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Today's News: April 23, 2020

World News

Pompeo hints US may NEVER restore WHO funding…as China ponies up an extra $30mn amid still-raging Covid-19 pandemic

RT – The US may never resume funding the World Health Organization, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned, after President Donald Trump pulled his support. China has stepped into the breach with an extra $30 million.
“I think we’ve got to take a real hard look at the WHO and what we do coming out of this,” Pompeo told Fox News, calling for a “structural fix” for the organization as a precondition to resuming funding.

Greece extends coronavirus lockdown to May 4

RT – Greece on Thursday extended its general coronavirus lockdown by a week to May 4. Any relaxation will be staggered over May and June. Authorities imposed a blanket shutdown of public life from mid-March to stem coronavirus contagion.

Iran military chief warns its forces will ‘destroy’ US warships if threatened in Persian Gulf

Fox – The leader of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed Thursday that his troops will “destroy any American terrorist force” that threatens the country’s ships in the Persian Gulf.
The inflammatory comments from Major General Hossein Salami on Iranian state TV come a day after President Trump warned the Islamic Republic in a tweet that he has “instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea.”
Trump was speaking in response to an incident last week in the Persian Gulf’s international waters, in which Iranian ships repeatedly crossed in front and behind U.S. vessels at extremely close range and high speeds.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

1,000-Bed Hospital Ship USNS Comfort to Leave New York City

Breitbart – USNS Comfort, the Navy hospital ship that docked in New York Harbor earlier this month to provide relief to hospitals overrun by an influx of Chinese coronavirus patients, is ready to return to its Virginia home port.
The ship, equipped with 1,000 beds, 12 operating rooms, and 1,200 personnel, never came close to reaching its capacity during its assignment, as Breitbart News reported.

Behind coronavirus lockdown protests, questions of whom to trust

CS Monitor – A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll suggests the number of people aggressively agitating for states to reopen their economies is small. A Pew Research Center survey finds only 32% of Americans are more worried about lockdowns not ending quickly enough, rather than too quickly. But encouraged by President Donald Trump, who exhorted Michiganders to “liberate” their state, their voice can be loud.
For some, the threat of COVID-19 means the government must step in to enforce safe behaviors. But Ms. Whitmer’s orders have prompted Mr. Smit, like some others, to wonder if there is a different way. Can states have more trust in Americans themselves to do the right thing?
The answer to that question has led to different paths. On the fly, an already divided nation is calibrating the balance between public health, the economy, and the role of government.
“There is a sense that an awful lot of what modern life is doing is not liberating us, but restricting us, and so then you get a pandemic and you get restrictions on steroids,” says Michael Wolff, the former chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court. “And of course, a big enough match can light a pretty good fire
So far, protests have been small. But Mr. Trump has offered support for the cause, saying some governors were taking restrictions too far.

Top vaccine expert claims he was fired for resisting Trump on hydroxychloroquine

Guardian -A senior US government doctor who worked on the search for a coronavirus vaccine has claimed he was fired after resisting Donald Trump’s push to use the unproven drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.
Rick Bright was this week ousted as director of the US health department’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or Barda, and as the deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response.
In a stunningly candid statement, Bright highlighted his refusal to embrace hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug relentlessly promoted by the president and Fox News despite a lack of scientific studies.
“Specifically, and contrary to misguided directives, I limited the broad use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, promoted by the administration as a panacea, but which clearly lack scientific merit,” Bright said.
“While I am prepared to look at all options and to think ‘outside the box’ for effective treatments, I rightly resisted efforts to provide an unproven drug on demand to the American public.”
Asked about Bright at the White House coronavirus briefing on Wednesday, Trump said: “I never heard of him. If a guy says he was pushed out of a job, maybe he was, maybe he wasn’t. You’d have to hear the other side. I don’t know who he is.”

Economy & Business

Coronavirus: US unemployment claims hit 26.4 million amid virus

BBC – A further 4.4 million Americans sought unemployment benefits last week as the economic toll from the coronavirus pandemic continued to mount.
The new applications brought the total number of jobless claims since mid-March to 26.4 million.
That amounts to more than 15% of the US workforce.
However, the most recent data marked the third week that the number of new claims has declined, raising hopes that the worst of the shock may be over.
“While this week’s 4.4 million jobless claims are staggering, there are signs that the pace of layoffs has reached its peak,” said Richard Flynn, UK managing director at financial service firm Charles Schwab.
“The key questions at this point are when can the economy reopen and what happens when it does?”

Disney’s theme parks are unlikely to open their gates again until 2021, according to analysts

Daily Mail – Disney’s world theme parks may not reopen until 2021 due to strict social distancing measures in force because of coronavirus, ultimately impacting profitability.
Some of Disney’s largest and best-known theme parks may have to wait for a coronavirus vaccine to be found before they can reopen, despite some sites advertising bookings as early as June.
Social distancing, travel restrictions and recession brought on by the global pandemic are factors that contribute to the business becoming ‘less profitable’, until such time as a vaccine is ‘widely available’. 
That is a financial analysis of Disney by investment banking group UBS, in a report called, ‘The Eye of the Storm’.
The Walt Disney Company announced in April it had ceased paying 100,000 staff to save $500 million a month after a five-week shut down due to coronavirus, impacting more than 50 percent of its workforce.

Exclusive: China plans to boost state reserves with U.S. crops amid coronavirus – sources

Reuters – China is preparing to buy more than 30 million tonnes of crops for state stockpiles to help protect itself from supply chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic and make good on pledges to buy more U.S. crops, three sources told Reuters. 

Energy & Environment

Texas Tornado Leaves 3 Dead, Dozens Injured

Breitbart – A killer tornado ripped through the lakefront community of Onalaska Wednesday night, leaving a trail of destruction that stretched for miles. By morning, Polk County officials reported three deaths, dozens of injuries, and the devastation of multiple neighborhoods.

Health

Nature’s antivirals: Boost your immune system with vitamins C and D

NaturalNews – The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a contagious viral respiratory infection, is currently ravaging the world. Over the past month, the global population witnessed an unprecedented exponential growth of cases that continues to rise by the thousands.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), each infected person can infect up to two persons. Transmission largely depends on several factors, including cleanliness and immunity. The WHO also reports that the mortality rate of COVID-19 is higher than that of influenza, a viral respiratory infection also known as the flu.
Fortunately, recovery from COVID-19 is possible, but it primarily depends on the ability of a person’s immune system to combat the virus.
Ideally, the immune system identifies and eliminates toxins, irritants and disease-causing pathogens. However, vital immune functions can be compromised by factors that can make the body susceptible to infection, such as poor nutrition, inadequate sleep and physical inactivity.
Currently, experts recommend observing preventive measures against the coronavirus such as personal hygiene, social distancing and self-quarantine.

Professor Warns Cancer Deaths Due to COVID Disruption Will Be Greater Than Deaths From Coronavirus

Infowars –  400 cancers a week being missed because people are not getting hospital treatment
A professor at King’s College London has warned that there will be more excess cancer deaths over the next 5 years than the number of people who die from coronavirus in the UK due to the disruption caused by the coronavirus lockdown, which is preventing cancer victims from getting treatment.
Richard Sullivan, professor of cancer and global health and director of its Institute of Cancer Policy, said: “The number of deaths due to the disruption of cancer services is likely to outweigh the number of deaths from the coronavirus itself over the next five years.”
Many people are avoiding hospitals, partly due to fear of coronavirus and partly due to the NHS implying that people should stay away so as not to burden doctors and nurses.
This means that routine cancer screenings have all but stopped and there will be a massive backlog once normality resumes.
“The cessation and delay of cancer care will cause considerable avoidable suffering,” said Sullivan. “Cancer screening services have stopped, which means we will miss our chance to catch many cancers when they are treatable and curable, such as cervical, bowel and breast.”
People didn’t suddenly stop getting cancer when the coronavirus outbreak started, but now they are not getting treatment.
One wonders what the point is in allowing such disruption in the name of saving lives, only to lose more lives to cancer in the long run.
“Some stroke and heart attack patients are routinely waiting more than two hours for an ambulance, while 2,300 cancer diagnoses are being missed each week because patients are not going to see their GP or because they are not being referred for urgent tests and scans at hospital,” reports the Daily Mail.

These 5 Delicious Snacks Will Help You Get Your Daily Dose Of Veggies

Mind Body Green – All of this time at home might be increasing your urge to snack, and that doesn’t have to be a negative thing. In fact, snacking can be a great opportunity to sneak in an extra serving of veggies; the average adult should eat (at minimum) between 2.5 to 3 cups per day
If you’re not getting enough veggies with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, adding an organic greens powder to your snack time is an easy way to meet your recommended daily intake (especially since trips to the grocery store for produce are likely few and far between these days). Greens powders can offer a blend of antioxidant-rich veggies, like spinach, kale, broccoli, and carrots. Plus, some powders like mindbodygreen’s organic veggies+ feature hard-to-find but very nutrient-rich sea veggies, including kelp and chlorella.
While you can always stir a greens powder into water or alt milks to transform it into a green juice, here are a few ways to get even more creative with your veggie-packed snacks.

  1. Greens powder + green smoothie
  2. Dark chocolate truffles
  3. Vegan pesto 
  4. Air popped popcorn with veggies+
  5. Berry and veggie smoothie

Quercetin: A natural painkiller for people with IBS

NaturalNews –  Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic disorder that affects the large intestine. It can be caused by a severe infection, inflammation or abnormal muscle contractions. Among the many symptoms of IBS, abdominal pain, coupled with either diarrhea or constipation, is the most common.
People with IBS often report low health-related quality of life. Pain is the most disruptive symptom identified by people with IBS, followed by diarrhea for those with diarrhea-predominant IBS.
In one study, researchers found that abdominal pain had the strongest impact on the quality of life of women with IBS, occurring at least minimally 62 percent of the time, based on daily diaries. This suggests that pain relief is key to improving the well-being of people with IBS, besides effective long-term management strategies.
In a recent study, researchers from China and Hong Kong studied the effects of quercetin, a compound found in many plant-based foods, on abdominal pain and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) availability in a post-inflammatory irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS) rat model. 5-HT is the scientific name for serotonin, the brain chemical that regulates happiness, anxiety and mood. The researchers reported their findings in an article published in the Journal of Medicinal Food.

Pet News

4 Clues Your Dog’s Itchiness May Be Food-Related

Mercola – If your dog is itchy year-round and has chronic or occasional GI issues, there’s a good chance she has developed an intolerance for something in her diet.
Food sensitivities in dogs are very likely caused by foreign contaminants in ultra-processed commercial pet food.
If you suspect your dog has a food sensitivity, the first step is to determine the specific food(s) he’s reacting to.
The next step is to introduce a two-to-three-month novel diet; preferably a homemade fresh food diet.
Because each case of food intolerance is different, if possible, it’s best to work with a veterinarian with experience creating customized healing protocols

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