I am math-impaired, but I know enough to wonder if all the Wuhan virus “experts” yammering about “flattening the curve” understand the concept of the “area under the curve.”
Read the full storyLetter to the Editor: The ‘Area Under the Curve’ Is Us
Tag: Coronavirus
Russia, China, Iran Acting in Tandem to Paint COVID-19 as an American Bioweapon, State Dept Report Suggests
China, Russia and Iran are acting in tandem to promote propaganda suggesting coronavirus is an American bioweapon and that the U.S. economy is buckling under the strain of lockdowns, a State Department report shows.
Read the full storyCommentary: Why Do More Men Die from Coronavirus Than Women?
All over the world – in China, Italy, the United States and Australia – many more men than women are dying from COVID-19.
Read the full storySenator Kerry Roberts Weighs in on What Tennessee’s April Revenues Will Look Like While Davidson County Remains Closed Under Mayor Cooper Rule
Live from Music Row Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined on the line during the program’s second hour by Tennessee state Senator Kerry Roberts.
Read the full storyTwo Ohio Prisons Are Now Largest Known Sources of Coronavirus Infections in America
Two state prisons in Ohio are now the largest reported sources of coronavirus infections in the United States, a New York Times database revealed this week.
Read the full storyOhio Creates Task Force to Address Coronavirus Racial Disparities, Continues to Ignore COVID-19’s Gender Discrepancies
Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday that he created the Minority Health Strike Force due to the coronavirus disproportionately impacting minority groups.
Ohio Department of Health (ODH) data shows that 22 percent of Ohioans who have tested positive for the Chinese virus in Ohio are black, which makes up 14 of the state’s population, according to the governor’s press release.
Read the full storyState of Michigan Rescinds Coronavirus Contact Tracing Contract with Democratic Organization After Backlash
The state of Michigan said on Tuesday that it had canceled a contract connected to its coronavirus contact tracing program after the state received backlash for the organization’s connection with Democratic campaigns.
Read the full storyMinneapolis to Allow Broadcast of Muslim Call to Prayer Over Loudspeakers During Ramadan
Mayor Jacob Frey announced Tuesday that he will allow a mosque in Minneapolis to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer over loudspeakers during the month of Ramadan.
Read the full storyMarsha Blackburn Introduces Stop COVID Act to Hold China Accountable for the Coronavirus
Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Martha McSally (R-AZ) will introduce the Stop China-Originated Viral Infectious Diseases (COVID) Act to ensure the Chinese Communist Party faces consequences for its role in spreading the coronavirus.
This, according to a press release the two women put out Monday.
The two women said the Stop COVID Act will empower Americans to sue China in U.S. court and seek compensation for the harm the virus has caused to the economy and human life, the press release went on to say.
Read the full storyTrump Administration Extends Travel Ban on Mexican Border for Another Month
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the ban on all non-essential travel along the Mexican and Canadian borders will be extended for an additional 30 days.
The governments of Mexico, Canada and the United States mutually agreed to keep their borders closed off to non-essential traffic for another month as they continue to fight the spread of coronavirus, acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf said Monday. The announcement came just two days after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the U.S.-Canada border ban would be extended.
“In close collaboration, the US, Mexico, and Canada have each agreed to extend restrictions on non-essential travel across their shared borders for 30 additional days,” Wolf said in a prepared statement.
Read the full storyMark Green Wants Tennessee’s Small Colleges to Qualify for Coronavirus Loans
On Monday, U.S. Rep. Green (R-TN-07) told the feds that coronavirus relief programs should follow past federal precedents and not exclude Tennessee’s small colleges, which are currently disqualified because of student workers.
Those federal programs, Green said, include the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
Green said in a press release that he sent his request to the Treasury Department and Small Business Administration as it pertains to EIDLs and PPP.
Read the full storyAfter Mocking ‘Liberate Minnesota’ Protest, State Media, Politicians Silent on Minneapolis Gun Violence Demonstration
Minnesota’s political establishment and mainstream media mocked and condemned the Trump-backed protesters who gathered outside the Governor’s Residence Friday, but were silent just two days later when hundreds gathered for a demonstration in Minneapolis.
According to the St. Paul Police Department, an estimated 800 people were in attendance at Friday’s “Liberate Minnesota” protest, which called for an end to Gov. Tim Walz’s stay-at-home order issued in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Read the full storyTrump Says He Received ‘Very Nice Call’ from Minnesota’s Gov. Walz, Despite Tweet Supporting #ReOpenMN
President Donald Trump said on Twitter Monday morning that he received a “very nice call” from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Read the full storyOhio Schools To Remain Closed Through End of School Year, Governor Announces
Ohio schools will stay closed through the rest of the school year, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Monday.
DeWine originally closed the schools starting at the end of March 16. He then extended the order, which was originally slated to end on April 3, to May 1. On Monday, he announced that schools would stay closed through the end of the school year.
“We’ve flattened the curve, but the virus remains. Also, to go back to school now with a relatively small amount of time left — many educators have expressed to me that this wouldn’t be a good idea even if the health situation was resolved,” DeWine said on Twitter. “We have to think about the risk to teachers, students, and our communities.”
Read the full story‘Secret’ COVID-19 Model Touted by Acton and DeWine That Predicted 10,000 Daily Cases on Peak Sunday Was Off by 700 Percent
Ohio’s official coronavirus model was projecting 10,000 new cases for Sunday’s peak, but only 1,317 new cases were reported.
As recently as March 29, the Ohio Department of Health’s forecast was predicting that the coronavirus pandemic would reach its peak in the state on April 19 when 10,000 new cases would be reported, The Ohio Star said.
Read the full storyWhitmer Creates Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer created the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities on Monday in an effort to study how the coronavirus pandemic has “disproportionately impacted communities of color” throughout Michigan.
Although African Americans represent just 13.6 percent of Michigan’s population, they make up 40 percent of deaths from the coronavirus. Nearly 80 percent of residents of the City of Detroit, the area most impacted by the coronavirus, are African American, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Read the full storyAfter Slamming Trump for Not Doing Enough, Pelosi Deletes Video of Herself Encouraging People to Visit Chinatown
After repeatedly accusing the president of not taking the coronavirus seriously early on, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appears to have stealthily removed a video on Twitter of herself in late February encouraging people to come to San Francisco’s Chinatown.
Read the full storyStudy: Coronavirus Has Reduced Fatal Crashes More Than Any Other Event in Recent History
The coronavirus pandemic has led to a substantial drop in traffic fatalities across the United States, a study discovered.
Read the full storyTrump Announces $19 Billion for US Farmers Hurt by Coronavirus
CHICAGO/WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Friday announced a $19 billion relief program to help U.S. farmers cope with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, including $16 billion in direct payments to farmers and ranchers and mass purchases of produce, meat and other products.
Read the full storyRepublicans Have Heard from More Than 1,600 Minnesotans on Plans to Reopen Economy
Minnesota’s Senate Republican Caucus said it received more than 1,600 responses in just two days from small business owners across the state on their ideas for how to safely reopen the economy.
The Republican Caucus created a new online portal Wednesday for “businesses and workers to share feedback on reopening Minnesota’s economy.”
Read the full storyMinnesota Gov. Time Walz Reopens the Outdoors: Golfing, Boating, and Other Activities Allowed with Precautions
Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order Friday, which will expand permissible outdoor activities under his stay-at-home order.
The original order is set to expire on May 3. It allowed outdoor exercise such as walking, running and fishing.
Beginning Saturday, April 18, Minnesotans will be able to golf, boat and hike, provided they follow social distancing guidelines and stay close to home.
Read the full storyHouse Democrat Criticizes Ohio Economic Recovery Task Force for Focusing Solely on Reopening
A top Democrat on the Ohio House’s coronavirus economic recovery task force criticized its Republican chair for gathering “one-sided testimony that only supported the idea of opening Ohio as soon as possible.”
In a statement released last week, Rep. Terrence Upchurch (D-Cleveland), vice chair of the Ohio 2020 Economic Recovery Task Force, voiced frustration with the fact that the committee hasn’t heard from “minorities or women.”
“We were under the impression by the majority that this task-force would be a bipartisan, collaborative effort to map out next steps for the General Assembly’s response to the COVID-19 crisis in Ohio,” he said. “However, it became almost immediately apparent from the agenda and the chosen speakers that this task force was actually designed to gather one-sided testimony that only supported the idea of opening Ohio as soon as possible. This was never a democratic process.”
Read the full storySenate Candidate Jason Lewis Launches ‘Reopen Minnesota for Business’ RV Tour
U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis announced last week that he will be embarking on a “Reopen Minnesota for Business” RV tour in protest of the economic shutdown imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Lewis’ campaign said the tour began Friday with select stops in the Metro area. The former congressman said he plans to meet with small business owners impacted by the coronavirus shutdown throughout the course of the tour.
Read the full storyLawmakers Want to Change the Definition of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles
Legislation pending in the state legislature would change the definitions and reduce fees on hybrid and electric vehicles (EV).
Read the full storyCommentary: Trump Will Win the Post-Pandemic Election
It is by now obvious that the Democrats are determined to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic in a last desperate attempt to get the president. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has launched yet another Trump investigation, said his call to reopen the economy is “sinful,” and colluded with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to block the GOP effort to pass financial aid without which even more Americans will lose their jobs. Meanwhile, the nation’s Democratic governors refuse to ease their job-killing lockdowns, despite indications that the spread of COVID-19 has already passed its peak. The Democrats clearly hope that the resultant recession will cause Trump to lose in November.
Read the full storyTrump Administration Touts Boost in New Coronavirus Testing
President Donald Trump and administration officials indicated that testing for the coronavirus is headed for a big increase, as the administration moves toward reopening the economy.
Read the full storyFacebook Coronavirus ‘Fact Checker’ Worked with Wuhan Virus Lab
Breitbart reports, “Facebook is relying on a ‘fact checker’ that uses ‘expert opinion’ from a researcher who conducted projects with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the biolab next to the wet market in Wuhan where the Chinese virus originated.”
Read the full storyCommentary: Postcards from the Pandemic Show Good Faith Frays
At the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the public was willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the appropriate medical, public health, and government authorities. The public trusted these pandemic policymakers would use solid scientific evidence as the basis to implement the reasonable measures needed to “flatten the curve” and protect the public health.
Read the full storyAfter Struggling for Years, Memphis International Airport Gets Coronavirus Relief Money for Support
Federal officials will lavish nearly $25 million of coronavirus relief money to prop up the Memphis International Airport, even though the facility has struggled for years because far fewer people use it.
Read the full storyOhio Health Director Amy Acton Sued for Ban on Non-Essential Businesses
The Ohio Department of Health was sued in federal court Thursday for its ban on “non-essential businesses” during the coronavirus pandemic.
Read the full storyOnly 13 Percent of Ohioans Have Tested Positive for Coronavirus, Much Lower Than National Average and National Hotspots
Ohio has almost 10,000 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Saturday, according to the Ohio Health Department (ODH). This number may seem like a lot, but the percentage of people testing positive for the Chinese virus remains low in the state.
Read the full storyLawmaker Says Walz Leaving Fate of Minnesota’s Economy in Hands of Multi-State Pact
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced Thursday that he has joined a seven-state compact that will work in “close coordination” on plans to “reopen the economy in the Midwest region.”
Read the full storyCommentary: America Needs a Manhattan Project to Create a Coronavirus Vaccine
There are only two ways human action can get the SARS-CoV-2 virus permanently behind us and return to normal life: we either develop a knock-out therapy that kills the virus dead in people who have contracted it, like powerful antibiotics do with bacterial infections, or we need to develop herd immunity. Without one of those, we are left hoping that the virus simply burns itself out and disappears. That would be foolish. But a knockout drug—a cure—is highly unlikely. There is no such drug for the seasonal flu or for the rhinoviruses that cause the common cold. So while effective therapies should be a part of the strategy to combat the ill effects of this virus, and sensible precautions like masks can prevent its spread, the only way to permanently defeat it is through herd immunity.
Read the full storyTrump Announces Guidelines for ‘Phased and Deliberate Approach’ Allowing Governors to Reopen States
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a plan to allow states to begin reopening their economies in a phased approach.
Read the full storyAnalysis: Crucial Facts About Covid-19
Given the spread of misinformation about Covid-19, Just Facts is providing a trove of rigorously documented facts about this disease and its impacts. These include some vital facts that have been absent or misreported in much of the media’s coverage of this issue.
Read the full storyCrom Carmichael Predicts May 1 for Slow Reopening of the Economy with Crowdlike Events Suffering Most
Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined in studio by all-star panelist Crom Carmichael.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Spanish Flu Aftermath Suggests There’s Hope for America
The coronavirus may be abating. The curve for new cases in New York City has flattened, officials are reporting fewer cases across the country, and the number of deaths from the virus has slackened.
Read the full storyReport: COVID-19 Patients Treated with Remdesivir Have Done ‘Very Well’ in Preliminary Study
COVID-19 patients treated with the drug remdesivir recovered quickly from severe illness in a study conducted at the University of Chicago, according to the medical website STAT News.
Read the full storyNashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga Plan Economic Recovery from Coronavirus
Local officials from Tennessee’s four major cities this week formed a Tennessee Major Metros Economic Restart Task Force to plan and coordinate the restoration of business activity currently suspended due to COVID-19.
Read the full storyReps. Tim Ryan and Ro Khanna Propose Additional Stimulus Checks for Americans
Reps. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) and Ro Khanna (D-CA-17) introduced a bill Tuesday that would provide additional payments to Americans who are struggling during the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.
This week an estimated 80 million Americans started to receive $1,200 stimulus checks from the federal government to help amid these difficult times.
Read the full storyTrump Tweets Support for Hundreds of Minnesotans Who Gathered Friday to Protest Gov. Walz
President Donald Trump expressed his support Friday for the hundreds of Minnesotans who gathered outside the Governor’s Residence in St. Paul to protest Gov. Tim Walz.
Read the full storyOhio Coronavirus Numbers Continue to Fall Short of Projections
The number of confirmed cases in Ohio continues to be far below original estimates, despite earlier predictions for that number to be in the high thousands.
Read the full storyDeWine Calls for Phased-In Reopening Starting May 1 With Restrictions on Workforces
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Dr. Amy Acton on Friday discussed how the state will develop its plan to reopen the economy.
DeWine said, “Ohioans have done a great job, a phenomenal job, fighting back, staying home, ensuring physical distancing. We’ve been doing all the things that needed to be done. I’ve never been prouder to be an Ohioan and I’m very grateful for what you have done. You have flattened the curve.”
Beginning May 1, the state will begin a phased-in reopening of the state economy. The plan will be fact-driven over a long period of time to minimize the health risk to business owners, employees, and customers.
Read the full storyOhioans Protest Gov. DeWine for Third Time in Two Weeks
Protesters gathered outside the Ohio Statehouse in downtown Columbus Friday to protest Gov. Mike DeWine’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic for at least the second time this week.
Read the full storyRepublicans Introduce Bills in House, Senate Limiting Governor’s Emergency Powers
Republican legislators have introduced bills that seek to curb the emergency powers of the governor, including limiting the number of days for which a governor can declare a state of emergency.
Read the full storyRural Lawmakers Ask Walz to Reconsider One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Pandemic
A group of rural Minnesota lawmakers want the governor to reconsider his one-size-fits-all approach to addressing the coronavirus pandemic.
Read the full storyBill Lee Announces New Economic Recovery Group Aimed at Helping Tennessee’s Economy
Gov. Bill Lee announced on Thursday a new economic recovery group aimed at getting Tennessee’s economy going again. “COVID-19 has not only created a public health crisis, it has hurt thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of hardworking Tennesseans,” said Gov. Lee. “As we work to safely open Tennessee’s economy, this group will provide guidance to industries across the state on the best ways to get Tennesseans back to work.” Over the last four weeks, over 324,000 Tennesseans have filed for unemployment benefits, according to WSMV. The group of 30, which is made up of business leaders, state legislators and state officials, is led by Tennessee Department of Tourism Development Commissioner Mark Ezell, according to the governor’s press release. “This public-private partnership will prioritize connection, collaboration, and communication across industries, the medical community and state government,” Ezell said. “We’re grateful to these leaders for serving at a critical time in our state’s history.” This new economic group comes on the same day, President Donald Trump announced his three-step plan to re-open America. In his plan, Trump has given state governors to power to open individually rather than all at once. “All of American society is engaged and mobilized…
Read the full storyCoronavirus Is Ripping Through Rural America
Cases of coronavirus have begun to spike in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota — states where governors have not issued stay-at-home orders.
Read the full storyCommentary: If Larger States Remain Closed, America May Need a Bank Debt Holiday to Avert Another Financial Crisis
Another 5.2 million Americans filed for initial unemployment claims last week, bringing the total number of jobs lost to the Chinese coronavirus and related government closures to anywhere from 21.8 million to 24.8 million jobs lost in about one month, and when added to the 5.8 million who were already jobless, produces an effective unemployment rate of 16.7 to 18.5 percent.
Read the full storyCalifornia Offering $125 Million in Coronavirus Assistance to Illegal Aliens
California will dole out $125 million in coronavirus assistance to illegal aliens living in the state, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a press briefing Wednesday.
Read the full story