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United States
10 February, 2020 'Ah the Oscars! A time for overpaid entertainers to lecture us about income inequality. At yesterday night's Oscars stars gave sermons on human rights, animal rights and politics; their 'lectures' nauseated the audience at home. Phoenix said one of the most valuable parts of being actor was being able to 'be a voice for the voiceless'. He launched a passionate speech about animal rights, veganism and Speciesism while accepting his Best Actor award for Joker, talking about the artificial insemination of cows and how humans 'exploit' and 'dominate' animals. 'We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and when she gives birth we steal her baby, even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable. 'And then we take her milk that's intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal,' he said. Pitt slammed Trump's impeachment trial in his Oscars speech; he joked that his 45 seconds of speech time was more than the Senate gave former National Security Adviser Bolton. Hair Love creator Cherry advocated for a California law that prohibits discrimination based on hair style or texture, in his speech. American Factory co-director Reichert - who won an award for her Obama-endorsed documentary and is fighting terminal cancer - quoted from The Communist Manifesto, calling for 'workers of the world' to 'unite'. Monae opened the show by declaring herself a 'proud', 'black queer artist telling stories. Happy Black History Month'. Weaver declared: 'All women are superheroes' when she presented an award. Jojo Rabbit filmmaker Waititi dedicated his award for Best Adapted Screenplay to 'all the Indigenous kids in the world who want to do art and dance and write stories'. Portman made a fashion statement wearing a Dior cape with the names of female directors whose movies were overlooked this year, Fonda recycled an old gown and carried a coat with her on stage which she declared is the last piece of clothing she will ever buy as part of an ongoing campaign to reduce waste. Viewers were sickened by the 'self-righteous', 'woke' speeches from 'millionaire hypocrites'. /Photos/ (Source: Mail): https://tinyurl.com/tf8c86x
February 10, 2020 Mass identity theft. Four members of the Chinese military have been charged with breaking into the networks of the Equifax headquartered in Atlanta credit reporting agency and stealing the personal information of more than 145 million people, American victims in the U.S. and abroad, with the hackers successfully stealing names, addresses, Social Security and driver’s license numbers and other personal information stored in the company’s databases. The hackers covered their tracks, including wiping log files on a daily basis and routing traffic through dozens of servers in nearly 20 countries. The four - members of the People’s Liberation Army, Equifax last year reached a $700 million settlement over the data breach, with the bulk of the funds intended for consumers affected by it. (Source: AP)
February 07, 2020 Eleven military bases near major airports in the United States are setting up quarantine centers for possible coronavirus patients, in case beds fill up at other coronavirus centers around the country. (Source: MaiamiHerald)
2. 7. 2020. US military prepping for coronavirus pandemic. U.S. Northern Command is executing plans to prepare for a potential pandemic of the novel coronavirus, now called COVID19. An executive order issued by the Joint Staff and approved by Defense Secretary Esper this month directed Northern Command and geographic combatant commanders to initiate pandemic plans, which include ordering commanders to prepare for widespread outbreaks and confining service members with a history of travel to China. But in no way “does the planning indicate a greater likelihood of an event developing." Military commanders have been asked to confine any service member who has been to China since Feb. 2 to their residences or, if they live in an open barracks or share a bathroom with others, restrict them to a temporary lodging facility for 14 days. The restricted service members will be assessed daily for fever by medical personnel by phone or in person and wear protective gear if they personally conduct the medical checks. Earlier this month, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command restricted all Defense Department travel to mainland China and recalled all travelers to the country home. The biggest infectious disease threat to the American public this year remains the influenza virus, which has sickened more than 22 million and killed at least 12,000. (Source: MilitaryTimes)
February 6, 2020 The post-impeachment Trump is emboldened like never before as he barrels ahead in his reelection fight with a united Republican Party behind him. “As everybody knows, my family, our great country and your president have been put through a terrible ordeal by some very dishonest and corrupt people,” Trump said at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.. “They have done everything possible to destroy us and by so doing very badly hurt our nation,” said Trump, who triumphantly held up copies of two newspapers with banner “ACQUITTED” headlines as he took the stage. Trump tweeted after the Senate vote that he would mark his acquittal with a statement to the nation at noon Thursday to “discuss our Country’s Victory on the Impeachment Hoax!” Only Romney (Rep), a longtime Trump critic, voted for removal. (Source: AP)
February 5, 2020 'The State of our Union is stronger than ever before!' President Trump delivered his third State of the Union address, which lasted about an hour and a half, before a joint session of Congress. Trump spoke about the economy, healthcare, and border security. He also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to conservative radio host Limbaugh. "Jobs are booming, incomes are soaring, poverty is plummeting, crime is falling, confidence is surging, and our country is thriving and highly respected again! America’s enemies are on the run, America’s fortunes are on the rise, and America’s future is blazing bright. The years of economic decay are over.' "I am thrilled to report to you tonight that our economy is the best it has ever been. Our military is completely rebuilt, with its power being unmatched anywhere in the world - and it is not even close. Our borders are secure. Our families are flourishing. Our values are renewed. Our pride is restored." "From the instant I took office, I moved rapidly to revive the United States economy - slashing a record number of job-killing regulations, enacting historic and record-setting tax cuts, and fighting for fair and reciprocal trade agreements. Our agenda is relentlessly pro-worker, pro-family, pro-growth, and, most of all, pro-American. We are advancing with unbridled optimism and lifting high our citizens of every race, color, religion, and creed". "Since my election, we have created 7 million new jobs - 5 million more than Government experts projected during the previous administration. After losing 60,000 factories under the previous two administrations, America has now gained 12,000 new factories under my Administration with thousands upon thousands of plants and factories being planned or built. We have created over half a million new manufacturing jobs". "Following NAFTA’s adoption, our Nation lost one in four manufacturing jobs. Six days ago, I replaced NAFTA and signed the brand new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) into law." "I also promised our citizens that I would impose tariffs to confront China’s massive theft of American jobs. Our strategy worked. Days ago, we signed the groundbreaking new agreement with China that will defend our workers, protect our intellectual property, bring billions of dollars into our treasury, and open vast new markets for products made and grown right here in the United States of America. For decades, China has taken advantage of the United States, now we have changed that but, at the same time, we have perhaps the best relationship we have ever had with China, including with President Xi." "To safeguard American Liberty, we have invested a record-breaking $2.2 trillion in the United States Military. We have purchased the finest planes, missiles, rockets, ships, and every other form of military equipment - all made in the United States of America. We are also finally getting our allies to help pay their fair share. I have raised contributions from the other NATO members by more than $400 billion, and the number of allies meeting their minimum obligations has more than doubled. And just weeks ago, for the first time since President Truman established the Air Force more than 70 years earlier, we created a new branch of the United States Armed Forces, the Space Force." "A good life for American families also requires the most affordable, innovative, and high-quality healthcare system on Earth. Before I took office, health insurance premiums had more than doubled in just 5 years. I moved quickly to provide affordable alternatives. Our new plans are up to 60 percent less expensive. I have also made an ironclad pledge to American families: We will always protect patients with pre-existing conditions - that is a guarantee. And we will always protect your Medicare and your Social Security." "Over 130 legislators in this chamber have endorsed legislation that would bankrupt our Nation by providing free taxpayer-funded healthcare to millions of illegal aliens, forcing taxpayers to subsidize free care for anyone in the world who unlawfully crosses our borders. These proposals would raid the Medicare benefits our seniors depend on, while acting as a powerful lure for illegal immigration. This is what is happening in California and other States - their systems are totally out of control, costing taxpayers vast and unaffordable amounts of money. If forcing American taxpayers to provide unlimited free healthcare to illegal aliens sounds fair to you, then stand with the radical left. But if you believe that we should defend American patients and American seniors, then stand with me and pass legislation to prohibit free Government healthcare for illegal aliens! This will be a tremendous boon to our already very-strongly guarded southern border where, as we speak, a long, tall, and very powerful wall is being built. We have now completed over 100 miles and will have over 500 miles fully completed by early next year." "I have signed 9 pieces of legislation to stamp out the menace of human trafficking, domestically and around the globe." "Before I came into office, if you showed up illegally on our southern border and were arrested, you were simply released and allowed into our country, never to be seen again. My Administration has ended Catch-and-Release. If you come illegally, you will now be promptly removed. We entered into historic cooperation agreements with the Governments of Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. As a result of our unprecedented efforts, illegal crossings are down 75 percent since May." "My Administration is also defending religious liberty, and that includes the Constitutional right to pray in public schools. In America, we do not punish prayer. We do not tear down crosses. We do not ban symbols of faith. We do not muzzle preachers and pastors. In America, we celebrate faith. We cherish religion. We lift our voices in prayer, and we raise our sights to the Glory of God! Just as we believe in the First Amendment, we also believe in another Constitutional right that is under siege all across our country. So long as I am President I will always protect your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms." "My Administration is also strongly defending our national security and combating radical Islamic terrorism. Last week, I announced a groundbreaking plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians." "Three years ago, the barbarians of isis held over 20,000 square miles of territory in Iraq and Syria. Today, the isis territorial caliphate has been 100 percent destroyed, and the founder and leader of isis - the bloodthirsty killer Al-Baghdadi - is dead!" " As the world’s top terrorist, Soleimani orchestrated the deaths of countless men, women, and children. He directed the December assault on United States Forces in Iraq, and was actively planning new attacks. That is why, last month, at my direction, the United States Military executed a flawless precision strike that killed Soleimani and terminated his evil reign of terror forever." "As we defend American lives, we are working to end America’s wars in the Middle East." "I am not looking to kill hundreds of thousands of people in Afghanistan, many of them innocent. It is also not our function to serve other nations as a law enforcement agency. These are warfighters, the best in the world, and they either want to fight to win or not fight at all. We are working to finally end America’s longest war and bring our troops back home!" (Source: Time): https://tinyurl.com/rxoeeeh
February 4, 2020 President Trump's job approval rating has risen to 49%, his highest in Gallup polling since he took office in 2017. Trump's approval rating has risen because of higher ratings among both Republicans and independents. His 94% approval rating among Republicans is up six percentage points from early January and is three points higher than his previous best among his fellow partisans. The 42% approval rating among independents is up five points. Democratic approval is 7%, down slightly from 10%. The 87-point gap between Republican and Democratic approval in the current poll is the largest Gallup has measured in any Gallup poll to date, surpassing the prior record, held by Trump and Obama, by one point. The Jan. 16-29 poll was conducted in the midst of the Senate impeachment trial that will likely result in the president's acquittal. The poll finds 52% of Americans in favor of acquitting Trump and 46% in favor of convicting and removing him from office. Trump's increased approval rating may also result from other issues, including the recent military action in Iran. More Americans in the new poll approve (53%) than disapprove (45%) of the U.S. military action that resulted in the death of a leading Iranian military general. Trump also signed the United States-Mexico-Canada trade deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement. Americans' confidence in the economy is higher than at any point in the past two decades. Similarly, national satisfaction is the highest in nearly 15 years. Sixty-three percent of Americans now approve of the way Trump is handling the economy, up six points from the prior reading in November. Trump's ratings for handling foreign affairs (47%) and foreign trade (50%) are also his best to date. 51% of Americans view the Republican Party favorably, up from 43% in September. It is the first time GOP favorability has exceeded 50% since 2005. Meanwhile, 45% of Americans have a positive opinion of the Democratic Party, a slight dip from 48% in September. (Source: Gallup)
Feb 4, 2020 Chinese health officials recognized that a new disease had emerged, quickly isolated patients, and instituted an impressive set of interventions in attempts to limit disease spread and characterize the new pathogen. Importantly, they have been transparent in sharing their findings with the world, thus allowing other nations to take precautions and be on the lookout for the new disease. Already, the genome of the new virus was sequenced and posted for easy access by international experts, allowing rapid exploration of possible treatments, development of diagnostics and epidemiological investigations. For the last few years, our National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine has worked with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to build relationships and share information on emerging diseases and advancements in vaccines and treatments. In Galveston, we welcomed leading Chinese health officials to collaborate on biocontainment facility design, biosafety training and laboratory operations. This dialogue, along with U.S.-based educational opportunities for Chinese students, benefit us all. (Source: UTMB / GalvestonNationalLaboratory)
Feb 3, 2020 In 2017, WikiLeaks released more than 8,000 pages of secret materials- which the antisecrecy organization called “Vault 7”- detailing the CIA’s cyberespionage arsenal, including the agency’s playbook for hacking smartphones, computer operating systems, messaging applications and internet-connected televisions. A former software engineer for the Central Intelligence Agency is set to go to trial today in Manhattan federal court on charges that he leaked a trove of classified information about the CIA’s hacking operations to WikiLeaks, leading to one of the largest breaches in the agency’s history. Federal prosecutors say the defendant, Schulte, 31, arrested in August 2017 stole the documents when he worked in a CIA unit that designed the hacking tools. Former U.S. intelligence officials have described Mr. Schulte’s alleged leak as particularly damaging to national security because it exposed specific, targeted hacking tools used against high-level targets abroad. The breach had likely occurred around March 2016. (Source: TheWallStreetJournal)
03 Fabruary 2020 Arrest of Lieber, a prominent Harvard University chemist and nanotechnology pioneer, who has been charged with making false statements to the US government about receiving research funding from China. Lieber, who is known for engineering new nanomaterials and developing their applications in medicine and biology, was arrested on 28 January. Two days later, a federal judge approved his release on cash bail of US$1 million. Lieber has been a faculty member at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, since 1991, and is currently chair of the university’s department of chemistry and chemical biology. for periods of time between 2012 and 2017, Lieber agreed to be paid a salary of $50,000 per month, as well as about $150,000 a year in personal and living expenses, by WUT, and was given more than $1.5 million to set up a research lab there. According to a contract cited in the document, Lieber was to work at or for WUT for at least nine months a year. Lieber also agreed to host visiting scientists for two-month stints at his US lab, an agreement that Harvard was not aware of. At the same time, Lieber continued his tenure at Harvard University and applied for funding from US agencies, receiving at least $15 million in federal grants from the Department of Defense (DOD) and the NIH since 2008. NIH policies require that researchers applying for federal funds disclose any funding they receive from other governments or universities outside the United States. Lieber was asked about his participation in the Thousand Talents Plan in April 2018 by DOD investigators, and by Harvard in late 2018 in response to an enquiry from the NIH. In both instances, he denied being part of it. China’s Thousand Talents Plan has been one focus of the US government’s efforts to crack down on foreign interference in research. Lauer, a deputy director at the NIH, told lawmakers that the contracts encouraged participants to set up ‘shadow labs’ in China that replicated their work at US institutions. (Sourcw: Nature): https://tinyurl.com/vnsye67
February 1, 2020 Many of the emerging coronaviruses are so-called pneumoenteric viruses, meaning they can replicate both in the respiratory tract and the gastrointestinal system. Doctors have reported diarrhea infrequently in 2019-nCoV patients admitted to Wuhan hospitals, though it’s been more prominent among reported cases outside the city, and more recently in the first US case in Washington state. That patient experienced a two-day bout of diarrhea from which a sample tested positive. Many of the emerging coronaviruses are so-called pneumoenteric viruses, meaning they can replicate both in the respiratory tract and the gastrointestinal system. Feng, deputy director general of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and colleagues released a report on January 29 on the first 425 Wuhan cases. “The initial focus of case detection was on patients with pneumonia, but we now understand that some patients can present with gastrointestinal symptoms," Feng and co-authors said in their report, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Squat latrines, common in China, lacking covers and hands that aren’t washed thoroughly with soap and water after visiting the bathroom could be a source of virus transmission. (Source: LiveMint)
1 February 2020 President Trump signed an executive order on yesterday that imposes travel restrictions on six more countries with large Muslim populations bringing the total number of nations under the US travel ban to thirteen. Immigrant visas are being suspended for Nigeria, Myanmar, Eritrea and Kyrgyzstan and people from Sudan and Tanzania will be prevented from entering the US diversity visa program that provides green cards to immigrants. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the ban will not apply to non-immigrant travelers such as students, tourists or people visiting the US on business. The new rule will go into effect on February 22. (Source: WorldSocialistWersite)
1 February 2020 The Trump administration’s Health and Human Services Secretary, Azar, announced yesterday that he had declared the Wuhan Coronavirus a public health emergency in the United States. The order will go into effect beginning at 5:00 p.m. on February 2. It means that any American citizen who had been in China’s Hubei province in the past 14 days will be placed under a mandatory 14 days quarantine if they travel back to the US. Additionally, Azar declared: “Foreign nationals, other than the immediate family of US citizens and permanent residents, who have traveled in China in the last 14 days will be denied entry into the United States.” The last time the US health officials issued a mandatory quarantine was for a smallpox outbreak that occurred in the 1960s. The number infected globally with the novel coronavirus has surpassed 10,000 individuals. This is an increase of 2,000 over 24 hours, with an additional 45 deaths, all in Hubei province, bringing the number fatalities across China to 258 thus far. Three major US airline carriers, Delta, American and United, are discontinuing services to China, at least through the end of March. The outbreak will cause China’s growth rate to drop; an expected loss was of $62 billion. The World Bank estimated that the 2003 SARS epidemic cost some $54 billion. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 603 points to 28,169.53, recording the biggest one day fall since August. The virus is being exploited to stoke anti-Chinese xenophobia in a number of countries. Petitions for banning Chinese nationals from entering have been launched in Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea. In Vietnam, some businesses have posted signs that Chinese customers are not welcome. In Australia, the Murdoch-owned Herald Sun in Melbourne ran a lurid front-page headline “Chinese Virus Pandamonium.” French newspaper Le Courrier Picard was compelled to apologize after running a racist headline labelling the virus a “Yellow Alert.” (Source: WorldSocialistWersite)
1 February 2020 There are four million Chinese Americans in the United States. (Source: TimesMalta)
2020/02/01 A second wave of seasonal influenza is taking hold in the U.S. and elsewhere. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that so far this season there have been at least 19 million flu illnesses in the U.S., 180,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths, including more than 60 children. The flu strain that is emerging now in the U.S. is an H1N1 type of influenza A, the one that normally kicks off the season. It can take hold in adults and may be more severe, resulting in more deaths. The influenza A that’s circulating now is the milder form - the one that landed two years ago put 810,000 Americans in the hospital, and resulted in about 61,000 deaths. (Source: JapanTimes / Bloomberg)
World Health Organization
7 February 2020 2019-nCOV. The world is facing a chronic shortage of gowns, masks, gloves and other protective equipment in the fight against a spreading coronavirus epidemic. The U.N. agency has been sending testing kits, masks, gloves, respirators and gowns to every region, WHO chief Tedros said. The virus was mutating and adapting as it spread through people, the director-general of China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Gao said yesterday. (Source: Reuters)
Globalization
February 7, 2020 Over the next two weeks the world will learn how bad the 2019 nCoV Coronavirus Pandemic will be. The next two weeks will inform the world of the immediate threat of serious, deadly pandemic, or if, as I speculated, the Chinese or Asian population is somehow sensitized to 2019-nCoV or at higher risk of fatality. Fatality rates in countries with large SARS and MERS outbreaks will tell us if the past outbreaks sensitized specific populations. (Source: JamesLyonSweiler)
February 2, 2020 Chinese and other Asians in Europe, the United States, Asia and the Pacific complain of racism. Restaurants in South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Vietnam have refused to accept Chinese customers. More than 650,000 South Koreans have signed an online petition filed with the presidential Blue House calling for a temporary ban on Chinese visitors. South Korean websites have been flooded with comments calling on the government to block or expel Chinese and racist remarks about Chinese eating habits and hygiene. Indonesians marched near a hotel and called on Chinese guests there to leave. Many Japanese have taken to social media to call for a travel ban for the Chinese visitors amid worries they’ll come to Japan for virus-related treatments. A candy store in Hakone, a hot springs town west of Tokyo posted a note saying, “Chinese people’s entry into the store is prohibited.” Menya Hareruya, a popular ramen chain in Sapporo, Hokkaido, posted a sign saying “No entry for Chinese tourists.” Last week, Hong Kong Chief Executive Lam suspended ferry and high-speed train services to the mainland and reduced flights between Hong Kong and Chinese cities. Tenno Ramen, a Japanese noodle restaurant in Hong Kong, is refusing to serve mainland customers. “We want to live longer. We want to safeguard local customers. Please excuse us,” the restaurant said on Facebook. A hotel in Danang, Vietnam, a popular beach destination, has been refusing to accept Chinese tourists. Last weekend, several hundred residents in the Indonesian tourist city of Bukittinggi marched to the Novotel Hotel, where some 170 Chinese tourists were staying, to protest their entrance into Indonesia. They blocked roads near the hotel to prevent the Chinese, who’d arrived a day earlier, from getting out of the hotel. Local authorities decided to send the visitors back to China later in the day. More than 400,000 Malaysians have signed an online petition calling for a ban on Chinese travelers and urging the government to “save our family and our children.” A former police officer and town mayor, Afuang, said he burned a Chinese flag on yesterday in front of the National Press Club in Manila to protest the problems China has brought to the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries, including the virus and Beijing’s claim to disputed islands in the South China Sea. French and Australian newspapers face criticism for racist headlines. France has a significant and growing Asian community, and Chinese visitors are a pillar of the French tourism industry. A French teacher started a Twitter conversation recently under #JeNeSuisPasUnVirus (I am not a virus) that has drawn numerous accounts of discrimination, from children taunted in the schoolyard to subway passengers moving away from people who appear Asian. A regional newspaper in northern France carried a front-page headline warning of a “Yellow Alert,” and later apologized amid national criticism. A Danish paper, Jyllands-Posten, published a cartoon that replaced the yellow stars of the Chinese flag with representations of the virus. The German Der Spiegel magazine ran a headline that said “made in China” along with a photo of an individual in protective gear. Yesterday a cafe near Rome’s Trevi Fountain, a popular tourist site, posted a notice in its window saying “all people coming from China are not allowed access in this place. On January 30 Melbourne’s Herald Sun headline read, “Chinese virus pandamonium.” Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph headline on the same day read, “China kids stay home.” Many countries have sent planes to the Chinese city of Wuhan to evacuate their nationals. (Source: AP)
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