Beltway Insider: Biden, US Reopens, Schools, COVID/Vaccine Totals, FB/Trump, Navalny, Afghan Bombing, Chauvin

President Biden has continued to reiterate the new target date of July 4, Independence Day, as the day America will have officially put the worst of the pandemic behind and will step into the new normal.

The President's job approval rating, according to the website fivethirtyeight.com, for the period ending May 9, 2021, decreased by 0.5% to 53.5% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness decreased by 1.0% percentage points to 40.1%. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.


Beltway Insider: Biden, SOTU, GOP Reply, Newsom/CA UI, COVID/Vaccine Totals, India, Israel, Michael Collins


America Reopens with Hope and Skepticism

President Biden has continued to push all America's to vaccinate in order to move the nation closer to herd immunity and the protections which that will afford every citizen.

Moving toward Independence Day, July 4th, as the beginning of the new normal as a nation, nearly all states have initiated return to pre-pandemic normal, including recalling all office workers, lifting personal protections restrictions, and easing capacity restrictions.

Opening Offices and Lifting Restriction Limits

New York City, the densest metropolis of any major city and initially the epicenter for the coronavirus spread in the United States, recalled 80,000 city employees this week, and mandates from Governor Cuomo indicate May 15 as a target to increase office attendance up to 75%.

"Effective May 19, most business capacities—which are currently based upon percentage of maximum occupancy—will be removed in New York. Businesses will only be limited by the space available for patrons or parties of patrons to maintain the required social distance of 6 feet. This new distance-based maximum capacity will apply across commercial settings, including retail, food services, gyms and fitness centers, amusement and family entertainment, hair salons, barber shops and other personal care services, among other settings. It will also apply in houses of worship," reported, Forward.ny.gov. the official New York State website.

Other states are following suit and are seeing a manageable expected surge rate in coronavirus cases. Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis lifted restrictions on travel, social distancing, and personal protective equipment, to boost his state's economy in March.

Mass transit can also pose significant risk unless addressed as cities that depend heavily on public transportation will once again see over-the-recommended limits during the morning rush hour. Combating this could be the possibility of staggered starts time such 6:00am to 10:00am.

As of today, May 8, 2021, "Variant COVID-19 infections skyrocketed following spring break in Florida and there have been more than 10,000 variant cases reported throughout the state, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported based on data from the Florida Department of Health,"ABCnews.go.com reported.

Re-Opening Schools

Of course, any return to normalcy will include reopening America's schools which involves more than simply a plan in place. Pre-pandemic, parents would often remark on the swift spread of colds and flu, especially in primary and secondary schools. Those remarks and possibilities are now a life-or-death reality even if children remain on some level immune to the coronavirus.

Twelve states have ordered school fully open, three states are partially opened, Puerto Rico remains under full closure orders, two states are partially opened, and the thirty-three remaining states have no order in effect which allows individual districts to render a decision on choice of either a hybrid learning environment or full in-person, according to edweek.org.

"The AFT says its plan "marries the instructional and social-emotional needs of students and the logistics of programming in schools with the imperative to adopt public health tools that prevent viral transmission. America is staring down a singular challenge that will require all of us to come together and negotiate a safe path forward," says AFT President Randi Weingarten, via the American School and University ASUmag.com website.

The Centers for Disease Control, CDC.org, has prepared extensive materials on each anticipated coronavirus scenario as states address the expectation of in-person learning as quickly as possible. Printable charts explaining "if this scenario happens what's next" are available here.

"Also today, data from the National Center for Education Statistics show that in March, 54 percent of K-through-8 schools were open for fulltime, in-person learning, and 88 percent were open for either fulltime, in-person, and/or hybrid learning, reaffirming that we've reached the President's goal of reopening the majority of K-through-8 schools ahead of schedule," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.


Bill and Melinda Gates Announce Divorce


CDC Moratorium Facing Scrutiny

A federal Judge in Washington D.C., U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, ruled against the CDC in issuing a federal eviction moratorium stating the central focus of the federal agency overstepped its boundaries.

"It is the role of the political branches, and not the courts, to assess the merits of policy measures designed to combat the spread of disease, even during a global pandemic," the order states. "The question for the Court is a narrow one: Does the Public Health Service Act grant the CDC the legal authority to impose a nationwide eviction moratorium? It does not," reported The Washington Post.

"We disagree with the District Court's decision.  As the Department of Justice said yesterday, this decision conflicts with the rulings of other courts.  DOJ has already filed a notice of appeal.  Last night, the judge granted an administrative stay for 10 days, meaning the moratorium will remain in effect until at least May 16th. We recognize the importance of the eviction moratorium for Americans who have fallen behind on rent during the pandemic.  At the end of April, there were over 6 million renters who had not paid back rent making them more at risk of eviction," Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine jean-Pierre said.

States Move to Stop Pandemic Assistance

Republican states, including Montana and South Carolina, have announced they would end the federal government's supplemental benefits program which adds $300 a week to those unemployed and receiving benefits.

The movement, which is both a political pushback against the democratically controlled Congress and an effort to force the unemployed who are finally earning a livable wage in state's where the mandated minimum wage is $7.50 per hour, has been said to disincentive workers from seeking employment, which republican state governors say is contributing to the pandemic related recession.

President Biden on Friday said the country is "still digging out of an economic collapse" amid the coronavirus pandemic, but that the U.S. is on the "right track," as the administration reported that the economy created just 266,000 jobs in April, and saw rising unemployment. Biden, speaking from the White House, said he took office during a "once-in-a-century pandemic and a once-in-a-generation economic crisis. He continued, "We knew this wouldn't be a sprint—it would be a marathon," Foxnews.com reported.

Securing a federal minimum wage of $15 per hour will end many of the hurdle's states are experiencing. For now, as the nation is slowly moving out of the pandemic recession, states are blindsiding unemployed and using strong arm tactics to force workers to secure employment at any level.

Biden Opens US Doors To Refugees

Bowing to democratic pressure President Biden has reversed his previous refugee cap of 15,000 which held immigration to that of his predecessor and opened the U.S. to the world of immigrant hoping to legally gain entry.

"This erases the historically low number set by the previous administration of 15,000, which did not reflect America's values as a nation that welcomes and supports refugees," Biden said in a statement. "The new admissions cap will also reinforce efforts that are already underway to expand the United States' capacity to admit refugees, so that we can reach the goal of 125,000 refugee admissions that I intend to set for the coming fiscal year," Foxnews.com reported.

Afghanistan – Girl's School Bombing

More than 50 young girls were killed when a car bomb exploded outside their school in Kabul Afghanistan, as they were leaving for the day underscoring fears that the U.S. Military withdrawal from the region will only escalate Taliban violence against all citizens, and especially girls.

"Many residents saw the massacre, which left books and backpacks and bodies scattered across the ground on what had been a pleasant spring afternoon, as a foreshadowing of what is to come. Dr. Mohammad Dawood Danish, the head of the Mohammad Ali Jinnah hospital in Kabul, said that 20 bodies and more than 40 wounded people had been transferred to his hospital. Most of them were students, he said. "The health condition of a number of girls is critical," Dr. Danish said," The New York Times reported.

The Taliban, who has issued a jihad against girl's learning, has denied responsibility for the blast, which left a huge crater in the cement and ripped through the girls, many who were vaporized instantly with only body parts available to the families.

Life in Afghanistan will also return to a new normal, unfortunately a bloody harsh world of strict laws against girl's education, violent medieval punishments, and emotional abuse which destroys the soul of the people until they can be overrun by any number of factions within the region.

Navalny Doc Vanishes, Bear Attack Suspected

"The doctor who famously and falsely announced that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was not poisoned but had a bout of pancreatitis and hypoglycemia has disappeared in a swampy forest, according to several Russian media outlets. Kremlin-friendly outlet Life.ru suggested that "there could have been an accident" after two bears were spotted where the doctor was last seen," TheDailyBeast.com reported.


State Department Releases COVID Report


Vaccine Totals

Bloomberg.com has built a vaccine tracker which can be seen here. "More than 1.28 billion doses have been administered across 174 countries, according to data collected by Bloomberg. The latest rate was roughly 19.7 million doses a day," Bloomberg.com reported.

"In the U.S., the latest vaccination rate is 1,984,707 doses per day, on average. At this pace, it will take another 4 months to cover 75% of the population," reported Bloomberg.com.

Coronavirus Totals

While the infection rates of the coronavirus have continued to decline around the world. A new strain, a mutation, has created global concern for leaders around the world are determining the best direction for the protection of the population. The importance of maintaining personal protective practices is imperative to controlling the spread.

For the week ending May 9, 2021, coronavirus cases globally increased by 4,937,200 new confirmed cases, bringing the total of confirmed cases worldwide to 157,284,400 people with a total worldwide death toll of 3,276,900 deaths, a weekly death rate increase of 82,000. (Data from The New York Times).

COVID US Totals

Infections rates in the United States are also on the rise. For the week ending May 9, 2021, the total confirmed cases rose to 32,713,600 people with new confirmed cases increasing by 294,100 with an average of 42,014 cases daily over a seven-day period. The coronavirus has claimed 581,000 total deaths, adding 4,700 more deaths to the total of lives lost due to the coronavirus. (Data from The New York Times).

India's COVID Total

The coronavirus in India with a population of more than 1.3 billion has now become the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. India is seeing a daily increase of 391,280 confirmed coronavirus cases. The totals continued to rise and even as nations are rallying to provide needed medical supplies and personal protective equipment, the dense population is facing daunting challenges in control as millions flee the densely populated areas and return to remote corners carrying the deadly disease with them.

Facebook Upholds Trump Ban

Former President Trump has announced the formation of his own social media company to combat the recent bans he has faced on the popular social media platform Facebook and others.

"Facebook's Oversight Board on Wednesday upheld former President Donald Trump's ban from Facebook and Instagram, but said it was "not appropriate" for Facebook to impose the "indeterminate and standardless penalty of indefinite suspension. Facebook cannot make up the rules as it goes, and anyone concerned about its power should be concerned about allowing this," the board said in a statement. "Having clear rules that apply to all users and Facebook is essential for ensuring the company treats users fairly," Foxnews.com reported. 


Justice Watch: And They Got Away With It (Part 4)


Minneapolis Braces for Summer of Unrest

Derek Chauvin Seeks New Trail

Convicted murder and former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has filed a petition requesting a hearing to determine if any mitigating circumstances were present including known or unknown intimidation, misconceptions of pressure or personal responsibility rendered because of a verdict.

"Eric Nelson, Mr. Chauvin's attorney, requested a hearing where the judge could re-interview some jurors. He said the purpose of the questioning is to show the jury "committed misconduct, felt threatened or intimidated, felt race based pressure during the proceedings, and/or failed to adhere to instructions during deliberations, in violation," The Wall Street Journal reported.

Post-trail behaviors of jurors who answered falsely in the pre-trail voir dire, the questioning of jurors to determine if they further the end goal of both parties, included civil protests specifically the Black Live Matter marches and movements. Social media postings of one specific juror who indicated he was not involved have come to light which his initial answers under scrutiny.

Trial of Three Other Minneapolis Officer's Set for August

August 23, 2021 has been set as the beginning of the trial for the three other Minneapolis Police officers, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, who were present at the arrest and murder of George Floyd.

Two of the officers, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, were "were both in their first week on the job as full officers. Mr. Kueng, who was 26 at the time, was the youngest and least experienced officer at the scene. It was his third shift as a full officer," The New York Times reported.

Mr. Thao was a nine year veteran and has faced six departmental complaints one of which involved an alleged racially motivated attacked on a black man.

 

For more information on President Joe Biden www.whitehouse.gov.

Sources: Various © Articles covered by Copyright protection.

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