News and Headlines: In The News, Politics, World news, Commentary/Opinion.
In The News:
Most Americans Blame China for Spread of Coronavirus After 83K Dead, Millions Jobless
More than two-thirds of Americans (69 percent) say the Chinese Communist Party is either “somewhat responsible” or “very responsible” for the spread of the coronavirus, according to a poll commissioned by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) and administered by YouGov.
A full 71 percent of Americans believe China should be “penalized” for the spread of the virus.
“We sensed a rising skepticism of China’s claims regarding coronavirus, but it wasn’t until this poll that we saw the full extent by which a majority of Americans directly blame the Chinese government.
Since the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan at the end of last year, the PRC [People’s Republic of China] government has continually lied and deceived the global community,” Marion Smith, executive director of VOC, said in a statement.
‘What Businesses Are Going To Be Left?’: Gillian Turner Rips Into LA’s Summer Lockdown
Fox News correspondent Gillian Turner responded Wednesday to the news the Los Angeles County could be facing another three months of lockdown in an attempt to control the spread of coronavirus.
Fox News host Harris Faulkner introduced the topic, saying that the announcement had “lit up Twitter” as people weighed in on the possibility of a stay-at-home order that lasted all summer.
“The reason why this ‘lit up Twitta’ as you said is they’ve combined this with the fact that they are also seeking to empty out county jails of criminals while filling them back up with people they are arresting while they are sunbathing,” Turner explained.
Facebook deletes Michigan anti-quarantine group with more than 380,000 members — but members won’t stand down
Garrett Soldano, organizer of a Michigan anti-quarantine group, said that Facebook shut down the page on Tuesday.
WEYI-TV reported that the group had more than 380,000 members when Facebook pulled the plug on the growing page.
According to Fox News, Soldano was moved to start the page in April after Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) expanded the state’s mandated stay-at-home order.
In a Tuesday tweet, Soldano wrote, “They just shut us down. We have a new page. Here’s the new one. … Invite invite invite. We will not be shut down! #StandUpMichigan”
Police officer on leave after posting video encouraging others against enforcing coronavirus measures
Officer Greg Anderson is under investigation after posting a video last week of himself in uniform in his patrol car, saying, “We don’t get to violate people’s constitutional rights.”
“I don’t know what crime people are committing by doing nails in their own house. … We have to ask ourselves as officers, ‘Is what I am doing right?’
I want to remind you that regardless of where you stand on the coronavirus, we don’t have the authority to do those things to people just because a mayor or a governor tells you otherwise,” he continued, adding, “We don’t get to violate people’s constitutional rights because somebody in our chain of command tells us otherwise.”
Facebook to Pay $52 Million in Settlement With Content Moderators Who Developed PTSD
Under the proposed settlement, which was filed Friday in San Mateo County Superior Court, California, more than 11,000 current and former Facebook content moderators from four states will each be eligible to receive a minimum of $1,000 in cash.
Individuals who developed PTSD or related psychological conditions linked to their job with the social media giant will be eligible for additional compensation of up to $50,000 each.
Medical treatment for diagnosed conditions may also be covered by the company, according to the settlement agreement.
Facebook admitted no wrongdoing as part of the settlement agreement, and laid out plans instructing U.S. Facebook vendors on how they can best support employees who may be exposed to potentially graphic content throughout their employment.
NJ home health aide accused of fatally stabbing 62-year-old female patient
Myrlande Dornelus, 41, was arrested Friday on first-degree murder and weapons charges in the April 13 death of 62-year-old Anna Pollard, who was found dead by police in her Elizabeth home with multiple stab wounds, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office announced Monday.
An autopsy found Pollard was stabbed in her stomach, liver and aorta. She also had a collapsed lung, and a doctor told authorities she had defensive wounds to her hands, NJ.com reports.
Dornelus was taken to a hospital for her injuries, including 25 superficial stab wounds, primarily to her chest.
FBI Warns of China Targeting US Groups Conducting COVID-19-Related Research
(Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images)
The FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said that China-affiliated cyber actors and other groups “have been observed attempting to identify and illicitly obtain valuable intellectual property (IP) and public health data related to vaccines, treatments, and testing from networks and personnel affiliated with COVID-19-related research.”
“The potential theft of this information jeopardizes the delivery of secure, effective, and efficient treatment options,” the agencies said in a joint public service announcement.
The agencies said all organizations conducting research linked to the new illness should “maintain dedicated cybersecurity and insider threat practices to prevent surreptitious review or theft of” research material.
FRESNO CITY COUNCIL Miguel Arias confronted by protesters; he claims they trespassed, but is cited for assault after citizen’s arrest
Ben Bergquam was part of the group outside Arias’ home. He says they came looking for answers.
“There are business owners who are losing everything and we just wanted to ask him a couple of questions,” he said.
But the situation quickly escalated from a conversation to a confrontation.
Nevada sees case of deadly rabbit virus: report
The virus is “very resistant to extreme temperatures,” as per the USDA, which noted it typically spreads through “direct contact or exposure to an infected rabbit’s excretions or blood.”
“The virus can also survive and spread from carcasses, food, water, and any contaminated materials.
People can spread the virus indirectly by carrying it on their clothing and shoes,” it added.
Flash flooding in Utah kills sisters, 7 and 3; body of 1 found 28 miles downstream
The girls were hiking with their father and mother at Little Wildhorse Canyon Monday near Goblin Valley State Park when an isolated thunderstorm caused flash flooding in the area.
A total of 21 people made it out of the canyon when the floodwaters struck. Officials initially said that vehicles parked at trailheads led searchers to believe that there were still more hikers, but all were able to escape.
Taylor and Tom Gowan Ph.D., meteorology students at the University of Utah, said they were in the canyon when the “freak incident” occurred.
Florida mother beat adopted son with dog chain, chipped his teeth with pliers, sheriff says
Patricia Dianne Hyler, 47, was arrested May 8 after deputies found evidence that she abused all four of her adoptive children, Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson told reporters Monday.
But Hyler’s 14-year-old son appeared to be a “target child” that she “took a special interest in,” Johnson said.
Hyler is accused of cutting the boy’s arms and head, making him sleep on a dirty concrete floor, and forcing him to bathe by undressing in the front yard and spraying him with a hose.
“I’m not making this up,” Johnson said. “It’s just incredible what people can do to other people, it really is. It’s so disturbing.”
Politics:
Report: Fmr. CIA Chief Brennan hid intel saying Russia wanted Hillary win in 2016
“Remember the U.S. intel community came out with that remarkable statement, an assessment that Russia meddled in the 2016 election, and most importantly the intel report claimed that Russia interfered because they wanted Donald Trump to win,” Henry said.
“That of course followed the narrative of the now-discredited Steele Dossier.
Well, it turns out Obama’s CIA chief, John Brennan also had intel saying ‘actually Russia wanted Hillary Clinton to win because she was a known quantity, she had been secretary of state, and Vladimir Putin’s team thought she was more malleable, while candidate Donald Trump was unpredictable.”
A Rogue Counter-Intelligence Trap, Part of OBAMAgate | Ep. 36 with George Papadopoulos
Commentary/Opinion:
In episode 36 of Common Sense, we analyze the rogue counter-intelligence trap, part of Obamagate, with Former Policy Advisor to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, George Papadopoulos!
Biden, Brennan, Comey on secret list of officials who sought to ‘unmask’ Flynn
Commentary/Opinion:
Top Obama administration officials purportedly requested to ‘unmask’ the identity of Michael Flynn during the presidential transition period; reaction and analysis from Fox News contributor Andrew McCarthy.
Rand Paul calls for investigations into handling of Michael Flynn case
U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), chairman of the Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management Subcommittee, hold’s a breaking news conference in regard to new information regarding Gen. Michael Flynn.
Victor Davis Hanson: On Flynn Case, Coronavirus Economy, China’s Culpability & Trump 2020 Prospects
Commentary/Opinion:
In this livestream episode, we sit down with classicist and military historian Victor Davis Hanson.
He is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, farmer, and author of “The Case for Trump.”
We’ll discuss the continually unfolding scandal surrounding surveillance of the 2016 Trump campaign, the broader ramifications of this global coronavirus outbreak on the US economy and the US political landscape, the culpability of China’s communist regime, and what role the media has played in all of this.
‘Obamagate’ Isn’t A Conspiracy Theory, It’s The Biggest Political Scandal Of Our Time
Commentary/Opinion:
A string of recently released documents have confirmed that the entire Russia-Trump investigation, which eventually entrapped Flynn and forced then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself, was an unprecedented abuse of power that amounted to organized effort by the Obama administration to nullify the results of the 2016 presidential election.
It was in effect an attempted coup.
If you haven’t picked that up from the news media, it’s not your fault.
Instead of grappling with the implications of newly released details about what Obama officials were doing to undermine the incoming Trump administration during the transition, the mainstream media have fixated on Trump’s use of the term “Obamagate,” dismissing it as a conspiracy theory.
List of officials who sought to ‘unmask’ Flynn released: Biden, Comey, Obama chief of staff among them
The list was declassified in recent days by Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell and then sent to GOP Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson, who made the documents public.
The roster features top-ranking figures including then-Vice President Joe Biden — a detail already being raised by the Trump campaign in the bare-knuckle 2020 presidential race where Biden is now the Democrats’ presumptive nominee.
The list also includes then-FBI Director James Comey, then-CIA Director John Brennan, then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and Obama’s then-chief of staff Denis McDonough.
‘I can’t be bothered about what others say’: Pelosi defends unrelated project funding in coronavirus relief bill
Those projects include $50 million in funding for “environmental justice” grants, $40 million for “bio surveillance of wildlife,” $25 billion for the U.S. Postal Service, an automatic review to determine whether or not illegal immigrants currently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement should be released, and coronavirus relief funds for illegal immigrants.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has deemed the bill “dead on arrival” in the U.S. Senate.
Republican Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso added that the bill is a “payoff” to Pelosi’s constituents, and it will “never pass” through the Senate.
‘A veritable war’: Rush Limbaugh says Democratic states will ‘wreck’ economies to prevent Trump win
Commentary/Opinion:
Rush Limbaugh thinks Democrats will do their best to keep the country’s local economies closed as long as possible in an effort to defeat President Trump in November.
The syndicated radio host said on his show Tuesday that Democratic lawmakers will rely on Republicans to get economies up and running following statewide lockdown orders.
“All these blue state governors that want to keep their states locked down, it’s purely political.
But what are they depending on? They’re depending on the red states — the red states that are opening up!” he said.
Limbaugh stressed that Republican governors are “doing the right thing” while their Democratic counterparts are doing “the exact opposite.”
He then argued blue states will try to “wreck the economy” to ensure Trump isn’t reelected come November.
EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Rand Paul Explains What Really Happened During His Exhange With Dr. Fauci
“I don’t think that he’s a bad person, I think he’s well intentioned, but I think he’s an extremely cautious person and I think when we are looking at the direction our country goes, there should be multiple experts that we listen to and we should take them all with a grain of salt,” said Paul.
He went on to discuss what it was like testing positive for coronavirus and his experience volunteering in a hospital to help others after he recovered from the virus.
FBI and DNC Offered Clashing Stories About Alleged DNC Hack, New Transcripts Show
(Pete Marovich/Getty Images)
The two top FBI officials at the time of the alleged hack—James Comey and Andrew McCabe—claimed that the DNC denied numerous requests from the FBI for evidence related to the hack.
Meanwhile, the two top technology officials at the DNC—Yared Tamene and Andrew Brown—claimed that the committee fully cooperated with every FBI request.
The stark contrast in the accounts from the key players raises new questions about the alleged hack of the DNC systems that served as the foundational theme in the now-disproven narrative of alleged collusion between the Trump 2016 campaign and Russia.
Tucker: Inside the Democrats’ $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill
Commentary/Opinion:
When the smoke clears, only China will be able to bail us out from our mountain of debt.
World News:
Pompeo & Netanyahu discuss Iran, China and West Bank annexation – TV7 Israel News 13.05.20
1) U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem this morning, during which they discussed a series of strategic issues – including efforts to curb Iran’s malign activities.
2) Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia announced that Moscow will veto any attempts by Washington to extend an arms embargo on Tehran.
3) United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres calls upon the Lebanese government to ensure the disarmament of the Iranian-proxy Hezbollah.
New Clusters Pop Up; Europe Debates Summer Tourist Season
(Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Photo)
Authorities in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the pandemic first began late last year, reportedly were pressing ahead on May 13 to test all 11 million residents for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, after a handful of new infections were found.
The tests are to be completed within 10 days.
In Lebanon, authorities reinstated a nationwide lockdown for four days beginning Wednesday night after a spike in reported infections and complaints from officials that social distancing rules were being ignored.
Despite the risk that loosening restrictions could lead to infection spikes, European nations have been seeking to restart cross-border travel, particularly as the summer holiday season looms for countries whose economies rely on tourists flocking to their beaches, museums, and historical sites.
The European Union unveiled a plan to help citizens across its 27 nations salvage their summer vacations after months of CCP virus lockdown and resurrect Europe’s badly battered tourism industry.
Iran building new weapons storage at military base in eastern Syria, satellite images show
Images captured on May 12 show bulldozers at the entrance of the structure that is estimated to be around 15 feet wide.
Satellite shots from April 1 show an excavator and bulldozers near where the new construction took place.
Intelligence analysis conducted by Image Sat International (ISI), a civilian satellite company, indicates the tunnel is fit to be used for the storage of vehicles carrying advanced weapons systems.