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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 6:57:25 GMT -6
dailycaller.com/2020/03/22/who-director-general-tedros-adhanom-ghebreyesus-china-coronavirus-pandemic-cover-up/Top WHO Official Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Won Election With China’s Help. Now He’s Running Interference For China On Coronavirus World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus won his 2017 election with China’s backing. Tedros is now providing cover for China’s propaganda campaign denying responsibility for the outbreak. Tedros praised China’s “transparency” and said China’s response to the virus was a model for other nations, though China tried to cover up the virus’s outbreak and silenced whistleblowers. Tedros is the first-ever WHO chief not to be a medical doctor and was accused of covering up three different cholera epidemics as Ethiopia’s health minister. World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus won his post after China backed him in the May 2017 election. Now, Tedros is leading the WHO, an arm of the United Nations, in providing cover for China’s oppressive regime as it attempts to shirk responsibility for the global coronavirus pandemic. Despite all evidence to the contrary, Chinese authorities are weaving a false counternarrative in which China was actually the victim of a foreign virus that it quickly moved to contain. And the WHO is helping them do it. Tedros has praised China’s “transparency” and held up the country as a model response — even though the communist regime covered and then concealed the severity of the outbreak. Chinese authorities forced scientists who discovered the virus in December to destroy proof of the virus, U.K. newspaper The Sunday Times reported. The Chinese regime also punished doctors who tried to warn the public in the outbreak’s early stages and suppressed information about the virus online. A Chinese real estate mogul who criticized his government’s response has since gone missing. Approximately seven million people left Wuhan in January, spreading the virus all over China and all over the world, before China restricted travel to Wuhan on Jan. 22, The New York Times reported Sunday. Primis Player Placeholder One study found that “if interventions in [China] could have been conducted one week, two weeks, or three weeks earlier, cases could have been reduced by 66 percent, 86 percent and 95 percent respectively – significantly limiting the geographical spread of the disease.” The WHO echoed China’s false talking points about the potential for human-to-human infection during the early stages of the outbreak. “Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in #Wuhan, #China,” the WHO tweeted on Jan. 14. The very next day, America’s first documented coronavirus patient arrived back in the U.S. after traveling to Wuhan, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s timeline. Tedros praised China’s disastrous handling of the pandemic as an example for the rest of the world to follow. “China is actually setting a new standard for outbreak response,” he said on Jan. 30, shortly after returning from a trip to Beijing. (Photo by NAOHIKO HATTA/AFP via Getty Images) Tedros shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping (NAOHIKO HATTA/AFP via Getty Images) “Tedros apparently turned a blind eye to what happened in Wuhan and the rest of China and, after meeting with Xi in January, has helped China to play down the severity, prevalence and scope of the COVID-19 outbreak,” University of Texas-San Antonio professor Henry Thayer and Citizens Power Initiatives for China vice president Lianchao Han wrote in a March 17 op-ed published in The Hill. The pair called on Tedros to resign, adding: “From the outset, Tedros has defended China despite its gross mismanagement of the highly contagious disease. As the number of cases and the death toll soared, the WHO took months to declare the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic, even though it had met the criteria of transmission between people, high fatality rates and worldwide spread.” The WHO is now touting China’s claims to have reduced the number of new infections in Wuhan to zero. But Chinese officials are, once again, fudging the numbers for propaganda purposes, a Wuhan doctor told Japanese media company Kyodo News. Tedros’s close relationship with China isn’t new. He worked closely with China during his time as Ethiopia’s health minister, and China backed Tedros’s 2017 bid for WHO director-general, media outlets noted at the time. Tedros won the election despite widely covered accusations that he covered up three different cholera epidemics as health minister in Ethiopia. Though he goes by “Dr. Tedros,” the WHO chief isn’t a medical doctor but has a PhD in public health. Just months after taking over at the WHO, Tedros tapped former Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe, a notorious human rights violator, to be a UN Goodwill ambassador and only backed down after an international outcry. “Diplomats said [Mugabe’s] appointment was a political payoff from Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus — the WHO’s first African director-general — to China, a long-time ally of Mugabe, and the 50 or so African states that helped to secure Tedros’s election earlier this year,” Sunday Times columnist Rebecca Myers wrote in October 2017. “Chinese diplomats had campaigned hard for the Ethiopian, using Beijing’s financial clout and opaque aid budget to build support for him among developing countries,” she added. Washington Post columnist Frida Ghitis similarly noted at the time that China “worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help Tedros defeat the United Kingdom candidate for the WHO job, David Nabarro. Tedros’s victory was also a victory for Beijing, whose leader Xi Jinping has made public his goal of flexing China’s muscle in the world.” “There need to be consequences here,” Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley wrote on Twitter in response to this article. ” WHO has sided [with] #China Communist Party against the world in this pandemic.” There need to be consequences here. WHO has sided w/ #China Communist Party against the world in this pandemic t.co/iTvuZxO9bI— Josh Hawley (@hawleymo) March 23, 2020 The WHO and China’s Embassy to the U.S. didn’t respond to repeated requests for comment for this article. While Tedros has covered for the Chinese regime throughout the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, he hasn’t hesitated to criticize the U.S. and other China adversaries for their coronavirus response, as Michael Collins, a research associate for Asia Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, noted in a Feb. 27 blog post. On Feb. 3, Tedros rebuked the U.S. and other countries that had closed off their borders to China when it became clear that the communist nation wasn’t containing the virus’s spread. “There is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade. We call on all countries to implement decisions that are evidence-based and consistent,” he said. The day after President Donald Trump referred to the coronavirus as a “foreign virus,” the WHO implicitly rebuked him. “Kind quick reminder: viruses have no nationality,” the WHO wrote in a March 17 tweet that was quickly amplified by Chinese state media outlet Xinhua News. A WHO official later rebuked Trump again on Wednesday. (RELATED: Elite American Institutions Keep Bowing To Communist China… Over And Over Again) “Viruses know no borders and they don’t care about your ethnicity, the color of your skin or how much money you have in the bank,” said Mike Ryan, the executive director of WHO’s Emergencies Program. Ryan added, “This is a time for solidarity, this is a time for facts, this is a time to move forward together, to fight this virus together. There is no blame in this.” His comments aligned nicely with China’s aggressive propaganda campaign.
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 8:46:02 GMT -6
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 9:07:11 GMT -6
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 9:32:53 GMT -6
www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/03/22/report-democrats-push-for-small-business-assistance-for-planned-parenthood/The Hill reported Sunday that one of the reasons bipartisan support for a massive coronavirus stimulus package has fallen apart is, once again, because Democrats want the bill to prop up Planned Parenthood. According to the Hill: A Democratic aide said that the small business provision was drafted to exclude non-profits who receive Medicaid from being eligible for Small Business Administration assistance offered under the bill. That, according to the aide, would impact Planned Parenthood but also community health centers, rape crisis centers and disability service providers. Planned Parenthood is identified as a nonprofit, not a small business. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Sunday she will be moving ahead with her own emergency relief package and ended hopes for an immediate vote in the Senate to further assistance for the nation in the midst of the crisis caused by the virus that originated in China. Breitbart News reported: Senate Republicans and the White House have insisted that they will continue to push for the $1.6 trillion economic relief package, which would include $350 billion in support for small businesses and $250 billion for unemployment insurance. The package would also include direct cash payments to individuals around $1,200 per individual, with additional funds going to families with children. Politico also reported that Pelosi’s announcement is an indication she will not be simply taking up the Senate bill and moving it forward on a unanimous consent basis: That also means the House may be forced back into session, even though many lawmakers are concerned about the threat from the coronavirus and the difficulties in reaching Capitol Hill from their home districts. Fox News reported on the impasse: Democrats also pushed for add-ons including food security aid, small business loans and other measures for workers — saying the three months of unemployment insurance offered under the draft plan was insufficient. The Wall Street Journal‘s Kimberly Strassel also weighed in on the stalemate on Twitter: 1) The Senate bill is bipartisan; assembled with D input from Day One. Everyone understands need for liquidity, and biz $ that get out fast and stop more layoffs. Ds's also got plenty, from unemployment plus-ups to medical surge, to more gov $. They NOW claim not enough? — Kimberley Strassel (@kimstrassel) March 22, 2020 2) Pelosi's balk is naked attempt to cadge more last-minute money. She's playing politics in a crisis. Which is almost as bad as Elizabeth Warren suggesting this is a corporate "slush fund." Gov shuts down economy, and Warren blames business? Toxic. — Kimberley Strassel (@kimstrassel) March 22, 2020 Two weeks ago, it was discovered Pelosi attempted to ensure a Hyde Amendment loophole was included in an earlier coronavirus economic stimulus proposal. The Hyde Amendment is a longstanding provision applied to spending bills that states taxpayer monies will not be used to fund abortions. Using this very real public health emergency to attack abortion coverage shows a despicable lack of concern about the severity of this crisis. These politicians will do anything to advance their anti-abortion agenda. t.co/RQCd0YndzR— Planned Parenthood Action (@ppact) March 12, 2020 Pelosi, Planned Parenthood, and other members of the abortion lobby accused Republicans of holding up that emergency bill to promote their “anti-abortion agenda.” The Democrat leader herself criticized Republican leaders, stating “families have needs,” and that a decision was needed “to help families right now.”
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 9:36:30 GMT -6
thefederalist.com/2020/03/23/chinese-ambassador-denies-knowledge-of-missing-journalist-who-covered-wuhan-virus-outbreak/Chinese Ambassador Denies Knowledge Of Missing Journalist Who Covered Wuhan Virus Outbreak MARCH 23, 2020 By Madeline Osburn In an interview with Axios reporter Jonathan Swan, the Chinese ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, denied knowing the whereabouts or even of the existence of a missing Chinese journalist who reported on China’s initial response to the Wuhan virus. Chen Qiushi, a citizen journalist who published critical reporting from Wuhan, where the outbreak began, went missing in early February after uploading videos online of what he saw in overflowing hospitals, funeral homes, and quarantine areas. In a discussion on providing information to the public, Swan asked the ambassador, “Where is the citizen journalist Chen Qiushi? He was doing some of the early videos from inside Wuhan that were showing the response to the virus and the chaos that was happening inside Wuhan.” “I have not heard of this person,” Tiankai said. “Really? Chen Qiushi?” Swan asked. “Well, you were asked about him on ‘Face the Nation’ on February the 9th.” Tiankai denied Swan’s statement saying, “No, I was not asked about any particular journalist.” “You were. I watched the clip,” Swan said. “Margaret Brennan named Chen Qiushi. You were asked about him.” “I did not know him then, I do not know him now,” Tiankai said. Swan pressed the ambassador, asking if he was curious about figuring out who he was after Brennan named him. Tiankai blamed his lack of knowledge on the subject being a domestic issue and out of purview for someone in charge of U.S. relations. “Why not let people do their own job?” Tiankai replied. .@jonathanvswan questions China’s Ambassador to the United States @ambcuitiankai about the missing citizen journalist Chen Quishi, who covered the early response to coronavirus in Wuhan. All episodes of #AxiosOnHBO now streaming. pic.twitter.com/h54otPWTda — HBO Documentaries (@hbodocs) March 22, 2020 Chen’s disappearance has been reported by CNN, The New York Times, the BBC, and was discussed with Tiankai on “Face the Nation” a few days after the journalist went missing. MARGARET BRENNAN: Have Chinese authorities detained the citizen journalist, Chen Qiushi? He has disappeared and his videos revealed a lot of what was happening with this virus. AMBASSADOR CUI: I’m sorry, I have not- never heard of this guy, so I don’t have any information to share with you. After traveling to Wuhan in late January to document the worsening of the outbreak, Chen posted his first YouTube video. In it, he said, “I will use my camera to document what is really happening. I promise I won’t… cover up the truth.” Chen spent two weeks in the city reporting on the poor conditions of treatment areas and the lack of masks and test kits. He has more than 200,000 followers on Twitter, more than 400,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel, and his videos have been viewed millions of times. Chen told the BCC he knew his reporting put him at risk and that he was unsure how long he would be able to continue. Since Feburary 9, friends and family have not been able to contact him. According to a video posted by Chen’s mother, he was forcibly quarantined by police.
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 9:37:15 GMT -6
thefederalist.com/2020/03/23/why-on-earth-should-anyone-believe-communist-chinas-coronavirus-statistics/Why On Earth Should Anyone Believe Communist China’s Coronavirus Statistics? To understand Communist China’s cover up and delay, all you have to do is to go through the timeline of the early weeks of the coronavirus outbreak. Helen RaleighBy Helen Raleigh MARCH 23, 2020 The world is hungry for some good news as the coronavirus outbreak continues to upend lives and cause serious damage to the world economy. As if by design, on March 19, Communist China reported “no new local infection of the novel coronavirus cases in the mainland for the first time since the start of the outbreak.” Chinese state media lauded the Communist Party’s leadership for achieving this important milestone while the rest of the world is struggling to contain the outbreak. But why on earth should anyone believe in Beijing’s numbers when it was Beijing’s cover-ups and delays that resulted in the spread of this deadly virus in the first place? To understand Communist China’s cover-ups and delays, all you have to do is to go through the timeline of the early weeks of the coronavirus outbreak. South China Morning Post reports that the Chinese government’s own data shows the first case of someone suffering from Covid-19 could be traced back to November 17, 2019. From that day until Dec. 27, the city of Wuhan saw an increased number of cases. By Dec. 27, the central government’s health officials were informed of a new coronavirus that was causing illness, Wuhan had 180 confirmed cases. Yet Beijing waited until Dec. 30 to notify the World Health Organization’s China office, and did nothing to inform the Chinese people. On the same day, when early whistleblowers including Wuhan Dr. Ai Fen and Dr. Li Wenliang tried to inform their colleagues and social circles about a suspicious new, SARs-like virus, they were reprimanded for “spreading rumors” by Wuhan police. On Jan. 5, Chinese researchers in Shanghai mapped out the virus’s entire genome and recommended “appropriate prevention and control measures in public places.” But Beijing ignored this recommendation and didn’t publicly disclose the genome until Jan. 9. As late as Jan. 11, Wuhan authorities still insisted the province had only 44 confirmed cases. The last time Wuhan health officials reported no new cases was from Jan. 11 to 17, when the Hubei provincial level Communist Party meeting was held in Wuhan. The Chinese Communist Party is known to suppress bad news for the sake of appearances whenever the party elites meet. Even after the first-known case outside China was reported in Thailand on Jan. 13, the head of the China disease control emergency centers said on television Jan. 15 that “the risk of human-to-human transmission is low.” The general public, unaware of the risks, took no initial precautions and went about their business, including attending mass banquets. By the time Beijing announced a lockdown on Jan. 23rd, five million people had left Wuhan and the worldwide spread of the virus became unstoppable. Why does revisiting the timeline in those early weeks matter? A new study published this month shows that “if interventions in the country could have been conducted one week, two weeks, or three weeks earlier, cases could have been reduced by 66 percent, 86 percent and 95 percent respectively – significantly limiting the geographical spread of the disease.” In other words, had Communist China taken action at the end of December and the beginning of January, fewer people would have gotten sick and died, no country would have had to close its borders, and most of us would be able to continue to live a normal life, not worrying about stocking up on toilet paper. In addition to its early cover-up and delay, Communist China’s behavior since the outbreak became known worldwide doesn’t build trust, either. Internationally, Communist China has launched a disinformation campaign to blame the United States for the Wuhan flu. Beijing also expelled number of American journalists so fewer foreign reporters are on the ground to verify Beijing’s claims. Domestically, Chinese government censors, working with social media companies such as Tencent, began to censor coronavirus-related postings as early Dec. 2019, shutting down news sites and online forums, blocking certain keywords related to coronavirus outbreak, deleting online postings critical of party leader Xi Jinping and the government’s handling of the virus, including an interview of one of the early whistleblowers, Dr. Ai Fen. Other online posts and hashtags related to demands for freedom of speech and a free press have also been quickly deleted. Since January, three Chinese citizen journalists have gone missing. They are presumed to have been detained by Chinese authorities after posting videos on social media documenting the reality of the ongoing pandemic. While suppressing negative reports, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) propaganda machine is eager to claim victory and portray party leader Xi and the CCP in the most shining light. The CCP sent 300 state media reporters to tell “positive” and “uplifting” stories in Wuhan. On March 10, Xi showed up in Wuhan in a highly staged visit. There was no footage showing him walking inside the lockdown communities like other senior party officials did. Instead, he talked to health-care workers through video conferencing. Those who are well-versed in the CCP’s history know that Xi didn’t show up at Wuhan to see how things are going. His visit was to lay down a marker. It was meant to send the message that from that day on, all news coverage about Wuhan and the coronavirus outbreak in China has to be positive and show real or imaginary progress. Not surprisingly, since his visit state media has churned out reports about how life is getting better and things are going back to normal in Wuhan and other parts of China. Now we are told there are no new cases in China. Xinhua, a state-owned media organization and mouthpiece of the CCP, praised the way Beijing’s “unified and highly efficient command system” with “transparency, timely activation and adjustment of response levels by provinces,” has enabled the country to “efficiently contained the spread of the deadly virus” in less than two months. The truth is, if there are still new cases, local officials wouldn’t dare report them after Xi’s visit. But this time, Beijing’s all-powerful propaganda machine is having a hard time selling its “positive” narratives to the Chinese people. There is widespread furor among Chinese people over how poorly Beijing handled and communicated the outbreak. Many Chinese people, including some journalists who work for state media, simply don’t buy the government’s lies anymore. Even though Beijing keeps tightening its control over dissent, Chinese people are speaking up any way they can. Early this month, when Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan was walking through a lockdown community in Wuhan in another highly staged visit (residents were forbidden to come out to meet her), several brave residents shouted “fake, everything is fake” because they had been low on groceries and their community’s common area hadn’t been cleaned since the lockdown. The local government organized fake volunteers to deliver groceries and cleaned up the community right before Sun’s visit. Are things really getting better in China? Has Beijing truly contained the virus? We hope so, but we have no way to verify it. And if Chinese people don’t trust their own government’s narrative, why on earth should anyone else believe what Beijing says?
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 9:41:21 GMT -6
www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2020/04/06/coronavirus-and-chinas-missing-citizen-journalists/Coronavirus and China’s Missing Citizen Journalists By HELEN RALEIGH March 19, 2020 10:48 AM They were detained for telling the truth about the coronavirus Three Chinese citizen journalists have gone missing in recent months. They are presumed to have been detained by Chinese authorities after posting videos on social media documenting the reality of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The most recent Chinese citizen journalist to suffer this fate was Li Zehua. Li was living a picture-perfect life. After graduating from one of China’s best universities, he began working as a news anchor for China’s most important and prominent state TV station, CCTV. At the age of 25, handsome and thriving, Li was a rising star. Had he stayed within the boundaries the Chinese authorities have drawn and not raised concerns over the topics that Beijing deemed “sensitive,” he might have lived a good, prosperous life. The coronavirus has changed everything — at least for Li and many like-minded young adults in China. TOP ARTICLES 1/5 READ MORE To Protect the Future, Hold China to Account Unlike their parents’ and grandparents’ generations, today’s young Chinese have no living memories of the atrocities that the Chinese Communist Party has committed since 1949. Massive famine and poverty, minuscule food rations, and millions of people who perished are now a part of history that has gone up in flames, never to be spoken of again. The Chinese authorities have made sure that Communist China’s history, from 1949 to 1989 (including the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre), is scraped clean or reduced to just a few historically inaccurate paragraphs. Today’s young Chinese grew up with little to no awareness of what has happened, not knowing that the glorious Communist China sits on the corpses of millions of innocent people. With neither living memories nor historical knowledge, young Chinese today do not see the CCP as an evildoer. They grew up in a China that has been a rising world power with signs of prosperity and modernity everywhere. The social contract the Chinese government has offered to them — limited freedom in exchange for stability and prosperity — appears to have worked out well for almost every citizen. So what if they can’t access a few Western social-media sites such as Facebook and Twitter? Western-style democracy wouldn’t work in China anyway, the CCP has told them. But the spread of the coronavirus has exposed the Achilles’ heel of this social contract. When everyone has the potential to be infected, when they hear stories of people who had to walk an hour to seek treatment only to be turned away, when they read the countless pleas for help and heartbreaking stories online, and when they see videos of overcrowded hospitals and overworked medical staff, they see the façade of stability and prosperity crumbling right before their eyes. They are hungry for information. They want to know how to protect themselves and their families. In the past, the search for information and truth would always eventually run up against a wall, and they would just give up. However, the death of Dr. Li Wenliang, one of the handful of early whistleblowers on the coronavirus outbreak, awakened many Chinese, especially the young. They finally realized that the stability and prosperity they were promised and for which they gave up their freedom was nothing but a beautifully wrapped lie. This is a generation that grew up with the abundance of social media, a generation that is constantly influenced by Western cultures through fashion, music, movies, and YouTube videos. They value freedom of expression. Like young people in the West, they want to instantly share with the world what they see and how they feel. They grew up with electronic gadgets; they have the technological know-how to bypass the Chinese government’s Internet firewall. Since the coronavirus outbreak, some of these young people have taken to heart Dr. Li’s final words: “A healthy society shouldn’t have only one voice.” They have decided to do something about it — through seeking and sharing truth on their own. That’s what Li Zehua set out to do. He quit his job and found a way to get into Wuhan. With the locals’ help, he was able to get a car and find a place to stay. By sheer coincidence, Li’s new temporary lodging was right next to the former lodging of another young citizen journalist, Chen Qiushi, who had previously posted videos about his visits to Wuhan. By the time Li arrived in Wuhan, Chen had “disappeared,” gone since February 7. Government officials told Chen’s family and friends that Chen had been put into forced medical quarantine, but they refused to disclose when and where. Undeterred, Li started posting videos of his visits to infected locations such as college campuses and funeral homes. He interviewed residents, migrant workers, and employees at the funeral homes. Li said in one of his videos, “If one Chen Qiushi falls, 10 million more Chen Qiushis will stand up to take his place.” Li’s words held true. Through his reporting, we learned that local authorities didn’t carry out promised disinfectant measures in infected communities and that residents were running low on groceries. These are the types of information China’s state-run media would not dare to report, but Li chose to. For exposing the truth, Li was often harassed by the local police and self-identified security guards, but he continued to do what he regarded as legitimate reporting. On February 26, when Li was on his way back from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which many conspiracy theorists believe was responsible for creating and spreading the coronavirus, he posted a short video while he was being chased at high speed by a public-security vehicle. Viewers can hear him exclaim, “They’re chasing me. . . . I’m sure that they want to hold me in isolation. Please help me!” Li made it back to his apartment and started livestreaming again. He was visibly shaken by the chase and knew very well that something baleful was getting close to him. Then he heard a knock at the door. Through the peephole, he saw two big guys outside. It was to be his final hour of freedom. Before he opened the door, he made an impassioned speech. Li said: “Since I first arrived in Wuhan, everything I have done has been in accord with the constitution of the People’s Republic of China and with its laws.” Knowing he would be taken away and even forcibly quarantined, just like Chen Qiushi, Li made sure to note in the video that he had protective gear and that he was healthy at the moment of his arrest. It was important for him to emphasize this on the record, because if the Chinese government later claimed that Li was sick and quarantined or even had died of the coronavirus, the rest of the world, especially Li’s family, would know it was a lie. 4 Many Chinese youths today “probably have no idea at all what happened in our past,” Li went on to say. “They think the history they have now is the one they deserve.” Li hoped that more young people would join him in standing up for the truth. After these words, Li opened the door. Two men in masks and dressed fully in black walked in. The camera was abruptly shut off, and the livestreaming stopped. No one has heard from Li since that day. Thanks to the China Media Project, Li’s final speech was translated into English. Li is the third Chinese citizen journalist detained by Chinese authorities since the start of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. The other two journalists are Fang Bin and Chen Qiushi. Chinese authorities will continue to ruthlessly suppress these truth-tellers. However, something has changed inside China. The pandemic has become a wake-up call for Chinese people. Many of them are starting to realize that freedom of expression is essential for their own and their families’ well-being, even their survival. Last week, when a senior Communist Party official visited a lockdown community in Wuhan, residents were forbidden to come out. So a handful of them shouted from their apartments, “Everything is fake.” This week, the Chinese censors deleted an interview of a Wuhan doctor who discussed the local government’s early cover-up. According to BuzzFeed, Chinese Internet users have been implementing all kinds of creative ways to share the interview, including “rewriting it backward, filling it with typos and emojis, sharing it as a PDF, and even translating it into fictional languages like Klingon.” Beijing is making a big mistake if it thinks that more repression will silence all Chinese people into submission going forward.
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 10:11:27 GMT -6
www.dailywire.com/news/mitt-romney-nothing-in-the-senate-has-shocked-me-until-democrats-voted-down-coronavirus-reliefMitt Romney: ‘Nothing In The Senate Has Shocked Me’ Until Democrats Voted Down Coronavirus Relief Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), who is under quarantine for possible exposure to coronavirus, expressed deep anger at Senate Democrats who voted down a coronavirus relief package after working on the bipartisan bill all weekend. “Nothing in the Senate has shocked me, until today,” Romney wrote on Twitter. “Standing in the way of a critically needed rescue package is irresponsible and reckless. Dems say not enough money to states: nearly $200 billion isn’t chump change. Hospitals get at least $75 billion.” The Utah senator then went on to suggest that Democrats’ primary objections to the Senate package stemmed from a complete lack of economic understanding. “As for funds for companies,” Romney said, referencing a so-called “slush fund” within the bill designed to provide further relief to coroporations and entities suffering six months after any coronavirus lockdown is lifeted, “it’s to keep entities that employ millions of Americans from folding—it’s to save jobs. Keep this up a little longer and we will go from social distancing to social destruction.” Romney has only been in the Senate a short time — prior to being elected to now-retired Sen. Orrin Hatch’s seat in Utah, he served as a governor in Massachusetts and a presidential candidate — but he’s been open about his desire to work with Democrats where necessary, even to the detriment of the Trump Administration, to which Romney has expressed no loyalty. Just weeks ago, of course, Romney was easily the Democrats’ favorite member of the Republican caucus, voting to convict President Donald Trump on at least one impeachment charge. Democrats, led by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who returned to Washington, D.C., on Sunday after spending most of last week sheltering in her district, voted to end debate on the bipartisan measure, which some senior Democrats had worked on since last Friday. The Senate, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), remained in session even as the House cleared out in order to prepare the stimulus package for passage this week. At the eleventh hour, Pelosi declared that the stimulus was merely a corporate relief package and that the House of Representatives would be crafting their own legislation to address coronavirus relief, even though high-profile Democrats like Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), were part of the roped off team that outlined the Senate bill. “The party-line vote was a stunning setback after three days of fast-paced negotiations between senators and administration officials to reach a bipartisan compromise on legislation that is expected to be the largest economic stimulus package in American history — now expected to cost $1.8 trillion or more,” the New York Times reported. “In a 47-to-47 vote, the Senate fell short of the 60 votes that would have been needed to advance the measure, even as talks continued between behind the scenes between Democrats and the White House to salvage a compromise.” McConnell scheduled a re-vote on the package at 9:45am Monday, hoping that Democrats might be persuaded to back off their threats while the New York Stock Exchange was open and reacting directly to the possibility of stimulus legislation. Schumer, who leads the Senate Democratic caucus, refused to vote, locking himself in his chamber and announcing that no votes would take place before noon Monday.
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 11:33:13 GMT -6
Mitch McConnell CRUSHED Senate Democrats before the Monday morning Coronavirus Relief Package vote. The US Senate bill offers up to $3,000 per family and billions in relief to small businesses. The bill expands unemployment insurance, hospital relief and relief to small businesses across the country.
McConnell slammed Democrats for pushing to include their Green New Deal regulations inside the relief bill. Democrats held up the legislation for tax credits for solar energy and wind energy and new emission standards for the US airlines. Pure insanity!
McConnell then went to to blame Nancy Pelosi for the Democrat Party’s delay in passing the American relief package.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, “I’d like to see Senate Democrats tell New York City doctors and nurses who are literally overrun as we speak that they are filibustering hospital funding and more masks because they want to argue with the airlines over their carbon footprint!… They We were this close, this close. Then yesterday morning the Speaker of the House flew back from San Francisco and suddenly the Senate’s serious bipartisan process turned into this left-wing episode of supermarket sweep! Unrelated issues left and right. I’ll tell you what will lower our carbon footprint is if the entire economy continues to crumble.”
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 11:35:07 GMT -6
dailycaller.com/2020/03/23/mcconnell-senate-floor-failing-to-reach-deal-coronavirus/‘Are You Kidding Me?’: McConnell Rips Democrats On Senate Floor For Failing To Reach Deal On Coronavirus Package Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blasted Democrats on Monday for failing to come to a deal with Republicans regarding a phase-three coronavirus stimulus bill. “Tax credits for solar energy and wind energy. Provisions to force employers to give special new treatment to Big Labor. And listen to this — new emissions standards for the airlines. Are you kidding me?,” McConnell said on the Senate floor. The Senate voted Sunday night on the legislation. The vote was 47-47. McConnell said Sunday that the bill would include $75 billion for hospitals and that two-thirds of all new money in the bill would go to states, however, this vote will likely end consideration of this bill. McConnell also said, “it’s just about time to take yes for an answer.” Democrats have said the coronavirus bill lacks new SNAP funds and were reportedly pushing for expanded emergency leave provisions and more than three months of unemployment insurance. WATCH: Treasury Sec. Steve Mnuchin, who has been negotiating with members of Congress on behalf of the White House, was spotted entering Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office, 20 minutes away from Sunday’s cloture vote. McConnell voted no, which was not planned. He voted with the Democrats so he would have the option of recalling the vote, as Senate rules state. (RELATED: Senate Fails To Pass Cloture Vote On Coronavirus Stimulus Bill) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday said she will halt negotiations with the Senate and move to pass her own coronavirus package in the House, which could drag things out longer than many expected. Pelosi’s legislation will be a $1.6 trillion emergency package, according to Politico. (RELATED: Speaker Pelosi Moves Forward With Her Own Coronavirus Package, Despite Current Senate Negotiations) The text for a phase-three Senate bill announced Friday would give $1,200 checks to every person, while couples would receive $2,400. That $1,200 check will go to Americans making less than $75,000 annually. Each child will receive $500. The amount is reduced by $5 for every $100 a person earns over $75,000. Those making above $99,000 would not get any money. The GOP’s bill also includes specific provisions for disabled veterans, low-income seniors, and individuals with no income tax liability with at least $2,500 in qualifying income, according to the Senate Finance Committee. There will also be a much smaller benefit of $600 for millions without federal tax liability. The Senate will now vote again on the legislation Monday afternoon.
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 11:37:12 GMT -6
www.dailywire.com/news/shock-dem-stock-coronavirus-package-with-green-new-deal-handouts-post-office-bailout-union-cashSHOCK: Dem Stock Coronavirus Package With Green New Deal Handouts, Post Office Bailout, Union Cash The Democrats, led by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), pulled an eleventh hour political move Sunday night, voting to pull a massive coronavirus recovery package after spending days negotiating with Republicans and top administration officials, in order to produce their own, hastily constructed stimulus bill packed with handouts to Democratic constituencies. The move angered Americans who are desperate to find some solace in social and economic quaratine and incensed Senate Republicans who spent days at the bargaining table with prominent Democrats like Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), under the impression they were hammering out a mutually acceptable, bipartisan stimulus package that could get money to individual Americans quickly while preserving some funds for businesses that could suffer long-term financial harm. Pelosi, who had been on recess, sheltering in her home district, returned to Washington, D.C., Sunday night and upended the process, ordering Senate Democrats to restrict voting, kill the bill, and make way for a second stimulus package, which will hit the House floor at 2pm EST Monday. Early reports on the Democrats’ bill show a piece of legislation packed with handouts, bailouts, and cash offerings to the Democrats’ top constituencies, as well as provisions demanding enforcement of the Green New Deal, easing voting restrictions, and strengthening union allies.
Townhall’s Guy Benson reported Monday that the bill contains “unprecedented collective bargaining powers for unions,” “increased fuel emissions standards for airlines,” and “expansion of wind and solar tax credits” — all items totally unrelated to the bill’s purpose.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to confirm those additions in a fiery floor speech Monday, accusing Democrats of bringing the country to an economic standstill.Journalist Rachel Bovard managed to get an early copy of the 1,400-page Pelosi bill, and found further evidence of a lack of seriousness on the part of Democratic legislators. According to Brovard, the bill contains provisions bailing out the post office: It also bails out the postal service. pic.twitter.com/cy9GYoK7zj — Rachel Bovard (@rachelbovard) March 23, 2020 The bill also mandates “risk limiting audits” of elections, as well as same-day voter registration — a longtime Democrat wishlist item that’s largely been considered a major hurdle to any voter rights legislation, given the possibility of abuse.
Pelosi's #COVID19 bill is 1,119 pages and contains provisions for "conducting risk-limiting audits of results of elections" so yeah it's really very focused on the crisis at hand.🤦🏻♀️ pic.twitter.com/Q6axBi14lZ — Rachel Bovard (@rachelbovard) March 23, 2020 Ah, yes, requiring early voting will save us all from #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/Gwg4Tcyjx5 — Rachel Bovard (@rachelbovard) March 23, 2020 Same day voter registration, a long-time Dem wishlist item, very relevant to addressing those businesses and working families about to go under from #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/KizGbEYq9O — Rachel Bovard (@rachelbovard) March 23, 2020 Democrats, Monday, complained that the bipartisan Senate relief bill contains a “slush fund” of corporate bailout money that will be doled out six months from the first bill. Senate Republicans were clear Monday that the “slush fund” — in actuality, a zero-interest loan program to compensate businesses harmed by government lockdown — has clear restrictions on the $500 billion set aside to assist firms that have not recovered from the coronavirus lockdown within six months, including limits on funding corporate bonuses and stock buybacks.
“Direct Lending Limitations: executive total compensation may not exceed $425,000; prohibition of stock buybacks during the duration of the loan; borrowers must maintain existing payroll as of March 13,” per the bill itself.
The Democrats’ bill does address corporations, but not by limiting salaries and buybacks — by demanding that corporations adhere to a non-sensical and irrelevant “diversity quota,” completely unnecessary to the task at hand.Also, guys, let's maybe focus on restricting stock buybacks and executive compensation with taxpayer loans and save the woke-scolding for later? pic.twitter.com/6iv0TKbbwU — Rachel Bovard (@rachelbovard) March 23, 2020 Other provisions of the Democrats bill reportedly include a student loan bailout (up to $30,000 per borrower), and a limit on evictions, foreclosures, and deportations. Other, unconfirmed, reports note that Pelosi plans to include all provisions excised from earlier attempts at politicizing the stimulus bill, including a handout to abortion providers unrestricted by the Hyde Amendment, which prevents taxpayer dollars from going to directly fund abortion services. Pelosi is expected to release the bill at 2 p.m.
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 11:40:39 GMT -6
www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/03/23/jobs-creators-network-calls-out-millionaires-pelosi-schumer-for-blocking-legislation-to-help-ordinary-americans/Job Creators Network, a nonpartisan free-market and advocacy group for entrepreneurs, issued a statement on Sunday denouncing the Democrats for blocking a relief bill that would help millions of Americans hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. “The Democrats put partisan interests ahead of what’s good for the nation by blocking the cloture vote this evening to proceed on the CARES Act,” Alfredo Ortiz, president and CEO of the network said in a statement. “Millions of small businesses and employees around the country need the relief that this bill offered.” “Small businesses will know who is to blame for holding up the loans and grants they require to stay operational and pay their employees,” Ortiz said. “April 1st is right around the corner and in the real world that is when rent, car, and mortgage payments are due.” “Ordinary Americans need the checks that the CARES Act would provide now, not a month or two from now,” Ortiz said in the statement. “Millionaires like Pelosi and Schumer obviously don’t need to worry about these concerns facing their constituents.” “It’s time they stop playing chicken with the livelihoods of millions of Americans just so they can stick it to Trump,” Ortiz said.
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 11:57:04 GMT -6
More Obama blundering costing us now.............. www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/los-angeles-times-and-bloomberg-news-federal-stockpile-of-n95-masks-was-depleted-under-obama-and-never-restockedLos Angeles Times and Bloomberg News: Federal stockpile of N95 masks was depleted under Obama and never restocked by Emma Colton | March 23, 2020 10:23 AM The national shortage of N95 respirator masks can be traced back to 2009 after the H1N1 swine flu pandemic, when the Obama administration was advised to replenish a national stockpile but did not, according to reports from Bloomberg News and the Los Angeles Times.
The Trump administration is scrambling to replenish a stockpile of protective medical gear for healthcare workers and patients, as the coronavirus sweeps across the nation. N95 respirator masks are one of the most needed medical supplies amid the outbreak.
The George W. Bush administration published the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza plan in 2005, which called on the federal government to distribute medical supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile governed by the Health and Human Services Department in the event of an outbreak.
In 2009, the H1N1 outbreak hit the United States, leading to 274,304 hospitalizations, 12,469 deaths, and a depletion of N95 respirator masks.
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Coronavirus shutdowns place financial strain on churches A federally backed task force and a safety equipment organization both recommended to the Obama administration that the stockpile be replenished of the 100 million masks used after the H1N1 outbreak, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Charles Johnson, president of the International Safety Equipment Association, said that advice was never heeded.
“Our association is unaware of any major effort to restore the stockpile to cover that drawdown,” he said.
HHS Secretary Alex Azar reported last month that only 12 million N95 masks were available in the stockpile, “a tiny fraction of the 3.5 billion masks one of Azar’s deputies later testified the nation’s healthcare system would need,” the Los Angeles Times noted.
Bloomberg News reported similar findings last week, noting, "after the H1N1 influenza outbreak in 2009, which triggered a nationwide shortage of masks and caused a 2- to 3-year backlog orders for the N95 variety, the stockpile distributed about three-quarters of its inventory and didn’t build back the supply.”
Bloomberg reported that the Trump administration had asked construction companies to "donate their inventory of N95 masks to your local hospital and forgo additional orders of those industrial masks” and the Defense Department would provide 5 million N95 masks and 2,000 ventilators to help bridge the gap.
Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus tracker reported 35,225 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. as of Monday.
Vice President Mike Pence, who heads the administration’s coronavirus task force, said on Sunday that a quarter-million people had been tested for the virus, with nine out of 10 people testing negative.
"The FDA is working with manufacturers around the company to come up with faster, more innovative tests," he said.
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 11:58:48 GMT -6
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 13:38:58 GMT -6
dailycaller.com/2020/03/23/senate-fails-to-pass-cloture-vote-coronavirus/Senate Again Fails To Pass Cloture Vote On Coronavirus Stimulus Bill The Senate again failed to pass a procedural cloture vote Monday on a phase-three coronavirus stimulus bill as there has been continued internal dispute between both parties. The vote was 49-46. Republicans needed 60 yes votes to pass the vote. On Sunday night the Senate tried to pass a cloture vote but failed 47-47 as no Democrats would jump on board. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday that the bill would include $75 billion for hospitals and that two-thirds of all new money in the bill would go to states, however, this vote will likely end consideration of this bill. McConnell also said, “it’s just about time to take yes for an answer.” Democrats have said the coronavirus bill lacks new SNAP funds and were reportedly pushing for expanded emergency leave provisions and more than three months of unemployment insurance. Treasury Sec. Steve Mnuchin, who has been negotiating with members of Congress on behalf of the White House, was spotted entering Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office, 20 minutes away from Sunday’s cloture vote. McConnell voted no, which was not planned. He voted with the Democrats so he would have the option of recalling the vote, as Senate rules state. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday said she will halt negotiations with the Senate and move to pass her own coronavirus package in the House, which could drag things out longer than many expected. Pelosi’s legislation will be a $1.6 trillion emergency package, according to Politico. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) exits a Senate GOP lunch meeting in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill March 20, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) The text for a phase-three Senate bill announced Friday would give $1,200 checks to every person, while couples would receive $2,400. That $1,200 check will go to Americans making less than $75,000 annually. Each child will receive $500. The amount is reduced by $5 for every $100 a person earns over $75,000. Those making above $99,000 would not get any money. The GOP’s bill also includes specific provisions for disabled veterans, low-income seniors, and individuals with no income tax liability with at least $2,500 in qualifying income, according to The Senate Finance Committee. There will also be a much smaller benefit of $600 for millions without federal tax liability. A task force reportedly gave the idea to Republicans during their caucus lunch. Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham reportedly opposes direct payments. However, Graham said he is “willing to pay 75 percent of people’s income up to $80,000 to get us through,” adding, “this ought to be enough money to get us through the next six to eight weeks.” The Senate passed a bill Wednesday to help provide money to businesses and citizens suffering from the deadly coronavirus pandemic. The Senate overwhelmingly approved of the coronavirus aid package that provides paid sick leave, and expands unemployment assistance and resources for testing. Ninety senators voted for the bill and eight voted against it. (RELATED: Senate Passes Coronavirus Aid Package) The vote comes after the House of Representatives passed a reworked coronavirus bill Monday. The House approved the plan via unanimous consent. The House then sent the original coronavirus package plus a retooled version to the Senate. The Senate then passed three separate bills which will now be sent to President Donald Trump. (RELATED: House Passes Updated Coronavirus Bill) McConnell said Tuesday he decided to vote on the House bills as soon as possible and not blend the House bills with the upcoming Senate legislation. He also added that the Senate will not leave until they pass the next coronavirus bill. Trump signed an $8.3 billion funding bill last Friday to help fight coronavirus. That bill gives more than $3 billion for the research and development of vaccines. There is also $800 million for research for treatments. It also includes $2 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and $61 million to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to Yahoo Finance. (RELATED: Senate Passes Coronavirus Spending Bill) Trump held a press conference at the end of February discussing how the U.S. will deal with the disease and put Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the task force. (RELATED: President Trump Appoints Vice President Pence To Head Coronavirus Task Force) The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic March 11.
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 13:40:46 GMT -6
dailycaller.com/2020/03/23/john-kennedy-speech-democrats-block-coronavirus-stimulus-package/‘Idiots’: Sen. Kennedy Tears Into Democrats For Blocking Coronavirus Stimulus Bill In Fiery Speech Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy delivered a fiery speech Monday bashing Democrats for blocking the coronavirus stimulus package. The Senate did not pass a procedural closure vote on phase-three of the coronavirus stimulus bill Sunday. Some Democrats have voiced issues with the bill and indicated they will halt negotiations, which would cause a delay in proceedings. Kennedy bashed members of the Senate who “continue to double down on stupid.” He reiterated that the bill was bipartisan and noted how it would help the economy and small businesses after ripping into those who voted against it. “Do you know what the American people are thinking right now, Mr. President?” Kennedy said. “They’re thinking that this country was founded by geniuses. But it’s being run by a bunch of idiots.” “Do you know what the American people are thinking right now, Mr. President? They’re thinking, ‘why do the members of the United States Senate continue to double down on stupid?’ Now, this is not a Republican bill, Mr. Chairman. This is a bipartisan bill.” WATCH: The Republican added that he means “no ill-will” towards his Democratic co-workers but urged the Senate to pass the bill. The phase-three Senate bill would give $1,200 “to every man and woman in America” who makes under $75,000 annually. Couples would receive $2,400 and every child would get $500. “It’s not a bailout,” Kennedy argued. “It provides up to $350 billion for small businesses for the next eight weeks to keep going, and if they don’t lay anybody off, the bill — the loans are forgivable.” (RELATED: Senate Passes Coronavirus Aid Package) Kennedy ended his speech with a heartfelt note about the future of America. He urged his fellow senators to “stop thinking about the next election” and “pass this bill.” “Mr. President, I don’t understand it,” Kennedy said. “I get politics. I have been around it my whole life. But there comes a time when we have to stop thinking about the next election and start thinking about the next generation. What are we going to leave to our children if we allow this economy to crash? And it is happening as we speak.”
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Post by kcrufnek on Mar 23, 2020 13:41:14 GMT -6
One month ago Madcow was clamoring for Trump to get out in front of the country. Fast forward to today and she says his briefings need to be taken off the air.
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 13:44:49 GMT -6
www.dailywire.com/news/disgraceful-moderate-susan-collins-excoriates-dem-leadership-over-relief-delay-we-dont-have-another-day‘DISGRACEFUL’: Moderate Susan Collins Excoriates Dem Leadership Over Relief Delay: ‘We Don’t Have Another Day!’ On Monday afternoon, moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins (ME) ripped into Democratic leadership for delaying a bipartisan coronavirus stimulus package directed to ease the pain of Americans affected by nationwide precautions taken against the virus. Collins called the delay “disgraceful,” outlining conversations she’s had with “mom and pop” small business owners from Maine who’ve conveyed that the relief is urgent. “Unbelievably, the Democratic leader objected to my even being able to speak this morning,” Collins started in, directing her fury at Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY). “Is that what we’ve come to? The Democratic leader objected to our convening at nine o’clock this morning so that we could being working in earnest? Is that what we’ve come to?” According to CNN reporter Kristin Wilson, Collins, at one point, walked across the aisle to Schumer’s seat, “pointed her finger at his face and said ‘You are objecting to my speaking? This is appalling!!'” “Frayed nerves and tension on the senate floor. Sen. Tom Cotton at one point yelled ‘this is bulls***’ twice. Sen. Collins got in Sen. Schumer’s face. And they figured on those voice votes on the fly,” Wilson reported Monday, adding that “Collins stood up, walked thru her row, across aisle to his seat, stood w/in one foot (maybe less, being conservative) pointed her finger at his face repeatedly and said ‘You are objecting to my speaking? This is appalling!!’ (Still pointing, leaning in as she pointed.)” “The fact is we’ve been working on a bipartisan effort through task force, with both Republican and Democrats, making very good progress, and putting together a comprehensive package,” Collins continued her speech. “This one is to address and prevent the economic devastation that is being caused by this virus.” “We don’t have another day,” the GOP senator said. “We don’t have another hour! We don’t have another minute to delay acting.” Collins, working with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and others, helped craft small business relief starting with a $300 billion price tag. As noted by The Daily Wire, the relief, which offers loans that effectively turn into grants for small businesses that keep their employees on payroll until June 30, is a lifeline for employers struggling to keep their heads above water, at no fault of their own. “I have talked to businesses all over my state,” Collins continued, noting that a small third-generation diner owner told her this was the first time she’s ever had to close her doors. “We are unemployed, our son is unemployed, our friends who’ve worked with us for years are unemployed,” the diner owner told Collins, the Republican said. “How can any of us wanna see millions of Americans lose their paychecks, their health insurance, their contributions to their retirement plans?” concluded Collins. On Sunday, Sen. Mitch McConnell unloaded on Democratic leadership for delaying the coronavirus stimulus package, as well. “So I want to explain what just happened,” McConnell said, as reported by The Daily Wire. “Our good friends on the other side would not have been disadvantaged one bit if this vote had succeeded because it would have required potentially 30 more hours of discussion, during which these seemingly endless negotiations could go on as long as they would like.” “Now the build up to this, so everybody fully understands, is that we had a high level of bipartisanship in five different working groups over the last 48 hours where members who were participating were reaching agreement,” the senator continued. “And then all of a sudden the Democratic leader and the Speaker of the House shows up, and we’re back to square one. So, we’re fiddling here, fiddling with the emotions of the American people, fiddling with the markets, fiddling with our health care. The American people expect us to act tomorrow. And I want everybody to fully understand if we aren’t able to act tomorrow, it will be because of our colleagues on the other side continuing to dicker when the country expects us to come together and address this problem.” WATCH:
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 14:09:12 GMT -6
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 14:10:51 GMT -6
www.breitbart.com/the-media/2020/03/23/nolte-cnns-jake-tapper-admits-he-allowed-ocasio-cortez-to-lie-about-trump/CNN’s Jake Tapper is admitting he knew Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) told a lie about President Trump on his Sunday show and he chose to not challenge or correct her. This is a remarkable admission from an increasingly unstable CNN anchor, who just last week demanded the American president stop communicating directly with the American people. Before I get to the specifics of what happened, I want to be very clear about what happened… This is not a situation where a politician snuck one past an interviewer. No, Tapper knew she was lying and chose not to correct the record or challenger her. And how do we know Tapper knew she was lying and chose not to correct the record or challenge her? Because Tapper is proudly and publicly admitting he knew she was lying and chose not to correct the record or challenger her. To make matters worse, and as if to prove he could use a few weeks bed rest to box his moral compass (if he even has one), Tapper is blaming Trump for his own breathtaking lack of journalistic ethics. Here’s what happened… Ocasio-Cortez appeared on Tapper’s State of the Union Sunday and repeated the long-debunked lie that Trump described the coronavirus as a “hoax.” After Tapper was criticized online for not challenging or correcting her, he smugly took to Twitter and admitted he chose to allow her to lie to his audience, and then bizarrely blamed Trump for his own moral lapse. “I thought about it, because the president did not call the virus a hoax,” Tapper tweeted Sunday to someone who said he should have fact checked Ocasio-Cortez. “But I didn’t because he *did* call a hoax the concerns of those saying that the response from the president was insufficient and that he was downplaying the gravity of the crisis. And that too was a lie,” he added. Then came this jaw-dropping admission [emphasis added]: I guess that’s the problem with a politician who lies so often; while I agree that Democrats are mischaracterizing what he said, what he did say was also false so it’s tough to justify taking the time for a fact check when it’s not taking a stand defining the truth. It comes down to this… Jake Tapper remained silent in the face of lies and disinformation because he hates Trump, and then after getting caught, he responds and rationalizes by attacking Trump. And this is the second incident in just a few days that points to Tapper becoming increasingly unmoored. “If President Trump is not capable of leading stably and effectively, he should for the good of the country stop making things worse, and consider leaving the podium to others,” Tapper said on Thursday. And let’s not forget Tapper identifies as an objective journalist. What set Tapper off was Trump ripping into NBC’s Peter Alexander during the president’s Thursday afternoon news briefing. But during his sanctimonious monologue calling for the president to go away, Tapper deliberately misled his miniscule audience. Instead of informing viewers of the full context of the exchange between Trump and Alexander, a seething Tapper lied about the exchange. Tapper chose to deceive his viewers by deliberately leaving out the key part of the exchange where Alexander interrupted, practically heckled, and accused the president of offering false hope. And now, Tapper is so unstable and frustrated, he’s allowing Democrats to come on his low-rated Sunday show and tell flat-out lies… Jake Tapper is allowing his own viewers to be misinformed. All I can say is this… Never once in the 30 years I’ve been monitoring the media, have I ever seen a so-called journalist justify and practically brag about allowing what he knows are lies and disinformation to take place on his own news program.
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 14:15:40 GMT -6
thefederalist.com/2020/03/23/democratic-partisan-buffoonery-delays-senate-vote-on-coronavirus-stimulus-bill/Democratic Partisan Buffoonery Delays Senate Vote On Coronavirus Stimulus Bill MARCH 23, 2020 By Chrissy Clark On the Senate floor, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, asked for unanimous consent that Senators be allowed to discuss the proposed $1.8 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer objected, which led the typically quiet Maine Senator to blast Schumer and Democrats for playing partisan games, inevitably delaying a necessary stimulus bill as the economy tanks. “I asked unanimous consent that proceedings under the quorum be dispensed with,” Collins said. “I object,” Schumer said. Collins and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., called Schumer’s actions disgraceful. “We don’t have another day. We don’t have another hour. We don’t have another minute to delay acting,” Collins said. On Sunday night, Democrats attempted to kill the proposed stimulus bill in a 47-47 vote. Republicans are struggling as five Republican senators remain in quarantine, including Sen. Rand Paul who tested positive for coronavirus on Monday. Democrats argue that President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are using the stimulus funds to put corporations before individuals. Yet, they continue to delay action in the Senate. Republicans argue that Democrats are using coronavirus legislation to push broader liberal legislation. For example, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s proposed bill prioritizes corporate board diversity, lowering greenhouse gas emissions of flights, and requiring state’s implement same-day voter registration. After Collins’s speech, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., called for the Senate to enact remote voting. “We should not be physically on this floor at this moment. We know better,” Durbin said. “Let’s think of this in human terms.” There was continued in-fighting on the Senate floor between Democrats and Republicans over the timeline of the proposed bill in the House of Representatives. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said McConnell made the Senate leave town on Thursday night after the House passed a stimulus bill. Brown placed the blame on McConnell for delay on the stimulus bill. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., accurately pointed out the House bill had yet to be written. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., pointed out the ridiculousness of such partisan bickering during a pandemic. “You know what the American people are thinking right now Mr. President? They’re thinking that this country was founded by geniuses, but is being run by a bunch of idiots,” Kennedy said.
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 14:19:20 GMT -6
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 14:39:39 GMT -6
www.dailywire.com/news/dan-crenshaw-posts-info-everyone-in-america-should-read-about-why-democrats-killed-emergency-relief-packageDan Crenshaw Posts Info ‘Everyone In America’ Should Read About Why Democrats Killed Emergency Relief Package Former Navy SEAL Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) is calling on Americans to hold the Democrats “accountable” for having “torpedoed” a bipartisan COVID-19 emergency bill that provides funds to small businesses to help cover payroll and rent and other coronavirus-related expenses, expands unemployment benefits, and quickly puts cash in struggling Americans’ pockets. The real reason House Speaker Nancy Pelosi intervened in the eleventh hour to derail the Senate’s emergency bill, Crenshaw suggested, was to push her own bill containing a series of non-crisis-related Democratic wishlist items, included some Green New Deal policies and collective bargaining powers for unions. The political stunt, he said, will not be forgotten. “Democrats torpedoed a bipartisan emergency bill that: -Provides payroll & rent for small business -Credit to businesses across America to keep them afloat – Cash in American’s pockets – unemployment benefits,” the popular Texas Republican wrote in the first of a series of tweets starting Sunday (posts below). “They have no good reasons. Just partisanship. Call your reps NOW.” “Do Dems want a recession? A depression? How can they justify this?” he asked in a follow-up post. “This bill is critical for the livelihood of millions. Our country will be devastated without immediate help. Dems can lie all they want about ‘helping workers’ but now they are destroying their lives.” “I am not one to make hyperbolic statements,” Crenshaw wrote in another post. “But what Senate Democrats have done is truly awful. This bill was negotiated in good faith. Been monitoring its progress all week. It can save our economy. And they killed it. Out of spite and bitterness. Hold Dems accountable.” “We will not forget this,” Crenshaw wrote in response to a tweet by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) blaming the decision to block the bill on its supposed inadequate “protections.” “More businesses are closing tomorrow while you peddle this lie. You literally stopped a good bill because it *didn’t have enough red tape*. You hate American businesses so much that you would sacrifice our economy out of pure contempt.” On Monday, Crenshaw retweeted a thread by journalist Rachel Bovard, who obtained an early copy of the 1,400-page Pelosi bill, that highlights some of the new Democratic bill’s provisions, including bailing out the post office, mandating “risk limiting audits” of elections, as well as same-day voter registration, and other non-crisis-related, long-time Democrat wishlist items, among them more strict fuel emissions guidelines for airlines, wind and solar tax credits, and collective bargaining powers for unions. “EVERYONE in America, Democrat and Republican, MUST read this thread,” Crenshaw wrote. “This is what Pelosi killed the rescue package for. ‘Corporate diversity requirement,’ ‘Airline carbon emissions,’ and the list goes on. Hold these people accountable. They are holding America hostage.” As The Daily Wire’s Emily Zanotti reported Monday, early reports on Pelosi’s bill “show a piece of legislation packed with handouts, bailouts, and cash offerings to the Democrats’ top constituencies, as well as provisions demanding enforcement of the Green New Deal, easing voting restrictions, and strengthening union allies.” After killing the Senate bill, the Democrats blamed provisions that they said amounted to a “slush fund” for corporate bailouts, but which is, as Zanotti explains, is actually a zero-interest loan program designed “to compensate businesses harmed by government lockdown” and which contains “clear restrictions on the $500 billion set aside to assist firms that have not recovered from the coronavirus lockdown within six months, including limits on funding corporate bonuses and stock buybacks.”
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 14:45:25 GMT -6
www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/03/23/nancy-pelosi-proposes-1120-page-coronavirus-bill-stuffed-with-pork/Nancy Pelosi Proposes 1,400-Page Coronavirus Bill Stuffed with Special Interest Goodies House Speaker Nancy Pelosi debuted a 1,120-page coronavirus rescue bill after Democrats tanked the Senate proposal on Sunday night. The bill includes a wish list of Democrats’ pet issues including: Increased fuel emission standards for airlines receiving funds and carbon offsets: (1) IN GENERAL. Not later than 90 days after the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall require each air carrier receiving assistance under section 101, to fully offset the annual carbon emissions of such air carriers for domestic flights beginning in 2025. …. (1) IN GENERAL. The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall require each air carrier receiving assistance under section 101 to:(A) make and achieve a binding commitment to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions attributable to the domestic flights of such air carrier in every calendar year, beginning with 2021, on a path consistent with a 25 percent reduction in the aviation sector’s emissions from 2005 levels by 2035, and a 50 percent reduction in the sector’s emissions from 2005 levels by 2050, applying the standards, recommended practices, and guidance agreed to by the United States pursuant to the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011 Payment for up to $10,000 in student loans:(1) MINIMUM STUDENT LOAN RELIEF AS A RESULT OF THE COVID–19 NATIONAL EMERGENCY. Not later than 270 days after the last day of the COVID–19 emergency period, the Secretaries concerned shall jointly carry out a program under which a qualified borrower, with respect to the covered loans and private education of loans of such qualified borrower, shall receive in accordance with paragraph (3) an amount equal to the lesser of the following:(A) The total amount of each covered loan and each private education loan of the borrower; or (B) $10,000. Same-day voter registration, early voting, voting by mail, ballot harvesting The bill includes several provisions on voting laws and regulations, as Democrats argue that the crisis should force the government to revisit voting regulations to make it easier to vote, allowing same-day voter registration and voting by mail, and mailing out ballots to absentee voters. Other voting fraud watchdogs raised flags about ballot harvesting and grans for conducting risk-limiting audits of election results PART 8—GRANTS FOR CONDUCTING RISK- LIMITING AUDITS OF RESULTS OF ELECTIONS ‘‘SEC. 298. GRANTS FOR CONDUCTING RISK-LIMITING AUDITS OF RESULTS OF ELECTIONS. ‘(a) AVAILABILITY OF GRANTS.—The Commission shall make a grant to each eligible State to conduct risk-limiting audits as described in subsection (b) with respect to the regularly scheduled general elections for Federal office held in November 2020 and each succeeding election for Federal office. Preserving collective bargaining powers for unions Several provisions in the bill include carveouts for big labor, including labor protections, collective bargaining, and organizing, as well as overturning President Trump’s executive orders regarding federal employee unions. The expansion of wind and solar tax credits.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other lawmakers specifically called out Democrats for trying to negotiate the expansion of wind and solar tax credits in the bill. Requirements for federal and corporate gender and racial diversity data The bill demands that corporate recipients of financial assistance are required to report racial and gender data regarding salaries, number of employees, supplier diversity, and membership on corporate boards. It also requires federal agencies to use businesses and financial institutions owned by minorities or women. Post Office BailoutUNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE PAYMENT TO POSTAL SERVICE FUND For payment to the ‘‘Postal Service Fund’’, for revenue forgone due to the coronavirus pandemic, $20,000,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2022: Provided, That such amount is designated by the Congress as being for an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. Automatic extension of nonimmigrant visas. Rep. Paul Gosar flagged a provision regarding the automatic extension of nonimmigrant visas.(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, with respect to any alien whose nonimmigrant status, status under section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a), or employment authorization has expired within the 30 days preceding the date of the enactment of this act, or will expire not later than one year after such date, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall automatically extend such status or work authorization for the same time period as the alien’s prior status or work authorization. Restricting colleges from providing information about citizenship status(1) INFORMATION.—Only information requested On the official 2020 decennial census of population form may be provided to the Bureau of the Census pursuant to this section. No institution of higher education may provide any information to the Bureau on the immigration or citizenship status of any individual. Money for Planned Parenthood The Hill reported that Democrats want the bill to prop up Planned Parenthood, just another reason why bipartisan efforts have failed to reach a consensus.
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Post by redrex on Mar 23, 2020 15:49:58 GMT -6
Those solar panels and planned parenthood should just turn the tide-----------Liberals are idiots
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 16:05:34 GMT -6
www.dailywire.com/news/gop-senator-unloads-brain-doesnt-stop-working-until-you-get-elected-to-congressGOP Senator UNLOADS: Brain ‘Doesn’t Stop Working Until You Get Elected To Congress’ On Monday, elected Democrats, for a second day in a row, blocked a vital bipartisan-crafted coronavirus stimulus package directed to ease the pain of Americans affected by nationwide precautions taken against the virus. Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana unloaded on Democratic representatives over the delay, memorably remarking that the brain only stops working once “you get elected to Congress.” “You know what the American people are thinking right now?” Kennedy asked. “They’re thinking that the brain is an amazing organ. It starts working in a mother’s womb, and it doesn’t stop working until you get elected to Congress.” “You know what the American people are thinking right now, Mr. President?” the Republican continued. “They are thinking that this country was founded by geniuses, but is being run by a bunch of idiots.” “You know what the American people are thinking right now, Mr. President? They’re thinking, ‘Why do the members of the United States Senate continued to double-down on stupid?'” Kennedy said. “This is a not a Republican bill,” the senator underscored. Moderate GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, similarly furious with Democratic leadership, also noted that the bill was crafted by both Democrats and Republicans. Collins, working in a bipartisan effort with other members of Congress, helped to create small business relief, for example, which was included in the package again delayed by Democrats. “The fact is we’ve been working on a bipartisan effort through task force, with both Republicans and Democrats, making very good progress, and putting together a comprehensive package,” Collins said Monday. “This one is to address and prevent the economic devastation that is being caused by this virus.” “We don’t have another day,” she emphasized. “We don’t have another hour! We don’t have another minute to delay acting.” “How can any of us wanna see millions of Americans lose their paychecks, their health insurance, their contributions to their retirement plans?” Collins concluded. The small business relief provisions offer loans that effectively turn into grants for employers that keep their employees on payroll until June 30. The plan “would allow small businesses with fewer than 500 employees access to cash-flow through 100% federally guaranteed loans,” The Daily Wire reported Friday. “If employers maintain their payroll until June 30, 2020, the loans would be forgiven, effectively making them grants.” The Daily Wire added: “If small businesses have already experienced worker losses due to the crisis – states like New York and California have already shuttered businesses by mandate – employers can still be eligible for the loan assistance by rehiring employees they lost as of March 1: ‘This proposal would be retroactive to March 1, 2020, to help bring workers who may have already been laid off back onto payrolls,’ guidance from the [Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) office outlines.” Kennedy and Collins weren’t the only Republicans to lose their cool over partisan delays. As highlighted by CBS News, Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota knocked Democrats: “The country is burning, and your side wants to play political games,” he said Monday. “It’s time to get this done. The American people expect us to act.” WATCH:
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 16:07:58 GMT -6
www.dailywire.com/news/senator-highlights-pelosis-absurd-coronavirus-bill-that-is-unrelated-to-the-crisisSen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) highlighted “absurd provisions” that are “unrelated to the crisis at hand” that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) added to the coronavirus stimulus bill, which is needed to protect the economy and American families. “Families and businesses need help now to survive the China virus pandemic,” Cotton tweeted. “But @speakerpelosi walked away from negotiations to write her own bill, full of absurd provisions completely unrelated to the crisis at hand.” Cotton then laid out 12 things that “Speaker Pelosi is demanding while Americans suffer.” Cotton’s list included: Corporate pay statistics by race and race statistics for all corporate boards at companies receiving assistance. Bailing out all current debt of postal service Required early voting Required same day voter registration 10k bailout for student loans For companies accepting assistance, 1/3 of board members must be chosen by workers Provisions on official time for union collective bargaining Full offset of airline emissions by 2025 Greenhouse gas statistics for individual flights Retirement plans for community newspaper employees $15 minimum wage at companies receiving assistance Permanent paid leave at companies receiving assistance “The Democrats see an opportunity in this crisis,” Cotton concluded. “Not to help the American people, but to hold an emergency relief bill hostage until they get their radical wish list. How long will Arkansans and Americans across the country have to wait?” Yesterday, Democrats blocked a $1.8 trillion stimulus bill, which included $1,200 payments to millions of Americans and numerous other benefits, from being passed after Pelosi allegedly blew up the deal, according to Republicans and various reports. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) unloaded on Pelosi during a speech on the Senate floor yesterday, saying that the Senate was doing just fine until her “intervention.” “The American people are watching this spectacle,” McConnell said. “I’m told the futures market is down 5%. I’m also told that that’s when trading stops. So the notion that we have time to play games here with the American economy and the American people is utterly absurd.” “So I want to explain what just happened,” McConnell continued. “Our good friends on the other side would not have been disadvantaged one bit if this vote had succeeded because it would have required potentially 30 more hours of discussion, during which these seemingly endless negotiations could go on as long as they would like.” “Now the build up to this, so everybody fully understands, is that we had a high level of bipartisanship in five different working groups over the last 48 hours where members who were participating were reaching agreement,” McConnell continued. “And then all of a sudden the Democratic leader and the Speaker of the House shows up, and we’re back to square one. So, we’re fiddling here, fiddling with the emotions of the American people, fiddling with the markets, fiddling with our health care. The American people expect us to act tomorrow. And I want everybody to fully understand if we aren’t able to act tomorrow, it will be because of our colleagues on the other side continuing to dicker when the country expects us to come together and address this problem.” “Now I changed my vote which gives me the opportunity to move to reconsider at a later time. That’s all I can do in the face of this obstruction. Look, I can understand obstruction when you’re trying to achieve something,” McConnell continued. “This obstruction achieves nothing. Nothing whatsoever other than prevent us from getting into a position where there are literally 30 more hours that they could use to continue to dicker. So at a time when the country is crying out for bipartisanship and cooperation — and we saw that over the last 48 hours when regular members of Senate, not in the leadership office, not in the speaker’s office for goodness sakes, she’s the Speaker of the House, not the speaker of the Senate. We don’t have one. We were doing just fine until that intervention.” “So I want the American people to fully understand what’s going on here,” McConnell continued. “The markets are already reacting to this outrageous nonsense. We have an obligation to the American people to deal with this emergency and to deal with it tomorrow. And if we don’t, I want everybody to fully understand you’ve seen everybody who’s on record, I’ve conspicuously avoided trying to turn this into any kind of partisan effort for two days. But it’s pretty clear what’s going on here.” “Hopefully some adults will show up on the other side of the room and understand the gravity of the situation and the need to act before the markets go down further and the American people become even more depressed about our lack of ability to come together under the most extraordinary circumstances,” McConnell continued. “We’ve never been confronted with anything like this before. It’s totally different. And we’re not immune to it in terms of the public health risk. The coronavirus has hit the Senate today as well. We have five members, five members in self-quarantine. Everybody understands the emergency, particularly when it hits close to home. It’s not just back in our states, but right here in the Senate. So I would say to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, step up, step up. Help us reach an agreement so we can do what needs to be done for the American people no later than tomorrow.” WATCH:
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 16:12:45 GMT -6
www.breitbart.com/economy/2020/03/23/pelosi-coronavirus-bill-orders-federal-agencies-to-maximize-use-of-minority-banks/The bill being pushed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as the Democrat alternative to the White House-backed efforts to rescue the economy includes a requirement that federal agencies maximize their use of minority-owned banks. The bill would order the Treasury Secretary to designate certain banks as ‘minority banks’ and publish a list of approved institutions. This list would be distributed to federal agencies, local and state governments, and interested private sector companies. The bill says that each federal agency “shall develop and implement standards and procedures to ensure, to the maximum extent possible as permitted by law, the use of minority banks and minority credit unions to serve the financial needs of each such department or agency.” Federal agencies are required to report within two years of the bill’s passage on actions taken to increase the use of minority banks, highlighting just how little connection the provision has to dealing with the acute economic emergency created by the coronavirus. Each agency will have to submit a similar report every year after the initial report. ....................................................... www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/03/23/nancy-pelosi-coronavirus-relief-bill-demands-racial-gender-diversity-from-corporate-recipients/House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pointedly rejected a coronavirus rescue package on Sunday, vowing to release a bill of her own. A 1,400 page early draft of the bill already made the rounds in Washington, DC, on Monday and includes a provision that demands every corporation receiving coronavirus rescue funds report data on racial and gender diversity. The text of the bill reads: COVID–19 Aid Oversight Panel, in conjunction with the SIGTARP, shall collect diversity data from any corporation that receives Federal aid related to COVID–19, and issue a report that will be made publicly available no later than one year after the disbursement of funds. The data demands supply chains include minority and women-owned suppliers, pay equity for women and minorities, as well as diversity on their corporate boards and among employees. (1) EMPLOYEE DEMOGRAPHICS.—The gender, race, and ethnic identity (and to the extent possible, results disaggregated by ethnic group) of the corporation’s employees, as otherwise known or provided voluntarily for the total number of employees (full- and part-time) and the career level of employees (executive and manager versus employees in other roles). (2) SUPPLIER DIVERSITY.—The number and dollar value invested with minority- and women-owned suppliers (and to the extent possible, results disaggregated by ethnic group), including professional services (legal and consulting) and asset managers, and deposits and other accounts with minority depository institutions, as compared to all vendor investments. (3) PAY EQUITY.—A comparison of pay amongst racial and ethnic minorities (and to the extent possible, results disaggregated by ethnic group) as compared to their white counterparts and comparison of pay between men and women for similar roles and assignments. (4) CORPORATE BOARD DIVERSITY.—Corporate board demographic data, including total number of board members, gender, race and ethnic identity of board members (and to the extent possible, results disaggregated by ethnic group), as otherwise known or provided voluntarily, board position titles, as well as any leadership and subcommittee assignments. The bill also requires federal agencies to report to Congress their actions to increase the use of minority-owned banks and credit unions. (2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 years after the establishment of the program described in subsection (a), and annually thereafter, the head of each Federal department or agency shall submit to Congress a report on the actions taken to increase the use of minority banks and minority credit unions to serve the financial needs of each 13 such department or agency.
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 16:14:18 GMT -6
www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/03/23/aoc-attacks-moderate-lady-susan-collins-blasting-democrats-blocking-economic-relief/Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on Monday attacked Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) after the Maine lawmaker criticized Democrats for blocking a bipartisan economic relief package. The New York Democrat said Collins is not a “moderate lady” and cited her support for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and GOP tax cuts as proof of her assertion. “.@senatorcollins can keep her crocodile tears,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “She voted & fought HARD to strip pandemic prep funding. She helped drive the lack of preparation that we had leading up to this.” “What’s actually disgraceful is her ‘I’m a Moderate Lady’ dance to cover up brutal policies and vote,” she added, listing examples in an attempt to back her point: Collins voted for the GOP tax scam. She voted to appoint Kavanaugh. She’s defending an utterly corrupt bill to shower public money on friends and donors. Susan Collins is not a moderate. She just plays one on TV. — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@aoc) March 23, 2020 Ocasio-Cortez’s attack followed Collins’ impassioned speech on the Senate floor. “Never, never have I seen Republicans and Democrats fail to come together when confronted with a crisis,” Collins said, citing 9/11 and the financial meltdown in 2008. “Here we are facing an enemy that is invisible but equally devastating to the health of our people and to the health of our economy. And yet, unbelievably, the Democratic leader objected to my even being able to speak this morning,” she continued. “Is the what we’ve come to?” the senator asked. She said both sides had been “making very good progress” and putting together a comprehensive package to “address and prevent the economic devastation that is being caused by this virus.” “We don’t have another day. We don’t have another hour. We don’t have another minute to delay acting,” she said, detailing the small businesses in her own state impacted by the pandemic. Together, lawmakers came up with a “very good plan” and “worked in a bipartisan way … that would help these small businesses and keep their employees paid,” Collins said. Keep their employees getting paychecks,” she added. “How can that possibly be controversial?” she asked. “How can any of us want to see millions of Americans lose their paychecks, their health insurance, their contributions to their retirement plans?” “Mr. President, I cannot believe the objections to proceeding to this package,” she said, calling it “disgraceful.” “This is disgraceful. We do not have time,” she said. “Time is not on our side. Let’s get the job done for the American people.”
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Post by soonernvolved on Mar 23, 2020 16:16:22 GMT -6
www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/03/23/don-jr-democrats-opposed-coronavirus-rescue-bill-they-previously-supported-because-5-gop-senators-quarantined/Donald Trump Jr. on Monday blasted Democrats for blocking the bipartisan economic relief package providing aid to the American people during the coronavirus pandemic, asserting that they “only changed their minds when they figured out that five GOP senators would not be able to vote on it because they were self quarantining.” Senate Democrats blocked an economic relief package negotiated by both sides — a negotiation that began to fall apart, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said, after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) intervened. “She’s the speaker of the House, not the speaker of the Senate,” he said. “We were doing just fine until that intervention.” Trump Jr. added further context to the initial breakdown of the deal, adding that Senate Democrats changed their minds “when they figured out that five GOP senators would not be able to vote on it because they were self quarantining.” “Sick even by todays Democrat standards,” he added:
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