Month: April 2020

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is resisting growing calls to reopen the UK from its lockdown because he is still so “frightened” from his own near-fatal brush with the bug, according to a report, the […]

New York Survey Suggests Nearly 14% in State Could Have Coronavirus Antibodies

A preliminary survey of New York state residents found that nearly 14% of those tested had antibodies against the novel coronavirus, suggesting that some 2.7 million may already have been infected, Governor Andrew Cuomo said […]

Immigrants in the U.S. Adapt to New Jobs

The coronavirus pandemic has devastated sectors of the economy dominated by immigrant labor: Restaurants, hotels, office cleaning services, in-home childcare and hair and nail salons, among others, have seen businesses shuttered as nonessential, The Associated […]

House Passes $484bn Coronavirus Relief Bill

The House passed a nearly $500 billion interim coronavirus bill Thursday that includes additional money for the small-business loan program, as well as for hospitals and testing, making way for the legislation to become law […]

Trump Asks If Disinfectants Could Be Injected to Kill Coronavirus

After a presentation Thursday that touched on the disinfectants that can kill the novel coronavirus on surfaces and in the air, President Trump pondered whether those chemicals could be used to fight the virus inside […]

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: When to Re-Open Economy? – Trump’s Honesty – Biden Leads Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan

April 23, 2020 John Ganjei

Your Daily Polling Update for Thursday, April 23, 2020 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 46%Same as Tuesday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on four polls, ranging from 44% (Politico, Rasmussen) to 50% (The Hill). The […]

CNBC Host Deems WH Coronavirus Briefings ‘Unwatchable’

Jim Cramer of CNBC said that the daily task force briefings for coronavirus at the White House were “unwatchable,” to which he added that you “can’t tell whether things are great or things are catastrophic.” […]

Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana Swept by Storms, Six Dead Reported

At least six people were reported dead and over a dozen injured after severe storms swept Louisiana, Texas and Southern Oklahoma, CNN reports. Three people died and 20 to 30 people were injured in Onalaska, […]

California Gov prposed new $2.7 billion disaster responsee package to fight coronavirus

California Lawmakers Seek Details on Newsom’s $1 Billion Coronavirus Mask Deal with Chinese Manufacturer

California lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum are requesting details from Gov. Gavin Newsom about a $1 billion deal for purchasing hundreds of millions of coronavirus protective masks from a Chinese manufacturer, according to a report, Fox News […]

Pompeo Says U.S. Scientists Denied Access to China to Probe Origins of Coronavirus

Mike Pompeo is accusing China of allegedly not giving access to American scientists and researchers for the purpose of examining and exploring the root of the coronavirus outbreak, slamming Beijing yet again for the way […]

Two Cats in New York Are First Pets Known to Have Coronavirus in U.S.

Two cats in New York have been infected with the novel coronavirus, federal officials announced Wednesday. Both had mild respiratory symptoms and are expected to make a full recovery, CNN reported. “These are the first […]

Poll Signals Strengthening Support for Biden Over Trump in Midwest States

Republican President Donald Trump trails Democrat Joe Biden among registered voters in three Midwestern battleground states that he narrowly carried in 2016 and are seen as crucial to winning November’s election, according to an Ipsos […]

U.S. Workers Too Scared to Go to Work Risk Losing Unemployment Aid

U.S. workers who refuse to return to their jobs because they are worried about catching the coronavirus should not count on getting unemployment benefits, state officials and labor law experts say, Reuters writes. Workers in […]

U.S. Jobless Claims Wipe out Post-Great Recession Employment Gains

A record 26 million Americans likely sought unemployment benefits over the last five weeks, confirming that all the jobs created during the longest employment boom in U.S. history were wiped out in about a month […]

Trump Claims Georgia Is Reopening ‘Too Soon’

President Donald Trump said he disagreed with the Georgia governor’s decision to begin relaxing social-distancing measures this week, a marked shift in tone from his repeated calls for states to reopen their economies, Bloomberg reported. […]

Virus Warnings Back Safety Over Tradition During Ramadan

The coronavirus pandemic is cutting off the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims from their cherished Ramadan traditions as health officials battle to ward off new infections during Islam’s holiest month, haunted by multiple outbreaks traced to […]

E-Platform for Expatriates to Fly Home From Saudi Arabia

Expatriates who have been issued with an exit/re-entry visa or final exit visa and wish to fly to their home countries can now submit an online application through the Absher platform, the Saudi Ministry of […]

U.S. House Expects to Pass $500bn Coronavirus Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives expects to pass a nearly $500 billion coronavirus relief bill on Thursday but will put off any decision on changing its voting rules during the pandemic, avoiding a potential partisan […]

Fox News Host Slams Trump’s Immigration Executive Order

Tucker Carlson argued that President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to block green card applications failed to “protect American jobs,” but the Fox News host refrained from criticizing the commander-in-chief in his latest Tucker Carlson Tonight monologue, […]

McConnell Says GOP to Confirm Trump’s Judicial Nominees

Mitch McConnell stated that despite the coronavirus outbreak, GOP Senators will be making efforts to confirm President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees once the chamber returns to Washington. In an interview with Hugh Hewitt, the Senate Majority […]

Trump Immigration Ban to Last 60 Days

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday his new U.S. immigration ban would last 60 days and apply to those seeking ‘green cards’ for permanent residency in an effort to protect Americans seeking to regain jobs […]

North Korea Silence on Kim’s Health Raises Succession Speculation

With Pyongyang saying nothing so far about outside media reports that leader Kim Jong-un may be unwell, there’s renewed worry about who’s next in line to run a nuclear-armed country that’s been ruled by the […]

Oil Hits Lowest This Century

Oil slumped to less than $16 a barrel on Wednesday, hitting its lowest since 1999, with the market awash with excess supply as the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic hammers demand for fuels, Reuters […]

China’s Early Patients Unable to Shed Coronavirus

Chinese doctors in Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December, say a growing number of cases in which people recover from the virus, but continue to test positive without showing symptoms, is one of […]

Saudi Arabia’s Active Mass Testing Contains Virus Spread

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health is widely using coronavirus disease (COVID-19) active screening to contain the spread of the virus, as the number of infections reached 11,631 cases on Tuesday, Arab News reported. The screening aims […]

U.S. Dollar Jumps vs Saudi Riyal in Forwards Market as Oil Slumps

The U.S. dollar rose against the Saudi riyal in the forwards market on Wednesday after oil prices slumped, with Brent crude futures dropping to their lowest in more than two decades as the coronavirus pandemic […]

Senate Passes $484bn Coronavirus Deal

After two weeks of stalemate and days of frenetic negotiations, the Senate approved a nearly $500 billion coronavirus aid bill on Tuesday afternoon with the House set for passage later this week, Politico reported. The […]

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Indiana, Florida – Distancing, Shelter-In-Place – Trust Coronavirus Info – Tuesday Trivia

April 21, 2020 John Ganjei

Your Daily Polling Update for Tuesday, April 21, 2020 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 46%Same as Thursday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on five polls, ranging from 45% (Economist) to 49% (Harvard). Without these extremes, […]

April 21, 2020 Focus Washington

Schumer Claims ‘We have a Deal’ on Interim Coronavirus Relief Package for Small Businesses

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated on Tuesday that Congress and the White House made an agreement on “every major issue” of a nearly $500 billion emergency interim coronavirus relief package for small businesses, hospitals and […]

April 21, 2020 Focus Washington

Hundreds Receive Plasma From Recovered Coronavirus Patients

Six hundred severely ill Covid-19 patients have received blood plasma from recovered patients in a study researchers hope sheds light on whether the experimental therapy improves health outcomes, and yields other useful data outside the […]