Today Ohio, Delaware and Louisiana joined California, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Illinois by issuing mandatory stay at home orders for their citizens.  A total of eight states now have total coronavirus compliance orders restricting movement.

(Via Reuters) […] “Every piece of evidence that I can lay my hands on indicates that we’re at an absolutely crucial time in this war and what we do now will make all the difference in the world,” said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. “What we do now will slow this invader. It will slow this invader so our health care system … will have time to treat casualties.”

Ohio has 351 cases and three deaths while Louisiana has 837 cases and 20 deaths, several in a senior care facility. Louisiana has the third highest number of cases per capita and saw a 10-fold increase in cases in the past week, Governor John Bel Edwards said.

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White House Trade and Manufacturing Policy Advisor Peter Navarro discusses some of the more granular details behind the COVID-19 mitigation strategy.   The policies are designed to counter the economic impacts, and then use a tactical approach toward the challenges in the supply chain for medical supply needs.

Navarro discusses some of the private sector shifts in production and manufacturing to generate medical supply needs as an outcome of the defense production act.

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Notice the DNC Club is keeping Joe Biden tucked away while the pantomime is presented.  In the latest production, and do not doubt – this is a full-on created production, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo presents: “I will lead the way’….

This is NOT organic.  WATCH  – This is from today:

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Notice how the graphics appearing on the screen are timed to prompt the oration; and all of it is targeting heart message, emotion over logic.  There is a teleprompter directly in front of and below Cuomo so he can reference the graphics as he gives his press remarks.  You can see him checking the monitor for the next prompt. This is all rehearsed. Everything about this is a production.

A prepared script, graphics with points of emphasis, along with national media interrupting all broadcasts to run these messages, this draft nomination effort is brilliantly designed. People in Ohio, Florida, Arizona and Michigan are wondering why they are watching a New York governor presser every day on their televisions.

You have to admit these are brilliant political operations.

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Steve Bannon appears on Fox News with Maria Bartiromo to discuss the U.S. response to the coronavirus.   Bannon advocates for a military style shut-down of the U.S. to shut down everything now and get through the crisis as quickly as possible.

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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin appears on Fox News to discuss the financial legislation (likely vote tomorrow) to support workers and businesses immediately impacted by President Trump’s proactive shut-down of the U.S. economy.

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The ‘good cop bad cop’ routine with deBlasio just seemed a little too scripted… Then the framework of a usefully constructed contrast narrative started to become clear… Then, as if on cue, all national broadcasts started being interrupted for maximum exposure; again a little odd.

A deep, very deep, connection to Bloomberg reappeared as a little flashing light in the corner of the picture… Then the Murdoch’s started to shape the landscape; curiosity piqued… Followed by positioning that seems a little too centrally located in the political sphere.. Then Hannity and Bannon started singing his praises.  Well, Bannon doesn’t exactly have a good track record of judgement… I digress.  But it really wasn’t until the CIA started publishing their endorsement that things possibly started making sense. WATCH:

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Are they positioning NY Governor Andrew Cuomo to exit the DNC convention as the consensus nominee; the chosen one?  It would take the construct, at least the optics of, a reluctantly drafted candidate to pull it off.  Then again, what is all this – if not that.

Think that’s crazy?…. Let’s keep watching.

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Earlier today President Trump, Vice-President Pence and members of the coronavirus task force held a briefing to update on the latest COVID-19 mitigation efforts.

[Video and Transcript Below]

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[Transcript] – THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. A lot of things going on, and we’re going to be going over to the Hill, and we’re having a lot of meetings. And, from the financial — this is a medical situation, not a financial situation. The financial, though, is moving along very nicely.

I want to thank you for being here and update you on the progress we’ve made after a week of extraordinary mobilization in our war against the virus. Governors, mayors, the businesses, charities, and citizens are all working with urgency and speed toward one common goal, which is saving American lives.

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Comrade citizens, if you don’t believe there are local, state and federal contingency plans to activate the National Guard as a police authority you have not paid close attention over the past three decades.  However, nothing quite grabs attention like a convoy of Humvees and MWRAPS driving though Main Street…

In this small example of what is happening on a national scale, Illinois State Police and Chicago police prepare to enforce Governor  Pritzker’s “stay-at-home” order.  WATCH:

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Watch for the words: “opportunity”, “challenges” and “support” when used within a sentence that describes the deployment of the national guard.

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First, regardless of what the poll numbers reflect, based on a three-year track record of doing whatever it takes, it is safe to say President Trump would do whatever was the best approach while considering polling of those hard decisions irrelevant.

Second, even with the constant back-biting, snark and transparent attacks from the mainstream media, President Trump’s strength as a leader and manager of crisis is well identified by the majority of Americans. The media hate us, he’s just in their way.

(LINK TO POLL)

(Via ABC) As a deepening public health crisis rocks the nation, a new ABC News/Ipsos poll released Friday shows a far different portrait of a country than from only one week ago, as nearly three in four Americans now say their lives have been upended in some way by the novel coronavirus and President Donald Trump’s approval for his handling of the outbreak is on the rise.

In the new poll, 55% of Americans approve of the president’s management of the crisis, compared to 43% who disapprove. Trump’s approval on this issue is up from last week, when the numbers were nearly reversed. (read more)

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Earlier today President Trump announced the closing of the southern border (Mexico) and northern border (Canada) to non essential travel. Entry/Exit for trade and business travel will continue to operate with additional screening.

PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH: President Trump is taking action at our northern and southern borders to prevent further spread of the coronavirus in the United States.

♦ The United States has reached mutual agreements with Canada and Mexico to restrict non-essential travel across our northern and southern borders.

♦ The United States will expeditiously return aliens who cross between ports of entry or are otherwise not allowed to enter the country, as the facilities in which these aliens would normally be held cannot support quarantine for the time needed to assess potential cases.

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