NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. " During a raucous rally here Friday on the eve of the state's Democratic primary, President Trump brushed off the nation's rising concerns about the coronavirus, declaring that "confidence is surging" in the economy, despite the stock market having just suffered its worst week of losses since 2008. He accused Democrats of "politicizing" the growing public health crisis " but even as he outlined his administration's response, including the creation this week of a new coronavirus task force led by Vice President Mike Pence, Trump suggested that the crisis over the outbreak is just the latest attempt by Democrats, frustrated that he's withstood the special counsel probe and impeachment, to take him down. "This is their new hoax," Trump said. read more
Vice President Mike Pence will take charge of the US response to the new coronavirus, President Donald Trump announced today. "Mike is not a czar," Trump said. "I don't view Mike as a czar." Pence is not a public health expert, either. Instead, as governor of Indiana, he slashed public health spending and delayed the introduction of needle exchanges, which led to the state's worst outbreak of HIV. He takes over from Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar who has been heading the White House coronavirus task force since the beginning of January. Yale epidemiologist Gregg Gonsalves, who conducted the research linking the Indiana HIV outbreak to Pence's policies, tweeted that the decision "speaks to a lack of seriousness by the White House."
Saudi Arabia on Thursday halted travel to the holiest sites in Islam over coronavirus fears just months ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, as the Middle East recorded more than 220 confirmed cases. The extraordinary decision by Saudi Arabia prevents foreigners from reaching the holy city of Mecca and the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure the world's 1.8 billion Muslims pray towards five times a day. It also said travel was suspended to Prophet Muhammad's mosque in Medina. read more
If this field remains splintered, the Democrats will soon find it's Sanders or nobody: Either Sanders wins the nomination outright or comes close enough that his angry supporters torpedo the nominee, assuring Trump's victory. If Tuesday night's dynamic holds, Democrats are on their way to opposing Trump with a 78-year-old socialist who recently suffered a heart attack, who has had nice things to say about nasty regimes around the word, and who has a $60 trillion spending plan without the means to pay for it.
You might think it's not too big of an ask to see comprehensive medical records from Sen. Bernie Sanders, the 78-year-old potential president who suffered from a heart attack just months ago, especially as he promised "full disclosure" of his medical history in an interview last year. read more
US and S Korea call off joint military exercises due to Coronavirus infections on the peninsula, see thehill.com
From the LA TIMES:
News of the cancellation shocked the Muslim world, as many save their entire lives for a chance to see the Kaaba and walk along the path of the Prophet Muhammad and visit his tomb in Medina.
Hundreds of faithful deplaned in Pakistan as the ban came into effect, while Indonesia and Turkey had to turn away over thousands of pilgrims set to fly. Authorities at Cairo's international airport said the Saudi decision created "intense confusion" and "extreme anger" among thousands of passengers waiting for flights. Security officials needed to call in reinforcements to control the crowd as news of the ban broke, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they weren't allowed to speak to journalists.
Disease outbreaks always have been a concern surrounding the hajj, required of all able-bodied Muslims once in their life, especially as pilgrims come from all over the world. The earliest recorded outbreak came in 632 as pilgrims fought off malaria. A cholera outbreak in 1821 for instance killed an estimated 20,000 pilgrims. Another cholera outbreak in 1865 killed 15,000 pilgrims and then spread worldwide.
More recently, Saudi Arabia faced the danger from another coronavirus, one that caused the Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, which jumped from ill camels to humans. The kingdom increased its public health measures during the hajj in 2012 and 2013 and urged the ill and elderly not to take part in the pilgrimage.
www.latimes.com
Jeez Louise, Donny, you already waddle-raced out of the room, passing the task at hand to Pence, and knocking over a vase on his hurried out the door, dosing himself with hand sanitizer and DayGlo.
Sorry, Donny, but Coronavirus isn't passing out Mulligans like you do at Bedminster.