patrick.net

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52092898

The growth in coronavirus cases in hard-hit Spain appears to be slowing, the country's foreign minister has told the BBC.

Another 6,400 cases were confirmed on Monday, the lowest increase in new cases for a week. The total of deaths reached 7,340 after 812 new fatalities.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/03/leaked-audio-kennedy-center-president-deployed-lobbyist-to-secure-25-million-in-coronavirus-stimulus-but-not-a-cent-for-workers/

As the Gateway Pundit previously reported, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts infamously received a controversial $25 million from Democrats in the coronavirus relief package — and just hours later they told their performers and employees that they will not be getting paychecks. ...

Rutter also discussed how they deployed a lobbyist to get them the money from the stimulus package, seemingly with no intention of using it to protect the jobs of their staff.

https://noqreport.com/2020/04/01/its-time-for-reparations-from-china/

It’s time for reparations… from China

Lancet published a study indicating that the Chinese Communist Party is directly culpable for 95% of all COVID 19 cases worldwide. The CCP delayed quarantine measures in Hubai Province by three extra weeks, allowing five million travelers to enter and leave the hot zone, distributing Wuhan Flu widely around the world. Along with this malfeasance, the CCP also falsified information about the disease and its prevalence. All of this information slowed the response, killing more people.

The US Government has appropriated over $2 trillion to respond to the pandemic, of which 95% is directly attributable to CCP misconduct. In legal language, the CCP has committed a tort against America. If a US magistrate were to conclude that the CCP and its proxies, the Peoples’ Liberation Army and CCP-owned businesses, were at fault in this injury, then it would be possible to have a $2 trillion judgment against the CCP.

There are several possible ways to do this. The simplest is by Presidential Declaration. This has the awful side effect of eliminating a lot of President Trump’s negotiating room. The second obvious approach is a lawsuit. This would take forever winding through the Courts, and while this is happening, Treasury securities held by the Chinese will be progressively redeemed, doing nothing for the US.

The third way is one that is common in US political theater. In this case, either the Treasury Department or the Department of Health and Human Services (or both!) creates an administrative hearing on the complaint. The outcome is a foregone conclusion. The CCP is hit with an administrative penalty of $2 trillion. Note that this isn’t even in the same zip code as the military or cyber. It’s from an administrative law court. Please note that this isn’t an issue of a default by the Federal Government. It’s recovering a bad debt.

Now comes the fun. All of the $1.08 trillion in Chinese-held Treasuries is ultimately under the control of our Treasury Department. When a T-bill or bond is redeemed at maturity, the Treasury gives the money to the holder. That means that the Treasury has complete control over $1.08 trillion in Chinese money. And that gives it a host of options.

The first step is to demand satisfaction of the judgment. The CCP will almost certainly tell Secretary Mnuchin to pound sand. They don’t have the cash, and “it would be an act of war” to require them to pay funds that “they don’t owe.” At that point, he will freeze all the Chinese assets. This brings them to the table. Absolutely anything becomes possible here.

Secretary Mnuchin can remind the Chinese, in a most public manner, of how they lied to the world about the virus, refused to quarantine Wuhan, are continuing to lie about their malevolent acts, and are actively pursuing cyber warfare against the West regarding the virus. “By the way, the $2 trillion is just the first tranche of damages against the CCP.”

The Chinese economy is already in shambles, and US Treasury instruments are the reserves that prop it up. If we find the CCP in default on the judgment, we have the right to seize those reserves to satisfy it. This is a fundamental premise in law. If the Court finds against me, the plaintiff has the right to take my property if I don’t pay.

Now we have to assess how this plays out. If we void all the $1.08 trillion of debt at once, China crashes. They will take it as an act of war. Wounded animals don’t play nice. Especially ones with sharp claws. So here is where Trump steps in. He has a good personal relationship with Xi, and perhaps he can persuade him to take actions we’d like.

Maybe the disputed islands in the South China Sea can become joint Coast Guard bases. Perhaps instead of all at once, the Treasury securities can simply be as they come due to pay down the judgment. That would spread the pain over ten years or so. We could offer to roll short term notes at higher rates for longer (30 years?) notes at minimal interest. Either option would help our debt and debt service. What’s not to like about cutting our debt by a trillion or so?

Can Xi save enough face to stay in power? The President will obviously be concerned with pushing him just hard enough to get concessions. Or will the Chinese society convulse as its economy implodes?

There aren’t any clear answers. But an administrative order for Chinese reparations might give Donald Trump the leverage to do all sorts of things we may not even know about now.

zzyzzx says

https://noqreport.com/2020/04/01/its-time-for-reparations-from-china/

It’s time for reparations… from China

I would think if we did this the rest of the world would also.

Train engineer tried to crash train into USNS Mercy, fucking crazies.

https://abc7.com/officials-engineer-tried-to-smash-train-into-usns-mercy/6069395/

San Francisco county cases by day:

https://missionlocal.org/2020/04/daily-figures-on-sf-coronavirus-cases/

10% or less new infections for the past 5 days. Let's see what the next week brings.

https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/04/01/sean-lennon-rips-news-media-for-wuhan-virus-double-standard-spreading-chinese-communist-data/

Lennon also called out news outlets that have engaged in a double standard by initially calling the illness the “Wuhan virus” only to later tell people that using such terms is racist.

Numerous outlets including CNN, Buzzfeed, and The Washington Post have called the illness the “Wuhan coronavirus” or the “Chinese coronavirus.” But since President Donald Trump started calling it the “Chinese virus,” some of the same outlets have warned that such a name constitutes racist language.

Wapo today : "orange!man!bad.exe... as pandemic surges in the US, France and Italy". No. It has been surging in the US as we're the last to be infected and last to peak, but France and Italy have seen new infections below 10% for days far far from its peak many days if not weeks ago. In fact Italy came in at just 4% yesterday thank God. Why are they lying so much? If you look at day to day data it's clear most of Europe has peaked a while ago.

Yes, deaths in Italy look like they peaked.

Italy’s Coronavirus Death Toll Is Far Higher Than Reported
Many are dying uncounted as nation’s stretched health-care system struggles to save the living and accurately gauge human cost

https://www.wsj.com/articles/italys-coronavirus-death-toll-is-far-higher-than-reported-11585767179

https://spectator.us/lockdown-please-swedish/

Sweden still won't lock down.

The number of viruses you are exposed to matters:

If I get a higher dose of virus does that mean I will be sicker?
Yes – work on two other coronaviruses: severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) has shown this, says Willem van Schaik, professor in Microbiology and Infection at the University of Birmingham, says

“On the basis of previous work on Sars and Mers coronaviruses, we know that exposure to higher doses are associated with a worse outcome and this may be likely in the case of Covid-19 as well,” he says.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/viral-load-many-health-workers-getting-sick/

So it's not just a binary "infected or not" thing.

www.youtube.com/embed/m5R0UHGh8vA

Patrick says

And then:

Patrick says

Patrick says

And then:

2020 is going to go down in history as the worst fucking year of this fucking millennia so far

3% growth in SF, 10% in CA. The curve has flattened. Once NY/NJ peaks this will recede fast. Most of Europe anywhere between 3%-15% growth. They peaked a week or two ago. We're next.

Shaman says

2020 is going to go down in history as the worst fucking year of this fucking millennia so far

I'm negative, but not super negative. May 1st we need to open up regardless of the old people dying flu. No questions asked. If more people die so be it. Me included. If we're going to call it a war, treat it like one and everyone take on some god damn risk. The alternative is economic and likely physical death either way. This is coming from someone that doesn't even have to work right now and my wife doesn't need to either. But we need people working. 28 fucking days still.... I want a fucking burger and beer at a bar NOW.

https://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=238773

We're only seeing the effects of a first, maybe second wave. Evidence is that this thing keeps coming back, causing damage each time. Suppose it's 0.2% when you are young and healthy. Even over 40 years the prospect is not good. Now, suppose it causes permanent damage each time. 0.2% first time, 0.5% second time, so on... not good. I'm guessing around 4M year one, 8M year two, 16M year three, peaking at around 50M per year, then a similar step-down.

steverbeaver says

We're only seeing the effects of a first, maybe second wave. Evidence is that this thing keeps coming back, causing damage each time. Suppose it's 0.2% when you are young and healthy. Even over 40 years the prospect is not good. Now, suppose it causes permanent damage each time. 0.2% first time, 0.5% second time, so on... not good. I'm guessing around 4M year one, 8M year two, 16M year three, peaking at around 50M per year, then a similar step-down.

They'll have meds and vaccines after this season, given it recedes til the winter. Plenty of testing going on for different meds. Vaccine plus herd immunity will make this become like flu season.

Notice all the Governors, Mayors, etc. are all getting paychecks while forcing millions of people out of work.

None should get a dime.

In New York City, the death of anyone who dies who tests positive for COVID-19 is counted as a coronavirus death. This is the case even if the coronavirus failed to play a significant role in the person’s passing or illness.

Booger says

Notice all the Governors, Mayors, etc. are all getting paychecks while forcing millions of people out of work.

None should get a dime.

All government workers. Specifically the non-essential ones. If your school district is doing remote learning, why da fuck we paying teachers full boat salary? They're gonna get the stimulus checks and keep their jobs and current pay in almost all cases. It's fucked up.

As I wrap my mind around this differently every day, WTF are government workers even eligible for stimulus if they haven't been laid off???? What the fucks?

WookieMan says

WTF are government workers even eligible for stimulus if they haven't been laid off????

And people collecting pensions from the government! What fucking hardship do they have? They likely have health benefits too. Nothing has changed for these people from 2 months ago until now besides all the fucking drama about this. There might already be one, but a movement needs to be started to stop government workers still employed from getting ANY stimulus from this. Most these fuckers like firefighters all have side gigs. They don't need more fucking money right now. God I'm pissed.

This is why stimulus and bailouts blow horse nuts and shouldn't be done.

https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1375

Covid-19: four fifths of cases are asymptomatic, China figures indicate

New evidence has emerged from China indicating that the large majority of coronavirus infections do not result in symptoms.

Chinese authorities began publishing daily figures on 1 April on the number of new coronavirus cases that are asymptomatic, with the first day’s figures suggesting that around four in five coronavirus infections caused no illness. Many experts believe that unnoticed, asymptomatic cases of coronavirus infection could be an important source of contagion.

A total of 130 of 166 new infections (78%) identified in the 24 hours to the afternoon of Wednesday 1 April were asymptomatic, said China’s National Health Commission. And most of the 36 cases in which patients showed symptoms involved arrivals from overseas, down from 48 the previous day, the commission said.

China is rigorously testing arrivals from overseas for fear of importing a fresh outbreak of covid-19.

Tom Jefferson, an epidemiologist and honorary research fellow at the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at the University of Oxford, said the findings were “very, very important.” He told The BMJ, “The sample is small, and more data will become available. Also, it’s not clear exactly how these cases were identified. But let’s just say they are generalisable. And even if they are 10% out, then this suggests the virus is everywhere. If—and I stress, if—the results are representative, then we have to ask, ‘What the hell are we locking down for?’”

Jefferson said that it was quite likely that the virus had been circulating for longer than generally believed and that large swathes of the population had already been exposed.