Mornings on the Mall

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Hosts: Vince Coglianese and Mary Walter

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Cal Thomas, Gen. Jack Keane, David Bauer, Charles Claburn and SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza joined WMAL on Wednesday!

5am – A/B/C  LATEST NEWS ON NUMBERS AND MODELS:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering changing its guidelines for self-isolation to make it easier for those who have been exposed to someone with the coronavirus to return to work if they are asymptomatic. The public health agency and the White House are considering an announcement as soon as today. Under the proposed guidance, people who are exposed to an infected person would be allowed back on the job if they are asymptomatic, test their temperature twice a day and wear a face mask.
• TOP OFFICIALS REALLY HAVEN’T KNOWN ANYTHING FOR SURE… FROM MONDAY… CDC director downplays coronavirus models, says death toll will be ‘much lower’ than projected: “If we just social distance, we will see this virus and this outbreak basically decline, decline, decline. And I think that’s what you’re seeing,” said Robert Redfield, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control. “I think you’re going to see the numbers are, in fact, going to be much less than what would have been predicted by the models,” he said. [EDS NOTE: The models accounted for mitigation.] […]  At the same time, Dr. John Brownstein, a Harvard epidemiologist and ABC News contributor, said that Redfield’s comments could mislead Americans into feeling a sense that the disease’s spread is under control. “Projections and models across the board are accounting for a reduction in mobility because of social distancing, so it’s way too soon to declare any kind of victory,” he said. “This is not a moment for people to relax because they feel the models are wrong.”
• NY TIMES: How Will We Know When It’s Time to Reopen the Nation? Some cities or states will recover sooner than others. It’s helpful to have criteria by which cities or states could determine they’re ready. A recent report by Scott Gottlieb, Caitlin Rivers, Mark B. McClellan, Lauren Silvis and Crystal Watson staked out some goal posts.

1.) Hospitals in the state must be able to safely treat all patients requiring hospitalization, without resorting to crisis standards of care.

2.) A state needs to be able to test at least everyone who has symptoms. Dr. Gottlieb and colleagues estimate that the nation would need to have the capacity to run 750,000 tests a week — this is after things have calmed down greatly.

3.) The state is able to conduct monitoring of confirmed cases and contacts. This will be a big challenge for most areas. Other countries have relied on cellphone tracking technology to determine whom people have been near. We don’t have anything like that ready, nor is it even clear we’d allow it. The United States also doesn’t have enough people working in public health in many areas to carry out this task. 4.) There must be a sustained reduction in cases for at least 14 days.

• New York state recorded 731 new coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, marking its biggest one-day jump in the outbreak. Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the state’s death toll since the beginning of the outbreak is now at 5,489. More people have now died from the coronavirus in New York City than perished in the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center. At least 4,009 people have been killed in the City by the virus, according to state officials. The 9/11 attacks, the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil, killed 2,753 people in Manhattan. The alarming number comes even as new hospital admissions have dropped compared to last week. Cuomo said the latest death tally reflects critically ill people hospitalized before this week.
• DID SWEDEN GET IT RIGHT? If social isolation worked, wouldn’t Sweden, a Nordic country of 10.1 million people, be seeing the number of COVID-19 cases skyrocket into the tens of thousands, blowing past the numbers in Italy or New York City? As of today, there are 401 reported COVID-19 deaths in Sweden. The really good news is that in Sweden’s ICU census, which is updated every 30 minutes nationwide, admissions to every ICU in the country are flat or declining, and they have been for a week. As of this writing (based on currently available data), most of Sweden’s ICU cases today are elderly, and 77 percent have underlying conditions such as heart disease, respiratory disease, kidney disease, and diabetes. Moreover, there hasn’t been a single pediatric ICU case or death in Sweden — so much for the benefits of shutting down schools everywhere else. There are only 25 COVID-19 ICU admissions among all Swedes under the age of 30.
• Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Lofven warns citizens to prepare for THOUSANDS of deaths after global amazement at officials’ refusal to order a lockdown amid coronavirus pandemic 
• AUSTRIA TO REOPEN:
  • Austria set to be first European country to ease lockdown. Austria will gradually reopen shops after Easter, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Monday.
  • April 14: Smaller shops, DIY shops and garden shops
  • May 1: All shops, shopping centers and hairdressers
  • Mid-May or later: Restaurants and hotels

5am – D         NAVY SECRETARY RESIGNS: The acting Navy secretary, Thomas Modly, has resigned after having admonishing the former captain of the coronavirus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt. Defense Secretary Mark Esper says that Modly resigned of his own accord. Modly had publicly apologized Monday for his criticism of the Roosevelt’s skipper, Capt. Brett E. Crozier. He had said last week that Crozier had shown “extremely poor judgment” in widely distributing a letter calling for urgent help with the COVID-19 outbreak aboard the aircraft carrier he was charged with overseeing. Replacing Modly as the Navy’s civilian leader will be a Navy veteran, James McPherson, who is currently serving as undersecretary of the Army.

5am – E         Black Americans Face Alarming Rates of Coronavirus Infection in Some States:  “This is a call-to-action moment for all of us,” said Lori Lightfoot, the mayor of Chicago, who announced statistics of the outbreak in her city this week. African-Americans account for more than half of those who have tested positive and 72 percent of virus-related fatalities in Chicago, even though they make up a little less than a third of the population. “Those numbers take your breath away, they really do,” said Ms. Lightfoot, who is the city’s first black woman elected as mayor. She added in an interview that the statistics were “among the most shocking things I think I’ve seen as mayor.” In Illinois, 43 percent of people who have died from the disease and 28 percent of those who have tested positive are African-Americans, a group that makes up just 15 percent of the state’s population. African-Americans, who account for a third of positive tests in Michigan, represent 40 percent of deaths in that state even though they make up 14 percent of the population. In Louisiana, about 70 percent of the people who have died are black, though only a third of that state’s population is.

6am – A         SMALL BUSINESS LOANS:

• President Donald Trump on Tuesday pushed to add $250 billion to the new payroll program for small businesses. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said more money is needed for the popular new $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program, which took off with a start last Friday and proved incredibly popular as companies jumped at the chance to tap up to $10 million in forgivable loans to keep paychecks flowing amid the stay-home shutdown. Mnuchin said had requested the funds in private calls to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell said he hopes to get the increased amount through Congress this week, perhaps as early as Thursday.
• Senate will vote to pass more small business aid Thursday, McConnell says. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he hopes to approve further funding Thursday to buoy small businesses devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. “I will work with Secretary Mnuchin and Leader Schumer and hope to approve further funding for the Paycheck Protection Program by unanimous consent or voice vote during the next scheduled Senate session on Thursday,” he said in a statement.  Congress late last month approved a $350 billion small business loan program as part of a more than $2 trillion stimulus bill aimed at helping the economy recover from the coronavirus pandemic. The program is aimed at helping small businesses that provide the engine of employment and entrepreneurship in the U.S. economy.
• Small business loan processing platform crashed: report. The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) loan processing platform crashed on Monday and was down for hours, preventing lenders from processing any loans, Bloomberg News reported. The system was back up on Monday afternoon. The SBA did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.  On Friday, the SBA and the Treasury Department rolled out applications for the $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program, designed to provide loans for small businesses to meet payroll and other basic expenses during the coronavirus pandemic. The Trump administration is still struggling to work out the program’s kinks, as some banks say they remain unable to access the platform.

6am – B/C     ABORTION BANS DURING THE PANDEMIC: A federal appeals court has sided with Texas in allowing it to ban most abortions while the state is under an emergency order that limits non-essential surgeries during the coronavirus pandemic. A panel of judges at the New Orleans-based Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a decision by a lower court that blocked the ban last week. The ruling allows the ban to stay in place. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott last month ordered hospitals to cancel “non-essential” surgeries in order to free up hospital space and supplies that might be needed for coronavirus patients and doctors.

6am – D         INTERVIEW – CAL THOMAS – Syndicated columnist and author of new book “America’s Expiration Date: The Fall of Empires and Superpowers . . . and the Future of the United States” 

6am – E         Schiff says acting DNI Grenell improperly overhauling intel community. House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff accused President Donald Trump’s top intelligence official Tuesday of undermining “critical intelligence functions” by keeping Congress in the dark about organizational changes he’s been implementing. “This effort appears to be proceeding despite the Coronavirus pandemic and amid indications … of political interference in the production and dissemination of intelligence,” Schiff wrote in a four-page letter to acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell. Schiff emphasized that under Grenell’s management, every Senate-appointed official in the DNI’s hierarchy had been removed. And Congress, he said, had not been consulted about the intelligence or national security implications of the changes. “President Trump did not nominate you for confirmation as permanent DNI,” Schiff wrote, “and it would be inappropriate for you to pursue any additional leadership, organizational or staffing changes to ODNI during your temporary tenure.”

Senior Intel Officials Criticize Adam Schiff’s Letter To Director Richard Grenell, Pressing Him Over ODNI Personnel Changes. One intelligence official noted that letters sent to ODNI by the Senate Intelligence Committee include signatures from both Chairman Richard Burrand Ranking Member Mark Warner and, often times, additional Senators from both parties. Schiff’s letter, the official pointed out, was sent from his office alone, without the notarization of Ranking Member Devin Nunes. “The [ODNI] staffers are so sick and tired of [Schiff] politicizing the intelligence community for his own gain,” the official told Daily Caller. “Notice how he sent the letter to the media before he sent it to ODNI.” […]  In addition to the personnel concerns, Schiff’s letter highlights President Donald Trump’s recent firing of former Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson and alleged actions taken by an ODNI staff member involving classified information on election security. Schiff wrote Grenell that the House Intelligence Committee would be investigating both matters, urged him against attempting to interfere in either probe, and asked him to turn over any relevant documents on the two issues by April 16.

 6am – F         NEW WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Kayleigh McEnany replaces Stephanie Grisham as White House press secretary. Trump campaign spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany is replacing White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who will return to the East Wing as First Lady Melania Trump’s chief of staff, according to two sources familiar with the situation.

7am – A/B/C INTERVIEW – INTERVIEW – General Jack Keane – retired Four star general, Fox News Senior Strategic Analyst and chairman of the Institute for the Study of War.

• NAVY SECRETARY RESIGNS: The acting Navy secretary, Thomas Modly, has resigned after having admonishing the former captain of the coronavirus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt. Defense Secretary Mark Esper says that Modly resigned of his own accord.
• WHO FUNDING: President Trump said he would “put a hold” on U.S. funding for the World Health Organization, before later backtracking and claiming, “I’m not saying I’m going to do it.” Trump made the comments at a White House press briefing as deaths and infections across the country continue to rise. Trump at first announced he would be cutting off U.S. funding to the organization. But when pressed on whether it was the right time, given the current worldwide pandemic crisis, he told reporters he was only considering it.
• Graham backs Trump, vows no money for WHO in next funding bill
• WHO’s bows to Beijing have harmed the global response to the pandemic.
• TWEET: Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump: The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look. Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on. Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?          

7am – D         INTERVIEW – David Bauer – president and CEO of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association – discussed why NOW is the best time to be fixing roads.

7am – E         LOCAL NEWS:

• Northam To Postpone Action On Teacher Raises, Tuition Freeze. RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam plans to delay some long-sought Democratic priorities until more is known about how the pandemic will affect the economy, pushing back decisions on whether to give teachers and state workers raises, freeze in-state college tuition, and implement other new spending in the budget lawmakers passed only last month. Clark Mercer, the governor’s chief of staff, said Tuesday that too little is known about the impact on state revenues to move ahead now with billions of dollars in new spending, much of which would carry over into future years. “We’ve got to wait for the fog to lift to make budget decisions informed by facts and data,” Mercer said. He said the governor, a Democrat, is likely to request a budget reforecast this summer before calling lawmakers back for a special session this year to adjust spending priorities based on the new numbers. The pandemic is pounding state governments nationwide with a one-two punch, costing them millions in containment efforts just as businesses shut down and tax revenue collapses.

• Virginia’s House of Delegates will reconvene at the end of the month, but this time outside. Members of Virginia’s House of Delegates have agreed to reconvene on April 22, but lawmakers will meet outside to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus, according to a spokesman for House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn. “It is the Speaker’s preference, out of deep concern for the health and safety of membership, staff, and the public that the session be outdoors, with a contingency option for an inside location,” wrote spokesman for Filler-Corn Jake Rubenstein in an email to WAMU. The meeting would be an exception to Virginia’s emergency order that bans gatherings of more than 10 people.
• District braces for massive budget cuts as a result of Coronavirus pandemic. MARYLAND (WMAL) – The District of Columbia’s being hit hard financially by the Coronavirus pandemic. Friday Mayor Muriel Bowser signed an order that freezes hiring, salary increases and travel for most government employees. She said there will be exceptions, including the Coronavirus response, public safety, human services and school staffing. Bowser said $607 million dollars will need to be cut from the budget for the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.

8am – A/B/C INTERVIEW – CHARLES CLABURN – 30 year veteran trucker based in Mississippi — shared the real life experience of truckers helping keep the supply chain together during the coronavirus pandemic.

 8am – D         INTERVIEW – SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza – discussed what small businesses need to know about the government’s new forgivable loan program.

8am – E         FOX NEWS IN DC GETS A CORONAVIRUS CASE: Fox News Washington, DC, employee hospitalized with coronavirus. (The Hill) –  Fox News announced in an internal memo obtained by The Hill that an employee in its Washington, D.C., bureau has tested positive for the novel coronavirus and is currently hospitalized. The memo comes as almost all anchors, hosts and guests on the network have been broadcasting from home, which is the case across much of cable and broadcast news. “As soon as we learned of the test result, we contacted all staff who may have been impacted and mandated that the employee’s direct co-workers/team begin self-quarantining for the appropriate period of time since last contact at the direction of our medical professionals,” wrote Bryan Boughton, senior vice president of the Fox News Washington Bureau. “We have been deep cleaning all areas affected and will be continuing all disinfecting efforts throughout the entire bureau.”

KENNEDY CENTER: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has struck a deal with members of the National Symphony Orchestra after attempting to halt salary payments to the musicians. The organization’s decision ignited a furor because it came just hours after President Donald Trump signed a stimulus package that sent the Kennedy Center $25 million. Tuesday’s move is an attempt to quell the anger. The District of Columbia Federation of Musicians, the union that represents the orchestra members, announced to its 96 members on Tuesday morning that it had reached a deal to avoid unpaid furloughs stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Under the terms of the new agreement, musicians will take a partial pay cut as long as the Kennedy Center remains closed. They will also accept a wage freeze for the remainder of the calendar year.