bostonangler

(Reuters) - U.S. health officials on Friday said they are preparing for the possibility of the spread of the new coronavirus through U.S. communities that would force closures of schools and businesses. The United States has yet to see community spread of the virus that emerged in central China in late December. But health authorities are preparing medical personnel for the risk, Nancy Messonnier, an official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told reporters on a conference call. In coming weeks, if the virus begins to spread through U.S. communities, health authorities want to be ready to adopt school and business closures like those undertaken in Asian countries to contain the disease, Messonnier said. U.S. prepares for coronavirus pandemic, school and business closures: health officials "We’re not seeing community spread here in the United States yet, but it's very possible, even likely, that it may eventually happen,” Messonnier said. "Our goal continues to be to slow the introduction of the virus into the U.S. This buys us more time to prepare communities for more cases and possibly sustained spread." The CDC is taking steps to ensure frontline U.S. healthcare workers have supplies they need, she added, by working with businesses, hospitals, pharmacies and provisions manufacturers and distributors on what they can do to get ready. The World Health Organization has warned that the window of opportunity to contain the international spread of the epidemic that has killed more than 2,200 people was closing, as the virus has spread to some 26 countries with a large cluster in South Korea and recent outbreaks in Iran, Lebanon and Italy "If we do well, we can avert any serious crisis, but if we squander the opportunity then we will have a serious problem on our hands," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva. The United States currently has 13 cases of people diagnosed with the virus within the country and 21 cases among Americans repatriated on evacuation flights from Wuhan, China, and from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, CDC said. Of 329 Americans evacuated from the cruise ship, 18 tested positive for the virus. Eleven of them are at University of Nebraska Medical Center, five are in medical facilities near Travis Air Force Base in California and two are near Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. The CDC is still handling the bulk of testing for the coronavirus as it works out issues with test kits sent to states, Messonnier said. Only three U.S. states currently have the capacity to run tests for the virus locally, the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) told Reuters on Friday. https://www.yahoo.com/news/only-three-u-states-test-174702344.html B/A

President Donald Trump’s new acting intelligence director, Richard Grenell, used to do consulting work on behalf of an Eastern European oligarch who is now a fugitive and was recently barred from entering the U.S. under anti-corruption sanctions imposed last month by the State Department. In 2016, Grenell wrote several articles defending the oligarch, a Moldovan politician named Vladimir Plahotniuc, but did not disclose that he was being paid, according to records and interviews. Grenell also did not register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which generally requires people to disclose work in the U.S. on behalf of foreign politicians. FARA is the same law that Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort and former deputy campaign manager Rick Gates were convicted of violating. (Manafort went to trial. Gates pleaded guilty.) It’s not clear whether the articles were directly part of Grenell’s paid consulting work for Plahotniuc. Unpaid work could still require disclosures under FARA if it was directed by or primarily benefited a foreign politician, according to Matthew Sanderson, a lawyer at Caplin & Drysdale who advises people on complying with FARA. FARA contains several exemptions, such as for lawyers and businesses, Sanderson said, but none appear to apply to Grenell’s op-eds about Plahotniuc. “There is real reason to believe that Mr. Grenell should have registered here,” Sanderson said after ProPublica described the circumstances to him. “This is exactly the type of circumstances I’d expect the Department of Justice to investigate further.” Undisclosed work for a foreign politician would ordinarily pose a problem for anyone applying for a security clearance or a job in a U.S. intelligence agency because it could make the person susceptible to foreign influence or blackmail, according to the official policy from the office that Trump tapped Grenell to lead. The policy specifies that among the “conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying” are: “Failure to report or fully disclose, when required, association with a foreign person, group, government or country.” “Substantial business, financial, or property interests in a foreign country … that could subject the individual to a heightened risk of foreign influence or exploitation or personal conflict of interest.” “Acting to serve the interest of a foreign person, group, organization or government in any way that conflicts with U.S. national security interests.” “That’s really easy, he should not have a clearance,” said Kel McClanahan, a Washington-area lawyer specializing in security clearances. “If he were one of my clients and just a normal [federal employee], he would almost assuredly not have a clearance.” McClanahan said it’s unclear how Grenell could have already gotten a clearance as an ambassador. The House Oversight Committee is investigating whether the Trump administration has overruled career officials in granting security clearances to political appointees. As Trump’s pick for acting director of national intelligence, Grenell will have access to the country’s most sensitive secrets. Grenell isn’t subject to Senate confirmation because Trump appointed him on a temporary basis. The White House, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Grenell, who is also continuing in his current posts as ambassador to Germany and special envoy for negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia, has gained Trump’s favor with his unwavering loyalty and combative tweets. (In one instance, he attacked ProPublica in response to reporting that Vice President Mike Pence’s office had intervened in foreign aid decisions.) He raised hackles in Berlin by injecting himself into the country’s domestic politics, a departure from usual diplomatic protocol. Grenell does not have prior experience in intelligence. He was the U.S. spokesman at the United Nations during the George W. Bush administration. In between his turns in government, Grenell had a public affairs consulting firm called Capitol Media Partners. One of the firm’s clients, according to the financial disclosure that Grenell filed when he became an ambassador, was Arthur J. Finkelstein, the late Republican political consultant whose international clients included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary. Grenell’s financial disclosure indicates that he received more than $5,000 from Finkelstein’s firm but does not specify how much. According to a person familiar with the relationship, Grenell worked for Finkelstein as a media consultant for clients in Eastern Europe. That person and another individual said the client in Moldova was Plahotniuc, the country’s richest man and then a top official in its ruling political party. In August 2016, Grenell published op-eds in the right-leaning Washington Examiner and Washington Times defending Plahotniuc and attacking his enemies as serving Russian interests. Plahotniuc and his allies at the time were fending off suspicions of their involvement in a $1 billion bank fraud in Moldova. “Blaming the ruling party and its leadership has its political benefits for Russia,” Grenell wrote in the Examiner article. “Plahotniuc has been around Moldovan politics, business and civic life for decades and has turned out to be an easy target.” This narrative aligned with Plahotniuc’s efforts to present himself as pro-Western in Washington and European capitals, according to lobbying disclosure records. “Certainly there was an effort by him to engage U.S. officials at the time, that despite all this corruption he was the guy most likely to keep Russia at bay and therefore you should accept him,” said Jonathan Katz, who oversaw U.S. aid programs for Moldova at the time. “It didn’t match anything he was doing internally in the country,” Katz said, because Plahotniuc didn’t advance U.S. interests such as promoting democratic institutions and the rule of law. Secretary Pompeo ✔@SecPompeo Vladimir Plahotniuc's corrupt actions undermined the rule of law and severely compromised the independence of democratic institutions in #Moldova. Today, I publicly designate him. The U.S. stands with Moldova in its fight against corruption. Grenell was also quoted in an October 2016 article in the Houston Chronicle criticizing a resolution proposed by Rep. Randy Weber, R-Texas, that accused Plahotniuc and his allies of corruption. “He’s trying to attack the only pro-European group in Moldova,” Grenell told the Chronicle. “The reality is he’s pro-himself and nothing more,” Valeriu Pașa, who leads a prominent civil society group in Moldova called WatchDog.MD, said of Plahotniuc. “He was playing both sides for 15 years at least.” Plahotniuc lost power in 2019 and fled Moldova. His current whereabouts are unknown. Last month, the State Department endorsed the corruption allegations against him, banning him and his family from entering the U.S. “In his official capacity, Plahotniuc was involved in corrupt acts that undermined the rule of law and severely compromised the independence of democratic institutions in Moldova,” the State Department said in its announcement. “Today’s action sends a strong signal the United States does not tolerate corruption and stands with the people of Moldova in their fight against it.” https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/richard-grenell-trump-acting-intelligence-director-plahotniuc-221316709.html Draining swamp... Or filling it with mobsters? B/A

WASHINGTON (AP) — “It's been three years of promises made and promises kept, but we’re just getting started, (insert state here)." That line from Vice President Mike Pence is a hallmark of how he introduces President Donald Trump to campaign rally audiences. Last week, he delivered versions at rallies in Colorado Springs and Las Vegas. But is it true? In some respects, yes. Trump has followed through on promises to cut regulations and renegotiate trade deals and to donate his salary, just to name a few. But in many critical areas, promises made by the president have not been promises kept. A look at some areas where rhetoric has not matched reality. ECONOMIC GROWTH The economy under Trump will grow at a sustainable rate of “at least 3.5 percent and as high as 4 percent.” The promise was part of the president’s “Contract with the American voter” that was released in the weeks before the 2016 presidential election and fed the story line that he would light a fire under an Obama economy that Republicans repeatedly categorized as sluggish. WHAT HAPPENED: Growth has largely followed the same trends of the Obama era, even after the stimulus from the 2017 tax cuts. The nation’s economy, or gross domestic product, grew at a rate of 2.4 percent in the president’s first year in office, 2.9 percent in 2018 and 2.3 percent last year. The gains mean the economy is improving, just not as rapidly as what Trump pledged to voters, and that makes it difficult to build the political will to pay for his other stated initiatives such as fixing the nation’s infrastructure. ___ FEDERAL DEBT When declaring his candidacy, Trump said he would “reduce our $18 trillion in debt.” He later took those vows a step farther, declaring that he would not just balance the budget, but pay down the entire national debt. WHAT HAPPENED: The opposite. The U.S. budget deficit through the first four months of this budget year is up 19% from the same period a year ago, putting the country on track to record its first $1 trillion deficit since 2012. The deficit reflected government spending that has grown 10.3% this budget year while revenues were up only 6.1%. The deficit has gone up every year of Trump’s presidency. The national debt now stands at more than $23 trillion. __ THE BORDER WALL When announcing his White House run on June 16, 2015, Trump declared: “I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall.” WHAT HAPPENED: Mexico isn't paying. The president has tried in multiple ways to demonstrate otherwise. He has argued that the updated U.S. trade agreement with Canada and Mexico will pay for the wall because of economic benefits he predicts will come from the deal. But nothing in the trade agreement would cover or refund the construction cost or require a payment from Mexico. He told supporters at a rally that “redemption money is paying for the wall.” Redemption payments don't exist; Trump apparently meant to cite remittances. That refers to money that immigrants in the U.S. send to their countries of origin, often to family members. Trump has at various times talked about taxing or blocking such money, but that has not been done. Instead, the president has diverted money from military construction projects and approved using counter-drug spending to pay for wall construction. The reliance on Pentagon money continued anew this month when $3.8 billion previously authorized for F-35 fighter aircraft and other military programs was diverted to help build portions of the border wall. __ TAXES To make his proposed tax cuts more palatable to voters, Trump dangled the idea that tax rates would go up for the rich. In May 2016, he told NBC: "For the wealthy, I think frankly it is going to go up and, you know what, it really should go up." WHAT HAPPENED: Taxes on the rich went down, not up in the vast majority of cases. The top income tax rate fell from 39.6% to 37% as a result of the changes Republicans made to the tax code. The new cap on state and local tax deductions limited the benefits for some of the very rich. But households earning more than $1 million saved on average more than $64,000 last year, according to an analysis by Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation. People earning $50,000 to $100,000 got about a $1,000 cut from their income taxes. https://www.yahoo.com/news/promises-kept-mantra-doesnt-always-124448437.html More fake news for your Sunday morning coffee... B/A

Thanks nstoolman, you are a stand up guy. B/A

Umbertino, I read about the lock downs in Italy. Is this in your area? B/A

Yes Umbertino, .10 would send me packing... To the delight of many I'm sure. B/A

Who negs a 10 year bull market? B/A

I didn't know every president we've had has been a democrat... Thanks for enlightening me. Heck I bet most people here have some illegals in their family tree... B/A

Yup... Welcome to The United States of Amnesia... LOL B/A

I'm not exchanging for less than $10 per dinar... My cousin who works with the wife of a fruit stand operator who was told by his delivery guy that his locksmith went to the bank to fix the safe and the assistant manager said his dentist learned from the toothbrush sales person that that the guy who makes Crest toothpaste know someone that was at the airport and talked to a pilot who said one of the ground crew had a friend that was vacationing in the Alps said his taxi driver had been giving a ride to a Swiss banker that mentioned he was opening an account for for a guy named Bruce who had the inside track on a horse running in the forth race at Aqueduct named Arabian Dinar who was paying 10 to 1... So I'm holding out for $10 per dinar... B/A

That's awesome for your business... But this is consumer debt. You can see on the graph it is student loans, credit cards and auto loans that are going into default... I think people never learn. It seems they always live outside their means... B/A

Geez MD, when did the markets start going up... 2016? Why can't people simply accept basic facts? B/A

With information from China scarce, U.S. spies enlisted to track coronavirus WASHINGTON — As Chinese officials face allegations of locking down information about the spread of the coronavirus, U.S. intelligence agencies have been helping in governmentwide efforts to gather information about the disease’s global spread. Already, some of the best information about the coronavirus and the Chinese government’s response to it is coming from military channels, according to two sources familiar with the matter. “China’s behavior causes the intelligence community to get involved,” said one of those sources, a former intelligence official. “Because no data means spying.” The former official indicated that the most important issue being tracked is the Chinese leadership plans for what is known as “continuity of operations,” meaning the ability for the government to maintain its basic functions during an unprecedented crisis, such as nuclear war or natural disaster. In China, this might involve senior leaders leaving the country or seeking safety in shelters, “like U.S. doomsday bunkers,” said the source. The intel community, said the source, is seeing some signs Chinese officials are making those kinds of contingency plans, indicating the potential level of concern within Beijing. Tracking the coronavirus. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: AP [2], Getty Images) The intelligence community’s involvement comes amid international frustrations with China’s reticence to accept international assistance. The World Health Organization, including American experts, was finally allowed to visit China on Monday to do field research on the disease but has been delayed and will not, as of now, be visiting the alleged location of the origin of the outbreak due to what Chinese officials described as a lack of time and resources to host international experts. At least officially, however, the WHO has been complimentary of China's efforts. In a statement, the WHO told Yahoo News that “since the beginning of the outbreak, China [has] shared data in a transparent manner.” However, the organization, which receives funding from China, has come under fire for what many have called a delayed response to the outbreak and a failure to pressure Chinese leadership into further openness. In the United States, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the CIA’s Global Issues Mission Center and the Defense Intelligence Agency’s National Center for Medical Intelligence have all been supporting the White House Task Force on the coronavirus, according to three intelligence sources familiar with the matter. The task force is led by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The National Center for Medical Intelligence is based in Fort Detrick, Md., and tracks disease outbreaks and potential danger to the U.S. military, as well as preparedness of foreign leaders to respond to pandemics or other related attacks. A military spokesman told Yahoo News the agency “is closely monitoring the coronavirus outbreak and the worldwide response to it.” In this instance of the coronavirus, the intelligence community has to figure out a way to quickly gather information about a rapidly progressing potential pandemic without risking human sources’ lives, losing track of other threats or getting in the way of the CDC and WHO, which take primary responsibility for response and outreach. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, at a press conference about the coronavirus on Feb. 10 in Geneva. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP) As of Thursday, the WHO reported over 75,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease globally, as well as 2,129 deaths, the majority in China, notifying travelers that the global risk assessment for the disease is “high.” Symptoms can range from a common cold to more severe respiratory symptoms, and is transmitted from person to person. A global pandemic has long been a concern to U.S. national security officials, and planning for such outbreaks has been a crucial part of government planning in previous administrations. “Pandemic disease poses one of the greatest threats to global stability and security,” wrote Lisa Monaco, who served as President Barack Obama’s homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, in an op-ed on the LawFare, a national security blog. She also noted that the Trump White House no longer has a “dedicated unit to oversee preparedness for pandemics,” as there was under Obama during the West African Ebola crisis. The U.S. and China have seen tensions rise over recent years as the U.S. cracks down on Chinese espionage and intellectual property theft amid an ongoing trade war, making it harder for U.S. officials to get complete information about the public health crisis. While there are always channels available to communicate with China, it’s not always clear Chinese officials will make use of them or pick up the phone, said one national security official. The Communist Party and the broader bureaucracy are concerned about reporting bad news to President Xi Jinping, and also the disease’s potential impact on the global economy. The situation with China “certainly makes it harder, I think more necessary and harder,” to get solid intelligence, said Greg Treverton, a professor at the University of Southern California and a former chairman of the National Intelligence Council, in an interview with Yahoo News. Treverton, who has written extensively about transnational threats, recalled the government’s internal response to both the SARS epidemic in 2003, another instance of the coronavirus in China, as well as the gargantuan effort around responding to the West African Ebola epidemic between 2014 and 2016. He told Yahoo News that the intelligence community invested heavily in anticipatory tracking to follow Ebola’s path in Africa before cases surfaced in the U.S. and the issue became more domestic. “These are existential, serious issues,” continued Treverton. “Health is an enormous national security issue, particularly when the intelligence target” — i.e., China — “is not as helpful as it should be.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/with-information-from-china-scarce-us-spies-enlisted-to-track-coronavirus-173612656.html I'm not worried Trump said it would end with warm weather, and we all know he is smarter than his medical experts..... B/A

The U.S. auto bailout is officially over. Here's what America lost and gained. Ridding itself of the unwanted epithet "Government Motors" wasn't pain-free for GM. When President Obama decided to step in and restructure the company and its fellow Detroit automaker Chrysler — following an initial infusion of cash from outgoing President George W. Bush — his team required GM to axe brands like Pontiac and Saturn, close down dealerships, lay off workers, and kick out CEO Rick Waggoner and several board members. The Treasury also points out that while it lost money on GM, taxpayers came out ahead when you look at the entire TARP bailout, of which the auto bailout was a relatively small part. In total, Treasury spent $421.8 billion to rescue financial institutions and the auto industry, and it has recovered $432.7 billion so far — a tidy $10.9 billion profit — including the GM losses. https://theweek.com/articles/454749/auto-bailout-officially-over-heres-what-america-lost-gained How soon we forget, or in some cases refuse to understand "W" and his fiscal plan nearly killed America. Ironically, Obama actually profited from the bailouts. Which has led to an 11 year bull market. Will Trump profit from his bailouts? My guess is nope! B/A

President Trump’s latest tweet indicated that more aid could be headed to farmers adversely affected by the U.S.-China trade war. In an all-caps tweet, he wrote: “If our formally targeted farmers need additional aid until such time as the trade deals with China, Mexico, Canada and others fully kick in, that aid will be provided by the federal government, paid for out of the massive tariff money coming into the USA!” The U.S. has already approved $28 billion in farmer aid through its market facilitation program. The first round of payments, totaling $4.7 billion, was paid in September 2018. The second round was distributed three months later. By February 2019, the total bailout reached $7.7 billion. In May 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it would provide an additional $16 billion to help farmers while trade negotiations between the U.S. and China continued. Overall, $19 billion in aid has been granted so far, with the rest to be distributed in 2020. Trump’s announcement comes at a time when farm bankruptcies are at an 8-year high, partially due to the trade war. U.S. Courts data shows that farm bankruptcy rates increased by 20% in 2019, to a total of 595 Chapter 12 bankruptcies across the country. Amid trade uncertainty, poor cropping conditions, and other mitigating factors, nearly one-third of farm income in 2019 came from government aid, according to the USDA. ‘It’s not just a benefit to farmers’ Although Trump has stated numerous times that China is the one paying for these tariffs, that’s not actually the case. Research from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) has shown that “U.S. tariffs continue to be almost entirely borne by U.S. firms and consumers … approximately 100% of these import taxes have been passed on to U.S. importers and consumers.” Nevertheless, farmers have remained ever grateful for the government payments — although they have stressed they “want trade, not aid” at the end of the day. “All Americans eat and so, it’s in America’s interest for the price of food and for the share of disposable income that’s spent on food to keep that relatively low,” Veronica Nigh, chief economist at the American Farm Bureau, told Yahoo Finance recently. “While it’s tax dollars being used to support farmers, we’d generally argue keeping farmers in business, therefore keeping the supply of food ample, is in the nation’s interest… “It’s not just a benefit to the farmers, but a benefit to everyone who eats as well.” https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/trump-promises-an-even-bigger-farmer-bailout-193824825.html So who doesn't like a little socialism going into an election??? B/A

Yes even "W" understood this basic economic concept... And he isn't even a stable genius.... B/A

Awesome thanks SD B/A

Breaking News!!!!! Russia denies interfering in 2020 elections... Trump and Russiapublicans agree... One lifelong Russiapublican was heard saying... "Putin? Oh he's a nice guy. I trust him" B/A

Ya know Jag, if I were a loyalest to my party, I would want to know what's up with the Russian Lovefest.... Wouldn't you? B/A

Never thought I would see Republicans become Russiapublicans. Old Ronny must be rolling over in his grave. B/A

He sure ain't draining the swap, he's refilling it.... B/A