The White House holds a COVID-19 task force briefing today to provide updates and take questions from the media pool at 5:00pm ET. [Livestream Links Below]
White House Coordinator for the Defense Production Act, Peter Navarro, appears on Fox News to discuss how U.S. manufacturers are shifting their production lines to generate products needed to combat coronavirus.
GM CEO Mary Barra appears to have found a spark under her corporate butt after President Trump invoked his power under the DPA to support a greater sense of urgency.
White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, appears on Meet the Press to discuss next steps with Chuck Todd. Recently the media has become very angry at Dr. Birx because she has not been anti-Trump enough, and the resistance members are unhappy with her. If Dr. Birx does not tread carefully she could be identified soon as a Russian asset.
Condescending Chuck Todd explains to Dr. Birx that his knowledge and political experience gives him keen insight into the world of virus mitigation; and that makes his status superior to the doctor.
It seems odd to issue a “travel advisory” against travel to the New York area considering that everyone is supposed to be following ‘stay-at-home’ and social distance guidelines.
President Trump tweets the following message:
The CDC sends additional guidelines via a Domestic Travel Advisory:
Due to extensive community transmission of COVID -19 in the area, CDC urges residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days effective immediately.
This Domestic Travel Advisory does not apply to employees of critical infrastructure industries, including but not limited to trucking, public health professionals, financial services, and food supply. These employees of critical infrastructure, as defined by the Department of Homeland Security, have a special responsibility to maintain normal work schedules.
The Governors of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut will have full discretion to implement this Domestic Travel Advisory. (link)
Take one heap of hypocrisy and one heap of irony and combine them; what you end up with is a New York Governor going bananas about the potential for the New York metropolitan areas being quarantined.
On March 10th New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called-in the national guard to quarantine a New York City suburb called New Rochelle. The alarming effort was called a “containment plan” by the governor to stop the spread of coronavirus.
However, Cuomo is now having fits as the potential for a “containment plan” over the New York City metropolitan area is being considered as a federal mitigation effort.
NEW YORK – New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has said that President Donald Trump’s proposed quarantine of New York to limit the spread of coronavirus would be tantamount to a ‘federal declaration of war.’
‘If you start walling off areas all across the country it would just be totally bizarre, counter-productive, anti-American, anti-social,’ said Cuomo in an interview with CNN on Saturday. (link)
Governor Cuomo uses national guard to create containment zone of New Rochelle, and all is good. President Trump contemplates using national guard to create containment zone for New York city, and it’s a declaration of war… Gotcha.
Realistically, what President Trump is likely considering is a shut down of the airports in the New York metro area. But it’s quite typical to see the apoplexy about it.
Earlier today President Trump traveled to Norfolk, Virginia, to thank support personnel and military crews who resupplied, refitted & launched U.S. hospital ship USNS Comfort. Comfort is heading to New York harbor to support local medical personnel overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic. [Video and Transcript Below]
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[Transcript] – THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Mark. And you’re doing a fantastic job, and our country appreciates it very much.
And thank you, everybody, for being here. Today, I’m deeply honored to be at Naval Station Norfolk — the largest naval base anywhere in the world, and the home to the most powerful fleet that has ever sailed the seas. I just passed some of the most beautiful and, frankly, the most highly lethal ships that I have ever seen in my life, and there are a lot of them. And they’re in better shape now than they have been for many, many decades, with what we’re doing.
Amid increasing speculation that New York will be quarantined to stop people from departing the metropolitan area, President Trump answers journalist questions from joint base Andrews prior to departure. [Video and Transcript Below]
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[Transcript] – Q Thank you, Mr. President. Just a quick clarification on the total quarantine you’re talking about for New York City. Would you —
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we’re looking at it. We’re looking at it, and we’ll be making a decision. A lot of the states that aren’t infected, that don’t have a big problem, they’ve asked me if I’d look at it. So we’re going to look at it. And it will be for a short period of time, if we do it at all.
Oh, this is almost too much winning. Almost… President Trump has appointed White House Manufacturing Advisor Peter Navarro to lead all U.S. coordination of the Defense Production Act. Just like that… presto… Navarro becomes a bazillion times more powerful than CoC President Tom Donohue. Delicious.
WASHNGTON – President Trump announced Friday he is appointing his trade adviser Peter Navarro to serve as his national Defense Production Act policy coordinator after using the act to force General Motors to begin making ventilators to treat coronavirus patients.
“He’s a tremendous guy and he will do a fantastic job,” the president said during a press briefing with his coronavirus taskforce at the White House. He said Navarro will serve as the national Defense Production Act coordinator for the federal government. (link)
Peter Navarro has been a long-term China hawk warning about the risk of U.S. multinationals doing critical supply-chain manufacturing overseas. Navarro, working closely with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, has been the tip of the spear in the execution of America First policy and jobs.
This appointment, and these additional responsibilities, is a recognition for his efforts.
Democrats and resistance media writ large have been demanding that President Trump invoke the Defense Production Act to force companies to make equipment for the fight against the coronavirus. Until today, most companies voluntarily adjusted their manufacturing systems and networks to assist; so forced compliance was not needed.
However, General Motors now states an inability to meet their prior commitments for the manufacture of ventilators:
Now it really gets interesting… The CEO of GM is Mary Barra, considered a hero amid the political circles of democrats; and considered a potential pick for vice-president on a Democrat ticket. Despite her generally weak leadership, democrats adore her resistance bona-fides.
The axiom: “be careful what you wish for” applies big time, because President Trump has just triggered the Defense Production Act to force General Motors to comply with their initial promise. By playing games, again; CEO Mary Barra put herself in the crosshairs of the Trump administration.
President Trump called-in to Fox News host Sean Hannity for an extensive interview on the latest coronavirus developments. Full interview below:
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