RUTHFULLY YOURS

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2020/03/19/democracy_and_bureaucracy_in_a_time_of_pandemic_142702.html

As the coronavirus spreads and the Centers for Disease Control work around-the-clock to mitigate the disaster, it’s easy to see why we need competent government agencies. We don’t always get them. The CDC and National Institutes of Health botched their initial response to the virus — and we are all paying the price. They distributed unreliable test kits and, incredibly, prevented top research hospitals from developing their own tests. They failed to plan for the now-predictable spike in demand for respirators, ventilators, and beds in intensive-care units. Only now are tests becoming widely available, long after the disease has spread. Ugh.

With the U.S. economy stalled, schools and businesses closed, and families huddled at home, the CDC, NIH, the Food and Drug Administration, and Health and Human Services are finally doing what they should have done weeks ago: cutting through their own cumbersome red tape to respond aggressively to COVID-19. President Trump, whose reelection hangs in the balance, has declared a national emergency, banned most international travel, and encouraged unprecedented collaboration between government agencies and America’s top biotech companies, which are racing to invent vaccines, treatments, and swift, reliable tests. After a month of misleading happy talk, we are finally hearing some hard, ugly truths from the White House about what to expect.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/trump-draws-praise-from-critics-for-response-to-covid-19-pandemic_3278346.html

President Donald Trump has earned praise from critics during the COVID-19 crisis, including Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The Trump administration’s response to the CCP virus has earned criticism for bungling early attempts at testing suspected patients. But his ordering the closing of the country to people from China and many of the administration’s recent efforts have drawn praise, even from unexpected quarters.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Party’s coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

https://amgreatness.com/2020/03/18/bloomberg-promises-to-spend-40

Michael Bloomberg (D-N.Y.), the former New York City Mayor and failed presidential candidate, has vowed to spend at least $40 million to help combat the spread of the coronavirus in Africa and other countries besides the United States, according to ABC News.

Bloomberg made the announcement on Twitter, saying that he and his company are “committing to $40M to prevent and slow [coronavirus’s] spread around the world, particularly in Africa.” Bloomberg said that he will be partnering with international organizations such as the World Health Organization and Vital Strategies, as well as former CDC Director Thomas Frieden.

In an additional statement, Bloomberg said that “millions of lives depend on getting the coronavirus response right – and so does the economic and social health of communities around the world.” The billionaire made no reference to any efforts to stop the spread in his own country, the United States.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-sought-to-expand-virus-drug-tests-over-fda-objections-11584545251

WASHINGTON—The White House considered issuing an executive order greatly expanding the use of investigational drugs against the new coronavirus, but met with objections from Food and Drug Administration scientists who warned it could pose unneeded risks to patients, according to a senior government official.

The idea to expand testing of drugs and other medical therapies was strongly opposed by the FDA’s senior scientists this week, the official said, and represented the most notable conflict between the FDA and the White House in recent memory.

Asked about The Wall Street Journal’s report at a press briefing Wednesday, President Trump replied that he hadn’t seen the article, but added: “We are making a lot of progress with therapeutics.”

Mr. Trump told reporters that his administration is expanding access to tests for the virus, and later said there would be a news conference Thursday involving the FDA.