Covid-19 Tests Become Mandatory on Entrance to Bulgaria ...
Bulgaria drops quarantine for passengers from most ...
bulgaria quarantine status
bulgaria quarantine status - win
International Travel Bans Imposed on the UK
The UK has seen a number of international travel bans imposed on its citizens in the past 24 hours. In order to keep the number of threads to a minimum please post any comments you have below. Current list of countries that have imposed bans - durations included where known (thanks u/memeleta!)
Argentina (midnight Tuesday for 2 weeks)
Austria (from midnight, Tuesday 22 December)
Belgium (24h in the first instance)
Bulgaria (from 00:00 on 21 December until 31 January 2021)
~~Spain - have opted not to, plan to use testing instead ~~
Czech Republic introduces obligatory quarantine & PCR test
Greece has extended the quarantine for arrival from the UK to 7 days (instead of 3 days for everyone else)
Note: if you post links below confirming any other countries with travel bans I can update the OP. Please share links as it will make it easier for everyone if the source of the info is provided. Please could you also confirm in your message the start date, end date if known etc. Then I can provide more helpful info in the OP. I’m on childcare duty of little ones so will need help with this! Thank you all so much for making this sub a great resource for all. 😊 OP last updated 19:02 21/12/2020
We contend the current share price eliminates the downside risk in the story and represents an asymmetric risk/reward profile.
The CEO’s family owns over 28% of the Company and based on our interactions is eager to recreate the value creation that occurred in 2013 and 2014.
While none of its coronavirus tracking pilots have materialized into a formal, large scale contract, news is gaining momentum in the Company’s backyard, Israel.
We view the base level value of the Company to be $7.00 per share based on a multi-year estimate that revenues will rebound back to $35mm.
Sabra Capital Partners, LLC has a high conviction position (33% of portfolio – we do not suggest others follow suit) in Supercom (SPCB; $1.20) after owning a position in this Company at various times over the past decade. We last wrote about Supercom in July 2017 at $3.00 per share, believing it would hit $5 per share. It did at the end of the 2017 but a series of missteps and a disregard for its shareholders created a vacuum of interest by investors leading its stock to a low of $0.25 per share in the aftermath of the covid sell-off last year. However, we believe the future for the company is brighter than any time in its recent history and expect intermediate trends to generate a multi-bag tailwind for shares in Supercom. Fortunately for new investors, liquidity in the stock over the past year has been fairly abundant for a small-cap company so building and exiting a position should not be a barrier to entry. We are comfortable putting on a 33% position for the following reasons: 1) we are highly risk tolerant and arguably foolish in our capital allocation; 2) the Company’s business model and revenues are highly recurring with enviable gross margins; 3) we maintain revenues hit an inflection point in 2020 and will exhibit an impressive growth trajectory over the years to come, providing justification for an expanding valuation multiple; 4) current cheap valuation; and 5) a new CEO who successfully built an impressive U.S. business and is committed to returning to timely reporting at the corporate level. The Company currently trades at a discount to its book value and 2.0x our projected 2021 sales. These valuation levels indicate a company that is out of favor and declining. Conversely, we envision that the next 3 years will be far different than the past 3 years. We expect SPCB to rebuild investor confidence through timely communications and outreach with investors while building value over time through new contracts. As the Company expands its base of business, we believe Supercom will raise shareholder friendly capital to pursue larger contracts thereby creating a virtuous cycle. We view the base level value of the Company to be $7.00 per share based on a multi-year estimate that revenues will rebound back to $35mm. Moreover, the Company’s shift to a higher quality revenue mix from enterprise and developed markets creates more dependable business patterns going forward. We contend the current share price eliminates the downside risk in the story and represents an asymmetric risk/reward profile. In addition, the CEO’s family owns over 28% of the Company and based on our interactions is eager to recreate the value creation that occurred in 2013 and 2014 Our long thesis can be summarized as follows:
Business Segment Details:
Supercom’s IoT division provides electronic offender monitoring and tracking (“EM”). Supercom entered the space with the acquisition of Leaders in Community Alternatives (LCA) on January 1, 2016 for $2.9mm. At the time, this division did $9.0mm in sales and provided the Company a vital presence in California. We note the revenue run-rate of this division was impaired by the staggered shutdown of the courts throughout 2020. Without the courts operating on schedule, there are fewer cases approved for EM. We believe court closures will be less frequent in 2021 and the burgeoning growth prospects for EM in the U.S. will be more apparent. Historically the Company won 65% of bids in Europe despite reduced sales and marketing efforts. The Company’s success rate is due to its superior technology (i.e. longer battery life of 1-3 years compared to 1-2 days for competitors; seamless communication with the phone; biometric authentication) and strong word of mouth. Supercom earns a $3-4 daily rate for its devices depending on configuration and carries a 70% gross margin. The Company also earns a servicing fee of $12-25 per day in California based on an income sliding scale which delivers 30-40% gross margins. We expect the Company to roll-up/acquire more servicing companies in other U.S. geographies to create a fully integrated model/offering. As a note, most of Supercom’s contract wins range between 20-200 units in the initial six months of the contract. With a better capitalized balance sheet, we are optimistic Supercom would be well positioned to successfully bid on large potential contracts with thousands of units in the first stage, creating a paradigm shift for its operations. The Company’s e-Gov division provides governments with a comprehensive, end-to-end solution for the deployment and management of secure government identity programs (i.e. passports, driver’s license, etc.). Supercom’s solutions are deployed across over 20 countries. The Company has shifted away from this business as all major deployment and implementation projects have been completed. Currently, this division generates a modest level of high margin, recurring revenues through consumable sales, software licenses as well as maintenance and support services. These recurring revenues generally last over ten years from the initial deployment. We do not expect this business to be a meaningful contributor to growth in the foreseeable future. The Company’s Cyber Security division was created following two acquisitions. Supercom bought Prevision for $1.1mm in November 2015 and Safend for minimal working capital out of bankruptcy in March 2016. The Cyber Security division benefits from synergistic technologies and a shared customer base with its other divisions, creating strong cross-selling opportunities. We expect this business segment to become a greater focus for the company once its EM division matures further given the threats facing data integrity and strategic assets.
Coronavirus Tracking – One Massive Near-term Opportunity Worth Monitoring:
Supercom announced five (5) pilots to countries in the Middle East, Central and South America for coronavirus quarantine home containment in 2020. While none of the pilots have materialized into a formal, large scale contract, news is gaining momentum in the Company’s backyard, Israel. Due to various segments of Israel’s population blatantly disregarding quarantine rules and its inability to contain the virus to-date despite a highly touted vaccination program, the discussion to utilize the Supercom’s technology has intensified. Israelis are known to be avid travelers, bringing variations of the virus back home with them. To combat this problem, Israel has shut its borders to all travelers over the past week, even its own citizens seeking to return. This is clearly not a long-term solution despite Israelis refusing to stay isolated in coronavirus hotels (on the state’s dime) or abide by mandated travel restrictions once home. Many view the GPS tracking option to be a strong alternative to minimize the spread of the virus from abroad and to enforce fines on those travelers disregarding the rules. It seems like Israel will make a critical decision in the coming weeks whether it will require these devices on returning travelers. If approved, this will represent the biggest contract in Supercom’s history and immediately lift the Company into the stratosphere. To illustrate the magnitude of the opportunity, nearly 5 million travelers passed thru the main airport in 2020, despite the coronavirus pandemic. Given the recent normalization of ties with other countries (i.e. UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, etc.), it seems that Israelis are even more motivated to travel. In the event of approval, we would caution investors that government approval to impose GPS trackers on its citizens would face numerous legal challenges. The government did approve tracing Israelis on their phones in order to alert people who had come into contact with the coronavirus under a temporary special coronavirus surveillance power.
Traditional EM Opportunity:
Excluding corona-related opportunities, the market potential for Supercom’s traditional EM solution is enormous and we expect this business unit to provide a stable, recurring, high-growth engine for the next several years. In the last five weeks of 2020, the Company announced the securing of 4 separate EM projects in the U.S. and the commencement of another project in Latvia. We expect additional contract wins are forthcoming. The tailwinds for this business are unlikely to abate in the U.S, especially under Democratic leadership, or abroad in the near-future. The primary drivers include prison overcrowding, a shift toward decriminalizing drug use, a reduction in recidivism as well as substantial cost savings for the penal system. One of Biden’s first executive orders was to eliminate the Justice Department’s use of private prisons. We foresee the cost-benefit analysis of shifting toward EM solutions will become a widely supported trend worldwide. Supercom provides all the essential hardware and software for the EM market including the phone, bracelet and house unit. In Europe, the Company’s customers generally use the house unit whereas in the U.S., the phone is more widely provided. The Company has publicly disclosed contracts in Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Bulgaria, Sweden, Estonia and Latvia in Europe and various local/municipal agencies in the U.S. While the Company has enjoyed early success capturing business in Europe by beating out incumbent providers, the U.S. seems to have the most upside potency for the Company. Either way, provided the current size of the Company, any meaningful contract wins will move the growth needle.
Hyper Growth Ahead:
After a covid impacted 2020, we believe results will bounce back sharply in 2021 and beyond with accelerating results factoring the above discussed tailwinds in its largest business. While the company has impressively rightsized its operations (headcount reductions, etc.) for its current business trends, we expect the Company to capitalize on the burgeoning EM opportunity ahead of it by boosting its manpower and resources. This may create cash flow deficits in the quarters to come. Nonetheless, we have strong confidence investors will reward Supercom with a higher valuation once its strong growth potential/profile becomes more apparent. If successful, the Company will be able to readily tap the capital markets to shore up its balance sheet which will inevitably lead to bigger contract opportunities. https://preview.redd.it/7lswezudxpf61.png?width=443&format=png&auto=webp&s=a6a8ac7fc365ca76e8c67b07db142115687375bc Source: Company Filings and Sabra Capital Research Note: Excludes share-based compensation and amortization Given the strong business mix and visibility, the Company’s run-rate revenue is on the cusp of a multi-year revival in our opinion. We conservatively forecast $20.2mm and $27.0mm in revenues for 2021 and 2022, respectively. Pro-forma gross margins will follow the same path and exceed 60% as economies of scale work in the Company’s favor with increased size. We are optimistic Supercom will return to timely reporting which will make a small contribution toward improved investor confidence. Successive reported quarters of accelerating revenue growth will be a larger contributor.
Massive Upside:
We conclude that Supercom’s current trading level provides a compelling entry point considering its improving fundamentals and efforts to regain credibility. For the past three years, investors have been frustrated with an apathetic management team that drifted from standard reporting and regular earnings conference calls. In fact, Supercom has yet to file its annual report on time since 2015. The last two years were especially abhorrent with filings in the last 30 days of the following year. These factors have contributed to a large and persistent discount on its shares to forgotten status. However, we believe the new CEO is energized to resolve these issues promptly and permanently. Provided the Company’s compelling prospects, market positioning and industry tailwinds, we contend the risk at these levels is limited and view the equity as a multi-bag story in its infancy. If management executes on its strategy and the growth story materializes, we are confident investors will reward the Company with significant multiple expansion. With expanding market multiples across the board, it is difficult to unearth asymmetric opportunities such as Supercom. At 2.0x trough estimated 2021 sales, Supercom is a cheap growth vehicle. Additionally, Supercom has morphed into a predictable business model with recurring revenues and high gross margins. Similar businesses fetch revenue multiples well into the mid-single digits. Based on a similar revenue multiple of 4.5x forecasted 2023 sales of $35mm, Supercom is worth ~$7.00 per share. As investor confidence in the story builds, we would not be surprised with additional multiple expansion. Of course, a large contract would accelerate its path toward our price target and justify a higher price. As such, we are confident in establishing Supercom as a 33% position. Source: https://seekingalpha.com/article/4402829-supercom-explosive-potential-limited-downside
New DD, $ SPCB, great potential penny stock, will fly soon!
SPCB is a Israel company and has been running since 1988, it had good years and bad years, last a few years it didn't do well, but since has changed in 2020, there are some many great news and named a new CEO&President, the future for the company is brighter than any time in its recent history and expect intermediate trends to generate a multi-bag tailwind for shares in Supercom. From Seeking Alpha：
Summary
We contend the current share price eliminates the downside risk in the story and represents an asymmetric risk/reward profile.
The CEO’s family owns over 28% of the Company and based on our interactions is eager to recreate the value creation that occurred in 2013 and 2014.
While none of its coronavirus tracking pilots have materialized into a formal, large scale contract, news is gaining momentum in the Company’s backyard, Israel.
We view the base level value of the Company to be $7.00 per share based on a multi-year estimate that revenues will rebound back to $35mm.
Sabra Capital Partners, LLC has a high conviction position (33% of portfolio – we do not suggest others follow suit) in Supercom (SPCB; $1.20) after owning a position in this Company at various times over the past decade. We last wrote about Supercom in July 2017 at $3.00 per share, believing it would hit $5 per share. It did at the end of the 2017 but a series of missteps and a disregard for its shareholders created a vacuum of interest by investors leading its stock to a low of $0.25 per share in the aftermath of the covid sell-off last year. However, we believe the future for the company is brighter than any time in its recent history and expect intermediate trends to generate a multi-bag tailwind for shares in Supercom. Fortunately for new investors, liquidity in the stock over the past year has been fairly abundant for a small-cap company so building and exiting a position should not be a barrier to entry. We are comfortable putting on a 33% position for the following reasons: 1) we are highly risk tolerant and arguably foolish in our capital allocation; 2) the Company’s business model and revenues are highly recurring with enviable gross margins; 3) we maintain revenues hit an inflection point in 2020 and will exhibit an impressive growth trajectory over the years to come, providing justification for an expanding valuation multiple; 4) current cheap valuation; and 5) a new CEO who successfully built an impressive U.S. business and is committed to returning to timely reporting at the corporate level. The Company currently trades at a discount to its book value and 2.0x our projected 2021 sales. These valuation levels indicate a company that is out of favor and declining. Conversely, we envision that the next 3 years will be far different than the past 3 years. We expect SPCB to rebuild investor confidence through timely communications and outreach with investors while building value over time through new contracts. As the Company expands its base of business, we believe Supercom will raise shareholder friendly capital to pursue larger contracts thereby creating a virtuous cycle. We view the base level value of the Company to be $7.00 per share based on a multi-year estimate that revenues will rebound back to $35mm. Moreover, the Company’s shift to a higher quality revenue mix from enterprise and developed markets creates more dependable business patterns going forward. We contend the current share price eliminates the downside risk in the story and represents an asymmetric risk/reward profile. In addition, the CEO’s family owns over 28% of the Company and based on our interactions is eager to recreate the value creation that occurred in 2013 and 2014 Our long thesis can be summarized as follows:
Business Segment Details:
Supercom’s IoT division provides electronic offender monitoring and tracking (“EM”). Supercom entered the space with the acquisition of Leaders in Community Alternatives (LCA) on January 1, 2016 for $2.9mm. At the time, this division did $9.0mm in sales and provided the Company a vital presence in California. We note the revenue run-rate of this division was impaired by the staggered shutdown of the courts throughout 2020. Without the courts operating on schedule, there are fewer cases approved for EM. We believe court closures will be less frequent in 2021 and the burgeoning growth prospects for EM in the U.S. will be more apparent. Historically the Company won 65% of bids in Europe despite reduced sales and marketing efforts. The Company’s success rate is due to its superior technology (i.e. longer battery life of 1-3 years compared to 1-2 days for competitors; seamless communication with the phone; biometric authentication) and strong word of mouth. Supercom earns a $3-4 daily rate for its devices depending on configuration and carries a 70% gross margin. The Company also earns a servicing fee of $12-25 per day in California based on an income sliding scale which delivers 30-40% gross margins. We expect the Company to roll-up/acquire more servicing companies in other U.S. geographies to create a fully integrated model/offering. As a note, most of Supercom’s contract wins range between 20-200 units in the initial six months of the contract. With a better capitalized balance sheet, we are optimistic Supercom would be well positioned to successfully bid on large potential contracts with thousands of units in the first stage, creating a paradigm shift for its operations. The Company’s e-Gov division provides governments with a comprehensive, end-to-end solution for the deployment and management of secure government identity programs (i.e. passports, driver’s license, etc.). Supercom’s solutions are deployed across over 20 countries. The Company has shifted away from this business as all major deployment and implementation projects have been completed. Currently, this division generates a modest level of high margin, recurring revenues through consumable sales, software licenses as well as maintenance and support services. These recurring revenues generally last over ten years from the initial deployment. We do not expect this business to be a meaningful contributor to growth in the foreseeable future. The Company’s Cyber Security division was created following two acquisitions. Supercom bought Prevision for $1.1mm in November 2015 and Safend for minimal working capital out of bankruptcy in March 2016. The Cyber Security division benefits from synergistic technologies and a shared customer base with its other divisions, creating strong cross-selling opportunities. We expect this business segment to become a greater focus for the company once its EM division matures further given the threats facing data integrity and strategic assets.
Coronavirus Tracking – One Massive Near-term Opportunity Worth Monitoring:
Supercom announced five (5) pilots to countries in the Middle East, Central and South America for coronavirus quarantine home containment in 2020. While none of the pilots have materialized into a formal, large scale contract, news is gaining momentum in the Company’s backyard, Israel. Due to various segments of Israel’s population blatantly disregarding quarantine rules and its inability to contain the virus to-date despite a highly touted vaccination program, the discussion to utilize the Supercom’s technology has intensified. Israelis are known to be avid travelers, bringing variations of the virus back home with them. To combat this problem, Israel has shut its borders to all travelers over the past week, even its own citizens seeking to return. This is clearly not a long-term solution despite Israelis refusing to stay isolated in coronavirus hotels (on the state’s dime) or abide by mandated travel restrictions once home. Many view the GPS tracking option to be a strong alternative to minimize the spread of the virus from abroad and to enforce fines on those travelers disregarding the rules. It seems like Israel will make a critical decision in the coming weeks whether it will require these devices on returning travelers. If approved, this will represent the biggest contract in Supercom’s history and immediately lift the Company into the stratosphere. To illustrate the magnitude of the opportunity, nearly 5 million travelers passed thru the main airport in 2020, despite the coronavirus pandemic. Given the recent normalization of ties with other countries (i.e. UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, etc.), it seems that Israelis are even more motivated to travel. In the event of approval, we would caution investors that government approval to impose GPS trackers on its citizens would face numerous legal challenges. The government did approve tracing Israelis on their phones in order to alert people who had come into contact with the coronavirus under a temporary special coronavirus surveillance power.
Traditional EM Opportunity:
Excluding corona-related opportunities, the market potential for Supercom’s traditional EM solution is enormous and we expect this business unit to provide a stable, recurring, high-growth engine for the next several years. In the last five weeks of 2020, the Company announced the securing of 4 separate EM projects in the U.S. and the commencement of another project in Latvia. We expect additional contract wins are forthcoming. The tailwinds for this business are unlikely to abate in the U.S, especially under Democratic leadership, or abroad in the near-future. The primary drivers include prison overcrowding, a shift toward decriminalizing drug use, a reduction in recidivism as well as substantial cost savings for the penal system. One of Biden’s first executive orders was to eliminate the Justice Department’s use of private prisons. We foresee the cost-benefit analysis of shifting toward EM solutions will become a widely supported trend worldwide. Supercom provides all the essential hardware and software for the EM market including the phone, bracelet and house unit. In Europe, the Company’s customers generally use the house unit whereas in the U.S., the phone is more widely provided. The Company has publicly disclosed contracts in Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Bulgaria, Sweden, Estonia and Latvia in Europe and various local/municipal agencies in the U.S. While the Company has enjoyed early success capturing business in Europe by beating out incumbent providers, the U.S. seems to have the most upside potency for the Company. Either way, provided the current size of the Company, any meaningful contract wins will move the growth needle.
Hyper Growth Ahead:
After a covid impacted 2020, we believe results will bounce back sharply in 2021 and beyond with accelerating results factoring the above discussed tailwinds in its largest business. While the company has impressively rightsized its operations (headcount reductions, etc.) for its current business trends, we expect the Company to capitalize on the burgeoning EM opportunity ahead of it by boosting its manpower and resources. This may create cash flow deficits in the quarters to come. Nonetheless, we have strong confidence investors will reward Supercom with a higher valuation once its strong growth potential/profile becomes more apparent. If successful, the Company will be able to readily tap the capital markets to shore up its balance sheet which will inevitably lead to bigger contract opportunities. 📷 Source: Company Filings and Sabra Capital Research Note: Excludes share-based compensation and amortization Given the strong business mix and visibility, the Company’s run-rate revenue is on the cusp of a multi-year revival in our opinion. We conservatively forecast $20.2mm and $27.0mm in revenues for 2021 and 2022, respectively. Pro-forma gross margins will follow the same path and exceed 60% as economies of scale work in the Company’s favor with increased size. We are optimistic Supercom will return to timely reporting which will make a small contribution toward improved investor confidence. Successive reported quarters of accelerating revenue growth will be a larger contributor.
Massive Upside:
We conclude that Supercom’s current trading level provides a compelling entry point considering its improving fundamentals and efforts to regain credibility. For the past three years, investors have been frustrated with an apathetic management team that drifted from standard reporting and regular earnings conference calls. In fact, Supercom has yet to file its annual report on time since 2015. The last two years were especially abhorrent with filings in the last 30 days of the following year. These factors have contributed to a large and persistent discount on its shares to forgotten status. However, we believe the new CEO is energized to resolve these issues promptly and permanently. Provided the Company’s compelling prospects, market positioning and industry tailwinds, we contend the risk at these levels is limited and view the equity as a multi-bag story in its infancy. If management executes on its strategy and the growth story materializes, we are confident investors will reward the Company with significant multiple expansion. With expanding market multiples across the board, it is difficult to unearth asymmetric opportunities such as Supercom. At 2.0x trough estimated 2021 sales, Supercom is a cheap growth vehicle. Additionally, Supercom has morphed into a predictable business model with recurring revenues and high gross margins. Similar businesses fetch revenue multiples well into the mid-single digits. Based on a similar revenue multiple of 4.5x forecasted 2023 sales of $35mm, Supercom is worth ~$7.00 per share. As investor confidence in the story builds, we would not be surprised with additional multiple expansion. Of course, a large contract would accelerate its path toward our price target and justify a higher price. As such, we are confident in establishing Supercom as a 33% position.
🇮🇱 - Israel is barring entry to non-citizens arriving from the UK, Denmark, and South Africa to avoid importing the new virus mutation. Israeli citizens arriving from those countries will need to isolate for 14-days.
🇧🇬 - Bulgaria will suspend all flights to and from the UK from midnight tonight until January 31, reports Reuters. The government had initially decided on a 10-day quarantine but has now opted for the temporary suspension.
🇮🇪 - Ireland will suspend flights from Britain from midnight until Tuesday, following a cabinet review.
🇩🇪 - Germany has also announced a travel suspension until January 31 from the UK. Exemptions to the ban are the repatriation of aeroplanes and their crews, alongside, flights with medical personnel.
🇫🇷 - France has announced a 48-hour travel suspension from the UK.
Recent Updates Note: These are the updates from the last 48-72 hours. MARCH 13 -
It’s a ‘false hope’ coronavirus will disappear in the summer like the flu, WHO says. Read more here.
Europe is now the "epicentre" of the global coronavirus pandemic, the head of the World Health Organization says. Read more here.
Spain, which has second-highest number of cases in Europe after Italy, joins other countries in declaring emergency. Read more here.
Canada is warning against all international travel and is limiting inbound flights as part of a series of measures to limit the spread of COVID-19. Additionally, the wife of Prime Minister Trudeau has tested positive for coronavirus. Read more here.
The Masters, which brings together the world's best golfers in April for the year's first major, has been postponed because of concerns about coronavirus. Read more here.
No cruises will be leaving U.S. coasts for a month. President Trump tweeted Friday evening that Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and MSC were suspending outbound cruises for 30 days, at his request. Read more here.
MARCH 12 -
The Australian Grand Prix has been called off, throwing the rest of the F1 season into doubt. Read more here.
Disney is closing Disneyland and California Adventure, its theme parks in Anaheim, California, because of the coronavirus outbreak.Read more here. Disney World in Florida will also be closed. Read more here.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will self-quarantine “out of an abundance of caution” while his wife Sophie Grégoire undergoes testing for novel coronavirus. Read more here. Ontario public schools are also closing for 2 weeks. Read about that here.
The entire country of Norway is 'shutting down'. Read more here.
All three major US indexes closed more than 9% lower. The Dow Jones industrial average, which closed in a bear market on Wednesday, dropped 10%. That marked its biggest single-day decline since Black Monday in 1987. Read more here.
The Federal Reserve on Thursday announced it would inject $1.5 trillion into short-term markets to offset the economic impact of the Wuhan coronavirus. Read more here.
U.S. states have started to close public schools. Ohio and Maryland are the first to do so. Read more here.
More sporting events and seasons are being cancelled and suspended. March Madness has been cancelled, NHL has suspended its season, MLS has suspended its season for 30 days, and MLB has suspended spring training and delayed opening day by atleast 2 weeks.
MARCH 11 -
The World Health Organization has declared the Coronavirus a global pandemic. Read more here.
A U.S. Senate staffer in Sen. Maria Cantwell's D.C. office has been confirmed to have coronavirus. See the tweet here.
Italy announced that they are expanding their quarantine. All shops will be shuttered except supermarkets, food stores and chemists, and companies must close all their departments that are not essential to production. Services such as hairdressers and beauty parlours will also be closed, along with bars and restaurants that cannot guarantee they can keep a distance of at least one metre between customers. Read more here.
Britain, Italy announce multi-billion dollar war chests to fight coronavirus. Read more here. Canada and the US have also announced funding to fight the coronavirus.
Nationwide school closures in 22 countries have interrupted learning for more than 372 million students from primary to tertiary levels, including 58.6 million in universities and other post-secondary institutions, according to Unesco. The majority are in China. Read more here.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that up to 70% of the country's population - some 58 million people - could contract the coronavirus. Read more here.
Google parent company Alphabet is recommending that all of its North America employees work from home through April 10 due to coronavirus. Read more here.
Major events are being cancelled all over the United States, including E3 and Rodeo Houston.
Ukraine's government decided on Wednesday to ban mass gatherings and close schools for three weeks in a bid to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Read more here.
Hungary’s government declared a state of emergency to help deal with the coronavirus outbreak, closing university campuses and banning large gatherings. Read more here.
13 US states so far have declared states of emergency in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Read more here.
President Trump just addressed the nation from the Oval Office. Watch the address here. During the address, he said all travel from Europe would be suspended for the next 30 days. The new rules will go into effect on Friday at midnight, and the United Kingdom will be exempt. Read more here. President Trump also announced that:
Insurance companies have agreed to waive copays on coronavirus tests and treatments, and to extend coverage to such treatments.Here is a tweet correcting this statement by the President. - Insurance companies have not agreed to extend coverage for treatment or waive those costs.
The tax filing deadline will be extended for some Americans. He did not provide more details.
He also called on Congress to provide Americans with “immediate payroll tax relief.”
He said he would be soon taking emergency action to provide financial relief for workers who are quarantined or caring for others due to coronavirus. Details were also scarce about the specifics of this.
The tax filing extension could provide up to $200 billion of liquidity that the government can make available to impacted businesses in the form of low interest loans.
People over 60 and those with severe chronic heart, lung, or kidney disease stay at home as much as possible and avoid crowds. Read more here.
Travelers, particularly those who are older and/or have underlying health issues, should “defer all cruise ship travel worldwide”. The CDC also notes that “cruise ship passengers are at increased risk of person-to-person spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19". Read more here.
New Countries reporting cases their first cases this week: Note 1: The list starts fresh each Monday. Note 2: This list is pulled from the WHO's daily situation reports (linked above).
Bulgaria
Costa Rica
Faroe Islands
French Guiana
Maldives
Martinique
Republic of Moldova
Bangladesh
Albania
Paraguay
Brunei Darussalam
Mongolia
Cyprus
Guernsey
Panama
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
Jamaica
Burkina Faso
Democratic Republic of the Congo
French Polynesia
Turkey
Honduras
Côte d’Ivoire
Jersey
Réunion
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Cuba
Guyana
Over 100 countries have now reported lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19.
And for those too lazy to click on the University of Chicago Med resource, here are some of the answers to commonly asked questions:
What is a coronavirus? What is a novel coronavirus?
A coronavirus is actually the name for a set of illnesses, including the common cold and other respiratory infections. A novel coronavirus means it’s a new virus that originated in animals, but has jumped to humans. This particular 2019 novel coronavirus from Wuhan is called COVID-19 or 2019-nCoV.
How does the COVID-19 spread?
This virus is really transmissible and can spread easily from person to person even before a person develops symptoms. It’s carried on respiratory droplets when we talk, sneeze, and cough and these can land on surfaces or in someone’s mouth or nose. When it comes to respiratory droplets, 6 feet is the magic distance. That’s how far these tiny, infected droplets can travel. Being within 6 feet of someone who is sick can get you or your personal space contaminated with COVID-19. When droplets land on surfaces, we can pick them up with our hands and transfer them to our eyes, mouth, and nose when we touch our faces. This is why hand hygiene is so important. Respiratory secretions (like snot and sputum) are also infectious so cover your coughs and sneezes.
What are the symptoms of the virus? Is it deadly?
It typically causes flu-like symptoms. Some patients — particularly the elderly and others with other chronic health conditions — develop a severe form of pneumonia. Patients develop symptoms like fever, muscle and body aches, cough, and sore throat about 5-6 days after infection. Most people will feel pretty miserable for a week and get better on their own. Some people won’t get as sick, but it’s still important not to be out and about, so as not to spread the disease. A minority of patients will get worse instead of better. This usually happens after 5-7 days of illness and these patients will have more shortness of breath and worsening cough. If this happens, it’s time to contact your doctor again or even go to an emergency room. Be sure to call first so they know you are coming. The numbers of people who have been diagnosed and how many have died are changing daily. As of early March, there have been over 97,000 confirmed cases, with a death toll of about 3,000 (more than 2,900 in mainland China). But these numbers are just estimates; it’s still unclear how many people have actually been infected worldwide. Most of the deaths have been in adults over 60 years old who had other health concerns.
Are we all at risk for catching this new coronavirus (2019-nCoV)?
Yes. It doesn’t appear anyone is naturally immune to this particular virus and there’s no reason to believe anybody has antibodies that would normally protect them. The lack of previous experience with this pathogen is part of the reason why public health officials around the globe are working so hard to contain the spread of this particular coronavirus from Wuhan. When viruses come out like this that are both new (which means the population is highly susceptible) and can easily pass from person to person (a high transmission rate), they can be really dangerous — even if here’s a low percentage of people who die from them.
Why do some people with the COVID-19 get sicker than others?
It looks like only about 20% of people who contract this novel coronavirus need to be hospitalized. The other 80% get what feels like a bad cold and recover at home. A lot of this has to do with underlying medical conditions. People who are more vulnerable to any kind of infection — because of their age or chronic health conditions — are more at risk for getting really sick from COVID-19. That said, some otherwise healthy people do seem to be getting sicker from this infection than we would expect. We don’t understand why that is or what might be different about these patients. If you have COVID-19 and you are getting sicker and sicker instead of better and better, you should contact your doctor or visit an ER. Be sure to call first so they know to expect you.
What kind of medical care do patients with COVID-19 need?
About 80% of people who contract this new coronavirus will feel sick, but ultimately be just fine. It’s the 20% of COVID-19 patients who get really, really sick that worry many of us in the infectious diseases field. A lot of these critically ill patients wind up needing to be hospitalized for their pneumonia-like illnesses. They typically require critical care and ventilation — special machines that help them breathe. And some need to stay on ventilators for weeks at a time. It’s this portion of patients that is most concerning. Depending on how many cases develop here in the U.S., providing that level of care for so many people over a number of weeks runs the risk of overwhelming the nation’s health care system pretty quickly. We can help prevent this kind of “surge” in patients by practicing social distancing (see below for more explanation).
Should people be more concerned about the seasonal flu or COVID-19?
There’s widespread seasonal flu activity going on right now all around the U.S. But there are steps you can take to protect yourself from influenza. You can get an annual flu shot. You can take medication like Tamiflu that protects you from getting influenza after you’ve been exposed. You can cover your mouth and wash your hands to mitigate the spread. And, like clockwork, this year’s influenza strain is going to die out in the spring because it will have run its course. The challenge with COVID-19 is that we probably can’t contain it and we don’t know if we’re really prepared as a country for a massive coronavirus epidemic. If we are lucky, it will slow down a bit over the summer but the next few months look like they are going to be pretty tough for all of us. We need to be as ready as we can for whatever comes our way and know that we will get through it eventually.
How can I protect myself? Should I wear a facemask?
Take the preventive actions you do for the cold and flu. This includes avoiding close contact with people who are sick; not touching your eyes, nose and mouth; washing your hands thoroughly and frequently; and cleaning and disinfecting objects and surfaces you come in contact with regularly. The CDC does not recommend you wear a facemask to protect yourself from getting COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses. Those who have COVID-19 and/or are showing symptoms should wear a mask to protect others from getting the virus. Any healthcare worker taking care of someone infected with COVID-19 also should wear a mask.
Can I take an antibiotic or vaccinate against the virus?
There is no antibiotic (they are designed for bacterial infections, not viral ones) to treat COVID-19. Scientists are already working on a vaccine, but we don’t expect to have a good vaccine until spring of 2021 at the earliest. However, ongoing trials in China suggest that there are some existing antiviral drugs that may be helpful for the sickest patients. In fact, the University of Chicago is part of a multi-institutional team that has mapped a protein of SARS-CoV-2 and found drugs previously in development for SARS could be effective for COVID-19. For now, doctors can only treat the symptoms, not the virus itself.
COVID-19 has now infected more than 111,363 people. There have been 3,892 confirmed deaths and 62,375confirmed recoveries attributed to the virus.
Recent Updates Note: These are the updates from the last 48-72 hours. MARCH 8 and 9 -
Ireland is expected to cancel all St. Patrick's Day parades/festivities. Dublin and Cork have already canceled. Read more here.
Iran temporarily released about 70,000 prisoners because of the coronavirus contagion, as the death toll rose by 43 new fatalities to 237. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia temporarily suspended land and sea travel to and from Oman, France, Germany, Turkey and Spain for citizens and residents to help stem the spread of coronavirus. Earlier suspensions include the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, South Korea, Egypt, Italy and Iraq. Read more here.
The U.S. death toll reached 21 on Sunday, with 554 confirmed cases across 34 states and the District of Columbia. All but three of the deaths have been in Washington state; two were in Florida and one in California. Read more here.
China reports the fewest number of coronavirus cases since it started tracking the disease in January. Read more here.
France on Sunday banned gathering of more than 1,000 people as the death toll and number of coronavirus infections continued to rise. Read more and see ongoing updates here.
Rick Cotton, head of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs NY’s airports, has tested positive for the new coronavirus. See the tweet here.
President Trump tweeted this on the morning of March 9:
So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!
Sen. Ted Cruz interacted with person who has tested positive for coronavirus. Cruz said he feels fine and is not showing symptoms of the coronavirus, but will self-quarantine out of an abundance of caution. Read more here.
MARCH 7 -
Italy is set to lock down at least 16 million people in the region of Lombardy and in 11 other provinces in the north and east of the country. The mandatory quarantine will last until early April. Read more here.
Iranian official who took part in 1979 Iran hostage crisis dies of coronavirus. He is the sixth politician or government official to be killed by the virus in Iran. Read more here.
About 70 people were trapped after a hotel being used as a coronavirus quarantine facility in the Chinese city of Quanzhou collapsed. Read more here.
Authorities in the United States have reported 434 cases of the coronavirus and 19 deaths, according to data compiled by NBC News. Several states have declared emergencies in response to the virus, including California, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Utah and Washington. Pennsylvania has issued a disaster declaration and the city of Austin, Texas has issued a local disaster declaration. Read more here.
CPAC attendee tests positive for coronavirus. Read more here.
CDC Recommendations:
People over 60 and those with severe chronic heart, lung, or kidney disease stay at home as much as possible and avoid crowds. Read more here.
Travelers, particularly those who are older and/or have underlying health issues, should “defer all cruise ship travel worldwide”. The CDC also notes that “cruise ship passengers are at increased risk of person-to-person spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19". Read more here.
New Countries reporting cases their first cases this week: Note 1: The list starts fresh each Monday. Note 2: This list is pulled from the WHO's daily situation reports (linked above).
Bulgaria
Costa Rica
Faroe Islands
French Guiana
Maldives
Martinique
Republic of Moldova
Over 100 countries have now reported lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19.
And for those too lazy to click on the University of Chicago Med resource, here are some of the answers to commonly asked questions:
What is a coronavirus? What is a novel coronavirus?
A coronavirus is actually the name for a set of illnesses, including the common cold and other respiratory infections. A novel coronavirus means it’s a new virus that originated in animals, but has jumped to humans. This particular 2019 novel coronavirus from Wuhan is called COVID-19 or 2019-nCoV.
How does the COVID-19 spread?
This virus is really transmissible and can spread easily from person to person even before a person develops symptoms. It’s carried on respiratory droplets when we talk, sneeze, and cough and these can land on surfaces or in someone’s mouth or nose. When it comes to respiratory droplets, 6 feet is the magic distance. That’s how far these tiny, infected droplets can travel. Being within 6 feet of someone who is sick can get you or your personal space contaminated with COVID-19. When droplets land on surfaces, we can pick them up with our hands and transfer them to our eyes, mouth, and nose when we touch our faces. This is why hand hygiene is so important. Respiratory secretions (like snot and sputum) are also infectious so cover your coughs and sneezes.
What are the symptoms of the virus? Is it deadly?
It typically causes flu-like symptoms. Some patients — particularly the elderly and others with other chronic health conditions — develop a severe form of pneumonia. Patients develop symptoms like fever, muscle and body aches, cough, and sore throat about 5-6 days after infection. Most people will feel pretty miserable for a week and get better on their own. Some people won’t get as sick, but it’s still important not to be out and about, so as not to spread the disease. A minority of patients will get worse instead of better. This usually happens after 5-7 days of illness and these patients will have more shortness of breath and worsening cough. If this happens, it’s time to contact your doctor again or even go to an emergency room. Be sure to call first so they know you are coming. The numbers of people who have been diagnosed and how many have died are changing daily. As of early March, there have been over 97,000 confirmed cases, with a death toll of about 3,000 (more than 2,900 in mainland China). But these numbers are just estimates; it’s still unclear how many people have actually been infected worldwide. Most of the deaths have been in adults over 60 years old who had other health concerns.
Are we all at risk for catching this new coronavirus (2019-nCoV)?
Yes. It doesn’t appear anyone is naturally immune to this particular virus and there’s no reason to believe anybody has antibodies that would normally protect them. The lack of previous experience with this pathogen is part of the reason why public health officials around the globe are working so hard to contain the spread of this particular coronavirus from Wuhan. When viruses come out like this that are both new (which means the population is highly susceptible) and can easily pass from person to person (a high transmission rate), they can be really dangerous — even if here’s a low percentage of people who die from them.
Why do some people with the COVID-19 get sicker than others?
It looks like only about 20% of people who contract this novel coronavirus need to be hospitalized. The other 80% get what feels like a bad cold and recover at home. A lot of this has to do with underlying medical conditions. People who are more vulnerable to any kind of infection — because of their age or chronic health conditions — are more at risk for getting really sick from COVID-19. That said, some otherwise healthy people do seem to be getting sicker from this infection than we would expect. We don’t understand why that is or what might be different about these patients. If you have COVID-19 and you are getting sicker and sicker instead of better and better, you should contact your doctor or visit an ER. Be sure to call first so they know to expect you.
What kind of medical care do patients with COVID-19 need?
About 80% of people who contract this new coronavirus will feel sick, but ultimately be just fine. It’s the 20% of COVID-19 patients who get really, really sick that worry many of us in the infectious diseases field. A lot of these critically ill patients wind up needing to be hospitalized for their pneumonia-like illnesses. They typically require critical care and ventilation — special machines that help them breathe. And some need to stay on ventilators for weeks at a time. It’s this portion of patients that is most concerning. Depending on how many cases develop here in the U.S., providing that level of care for so many people over a number of weeks runs the risk of overwhelming the nation’s health care system pretty quickly. We can help prevent this kind of “surge” in patients by practicing social distancing (see below for more explanation).
Should people be more concerned about the seasonal flu or COVID-19?
There’s widespread seasonal flu activity going on right now all around the U.S. But there are steps you can take to protect yourself from influenza. You can get an annual flu shot. You can take medication like Tamiflu that protects you from getting influenza after you’ve been exposed. You can cover your mouth and wash your hands to mitigate the spread. And, like clockwork, this year’s influenza strain is going to die out in the spring because it will have run its course. The challenge with COVID-19 is that we probably can’t contain it and we don’t know if we’re really prepared as a country for a massive coronavirus epidemic. If we are lucky, it will slow down a bit over the summer but the next few months look like they are going to be pretty tough for all of us. We need to be as ready as we can for whatever comes our way and know that we will get through it eventually.
How can I protect myself? Should I wear a facemask?
Take the preventive actions you do for the cold and flu. This includes avoiding close contact with people who are sick; not touching your eyes, nose and mouth; washing your hands thoroughly and frequently; and cleaning and disinfecting objects and surfaces you come in contact with regularly. The CDC does not recommend you wear a facemask to protect yourself from getting COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses. Those who have COVID-19 and/or are showing symptoms should wear a mask to protect others from getting the virus. Any healthcare worker taking care of someone infected with COVID-19 also should wear a mask.
Can I take an antibiotic or vaccinate against the virus?
There is no antibiotic (they are designed for bacterial infections, not viral ones) to treat COVID-19. Scientists are already working on a vaccine, but we don’t expect to have a good vaccine until spring of 2021 at the earliest. However, ongoing trials in China suggest that there are some existing antiviral drugs that may be helpful for the sickest patients. In fact, the University of Chicago is part of a multi-institutional team that has mapped a protein of SARS-CoV-2 and found drugs previously in development for SARS could be effective for COVID-19. For now, doctors can only treat the symptoms, not the virus itself.
Hello bts7! 💜 It’s finally the day! BTS will be dropping their new single and MV for ‘Dynamite’ today on August 21st! Today will be filled with plenty of comeback activities with the MV set to drop at 1pm KST. This megathread will consolidate all event hype, achievements, official SNS, other SNS mentions and press surrounding Dynamite. So get hype and light it up like Dynamite! 🌟
The other thread has gotten quite long, so I was asked to create a new thread. Please refer to the other thread for static information, this thread will mostly be updated with travel information and news. What you can do:
Avoid unnecessary travel to countries experiencing outbreaks.
Avoid contact with people who have recently traveled to above countries and crowded places.
Wash hands (with SOAP) frequently and observe strict hygiene regimen. Avoid touching your face and minimise touching random things (like door handles, train grab holds)
If you show symptoms (cough, fever, shortness of breath and/or difficulty breathing) or suspect that you have contracted the virus, please call the coronavirus soudan hotline or your local hokenjo(保健所) here. They will advise you on what to do.
Avoid spreading misinformation about the virus on social media. This includes stories about home remedies like 36 HOUR WATER FASTS or how "people with onions in their kitchens catch fewer diseases" etc.
Avoid hoarding necessities such as toilet paper, masks, soap and food.
Minimise travel on crowded public transportation if possible.
If your employer has made accomodations for telework or working from home, please do it.
Regarding how to get tested: You can't get tested on demand. You will likely only be tested if you had direct contact with a known patient, have travel history to a hotspot, or are exhibiting severe symptoms. Only a doctor or coronavirus soudan centre has the discretion to decide if you are to be tested. Please call the coronavirus soudan hotline, explain your symptoms and enquire if you should be tested. They will be able to assess and advise you on what to do better than we can. If you're showing just light or no symptoms, you are probably just down with a common cold and probably will be asked to minimise contact with other people and/or stay home for 14 days. News updates
5 test positive after returning from Europe The woman from Okinawa was told by a quarantine official at Narita Airport to wait until her test result comes out. But she already went back home by aircraft and bus.
Daegu City / Cheongdo County in North Gyeongsang Province / Gyeongsan / Andong / Yeongcheon City, Chilgok / Uiseong / Seongju / Gunwei County in North Gyeongsang Province
Iran
Kom / Tehran / Gilan Province / Alborz / Isfahan / Qazvin / Golestan / Semnan / Mazandaran / Markazi / Lorestan Province
Italy
Veneto / Emilia-Romagna / Piedmont / Marche / Lombardy Province / Valle d'Aosta / Trentino Alto Adige / Friuli Venezia Giulian / Ligurian Province
San Marino
All regions
Switzerland
Canton of Ticino / Basel-Stadt
Spain
Navarre / Basque Country / Community of Madrid / La Rioja Province
Iceland
All regions
The above travel bans on travelers entering Japan does not apply to nationals of Japan. Information on travel restrictionsfor travelers from Japan (Japanese)
Sep/7/2020 news: \\ electric car imports skyrocket \\ inciting genocide = life sentence \\ tourist boulevard on Sevan shores \\ defamation law \\ EU deportations \\ anti-corruption busts \\ անճոռնի գորտը \\ March 1st statue & victims \\ COVID & economy \\ telecom & 5G \\ app: pick your doctor \\ ...
Parliament resumes the sessions after a lengthy break.
155-fold increase in electric vehicles / No VAT import tax
Nature Ministry wants you to drive electric, so they canceled import taxes on electric passenger cars last year. Now they have a bill to waive taxes on 5-tons electric trucks. It's aimed at eliminating cargo trucks that leave a taste of gasoline in your mouth when they drive nearby. You know you felt it... Imports of electric cars have gone from 12 in 2018, to 668 in 2H19, to 1863 in 1H20. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1026915.html
Armenia prepares to sign a deportee readmission agreement with EU
Parliament gave preliminary approval to sign an immigration agreement with Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Bulgaria, and Luxemburg. It states that the Armenian govt will aid the process of accepting back illegal immigrants from those countries. There is already such agreement with France, Estonia, and Czechia.
2020 became the first year when the govt agreed to aid the returning deportees with a $125/mo housing subsidy for 6 months. 97% of Armenian migrants don't get refugee status in the EU because the experts conclude they aren't persecuted in Armenia. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1026863.html https://news.am/arm/news/600836.html
Armenia prepares to criminalize incitement of genocide
Parliament gave preliminary approval to proceed with a law that would imprison people between 8 years to life imprisonment if they publicly encourage a genocide. The severity of punishment depends on whether the perpetrators are a group of officials who used mass-media, or an individual who used lesser tools. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1026876.html
Defamation penalties could increase
Parliament gave preliminary approval to a QP bill that could increase the penalty for insult and defamation five-fold, making it $10k and $20k. The author of the bill says the purpose is to reduce instances of people registering fake online accounts/outlets to spread slander and insults. It'll be discussed with other parties before a vote.
The union of journalists criticized the bill and said the excessively-high penalties could violate free speech by forcing to shut down media outlets. The government also found the proposed penalties too harsh and suggested a $4k and $6k penalty instead. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1026904.html https://factor.am/281693.html
Fake food production could become a crime
QP party drafted a bill to prohibit the production of "fake" food. There is already a law against dangerous fake alcohol, but the food is currently "unprotected". Producers could face between a $415 fine to 5 years in prison (if someone dies). https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1026901.html
10km tourist promenade across Lake Sevan shores / Who owns the lands?
On April we learned that the govt is working on a new 10km pedestrian boulevard across the shores of Lake Sevan, to attract tourists. Pashinyan created a group tasked with examining suitable lands and legal issues. Hetq media outlet has also examined the high-profile owners of the lands near the area of the proposed promenade. Some of the buildings are illegal because they were built too close to the lake. Nature Ministry sent noticed to thousands of property owners and urged them to remove their properties. https://hetq.am/hy/article/121171
ex-Deputy Minister is arrested on corruption charges
The report says: // HHK Vahan Poghosyan served as Tuberculosis Center director and was earlier charged for a 2019 embezzlement, and released on $10k bail. Later, more corruption was found during his 2015-2016 activities. A decision was made to arrest him.
Being the chief coordinator of the anti-tuberculosis and HIV fight in Armenia, including the manager of the aid received by the U.S., he colluded with other officials to embezzle $163,000. He also registered fake employees and stole their salaries, and appropriated state property. 12 people are charged in a felony case. // https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1026947.html
2018 Constitutional Court (CC) hijacking trial
Context: HHK hijacked CC in 2018. They convinced CC's chief judge to resign by giving him a new job. With the CC chief's position being vacant, HHK decided to appoint their fellow MP Hrayr Tovmasyan as a judge. The problem was, the new Constitution was supposed to activate soon and HHK wouldn't have enough time to appoint and approve. To make it work, two HHK officials allegedly falsified documents and dates to fit the deadlines. The two officials are Ara Babloyan and Arsen Babayan. They were charged with a felony in 2019.
Today was their trial. The court deliberated on the level of personal movement restrictions on defendants. The prosecutors agreed to allow Ara Babloyan to travel abroad, citing his good behavior and his new job. As for Arsen Babayan, prosecutors wanted the restrictions to remain in place, but the court struck them down.
The report says: officials working at the capital's Green department were busted with negligently allowing, and in some instances purposely aiding, a $23k embezzlement involving a company that was hired to work for the city a few months ago. A felony case is launched. https://factor.am/281656.html
անճոռնի գորտը
Residents of Gyumri raised the alarm after discovering a construction in a historic-cultural building. Someone decided to build a tasteless 2nd floor on top of the historic building. The municipality says the construction was unauthorized and suspended it. They summoned the builder for questioning. The owner of the building claims it's not illegal because the law allows "light construction", and that they need to build the extra floor "to have a roof". Photos: https://factor.am/281581.html
March 1st, 2008 victims & their lawyers won't attend court trials
March 1st victims: Now that the preliminary stage is over and the court has entered a lengthy beurocratic process, during which the judge chooses to only exercise powers against victims and not Robik and Co-defendants, we see no purpose to attend these sessions that are accompanied with human rights violations. (Prosecutors will continue their case against Robik & Co) https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1026888.html
March 1st memorial statue is being crafted
At the request of Yerevan municipality, sculptor Albert Vardanyan from Gyumri has been working on a bronze monument to commemorate the victims of the 2008 murders. The initial model is made out of clay which will be further treated before being sent to a Yekaterinburg foundry for metal coating. The location of the new monument will be decided soon. Its proposed location and design received some criticism. Video: https://youtu.be/G1mUbWszrts Video: https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1026894.html
Amulsar miner accuses LHK of helping hooligans
Lydian gold miner released footage showing how presumably environmental activists threw rocks at their cars and properties during the night. They claim LHK MPs met the activists earlier that day, which was followed by the attack. https://news.am/arm/news/600873.html
COVID vs economy
Fewer sales receipts were printed in August YoY, while the trade turnover -12%. For the January-August period, the trade turnover -10%. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/195200
Largest-ever COVID-compliance audit in Yerevan
Inspectors sent 24 groups across the capital to check businesses for safety compliance. 7% of businesses failed the test and were temporarily shut down. That's down from a typical 60% fail-rate that occurred at the beginning of the pandemic. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1026877.html
Ukraine upgrades Armenia's COVID-safety score
Due to the falling infection rates, Ukraine placed Armenia in the "green" zone. Those who visit Ukraine will no longer have to quarantine themselves as long as they spent the past 2 weeks exclusively in Armenia or other similar "green" countries. Visitors still need a COVID health insurance. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1026878.html
364 people were flown to Russia with special flights
Armenian fortress is revealed after Van lake levels drop
Old Archesh (Turkish "Chelebibag") fortress was built during the Van kingdom. It went underwater in the 1800s due to the rise of lake levels. A recent drought caused the lake to drop by 2 meters and exposed the fortress again. A Turkish archaeologist wants to renovate it and turn it into a tourist site. http://www.panarmenian.net/arm/news/284863/
Pashinyan visited Chinari village where he thanked the residents of Tavush province for bringing victories during July battles by "standing firmly behind our soldiers." 12 Chinari houses have been renovated after sustaining Azeri fire in July. The PM reminded residents about a new law that doubled the monthly aid to $105/mo for working mothers in villages, and introduced a $55/mo aid for unemployed mothers. Another border city Berd will have a newly renovated Handicraftsman College soon. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1026938.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1026933.html
Corruption bust / ex-soccer chief Nemets Rubo's company
The report says: between 2013-2019, the director of HFF's Technical Center department colluded with HFF chief HHK MP Nemets Rubo's "Noralusin" company to embezzle funds. The officials claimed they cooperated with Rubo's company to send kids to its summer camp. No camping services were provided but the company charged $205,000. A felony case is launched against the directors of HFF Technical Center and Rubo's Noralusin company. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1026902.html
Telecom industry news / 5G / 4G+
UCOM ISP doesn't have plans to implement 5G any time soon. They don't see a need or a clear advantage for the consumers, yet. UCOM criticized the new startup ISP "TEAMS" for poaching 400 of its employees, 90% of whom were highly skilled techies and managers. (it happened after UCOM founder left the company over a dispute and others followed him)
Nature Ministry is tweaking the restrictions on Sevan fishing, which are meant to protect baby fish and general population count. Fishing will be allowed in the Small Sevan section, too. That adds an additional 8 locations to the current 17. The smallest fish can weigh 400g instead of 500g. The overall limit was raised to 300 tons. Fishers are given 2 more weeks to obtain a seasonal permit. Dozens of lake rangers will monitor fishers for compliance. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1026899.html
PostEuropa stamp competition
Armenia has entered the "Ancient Postal Routes" European competition for the best postal stamp. It presents a stamp depicting Old Gyumri which used to be Armenia's number-one political and cultural hub in the 1⁹th century. You can vote for your favorite by Wednesday here: https://www.posteurop.org/europa2020 https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1026885.html
Healthcare Ministry launched a new free tool that allows you to browse all the available doctors in your area, read their biographies, read reviews left by other patients, learn the strengths and weaknesses, and schedule an appointment online. There are also Android and iOS apps. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/195207
1) The accused are innocent until proven guilty in the court of law, even if they sound guilty. 2) Currency in Armenian ֏ unless specified otherwise. 3) NSS/SIS/SOC = law enforcement agencies. QP = Civil Contract Party. LHK = Bright Armenia Party. BHK = Prosperous Armenia Party. HHK = Republican Party. ARF = Armenian Revolutionary Federation Party 4) ARCHIVE of older posts by Idontknowmuch: PART 1 ; PART 2 ; PART 3 ; PART 4 ; PART 5. 5) ARCHIVE of older posts by Armeniapedia.
Lost in the Sauce: Trump properties reopen while Trump campaign fundraises on lockdowns
Welcome to Lost in the Sauce, keeping you caught up on political and legal news that often gets buried in distractions and theater… or a global health crisis. The title refers to sections "Trump properties" and "Trump campaign" TLDR pinned at top of comments Housekeeping:
HOW TO SUPPORT: I know we are all facing unprecedented financial hardships right now. If you are in the position to support my work, I have a patreon, venmo, and a paypal set up. No pressure though, I will keep posting these pieces no matter what.
NOTIFICATIONS: You can signup to receive notifications when these coronavirus-centric posts are done and/or the weekly political-legal posts (Lost in the Sauce) are done.
Oversight slowly getting started
Select Committee
Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed the remaining Democratic members to the newly-created House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis. Led by Majority Whip James Clyburn (SC), the panel includes: Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (NY) Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (CA), Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia Velazquez (NY), Jamie Raskin (MD), Bill Foster (IL), and Andy Kim (NJ). House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) can appoint five Republicans to serve on the committee, but it is unclear if he will do so. On Thursday, McCarthy called the panel a political exercise, saying: “I’m not convinced that we even participate in something like this.”
CARES Oversight Commission
There is a separate committee - the five-person Congressional Oversight Commission - that is also meant to keep tabs on how the CARES Act is implemented. There is significant confusion around how this panel differs from the Select Committee created by Pelosi. The Oversight Commission still lacks a chair, meant to be chosen jointly by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker Pelosi. The other four members: Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), chosen by McConnell; Rep. French Hill (R-AR), chosen by McCarthy; former Elizabeth Warren advisor Bharat Ramamurti, chosen by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer; Rep. Donna Shalala (D-FL), chosen by Pelosi. Pelosi’s pick, Rep. Shalala, recently came under harsh criticism for failing to disclose stocks that she sold as she was preparing to enter Congress in 2019. Pelosi has no intention of removing her from the commission.
Shalala said she had been in the process of placing her assets into a blind trust when the trades were made. The trust still has not been finalized, the Herald reports, so the disclosures were still required...under the 2012 STOCK Act, regulation meant to prevent congressional insider trading.
IG Committee
The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) is a panel of 21 inspectors general mandated “to promote transparency and support and conduct oversight of the funds provided to address the pandemic response by the CARES Act, the Paycheck Protection Program,” and other related legislation. The committee exists as part of the Committee of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) and is therefore under the purview of the chair of that committee, DOJ IG Michael Horowitz. The CIGIE had chosen Pentagon IG Glenn Fine to chair PRAC, but at the beginning of April, Trump replaced Fine with a different acting official within the Pentagon, thereby preventing Fine from leading the coronavirus oversight effort. PRAC pushed forward regardless last week, revealing a new website to keep the public informed on its activities. Horowitz lists himself as the acting-chair, with no replacement for Fine yet appointed. The CIGIE named its executive director, last week, as well: Robert Westbrooks, the current inspector general of a massive federal retirement benefit program called the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
Other oversight actions
Watchdog group Accountable US is trying a new tactic to investigate the Trump administration’s failure to provide states with adequate testing and other support to respond to the pandemic, filing nearly 200 public records requests across all 50 states seeking communications between state officials and the federal government.
Since states tend to be faster and more responsive to public records requests, the approach may offer a quicker path toward transparency and accountability than document requests to the federal government — or congressional investigations.
... The House Foreign Affairs Committee, led by Chairman Eliot Engel, is investigating the Trump administration’s decision to withhold funding to the World Health Organization. “The Administration’s explanation for this decision is inadequate, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs is determined to understand the reasons behind this self-defeating withdrawal from global leadership,” the chairman wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Engel set a May 4 deadline - today - for fulfilling a variety of documents requests. If the administration does not comply, "the Committee will consider all other measures at its disposal to compel their production."
Semi-related: The president announced the nomination of an inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services, who, if confirmed, would replace an acting official whose report embarrassed Mr. Trump.
The never-ending list of problems
From the perspective of average Americans, there were a great many problems with the CARES Act passed at the end of March. Individuals and entities who needed assistance the least ended up receiving the most.
Lobbyists: At least 25 former officials who once worked for the Trump administration, campaign, or transition team are now registered as lobbyists for clients with novel coronavirus needs.
One firm in particular, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, emerged as the first quarter lobbying winner, receiving more than $11 million from clients. That's a 21% increase over last year’s first quarter revenue. 52% of the firm’s new clients registered with the firm solely for pandemic-related legislation.
More than a month after the CARES Act was passed, the Treasury Department has yet to disburse $8 billion in coronavirus relief funds to Native tribes. Tribes are suing the department for missing its April 26 deadline to distribute funds.
More than a dozen Native American tribes have brought a second lawsuit against the Treasury for its plan to give for-profit Native corporations (ANCs) a share of the $8 billion fund. Last week, US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled in favor of the tribes, concluding that there is no evidence that ANCs are actually providing public services during the pandemic. Judge Mehta’s order did not force the Treasury to disburse the funds, however, so it is still not known when tribes will receive the aid.
In the last four weeks, the billionaire class has added $308bn to its wealth. Eight of those billionaires have seen their net worth surge by over $1bn each, including the Amazon boss, Jeff Bezos, and his ex-wife MacKenzie Bezos; Eric Yuan, founder of Zoom; the former Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer; and Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX technocrat.
The mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, has alleged that none of the island’s eligible residents have received their expected stimulus payments from the federal government. The direct deposits will be released to some of Puerto Rico’s residents after the U.S. Treasury approves of Puerto Rico’s distribution plan, Francisco Parés, Secretary at the Puerto Rico Treasury Department, said last week.
Tiny airports rake in big cash after botched stimulus formula: Airports with little or no debt and a decent amount of cash on hand were entitled to receive a relatively large share of the money. But that inherently benefited small airports because they don’t have the huge amounts of debt associated with capital projects at larger airports. For example, a tiny airport in Devils Lake, N.D., scored enough money under the federal stimulus law to cover its expenses for 50 years. JFK International in New York, got barely enough aid to make it through three months of operations.
Small business loans
Dallas billionaire Monty Bennett - a major Trump donor - became the largest recipient of funds from the Paycheck Protection Program. Last week, his company Ashford Inc. was defiant, saying it would be keeping the $126 million in forgivable loans. Then Saturday, Ashford backtracked, saying it will return all funds “due to the [small business] agency's recently changed rules and inconsistent federal guidance that put the companies at compliance risk.”
Elite private schools were approved for and accepted small business loans, including schools with endowments exceeding tens of millions of dollars. St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Maryland, attended by Trump’s son Barron, is planning on keeping the small business loan it secured. Sidwell Friends, the alma mater of President Obama’s daughters, also intends to keep its loan, as does Brentwood School in LA, attended by Treasury Secretary Mnuchin’s two children.
In addition to the Trump-connected companies identified in my previous post, three more have been identified: Capstone Turbine Corp., got $2.6 million in loans; Continental Materials received $5.5 million in loans; Easypost, whose CEO is a Trump donor, obtained an unspecified loan as well.
The Center for Responsible Lending warned that “Roughly 95% of Black-owned businesses, 91% of Latino-owned businesses, 91% of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander-owned businesses, and 75% of Asian-owned businesses stand close to no chance of receiving a PPP loan through a mainstream bank or credit union.”
The first round of coronavirus aid to small businesses was a boon to rural states that backed President Donald Trump but haven’t been hit as hard by the pandemic as Democratic strongholds on the coasts. Of the 10 states that had the largest shares of approved loans as a portion of eligible payrolls in the aid program, eight of them backed President Donald Trump in the last election.
McGahn case
On Tuesday, the full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in the House’s case to enforce a subpoena for the testimony of former White House Counsel Don McGahn.
Throughout the three-hour teleconference argument, judges raised concerns about whether cutting off the courts to Congress would remove any incentive for future presidents to cooperate or negotiate with lawmakers trying to check executive power. Most of the nine judges who joined in the rare en banc session Tuesday seemed receptive to the House’s concerns, with one judge musing the Trump administration was so intent on sidelining the courts that the public would be left only with "revolution" as an alternative.
Note: Judges Gregory Katsas and Neomi Rao did not participate Tuesday. Both were nominated by the president and previously held high-level positions in the Trump administration.
Border wall case
The full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals also heard a case about Trump’s border wall spending:
The House lawsuit claims Trump violated the Constitution by ignoring the spending limits imposed by Congress and diverting more than $6 billion allocated for other purposes to fund the wall… Justice Department lawyers told the appeals court Tuesday a single chamber of Congress cannot sue the administration because the power to appropriate federal funds is assigned to Congress as a whole. Judge Thomas B. Griffith appeared to embrace that argument, asking the House lawyer: “Isn’t it pretty clear that you need to have the Senate with you right now to bring this suit?”
Mueller grand jury case
The DC Circuit Court of Appeals gave the Justice Department 10 days - until May 11 - to turn over Mueller’s grand jury materials to the House Judiciary Committee or file for an injunction with the Supreme Court, teeing up yet another dispute at the high court.
Flynn case
On Wednesday, Michael Flynn’s attorneys made public FBI investigation notes related to the probe that led to Flynn’s indictment, guilty plea, and recent attempt to take back his plea. Trump supporters seized on a handwritten note from then-FBI counterintelligence director Bill Priestap, discussing how agents should approach a critical 2017 interview with Flynn about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the United States before Trump took office. Flynn & Trump supporters argue the documents show that Flynn was railroaded into pleading guilty, with his lawyers saying it is “stunning” evidence that their client was “set up and framed by corrupt agents at the top of the FBI.”
"What's our goal? Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?" Priestap wrote. "If we get him to admit to breaking the Logan Act, give facts to DOJ & have them decide. Or, if he initially lies, then we present him [redacted] & he admits it, document for DOJ, & let them decide how to address it."
Chuck Rosenberg, a former U.S. attorney who also served as Comey’s chief of staff, said the notes do not make a case for entrapment.
“It is not a close call,” said Rosenberg. “In this situation, Flynn had three options: tell the truth, lie or refuse to talk. The FBI did not plant a lie, urge him to repeat the lie, record him in the lie, and then prosecute him for lying. That might be entrapment. Here, Flynn was predisposed to lie, chose to talk, and then lied. That’s not entrapment.” “Even if the government knows you’re lying, lying to the government is a crime,” Harry Sandick, a defense attorney who previously worked in the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office, said. False statements, even if the government knows they’re false, are still criminal as long as their material to the investigation.
It is very unlikely that the courts will dismiss Flynn’s case because of these documents. Instead, it is more likely that the documents provide cover for Trump to issue a pardon to Flynn. Since the release, Trump has tweeted about Flynn’s case numerous times, saying in one instance: “What happened to General Michael Flynn, a war hero, should never be allowed to happen to a citizen of the United States again!”
Fox News also took up Flynn’s case, with Hannity saying the FBI forced Flynn to lie and Lindsey Graham saying that Michael Flynn was railroaded.
Further reading: “White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany promised at her first press briefing Friday that she will "never lie" but she did mislead in an answer about fired national security adviser Michael Flynn.”
A Flynn connection
Scott Stedman has done some great reporting on Circles Bulgaria - a hacking/surveillance firm under the control of the infamous Israeli spyware company NSO Group. Circles has tools to hack civilians and track their location, read their messages, emails, and listen in to their calls covertly. Their tech has been sold to Ecuador, Mexico, UAE, and elsewhere. Circles is owned by a firm that worked with Michael Flynn. In other words, a US Lieutenant General and former National Security Advisor to Trump works with firms using spyware on citizens.
Former Trump adviser Michael Flynn, who pled guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian Ambassador before withdrawing his guilty plea in January by claiming entrapment, advised Circles’ parent company OSY Technologies in 2016 and 2017, receiving just over $40,000.
Full disclosure: I write for Forensic News, so I'm a bit biased when I say we do great work
Roger Stone disclosures
Newly-released documents from the FBI reveal that Roger Stone had extensive contact with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange during Trump’s 2016 campaign.
In the missives, Stone and Assange discussed the origin of damaging information on Hillary Clinton that U.S. officials believe was hacked by Russians and handed to WikiLeaks. In a direct message on Twitter cited by the FBI, Stone told Assange “as a journalist it doesn’t matter where you get information only that it is accurate and authentic,” adding, “If the US government moves on you I will bring down the entire house of cards.” After Stone congratulated Assange on “the trumped-up sexual assault charges” being “dropped,” an apparent reference to a sexual-assault investigation by Swedish authorities, Assange replied: “Between CIA and DoJ they’re doing quite a lot. On the DoJ side that’s coming most strongly from those obsessed with taking down Trump trying to squeeze us into a deal.” Stone wrote back that he was doing everything possible to “address the issues at the highest level of Government.” (DB)
Trump tweeted: Does anybody really believe that Roger Stone, a man whose house was raided early in the morning by 29 gun toting FBI Agents (with Fake News @CNN closely in toe), was treated fairly. How about the jury forewoman with her unannounced hatred & bias. Same scammers as General Flynn!
Trump properties
WaPo: The Secret Service rented a room at President Trump’s Washington hotel for 137 consecutive nights in 2017 — paying Trump’s company more than $33,000 — so it could guard Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin while he lived in one of the hotel’s luxury suites
During a phone call with governors, Trump - who owns a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip - asked Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, whether he had made a decision on opening his state "and the Strip, etc., etc., with all your hotels." A Las Vegas re-opening, Trump said, "will be a big thing."
CNN: Several Trump Organization golf properties previously closed to comply with various business restrictions related to the coronavirus outbreak have reopened... Trump National Doral Miami Golf Club reopened for members on Friday and as of Saturday, guests of the hotel are also able to golf… Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, has been open only to members since Wednesday. And Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, reopened Saturday, also to members only. Trump National Golf Club Washington, DC, in Potomac Falls VA, is open Saturday.
Salon: On the same day that President Donald Trump ordered a temporary halt on some green cards, his second son promoted Trump-branded "quarantine wine" on social media. Though he initially vowed to "temporarily suspend" all immigration to the country, the president ultimately signed a more limited order. The ban did not suspend the visas for agricultural workers from which Trump Vineyards benefits.
Trump campaign
WSJ: President Trump’s reelection campaign has placed an order for “red, Trump-branded face masks for supporters… Campaign officials have discussed giving away the masks at events or in return for donations.” ...Along with selling the masks, the campaign is planning a TV blitz and several events focused on older voters.
The Trump administration initially intended to manufacture millions of cloth face masks to give to Americans to survive the coronavirus pandemic. The idea was ultimately scrapped over worries about logistics.
NPR: From Puzzles To Plastic Straws: Merch Plays A Key Role In Trump's Fundraising. At a time when jigsaw puzzles may be harder to come by than toilet paper, the hot new item in the Trump campaign online store is a 200-piece puzzle, featuring a faintly smiling President Trump standing in front of an American flag, giving two thumbs up. The $35 puzzle is just the latest example of the campaign capitalizing on in-the-moment merchandise.
Those of us keeping track of Trump campaign emails have noticed an uptick in the promotion of other lockdown-friendly merch like “Trump-Pence Pint Glasses” and “Trump-Pence 2020 Playing Cards.”
Daily Beast: Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee between the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, and the RNC itself, have paid the Pluvious Group, a GOP consultancy in Los Angeles, nearly $2 million since Trump became the nominee in 2016...Pluvious [was] part of a federal criminal investigation in late 2018 into “whether foreigners contributed money to the Trump inaugural fund and PAC by possibly using American intermediaries.”... [and] was part of a money laundering scheme in California that allowed donors to hide their identities in filings to work around contribution limits
Voting rights
Dallas News: Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton said that election officials in Texas who offer mail ballots to people who normally wouldn't qualify but are afraid of catching the coronavirus could be subjected to criminal punishment. Paxton’s guidance to county election officials comes two weeks after a state judge in Travis County ruled that Texas voters who fear catching the coronavirus could vote by mail.
Texas voters sue over age restrictions for mail-in ballots: The voters — all between the ages of 18 and 28 — want the courts to rule that the state's age restriction for voting by mail, which limits eligibility to those 65 and older, violates constitutional protections.
A federal judge has ruled against a conservative group’s lawsuit that sought to block [Nevada’s] planned all-mail primary election in June.
Louisiana lawmakers remotely voted by mail to roll back an expansion of vote by mail for voters concerned about the coronavirus.
AP: A federal appeals court panel ruled Wednesday that Kansas can’t require voters to show proof of citizenship when they register, dealing a blow to efforts by Republicans in several states who have pursued restrictive voting laws as a way of combating voter fraud.
“California Republicans Sue to Stop Collection of Ballots Amid Pandemic,” Courthouse News
Kansas City Star: In a Capitol hearing room that was nearly empty because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Missouri Republicans took another step Thursday evening toward repealing redistricting changes enacted by voters in 2018.
Environment
Bloomberg: The Federal Reserve revamped its Main Street Lending Program in ways that will allow battered oil companies to qualify for the aid after industry allies lobbied the Trump administration for changes… Environmentalists blasted the shifts they said rewarded oil companies that took on too much debt and were overproducing crude even before the coronavirus pandemic caused demand to plunge.
The 12 member energy panel on Trump’s so-called “Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups” panel, advising how to reopen the economy, includes 8 oil and gas executives who have collectively made more than $4.2 million in political contributions since Trump launched his presidential bid in June 2015. The energy group includes no one from the renewable energy world.
Guardian: US fossil fuel companies have taken at least $50m in taxpayer money they probably won’t have to pay back, according to a review of coronavirus aid meant for struggling small businesses...A total of $28m is going to three coal mining companies, all with ties to Trump officials…
Reuters: As the United States pressed Saudi Arabia to end its oil price war with Russia, President Donald Trump gave Saudi leaders an ultimatum: Cut oil supply or lose U.S. military support.
Immigration
“Trump renews threats to withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities amid pandemic,” CNN
Chicago Tribune: President Donald Trump’s Justice Department can’t withhold federal grants from sanctuary cities such as Chicago that extend protections to undocumented immigrants, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.
Kera News (local Texas news): The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t stopped the Trump administration from building miles of border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Advocates say the administration is ramping up lawsuits against South Texas landowners to take their land for border wall construction and is accelerating the approval of construction contracts.
Federal judges in Ohio and Florida have ordered ICE to release some additional detainees due to the risk of contracting COVID-19. While the Ohio order only applied to a couple of detainees with medical conditions, the Miami judge ordered hundreds to be released, citing conditions that amount to ”cruel and unusual punishment.”
“Internal ICE Reviews Of Two Immigrant Deaths Stoke Fears About COVID-19 Care,” NPR
Miami Herald: At least 60% of immigration detainees who have been tested nationwide have the virus that causes COVID-19… [however] the numbers from ICE reveal that only 1.38% of its detainees have been tested.
Jails, nursing homes, and meat plants
I didn't have time to add this to the coronavirus response post on Friday - I'm going to tack it on here because I think it is important: jails/prisons, nursing homes, and meat-packing plants make up the top 10 biggest coronavirus clusters in the U.S. This fact illustrates who America (as a nation) believes is expendable in society: prisoners, the elderly, and low-wage workers (this is an oversimplification, but you get my point).
The number of reported coronavirus cases at a Tyson Food plant in Indiana soared to nearly 900 last week. The plant has since suspended production while allowing for additional cleaning services, but will reopen under Trump’s executive order.
WaPo op-ed: I work at Smithfield Foods. I’m suing them over putting our lives at risk for your dinner. Meat processing plants can do more to protect us from the coronavirus
The Bureau of Prisons is releasing hundreds of inmates to home confinement in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. But the process is murky. Wealthy inmates are walking out the door, while the poor remain behind bars.
Note: sparking concerns of political interference, Michael Cohen’s release from jail was postponed without explanation
A medical expert alleges that a federal jail in Brooklyn, New York, [Metropolitan Detention Center] that houses roughly 1,700 people is destroying medical records as part of a deliberate effort to obscure the number of incarcerated people infected with the coronavirus and to avoid providing them adequate care
CBS: More than 1,300 people in the New York City jail system have tested positive for the virus, according to the city's Department of Corrections. Three inmates have died, along with 10 staffers.
"Florida prison operator with worst COVID-19 safety record [GEO Group] is money tree for politicians," Miami Herald
USA Today: More than 16,000 residents and staff of nursing homes and long-term care facilities have died in the U.S., roughly a quarter of the nation’s overall deaths… In New Jersey, where the virus has reached 86% of the state’s 575 long-term care facilities, outbreaks at two veterans’ homes have left 97 dead. In multiple states, including Kentucky, Colorado and Pennsylvania, more than half of the state’s fatalities are from nursing homes.
The quarantine rule does not apply if those arriving are Bulgarian citizens and citizens of other EU countries, the UK, Schengen countries, who are travelling for humanitarian reasons, or are trade representatives, or are involved in activities crucial to the strategic and critical infrastructure of Bulgaria, implementation of projects certified under the Investment Promotion Act, analysis of ... All arrivals to Bulgaria without test results, will be required to self-quarantine for 10 days. Are COVID-19 tests required to travel to Bulgaria? Anyone entering Bulgaria will be required to present a negative PCR test, no older than 72 hours. Is public transportation open in Bulgaria? Public transportation in Bulgaria is operating. Lufthansa, Ryanair, Wizzair, Bulgaria Air , Flixbus. Für Reisende, die in Folge von Quarantänemaßnahmen ihre Rückreise nicht wie geplant antreten können, gilt: Behörden können Quarantänemaßnahmen anordnen und den Aufforderungen der lokalen Behörden ist Folge zu leisten. Quarantänemaßnahmen sind in dem Staat zu beenden, in dem sie ... From 2 February 2021, the 10 day quarantine on arrival, in lieu of a PCR test for people legally resident in Bulgaria, can be shortened if they present a negative PCR test performed within 24 ... Bulgarian citizens and persons with permanent or long-term residence status in Bulgaria and their family members who do not submit the document will be quarantined for 10 days, reads the order of... Bulgaria’s Health Ministry said on July 15 that it was easing travel restrictions for arrivals from a number of countries, the United Kingdom among them, who would be allowed to enter the country without being required to spend 14 days in mandatory quarantine upon arrival. The ban does not apply to Bulgarian citizens and people with the status of permanent or long-term residence in Bulgaria, as well as members of their families, who are admitted to the territory of Bulgaria upon submission of a negative PCR test not older than 72 hours. In case of non-delivery of the test, a 10-day quarantine applies. Quarantine may be revoked upon presentation of a negative PCR ... Bulgarian citizens and persons with the status of permanent or long-term or residence status in Bulgaria and the members of their families, who do not present a document for a negative PCR test, will be placed under 10-day quarantine. The Department of State has issued a Level 3 Travel Advisory (“Reconsider Travel”) for Bulgaria. From today, February 2, until April 30, Bulgarian citizens entering the country and persons with permanent, extended or long-term residence status on the territory of Bulgaria and their family ... Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions are in place for entry into Germany from a large number of countries. Those entering Germany from risk areas must complete a digital entry registration ...
