WTH? California Governor Newsom Continues to Describe California as a "Nation-State" in Interviews

In several recent interviews Governor Gavin Newsome continues to describe California as a nation-state.

This is a typical tactic of the left when their is a successful Republican in charge.

This is the same state that declared itself a sanctuary state for illegal aliens not long ago.

Newsome described California a nation-state back on March 28.

And then this week Gavin Newsome described California as a nation-state on MSNBC.

Via liberal hack Francis Wilkinson at Bloomberg:

California this week declared its independence from the federal government’s feeble efforts to fight Covid-19 — and perhaps from a bit more. The consequences for the fight against the pandemic are almost certainly positive. The implications for the brewing civil war between Trumpism and America’s budding 21st-century majority, embodied by California’s multiracial liberal electorate, are less clear.

Speaking on MSNBC, Governor Gavin Newsom said that he would use the bulk purchasing power of California “as a nation-state” to acquire the hospital supplies that the federal government has failed to provide. If all goes according to plan, Newsom said, California might even “export some of those supplies to states in need.”

“Nation-state.” “Export.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/04/breaking-california-governor-newsom-continues-describe-california-nation-state-interviews-video/

Putin, Trump, Saudi King Salman Discussed Situation in Oil Markets, OPEC+ Talks - Kremlin

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said during a press briefing that he held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi's King Salman. The phone talks followed the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries's (OPEC) discussions on a new oil cuts deal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud have discussed the situation on oil markets and confrimed their wish to coordinate moves on stabilizing oil markets and minimize the negative impact on prices volatility, Russian President's press office said in a statement.

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a phone conversation with US President Donald Trump and Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. They discussed the situation on oil markets, taking into consideration the extraordinary ministerial OPEC+ talks and the upcoming video conference of energy ministers of G20", the statement said.

Earlier, reports emerged that Saudi Arabia, Russia and other petroleum-exporting nations agreed on Thursday to substantial cuts in production.

During Thursday briefing on COVID-19 that followed the phone call between the US, Russian and Saudi leaders, Trump said that he expects the deal to be announced "today or tomorrow".

"They are getting close to a deal. That’s OPEC and many other countries outside of OPEC. They will probably announce something either today or tomorrow," Trump said at a White House briefing Thursday.

Amid the reports on the sealed deal, two sources in delegations told Sputnik that Mexico has withdrawn from the OPEC+ negotiations without agreeing to sign a new oil output cut deal, but the talks continue without the Latin American nation.

However, OPEC+ countries hope to persuade Mexico to return to oil output cut deal on Friday.

https://sputniknews.com/russia/202004091078900784-putin-trump-saudi-king-salman-discussed-situation-in-oil-markets-opec-talks—kremlin/

Israeli COVID-19 treatment shows 100% survival rate - preliminary data

Not only have all the patients survived, according to Pluristem, but four of them showed improvement in respiratory parameters.

Six critically ill coronavirus patients in Israel who are considered high-risk for mortality have been treated with Pluristem’s placenta-based cell-therapy product and survived, according to preliminary data provided by the Haifa-based company.

The patients were treated at three different Israeli medical centers for one week under the country’s compassionate use program and were suffering from acute respiratory failure and inflammatory complications associated with COVID-19. Four of the patients also demonstrated failure of other organ systems, including cardiovascular and kidney failure.

Not only have all the patients survived,

according to Pluristem, but four of them showed improvement in respiratory parameters and three of them are in the advanced stages of weaning from ventilators. Moreover, two of the patients with preexisting medical conditions are showing clinical recovery in addition to the respiratory improvement.

“We are pleased with this initial outcome of the compassionate use program and committed to harnessing PLX cells for the benefit of patients and healthcare systems,” said Pluristem CEO and president Yaky Yanay. “Pluristem is dedicated to using its competitive advantages in large-scale manufacturing to potentially deliver PLX cells to a large number of patients in significant need.”

Pluristem’s PLX cells are “allogeneic mesenchymal-like cells that have immunomodulatory properties,” meaning they induce the immune system’s natural regulatory T cells and M2 macrophages, the company explained in a previous release. The result could be the reversal of dangerous overactivation of the immune system. This would likely reduce the fatal symptoms of pneumonia and pneumonitis (general inflammation of lung tissue).

Previous preclinical findings regarding PLX cells revealed significant therapeutic effects in animal studies of pulmonary hypertension, lung fibrosis, acute kidney injury and gastrointestinal injury.

Pluristem plans to apply for initiation of a multinational clinical trial for the treatment of complications associated with coronavirus, the release said, noting that it will no longer report on its compassionate use trials but rather on the status and progress of its contemplated clinical trial.

The company is already in discussions with regulators in the United States and Europe to “define our clinical strategy for COVID-19,” Yanay added.

https://www.jpost.com/HEALTH-SCIENCE/Israeli-COVID-19-treatment-shows-100-percent-survival-rate-preliminary-data-624058

The Day The Fed Nationalized The Bond Market: The Complete Summary Of Everything The Fed Did Today

Two weeks after the Fed stunned markets by doing something not even Ben Bernanke dared to do, start buying investment grade corporate bonds, today the Fed's nationalization of the entire bond market was complete when the Fed - with the blessing of the Treasury - threw the kitchen sink at the most vulnerable verticals of the bond market - junk bonds, munis and CLOs and… waved it in. And with that the only thing missing from the Fed's total takeover of capital markets is equities, which the Fed will start buying after the next crash.

Until we wait here is a complete summary of everything the Fed announced this morning, when it released the details of the $2.3 trillion in loans and purchases to "support the billionaires economy", which will consist of:

Main Street Lending Program,

Paycheck Protection Program Lending Facility,

New Municipal Liquidity Facility,

Expansion of existing primary and secondary corporate bond buying facilities.

These Fed's loans and facilities are based on the additional capital the Treasury has made available under the CARES Act (see below). Of the total $454bn that Congress appropriated to backstop Fed facilities, this morning’s announcements commits $195bn, leaving the majority of funds available for other purposes - like stocks - or to expand these programs if necessary. That said, the programs the Fed announced this morning cover essentially all of the areas in which we have expected the Fed to act, so we do not expect the Fed to announce any further facilities for the time being.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/day-fed-nationalized-bond-market-complete-summary-everything-fed-did-today

Russian Warplanes Support Syrian Troops In Clashes Against ISIS In Eastern Homs

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is reportedly engaging in heavy clashes with ISIS remnants in the eastern countryside of Homs.

According to pro-government sources, the army launched early on April 9 a large-scale operation against the terrorist group’s cells in Homs desert.

Opposition sources contradicted these claims claiming that ISIS cells were carrying out a large attack on SAA positions near the town of al-Sukhnah and Wadi al-Waer. The sources said that Russian warplanes were supporting army troops by targeting ISIS fighters and positions in the Homs desert.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that 18 SAA soldiers and 11 ISIS terrorists have been killed in the clashes, so far. These claims have not been verified, yet.

ISIS maintains a serious presence in the Homs desert, which lays between western Deir Ezzor and eastern Homs. Last month, the group released a 28-minute video titled “Epic of Alteration 2,” documenting some of its recent attacks in the region.

The situation in eastern Homs will likely clear up in the upcoming few hours. All the current reports are conflicted and unverified.

https://southfront.org/russian-warplanes-support-syrian-troops-in-clashes-against-isis-in-eastern-homs/

Foreign Ministry: OPCW report about using toxic materials in Ltamenah town in 2017 misleading, includes fabricated conclusions

Damascus, SANA-Syria affirmed that the report of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) about using toxic materials in Ltamenah town in 2017 is misleading which included false and fabricated conclusions.

“The OPCW released on April 8th,2020, a misleading report for the so-called Investigation and Identification Team, to which Syria and a number of countries have announced that it is illegitimate and unconventional team,” Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

It added that the report has included false and fabricated conclusions which aim at forging facts and accusing the Syrian government of using toxic materials in 2017 in Ltamenah town, depending on sources that were prepared and fabricated by Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists and the so-called “White Helmets” terrorist organization in an implementation of the obstructions of their operators in the US, Turkey and some western countries.

“The Syrian Arab Republic condemns, in the strongest terms, what has come in the report of the illegitimate so-called Investigation and Identification Team, and rejects what has been included in it, in form and content,” the statement said.

It added that Syria, at the same time, categorically denies using toxic gases in Ltamenah town or in any city of village, and affirms that the Syrian army has never used such weapons in the most difficult battles carried out against armed terrorist organizations.

“Syria stresses that the conclusions of that report represent another scandal for the OPCW and the investigation team that will be added to the scandal of the report of Douma incident in 2018, and all these fabricated allegations will not affect its stance in the war against terrorism and its supporters,” the Foreign Ministry said.

It added that the Syrian Arab Republic reiterates that it categorically rejects the use of chemical weapons by any side, at any time or place, and Syria has never used any chemical weapon and can’t use it.

https://sana.sy/en/?p=189548