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.
Dr. Anthony Fauci and CNN’s Jake Tapper (appearing from a bunker) discuss why President Trump opted to not impose a quarantine on parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut after “very intensive discussions” at the White House.
In the past ten days Dr. Fauci has significantly scaled back his media appearances, as most networks reduced their staff of hair and makeup artists.
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.
With a review of her incompetent action plan so far it is obviously that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is overwhelmed with the responsibilities of her position during crisis.
Now that a complete lack of preparation is surfacing; to make matters worse the governor is making up paranoid stories about vendors not providing products or fulfilling orders to her state.
Governor Whitmer claimed President Trump was orchestrating a plot against her by telling medical vendors not to supply Michigan. However, when pressed on the issue the governor refuses to provide any evidence. This is not a stable person.
DETROIT – […] “When the federal government told us that we needed to go it ourselves, we started procuring every item we could get our hands on,” Whitmer said Friday on WWJ 950AM. “What I’ve gotten back is that vendors with whom we had contracts are now being told not to send stuff here to Michigan. It’s really concerning.”
Whitmer didn’t say who has told vendors to stop sending medical supplies to the state, but strongly implied the order came from President Donald Trump’s administration.
A month ago CTH pointed out the short-sighted approach when federal, state and local government dictates began enforcing restaurant closings. By shutting down 50% of the total food supply output, the retail food supply chain was simply overwhelmed.
Since then some state governors recognized the issue their decisions made within the total U.S. food supply network; and subsequently modified their state rules permitting restaurants to sell their bulk food ingredients to retail consumers. This was a smart move by some state and local officials. Here’s one example of how it is working:
Miami – […] Unlike many restaurants, which are trying to stay afloat delivering and offering take out after governments ordered dining rooms closed to stem the spread of the coronavirus, Threefold Cafe is busier than ever.
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.