Monthly Archives: April 2020

Dozens Of Large Companies Got Small Business Funds

The New York Times reports: A company in Georgia paid $6.5 million to resolve a Justice Department investigation — and, two weeks later, received a $10 million federally backed loan to help it survive the coronavirus crisis. Another company, AutoWeb, disclosed last week that it had paid its chief executive $1.7 million in 2019 — a week after it received …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Variety reports: Disco legend Hamilton Bohannon passed away Friday at the age of 78. No official cause of death has been released and arrangements are pending, according to family members. In a discography ranging from 1973 to 1990, Bohannon released 22 albums. As a pioneer of disco and funk, his sounds have been sampled by the likes of Jay Z, …

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LIVE VIDEO: GLAAD Presents Star-Studded “Together In Pride” With Babs, Buttigiegs, Rosie, And Many Others

Via press release: Billy Porter, Pete & Chasten Buttigieg, Rosie O’Donnell, Jonathan Van Ness, Brian Michael Smith, Ross Mathews, and Tyler Oakley will join GLAAD’s livestream event, “Together in Pride: You are Not Alone,” tonight at 8pm ET on GLAAD’s YouTube channel and Facebook Live. Billy Eichner and Lilly Singh will co-host the event, which will include special performances from …

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REPORT: Trump Moving To Block Cohen’s Tell-All Book

Raw Story reports: According to a report from the Daily Beast, Donald Trump was very displeased that his former lawyer and “fixer” Michael Cohen was given an early release from jail due to the coronavirus pandemic. Cohen, who had been serving three years as part of a plea deal over making hush-money payments in the service of the president, has …

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Trump Makes Conference Call With Catholic Leaders, Calls Himself “Best President In History Of The Church”

The Catholic news magazine Crux reports: President Donald Trump identified himself as the “best [president] in the history of the Catholic Church” in a conference call for Catholic leaders and educators Saturday, where he warned that issues at stake in the upcoming presidential election, particularly on abortion and religious liberty, “have never been more important for the Church.” In an …

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Ex-FDA Head: Ouster Of Vaccine Chief “Sets Us Back”

The Hill reports: Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Sunday that the ouster of federal vaccine chief Richard Bright will “set us back” in combating the coronavirus pandemic. “I know Rick Bright well … he was effective. He was a vaccine expert, so I was sorry to see him go,” Gottlieb said on CBS’ “Face the …

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Trump Lies Again About Not Leaving The White House: People Say I’m The “Hardest Working President” Ever

CNN fact-checked this lie earlier this week: During an exchange with “PBS NewsHour” White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor, Trump claimed he hadn’t “left the White House in months” except to send off the USNS Comfort, a hospital ship sent from Virginia to aid New York. When Alcindor reminded him that he had campaign rallies in February and March, he suggested …

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Birx: Stop Talking About Trump’s Bleach Claims [VIDEO]

Politico reports: “The CDC had to issue a statement. Lysol had to issue a statement. I understand that you’re taking a generous approach to this when it comes to President Trump musing aloud, but this is potentially dangerous,” Jake Tapper said. “As a doctor, doesn’t that bother you that you even have to spend any time discussing this?” Birx replied …

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Branch Covidian Pastor Defies Court, Holds Services

The Baton Rouge Advocate reports: The pastor of a Central church who has defied state orders to limit the size of crowds at his worship service violated another order Sunday — preaching from the pulpit despite a judge’s directive that he stay at home under house arrest. Wearing an ankle monitor attached after he was accused of threatening to run …

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WaPo Sues State Dept For COVID Diplomatic Cables

The Washington Post reports: The Washington Post filed a lawsuit against the State Department late Friday after the agency denied speedy processing of the newspaper’s request to see diplomatic cables warning of safety issues at a coronavirus research lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the global pandemic originated. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington centers …

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New Russian Cathedral To Feature Putin, Stalin Mosaics

The Moscow Times reports: The walls of Russia’s new Orthodox cathedral dedicated to the Armed Forces will be decorated with the faces of President Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Soviet leader Josef Stalin, the MBKh News website reported Friday. The 95-meter Armed Forces cathedral, a symbol of close defense-church ties in Russia, is expected to open on May …

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Maryland Gov: Trump Spawned Hundreds Of Poison Control Calls, He Needs To Focus On The Facts [VIDEO]

Mediaite reports: You may have seen Friday a warning from the state of Maryland that no, you should absolutely positively not ingest cleaning products. On ABC’s This Week Sunday, Governor Larry Hogan (R- MD) addressed that warning and criticized the president’s comments on disinfectants as seriously concerning. “We had hundreds of calls come into our emergency hotline at our health …

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Army: Microfiber Cloth Best For Homemade Masks

The Army Times reports: The best easy-to-find material for a homemade face covering to protect against coronavirus transmission is four-ply microfiber cloth, according to Army researchers at the service’s Combat Capabilities Development Command. Researchers with the command’s Chemical Biological Center said in a news release that the four-ply microfiber cloth, which can be found in the cleaning section of most …

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Birx Rips “Slicey And Dicey” COVID Headlines [VIDEO]

Axios reports: Deborah Birx, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, said Saturday on Fox News that the media needs to be “responsible” about its headlines while covering the coronavirus crisis, noting that most people don’t read the full story. President Trump, while speaking at White House coronavirus briefings, has accused reporters of being “fake news” and asked for more favorable …

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Fauci: Testing Must Double Before Reopening Begins

The New York Post reports: Dr. Anthony Fauci has warned that coronavirus testing needs to at least double before lockdowns are lifted — even as some states have already started re-opening parts of their economies. The US currently gets through about 1.5 million to 2 million tests a week, which America’s top infectious disease expert says is still nowhere near …

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Hawaii Gov Extends Statewide Lockdown To May 31st

Hawaii News Now reports: In a decision that was largely expected but nonetheless will be a major blow to thousands of shuttered Hawaii businesses struggling to stay afloat, the governor has extended the statewide stay-at-home order along with the mandatory quarantine for travelers through May 31. “We are not out of the woods yet,” said Gov. David Ige, in a …

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Branch Covidian Pastor Placed Under House Arrest

Baton Rouge’s ABC News affiliate reports: Rev. Tony Spell has been placed on house arrest, East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore said. A judge on Friday, April 24, asked Spell if he’d comply with state orders that limit the number of people who can gather in one place at the same time. Spell replied by quoting a bible …

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President Body Bags: Briefings Aren’t Worth My Time

The Guardian reports: After more than a month of near-daily White House coronavirus press briefings, Donald Trump stayed behind closed doors on Saturday after advisers reportedly warned the president that his appearances were hurting his campaign. Trump himself referenced his absence when he wrote on Twitter that the briefings are “not worth the time & effort”. The president wrote the …

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Brad Pitt Plays Anthony Fauci In SNL Opening [VIDEO]

The New York Times reports: In its second run at an at-home episode, “S.N.L.” got more ambitious, adding flashy graphics and editing tricks, and diving into its pool of celebrity contacts for some well-timed cameo appearances — perhaps none more surprising than the opening sketch, which featured Brad Pitt as Dr. Anthony Fauci. In a CNN interview earlier this month, …

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REPORT: Trump Planning To Sack HHS Sec. Alex Azar

Politico reports: White House officials are weighing a plan to replace Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. Among the names on the short list to replace Azar are White House coronavirus coordinator Deborah Birx, Medicare chief Seema Verma and deputy HHS Secretary Eric Hargan, said the four people familiar with the talks. Senior officials’ long-standing frustrations with the health …

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