Free Republic

VP Pence's abilities and experience are political, not managerial.  FEMA personnel can't possibly have the experience to run optimally this major, vital operation.   So Pence and the FEMA head should hire the best talent available in America to carry out the task force assignments. Possibly hire someone like Tim Cook to oversee everything. He would take a leave of absence from Apple to do this. Seasoned, experienced teams should be hired in at least these two vital areas. These teams should probably be hired intact from companies such as Apple, Microsoft and 3M. 1. Supply chain/manufacturing team to manage production/procurement...

The first testing kits from the Centers for Disease Control had a simple fault, and red tape prevented other labs from creating their own. ————————————————————————————- Few health institutions around the world are as renowned as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Which makes it all the more baffling that the CDC could have fumbled the rollout of coronavirus diagnostic tests throughout the country so badly. While other countries have been able to run millions of tests, the CDC has tested only 1,235 patients. Speed is of the essence when dealing with an epidemic early, and the CDC’s mistakes...

March 24 2020 Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent Reading 1 Ez 47:1-9, 12 The angel brought me, Ezekiel, back to the entrance of the temple of the LORD, and I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the façade of the temple was toward the east; the water flowed down from the right side of the temple, south of the altar. He led me outside by the north gate, and around to the outer gate facing the east, where I saw water trickling from the right side. Then when...

New York will start trials for anti-malaria drug Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said The drug, hydroxychloroquine is used to treat malaria, as well as some non-infectious inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis Several people have come forward saying the drug has helped fight COVID-19 Rio Giardinieri, of Florida, said the drug 'saved his life' after he testes positive Margaret Novins, of New Jersey, also said the medication made her feel better There are currently no approved treatments or preventive vaccines for the virus Researchers are studying existing treatments and working on experimental ones, but current patients receive only supportive care...

Republicans had a deal until Nancy Pelosi rode into town from her extended vacation. The Democrats want the Virus to win? They are asking for things that have nothing to do with our great workers or companies. They want Open Borders & Green New Deal. Republicans shouldn’t agree!

Via senior GOP aide, Schumer/Pelosi now pushing these demands amid pandemic-fueled economic collapse: 1) Unprecedented collective bargaining powers for unions 2) Increased fuel emissions standards for airlines 3) Expansion of wind and solar tax credits

Joe Biden doesn’t occupy a political office, isn’t a great orator and is basically stuck in his house. It’s not much of a platform for projecting leadership during the coronavirus crisis. That was laid bare Monday as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee gave his first coronavirus shadow briefing webcast. Biden’s been outgunned by President Donald Trump and outshone by some of the nation’s governors, among them New York’s Andrew Cuomo, whose crisis response efforts are drawing rave reviews. The former vice president was staid and somber, even as his remarks were marred by a few minor real-time snafus and slip-ups....

The White House coronavirus task force on Sunday dangled new CDC guidance that might suggest some Americans with exposure to the 2019 novel coronavirus could return to work wearing a mask. Vice President Pence on Sunday said the guidance “will make it possible for people that have been exposed to return to work more quickly with—by wearing a mask for a certain period of time.” He suggested it would be spelled out in more detail this week. When asked about the potential guidance on Monday, Pence said it was still in the works, and might be targeted at a small...

Today, Vice President Mike Pence led a discussion with the chief executives of over 50 States, territories, and Washington, DC, to provide an update on the all-of-America approach to respond to, prepare for, and mitigate the effects of COVID-19. The leadership of governors, mayors, county commissioners, and tribal officials is vital for effective emergency management. Emergency management in America is locally-executed, State-managed, and Federally supported, which allows for innovative solutions to be identified at the local and State level for the majority of issues. The Federal government helps scale best practices, coordinates key priorities, and provides regulatory flexibilities and key resources to...

The doctor’s voice was filled with distress. Dr. Suraj Saggar didn’t have much time to talk. At times, he even sounded almost out of breath. Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck is under siege from the coronavirus, and he needed to get back to his patients. But first, he had a desperate message he needed to send. They need help. “It looks likes a war zone,” said Saggar, Holy Name’s chief of infectious disease. The hospital is in such dire need, it took the unprecedented step of pleading to the public for donations to buy critical supplies. Holy Name is...

From being ostracised by the international community as the centre of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, China is seeking to reframe itself as a global expert that can help hard-hit regions battle the disease. Beijing is keen to reposition the virus as a global outbreak and not just a China malaise as it sends testing kits and experts overseas and translates treatment manuals into foreign languages. The deputy foreign minister said at a press conference Thursday that China had shared its treatment plan with “many countries”. An expert team has already been sent to Iran, where 92 people have died, along...

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Well, good afternoon, everyone.  On behalf of President Donald Trump and a grateful nation, I want to say how proud and grateful we are to each and every one of you here at the National Response Coordination Center.  Thank you for stepping up for America.  Thank you for the efforts here at FEMA to bring together this whole-of-government approach.  We couldn’t be more proud of each and every one of you.The American people know FEMA.  They know that when disaster strikes their communities, and they see that FEMA flag flying, they know that we’re bringing our...

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an emergency order Monday directing hospitals to increase their capacity by 50% as coronavirus cases across the state surged 38% overnight to 20,875. New York is the hardest-hit state in the country, ahead of New Jersey, California and Washington state, Cuomo said. New York City, alone, accounts for 12,305 confirmed infections, he said. Cuomo estimated up to 80% of the state’s more than 19.4 million residents will get the coronavirus. Last week, Cuomo estimated there are likely “tens of thousands” of COVID-19 cases in the state among residents who didn’t know they had it....

Federal Emergency Management Agency HeadquartersWashington, D.C.2:04 P.M. EDTTHE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, on behalf of President Donald Trump and the White House Coronavirus Task Force, allow me to welcome all of the governors who are joining us for this video teleconference. And more importantly, thank you. Thank you for the leadership that each of one of you are showing in your states.Yesterday, the President took specific action with regard to California, Washington State, and New York. We’ll talk about that in a bit. But I know, in speaking with so many of you myself, the regular contacts that we have had...

"We’re deeply committed to ensuring that small businesses have the support they require." President Donald J. Trump PROVIDING FINANCIAL RELIEF: President Donald J. Trump is working to provide financial relief for small businesses harmed by the coronavirus outbreak. The President and his Administration are working to provide disaster loans and further support to small business owners affected by the coronavirus outbreak.The President signed legislation to support billions in low-interest disaster loans for small businesses economically impacted by the coronavirus. The Small Business Administration (SBA) has streamlined the application process for these loans, which offer up to $2 million in...

Since our Nation’s earliest days, farming communities have been a bedrock of our society.  In a letter to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson famously stated that agriculture “is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness.”  As our Nation continues to face the unique challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, we pay tribute to the unbeatable strength of America’s agricultural producers as they once again answer the call to feed our country and the world.  On this National Agriculture Day, and now more than ever, we salute and honor the men...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) plan to fight the coronavirus includes a national mandate for ballot harvesting, same-day voter registration, and federally-mandated early voting provisions just in time for the 2020 presidential election. As part of Pelosi’s coronavirus plan, House Democrats slipped in multiple measures from their H.R. 1 legislation that would implement nationwide ballot harvesting for federal elections — effectively allowing political operatives to collect and deliver an endless number of absentee ballots from voters. Pelosi’s coronavirus plan allows “any person to return a voted and sealed absentee ballot” to a designated election office or post office and does...

The Tampa Bay Times reports DeSantis said Monday that New Yorkers are fleeing the state and flocking to Florida to avoid NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s stay-at-home order, a near lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “If you look at what happened in New York, when they did the stay at home order, what did people do?” DeSantis said. “Well, a lot of people fled the city. ... We’re getting huge amounts of people flying in.” On Monday, there were 190 direct flights to Florida from the New York and New Jersey area, he said.

The Democrats are as addicted to politics, their version anyway, as a junkie in a homeless camp is to crack or meth. It’s as if they mainlined Rahm Emanuel’s neo-Leninist apothegm—“You never let a serious crisis go to waste”—straight to their Vena Cavas and can’t get enough of it. Now, that includes in a pandemic! What next? Nuclear war? Think of the possibilities! You could ask for almost anything—assuming there’s anybody left to ask. But Rahm’s watchwords (echoed recently by Rep. James Clyburn), it’s safe to predict, will prove to be a curse to himself and his party rather than...

Hedge-fund manager David Tepper says there is nothing wrong with “nibbling” at stocks that have experienced a brutal selloff in the past month, amid growing fears centered on the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the star fund manager and billionaire says that U.S. lawmakers and the Trump administration need to act quickly to stabilize the economy and mitigate the damage from the deadly pathogen. “There’s nothing wrong with nibbling here,” the founder of Appaloosa Management said during a phone interview with CNBC on Monday, referring to stocks that have fallen at an unprecedented rate, as business activity across...