Dow Falls 973 Points After US Models Suggest COVID-19 Could Kill Some 240,000 Americans

US stocks fell sharply Wednesday, with the New York Stock Exchange indices diving into negative territory just one day after both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 indices recorded their worst first-quarter performances ever.

Wall Street traders wrapped the first day of the fiscal year’s second quarter with the Dow 973.65 points in the red and the S&P 500 down by 114.09 points. The Nasdaq composite lost 339.52 points.

The Dow’s fall was largely fueled by shares of Boeing, American Express and United Technologies falling more than 5%, whereas the S&P 500 was pulled away from the green by the real estate, financial and energy sectors.

Although various companies saw their stocks devalued, other organizations could not say the same. CNBC reported that retail company Kroger saw its stocks rise by 4.6% after declaring that its forthcoming revenue and earnings for the previous quarter would exceed expectations. Likewise, fellow retailer Dollar General and telecommunications provider T-Mobile saw stock values increase by 3.9% and 2.5%, respectively.

Elsewhere, Asian markets performed somewhat similarly, as Japan’s Nikkei 225 index, China’s Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange posted hefty losses. Japan led the pack with stock losses of 4.5%. European markets proved no different, as they wrapped the day’s trading over 3% in red territory.

Oil prices, meanwhile, have largely continued their decline, with Brent crude experiencing a 3.80% loss. However, the West Texas Intermediate crude managed to stay in green territory with a 2.64% gain Wednesday.

“There’s still tremendous uncertainty,” Patrick Kaser, portfolio manager at Brandywine Global, told CNBC. “We can look at history as a guidepost for the market and the economy, but there’s not a perfect scenario.”

“In situations like this, the best thing for long-term investors is to figure out what they want longer term,” he added.

White House Models Predict COVID-19 May Kill Up to 240,000 Americans

Wednesday’s closing figures come just one day after it was revealed at a Tuesday White House briefing by the Coronavirus Task Force that the deadly respiratory disease could claim between 100,000 and 240,000 American lives - even with mitigation measures in effect.

It’s worth noting that US models also projected that had measures such as social distancing and stay-at-home orders not been implemented, some 2.2 million Americans would have died as a result.

https://sputniknews.com/business/202004011078796368-dow-falls-900-plus-points-after-us-models-suggest-covid-19-could-kill-some-240000-americans/

President Rouhani Claims ‘Downward Trend’ in Coronavirus Cases Across Iran

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that “all provinces of Iran, without exception, have witnessed a downward trend in the coronavirus infection cases,” as reported by Iran’s state-run Tasnim news agency.

Rouhani treated this alleged accomplishment as a towering success that demonstrates Iranian superiority:

He noted that the promising statistics suggest that the Iranian medical society, experts and people have been on the right track.

The president also expressed gratitude to Iranian citizens for observing the health protocols and staying home which resulted in the decline of COVID-19 infections across the country.

President Rouhani then pointed to an 80% decrease in the Nowruz travels during the first days of spring compared to the past years, saying the disease peak has been over in the majority of the provinces during the very first days of the new year.

Rouhani went on to explain that China’s “Wuhan model” of lockdowns and quarantines could not be implemented in Iran, so Tehran implemented an alternative strategy that was astoundingly effective. He was a bit fuzzy on the details of this plan but firmly insisted the results are the envy of the world:

The president further pointed to the administration’s new decisions to control the coronavirus pandemic, saying whoever contracts COVID-19 must inform the family, the work place and the officials, warning that violators will have to face prosecution.

President Rouhani then stated that around 13,000 hospital beds in Iran are still unoccupied, noting that only 4,000 out of a total of 6,800 ICU beds in the country are currently occupied.

Highlighting the country’s domestic capabilities in the war on coronavirus, the president said the homegrown medical ventilators are being manufactured adequately and delivered to hospitals, stressing that the medical centers and laboratories across the country are receiving sufficient shipments of hospital gowns, personal protective equipment, and coronavirus diagnostic test kits.

Reuters quoted Rouhani boasting during his cabinet meeting that Iran’s victory over the Wuhan virus is so complete that the United States missed its chance to lift sanctions and apologize for treating Tehran badly:

“The United States lost the best opportunity to lift sanctions,” Hassan Rouhani said in a televised cabinet meeting. “It was a great opportunity for Americans to apologize … and to lift the unjust and unfair sanctions on Iran.”

The coronavirus has killed more than 3,000 people in Iran with confirmed infections close to 48,000, making it the worst-hit country in the Middle East and prompting China and the United Nations to urge the United States to ease sanctions.

“Americans could have used this opportunity and told the Iranian nation that they are not against them,” Rouhani said. “Their hostility (toward Iranians) is obvious.”

Although Iranian officials complain endlessly about civilian suffering supposedly caused by U.S. sanctions against their nuclear weapons program and terrorist activities, Rouhani on Wednesday claimed U.S. sanctions had no effect whatsoever on Iran’s amazing coronavirus response.

https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2020/04/01/president-rouhani-claims-downward-trend-in-coronavirus-cases-across-iran/

Biden: ‘Would Be Wise’ if Trump ‘Called President Obama’

During an interview aired on Tuesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “11th Hour,” 2020 Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden said “it would be wise” if President Trump “called President Obama.”

Host Brian Williams asked, “About the guy you worked with, do you think it’s time for Americans to hear, in a more public setting, from Barack Obama?”

Biden responded, “I think that it would be wise if the president — if Trump called President Obama. I’m going to say something that sounds self-serving, but I think we handled the last pandemic very well. We handled the last economic crisis very well in an organizational structure, how we did it, what we did, who we put in charge, how it got done, where there was no waste of time and money.”

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2020/04/01/biden-would-be-wise-if-trump-called-president-obama/

WTF?

Russian military plane with coronavirus aid lands in US

A Russian military aircraft, carrying supplies needed to fight the coronavirus outbreak, has landed in New York. The haul was sent after President Trump accepted an offer of assistance from Vladimir Putin.

The plane, that took off for its some 8,000-kilometer trek early overnight, has landed in the worst coronavirus-affected US city. The cargo contains protective face masks, as well as other medical equipment.

The delivery was agreed upon by the Russian and US presidents during a phone call. Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump discussed the fast-spreading Covid-19 pandemic as well as major shortages of protective gear in the US, according to the Kremlin press service.

Moscow said it decided to help since the coronavirus pandemic “affects everyone without exception and is of a global nature.” Trump, for his part, described the aid as a “nice” and a “very, very large planeload” of help from Russia.

Even before the cargo plane took off, the delivery had already sent a number of prominent “Russian collusion” enthusiasts among American pundits into a frenzy. The anti-Russia crowd took on the quest to find sinister motives behind the gesture and branded the aid a “propaganda ploy,” claiming it was either useless or even harmful.

The US is by far the worst pandemic-affected country in the world as its coronavirus tally is rapidly approaching the 200,000 mark and death toll surpassing 4,100.

https://www.rt.com/news/484705-russian-coronavirus-aid-plane/

This is a good sign

'The View' issues rare praise for President Donald Trump’s coronavirus stance and ensuing remarks

The women on "The View" praised President Donald Trump for his stance on the COVID-19 outbreak sweeping the nation and the rest of the world.

During a Tuesday press briefing on the coronavirus outbreak, Trump said that his administration projects at least 100,000 to 240,000 Americans could die from COVID-19.

"We're going to go through a very tough two weeks," Trump said during the briefing.

On Wednesday, "The View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg said, "It's nice to know that he's caught up with the rest of the country, because while everyone has been, you know, at home trying to cope with all of this, we have been aware that it's going to be a tough time ahead. Is this the honest account that we've needed to hear from him from the start?"

Co-host Sunny Hostin chimed in, "I think perhaps now we're hearing from the administration the gravity that we needed to hear from the administration probably in January or February. I'm happy in a sense that we're hearing that gravity, but I think we needed to hear it a long time ago."

Co-host Sara Haines added that she approves of the president's tenor in discussing the severity of the outbreak.

"I felt good hearing the more serious tone [from the president]," she responded.

"It's easy to get wrapped up in it, in the anxiety, the fear, the numbers, and so there was a little moment of gloom that all these people, even if we all act perfectly, they were quoting numbers of, you know, over six figures — over 100,000 — that even if we all behave perfectly, we will probably see pass," she continued. "And my heart went to just the deaths themselves, but also that so many people are dying alone."

She added, "That really broke my heart, because the one thing you hope when you pass or someone you love passes is that it's easy, it's pain-free, and that you're by their side. So hearing that kind of brought the human level to me. It was very heavy."

What else?

Haines pointed out that it's been difficult in her own house, so she can respect the president's leveling with the public about the dangers of COVID-19.

"It also reminded me that in the beginning in our household, we kept saying, 'It doesn't matter if we can't figure this out. Hopefully it will be a limited run.' Now, as you see, you know a month, two more months, we're kind of feeling the heat of figuring out how to run our household successfully and be the best versions of ourselves for the kids while also, you know, informing them in age-appropriate terms," she concluded. "So it's a lot. I think today is one of those days where I'm feeling a little heavier about all of it, but I was happy to hear a serious tone because I think that's lining up with the facts."

https://www.theblaze.com/news/the-view-issues-rare-praise-for-president-donald-trumps-coronavirus-stance-and-ensuing-remarks

Cybersecurity Expert: How To Protect Yourself From ‘Zoombombers’

“Zoombombers”, a term used to describe someone who hacks into an online group, are exploiting the coronavirus social distancing directives by infiltrating a growing number of online meetings with hateful messages.

A group of Yeshiva University students, a Jewish institution in New York, were “Zoombombed” on Tuesday night by individuals who posted antisemitic comments in their group that included, “SHUT THE F*** UP JEWS” and “IMMA GAS YALL.”

“We are horrified to see this new trend ‘Zoombombing’ gaining traction; for antisemites to disrupt online learning sessions, city meetings, even funerals with their bigotry is shameful. Would the police tolerate a neo-Nazi running into a classroom at Yeshiva University screaming ‘Heil Hitler’? Of course not; the individual would most likely be arrested and charged,” StopAntisemitism.org’s Liora Rez said in a statement to SaraACarter.com.

“We would like to have the authorities treat those participating in ‘Zoombombing’ the same way,” Rez added. “Real consequences are the only way to combat antisemitism and hatred online.”

In a similar attack, hijackers recently infiltrated a London synagogue’s Zoom session with antisemitic messages after the group shared the meeting link on public accounts to ensure the community could join, including many families and children.

“One of the founding ideals of our community is that we should welcome those who wish to join us for prayer, ” the synagogue’s rabbi said in a statement. “We recognize that many Jewish households are not members of synagogues, or are members of communities that are not able to offer online services. We want to assure them that they are still welcome to pray and study with us.

https://saraacarter.com/cybersecurity-expert-how-to-protect-yourself-from-zoombombers/

Why is Sara Carter pushing this fucking BS

Al-Jaafari: Syria demands that Washington immediately and unconditionally lift all coercive economic measures imposed on it

New York, SANA- Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari has affirmed that the statements made on Syria last Monday by James Jeffrey, an employee at the U.S Department of State, are irresponsible and misleading and they are just an attempt to cover the U.S. crimes and violations against the sovereignty, independence and safety of the Syrian territories and against the security, peace and prosperity of the Syrian people, saying that Syria demands that the U.S. Government immediately and unconditionally lift all the unilateral coercive economic measures imposed on it.

In a letter sent to the UN Secretary General and the President of the Security Council, al-Jaafari asserted that the statements made by Jeffry reflect the continuity of the policy of denial and stubbornness by a government which can’t be depended on in playing any humanitarian and international role in fighting the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Al-Jaafari said that since the year 1979, the U.S has been imposing a wide series of unilateral economic coercive measures on Syria, whose impact have been aggravating from nine years till today as the previous and the current U.S. administrations have issued eight executive orders on tightening the economic siege on the Syrian people and imposing new unprecedented punitive measures on the sectors of banking, energy, investment, import, export, communications and the air, sea and land transport with the aim of depriving the Syrians of their basic rights.

Al-Jaafari reviewed the most important direct and indirect impacts of those measures such as the decline in Syria’s ranking in the Human Development Index to the list of the least developed countries “Human Development Report 2016”, in addition to leaving dangerous repercussions even on the process of delivering humanitarian aid and undermining the ability of the Syrian people to meet their basic needs and affecting the ability of the Syrian Government to provide the basic needs of its citizens, particularly in the energy sector.

He added that in light of the global pandemic due to the outbreak of the coronavirus (covid-19), Syria is facing an additional pressure and new challenges in fighting this dangerous pandemic which imposes on the Syrian Government to provide the basic infrastructure and the necessary potentials for the health sector.

Al-Jaafari asserted that the hostile policies adopted by the U.S. government against the Syrian people can be only considered as a direct and flagrant violation of the UN Charter and of the principles of the international law and the international humanitarian law and the Security Council’s relevant violations, and despite of the dangerous threats imposed by this global pandemic, today the U.S. continues to impose unilateral coercive economic measures on Syria which proves that this government doesn’t care about the humanitarian considerations or the international calls.

Al-Jaafari said that Syria demands the U.S government to immediately and unconditionally lift all the unilateral coercive economic measures imposed on it, particularly on the sectors of banking, oil, energy and the air, sea and land transport in a way that would allow the free flow of materials and medical equipment in particular, and would enhance Syria’s ability to tackle this pandemic and to prevent its spread.

He added that Syria also calls for the withdrawal of the US occupation troops from all the Syrian territories, particularly the oil and gas fields and to allow the Syrian Government to regain its control over these areas and to start the reconstruction and to rehabilitate the oil and gas plants and to use their resources for the interest of the Syrian people exclusively.

https://sana.sy/en/?p=189198

>>8651698 I was more thinking Hussein is looking to deal but wants to do it with Trump directly

>>8651828

>>8651812

Adam Schiff Announces Legislation to Investigate the Coronavirus Emergency

Shifty Adam Schiff announced on Twitter today that he will introduce legislation to investigate the coronavirus crisis in America.

Of course, Schiff is fooling no one.

Adam Schiff’s real intentions are to move toward another bogus impeachment show trial.

Pelosi teased this on Sunday when she accused President Donald Trump of ‘fiddling while people are dying’ on the coronavirus crisis.

During the height of the pandemic these monsters wants to start a new impeachment investigation!.

What did the President know and when did he know it? People are dying. pic.twitter.com/523KQLG5xV

— Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) March 29, 2020

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/04/here-we-go-adam-schiff-announces-legislation-to-investigate-the-coronavirus-emergency/

https://twitter.com/RepAdamSchiff/status/1245352023433887744

US Space Force Pens $1 Billion in Contracts for Unjammable Modems

The US Space Force (USSF) has awarded two $500 million contracts to develop and produce satellite communications modems secure from enemy jamming.

On Monday, the USSF’s Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) announced that L3Harris and Raytheon had each received $500 million contracts to develop Protected Tactical Waveform-capable modems for the US Army and the Department of the Air Force, of which the USSF is a part.

The modems are part of the Air Force and Army Anti-Jam Modem (A3M) program, which provides anti-jamming communications for soldiers on the battlefield, and the contracts are anticipated to also include plugins for the Protected Tactical SATCOM system, commercial satellites and the Air Force’s Wideband Global SATCOM satellites, C4ISRNet noted.

“We are very excited to be partnering with Raytheon and L3 Technologies Inc. to bring Protected Tactical Waveform anti-jam capability to both Department of the Air Force and Army users,” Shannon Pallone, the senior materiel leader of Tactical SATCOM Division, said in the news release. “This was a joint team from the start, a partnership between the Space Force and the Army, and included support from the [National Security Agency].”

Citing a Space Force spokesperson, Space News noted the initial orders are for design, development, fabrication, integration, certification, technical manuals and testing of Block 1 “pizza box” form-factor modems, of which the Air Force and Army could receive as many as 1,500 in the next five years, which is how long the contract lasts. Air Force Magazine noted this buy could be followed by another for 2,500 Block 2 modems.

The Air Force noted that these contracts were awarded four months ahead of schedule and achieved despite the challenges posed by “social distancing” in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“During times like these, we have to execute our mission while ensuring that we are protecting our people,” Col. Dennis Bythewood, SMC’s program executive officer for space development, said in the release. “Not only did the A3M team complete this source selection and contract award via telework, they beat their plan by over 120 days, continuing SMC’s commitment to EPIC Speed.”

The coronavirus outbreak has affected Air Force operations in other ways, however, with final certifications for the F-35 stealth aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base effectively being put on hold after the base was closed in response to several detected cases of the virus.

https://sputniknews.com/military/202004011078796867-us-space-force-pens-1-billion-in-contracts-for-unjammable-modems/

GOD WINS

Raniere and Russell Sentencing Postponed; Clare Bronfman Sentencing Still Set for April 23

Of the six Nxivm defendants, only three are under consideration for sentencing.

Nancy Salzman, Lauren Salzman and Allison Mack have no sentencing dates.

It has been of some interest to me that the three women who turned on their leader, Keith Alan Raniere, have not been given any dates for sentencing.

This has caused me to speculate that there may be more in store for Raniere and other Nxivm members – and that the three women might be part of the line up of prosecution witnesses in a future prosecution.

There could, of course, be other reasons for the long delay. Still, it was nine months from the date of their conviction even before the advent of the coronavirus, which has stalled most court proceedings in America.

The other three defendants – Raniere, Clare Bronfman and Kathy Russell all had sentencing dates set last December. They were originally to be held in January, then for various reasons, largely to do with their presentencing reports, they got delayed until April.

The quicker road to sentencing is perhaps coincidentally tied into their attitude toward Raniere.

Bronfman and Russell reportedly remain steadfast and loyal to their Vanguard.

https://frankreport.com/2020/04/01/raniere-and-russell-sentencing-postponed-clare-bronfman-sentencing-still-set-for-april-23/

>>8651698

Biden offers to call Trump at White House to discuss coronavirus response strategy

EXCLUSIVE: Former Vice President Joe Biden is offering to call President Trump to discuss a strategy to combat the coronavirus pandemic rocking the nation, Fox News has learned.

Biden’s offer comes after Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, challenged him to “call the White House today and offer some support.”

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment on whether the president would be receptive to Biden's offer for a phone call, or when the proposed phone call between the two could take place.

Biden has been offering advice and warnings to Trump about the coronavirus in media interviews and appearances for months. Wednesday, however, is the first time the former vice president is offering to speak with the president directly.

"Vice President Biden has been extending his advice for months, and he did so again on the air last night," Biden's deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield told Fox News. "As he has said repeatedly, Donald Trump is not accountable for coronavirus itself — but he is accountable for the federal government's slow and chaotic response to this outbreak."

"Unfortunately, Trump spent months after the virus was discovered disregarding repeated warnings from his scientific and intelligence experts, and downplaying the threat of this outbreak to the American people," she continued. "He could have heeded Vice President Biden's public advice not to take China's word as they misled the world about their efforts to stop the spread."

Bedingfield added: "The Obama-Biden administration even wrote a literal playbook for pandemic response, but unfortunately Trump's administration left it on the shelf. Now we have more coronavirus cases than any other country."

Biden will likely be the Democratic nominee, after reclaiming his front-runner status on Super Tuesday and notching victories in subsequent primary contests to build a huge delegate lead over rival Bernie Sanders.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-offers-to-call-trump-at-white-house-to-discuss-coronavirus-response-strategy

Biden Plugs Labor Ally’s Charity In Face of Corruption Probe

Former VP tells Kimmel to donate to IAFF despite probe into missing millions

Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden used his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to fundraise for a close union ally that is under investigation for misappropriating millions of dollars from firefighters' dues.

"[The firefighters] have now over 2,000 people affected by the virus," Biden told viewers of the late-night show. He urged them to donate to the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Foundation. "I think they need help because they're the ones who are picking those folks up, dragging them out of a burning car."

The foundation Biden cited is led by one of his most important political allies, General President Harold Schaitberger. The IAFF—the first union to endorse Biden's presidential campaign—suffers from a "systematic misrepresentation in financial reporting," according to an internal probe penned by the union's general secretary-treasurer. Schaitberger himself has faced corruption accusations. The probe found that his administration misallocated millions of dollars from their designated purposes. Despite reviews from an auditing firm, the investigation still cannot account for $6 million, raising questions about how IAFF will handle donations that Biden requested.

"[W]e also found millions of dollars in financial misreporting and millions of dollars in nondiscretionary funds that were utilized for purposes unrelated to their designation," the audit found. "These problems and more are beyond our internal capabilities to address.… Note that these problems directly involve the General President of the International."

The IAFF Foundation was created to "help members and their families in their time of need, including assistance following natural disasters." Records show that the foundation spent twice as much on its staff as it did helping firefighters. The group spent approximately $222,000 of its $1.8 million expenditure in 2018 for grants and other assistance for its members, roughly 14 percent of total spending. Meanwhile, it paid roughly $483,000 on wages, pension accruals, and other benefits for its officials. Neither the foundation nor the union returned requests for comment.

Biden made those comments on Thursday, the same day the Washington Free Beacon informed the Biden campaign about the findings of the internal probe, and weeks after the probe was released. The Biden campaign has not responded to repeated requests for comment.

https://freebeacon.com/2020-election/biden-plug-labor-ally-corruption-probe/

>>8652122

They may be trying to deal

>>8652135

>>8651698