Breaking News Events

[homoe]

Originally Posted by homoe

Elon Musk says Tesla will 'immediately' leave California after coronavirus shutdowns forced the company to close its main car factory

Oh you whining little bitch!

Lorena Gonzalez a California State assemblywoman tweeted "F--- Elon Musk" on Saturday night, hours after the Tesla CEO announced was considering moving his company out of the state amid ongoing lockdown restrictions.

Good for her!

[homoe]

WASHINGTON – With coronavirus exposure arriving in the West Wing, the White House is taking extra precautions to ensure the safety of the president and his staff after two administration aides tested positive for the coronavirus.

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will be tested daily for the virus, as will every staff member in close proximity to them. White House guests will be tested, workspaces will undergo regular deep cleaning, and staff will follow social distancing guidelines, undergo daily temperature checks and have their symptom histories reviewed, White House spokesman Judd Deere said Sunday.

“The president’s physician and White House operations continue to work closely to ensure every precaution is taken to keep the president, first family and the entire White House complex safe and healthy at all times,” Deere said.

What idiots! Shouldn't they have been doing all this during this time!?

[homoe]

In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott has put the state on a path to reopen nonessential businesses on a rolling schedule. It began May 1, when restaurants and retail stores were allowed to open again to 25 percent capacity. Soon after he announced that hair salons could open with a limited capacity on May 8 and that 10 days after that, gyms would be allowed to operate at quarter capacity.

Businesses that choose to reopen have mandatory guidelines they must follow to help stop the spread of Covid-19. For instance, restaurants need to sit groups six feet from each other, tables should be actively disinfected, employees should wear masks and more. But how many shops and restaurants were following those rules? Billionaire entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wanted to find out, so he hired secret shoppers to spread out across Dallas and evaluate. Unfortunately, only 4 percent of all businesses they evaluated were fully compliant, according to a study Cuban released on his blog. “Bigger picture, I wanted to know if these are places that I would feel safe taking my family to,” Cuban wrote.

[homoe]

Leaked audio has captured the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, conceding that overwhelming scientific evidence is that reopening businesses will increase the spread of coronavirus – even as he himself authorises a phased relaxation of his state’s lockdown measures. The audio was released as Texas’s Covid-19 death count approached 1,000, with some counties reporting their highest daily numbers of new cases so far.

On the conference call with state legislators, Mr Abbott made no bones about the implications of allowing businesses to resume operations. “How do we know reopening businesses won’t result in faster spread of more cases of Covid-19? “Listen, the fact of the matter is pretty much every scientific and medical report shows that whenever you have a reopening – whether you want to call it a reopening of business, or just a reopening of society – in the aftermath of something like this, that it actually will lead to an increase in spread.

“So it’s almost ipso facto, the more that you have people out there, the greater possibility there is for transmission.”

[Bèsame*]

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball owners gave the go-ahead Monday to making a proposal to the players’ union that could lead to the coronavirus-delayed season starting around the Fourth of July weekend in ballparks without fans, a plan that envisioned expanding the designated hitter to the National League for 2020.

[homoe]

By the time this occurred most stations, even Fox, had broken away from the news conference so their pundits could blather...

[Jedi]

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world...-angela-merkel
Does Germany have to lock down again?

[charley]

I am eagerly awaiting the Supreme Court's decision on Trump's tax returns & bank records, which his lawyers, in several lower cases, have lost, and now they have all been combined into one case, and the lawyers have finished their arguments with intense questioning by justices for this entire case as of today.

For an MSNBC discussion of what's at stake (i.e. no one is above the law, etc.), pls. check out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pwOXie637w

If Trump loses, it will mean the end of Trump (as all his finances will be revealed, at least to prosecutors, and special committees) !!!

(There is a 5-4 conservative majority - two of the justices, Neil Gorsuch & Brett Kavanaugh, are Trump appointees.)

[C0LLETTE]

WHAT KIND OF DELUDED MONSTERS DO THIS?????
There is no God worth believing in: Muslim, Christian or anything else, that demands THIS from its believers.


Death toll from attack on Kabul maternity hospital rises to at least 24, officials say

Afghan officials on Wednesday raised the death toll from a militant attack on a maternity hospital in Kabul the previous day, saying that 24 people were killed, including two newborn babies, their mothers and an unspecified number of nurses.

Militants stormed the hospital in Dashti Barchi, a mostly Shiite neighbourhood in the western part of Kabul, on Tuesday morning, setting off an hours-long shootout with the police. As the battle raged, Afghan security forces struggled to evacuate the facility, which is supported by the aid group Doctors Without Borders, carrying out babies and frantic young mothers.

The Interior Ministry spokesman, Tareq Arian, said on Tuesday that 16 people were killed in the attack and over 100 women and babies were evacuated from the building under fire. The new death toll of 24 came from Wahid Majroh, the deputy public health minister, who spoke at a press conference on Wednesday. He said 16 were wounded in the attack.

[charley]

Biden and Abrams will appear together tomorrow on The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell. Will not miss that ...

[~ocean]

Originally Posted by C0LLETTE

WHAT KIND OF DELUDED MONSTERS DO THIS?????
There is no God worth believing in: Muslim, Christian or anything else, that demands THIS from its believers.


Death toll from attack on Kabul maternity hospital rises to at least 24, officials say

Afghan officials on Wednesday raised the death toll from a militant attack on a maternity hospital in Kabul the previous day, saying that 24 people were killed, including two newborn babies, their mothers and an unspecified number of nurses.

Militants stormed the hospital in Dashti Barchi, a mostly Shiite neighbourhood in the western part of Kabul, on Tuesday morning, setting off an hours-long shootout with the police. As the battle raged, Afghan security forces struggled to evacuate the facility, which is supported by the aid group Doctors Without Borders, carrying out babies and frantic young mothers.

The Interior Ministry spokesman, Tareq Arian, said on Tuesday that 16 people were killed in the attack and over 100 women and babies were evacuated from the building under fire. The new death toll of 24 came from Wahid Majroh, the deputy public health minister, who spoke at a press conference on Wednesday. He said 16 were wounded in the attack.

Collette was this Taliban related ?

[homoe]

Originally Posted by homoe

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said on Monday that the American economy needs to reopen quickly and that tens of thousands of more Americans may die from the novel coronavirus, insisting that Americans are “gonna have to” accept that. Speaking to CNN correspondent Dana Bash on her The Daily DC podcast, Christie—who now works as an ABC News contributor—pushed for the reversal of stay-at-home orders in order to open up businesses and ramp up economic activity.

Confronted with recent models that now show that as many as 135,000 Americans will die due to decreased social distancing amid the pandemic, Christie essentially threw up his hands and said there really wasn’t a choice.
“Of course, everybody wants to save every life they can—but the question is, towards what end, ultimately?” Echoing previous comments he’s made that the country cannot wait to reopen the economy, the former Trump transition team member asserted that “we’re going to destroy the American way of life” if people don’t immediately get back to work.

I often wonder when those politicians, who are so eager to open up the economy at any costs, if they stop to think that perhaps some of the deaths could occur right in their own family? Christie has 4 kids and it's a proven fact that Covid doesn't discriminate when it comes to age! No, I doubt they think of that, in their mind it's always going to be someone else's kid or family member!

Whoopi Goldberg Confronts Chris Christie on ‘The View’: Who Are You Willing to ‘Sacrifice?’ Unfortunately I didn't get to see this on Friday, but I'm so happy someone asked one of these idiots who are saying we need to open America back up this question...

[homoe]

SALEM, Ore. — A county judge has declared Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s coronavirus restrictions “null and void” because she didn’t have her emergency orders approved by the Legislature.

Baker County Circuit Judge Matthew Shirtcliff made the ruling Monday in a lawsuit brought by churches that had sued saying the social-distancing directives were unconstitutional. The suit had also argued that emergency powers only last for a month and after that Brown would have needed legislative approval. The judge agreed.

Brown said she would immediately appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court to try to keep the emergency orders in effect. “This will ensure we can continue to safeguard the health of all Oregonians — including frontline health care workers, those living in nursing homes, workers in agriculture and food processing plants, and Oregonians with underlying health conditions — while the legal process moves forward,” Brown said.

Ray Hacke, the attorney who represented the plaintiffs in the case, said in a phone interview Monday the ruling invalidates Brown’s ban on churches gathering for worship but also the entire stay-at-home order, Hacke said.

Common Sense intervened after the Sacramento-based Pacific Justice Institute filed the case earlier this month on behalf of Oregon businesses, expanding the scope, he said. “The stay-at-home order is no longer in effect. It is invalidated. If people want to get their haircut, they can. They can leave their home for any reason whether it’s deemed essential in the eye of the state or not,” he said. He added that the ruling was a vindication not just for freedom of religion, but for all Oregonians’ freedoms. “Praise God. I’m excited, and I’m glad that the judge saw that there are limitations on the governor’s power, even in the midst of emergencies,” he said.

IMHO who cares what decisions courts hand down, it's going to boil down to what the residents of a given state decide! They ultimately will decide when they feel safe getting a haircut, going to a dentist, etc etc

[homoe]

Nancy Pelosi has led a chorus of surprise and alarm after Donald Trump said he was taking the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to ward off coronavirus.

Trump’s own government has warned that the drug should only be administered for Covid-19 in a hospital or research setting due to potentially fatal side effects.

The US House Speaker did not mince her words when she was asked on CNN about the president’s decision.

“He’s our president, and I would rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists, especially in his age group and his, shall we say, weight group ... morbidly obese, they say,” she said.

No doubt our thin-skinned President will be tweeting something "nasty" soon!

[C0LLETTE]

Recently a friend of mine complained that she couldn't get CNN anymore. So I sent her my recap of what she missed. Hopefully, no one will be offended.

OK here’s a recap:
"Here’s Dr Fauci…. thank you Dr Fauci….ooops….here’s Dr Fauci again….here’s Dr Sanjai Gupta…thank you Dr. Gupta…Here’s Dr Fauci again…oh wait, that’s Dr Gupta …apologies Dr Fauci…please fix Dr.Fauci’s mic…ok let’s just go to Dr Gupta….ooops that’s Dr Fauci…ok that’s better, we can hear you now Dr Fauci….10,000 deaths in the time it took to fix your mic Dr Fauci…Dr Gupta please wait your turn. Dr Gupta bids 15,000 deaths….your bid Dr Fauci. Ok, that’s a bully bid Dr Fauci. Dr Gupta, Dr Fauci bid 1,000,0000 deaths in the next 60 seconds….Dr. Gupta just died, condolences to the family…Tune in tonight for our special “Black People Dropping Like Flies.

[homoe]

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that she called President Donald Trump “morbidly obese” because he's put down women for their weight. And besides, she suggested, the president could lose a few pounds himself as the coronavirus bears down on the nation's capital.

“I gave him a dose of his own medicine. He’s called women one thing or another over time, and I thought he thinks that passes off as humor in certain cultures," Pelosi told reporters at her weekly press conference. "I was only quoting what doctors had said about him, so I was being factual in a very sympathetic way.”

For the record, the president is obese, but not morbidly so. Pelosi on Monday called Trump “morbidly obese.” He responded by dismissing her as “a waste of time.”

Pelosi's level of sympathy is unclear. Even as the virus ravages Americans and the U.S. economy, the two are barely speaking to each other.

They have sparred since the beginning of the Trump presidency and more sharply since Pelosi ascended to the speakership in 2019, for the second time. The topics have ranged from the historic — a government shutdown and Trump's impeachment — to playground-quality name-calling and who has the last word.

[PlatinumPearl]

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Is About To Launch Humans For NASA. Here’s Everything You Need To Know About The Historic Mission

On Wednesday, May 27, SpaceX is set to achive a goal 18 years in the making – launching humans to space.

In 2002, Elon Musk founded the company with his sights set on human spaceflight. Now in a matter of days, the Demo-2 mission will see the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida with two astronauts on board, NASA's Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, for the first time.

It will be the first launch of humans to orbit from American soil since the retirement of the Space Shuttle in July 2011, and the beginning of an exciting new era of human spaceflight.

Here’s how it’s all going to go down.

What's happening?

This is the first launch of a private spacecraft carrying astronauts to orbit in history. SpaceX was funded by NASA to build the spacecraft, called Crew Dragon, over the past decade.

When is the launch?

Crew Dragon is scheduled to lift-off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 4.33 P.M. Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 27. Backup launch opportunities are available on Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31.

Where is the mission going?

The spacecraft will head for the International Space Station (ISS), about 400 kilometers above Earth. After the launch it will take Crew Dragon about 19 hours to reach the ISS.

Who are the two people on board?

Both are NASA astronauts. Doug Hurley is the mission’s commander, while Bob Behnken is the joint operations commander for the mission. They have both flown to space several times before.

Why are they launching during the coronavirus pandemic?

It's just unfortunate timing. People have been waiting years for the launch, and it just so happens that it is ready to go now. NASA and SpaceX have both been keen to keep the launch on track despite the pandemic.

The two astronauts have been in quarantine for weeks prior to the launch, and have adhered to strict social distancing measures to avoid catching COVID-19 or carrying the virus to the space station.

How can I watch the launch?

You will be able to watch it live on NASA TV, and on SpaceX’s website. NASA is advising people not to travel in person to Florida to watch, owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

Excitingly, people in the U.K. and Europe should have a chance to see the spacecraft. It is expected to fly past the Moon in the night sky about 20 to 30 minutes after launch, appearing as a dot of light moving across the sky.

What will happen after the launch?

It will take about 12 minutes for Crew Dragon to reach its initial orbit, before it then gradually raises its orbit and flies autonomously towards the ISS.

The spacecraft is designed to dock autonomously with the space station at 11.29 A.M. Eastern Time on Thursday, May 28, although Hurley will briefly control the spacecraft manually to test it beforehand.

The astronauts will open the hatches and enter the ISS at 1.55 P.M. Eastern Time. They will join NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner, who are currently on the ISS.

What will happen to the rocket?

The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket will come back for a landing on SpaceX’s drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Atlantic Ocean, roughly eight minutes after the launch.

What happens if something goes wrong during the Demo-2 launch?

Crew Dragon will use emergency thrusters to fire away from the Falcon 9 rocket, known as a launch abort. SpaceX tested this system earlier this year by blowing up a Falcon 9 rocket mid-flight.

The spacecraft would then use its parachutes to safely drop into one of several recovery zones in the Atlantic Ocean stretching from Florida to the western Irish coast.

What will the astronauts do on the ISS?

They will be part of the ISS crew, just like astronauts on any Soyuz launch. They will live and work on the space station with the other astronauts for the duration of their mission.

How long will Crew Dragon stay on the ISS?

That isn’t clear yet. The spacecraft will stay for at least one month, but it could stay for up to four months. The precise time will depend on how the spacecraft handles being in space, and how the next mission to the ISS progresses.

What’s that mission?

That would be the Crew-1 mission. While Demo-2 is in essence a test mission, Crew-1 will be SpaceX’s first fully operational crewed mission to fly to the ISS. On board will be NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, along with Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi.

What will happen at the end of the Demo-2 mission?

Crew Dragon will undock from the station, and a day later it will then re-enter our atmosphere after getting rid of its service module and solar arrays. Its heat shield will bear brunt of re-entry and keep the astronauts safe.

The spacecraft will use four parachute to slow its descent, eventually splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean where it and its astronauts will be recovered.

Why is this mission such a big deal?

It’s the culmination of a decade of funding from NASA in an effort to commercialize the transport of astronauts to low Earth orbit (LEO). SpaceX is one of two companies, the other being Boeing, that has been funded in this Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) programme.

It will also return orbital launches to the U.S. since the final Space Shuttle flight, Atlantis, back in July 2011. Since then NASA has been paying Russia for trips to space on its Soyuz spacecraft, at a recent cost of more than $90 million per seat.

How much money did SpaceX get from NASA to develop Crew Dragon?

SpaceX was given $2.6 billion, and Boeing $4.2 billion for its Starliner spacecraft. However, the cost-savings for NASA compared to developing their own comparable spacecraft and rocket is estimated to be in the tens of billions.

What will Crew Dragon be used for in the future?

SpaceX is under contract with NASA to take astronauts to and from the ISS on multiple missions. However, Crew Dragon can seat seven people. Thus, SpaceX plans to let space tourists pay for seats as well.

Already several people have signed up, at a cost of no less than $20 million per seat – including, possibly, Tom Cruise. In the future SpaceX is expected to conduct more and more private flights, including to destinations other than the ISS, such as maybe orbiting space hotels and private space stations.

What’s next?

Well, apart from more Crew Dragon flights in the future, we’re expecting Boeing to launch humans on its Starliner spacecraft for the first time no earlier than spring 2021.

SpaceX, meanwhile, is developing a new spacecraft called Starship to take humans to the Moon and Mars. But first they will need to prove they can safely launch humans to space, starting with Crew Dragon on Wednesday.



Date: May 23, 2020,12:24pm EDT
Source: Forbes.com

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonatha...B#46e8c63e2e5d

[homoe]

Originally Posted by homoe

Lorena Gonzalez a California State assemblywoman tweeted "F--- Elon Musk" on Saturday night, hours after the Tesla CEO announced was considering moving his company out of the state amid ongoing lockdown restrictions.

Good for her!

Perhaps Elon Musk should hop aboard one of these rockets himself seeing how he's so displeased the way things are being handled down here on earth concerning Covid-19.

It'd be a win win for all IMHO....

[homoe]

A new ad from former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign ripped into President Donald Trump for golfing over the weekend as the coronavirus death toll in the nation approached 100,000. The video, which Biden posted to his Twitter account on Saturday, features a bar graph tracking coronavirus-related deaths in the U.S. The bar on the graph steadily rises as footage of what appears to be Trump golfing plays in the background.

In the past, Trump had repeatedly criticized Obama for playing the sport. In 2014, when the second Ebola case was confirmed in the United States, Trump went on Fox News to bash the then-president for golfing. “There are times to play and times that you can’t play. It sends the wrong signal,” he said.

Well well well, it looks like the Golfstream's on the other foot now doesn't it...

[homoe]

ABC News.....
2 hairstylists with COVID-19 may have exposed 140 people at salon

Two hairstylists potentially exposed 140 customers to COVID-19 at a Great Clips in Missouri, according to alerts from a local health department.The Springfield-Greene County Health Department announced on Friday that a hairstylist who tested positive for COVID-19 had potentially exposed 84 clients at a Great Clips in Springfield. The case is believed to have been contracted through travel to a "high-intensity" area in Missouri, Director of Health Clay Goddard said Friday. Then on Saturday, the health department announced a second hairstylist who tested positive for the virus had potentially exposed 56 clients at the same salon, located in a strip mall.