The Palestinians are under an attack that can only be called genocide.

The Palestinians are being rooted out of what was once a permanent base for the two-state solution providing the Palestinians with a homeland. Destroying the Palestinian homeland is nothing but genocide.

August 11, 2020

The Israeli army (click here) has begun bulldozing some villagers' homes in the occupied West Bank.

One family's house has already been demolished - and the same is expected to happen to more than 30 other buildings.

The Israeli government says they have to go because they were built without a permit.

Al Jazeera's Nida Ibrahim reports.

THEN GET OUT OF PALESTINE'S WEST BANK NOW! 

Israel has to PERMANENTLY stop any and all settlements. Israel must give land back to Palestine so it has a homeland!

August 13, 2020

Israel and the United Arab Emirates (click here) reached a historic peace deal on Thursday that will lead to a full normalization of diplomatic relations between the two Middle Eastern nations in an agreement that US President Donald Trump helped broker.

Under the agreement, Israel has agreed to suspend applying sovereignty to areas of the West Bank that it has been discussing annexing, senior White House officials told Reuters....

During more lighthearted times...

The voting begins in October!

Every American child testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 need to be followed for deficits until the virus is eliminated.

We know the facts are clear when it comes to SARS-CoV-2 and the body's reaction, regardless of age, to begin an immune response which includes blood clots. 

Those blood clots are not enormous, they tiny and they make it to the smallest vascular space, the capillaries. The end of the capillaries are deprived of oxygen and nutrients because of the clot and there is tissue death that produces more of an immune response.

COVID toes are the best example of this phenomenon caused by the virus. The damage caused is not limited to toes, the same damage occurs to lungs, heart, brain, and every other organ in the body.

The body will migrate blood cells, nutrients, and oxygen to the living tissue that survived the assault of the blood clots. That is why the redness. The redness is inflammation of the body and the body's ability to migrate needed nutrients and oxygen to the damaged cells. These cells will not repair, but, will stop the immune response once that tissue is stabilized along with the rest of the body. This person will have circulation deficits for the rest of his or her life. If anyone thought the Flint Water Crisis was bad, this is going to be a nightmare in all 50 states that break out of "stay at home" without the elimination of the virus in the people of the USA.

DO NOT SEND STUDENTS BACK TO SCHOOL. I do not care about age or grade, these young people have a RIGHT TO BE SAFE FIRST and ensured the bodies are intact without deficits caused by blood clots.

Any student and/or child testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 has to be followed for initial deficits and those to accumulate over time. That means pediatricians will have to examine them at the time of annual physicals, for any deficits that could be caused by blood clots in the immune response. Those deficits need to receive treatment as the child/student advances in age and grade to prevent long term issues.

Pediatricians will have to organize a reporting group within the professional structure of the AMA so that TRENDS of these children can be learned and treatment ordered to stem the harm today and through the future.

Pediatricians (click here) practice the specialty of medical science concerned with the physical, emotional, and social health of children from birth to young adulthood. Pediatric care encompasses a broad spectrum of health services ranging from preventive health care to the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic diseases. Pediatricians understand the many factors that affect the growth and development of children. They understand that children are not simply small adults. Children change rapidly, and they must be approached with an appreciation for their stage of physical and mental development.

Specialty training required prior to certification: Three years

DO NOT SEND STUDENTS BACK TO SCHOOL REGARDLESS OF THE GOOD INTENTIONS.

There are 13,506 school districts in the USA according to a count in 2002.

There are not enough pediatric beds, especially Pediatric Intensive Care Units, in the entire USA.

I am sure William G. Hasty, Sr. would disapprove of the exposure of children with a deadly contagion.

No one needs to PROVE that opening up the schools in the USA is completely wrong. No one needs to prove they can do it better than any other school district in the country. The majority of Americans already believe teachers and administrations are making the best decisions to protect children from the virus. It is just that the virus has the upper hand in deciding the fate of childern. 

August 12, 2020

By Richard Faussett

Canton, Georgia, USA - The first letter (click here) went out on Aug. 4, one day after students in the Cherokee County School District returned to their classrooms for the first time since the eruption of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Dear Parents,” wrote Dr. Ashley Kennerly, the principal of Sixes Elementary School. “I am writing this letter in order to communicate that a student in 2nd grade has tested positive for Covid-19.”

By the time the last bell rang on Friday afternoon, principals at 10 other schools had sent similar letters to families in Cherokee County, a bucolic and politically conservative stretch of suburbs north of Atlanta. This week, more letters went out.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus does not recognize political boundaries, just in case some of Trump's followers actually believe it does. There is no telling what they believe anymore, but, it is most likely the worse facts in the world.

This first day of school is now a nightmare for every family that has children in that elementary school. The entire school should be on quarantine and contact tracing carried out.

Altogether, more than 900 students and staff members in the district have already been ordered to quarantine. On Tuesday, one high school closed its doors until at least Aug. 31....

Quarantine is only part of the provisions needed after such an outbreak in a school. The entire building, especially the ventilation system, needs to be fumigated with an anti-viral. Surface cleaning will not end the exposure. The virus can be anywhere, including cracks and crevasses in the bathroom.

PREVENTING the spread of COVID-19 is far more moral as well as thrifty when it comes to monies in budgets for school and the dearly purchased school supplies. Enough of this mess. The virus can be anywhere including the surfaces and pages of books and stacks of paper in the copy machine and in classrooms. Opening schools without CONTROL of the virus, is completely irresponsible.

I believe Kamala Harris has a real opportunity before her considering the abuse of legal power by the Trump White House. I would like to see her address prosecutorial misconduct.

Congratulations.

The Democratic Party has a great team to win in November. I could not be happier with Former Vice President Joe Biden's decision. It is the first decision in a great leader.

She is great. 

Everyone can expect great things from her. Every protester in the country has a friend on the Democratic Party platform.

Harris unveiled a broad set of criminal justice policies, including creating national standards for police conduct, lowering the prison population, raising standards for the treatment of prisoners, ending mandatory minimum sentencing, and abolishing private prisons....

..."My plan is about making sure that in America's criminal justice system, we de-incarcerate women and children, that we end solitary confinement and that we work on keeping families intact....

Joe Biden has a friend in Kamala Harris, they are both moderates. They are not radicals, but, seek to eliminate injustice in all levels of society, including income and wealth equality.

"I believe our country wants and needs some leadership that provides a vision of the country in which everyone could see themselves."

Is the prosecution of protesters a continuation of racism.

August 11, 2020

By Jonathan Levinson

...The DA’s office, (click here) however, does not have unlimited resources. Besides the tsunami of arrests from 74 nights of continuous protests against systemic racism and police violence, July marked the deadliest month in Portland in 30 years and saw a dramatic increase in shootings in the city.

Since he can’t initiate an expansive restorative justice program, Schmidt introduced a new policy Tuesday that will result in dropping a significant portion of the more than 500 protester cases brought over the course of the demonstrations.

“In a democracy where speech is so important, being the system that’s being criticized and then using that system to shut down speech,” Schmidt said, “I think we have to hold ourselves to an even higher level of tolerance for that speech to take place.”

Barring unusual circumstances, prosecutors under Schmidt’s new policy won’t press charges for city ordinance violations that do not involve deliberate property damage, theft, or the use or threat of force against another person. That would include charges such as interference with a police officer or disorderly conduct.

“The presumption on a lot of these cases that are listed out there is that we won’t prosecute,” Schmidt said. “But if there are egregious circumstances or something about the case that stands out, we can always choose to prosecute.”...

The Russian vaccine is as dangerous as the virus.

He is using the Russian people as guinea pigs. Moscow is hungry for money. Putin doesn't care who he kills along the way. The announcement is premature and the clinical trials incomplete. The vaccine is worthless.

August 11, 2020

By Andrew E. Kramer

Moscow - A Russian health care regulator (click here) has become the first in the world to approve a vaccine for the coronavirus, President Vladimir V. Putin announced on Tuesday, though the vaccine has yet to complete clinical trials.

The Russian dash for a vaccine has already raised international concerns that Moscow is cutting corners on testing to score political and propaganda points.

Mr. Putin’s announcement came despite a caution last week from the World Health Organization that Russia should not stray from the usual methods of testing a vaccine for safety and effectiveness.

Mr. Putin’s announcement became essentially a claim of victory in the global race for a vaccine, something Russian officials have been telegraphing for several weeks now despite the absence of published information about any late-phase testing....

Expect Russian disinformation campaigns. I wouldn't be surprised if the vaccine is an injection of the virus.

As of 2019 the USA population was 328.2 million people.

If the growth in population is consistent for the average of the past ten years, there will be a 2.1 percent growth in population in 2020. That means there will be 6.9 more million Americans.

The population in 2009 was 306.8 million Americans. When calculating the growth over ten years, the estimate for the increases in the total population in the USA by 2020 is 335.1 million Americans.

According to the CDC, the total current number of COVID-19 cases in the USA is 5,023,649 confirmed cases. The total number of deaths is 161,842. The percentage of people that die within those confirmed cases is 3.2 percent. That means 3.2 percent of all confirmed cases of COVID-19 will die. The overall confirmed infection rate of the entire population of the USA in 1.5 percent. 

The number of confirmed cases in the USA from the WHO (click here) is 4,951,851 confirmed cases. The number of deaths from the WHO is 160,898. There is a discrepancy between the CDC reporting and the WHO reporting. That needs to be investigated and it could be as simple as the time of day each organization is compiling their data, but, it needs to be looked into to be sure accuracy in reporting across all venues of information.

For the sake of this entry, I will use the CDC numbers.

The estimated population of the USA for 2020 is 335.1 million Americans. An infection rate of 1.5 percent will result in a total confirmed case of 5,026,500 Americans. Which is 2851 from where we are now. It would be wonderful if that is all that occurs.

The total death rate of confirmed cases will be 160,848 with that population increase for 2020 and a rate of 3.2 percent death factor.

The point here is the infection rate is only 1.5 percent of the total USA population as of today. The death rate is 3.2 percent of those confirmed case numbers. It will take a very long time to achieve "herd immunity." At this rate of infection, it will take approximately 40 years to achieve the goal of 60 percent herd immunity. 40 years folks. Now, the infection rate is exponential so in actuality, it will not take 40 years, but, will take close to that long without a vaccine.

The only REALISTIC way to achieve herd immunity is through a vaccine NOT EXPOSURE.

THERE IS ANOTHER WAY to return economic function and that would be to shut down the USA just as New Zealand did and end the EXISTENCE of SARS-CoV-2. Those are the only two REASONABLE ways to stop the dysfunction of society with the new reality of COVID-19 among us.

I think the vaccine trials need to go forward. A report from "Moderna" today, the USA company, states the vaccine will not be ready before the end of the year. With that in mind, THE ONLY REASONABLE WAY to stop the economic dysfunction due to the virus is to SHUT THE COUNTRY DOWN, ENFORCE THAT SHUTDOWN AND END THE EXISTENCE OF SARS-COV-2 AMONG US.

Today, the only reasonable path forward is STILL shut down. There is no solid reality to a vaccine in sight right now.

Be there or be square.

Monday, August 17, 2020, thru Thursday, August 20, 2020 (click here)

August 11, 2020

By Todd Spangler

After a weekend of speculation (click here) that she might be presumptive nominee Joe Biden's running mate, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer may not be the choice after all.

On Monday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," co-host Mika Brzezinski revealed the lineup of speakers for next week's four-night Democratic National Convention and there, on Monday night, was Whitmer's name.

A blank space, meanwhile, was reserved for the as-yet "unnamed vice presidential nominee" on Wednesday, the third night of the convention, when the running mate usually speaks ahead of the presidential nominee's speech the following night....

I said from the very beginning COTTON made the best masks. Please get this right.

Major League Baseball is using the absolute WORSE form of face mask to contain the spread of the virus.

August 9, 2020
By Tamar Lapin

...The scientists (click here) also discovered that neck fleeces, or neck gaiters, often worn by runners, were the least effective and actually allowed more respiratory droplets to escape than not wearing a mask at all.

That’s because they were shown to break down larger droplets into smaller particles, allowing them to slip out the sides of the covering more easily.

“We were extremely surprised to find that the number of particles measured with the fleece actually exceeded the number of particles measured without wearing any mask,” Martin Fischer, one of the study’s authors, told CNN....

I am going to tell you about the filter mask I finally decided on as the best. I have no relationship with the company, it has been around for a long time and they don't make just filter masks. They make all kinds of medical masks, including those that people use to help breath when they sleep.

The company is out of Canada, but, has manufacturing plants in the USA. It is a really nice company and they practice "give back" in donating masks to firefighters of wildfires and citizens that find themselves compromised by wildfire smoke and dust.

I could be mistaken but I believe the manufacturer is SOLD OUT of these masks. The reason I chose this mask is that its filter comes closest to N95 masks. This company also makes a surgical mask that was sold out some time ago.

O2 Canada (click here) electrostatic filters are charged with pockets of both negative and positive ions, which attract, trap and neutralize small particles. They efficiently filter particles at 0.1 microns and larger. The highly effective O2 Canada filter traps mechanical pollutants found in pollution as well as bacteria and diseases, and based on average use the filter can last up to 2 weeks.

The icon is O2 (two dots) for the electrostatic charge of the filters. O2 is the chemical symbol of oxygen. I like the filter mask a great deal. It fits well and it is the best mask I have worn that actually allows me to breathe easy and forget I am wearing a mask. It has a cushion on the rim of the mask that adds comfort to the face and reduces irritation and pressure on the skin. It can be washed regularly even after each use outside with soap and water. Alcohol-based cleaners are not recommended for the plastic mask. The filters are good for two weeks OR unless they are visibly dirty from looking at the outside shell. The filters should not be washed and should be put in a dry place as a precaution while washing the mask with soap and water or any non-alcohol based cleaner.

This mask was purchased after a short advertisement campaign to the point where it is sold out. They should consider increasing their production and perhaps the size of their manufacturing plant.

The filters are what makes the difference in my choice of this mask. Again, I have no relationship with the manufacturer at all. My only interest is promoting a mask I found helpful as a consumer of such products. This virus is a really lousy episode in USA history and I believe this mask provides better confidence. At least it does for me.

FYI, below.

...4. How do N95 masks block SARS-CoV-2? (click here)

N95 masks are designed to remove more than 95% of all particles that are at least 0.3 microns (µm) in diameter. In fact, measurements of the particle filtration efficiency of N95 masks show that they are capable of filtering ≈99.8% of particles with a diameter of ≈0.1 μm (Rengasamy et al., 2017). SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus ≈0.1 μm in diameter, so N95 masks are capable of filtering most free virions, but they do more than that. How so? Viruses are often transmitted through respiratory droplets produced by coughing and sneezing. Respiratory droplets are usually divided into two size bins, large droplets (>5 μm in diameter) that fall rapidly to the ground and are thus transmitted only over short distances, and small droplets (≤5 μm in diameter). Small droplets can evaporate into 'droplet nuclei', remain suspended in air for significant periods of time and could be inhaled. Some viruses, such as measles, can be transmitted by droplet nuclei (tellier et al. 2019). Larger droplets are also known to transmit viruses, usually by settling onto surfaces that are touched and transported by hands onto mucosal membranes such as the eyes, nose and mouth (CDC, 2020). The characteristic diameter of large droplets produced by sneezing is ~100 μm (Han et al., 2013), while the diameter of droplet nuclei produced by coughing is on the order of ~1 μm (Yang et. al., 2007). At present, it is unclear whether surfaces or air are the dominant mode of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, but N95 masks should provide some protection against both (Jefferson et al., 2009; Leung et. al., 2020)....

There is no "there there." EXCEPT, for Ukraine and it's people from Russia.

The joke of a president in the USA White House is not shared by other countries, nor is there such LOOSE standards to carry out investigations.

August 8, 2020

By Betsy Woodruff Swan

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (click here) is calling on Ukrainians to refrain from interfering in the upcoming U.S. elections. The call comes after the U.S. intelligence community released a statement saying the Russian government is trying to help President Donald Trump win reelection, and that a Ukrainian member of Parliament is participating in that effort.

"It is never and under no circumstances unacceptable to interfere with another country's sovereign elections," Zelensky said in a statement posted on his Facebook page. "Once again, I assure our partners that Ukraine did not allow and will not allow itself to intervene in the future in the elections and thereby harm our trustworthy and sincere partnerships with the United States."...

There is a very serious conflict in Ukraine. The "idea" there was corruption with Hunter Biden was indulged by the current Ukraine government and it was found there was no corruption.

When Ukraine's new president received a phone call from Donald John Trump he was expecting a discussion about the military hardware. Instead, Trump PLAYED HIM to engage in corruption ITSELF by putting forward a FALSE charge against Hunter and/or Joe Biden. Trump was impeached successfully because of his corrupt actions while in office. Ukraine wants no more of this mess. It has an important place on the world stage and it is taking that seriously.

Ukraine was once the epicenter of the Soviet Union's nuclear program sitting on Europe's border as well as the Black Sea. For that reason alone, Putin is obsessed with exerting control in Ukraine. Ukraine no longer has any nuclear munitions or any nuclear capacity, except, for brilliant scientists that have a right to live their lives in peace.

Ukraine has long played an important, (click here) yet sometimes overlooked, role in the global security order. Today, the country appears to be on the front lines of a renewed great-power rivalry that many analysts say will dominate international relations in the decades ahead....

Ron Johnson has been involved in Republican engagement in digging up dirt about the Bidens. It is odd though. Johnson is retiring at the age of 62 from his seat in the year of 2022. Why would a person planning on retirement continue to hack away at a false path?

August 9, 2020

By Shirin Ali

A national intelligence document released Friday (click here) by the Trump administration revealed Russia is using pro-Russia Ukrainian officials to slander presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, undermining a key pillar of U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson’s ongoing investigation into the former vice president.

Johnson, who is chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has drawn criticism from Democrats and foreign policy experts for what they see as an attempt to smear Biden as he challenges Republican President Donald Trump.

And while the committee prepares to release an interim report on its findings next month, a nonpartisan watchdog has given Johnson, R-Oshkosh, failing marks for his committee’s workload for the second consecutive year....

This mess is entertaining by some, evidently. But, the REAL ISSUE is the fact there is still ongoing conflict in Ukraine with Russia. We know how a US president sees all this; he favors Russia. The REAL investigation that Johnson should be conducting is HOW DOES TRUMP'S FAVORITISM OF RUSSIA EFFECTS UKRAINE, NATO AND USA NATIONAL SECURITY? Best I can tell, Johnson isn't the least interested in ending the Ukraine conflict or punishing Russia for it.

When the REAL investigation comes forward, I might even be interested in it.

The death toll above is primarily according to the United Nations. The Euromaidan protests in Kiev began 21 November 2013 and ended 23 February 2014, a total of 110–123 protesters and 18 police officers were killed in street clashes in the Ukrainian capital. The protests resulted in a civil war currently backed by Russia. It also included an annexation attempt by Russia of Crimea. Those changes in the map of Ukraine are still under contention. There was nothing democratic about balloting held in regard to Crimea.

This conflict does not serve anyone in the entire world, except two men Putin and indirectly Trump.

February 25, 2019

KYIV -- Some 13,000 people have been killed, (click here) a quarter of them civilians, and as many as 30,000 wounded in the war in eastern Ukraine since it broke out in April 2014, the United Nations says.

The estimated toll includes more than 3,300 civilian deaths, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a document dated February 25 and provided to RFE/RL the same day.

It comes as the simmering conflict between Russia-backed separatists and government forces approaches its sixth year, with little progress toward the implementation of a Western-brokered cease-fire and political-settlement deal known as the Minsk Accords.

"OHCHR estimates the total number of conflict-related casualties in Ukraine...at 40,000-43,000" from April 14, 2014 to January 31, 2019, the statement said, including "12,800-13,000 killed."...

The conflict of interest with Chao is more than a conflict of interest, it is a national security issue that was allowed by McConnell.

Mitch McConnell is PROVEN to bend to the will of China and Russia for his personal wealth, power, and influence.

All Mitch's boats were manufactured in China with Chinese steel.

Mitch McConnell is the Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate. (click here) McConnell fast-tracked the PROMESA bill through the Senate. He made sure that a minimum wage cut to $4.25, and the installation of a powerful Financial Control Board, went through quickly – with virtually no debate and no amendment.

It is therefore ironic, that Mitch McConnell has been linked to the distribution and sale of 90 pounds of cocaine.

MITCH McCONNELL and HIS COCAINE BOAT

A boat was recently detained before leaving from Colombia.

During the search, the Colombian Coast Guard discovered 90 pounds of cocaine, in forty neat packets.

The vessel’s is named Ping May – one of sixteen ships operated by the Foremost Maritime Corporation (FMC). 

Bloomberg (click here)

(Foremost is McConnell's million dollar contributor to his private wealth.)

The imported coal from China sold for less than domestically mined coal. The USA never needed imported coal and it still doesn't. The USA continues to be the one country in the entire world with enormous quantities of coal.

100 COVID-19 free days WITHOUT a huge national debt or disruption in economy.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks during a community meeting with COVID-19 community responders at Wainuiomata's Memorial Hall on July 30, 2020, in Wellington, New Zealand.

New Zealand, (click here) a country of about 4.8 million, has now gone 100 days without a single locally transmitted case of COVID-19, according to news reports.

The last COVID-19 case acquired locally from an unknown source was reported on May 1, BBC News Reported around the time that lockdown measures began to ease. In late March, the South Pacific island implemented one of the strictest lockdowns in the world, "a lockdown so severe that even retrieving a lost cricket ball from a neighbor's yard was banned," The New York Times reported.

To date, New Zealand has recorded a total of 1,569 cases and 22 related deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins virus dashboard. Just 21 cases are considered active, and those people are isolating, CNN Reported...

August 10, 2020

By Julia Hollingsworth

..."We have seen overseas (click here) how quickly the virus can reemerge and spread in places where it was previously under control," Director-General of Health Dr. Ashley Bloomfield said Sunday.

"We need to be prepared to quickly stamp out any future cases in New Zealand. Don't let the team down -- none of us can afford to do that."...

Moscow's Mitch has a direct conflict of interest with his wife's family shipping company.

Chao family's business, which she and Mitch receive millions of income yearly, is shipping. The company, named Foremost, is in direct competition with USA steel.

...Foremost (click here) has received hundreds of millions of dollars in loan commitments from a bank run by the Chinese government, whose policies have been labeled by the Trump administratio as threats to American security. The company’s primary business — delivering China’s iron ore and coal — is intertwined with industries caught up in a trade war with the United States. That dispute stems in part from the White House’s complaints that China is flooding the world with subsidized steel, undermining American producers.

Foremost, though a relatively small company in its sector, is responsible for a large portion of orders at one of China’s biggest state-funded shipyards, and has secured long-term charters with a Chinese state-owned steel maker as well as global commodity companies that guarantee it steady revenues....

I don't care what she has to say. Her actions in CUTTING OUT competition with her family business is PRE CORRUPTION. It isn't that Choa's family has exclusive shipping from China to the USA for INGREDIENTS of steel. 

...Since Elaine Chao became transportation secretary, records show, the agency budget has repeatedly called to cut programs intended to stabilize the financially troubled maritime industry in the United States, moving to cut new funding for federal grants to small commercial shipyards and federal loan guarantees to domestic shipbuilders....

This is a huge breech in USA national security. Set aside the coal and iron from China which is to produce steel. The fact China has an active interest in the USA shipping because it's companies are thriving at the cost of the USA. It serves China's best interest to maintain an active interest, such as campaign funding, no different than Russia. 

Chao has proven she will use her power within the cabinet to end the competition with her family's business. Mitch McConnell needs to be removed from office. He is looking the other way to benefit his wife and the couples' wealth. Russian oil and gas are not permitted in the USA, so what is it doing here?

Moscow Mitch's Russian oligarch for Kentucky is directly involved in the steel industry. There is no getting away from the corrupt priorities of Moscow Mitch. He allows a communist oligarch from Russia to run a steel plant in Kentucky, while his wife imports everything needed to produce steel from China. The personal wealth dividend these two people carry into their own agenda is benefitting not only the McConnells/Chao, but, Russia and China as well.

The Chao family has provided funding for a ship simulator at Shanghai Maritime University and backed scholarships for training programs.

Got that part? Chao is assisting Chinese students to staff the family shipping business, BUT, when it comes to allowing competition in the USA of smaller companies there is no such thing! 

Understand Moscow Mitch is importing coal from China to make steel within the Russian steel rolling plant in Kentucky while stating he is protecting coal jobs in the USA. Kentuckians cannot look the other way or turn the other cheek when it comes to sending this deeply corrupt Senator and wife back to Congress.

Don't do it.

As the majority leader of the US Senate, he is controlling enormous power that is benefitting China and Russia and NOT his own constituents, yet alone the country.

Credit...

There are fiscal problems within the states. The states are being punished by Senate Republicans.

July 28, 2020

By Craig Mauger

Lansing — Cuts to public safety and education in Michigan (click here) will be "unavoidable" unless federal lawmakers step up with more financial aid, State Budget Director Chris Kolb cautioned Tuesday.

During a press conference in Lansing, Kolb and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called on President Donald Trump, the GOP-controlled U.S. Senate and the Democratic-controlled U.S. House to negotiate a new relief plan that provides more federal cash to states as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to slash government revenues.

Kolb and Whitmer also bashed a plan put forward by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky. Kolb said the $1-trillion plan wouldn't provide a "single new dollar" of economic relief that Michigan and other states need.

“With this plan, the budget reductions in the coming year would be severe,” Whitmer's budget director said.

Given current revenues, cuts to public safety, education and health care services would be unavoidable at the local and state levels, Kolb said....

This is a national health emergency that has resulted in illness and deaths as well as an economic contraction in the USA resulting in lost revenues for states through normally collected taxes.

July 30, 2020

By Gordyn Grzelewski

Dearborn — Ford Motor Co. (click here) took a $1.9 billion hit to its pretax earnings during the second quarter — far better than the $5 billion the automaker had warned it might lose during the eight-week pandemic shutdown.

But by recording a one-time $3.5 billion gain on its investment with self-driving software Argo AI, the automaker managed to post an overall $1.1 billion profit. That gain was recorded as a "special item" on Ford's balance sheet, chief financial officer Tim Stone told investors Thursday. The automaker would have posted a loss without that item....

CAMUS the law worked on by the Trump administration to replace NAFTA is not being respected. Tariffs are a way of replacing some taxes that currently exist. Trump likes tariffs and in this case, enjoyed the idea of limiting Canadian steel.

August 9, 2020

By Keith Lying

Washington — Just one month (click here) after the replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect, the Trump administration is re-imposing a 10% tariff on aluminum imports from Canada.

In a proclamation signed Thursday, President Donald Trump said that he is setting aside a previous commitment to exclude Canada and Mexico from tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum he implemented in 2018 under a section of law that allows the president to unilaterally impose tariffs to protect the nation's security....

Canadian steel and tariffs has been at issue since the beginning.

Aug. 16, 2017 — Canada, Mexico and the United States (click here) commence the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement which U.S. President Donald Trump had called “the worst trade deal in history” while campaigning for the role in 2016.

March 14, 2018 — Prime Minister Justin Trudeaud says Canada won’t be “bowled over” at the NAFTA talks by Trump. Trudeau makes the remarks while visiting steelworkers in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont....

May 31, 2018 — The U.S announces tariffs of 25 per cent on imports of Canadian steel and 10 per cent on aluminum to take effect the next day. Lack of progress in NAFTA renegotiations was cited by Washington as the reason for the tariffs.

In retaliation, Canada later the same day announces plans to impose taxes of up to $16.6 billion on steel, aluminum and hundreds of other products from the United States....

US Steel production for more than a decade:

...Adjusted year-to-date production (click here) through August 1, 2020 was 46,102,000 net tons, at a capability utilization rate of 66.2 percent. That is down 19.9 percent from the 57,553,000 net tons during the same period last year, when the capacity.

Broken down by districts, here's production for the week ending August 1, 2020 in thousands of net tons: North East: 134; Great Lakes: 462; Midwest: 145; Southern: 515 and Western: 72 for a total of 1328....

The only way a tariff applies to any commodity is if the USA cannot sell/use all the steel produced in the USA. Canada is not flooding the market. The USA steel industry doesn't provide all the steel needed in the USA.

Vice President Pence state of Indiana produces USA Steel. There is absolutely no way an ally, like Canada should be receiving tariffs on their steel imports that the USA needs. This tariff is anti-American and needs to be blocked by  Congress.

How much steel does the United States import? (click here) 

According to a report released by the Commerce Department in February, the U.S. is the largest importer of steel.

"On an average month, China produces nearly as much steel as the U.S. does in a year," the Commerce Department said in a summary of the report.

In 2017, there were 36 million metric tons of steel imported to the U.S., and only 10.1 million metric tons of steel produced, according to the report.

Which country produces the most steel?

China is far and away the world leader in steel production. In 2017, China produced 49.2 percent of the world's steel, with 831.7 million metric tons, WorldSteel reported.

Japan is the second-leading producer, adding 6.2 percent of the world's steel to the marketplace, followed by India, which produces 6 percent, according to WorldSteel.

The U.S. is ranked fourth

Some housekeeping. If judges can't legislate from the bench, presidents can't legislate from the Oval Office.

The executive order today by Trump is not all that it appears. It is basically a weak order. Now, let's get this out of the way. Executive Orders are no part of the US Constitution. There is nothing in the document that states the president has the right to an executive order. The so-called Executive Order is DERIVED from the powers afforded the USA Consitution. The Executive Order was begun as a method to carry out "executive" vs. "legislative" power. The president cannot legislate and it is why these executive orders are so easily challenged in court. The Executive Order is antithetical to the definition of democracy. So, the executive order needs to have a strong reason to exist or it will be defunded by Congress. 

August 9, 2020

President Trump took the unusual (click here) — and highly controversial — step Saturday of attempting to provide additional economic relief to millions of Americans on his own, without the approval of Congress.

At his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., Trump announced he was postponing payroll taxes through the end of the year, extending the unemployment "bonus" at $400 per week (down from $600), helping people “stay in their homes” and waiving student debt payments through the end of 2020. The details, however, are not as generous as he made them sound.

He is ordering a payroll tax deferral, not a cut, meaning the taxes won’t be collected for a while but they will still be due at a later date. On housing, he instructs key officials to “consider” whether there should be a ban on evictions. He also insists that state governments pick up the tab for some of the unemployment aid....

The once place he could have triumphed is with an eviction moratorium throughout the country. The order fell far short of protecting the people and the order asks pretty please think about what you are doing before you do it. There is no strong language with regard to evictions.

THIS IS A NATIONAL HEALTH EMERGENCY WHEREBY SOCIETAL EXPOSURE TO EACH OTHER CAUSES INCREASES IN CASES AND DEATHS. THEREFORE, ENDING EVICTIONS BEFORE THE VIRUS WILL ONLY CAUSE GREATER SPREAD. THIS WOULD HAVE HELD UP IN COURT DUE TO THE BACKING OF THE HEALTH CARE COMMUNITY AND AUTHORITIES IN THE USA.

The United States of America is a legislated-representative democracy. The Executive Branch is to carry out the legislation/LAWS for the people. The judiciary is about upholding the law that is administered by the Executive Branch. The Executive Branch contains all the agencies of the government. Those agencies are supposed to be lead by COMPETENT people to interpret the law and write regulations based on the law.

When the regulations of the Executive Branch are out of step with the law the judiciary reins-in the wayward Executive Branch. An executive branch order be used to replace wayward regulation by the agencies and rapidly change the regulation for relief to the people.

There is no place in the USA Constitution that provides for a king that carries out his own idea of the law. So, no doubt this executive order by Trump will be met with lawsuits because there is a great deal of ambivalence in the wording.

The Trump family of jokers.

 Don, Jr. has had a come to Jesus moment. He said he is an environmentalist and worried about global warming. Amazing. It must have occurred when he became Obsessed with the Tiger King and habitat preservation.

It wasn’t only four years ago, his sister Ivanka had the same come to Jesus moment and asked Al Gore to visit with her at Trump towers when the Russians weren’t there. Al went with good intentions and insight. But, alas, all was lost on the moment and greenhouse gases have increased in Trump’s years in the White House.

Indeed, the Trump family are passionate about so many issues and money. But, passion is only a fleeting moment and all good intentions that got them political attention vaporizes in a matter of seconds or minutes.

The president can't appropriate monies.

Donald John Trump can order the moratorium on evictions nationwide. That is a very big deal. It is about housing, but, it also is to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

The president has a budget he can spend from and if that is the case then he can provide monies to the unemployment checks, but, I doubt it can be $600 per week. He also has OCO funds which are to carry out military actions.

The appropriations of funds belong to the US House and it why it is pushing for "The Heroes Act." The reason the Senate and Trump are opposing "The Heroes Act" is that they want to bankrupt the US Post Office. The USA Constitution guarantees the American people a free (minimal cost for all) and well functioning  Post Office. The US House is correct to address the emergency of the US Post Office during this national health emergency. The US Senate needs to pass "The Heroes Act" and the president needs to sign it.

One thing has to stand out about the US Senate and that is their majority leader. He is enamored with China and Russia. He hails a loyalty to China(click here) through his personal attachments which include enormous about of money McConnell receives every year as allowance and to his political campaign. I am sure McConnell's connection to his wife's family business benefits that shipping company, a transportation industry. Moscow Mitch is also strongly affiliated with Russian oligarchies that provided him with a steel mill to bring jobs to Kentucky citizens. There are all sorts of monies trees within that Russian paradigm and too much to list here. What I find more than interesting is that when Moscow Mitch is faced with the well being of Americans he obstructs nearly every measure to improve American's quality of life including health care during a global pandemic. Obstruction of free and fair elections is what Russia and China are engaged in today. It seems as though obstruction is part of a Moscow Mitch paradigm that works for him as well.

Among other things, the bill (click here)

• provides FY2020 emergency supplemental appropriations to federal agencies;
• provides payments and other assistance to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments;
• provides additional direct payments of up to $1,200 per individual;
• expands paid sick days, family and medical leave, unemployment compensation, nutrition and food assistance programs, housing assistance, and payments to farmers;
• modifies and expands the Paycheck Protection Program, which provides loans and grants to small businesses and nonprofit organizations;
• establishes a fund to award grants for employers to provide pandemic premium pay for essential workers;
• expands several tax credits and deductions;
• provides funding and establishes requirements for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing;
• eliminates cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatments;
• extends and expands the moratorium on certain evictions and foreclosures; and
• requires employers to develop and implement infectious disease exposure control plans.

The bill also modifies or expands a wide range of other programs and policies, including those regarding

• Medicare and Medicaid,
• health insurance,
• broadband service,
• medical product supplies,
• immigration,
• student loans and financial aid,
• the federal workforce,
• prisons,
• veterans benefits,
• consumer protection requirements,
• the U.S. Postal Service,
• federal elections,
• aviation and railroad workers, and
• pension and retirement plans.

Carrying the message of environmental justice. It is a unique burden of the impoverished.

It is also creeping into the Middle Class with a hamstrung EPA and FDA. The lack of due diligence by the government is creating a wave of cancer within the next ten to twenty years.

August 7, 2020

Flint, Michigan (click here) is the site of one of the worst ongoing water crises in recent U.S. history. Artist LaToya Ruby Frazier has spent years capturing the stories of life living with toxic water.

About LaToya Ruby Frazier

LaToya Ruby Frazier is a visual artist. She is a 2015 TED and MacArthur Fellow, and earlier this year she received the Gordon Parks Foundation/Steidl Book Prize.

Her first book, The Notion of Family, received the International Center for Photography Infinity Award. She is also known for Flint Is Family, portraits of three generations of women surviving the man-made water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Following the Flint Is Family project, Frazier partnered with AWG Contracting and Moses West to bring an atmospheric water generator to Flint so that residents could produce their own supply of clean water. It is in its second year of use.

Notable solo exhibitions of Frazier's work have run at Brooklyn Museum, Seattle Art Museum, and Institute Of Contemporary Art, Boston. Her work can also be found in public and private art collections, including those of the Museum of Modern Art....