commercially available, and Government of Iraq‑approved, solid waste disposal method of dumping solid waste at a site in the Camp Taji Amber Zone, which the Iraqis would later burn,” the IG report said, noting that “this solid waste disposal method may have contributed to the exposure of US and Coalition personnel to potential long‑term health effects from the burn pit smoke.”

The finding was part of a larger report in which the IG audited the Army’s Base Life Support Contract at Camp Taji, finding the Pentagon overpaid by $116 million over the last five years to SoS International LLC, a service provider based in northern Virginia, for the base’s dining facilities, housing, electricity and other services.

“As a result of poorly defined contract requirements, inadequate pricing structure, and lack of invoice oversight,” the Army wasted $36 million base life support expenses and $80 million on food and water, and on top of it, failed to ensure the trash was disposed of in a safe manner, the IG said.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202003231078686924-us-troops-at-camp-taji-still-facing-radioactive-trash-burn-fallout—pentagon-ig/

New Jersey Attorney General Announces That People Who Violate Stay-At-Home Order Could Face Six Months in Jail or Fines

New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced on Monday that those who break the state’s stay at home order could face jail or up to $1,000 in fines.

Gov. Phil Murphy signed executive orders over the weekend bar unapproved social gatherings and shut down all “non-essential” businesses. The orders closed all retail “storefront and/or brick-and-mortar premises” and ordered that “all recreational and entertainment businesses must close to the public.”

During a press conference on Monday, Grewal said that police will also be monitoring for people who have parties at their homes and invite too many people.

“Law enforcement officers will have to break that party up, and there will be criminal consequences,” Grewal said. “The time for warnings is over. And the time to ensure compliance by using all of the tools available to us is here.”

Grewal’s office told NorthJersey.com that offenders can be charged with everything from a disorderly persons charge to an indictable offense.

“The exact charge will depend on the crime. But a disorderly persons offense is punishable by a prison term of up to six months, a fine of up to $1,000 or both, Grewal’s office has said,” the website reports.

The governor said that he was “really damned unhappy” to hear that people have still been gathering in the state.

“Folks need to be jolted,” Murphy said Sunday. “All residents are to stay inside if you do not need to be out.”

New Jersey residents with non-essential jobs are currently only allowed to go to the grocery store, seek medical care, exercise outside or visit close friends and relatives.

http://www.womensystems.com/2020/03/new-jersey-attorney-general-announces.html

TRUDEAU says “Enough is Enough” – Canadians, STAY HOME

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/trudeau-says-enough-is-enough-canadians-stay-home/

The Constitutional Rear Naked Choke, Gun Bill HR5717

To serve as a reprieve, let’s redirect to an all-out assault on our beloved 2nd Amendment. A Democrat bill has been introduced (HR5717) that still has to pass the House but let’s face it, the House designed the bill so it will sail through to the Senate. This bill has garnered little attention so there must be something consuming the spot light at the moment so let me redirect your focus to how this will strangle your 2A.

The bill will create a National Gun Registry. If common sense doesn’t prevail on why this is a bad idea, well it doesn’t work, look at California. On top of a registry, a 30% tax would be imposed on guns and a 50% tax would be imposed on ammo, ponder on that for a moment. From 1994-2004 we experienced the “Assault Weapons Ban” and after that miserable ten years was over, you guessed it, there was no notable change in violent crime.

To really make things fun for law abiding citizens, this bill will implement National Red Flag gun confiscation laws. Not only does this smash your 5 th and 14 th Amendment (right to due process) with the Hammer of Thor, it really could bring new meaning to “Hell hath no fury like an ex scorned.” Additional goodies inside this Liberal bag of fun would be, no one under 21 could exercise their 2A rights.

Quite frankly, if you can vote and die for your country, you should be able to exercise you 2A without restriction. It would ban gun assembly in your home and require “safe” gun storage. So next time a bad guy attempts an Armed Robbery, no problem. Merely enter in your 16 digit pass-code, scan your left and right eye, say a magic word while clicking your heals together and poof, you can now protect yourself from an intruder. Who by the way won’t be abiding by ANY of this liberal concoction.

There are many other horrible attributes to this attack on our Constitution but the last one I will mention is what I consider the most dangerous of them all, “Expansion of gun free zones.” Last I checked, every school shooting and virtually every mass shooting has occurred in a “Gun Free Zone” which tells me, these are dangerous places to hang out.

When the rubber meets the road, criminals already don’t abide by current laws because we don’t enforce the one’s we have now with actual deterrents so do you really think this bill is aimed towards the criminals? You guessed it, the cross-hairs are dialed right in over our beloved Constitution. Take a stand and make sure your voices are heard and squash this evil bill, just like Nana Pelosi squashed our COVID-19 relief deal.

https://thedcpatriot.com/the-constitutional-rear-naked-choke-gun-bill-hr5717/

US, UAE Ignore Coronavirus Risk, Hold Anti-Iran War Games

Troops invade an imaginary Iranian city in drill

The spread of coronavirus has delayed a lot of wargames, but the US and United Arab Emirates both want to send a message to Iran, and that message comes in the form of 4,000 US troops and combined Emirati fighters conducting the biennial Native Fury exercise.

The exercise took place primarily at al-Hamra base, where a fictional Iranian city was constructed, mosques and all, for the troops to pretend to invade and conquer. Troops rampaged through the narrow streets looking for “enemy fighters.”

US troops took part in the UAE and Kuwait, along with Diego Garcia. The US Ambassador Rakolta described the exercise as “defensive in nature” despite it being an overtly practiced invasion and occupation of a model Iranian city.

Rakolta added he doesn’t think it is “provocative” to tell the Iranians “we’re coming.” It’s hard to imagine Iran, or anyone else thusly targeted by a large wargame, not seeing it that way.

https://news.antiwar.com/2020/03/23/us-uae-ignore-coronavirus-risk-hold-anti-iran-war-games/

FBI SELLS MORE FEAR: White supremacists encouraging their members to spread coronavirus to cops, Jews

This is what the FBI is concerned with. Yikes.

Racist extremist groups, including neo-Nazis and other white supremacists, are encouraging members who contract novel coronavirus disease to spread the contagion to cops and Jews, according to intelligence gathered by the FBI.

In an alert obtained by ABC News, the FBI’s New York office reports that “members of extremist groups are encouraging one another to spread the virus, if contracted, through bodily fluids and personal interactions.”

The FBI alert, which went out on Thursday, told local police agencies that extremists want their followers to try to use spray bottles to spread bodily fluids to cops on the street. The extremists are also directing followers to spread the disease to Jews by going “any place they may be congregated, to include markets, political offices, businesses and places of worship.”

“Anti-government folks in America love to target law enforcement as a symbol of America’s authority,” said Don Mihalek, the executive vice president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation and an ABC News contributor. “It’s just sad that that’s their focus at a time of crisis in the nation.

https://truepundit.com/fbi-sells-more-fear-white-supremacists-encouraging-their-members-to-spread-coronavirus-to-cops-jews/

King David’s Ancient Road: How Israeli Archaeologists Are Aiding the Theft of Silwan

Claiming “science” as their reason and in total disregard for the wellbeing of the population, tunnels are dug under Palestinian homes in Silwan, destroying foundations and forcing residents to flee.

Jerusalem, Palestine — Wadi Hilweh, also known as Silwan, is a lovely, ancient town that sits in the valley directly below the Al-Aqsa compound, just outside the Old City of Jerusalem. Sadly, on any given day in this ancient valley, one can see ongoing ethnic cleansing, violence incited by Israeli settlers and the erasure of history, all at the same time and in broad daylight.

Because of its proximity to the Old City, Silwan has been subjected to a brutal assault by the Israeli government, the municipality of Jerusalem, and particularly the non-profit organizations Elad and Ateret Cohanim, which subsidize the violence, the destruction of Palestinian heritage and Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem.

Zionist Conquest and Destruction

Throughout its long history, Silwan has seen many cultures and conquerors come and go, leaving their marks and making this valley unique. Since the Zionist occupation of East Jerusalem began, the valley has become an excavation site, but not for the preservation or discovery of the wealth of history and archeology it contains, but rather for what it does not.

Zionist archeologists dig in Wadi Hilwe to validate their narrative, ignoring and even destroying everything else. They claim that there was a Hebrew King by the name of David who ruled in ancient Jerusalem and that the ancient city where he ruled sits under the homes of the people of Silwan. Although no historical proof exists that King David ever lived, the homes of the people of the valley are being destroyed because Israel wants the world to believe that he did.

A Zionist Perspective

A recent piece published by the pro-Israeli think tank, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, described Silwan as “small, hilly, poor, and densely packed.” However, this description is deceptive. Silwan is not small, with over fifty-thousand residents. Starting just below the Al-Aqsa sanctuary in the Old City, it stretches down the valley and up the opposite hill up to Jabel Mukaber, offering stunning views of the valley and the Old City.

https://www.mintpressnews.com/how-israel-archeologists-aiding-theft-silwan/266005/

>>8548153

Soros Bankrolls Coronavirus Attack Ads Against Trump

Liberal groups spend millions on anti-Trump ads in Midwest

The Democratic Party's leading super PAC will begin hitting President Donald Trump over coronavirus in four battleground states, using millions from liberal billionaire George Soros.

Priorities USA Action—the Democratic Party's largest super PAC—will spend $6 million this week on advertisements criticizing Trump for his response to the coronavirus pandemic. The ads will run in Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The PAC received $3 million in contributions from Soros's Democracy PAC on Feb. 21, new filings show. Soros's seven-figure donation accounts for 77 percent of the $3.9 million the PAC reported hauling in last month.

Major Democratic donors have flooded battleground states, especially in the Midwest, with cash for anti-Trump campaigns in hopes of appealing to the president's voter base. CNN first reported Monday on Priorities USA's new ads, which are part of a larger plan by deep-pocketed liberal financiers and activist groups to divert large sums of cash into the region. Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in several Midwestern states that she was expected to carry in the 2016 election.

As part of this plan, Priorities USA has said it intends to spend upward of $150 million against Trump in states like Michigan and Wisconsin. The PAC has hauled in $27 million since January 2019. Its largest donor has been billionaire hedge fund manager Donald Sussman, who has given the group $8 million this cycle. Soros is now the group's second-largest donor at $5 million.

The group did not respond to a request for comment.

Priorities is not the only group using the coronavirus pandemic to attack Trump. PACRONYM, a super PAC tied to the nonprofit ACRONYM, which was in charge of the botched Iowa app that caused chaos during the Iowa caucuses, is launching a similar campaign.

PACRONYM announced last Tuesday it will spend $5 million on digital advertising against Trump's response to the pandemic. Tara McGowan, the founder of ACRONYM, said it's imperative that Democratic groups push anti-Trump messaging while Democratic presidential contenders remain positive during the pandemic. Biden, however, slammed Trump on Monday over what he called a "failure of planning and preparation" for the coronavirus.

"This is a public health issue and a national security issue, but it's also a public policy issue and thus a political one," McGowan told the Washington Post.

McGowan's dark money nonprofit, which does not disclose its donors, has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's PAC. It also received funding from failed presidential contender and billionaire donor Tom Steyer's PAC.

PACRONYM received $250,000 from Soros's Democracy PAC and $1 million from Sussman late last year. Hollywood director Steven Spielberg and wife Kate Capshaw added $1 million.

In addition to Priorities and PACRONYM, liberal operative David Brock's American Bridge PAC has assailed Trump's coronavirus response. American Bridge has also been active in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

"Our job is to hold Donald Trump accountable, and we have no plans to let up, particularly with a focus on economic issues as we've done to date," Bradley Beychok, the president of American Bridge, said. "But as this crisis unfolds and the country experiences the consequences of his incompetence, we're not going to give him a pass for bungling the government's response to this pandemic."

https://freebeacon.com/2020-election/soros-bankrolls-coronavirus-attack-ads-against-trump/

Italy Virus Deaths Fall, But Officials Warn the Worst Is Not Behind Them

Italy recorded the second straight day of a drop in the number of new COVID-19 cases. The number of day-to-day deaths also decreased for the second day in a row.

But Italian health officials are saying that the small decrease could be a statistical anomaly and not an indication that the country has turned the corner on fighting the Chinese virus.

Meanwhile, Italian labor unions went on strike against inadequate health and safety measures being taken by the government and private companies.

CNBC:

The number of deaths rose by 601 on Monday, the smallest increase in four days, according to data from the Italian authorities. The number of new confirmed cases also slowed on Monday. These figures have raised expectations that the worse could be over for the country with the highest number of deaths from the virus worldwide.

However, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Monday that Italy had not yet reached the “most acute phase” of the infection.

“It is early to say” when this crisis will be over, Conte told the newspaper La Stampa Monday.

One official is saying it's going to get worse before it gets better.

The Hill:

One of Italy’s national health officials, Silvio Brusaferro, warned against any optimism, saying the decrease in new cases reflected actions taken at the beginning of the month.

“We need more consecutive results to confirm the trend, to be more certain that we are in a favorable situation,” Brusaferro said, according to the AP.

And it wouldn't be a crisis without a strike by the Italian labor unions. In this instance, they may have a case. Prime Minister Conte has left it up to individual companies whether to close their doors and send the workers home and there appear to be some industries that are not only resisting the call to close but are exposing their workers to risk of disease.

However, metalworkers and bank unions have vowed to strike on Wednesday. They are demanding more stringent measures for the factories that are still open and for bank employees, who they say do not have enough masks, gloves or disinfectant.

“As a result of the amateurish management of the recent decision to impose a shutdown of all non-essential economic activities, the government has managed to alienate both trade unions and business groups,” Wolfgango Piccoli, co-president of the research firm Teneo, said in an email Monday.

He added that the current coronavirus crisis was making the political atmosphere “increasingly toxic.”

Sounds familiar.

The tragedy in Italy won't happen here – as long as we continue to abide by restrictions recommended by health officials. Italy started late and failed to act aggressively to contain the virus. They are now paying the price for their government's hesitation and mismanagement.

https://pjmedia.com/trending/italy-virus-deaths-fall-but-officials-warn-the-worst-is-not-behind-them/

UN Confirms 51 Employees Test Positive for Coronavirus

Fifty-one United Nations employees have tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) worldwide, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

"The latest numbers of UN staff throughout the system that have confirmed is 51," Dujarric said when asked about details on the organization’s personnel affected by the novel coronavirus.

Dujarric said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had decided to reduce his time spent at the United Nations headquarters in New York City and partly work from home.

As all non-essential UN staff have been instructed to telecommute, the number of employees who entered the headquarters building as of Tuesday has dropped to about 130 from the usual 11,000.

In addition, following the guidelines from New York State authorities to maximize social distancing, the UN Security Council members also decided to switch their in-person meetings to video conferencing. Earlier in the day, they held a virtual meeting on updates from the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

https://sputniknews.com/world/202003241078696837-un-confirms-51-employees-test-positive-for-coronavirus/

Boeing, Which Demands A $60BN Taxpayer Bailout, Refuses To Give US An Equity Stake

Here is a snapshot of America's bailout culture: beggars, and those demanding bailouts, can not only be choosers, but can dictate under what terms they are bailed out.

With populist anger growing in response to Boeing's demands for a taxpayer-funded bailout (or the employees get it) after it spent over $40BN on buybacks making its shareholders and management richer while burying the company and rank and file employees under a record $25BN in debt, many have asked what form the Boeing bailout will take, and whether the US taxpayers will also be entitled to some or all of the upside in the company they will soon be asked to bailout. In other words, will the US get an equity stake?

We got the answer moments ago, when the company's new CEO Dave Calhoun confirmed that the disgraced airplane maker - which until recently was best known for making airplanes that were "designed by clowns, who in turn are supervised by monkeys", at least until it came crawling and demanding a non-recourse bailout -said Boeing does not want the U.S. government to take a stake even as the planemaker seeks assistance to grapple with effects from the new coronavirus.

"I don’t have a need for an equity stake,” Calhoun said in an interviewTuesday with Fox Business. “I want them to support the credit markets, provide liquidity. Allow us to borrow against our future."

And just in case it wasn't clear that Boeing is confident it has all the leverage, he added "If they force it, we just look at all the other options and we've got plenty of them."

Well of course he doesn't want to give equity to those who bail Boeing out: that would cripple his comp for years which would be determine by some Treasury clerk. Instead, what Boeing really wants is to repackage a bailout with no loans and lots of grants (i.e., direct investments) as merely "providing liquidity."

Note, again, this is the same company that blew $50 billion in "liquidity" repurchasing its stock so that management, which includes Mr. Calhoun, could cash out of their options at record high prices, and pocket millions. And now that the pillage is over, it's time for a bailout, one where taxpayers inexplicably end up with… nothing?

But nobody wants to see Boeing in Chapter 11, and Calhoun said that if there is "no government support" in the credit markets, Boeing's cash burn will accelerate. And if this goes on for 8 months, well, that could be a problem, Calhoun said during a separate interview Tuesday on CNBC.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/boeing-which-demands-60bn-taxpayer-bailout-refuses-give-us-equity-stake

Everyone Seems To Agree: Coronavirus Relief Bill Should Curb ‘Buybacks’ And ‘CEO Pay’

As the House and Senate are working on passing a coronavirus relief bill, many are discussing what exactly should be included in the legislation, such as stock buybacks and CEO payouts.

The Daily Caller asked a number of members of Congress and business owners if they support limiting stock buybacks and CEO payouts in the coronavirus stimulus bill, most responded by saying that both should be limited or not included in the bill. This all comes as a Senate GOP aide told the Daily Caller that the White House has been pushing to limit stock buybacks for companies that receive funds from the phase three package.

“Yes on buybacks. They are useless. And for CEO bonuses, no severance at all, but for retaining CEO’s or new CEO’s any bonus given, the exact same proportional bonus must be given to all employees. If a CEO makes 1 million and gets 1 million in option reproving, warrants, stock, whatever then EVERY employee must be given the same equal to 100 percent of their own salary,” American entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban told the Daily Caller.

Republican Montana Sen. Steve Daines told the Daily Caller that he supports putting restrictions on stock buybacks and CEO payouts.

“I support placing restrictions on stock buybacks, executive compensation, and bonuses for companies who receive federal loan money. We need to assist these industries who are through no fault of their own facing extreme hardship, but there should be strings attached to these loans,” Daines said.

Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee told the Daily Caller that now is not the time to be focusing on these issues, as many continue to die from coronavirus and as the economy continues to take a hit.

https://dailycaller.com/2020/03/24/coronavirus-relief-bill-should-curb-buybacks-and-ceo-pay/

Pelosi Laughs Off Jim Cramer’s Question About Helping Workers With A Joke About CNBC’s Viewership

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi poked fun at CNBC’s viewership after host Jim Cramer asked her to speak to the around “150 million working people” who are worried about their future because of the novel coronavirus.

Cramer asked Pelosi during “Squawk on the Street” about the coronavirus stimulus bill, which Congress has been unable to advance for two days straight. He pressed Pelosi on why the bill has not been passed.

Cramer asked if Pelosi could respond to the “150 million working people right now who are watching and listening” who were wondering if “they have a job on Friday.”

https://dailycaller.com/2020/03/24/nancy-pelosi-laughs-jim-cramer-helping-workers-cnbc-viewership/

Turkish Forces In Southern Idlib Became Target Of Second IED Attack

On March 24, a Turkish military column became a target of an IED attack in southern Idlib. The incident reportedly took place in the village of Sefoen near the area of Jabal al-Zawiya. Pro-militant sources claim that a Turkish soldier was wounded and a military vehicle was damaged in the attack.

The March 24 incident was the second IED attack on Turkish forces in Greater Idlib within the past 7 days. On March 19, 2 Turkish soldiers were killed and several others were injured, when an IED exploded near the Turkish military column near the village of Muhamabal in eastern Idlib.

Both attacks were likely carried out by radical miltiant groups that were upset by the Turkish decision to sign the deal on the creation of a security zone along the M4 highway with Russia. Therefore, militant groups, which have received support from Turkey, are now becoming a threat to Turkish forces.

https://southfront.org/turkish-forces-in-southern-idlib-became-target-of-second-ied-attack/

Top Jewish Billionaire Speculator Begs Trump to Lock EVERYONE Down - 'HELL Is Coming' (Bill Ackman, Audio + Transcript)

The team at FTN think that the risk of very hard economic times hitting us is very high, and very real. They devoted most of their weekend show to the subject.

So they drill down into the pronouncements of famous billionaire stock fiddler and all around Jewish financial parasite Bill Ackman, predicting complete armageddon. Entertaining stuff. Listen to the whole episode here. This one is free, not behind their paywall, so enjoy.

Bill Ackman

✔

@BillAckman

Mr. President, the only answer is to shut down the country for the next 30 days and close the borders. Tell all Americans that you are putting us on an extended Spring Break at home with family. Keep only essential services open. The government pays wages until we reopen.

https://russia-insider.com/en/top-jewish-billionaire-speculator-begs-trump-lock-everyone-down-hell-coming-bill-ackman-audio

Debt Forgivness and Nationalization Are the Answers to the Economic Crisis

The US airline companies have bankrupted themselves by buying back their stock in an enrichment scheme for CEOs and board members ( https://www.lewrockwell.com/2020/03/david-stockman/the-crony-capitalist-thieves-are-back/ ). With the impact of the virus on their revenues, Congress is handing them a $50 billion bailout. Instead of being bailed out they should be nationalized.

In the health and economic crisis in which we find ourselves, the government is going to need all the public trust it can get. Bailouts of those who caused their problems and ours won’t meet the fairness test.

As I previously wrote, nationalization is a four-letter word for many, but it actually offers a chance to correct for the decades of deregulation and concentration and thereby restore competition to the economy. Nationalized banks too-big-to-fail, for example, can later be broken up and the pieces sold back into private hands. Commercial banks can again be separated from investment banks, and concentrated financial power can be broken.

Now that we know that markets are not self-regulating, we can restore sensible financial regulation and require banks to lend for productive purposes, not for financializing and leveraging existing assets. The US financial system has not served the productive side of the US economy for a long time.

While ordinary heavily indebted Americans are losing their jobs right and left as businesses close, shopping center lobbyists are asking for a $1 trillion guarantee. The hotel industry wants $150 billion. The restaurant industry wants $145 billion. The National Association of Manufacturers wants $1.4 trillion. ( https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/21/coronavirus-1-trillion-rescue-package-might-not-be-enough-for-businesses.html ) Food service distributors are in trouble. Boeing wants $60 billion funded in part by loan guarantees. Local and state governments need support. The US conference of mayors wants $250 billion. The list is endless.

And what is to be done for the 40% of Americans who, according to a Federal Reserve study, cannot raise $400 in cash without selling personal property? How are the large number of uninsured going to be cared for during this health crisis? Where will hospitals and medical practices get the money?

The only solution is to nationalize health care so that the bills can be paid. We cannot survive large numbers of infected and jobless people roaming the streets raiding for food and whatever they can take.

The only solution for the economy is debt forgiveness for the ordinary people and nationalization for the companies. Trump indicated that aid might be given in the form of an equity stake, and later sell the government’s stake for a profit in a privatization when things return to normal. This would be a partial nationalization. Much better to go whole hog as it allows a cure for concentration and deregulation.

The pandemic has made it clear that a society of self-seeking individuals is not a society. A society is a social system. A successful social system is one that can support its members. Once a self-sustaining social system exists, then there is a basis for people to branch out on their own. But without a sustainable social system, there can be nothing.

To create a sustainable society in the United States requires the abandonment of dogmatic ways of thinking. Old ideologies are in the way. We and our leaders must think creatively if we are to successfully deal with the health and economic crisis.

https://russia-insider.com/en/debt-forgivness-and-nationalization-are-answers-economic-crisis/ri28458

https://benjaminfulford.net/2020/03/24/urgent-alert-tokyo-under-threat-of-5g-electromagnetic-attack/