Trump an Outsider's View 9798680710005

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TRUMP: An Outsider’s View

A look at the 2020 Presidential Election R. Frederick Riddle

Copyright © 2020 R Frederick Riddle All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other - except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed by Kindle Direct Publishing, a registered trademark of Amazon.com Published by T&R Independent Books, Port Charlotte, Florida an independent publisher. This is a work drawn on publicly available information and represents the author’s opinion based on that information. The opinions stated in this book are the author’s unless otherwise stated. ISBN- 9798680710005

T&R Independent Books

DEDICATION PAGE This book is written with a desire to inform the American public on the central figure of the 2020 Election. The only way to vote intelligently is to be an informed voter, which is the purpose of this book. R. Frederick Riddle

Note from the author . . . At the time of the initial creation of this book and before I began doing the necessary research, we had just experienced Super Tuesday. Rising out of this special day Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders had a big day. It was beginning to look like a neck and neck race that could end up a ‘Brokered Convention’. But we now know that Joe Biden is the Democratic nominee and he will go against President Trump. The purpose of this book is to sort out what the facts are about President Donald Trump and his Administration’s policies. With all the misinformation and mud being slung around it seemed to me that an in-depth report was necessary. As the title of this book says I am an outsider. Both an outsider and a conservative. As an individual I have supported Trump in the past and expect to do so this year as well. But I have never met the man or any of his family. Nor have I any relations with staff, government officials, or anyone associated with his campaign. Since I am an outsider, I have not sought the President’s permission, encouragement, or approval. This is strictly a work by an independent author. R. Frederick Riddle

CONTENTS Note from the author . . . CONTENTS INTRODUCTION PART ONE: DONALD TRUMP ONE: A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY TWO: FACTCHECKERS PART TWO: COVID-19 THREE: TIMELINE NOVEMBER 2019 DECEMBER 2019 JANUARY 2020 FEBRUARY 2020 MARCH 2020 APRIL 2020 MAY 2020 JUNE 2020 JULY 2020 AUGUST 2020 TOTAL CASES/DEATHS PART THREE: ELECTION FOUR: THE ANNOUNCEMENT FIVE: A POPULIST CAMPAIGN SIX: THE 2016 ELECTION SEVEN: COLLUSION EIGHT: DENIAL PART FOUR: DOMESTIC POLICIES NINE: CHURCH TEN: COURTS ELEVEN: ECONOMY TWELVE: ELECTORAL COLLEGE THIRTEEN: IMMIGRATION FOURTEEN: IMPEACHMENT FIFTEEN: NEWS MEDIA PART FIVE: FOREIGN AFFAIRS AFGHANISTAN BREXIT CHINA EUROPEAN UNON IRAN ISRAEL NORTH KOREA NAFTA PAKISTAN RUSSIA TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP UKRAINE PART SIX: DECISION TIME SIXTEEN: DECISION SEVENTEEN: VICE-PRESIDENT EIGHTEEN: SPECIAL REPORT NINETEEN: MY PREDICTION TWENTY: TRUMP’S PLEDGE REVIEW REQUESTED RESOURCES



INTRODUCTION As noted in the ‘Note from the author’ I am a political outsider. Having written a previous book, 2020 Election Candidates & Issues, about the election and the various candidates, I thought it appropriate that I follow-up with a new book that tries to sort out the facts about the President and his Administration. This is a bigger job than I realized when I first considered the project. I, of course, was aware of the anti-Trump sentiment among Democrats, but I had no idea how deep it runs. During the election and afterward (even now) the news media, Left and Far Left Politicians constantly throw lies at Trump hoping they will stick. They use all the political tricks from their Bag of Tricks to assail him or trip him up. As pertaining to the handling of the Covid-19 virus you read that Trump has been slow and less consistent in his response to the Pandemic. Yet they fail to note that the Democrats who control the House of Representatives early on resisted his efforts to curb the virus (see January Timeline (pgs. 6, 11, 17)) before it got to the United States (January 21). Terms like racist and fear were used. Moreover, the death rate in America plunged (see Total Cases/Deaths)! This made finding the truth much harder. If I wanted only the liberal viewpoint, I only needed to turn on the TV or read the morning paper. Those sources are full of the Left’s propaganda. But I wanted a true picture. This is not a book about his life prior to deciding to run for the Presidency although I do include a brief biography. There are plenty of biographies about him out there and I’m not interested in what he once was. There is a belief, usually coming from the liberal camp, that a man can’t change what he is. This is not true. While it is true that we are born sinners with the capacity to commit all sorts of wicked actions, our moral character is shaped by outside forces. A man or woman can take actions to change their behavior by developing new habits, hanging with a different crowd, and most significantly attending church. All of these can change a person’s moral behavior. But it is true you can’t change your inner being, only God can do that, and He does it the moment you receive Jesus as your Savior. Is Donald Trump a born-again believer? I’m not in position to answer that since I am an outsider. But he certainly is influenced by godly men and women. The primary purpose for writing this book is to acquaint people with the necessary knowledge to make intelligent decisions in the election about him. But why this book? Basically, it’s because the truth about Donald Trump is hard to come by. You can’t trust the media whether it’s television, radio, or the printed press. Our normal sources of information have become so activist that true news reporting must be extracted by the reader or viewer. An example of this is the use of misinformation. This is used by both sides which serves to confuse the issues further. The Liberal media goes so far as to label Fox News a source of misinformation, but research has shown it likely comes from such sources as the New York Times. There are examples of misinformation on both sides. Which is why we need to stay alert. But based on the history of the Covid-19 virus, the fear and panic that has emerged has been largely due to the Left’s misinformation. The truth is that although the virus spreads fast, the death rate has never been more than single digits (see Total Cases/Deaths charts). Even the need for hospital beds seems to have been overblown. The USNS Comfort treated only 182 patients in New York while at the Javits Center, also being brought into the fight, the maximum patients at any one time was under 500, well below expectations. But the media placed the scenes of the hospital ships and the Javits Center right before our eyes. It looked like New York City was about to be destroyed by this invisible enemy. The truth was bad enough, but intentionally misinforming and magnifying it beyond reality was almost criminal behavior. In writing this book I have used multiple resources such as news articles, commentaries, and my own personal observations (see Resources). Am I biased? Yes. As are the reporters and other commentators. My bias is toward the President as he is one of the better president’s I’ve ever lived under during my 77 years. I have said several times that it has been hard to get to the truth. I believe you must take a step back and see the entire scenario of Donald Trump’s Presidency to get a realistic picture. See the whole picture and then look at the individual parts. While I believe he is a great President, I am not saying he is the greatest. Who can compare to George Washington who set the standard, or Abraham Lincoln who presided over a Civil War? But he ranks up near the top and certainly ranks higher than his predecessor whose administration lied to the American public frequently. Speaking of lying, you have probably heard that the President has lied thousands of times and that it is documented’. If you have, you might find that chapter eight (Denial) is an interesting read. The viciousness of the attacks on the President are unprecedented. And unwarranted. There are always those who are not happy with the current President of the United States. And these people may be outspoken. But to say the vile things that we hear and read about is more than disgusting. It is a threat to our nation. One of the things that makes America great besides its Christian foundation is that we have shown a willingness and the ability to use our political institutions to remove unpopular

officials or to change course rather than rebellion and assassination. America has been a shining example to Europe and other countries throughout our history. They should be emulating us not the other way around. You are free to disagree with my observations, but please know that I have tried to present the facts. A lot of hard work went into finding the truth and then relating it in an understandable format. If I have erred, I apologize in advance. Finally, I hope this book paints a true picture of the man we know as President. R. Frederick Riddle

PART ONE: DONALD TRUMP This part is about Donald Trump and his election in 2016. However, the brief biography is found in its own chapter. And then there are the accusations of lying. I have used records from Wikipedia and other resources to gather the information found here. In some cases, I have also used my own recollections which would be under the label observations. These are based on observed events and not derived from historical records. Accused Nobody likes a liar. But the question here is: are the accusations of lying valid? I hardly have space to consider the list of so-called lies. But one must take it seriously enough to take a look. Instead of looking at the thousands of ‘lies’, I will look at it differently. I will be looking at ‘Standard’, ‘Who’, ‘Credibility’, and ‘factcheckers’. STANDARD When you study this matter you quickly discover that in today’s world lying is in the eyes and ears of the beholder. The standard used to be that a lie was simply telling an untruth. But now we have political correctness that requires people to support what the liberal community calls ‘truth’. We saw this in the battle over the Wall. The liberal thought was that the Wall was wrong, ineffective, and racist. To say otherwise was a lie. Many of the so-called lies by Trump were statements contrary to the liberal ‘truth’. If you listened to him, you may decide he exaggerated. This is a common practice by virtually all politicians no matter their political identification. Yet only Trump is called on it. Another example was COVID-19. The President sought to encourage the people that the United States was moving quickly. History has shown this was the case, but at the time it was unproven. It was pronounced a ‘lie’. WHO (alphabetical)* ABC CBS CNN CNBC NEW YORK TIMES WASHINGTON POST *order does not indicate who was better than another. Just about every one of them tends to be liberal. I am unaware of any station that has originated these accusations. CREDIBILITY As noted above these are virtually all liberal and, in my opinion, anti-Trump. One reason President Trump is likely to be re-elected is the ‘roof is falling’ syndrome. As I recall the story, a little boy was constantly raising an alarm that the roof was falling. The people stopped listening to him even when he was right. People no longer trust the media and have learned to do their own digging. That’s a definition of lack of credibility. FACTCHECKERS Factchecking can be a useful tool. But only when you know the bias of the factchecker. The wise person doesn’t just accept any factchecker. That person investigates to discover who is paying for the factchecker. Discover the money source and you find the bias. There is no such thing as an unbiased factchecker.

ONE: A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY

Donald John Trump was born on June 14, 1946 in the Jamaica Hospital in Queens, New York City. Queens is a borough of New York City. Not only was he born there but he spent much of his early life living and working in Queens. His parents were Frederick Christ Trump and Mary Anne MacLeod Trump. Frederick was born in the Bronx and was the son of German immigrants. By the time Donald came upon the scene Frederick had been a real estate developer for some time. Mary was born in Scotland. Frederick had gone to work for his mother Elizabeth when he was only 15 years old. Their company (E. Trump & Son, aka Elizabeth Trump & Son) was founded in 1923 and it actively built and sold thousands of houses, barracks, and apartments in Queens and Brooklyn. He married Mary in 1936. They raised five children, Maryanne, Fred Jr., Elizabeth, Donald, and Robert (the youngest). While growing up Donald lived in the Jamaica Estates neighborhood of Queens. While living there he attended the Kew-Forest School from kindergarten through the 7th grade. Then he was enrolled into a private boarding school, New York Military Academy, at the age of 13. After graduation, Donald enrolled at Fordham University where he studied for the next two years. At that time, he transferred to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. It was while attending Wharton that he went to work at Elizabeth Trump & Son, the family business. He graduated in May 1968 with a B.S. in economics. In 1971, he took charge of the real-estate business and renamed it The Trump Organization. He further expanded its operations from Queens and Brooklyn into Manhattan. By this time, the company built or renovated casinos, golf courses, hotels, and skyscrapers. He later started other business ventures through the licensing of his name. One of his more well-known successes was the producing and hosting of The Apprentice, which was a reality television show. In it the contestants strove to be approved through teamwork that they would achieve the ultimate prize, which was prize money and an opportunity to partner with Trump. According to Forbes, his estimated net worth in 2019 was #3.1 billion although his true worth may well exceed that. [By the way, there is no ethics or other legal requirement for a candidate to reveal his true worth. This is a non-issue that some try to make an issue.] His married life has been well reported on. So, briefly: 1977 – 1992 Ivana Zelnickova (Czech) 1993 – 1999 Marla Maples 2005- 20 Melania Knauss (Slovenian) wife & First Lady. He has three children by Ivana: Donald Jr. (1977) Ivanka (1981) Eric (1984) He also has one child by Marla: Tiffany (1993) Plus, a child by Melania. Barron (2006) Trump grew up a Presbyterian and attended the Marble Collegiate Church pastored by Norman Vincent Peal until 1993. While little is known of his religious beliefs, we do know that he honors the Bible as the best book ever written and is known as saying “Nothing beats the Bible.” Currently his pastor is Paula White. But he makes use of a broad sector of men of God as advisors. These men and women represent a broad spectrum of Christianity which are well-known. It should also be noted here that the then Presidential nominee selected Mike Pence, a no-nonsense Born-Again Christian as his Vice President. [So whether he is truly born-again or not is irrelevant (politically speaking); I’d rather him be born-again as that assures his final destination in Heaven, but there is no arguing that his presidential decisions have been influenced by evangelical and fundamental people.] While Trump’s own relationship with the Lord is unknown, his actions show a man at the very least strongly influenced by the Bible and by the men and women who preach the Bible. I strongly suspect that his decision to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem was influenced by these Christian advisors. [PS: at the time, critics of the move exclaimed that there would be extreme violence as a result of the move. However, to their chagrin it never occurred other than the turmoil that’s been going on for decades.] It might be noted here that since his inauguration, President Trump has removed some, if not all, of the anti-Christian policies of the previous president. While Christianity is still targeted by non-Christians, there has been a noticeable decline in such activities. Moreover, government has gotten out of the way! Another occurrence that has happened and is underreported is the fact he has restored Bible study and prayer in the White House. The President, Vice President, and members of his Administration are reported to be meeting daily for Bible study and prayer. It is a welcome change from past administrations in recent decades. One of the things that I will delve into further later is that he has kept his promises made during the 2016 campaign. Don’t believe the media nor the factcheckers that say otherwise. It is on tape and

probably in your own mind. [At this point let me indulge my own observations. I was paying particular attention to all the candidates (Democrat and Republican). Whereas historically candidates promise the world and have to ‘walk back’ their promises after getting elected, Donald Trump did not do that. Amazingly he set out before the inauguration to seek the men and women who he believed would carry out his promises. Some of these people didn’t work out, but the attempt was made to fulfill his promises. And most promises he has fulfilled by way of decrees since Congress didn’t cooperate. I know of no other President who made such a committed effort and that includes President Ronald Reagan, whom I admired greatly.] I have purposely avoided other areas of Trump’s pre-presidential life because it is too difficult to separate fact from fiction. Most of his life has become a controversial issue with the #NeverTrumpers blurring the facts to suit their own agenda. Plus, since most of the published material deals with his life before becoming President it is not relevant to his ongoing presidential story. Let it suffice to say there are a lot of anti-Trump comments, outright lies, and misleading articles written and published about Donald Trump. In reading them, some of which I knew were lies, I tried to separate the lies from the real facts. I even have over time used so-called factcheckers to ferret out the truth, but that was a bust. Unfortunately trying to examine Donald Trump is made very difficult by his critics and detractors who have a far reach. Raised and working in the New York real estate industry explains a great deal about President Trump. One of the characteristics prominent in this trade is the use of hyperbole. In case you are wondering what that is it is simply exaggeration or rhetorical overstatement. If you examine the so-called lies you will discover that the vast majority were hyperbole which is used by most politicians. Only Trump’s use of hyperbole is called lying. Another characteristic arising from his real estate experience is the ability to negotiate with people. He even wrote a book called The Art of the Deal. He reminds me of a Detroit Piston’s star of yesteryear who got into his opponent’s mind. Some of his opponents were arguably more talented and physically superior to him, but he caused them to get nervous and make mistakes. Donald Trump has that same skill; the difference is that he uses that skill on the world stage, and he uses it effectively. I enjoy watching him in action when dealing with the old school politician. He uses hyperbole, the bully pulpit, and emotion to create a sense of demanding more than they can achieve or deliver and then allowing himself to be negotiated down to his real target. Those people who have had successful negotiations with him I believe recognized this and adapted to it. Time and again he’s gone against world leaders in Europe and Asia. With some he used the ‘bully’ approach (think NATO) and with others he used the ‘love’ approach (think Russia). It has been very interesting to not only watch him deliver on his promises, but to listen to his critics who decried his methods. These different approaches explain how he is able to get the leaders of other countries, who may not like him, to fall in line. At first, they resist, then over time they seek to back down which he graciously allows. The result is new trade packs, a more balanced NATO alliance, and other successes. His critics are left looking foolish and gnashing their teeth.

TWO: FACTCHECKERS

Factcheckers Although I’m not a fan of factcheckers, I have used them. In fact, I’ve used them during the writing of this book. Probably the one I’ve used the most is Politifact, owned by the Poynter Institute, which receives funding from conservative and liberal funders. However, it generally appears to lean a little left. So, it stands out when they take stands that favor the President. According to Wikipedia “Fact-checking is the act of checking factual assertions in non-fictional text in order to determine the veracity and correctness of the factual statements in the text.” This definition assumes that the factchecker is being honest and straightforward without bias. For the purposes of this book, which is to inform as accurately as possible, we are concerned only with fact-checking after the publication (post-hoc fact-checking) of the “fact.” In other words, it is checking up on statements and quotes made by politicians to see if what was said either vocally or in print was accurate, inaccurate, or false. I believe that a factchecker’s statements should be announced the same way polls are announced: This fact check has a +- 5% chance of error. At least we’d be warned. The article I reviewed assumes there are ‘non-partisan neutral source’ fact-checkers. That is a mouthful. What it’s saying is simply that fact-checkers are unbiased. I totally disagree with that assumption. Human beings are biased individuals. It should be understood by discerning voters that there simply isn’t any such animal. All organizations are made up of human beings and all human beings are subject to bias of one form or another. It may be a good bias or a bad bias, but it is still a bias. For example, at the beginning of this book I stated that I’m a conservative. So, while I’ve sincerely tried to be fair and honest in my writing, I have a conservative bias. By the way, that’s a good bias. The idea of neutral presupposes no bias yet bias always exists. Don’t believe me? Next time you check out a so-called neutral fact-checker, examine their record. You will find that most probably lean left, while there may be some leaning right. They may try to be neutral but if you look closely, you’ll discover some bias in their fact checking. So, are fact-checkers reliable? To answer that you simply need to ask yourself a few questions. 1. How do they pose their questions or quote the ‘fact’? 2. Who pays their bill? 3. How strong is their bias? If you have a clear understanding of the answers to these three questions, then you can discern how accurate they are. But overriding it all I suggest you follow this principle: Never assume they are the final word on accuracy. For example, have you ever watched a political speech and then afterward heard the fact-checkers state certain remarks were false or wrong? I have. I have also heard them state afterward that certain statements were true or correct. Yet in their analysis they took the statements out of context and, in some cases, changed the wording. In this way they can deliver the news in a ‘factual’ manner that tends to support their primary view. Their bias provided the context of the remarks and the analysis of the remarks. Admittedly these were reporters (not generally known for truthfulness). So, they get to pick and choose which fact-checkers they use. But my point is that this fact-checking of politicians is often at odds with what the viewer just saw and heard. That is why I often turn the TV off after a speech or event is televised (thereby skipping the ‘bobbleheads’ who analyze what I already saw and heard). But there is a better way. In my opinion, if you have doubts about certain facts a politician says, do your own research. If you’re serious, you can start by getting the printed version of the speech. Then you’ll have the complete speech to compare with the ‘expert’s’ opinion. Yes, you will be approaching the subject with your own bias, but at least you can bring the truth to light. In this world of computers and Internet there is nothing stopping you! Today we live in a world where reporters and fact-checkers feel they are empowered to have an impact on society and if they must smudge the facts a little, so be it. As a result, you and I must be more diligent than ever. Recently a television reporter claimed that ‘it was their job’ to ‘tell people what they should believe’. That statement represents the modern medias contempt for the average American. Modern day journalists believe they have the job to tell us what is true and what is not. That is a far cry from journalists of old who believed it was their job to report the facts and leave their bias at the OP-ED pages, letting the readers determine what is true or not. But modern reporters don’t believe Americans have the necessary intelligence to discern the truth on their own. The truth is that the American people are far more intelligent than that. All they really need is truth in reporting, then let them decide what is true! Example of Fact Checking I recently examined FactCheck.org’s fact checking on the claim that the ‘Dossier Not What Started This’. The organization ended with a ‘False’ verdict which turned out to be less than accurate. Yes, there

was an investigation ongoing, but apparently going nowhere. The dossier in question was the spark that gave it life. In reading their logic you must be frequently reminded by them that such and such stated as fact is false. However, they didn’t think it was important enough to provide convincing evidence. We were supposed to take their opinion as fact. The Steele Dossier was so thoroughly examined it has no credibility whatsoever. Liberals know this, so they claim it had nothing to do with the resulting investigation. In the end you must go with your own memory. I remember that at the beginning it was the Dossier said this, and the Dossier said that. It was the ‘proof’ the Democrats needed. Later the Dossier was found to be primarily a work of fiction. Then the Left changed course to other sources. Travel Ban. Once again FactCheck.org shows up. This time they put down the idea of a Travel Ban. While it is true that the actual act was called Travel Restrictions and it wasn’t as effectively enforced as one might want, it was to all extents and purposes a ban. They, along with Politifact, also gave Biden a pass. Here’s what Politifact says: Around the time the Trump administration announced the travel restriction, Biden said that Trump had a “record of hysteria, xenophobia, and fear-mongering.” But because he didn’t say he was talking about the travel restriction they imply the statement had nothing to do with the restrictions. That is beyond silly. (Summarized) Anyone with commonsense would have known what he was talking about. In short, Trump nailed it. What about the Internet? The internet involves a lot of high-tech but in the end, it is still human beings entering data that you eventually access. How they do things may be different and it certainly seems easier to control. But you’re still dealing with humans and that means you must be alert. Just like TV, Radio, and Newspapers you need to exercise discernment and not take things for granted. After a while you will learn what sources you can trust or mistrust. You can choose whom to believe, but again your own biases will influence your choices. To be informed, get to the truth - listen to the actual statements in context. In our present environment the media (TV, Radio, and Newspapers) slant left. Some more and some less. As a young man growing up, I learned to read between the lines. Back then it wasn’t as necessary as it is today. Opinions were on the Op-Ed page and not in the news articles. That made it easy or at least easier to discern fact from fiction. But today it is just the opposite. As I sit here typing this chapter, I just got done earlier in the day reading at least two articles in the newspaper where the reporters stated as fact both an act and his/her opinion. But the opinion was so included as though it was a known fact. The undiscerning reader would then file that information away under the category of ‘fact’. This leads to confusion. In fact, not too long ago I stood outside my favorite library waiting for the doors to be opened. As I stood there, I couldn’t help but listen to three men discussing America and some of its issues, I heard much misinformation being stated as fact. The statements were sometimes confusing but were obviously gathered from watching too much ‘fake news’. With the left having control of the mainline news, such as TV, radio, and the newspapers, ‘fake news’ is more predominate than ever and masquerade’s as real news. It is no wonder Americans find themselves uninformed. This poor reporting is a major influence upon our youth, who haven’t learned to be discerning, and upon older individuals who already have a dim view of the world. It results in misguided actions and causes. This was never considered good reporting when I was a young man. Back at the end of the 19th Century (no, I wasn’t born yet) there was a thing called ‘Yellow’ journalism. As I recall from my history lessons, that was journalism that was stridently calling for war with Spain! They printed lies, myths, or whatever they could to influence people to subscribe to their view of the world. It was abhorrent and wrong, but they did it anyway. Back then they didn’t have ‘factcheckers’, so they weren’t challenged. You’d hope that today with ‘factcheckers’ we would learn the truth. But alas that hasn’t been the case. When I was young you could easily discern facts from opinion. The reporters published the facts of a story and sometimes in the same paper they would they give us their opinion. But nowadays their opinion is slipped into articles and expressed as fact. Not a good thing. So, along came factcheckers. You are making a mistake to have a lot of confidence in them. Some are honest people with strong opinions, like you and me, but they can’t really disassociate themselves from their own biases. For transparency they should reveal their biases. Factcheckers need to be fact-checked. If you must rely upon them, I suggest you use more than one. Even then you can’t be sure. When fact checking first appeared it looked good, but that is no longer true. The left has for the most part taken them over. For shame! Be Discerning! So, what can you do? Do the work yourself. Do some research. Look up the facts. What happened and what was said to have happened. Fact-checking can be the lazy man’s way of getting the truth. When you rely on someone else to do the digging, you are also assuming they have similar biases as you have. Don’t assume, find out. Discernment often requires you to invest in hard work and study. Choose your fact-checker carefully

and back it up with real facts. Factcheckers are tools that you should use with caution. But always remember that they are just tools! I subscribe to the New York Times, but as a rule I don’t rely on them for facts. I subscribe to it merely as a resource tool. I rarely use it and when I do, I am cautious. If, on that rare occasion, I read the Times and come across something of interest, I will then Google the subject and find out what is true and what is not true. This same policy should be used with just about any news media; even ones you might consider conservative. It is simply safer! As mentioned earlier I have used factcheckers in this book. This has been in conjunction with other news sources. In my opinion, as long as you know and understand the bias you can find a use for their factchecks. It is also important to thoroughly read their reasons for their opinion so you can ascertain the reliability. But I would also suggest you should use your own memory. Memory can be unreliable so you’ll want to bolster it with as much facts as you can. For example, I mention in this book that the government’s response to COVID-19 has been the quickest I’ve ever observed in my 77 years. That statement was based on memory. But to back it up I began working on a timeline starting in November 2019 to the present. I used multiple resources and was able to establish that the government did indeed begin responding immediately upon learning of the virus. This response began at the lowest levels of government and quickly came to the President’s attention. By the end of January, the government was responding and acting (i.e. Banning travel to/from China). That’s an example of doing your own factchecking. In conclusion, I would not say don’t use factcheckers. I would say use them knowing their bias and bring other resources to bear upon the issue. And don’t dismiss your personal memories, they have value as well.

PART TWO: COVID-19

Coronavirus (now called COVID-19) started in Wuhan, China in December 2019 (first case may have been November 17th). The Chinese initial response was to deny and coverup which kept the world in the dark of the impending worldwide attack. It wasn’t until January that the story came out as the virus spread. We now see that while the virus is deadly, it is not as deadly as some other diseases and doesn’t compare with the Pandemic of 1918. But the real danger lay in its speed. I don’t know if China intentionally exported the virus, but they certainly tried to hide it. It crossed borders at will and soon reached the rest of Asia. Once it got into Asia it spread to Europe and then crossed over to America in January. One of the silliest acts of the Left was and continues to be criticism of the Trump Administration’s response to Covid-19. It was premature and foolish. But to support their accusations they misdirect attention and belittle those who point out the truth Take time and read the Timeline that follows. Governments around the world were waiting on WHO (World Health Organization) to weigh in on the virus. WHO dragged their feet and impacted everyone. Then came one of the fastest, if not fastest, responses by our government I’ve ever seen in my 77 years. WHO and the CDC are primary sources I used although I also used other sources. For clarity I’ve edited portions to conserve paper and consolidate information. This has necessitated summarizing the WHO reports into more digestible and understandable tidbits. I have also made use of government resources and newspaper reports to augment the information. In some cases, I have made personal observations and enclosed them in []. To assist you further in understanding the following Timeline, I have highlighted the U.S. response.



THREE: TIMELINE

NOVEMBER 2019 17 November According to a report quoted by SCMP on 13 March 2020, a 55-year-old man, a confirmed case of COVID-19, may have contracted the disease on 17 November 2019, but the case was not recognized at the time. No scientific paper has yet been published about such pre-December cases. DECEMBER 2019 1 December The next confirmed patient started experiencing symptoms. He had not been to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market of Wuhan. No epidemiological link could be found between this case and later cases. 10 December Prior to publication of the previous cases, a 57-year-old seafood merchant working at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market was considered to be the first patient. 12 December The Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported in a broadcast on 9 January 2020 that the "new viral outbreak was first detected in the city of Wuhan, China," on 12 December 2019. 18–29 December Between the 20th and 29th of December, members of the Wuhan Institute of Virology and others reported and published a report on seven cases of people with severe pneumonia who were admitted to the intensive care unit of the Wuhan Jin Yin-Tan Hospital at the beginning of the outbreak. 21 December On 20 January 2020, Chinese epidemiologists with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC) published an article stating that the first cluster of patients with "pneumonia of an unknown cause" occurred beginning on 21 December 2019. 25 December According to a post at China Youth Daily, Wuhan Fifth Hospital gastroenterology director Lu Xiaohong reported suspected infection by hospital staff on 25 December. 26–27 December Zhang Jixian, the director of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care, Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Chinese & Western Medicine, treated an old couple who came to the hospital by themselves on 26 December 2019. She soon identified the CT scan of the chest showed a completely different pattern from other viral pneumonia...she realized it is an infectious disease. She reported to Jianghan district CCDC on 27 December 2019 with four cases. During the following two days, the hospital received three similar cases, who all came from Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market. The hospital decided to report to the provincial and city CDC directly. 29 December According to a CCDC publication on 31 January 2020, the facts leading up to the identification of the 2019-nCoV were as follows, "On 29 December 2019, a hospital in Wuhan admitted four individuals with pneumonia and recognized that all four had worked in the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, which sells live poultry, aquatic products, and several kinds of wild animals to the public. The hospital reported this occurrence to the CCDC, which led Wuhan CCDC staff to initiate a field investigation with a retrospective search for pneumonia patients potentially linked to the market. The investigators found additional patients linked to the market, and on 30 December, health authorities from Hubei Province reported this cluster to CCDC. The following day, CCDC sent experts to Wuhan to support the investigation and control effort. Samples from these patients were obtained for laboratory analyses.” 30 December On the afternoon of 30 December 2019, an "urgent notice on the treatment of pneumonia of unknown cause" was issued by the Wuhan Municipal Health Committee on social media. There had been 27 suspected cases in total, seven of which were in critical condition and 18 were stable, two of which were on the verge of being discharged soon. The Wuhan Municipal Health Committee reported to the WHO that 27 people had been diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown cause. The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission also made a public announcement regarding the situation. On 30 December 2019, genetic sequencing report of the pathogen of a patient indicated inaccurately the discovery of Severe acute respiratory syndrome

coronavirus (SARS coronavirus) in the test result. After receiving the test result, multiple doctors in Wuhan shared the information via internet, including Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central Hospital, who posted a warning to alumni from his medical school class…that a cluster of seven patients treating within the… department had been unsuccessfully treated for symptoms of viral pneumonia and diagnosed with SARS… Li erroneously posted that "X Hospital has many confirmed cases of SARS" and "There had been 7 confirmed cases of SARS". Li posted a snippet of an RNA analysis finding "SARS coronavirus" and extensive bacteria colonies in a patient's airways. Li contracted this coronavirus from a patient he treated, was hospitalized on 12 January 2020, and died on 7 February 2020. News of an outbreak of "pneumonia of unknown origin" started circulating on social media on the evening of 30 December 2019. Early investigations into the cause of the pneumonia ruled out seasonal flu, SARS, MERS, and bird flu. 31 December On 31 December 2019, China contacts the WHO and informs them of "cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology (unknown cause) detected in Wuhan.” This is the first time WHO is mentioned. An "urgent notice on the treatment of pneumonia of unknown cause" was issued to the Wuhan Municipal Health Center. As a result of the official announcement, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan immediately tightened inbound screening processes. "Chinese state television reported that a team of experts from the National Health Commission had arrived in Wuhan on 31 December 2019 to lead the investigation, while the People's Daily said the exact cause remained unclear and it would be premature to speculate." Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that a team of senior health experts had been dispatched to the city of Wuhan and were reported to be "conducting relevant inspection and verification work." Tao Lina, a public health expert and former official with Shanghai's Centre for disease control and prevention, said, "I think we are [now] quite capable of killing it in the beginning phase, given China's disease control system, emergency handling capacity and clinical medicine support." [December was characterized by the discovery of the COVID-19 virus and early efforts of covering up the news continued into January. But leaks through social media combined with a growing emergency forced China to open up about the virus. However, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic there have been suspicions about the accuracy of reported cases and deaths. This suspicion makes their entire reporting look questionable.] JANUARY 2020 1 January According to information reported by the South China Morning Post on 13 March 2020, Chinese authorities had, by that date, identified 266 people who had been infected before the beginning of 2020. According to the Chinese state-sponsored Xinhua News, the Huanan Seafood Market was closed on 1 January 2020 for "regulation." However, in the Consortium's report of 24 January 2020, it was stated that the Huanan Seafood Market had been closed on 1 January 2020 for "cleaning and disinfection. However, the virus could only stay on surfaces for so long, so this was useless." 2 January On 2 January, 41 admitted hospital patients in Wuhan, China, were confirmed to have contracted (laboratory-confirmed) the 2019-nCoV (Novel coronavirus); 27 (66%) patients had direct exposure to Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market. 3 January On 3 January 2020, Chinese scientists at the National Institute of Viral Disease Control and Prevention (IVDC) determined the genetic sequence of the novel β-genus coronaviruses (naming it '2019-nCoV') from specimens collected from patients in Wuhan, China, and three distinct strains were established. Health authorities in Wuhan reported 44 cases, a big jump from the 27 reported on Tuesday. Eleven of the 44 were seriously ill, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said, although there had been no reported deaths to date. The health of the 121 close contacts of the cases was being monitored. On 3 January 2020, Li Wenliang was summoned to the Wuhan Public Security Bureau where he was told to sign an official confession and admonition letter promising to cease spreading false "rumors" regarding the coronavirus. In the letter, he was accused of "making false comments" that had "severely disturbed the social order". The letter stated, "We solemnly warn you: If you keep being stubborn, with such impertinence, and continue this illegal activity, you will be brought to justice—is that understood?" Li signed the confession writing: "Yes, I understand." The United States HHS Secretary Alex Azar was alerted on January 3 that CDC director Robert Redfield sent an email to the director of the Chinese

CDC, George Gao, formally offering to send U.S. experts to China to investigate the coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a level I travel notice for Wuhan, China due to the spreading coronavirus. 4 January The head of the University of Hong Kong's Centre for Infection, Ho Pak-leung, warned that the city should implement the strictest possible monitoring system…for a mystery new viral pneumonia that infected dozens of people on the mainland. Ho said he hoped the mainland would release more details as soon as possible about the patients infected with the disease, such as their medical history, to help experts analyze the illness and to allow for more effective preventive measures to be put in place. The Singapore Ministry of Health said that it had been notified of the first suspected case of the "mystery Wuhan virus" in Singapore, involving a three-year-old girl from China who had pneumonia and a travel history to the Chinese city of Wuhan. On 5 January, the Singapore Ministry of Health released a press statement stating that the earlier suspected case was not linked to the pneumonia cluster in Wuhan and was also tested negative for the SARS and MERS-CoV. Chinese officials were criticized for failing to disclose any information about the "mysterious virus" that machine translations of official reports suggested may be caused by a new coronavirus. The WHO waited for China to release information about the "mysterious new pneumonia virus". The United Nations agency activated its incident-management system at the country, regional and global level and was standing ready to launch a broader response if it was needed. The Wuhan Institute of Virology did not respond to an emailed request for comment on the infectious source. 5 January The number of suspected cases reached 59 with seven in a critical condition. All were quarantined and local medical officials commenced the monitoring of 163 of their contacts. At this time, there had been no reported cases of human-to-human transmission or presentations in healthcare workers. CDC Director Redfield sent another email to the Chinese CDC Director, George Gao, formally offering to send U.S. experts to China to investigate the coronavirus outbreak. 6 January On Monday, 6 January, the Wuhan health authorities announced they continued seeking the cause but had so far ruled out influenza, avian influenza, adenovirus, and coronaviruses SARS and MERS as the respiratory pathogen that had infected 59 people as of 5 January. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a level I travel notice for travelers to Wuhan, China due to the cluster of cases of pneumonia of an unknown etiology…" 7 January Since the outburst of social media discussion of the mysterious pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China, Chinese authorities censored the hashtag #WuhanSARS and were now investigating anyone who was allegedly spreading misleading information about the outbreak on social media. The world continued to wait for China to disclose more information about what had triggered an unexplained pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China's tenth-largest city. The CDC established a coronavirus incident management system to better share and respond to information about the virus. 8 January Scientists in China announced the discovery of a new coronavirus. South Korea announced the first possible case of the virus coming from China. South Korea put a 36-year-old Chinese woman under isolated treatment amid concerns that she had brought back a form of viral pneumonia that had sickened dozens in mainland China and Hong Kong in the previous weeks. 9 January The WHO confirmed that the novel coronavirus had been isolated from one person who had been hospitalized. On the same day, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control posted its first risk assessment. 10 January The gene sequencing data of the isolated 2019-nCoV, a virus from the same family as the SARS coronavirus, was posted on Virological.org by researchers from Fudan University, Shanghai. A further three sequences from the CCDC, one from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and one from Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan were posted to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) portal.

The same day, Public Health England issued its guidance. 11 January The first two patients in Shenzhen city transferred into negative pressure room in Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen City due to matching lab test result, symptoms, and epidemiology and are being listed as suspected cases. The cases were not confirmed…because requirement from the Chinese government…was that first case in each individual city needs to be submitted to provincial CDC, verified by CCDC, and then evaluated and confirmed by a specific diagnostic team in CCDC. The CDC updated a Level 1 travel health notice for Wuhan, China. 11–12 January In China, more than 700 close contacts of the 41 confirmed cases, including more than 400 healthcare workers, had been monitored, with no new cases reported in China since 5 January. The WHO published initial guidance on travel advice, testing in the laboratory and medical investigation. 13 January On the same day, Thailand witnessed the first confirmed case of 2019-nCoV, the first outside China. The USCDC announced that the genome had been posted on the NIH genetic sequence database, GenBank. 14 January On 14 January, two of the 41 confirmed cases in Wuhan were reported to include a married couple, raising the possibility of human-to-human transmission. On 14 January, Maria Van Kerkhove, acting head of WHO's emerging diseases unit said that there had been limited human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus, mainly small clusters in families, adding that "it is very clear right now that we have no sustained human-to-human transmission." 15 January A second death occurred in a 69-year-old man in China on 15 January. The WHO published a protocol on diagnostic testing for 2019-nCoV, developed by a virology team from Charité Hospital. 16 January On 16 January, the WHO was alerted by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare that the first case in Japan, a 30-year-old male Chinese national had tested positive to 2019-nCoV during a hospital stay between 10 and 15 January. He had not visited the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, but possibly had close contact with an affected person in Wuhan. 17 January On 17 January, Thailand's second confirmed case was reported in a 74-year-old woman who arrived in Bangkok on a flight from Wuhan. The number of laboratoryconfirmed cases rose to 45 in China. Yang Xiaobo, head of the Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, died of pneumonia caused by the virus on 17 January. The CDC began implementing public health entry screening at the 3 U.S. airports that received the most travelers from Wuhan – San Francisco, New York JFK, and Los Angeles. 18 January After the first 41 laboratory-confirmed cases were identified on January 2, 2020, Chinese officials announced no new cases for the next 16 days, then reported 17 additional laboratory-confirmed cases, three of which were in critical condition. This brought the number of laboratory-confirmed cases in China to 62. The patients' ages ranged from 30 to 79. 19 were discharged and eight remain critical. 19 January On 19 January, the first confirmed cases were reported in China, outside Wuhan, one in the southern province of Guangdong and two in Beijing. Wuhan reported 136 additional laboratory-confirmed cases, bringing the total number of laboratoryconfirmed cases in China to 201. A new death was also reported in Wuhan, bringing the total number of fatalities in China to three. 20 January On 20 January, after two medical staff were infected in Guangdong, China announced that the virus was human-to-human transmissible. Scientists from the China CDC identified three different strains of the 2019-nCoV confirming that the original Wuhan coronavirus had mutated into two additional strains. Chinese premier Li Keqiang urged decisive and effective efforts to prevent and control the epidemic. Shanghai confirms its first case, bringing the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases in China to 218. The investigation team from China's National Health Commission confirmed for the first time that the coronavirus can be transmitted between humans. At least two people had become infected whilst living

hundreds of miles from Wuhan. Five attendees of an…private international sales company meeting of 109 attendees, 94 from overseas, held from 20–22 January at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Singapore were diagnosed with the Wuhan coronavirus upon returning home: one from Malaysia, two from South Korea and two from Singapore. One of the attendees was from Wuhan, China. These four diagnoses were not reported until 5 February 2020. The first laboratory-confirmed case in Singapore of an unrelated 67-year-old native of Wuhan was not reported until 23 January. These cases linked to the meeting were the first evidence that the Wuhan coronavirus had spread through human-to-human contact outside China, which the WHO has said is deeply concerning and could signal evidence of a much larger outbreak. The first known case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was confirmed on January 20, 2020, in a 35-year-old returnee from Wuhan, China. Dr. Fauci announces the National Institutes of Health is already working on the development of a vaccine for the coronavirus. 21 January A total of 291 cases have now been reported across major cities in China, including Beijing and Shanghai. However, most patients are in Wuhan, the central city of 11 million at the heart of the outbreak. A report by the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College London suggested there could be more than 1,700 infections. However, Gabriel Leung, the dean of medicine at the University of Hong Kong, put the figure closer to 1,300. After 300 confirmed diagnoses and 6 deaths, Chinese state media warned lower-level officials not to cover up the spread of a new coronavirus. Officials declared anyone who concealed new cases would "be nailed on the pillar of shame for eternity." Local Chinese officials initially withheld information about the epidemic from the public. It later vastly under-reported the number of people that had been infected, downplayed the risks, and failed to provide timely information that experts say could have saved lives. In its commentary published online on Tuesday January 21, 2020, the Communist Party's Central Political and Legal Commission talked of China having learned a "painful lesson" from the SARS epidemic and called for the public to be kept informed. Deception, it warned, could "turn a controllable natural disaster into a man-made disaster". WHO Situation Report 1: (Please note that the WHO Situation Reports as official reportage stand on their own.) The total number of laboratory-confirmed cases in China increased to 312 and the death toll increased to six. New cases were also reported outside of mainland China. Taiwan reported its first laboratory-confirmed case, and the United States reported its first laboratoryconfirmed case in the state of Washington, the first in North America. China's Wuhan Institute filed to patent the use of Gilead's remdesivir for the treatment of novel coronavirus. The CDC activated its emergency operations center to provide ongoing support to the coronavirus response. 22 January The total…of laboratory-confirmed cases in China increased to 571 and…deaths to 17. Internationally, the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases in Thailand to four. New data showed indications of the current rapid spread of the disease and an increase in the rate of transmission. Officials announced a quarantine of the greater Wuhan, China area to commence on 23 January 2020 at 10:00 a.m. No traffic would be allowed in or out of the city. 23 January WHO Situation Report 3: China increased to 628 cases while the death toll remained at 17. Singapore reported its first laboratory-confirmed case, a 66-year-old man from China and its first two laboratory-confirmed cases, a 65 or 66-year-old father and 27 or 28year-old son from China. A scientific preprint from the Wuhan institute of Virology is posted on Biorxiv (later published in Nature) announcing that a bat virus with 96% similarity had been sequenced in a Yunnan cave in 2013, whose sequence is posted the next day on public databases. It is confirmed by comparing infectivity of cells expressing or not expressing ACE2 that the novel coronavirus uses this same entry receptor as SARSCoV. Wuhan suspended all public transportation from 10 a.m. onwards, including all bus, metro, and ferry line traffic. Additionally, all outbound trains and flights from Wuhan were halted.

The CDC sought a “special emergency authorization” from the FDA to allow states to use its newly developed coronavirus test. 24 January WHO Situation Report 4: Shandong, Hunan, Liaoning, Fujian, Anhui, Ningxia, and Shanghai reported 13 additional laboratory-confirmed cases, bringing the total up to 33. Japan, South Korea, and the United States all confirmed their second cases. Also, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, confirmed three additional cases, bringing the total number to five. Nepal, France confirmed new cases. The first confirmed incidence of human-to-human transmission outside of China was documented by the WHO in Vietnam. A study by Chinese researchers indicates that people can be symptom-free for several days while the coronavirus is incubating, increasing the risk of contagious infection without forewarning signs…Chinese medical experts charged by the Chinese CDC with investigating the inception of the virus published their report in The Lancet, reporting details of 41 first known patients. By the end of the day, the entire Hubei province had gone under a city-by-city quarantine, apart from Xiangyang and Shennongjia Forestry District. 25 January Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping called the "accelerating spread" of the coronavirus a "grave situation" … and that it was "mutating"... WHO Situation Report 5: Australia, Malaysia, Japan, Canada, Thailand, and Singapore confirmed new cases. A Chinese and a Sri Lankan suspected with the infection were admitted to a hospital in Sri Lanka. Liang Wudong, a 62-year-old doctor, died in Hubei province from the virus. 26 January WHO Situation Report 6: The Spring Festival holiday was extended to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Shanghai reported its first death, an 88-year-old man . The United States confirmed its third, fourth, and fifth cases: two in California and one in Arizona. Macau, Hong Kong, Thailand has confirmed new cases. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC) has started developing vaccines against the coronavirus, an official with the center said on Sunday. The United Nation's WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said he was on his way to Beijing to confer with Chinese officials and health experts about the coronavirus outbreak. A tentative clinical profile for the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was published by an assistant professor of population health science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. The lethality of the virus is unknown; however, the death toll has now climbed to above three percent. 27 January WHO Situation Report 7: [This report covers projected rates of cases worldwide plus data showing the increase of cases worldwide on this date. The report has been removed as not being relevant to this book. From online source.] President Trump tweeted that he made an offer to President Xi Jinping to send experts to China to investigate the coronavirus outbreak. The CDC issued a level III travel health notice urging Americans to avoid all nonessential travel to China due to the coronavirus. The White House Coronavirus Task Force started meeting to help monitor and contain the spread of the virus and provide updates to the President. 28 January WHO Situation Report 8: China's Supreme People's Court ruled that whistleblower, Li Wenliang, had not committed the crime of spreading "rumors" when on 30 December 2019 he posted to a WeChat forum for medical school alumni that seven patients under his care appeared to have contracted SARS. In their ruling, the Supreme People's Court stated, "If society had at the time believed those 'rumors', and wore masks, used disinfectant and avoided going to the wildlife market as if there were a SARS outbreak, perhaps it would've meant we could better control the coronavirus today," the court said. "Rumors end when there is openness”. New cases in Thailand, Singapore Japan, Germany, and France. Also, Brazil, Canada, and Australia report new cases. 29 January WHO Situation Report 9: Tibet reported its first suspected case identified on the previous day and declared a

level 1 health emergency in the evening, the last mainland provincial division to do so. Suspected cases have now been reported in all 31 mainland provincial divisions. The UAE, Emirates’, Lapland, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, and France report cases. Also, Armenia, Georgia, and Brazil report cases. Air Canada is halting all direct flights to China following the federal government's advisory to avoid non-essential travel to the mainland due to the coronavirus epidemic. The suspension is effective Thursday and slated to last until February 29. The White House announced the formation of the Coronavirus Task Force to help monitor and contain the spread of the virus and provide updates to the President. The White House Coronavirus Task Force is a United States Department of State task force created that "coordinates and oversees the Administration's efforts to monitor, prevent, contain, and mitigate the spread" of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). 30 January WHO Situation Report 10: WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Tibet confirms its first case, which was previously suspected. Cases have now been confirmed in all 31 provincial divisions of mainland China. New cases confirmed in India, Philippines, Manila, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore. Additionally, South Korea, Vietnam, France, Vietnam, and Germany. The United States confirmed its sixth case, the spouse of another patient in Chicago. This is the first confirmed case of human to human transmission within the United States. 31 January WHO Situation Report 11: The United Kingdom, Russia, Sweden, United States, Canada, Thailand, and Singapore confirm cases. President Trump declared a Public Health Emergency and announced restrictions on travel from China. Suspended entry into the United States for foreign nationals who pose a risk of transmitting the coronavirus. The Department of Homeland Security took critical steps to funnel all flights from China into just 7 domestic U.S. airports. [January is essentially the first month of the virus as it impacts the United States. Despite ridicule and accusations of racism, the United States took quick action by banning flights from China (later expanded in February). It bought the country time. Total Cases 6, Deaths 0, Death Rate of 0.0%] FEBRUARY 2020 1 February WHO Situation Report 12: (Please note that the WHO Situation Reports as official reportage stand on their own.) Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, United States, and Vietnam confirm cases. 2 February WHO Situation Report 13: India, Philippines, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, United States, and Vietnam announced cases. The CDC expanded enhanced entry screening to eight major airports across the nation. 3 February WHO Situation Report 14: The number of deaths in Hubei outside Wuhan reached 101. According to WHO, there were no new countries reporting cases in the past 24 hours. India, and Vietnam announced cases. President Trump issues travel ban against China. Presidential Candidate Joe Biden criticized the move as did other Democrats. [Words were bandied around like ‘panic’ and ‘racism’. In other words, according to the liberals at the time his actions were unwarranted. Note: what if he’d initiated stronger actions?] The CDC had a team ready to travel to China to obtain critical information on the novel coronavirus but were in the U.S. awaiting permission to enter by the Chinese government. 4 February WHO Situation Report 15: Belgium, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore confirmed new cases. Plus, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam announced they had new cases. President Trump vowed in his State of the Union Address to “take all necessary steps” to protect Americans from the coronavirus.

5 February WHO Situation Report 16: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea confirmed cases of COVID-19 The United States of America, saw Health officials in the state of Wisconsin announce the first case in that state. The Trump Administration and health officials briefed lawmakers on the Federal Government's coronavirus response efforts. 6 February WHO Situation Report 17: Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, The United Kingdom, and Vietnam confirmed cases. The CDC began shipping CDC-Developed test kits for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus to U.S. and international labs. 7 February WHO Situation Report 18: China, Japan, Germany, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. Confirmed cases. President Trump told reporters that the CDC is working with China on the coronavirus. 8 February WHO Situation Report 19: China, France, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and United Arab Emirates confirmed more cases 9 February WHO Situation Report 20: China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Vietnam, and Japan confirm cases. The White House Coronavirus Task Force briefed governors from across the nation at the National Governors’ Association Meeting in Washington. 10 February WHO Situation Report 21: Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom United States of America confirmed its thirteenth case in San Diego, a patient who had been evacuated from Wuhan. 11 February WHO Situation Report 22: Germany, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, and Thailand confirm cases. WHO gives the disease the new name COVID-19. Additionally, the virus itself is named SARS-CoV-2. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) expanded a partnership with Janssen Research & Development to “expedite the development” of a coronavirus vaccine. 12 February WHO Situation Report 23: Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and United Kingdom report confirmed cases. United States of America confirmed one more case, bringing the total number to 14. The U.S. shipped test kits for the 2019 novel coronavirus to approximately 30 countries who lacked the necessary reagents and other materials. The CDC was prepared to travel to China but had yet to receive permission from the Chinese government. 13 February WHO Situation Report 24: Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam have confirmed cases. The CDC confirmed the 15th US coronavirus case, a Wuhan evacuee quarantined at a military base in Texas. China’s government issued an extension of order to shut down all non-essential companies, including manufacturing plants, in Hubei Province until at least 24:00 20 February 2020. Discrepancy in the number of cases The same day, Hubei reported newly confirmed cases of 14,840, nearly 10 times more than the previous day, while deaths more than doubled to 242. This was due to the change in definition that included clinical (radiological) diagnosis of patients. The World Health Organization indicated that for consistency it would report only the number of laboratoryconfirmed cases. 14 February WHO Situation Report 25:

Canada, Egypt, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore confirmed more cases. The CDC began working with five labs to conduct “community-based influenza surveillance” to study and detect the spread of coronavirus. 15 February WHO Situation Report 26: France, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand confirmed more cases. 16 February WHO Situation Report 27: Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and United Arab Emirates confirmed cases. 17 February WHO Situation Report 28: Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand confirmed more cases. 18 February WHO Situation Report 29: Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea. HHS announced it would engage with Sanofi Pasteur…to quickly develop a coronavirus vaccine and…treatment 19 February WHO Situation Report 30: Hong Kong, Iran, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan confirmed new cases. 20 February WHO Situation Report 31: Hong Kong, Iran, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, The United States confirmed one more case in California, bringing the total number to 16. 21 February WHO Situation Report 32: Australia, Canada, Israel, Italy, Iran, Japan, Lebanon, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and United Arab Emirates The United States confirmed 20 more cases, bringing the total number to 35. Furthermore, the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) announced that only three states were capable of testing for the corona virus: California, Nebraska, and Illinois. 22 February WHO Situation Report 33: Australia, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and The United Arab Emirates confirmed more new cases. A genome analysis indicated that the virus in Huanan Seafood Market originated from outside. A WHO team of international experts arrives in Wuhan, China. 23 February WHO Situation Report 34: Canada, Hong Kong, Iran, Israel, Italy, South Korea, Taiwan, and The United Kingdom confirmed new cases. 24 February WHO Situation Report 35: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Canada, Hong Kong, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kuwait, Oman, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, and Taiwan confirmed more cases. The United States confirmed 18 more cases including evacuated passengers from the cruise ship, bringing the total number to 53. A WHO team of international experts arrives in Wuhan, China. 25 February WHO Situation Report 36: Algeria, Austria, Bahrain Brazil, Croatia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kuwait, Oman, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Thailand reported more cases. HHS Secretary Azar testified before the Senate HELP committee on the Administration's coronavirus response efforts . 26 February WHO Situation Report 37: The WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom, noted that"...14 countries that have had cases have not reported a case for more than a week, and even more importantly, 9 countries have not reported a case for more than two weeks: Belgium, Cambodia, Finland, India, Nepal, Philippines, the Russian Federation, Sri Lanka and Sweden." Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Croatia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Iran, and Japan confirmed new cases. Kuwait, Lebanon, North Macedonia, Norway, Pakistan, Romania, Russia, Singapore,

Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, and Thailand confirmed new cases. The United States confirmed three new cases - one being a domestic case in California with no travel history, and the other two being former passengers aboard Diamond Princess - bringing the total number to 60. For the first time, a case was re-imported back to China from another country; the patient travelled from Iran. President Trump appointed Vice President Mike Pence to head it up. He also appointed Deborah Dix (U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator), Jerome Adams (Surgeon General), Larry Kudlow (Director of the National Economic Council), and Steven Mnuchin (Secretary of Treasury). President Trump discussed coronavirus containment efforts with Indian PM Modi and updated the press on his Administration’s containment efforts in the U.S. during his state visit to India. 27 February WHO Situation Report 38: Austria, Canada, China, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The United Arab Emirates, and The United Kingdom confirmed more cases, 28 February WHO Situation Report 39: Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Singapore, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United Kingdom reported cases. The United States confirmed 4 more cases, including 2 former passengers of Diamond Princess. Washington state authorities later confirmed two additional presumptive cases, bringing its total to 66. One had recently returned from South Korea, and the other case was unrelated and locally acquired. SARS-CoV-2 was detected for the first time in tears and conjunctival secretions (pink eye) of a patient. This was only detected in 1 out of the 30 patients that were tested. The excerpt from the study stated, "In the study of this small sample, we used conjunctival test paper to obtain tears and conjunctival secretions of 30 patients for standard RT-PCR assay. Only one patient with conjunctivitis found viral RNA in his tear fluid and conjunctival secretion twice." The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed certified labs to develop and begin testing coronavirus testing kits while reviewing pending applications. 29 February WHO Situation Report 40: Australia, Austria, and Azerbaijan confirmed new cases. Bahrain, and Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Lebanon, and Luxembourg confirmed new cases. Mexico, The Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United Kingdom confirmed they had more cases. The United States confirmed its first death, a man from Washington near the Seattle area. The country also reported two more cases, bringing the total number to 68. The FDA changed its protocols and began allowing public health agencies, hospitals, and private companies to develop tests and perform testing, and by mid-March private companies were shipping hundreds of thousands of tests. The FDA initially had very restrictive guidelines on who was allowed to be tested (see the March 5 details for more on this). The Trump Administration announced a level 4 travel advisory to areas of Italy and South Korea. In addition, all travel to Iran was now banned and the entry of foreign citizens who had visited Iran in the previous 14 days were barred from entering the United States. [February would later come to be called a “LOST month” primarily because there wasn’t a great deal of action taking place or the actions critics wanted. However, critical decisions and arrangements were made during this time that would prove decisive in future months. Sometimes it’s the quality of action not the quantity that’s important. Total cases 68, deaths 1, Death Rate 1.5%] MARCH 2020 1 March WHO Situation Report 41:

Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, The Netherlands, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin confirmed new cases. San Marino, Scotland, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, and The United Kingdom confirmed new cases. The United States reported the second confirmed death in Washington state. The first cases in Rhode Island, Florida, and New York were confirmed. The authorities confirmed 21 more cases in total, bringing the number to 89. 2 March WHO Situation Report 42: Andorra, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Morocco, The Netherlands, Portugal, Qatar, Russia confirmed cases. Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden confirmed cases. Thailand, Tunisia, and The United Kingdom confirmed cases. The United States confirmed 13 more cases, bringing the total number to 102. Five more deaths were also confirmed, bringing the total number to 6. 3 March WHO Situation Report 43: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, China confirmed cases. Ecuador, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, and Malaysia confirmed cases. San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, and The United Kingdom confirmed new cases. The U.S. confirmed 3 more deaths, bringing the total to 9. The first case in North Carolina was reported, coming from the nursing home in Washington state responsible for the first. Another case in Florida was presumptively confirmed positive, bringing the total number of Floridian cases to three. The number of cases stood at 126, increasing by 24 from 102. The CDC lifted federal restrictions on coronavirus testing to allow any American to be tested for coronavirus, “subject to doctor’s orders.” The White House announced President Trump donated his fourth quarter salary to fight the coronavirus. 4 March WHO Situation Report 44: Brazil, Canada, China, Faroe Islands, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Poland confirmed cases. San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Sweden, and The United Kingdom cases. The United States confirmed 11 total deaths, with the first death outside of Washington state in California. California's total of infections has jumped to 51. The country confirmed 33 new cases, bringing the total number to 159. The Trump Administration announced the purchase of approximately 500 million N95 respirators over the next 18 months to respond to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Secretary Azar announced that HHS was transferring $35 million to the CDC to help state and local communities that have been impacted most by the coronavirus. 5 March WHO Situation Report 45: Algeria, Belgium, Brazil, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, China, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, and Italy confirmed they had new cases. Martinique, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Palestine, and Russia confirmed cases. Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and The United Kingdom confirmed new cases. One additional death in Washington State brought the U.S. total to 12. The United States saw a significant increase in cases, with 31 new cases in Washington state. In New York state, cases doubled to 22. Colorado's first two cases were confirmed. In total, the US confirmed 69 more cases, bringing the total number to 228. Three more deaths were reported, bringing the total number to 14. On March 5, the FDA said anyone with a doctor's order could be tested. As of March 25, at least 418,000 tests had been conducted, and by April 2 the number had reached 1,280,000. 6 March WHO Situation Report 46:

Austria, Belgium, Bhutan, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Malaysia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, and Russia confirmed more cases. Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Togo, and the United Kingdom confirmed new cases. In the United States, the first three cases were confirmed in the state of Maryland. Two deaths in Florida were confirmed. Officials in the US state of Hawaii have confirmed their first case, a former passenger of the cruise ship Grand Princess. In total, the US confirmed 104 more cases, bringing the total number to 332. One more death in Washington State plus two in Florida brought the total number of U.S. deaths to 17. WHO has different data: 19 new cases, 148 in total. 1 new death, 10 in total. President Trump signed an $8.3 billion bill to fight the coronavirus outbreak. The bill provides $7.76 billion to federal, state, & local agencies to combat the coronavirus and authorizes an additional $500 million in waivers for Medicare telehealth restrictions. The Vatican City confirmed its first case. Vietnam confirmed one more case. 7 March WHO Situation Report 47: Afghanistan, Argentina, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Maldives, Malaysia, Malta, Moldova, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, and Poland confirmed new cases. Singapore, South Korea, Spain, The United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, the number of deaths rose to 19 with 16 in Washington, 1 in California, and 2 in Florida. The total for the country increased to 444 confirmed cases. WHO has different data: 65 new confirmed cases, totaling 213. And 1 new death, 11 in total. Vietnam confirmed three new cases, bringing the total number to 20. 8 March WHO Situation Report 48: Albania, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Malaysia, Poland, Portugal, and Qatar confirmed new cases. Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, The United Kingdom, and Northern Ireland confirmed new cases. The United States confirmed 120 more cases, bringing the total number to 564. Two more deaths were confirmed, bringing the total number to 21. Vietnam confirmed ten more cases, bringing the total number to 30. 9 March WHO Situation Report 49: Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Colombia, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Guernsey, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Panama, The Philippines, Pakistan, and Poland confirmed new cases. Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The United Arab Emirates, and The United Kingdom confirmed cases. The United States confirmed 153 additional cases, bringing the total number to 717. Five more deaths were reported, bringing the total number to 26. According to WHO, the number of confirmed cases is 213, total deaths 11. No new cases, no new deaths were recorded. President Trump called on Congress to pass a payroll tax cut over coronavirus. Vietnam confirmed an additional case, taking its total to 31. 10 March WHO Situation Report 50: Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, The Netherlands, Northern Cyprus, Norway, Panama, Pakistan, Palestine, The Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, and Russia confirmed new cases. San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, The United Arab Emirates, and The United Kingdom confirmed additional cases. The United States confirmed 283 additional cases, bringing the total number to 1,000. Five more deaths were reported, bringing the total number to 31.

President Trump and VP Pence met with top health insurance companies and secured a commitment to waive co-pays for coronavirus testing. Vietnam confirmed three new cases, bringing the total number to 34. 11 March WHO Situation Report 51: Albania, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Cuba, Denmark, Egypt, France, French Polynesia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, The Netherlands, Norway, Paraguay, Panama, The Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Réunion, and Romania confirmed new cases. Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, and The United Kingdom confirmed cases. The United States confirmed 272 additional cases, bringing the total number to 1,272. Seven more deaths were reported, bringing the total number to 38. The Utah Jazz's Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell were diagnosed with the illness. As a result, the NBA suspended the entire season after the night's games. The Utah Jazz vs Oklahoma City Thunder game was postponed after doctors reported Gobert had the illness. President Trump announced travel restrictions on foreigners who had visited Europe in the last 14 days. He also directed the Small Business Administration to issue lowinterest loans to affected small businesses and called on congress to increase this fund by $50 billion. He further directed the Treasury Department to defer tax payments for affected individuals & businesses & provide $200 billion in “additional liquidity.” In addition, he met with American bankers at the White House to discuss coronavirus. Vietnam confirmed three additional cases, raising the country's total to 38. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The declaration followed extensive criticism that the WHO response had been weak and inappropriately favorable toward the government of China. [But it appears that the primary reason is the speed at which it spread. According to WHO only 3.4% of people with Coronavirus have died. That is extremely low compared to other diseases.] 12 March WHO Situation Report 52: Algeria, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Ireland, Kuwait, Malaysia, Norway, The Philippines, and Romania confirmed new cases. San Marino, Singapore, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, Ukraine, and The United Kingdom confirmed new cases. The United States confirmed 373 additional cases, bringing the total number to 1,645. Three more deaths were reported, bringing the total number to 41. The Utah Jazz's Donovan Mitchell tested positive for the virus. Vietnam confirmed six new cases, bringing the total number to 44. A team member of McLaren tested positive for the coronavirus, throwing the 2020 Australian Grand Prix into disarray. 13 March WHO Situation Report 53: Antigua, Aruba, Barbuda, Bulgaria Brazil, Brunei, The Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Lithuania, Malaysia, The Philippines, Panama, and Puerto Rico confirmed cases. Saint Lucia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and The United Kingdom confirmed new cases. The United States confirmed 559 additional cases, bringing the total number to 2,204. Eight more deaths were reported, bringing the total number to 49. U.S. Virgin Islands confirmed the first case. President Trump declared a national emergency in order to access $42 billion in existing funds to combat the coronavirus. President Trump announced: Public-private partnerships to open up drivethrough testing collection sites. He announced a pause on interest payments on federal student loans. He announced an order to the Department of Energy to purchase oil for the strategic petroleum reserve. The Food & Drug Administration: granted Roche AG an emergency approval

for automated coronavirus testing kits. And issued an emergency approval to Thermo Fisher for a coronavirus test within 24 hours of receiving the request. HHS announced funding for the development of two new rapid diagnostic tests, which would be able to detect coronavirus in approximately 1 hour. Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam confirmed additional cases. 14 March WHO Situation Report 54: Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Central African Republic, Colombia, Congo Republic, Denmark, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, France, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mayotte, Moldova, and New Zealand confirmed new cases. The Panama, Philippines, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Seychelles, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and The United Kingdom confirmed new cases. The United States confirmed 612 new cases, bringing the total number to 2,816. One of the cases was 24-year-old Christian Wood of the Detroit Pistons. Eleven more deaths were reported, bringing the total number to 60. The Coronavirus Relief Bill passed the House of Representatives. The Trump Administration announced the European travel ban will extend to the UK and Ireland. Vietnam confirmed six additional cases, bringing the total number to 53. 15 March WHO Situation Report 55: Bahamas, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Finland, Guam, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Moldova, New Zealand, and Panama confirmed new cases. Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, and The United Kingdom confirmed new cases. The United States confirmed 669 new cases, bringing the total number to 3,485. Five more deaths brought the total number to 65. President Trumps begins voluntary shutdown for 15 days The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) told the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to plan to construct new facilities, including leased hotels and other buildings, and to convert them for use as hospitals and intensive care units . President Trump held a phone call with over two dozen grocery store executives to discuss on-going demand for food and other supplies. HHS announced it is projected to have 1.9 million COVID-19 tests available in 2,000 labs this week. Google announced a partnership with the Trump Administration to develop a website dedicated to coronavirus education, prevention, & local resources. All 50 states were contacted through FEMA to coordinate “federallysupported, state-led efforts” to end coronavirus. Uzbekistan and Vietnam had new cases. 16 March WHO Situation Report 56: Benin, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Liberia, Malaysia, Moldova, Oman, and Qatar confirmed new cases. Singapore, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Turkey, and The United Kingdom confirmed new cases. The United States confirmed 974 new cases, bringing the total number to 4,459. 22 more deaths brought the total number to 87. President Trump held a tele-conference with governors to discuss the coronavirus preparedness and response. President Trump participated in a call with G7 leaders who committed to increasing coordination in response to the coronavirus and restoring global economic confidence. President Trump announced that the first potential vaccine for coronavirus has entered a phase one trial in a record amount of time. President Trump announced “15 days to slow the spread” coronavirus guidance. The White House advised against any gatherings of more than 10 people. The FDA announced it was empowering states to authorize tests developed and used by labs in their states. Asst. Secretary for Health confirmed the availability of 1 million coronavirus tests and projected 2 million tests available the next week and 5 million the following. Ukraine and Vietnam confirmed new cases. 17 March

WHO Situation Report 57: Barbados, Bulgaria, Brazil, France, Gambia, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kuwait, Malaysia, Montenegro, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Panama, and the Philippines reported confirmed new cases. Singapore, Sint Maarten, Slovakia, Ukraine, and The United Kingdom confirmed new cases. The United States confirmed 1,676 new cases, bringing the total number to 6,135. 25 more deaths were reported, bringing the total number to 112. The Brooklyn Nets announced that four of their players had tested positive, including forward Kevin Durant. President Trump announced CMS will expand telehealth benefits for Medicare beneficiaries. Relevant Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act penalties will not be enforced. The Army Corps of Engineers is on “standby” to assist federal & state governments. President Trump spoke to fast food executives from Wendy’s, McDonald’s, and Burger King to discuss drive-thru services recommended by CDC. President Trump met with tourism industry representatives along with industrial supply, retail, and wholesale representatives. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin met with lawmakers to discuss stimulus measures to relieve the economic burden of coronavirus on certain industries, businesses, and American workers. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced a partnership between USDA, Baylor University, McLane Global, and Pepsi Co. to provide one million meals per weak to rural children in response to widespread school closures. The Treasury Department contributed $10 billion through the economic stabilization fund to the Federal Reserve’s commercial paper funding facility. The Treasury Department deferred $300 billion in tax payments for 90 days without penalty, up to $1 million for individuals & $10 million for business. The Department of Defense announced it will make available to HHS up to five million respirator masks and 2,000 ventilators. Vietnam confirmed more cases. 18 March WHO Situation Report 58: Bermuda, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Djibouti, El Salvador, Guatemala, Ireland, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Moldova, Montserrat, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, and Panama confirmed new cases. Singapore, and The United Kingdom. The United States confirmed 2,601 more cases, bringing the total number to 8,736. 37 more deaths were reported, bringing the total number to 149. President Trump announced temporary closure of the U.S.-Canada border to non-essential traffic. President Trump plans to invoke the Defense Production Act in order to increase the number of necessary supplies needed to combat coronavirus. FEMA has been activated in every region at its highest level of response. The U.S. Navy will deploy USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy hospital ships. President Trump announced all foreclosures and evictions are suspended for a time. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper confirmed 1 million masks are now immediately available. The Army Corps of Engineers is in NY consulting on how to best assist state officials. HHS temporarily suspended a regulation that prevents doctors from practicing across state lines. President Trump spoke to doctors, physicians, and nurses on the front lines containing the spread of coronavirus. 130 CEOs of the Business Roundtable to discuss on-going public-private partnerships in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Vietnam and Zambia confirmed new cases. 19 March WHO Situation Report 59: Angola, Chad, Fiji, Guatemala, Haiti, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, New Zealand, Niger, Panama, and Pakistan confirmed new cases. Singapore, Spain, and The United Kingdom confirmed new cases. The United States confirmed 4,397 more cases, bringing the total number to 13,133. 46 more deaths were reported, bringing the total number to 195. The Denver

Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Boston Celtics all reported that some of their players had tested positive for the virus. The players had not been named. In the United States the Department of State advised U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel. President Trump announced very encouraging progress shown by antimalaria drug Hydroxychloroquine for fighting coronavirus. Carnival Cruise Lines will make ships available for use as hospitals in impacted areas to use for non-coronavirus patients. Vice President Pence announced tens of thousands of ventilators have been identified that can be converted to treat patients. The State Department issued a global level 4 health advisory, telling Americans to avoid all international travel due to coronavirus. President Trump directed FEMA to take the lead on the Federal Government’s coronavirus response & visited FEMA HQ with Vice President Pence for a video call with Governors. Vietnam confirmed new cases 20 March WHO Situation Report 60: Cape Verde, East Timor, Guatemala, Ireland, Madagascar, Malaysia, New Zealand, Panama, and Papua New Guinea confirmed new cases. Singapore, Uganda, Ukraine, and The United Kingdom confirmed new cases. United States confirmed 5,630 more cases, bringing the total number to 18,763. 63 more deaths brought the total number to 258. The U.S. and Mexico agree to mutually restrict nonessential cross-border traffic. Secretary Mnuchin announced at the direction of President Trump that Tax Day will be moved from April 15 to July 15 for all taxpayers and businesses. President Trump spoke with Sen. Schumer about coronavirus response & stimulus measures. Held a call with over 12,000 small business owners to discuss relief efforts. Announced the CDC will invoke Title 42 to provide border patrol with tools to secure the borders. The Department of Education announced it will not enforce standardized testing requirements for the remainder of the school year. DOE will allow federal student loan borrowers to stop payments without penalty for 60 days. Secretary Azar announced FEMA is coordinating and assisting coronavirus testing at labs across the country. The CDC is suspending all illegal entries to the country based on the public health threat, via Section 362 of the Public Health & Security Act. Secretary Azar sent a letter to all 50 Governors that the federal government is buying and making available 200,000 testing swabs. Vietnam and Zimbabwe confirmed new cases. 21 March WHO Situation Report 61: Åland Islands, Eritrea, Guatemala, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, and the Philippines confirmed new cases. Singapore, Transnistria, and The United Kingdom confirmed new cases. The United States confirmed 4,886 more cases, bringing the total number to 23,649. 44 more deaths brought the total number to 302. Vice President Pence announced to date over 195,000 Americans tested for coronavirus and have received their results. The Trump Administration announced HHS placed an order for hundreds of millions of N95 masks through FEMA. The FDA announced it had given emergency approval to a new coronavirus test that delivers results in hours, with an intended rollout of March 30. Adm. Giroir confirmed 10 million testing kits had been put into the commercial market from March 2 through March 14. Vietnam confirmed more cases. 22 March WHO Situation Report 62: Dominica, Grenada, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mozambique, New Zealand, and Romania confirmed new cases. Singapore, Syria, and the United Kingdom confirmed new cases. The United States confirmed 10,351 more cases, bringing the total number to 34,000. 111 more deaths were reported, bringing the total number to 413. President Trump approved major disaster declarations for Washington State

and California. President Trump announced Governors will remain in command of National Guard forces & the federal govt will fund 100% of operations cost. He directed the federal govt to provide 4 large federal medical stations with 2,000 beds for CA & 1,000 beds for NY & WA. President Trump confirmed his Administration was working with Peru & Honduras to return Americans stranded in both countries as a result of travel restrictions. Vice President Pence announced the testing backlog will be resolved by midweek. The VP also announced that to date, over 254,000 Americans have been tested for coronavirus and received their results. President Trump announced that the USNS Mercy will be deployed to Los Angeles. FEMA issued guidance for tribal governments to seek federal assistance under the President’s emergency declaration. Ukraine and Vietnam confirmed more cases. 23 March WHO Situation Report 63: Belize, Indonesia, Ireland, Myanmar, New Zealand, and Panama confirmed new cases. Singapore, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the United Kingdom confirmed new cases. President Trump signed an executive order invoking section 4512 of the Defense Production Act to prohibit the hoarding of vital medical supplies. VP Pence announced 313,000 Americans were tested for the coronavirus & received results. FEMA established a supply chain stabilization task force, so Americans get supplies they need. HHS will have commercial labs prioritize testing for hospitalized patients. The White House Office of Science & Technology Policy announced a publicprivate consortium to advance coronavirus research. Provide access to computing technology and resources for researchers. Attorney General Barr announced the Justice Department held a National Task Force meeting on hoarding and price gouging. Each of the 93 U.S. Attorney General offices is designating a lead prosecutor to prevent hoarding. President Trump announced HHS is working to designate essential medical supplies as “scarce” to prohibit hoarding of these items. The Treasury Department announced it is working with the Federal Reserve to lend up to $300 billion to businesses and local governments. Vietnam confirmed new cases. 24 March WHO Situation Report 64: Easter Island, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Laos, Libya, Malaysia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, and Panama, Singapore, and The United Kingdom confirmed new cases. President Trump muses over lifting shutdown. Because of the economic impact of the shutdown the President, who has the responsibility for both medical and economic decisions, wanted to mitigate impact as much as possible. President Trump announced the Army Corps of Engineers & the National Guard are constructing four hospitals and four medical centers in New York. President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for the state of Iowa related to the coronavirus outbreak. Vice President Pence confirmed FEMA sent New York 2,000 ventilators. The VP announced individuals who have recently been in New York should self-quarantine for 14 days. 25 March WHO Situation Report 65: British Virgin Islands, Guinea-Bissau, Ireland, Latvia, Mali, and New Zealand confirmed new cases. Saint Kitts, and Nevis, Singapore, the United Kingdom confirmed new cases. 26 March WHO Situation Report 66: Anguilla, Iran, Ireland, New Zealand, and Russia confirmed new cases. Singapore confirmed new cases. 27 March WHO Situation Report 67:

Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, and New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and Spain confirmed new cases. The United States confirmed at least 101,242 cases based on figures collated by Johns Hopkins University, overtaking China (81,782) and Italy (80,589). The US death toll surpassed 1,500. The first oil refinery shutdowns in India and Europe were announced while global refinery runs drop in response to plunging demand as countries worldwide implement lockdowns. 28 March WHO Situation Report 68: Ireland, Italy, and New Zealand confirmed new cases. Singapore, and The United Kingdom confirmed new cases. 29 March WHO Situation Report 69: Ireland, Israel, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Northern Mariana Islands confirmed new cases. Singapore confirmed new cases. President Trump extends voluntary shutdown through April due to medical expert’s concerns. Change of direction due in part to President seeing the death impact in Queens (hometown) New York City.] 30 March WHO Situation Report 70: Botswana, France, Iran, Ireland, and New Zealand confirmed new cases. Singapore confirmed new cases, In the United States, New York state's official death toll exceeds 1,000. 31 March WHO Situation Report 71: No new countries/territories/areas reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Burundi, Guam Malaysia, and New Zealand confirmed new cases. Sierra Leone and Singapore confirmed new cases. [March was a very active month highlighted by an explosion of the numbers of cases and deaths, the shutdown of the country, and New York becoming the epicenter. the total cases were now over 200,000 and deaths were 4,076. This is a death rate of 2%.]

APRIL 2020 01 April WHO Situation Report 72: (cases and deaths now reported) Three new countries/territories/areas reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours: Botswana, Burundi, and Sierra Leone. Albania, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Libya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Palestine, Panama, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom, confirmed new cases and deaths. The United States confirmed a total of over 200,000 cases and 4,076 deaths. The United States Department of State reported the deaths of two local employees at US diplomatic missions in Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. President Trump spoke to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon about the need to procure gowns for hospitals. President Trump spoke to military families whose relocation or reunion with loved ones was impacted by the coronavirus. President Trump announced that the construction & refurbishing of two additional hospital ships like the USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort are being considered. Vice President Pence announced that 1.2 million coronavirus tests have been completed. The White House, HHS, and the FDA worked with Senator Rob Portman to acquire and authorize for use over two million gowns donated to the Strategic National Stockpile by Cardinal Health. Dr. Birx announced that the White House issued a challenge to universities and states to develop ELISA, or Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays, tests to detect coronavirus antibodies in larger communities more quickly. The Treasury Department released FAQs to help small and medium businesses understand the paid sick and family leave tax credits now offered under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The Department of Labor posted a temporary rule to implement the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in order to provide paid sick and family leave. The VA opened its East Orange, NJ medical center to serve non-veteran coronavirus patients to assist the state and FEMA in their response to coronavirus. The Bureau of Prisons announced it was instituting a 14-day lockdown of all prison inmates. According to TIME, the order affected 22 facilities and 146,000 inmates. 02 April WHO Situation Report 73: No new countries/territories/areas reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Belgium, Canada, Germany, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malawi, Malaysia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Palestine, Panama, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine and United Kingdom report new cases and deaths. The United States confirmed a total of over 225,000 cases and 5,345 deaths. Zambia reports three new cases, bringing the total to 39. Zambia also reports its first death. There are over 1,000,000 confirmed cases and 50,000 confirmed deaths in the world. President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to direct 3M to produce more N95 respirator masks. President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to help 6 companies (General Electric, Hill-Rom Holdings, Medtronic, ResMed, eRoyal Philips, and Vyaire Medical) get the supplies they need to make ventilators. President Trump approved major disaster declarations related to the #coronavirus outbreak for: Virginia, Tennessee, and U.S. Virgin Islands. President Trump discussed the production of ventilators with GM CEO Mary Barra. President Trump announced that The Javits Center temporary hospital will be converted into a coronavirus hospital. President Trump announced that the Department of Defense will be establishing 48 more ICU beds in New York. President Trump announced that the Federal Government will be establishing a coronavirus hospital in Louisiana and Texas. President Trump took an additional coronavirus test and tested negative. President Trump ordered the Federal Government to cover the costs of all National Guard operations in states with recently approved disaster

declarations. President Trump ordered the Federal Government to cover the costs of all National Guard operations in states with recently approved disaster declarations. President Trump sent Senator Chuck Schumer a letter debunking false claims made against the Trump Administration’s coronavirus response. Secretary Mnuchin and Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza announced that the Paycheck Protection Program, created by the CARES Act to provide $350 billion in loans to small businesses, will be launched tomorrow. Secretary Mnuchin announced that the first relief payments will be dispersed within two weeks. Vice President Pence announced that 1.3 million coronavirus tests have been completed. Vice President Pence announced that all Blue Cross Blue Shield Members will be waiving out of pocket costs for coronavirus treatment. Rear Adm. Polowczyk announced FEMA’s Supply Chain Stabilization Task Force has delivered: 27.1 million surgical masks, 19.5 N95 million respirator masks, 22.4 million surgical gloves, 5.2 million face shields, and over 7,600 ventilators. First Lady Melania Trump had a phone call with Mrs. Sophie Grégoire Trudeau of Canada, who is recovering from the coronavirus. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced $25 billion in federal funding to support public transportation systems in response to the coronavirus. The Department of Justice and HHS distributed 192,000 N95 respirator masks confiscated from price gougers to health care workers in New York and New Jersey. The FDA approved the first coronavirus antibody test, developed by Cellex. The FDA issued new guidance to increase the supply of blood donations, reducing the deferral period for gay men from 12 months to 3 months. The Department of Education donated 5,760 N95 respirator masks discovered in storage to aid the fight against the coronavirus. Secretary Pompeo announced that the State Department has now brought home 30,000 Americans stranded overseas as a result of coronavirus-related travel restrictions. HHS announced it was relaxing enforcement of HIPAA violations to encourage health care providers to share coronavirus data and information with federal and state health care officials. The Administration issued recommendations to nursing homes to help mitigate the spread of coronavirus. HUD announced it was immediately making $3 billion of CARES Act funding available to help America’s low-income families and most vulnerable citizens across the nation. The Energy Department announced it would immediately make 30 million barrels of the strategic petroleum reserve’s (SPR’s) oil storage capacity available to struggling U.S. oil producers. 03 April WHO Situation Report 74: Malawi reported cases of COVID-19. Albania, Canada, China, Egypt, Falkland Islands, France, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Iraq, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Palestine, Panama, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom reports new cases and deaths. The United States reports 26,000 new cases, bringing the total to 228,000. The US death toll reaches 950, bringing the total to 5,374. New York state reports 562 deaths, bringing the death toll to 2,935. According to figures released by Johns Hopkins University, 58,773 people have died as a result of COVID-19 and there are at least 1,094,068 confirmed cases. President Trump announced new voluntary CDC guidelines that all Americans wear non-medical, fabric or cloth face masks to prevent asymptomatic spread of coronavirus. The President met with…Phillips 66, Devon Energy, Continental Resources, Hilcorp Energy, Occidental Petroleum, The American Petroleum Institute, The Energy Transfer Partners, Chevron, & Exxon Mobil to discuss coronavirus’ impact on the energy industry. President Trump spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss

convening the five permanent members of the UN Security Council in an effort to defeat coronavirus and discuss impact on the world. President Trump approved major disaster declarations related to the coronavirus outbreak for: New Hampshire, West Virginia, Indiana, Arkansas, and Oregon. President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum blocking the export of N95 and other respirator masks, surgical masks, PPE gloves, and surgical gloves to ensure they are available in the U.S. – designating them as “scarce” under the Defense Production Act. President Trump announced that Anthem will waive co-pays for coronavirus treatment for 60 days. President Trump announced that uninsured Americans will have their coronavirus treatment covered, using funding from the CARES Act. Trump Administration officials spoke to the directors of the two largest health care providers in Louisiana, Ochsner and LCMC Health, to discuss their need for medical supplies. President Trump directed FEMA to send Ochsner Surgical Gowns. President Trump announced that the DOJ and HHS have together secured: 200,000 N95 masks, 130,000 surgical masks, and 600,000 gloves from hoarders and have distributed the supplies to health care workers. Vice President Pence announced 1.4 million coronavirus tests have been completed. V.P. Pence announced that 18,000 machines are now available across the country to administer Abbott 15 Minute Coronavirus Tests, with another 1,200 soon to be distributed to states. Vice President Pence announced that a Project Airbridge flight landed in Columbus, Ohio with medical supplies. Secretary Azar announced a public-private partnership with Oracle to collect crowd-sourced data on coronavirus therapeutic treatments. The SBA launched the Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, issuing more than 17,500 loans valued at $5.4 billion. The Army Corps of Engineers is working with states to assess 750 requests for temporary hospital facilities, having completed 673 already. The FDA announced it would coordinate the national effort to develop bloodrelated therapies for COVID-19. The Defense Department’s Joint Acquisition Task Force launched a new portal giving the private sector the ability to submit information and solutions to the DoD. The State Department announced that they have awarded contracts for 8 new medical facilities, totaling 9,693 new beds. The Department of Labor issued guidance to help employers reduce use of N95 respirators, freeing up supply. HUD announced it is making $200 million in Indian housing block grants for Indian Tribes under the CARES Act. EPA Administrator Wheeler held a call with retailers and marketplace platforms to discuss ways to protect consumers from fake disinfectants. First Lady Melania Trump held a phone call with Mrs. Brigitte Macron of France to discuss the coronavirus response. 04 April WHO Situation Report 75: One new country/territory/area reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours: Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. Albania, China, France, Georgia, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israeli, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom report new cases and deaths. The United States reports a total of 300,915 cases and 8,162 deaths, based on figures by Johns Hopkins University. The first four cases are confirmed in the disputed territory of Western Sahara. According to Johns Hopkins University, the number of coronavirus cases worldwide exceeds 1.1 million. President Trump spoke to commissioners of major league sports organizations including the MLB, NFL, & NBA, recognizing what the leagues, teams, and players are doing in their communities to combat coronavirus. President Trump tweeted encouragement to children unable to start Little League baseball season on time due to coronavirus. President Trump approved major disaster declarations…for the following

states: Nebraska, Wisconsin, Maine, and Nevada. President Trump announced that he was considering creating a second coronavirus task force focused on the economy. President Trump urged PM Modi of India to allow Hydroxychloroquine to be shipped to the United States. President Trump announced that the U.S. government has repatriated over 40,000 Americans from 75 countries. Vice President Pence spoke to the Governors of the states of New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Maryland. FEMA obligated $44 million to Iowa under the state’s major disaster declaration to combat the coronavirus. 05 April WHO Situation Report 76: Falkland Islands (Malvinas) reported 1 case. Albania, Canada, China, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Haiti, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Panama, Qatar, Russia, Saint Pierre, Miquelon, Singapore, South Korea, South Sudan, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom report new cases and deaths. The United States reports a total of 311,544 cases. New York state also reports 594 deaths, bringing the total to 4,159. Johns Hopkins University reports that the number of global confirmed cases has passed 1.2 million with 64,753 confirmed. President Trump approved major disaster declarations related to the coronavirus outbreak for South Dakota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Mississippi. President Trump announced 3,000 military and medical personnel will deploy to New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to assist in COVID-19 response effort. President Trump announced that the Trump Administration will be sending New York 600,000 N95 masks tomorrow, including 200,000 to Suffolk County alone. President Trump announced…will soon send 300 ventilators to Michigan, 200 ventilators to Louisiana, 600 ventilators to Illinois, 100 ventilators to Massachusetts, and 500 ventilators to New Jersey. President Donald Trump announced the establishment of a federal coronavirus medical station in Washington D.C. President Trump announced Washington has returned 400 ventilators to the strategic national stockpile. President Trump announced that 1.67 million coronavirus tests have been completed. President Trump announced that the government has stockpiled 29 million doses of Hydroxychloroquine. Dr. Birx announced testing in the New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, and Washington has exceeded the testing rate of Spain and Italy. Adm. Polowczyk reported Project Airbridge flights of medical supplies: 1m gowns, 2.8m surgical masks, and 11.8m gloves. Adm. Polowczyk spoke to top health officials from states severely impacted by the coronavirus to discuss the supply chain. Secretary Wilkie announced that the VA is making 1,500 beds available at VA hospitals to help states and localities across the country. V.P. Pence spoke to governors from states severely impacted by the coronavirus, including Michigan, Louisiana, and Illinois. FEMA and The Army Corps of Engineers completed renovations at the McCormick Place Pavilion in Chicago, providing an additional 500 hospital beds for the city. 06 April WHO Situation Report 77: One new country reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours: South Sudan. The Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Kosovo, Malaysia, New Zealand, Panama, Philippines, Romania, Russia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom reports new cases and deaths. In the United States, Johns Hopkins University reports a total of 10,000 deaths and 347,000 confirmed cases. President Trump announced agreement with 3M to produce and import 55.5 million N95 masks per month for the next three months. President Trump held a call with CEOs from pharmaceutical and bio-tech companies to discuss potential coronavirus therapeutics.

President Trump had a “very friendly” phone call with former Vice President Joe Biden to discuss the coronavirus. President Trump announced that 1.79 million coronavirus tests have been completed. President Trump approved Governor Murphy’s request to allow New Jersey patients aboard the USNS Comfort. President Trump approved Governor Cuomo’s request to allow the treatment of coronavirus patients on the USNS Comfort. President Trump announced that CVS will open two new drive-thru coronavirus testing sites in Georgia and Rhode Island. Both will use Abbott’s rapid coronavirus test. The FDA has authorized Inovio’s potential coronavirus vaccine for a clinical trial, while 10 potential coronavirus therapeutic agents are in “active trials” and 15 potential therapeutics in plans for clinical trials. President Trump praised the work of the private sector, including Apple and Salesforce, who’ve agreed to donate personal protective equipment to help defeat the coronavirus. President Trump announced The Army Corps of Engineers is building 22 field hospitals and alternative care sites in 18 states. President Trump reported 8,450 hospital beds and 8,000 ventilators deployed across the country from federal stockpiles. Vice President Pence announced that to date $4.1 billion has been allocated to states under federal disaster declarations. Vice President Pence announced that 21,000 National Guard Servicemen have been activated across the country to assist in the fight against coronavirus. VP Pence announced that thanks to California’s donation of 500 ventilators, the federal government will send 200 ventilators to MD, 100 ventilators to DE, 100 ventilators to NV, 50 ventilators to DC, and 50 ventilators to Guam & the Northern Mariana Islands. The CDC began publishing a new, data-centered coronavirus surveillance report on coronavirus.gov. HHS announced an additional $186 million in CDC funding for state and local jurisdictions combatting the coronavirus. HHS announced it will be purchasing 15-minute coronavirus tests from Abbott for state, territorial, and tribal labs and for the Strategic National Stockpile. The Department of Education announced a streamlined process making it easier for states to use federal education funding for distance learning. 07 April WHO Situation Report 78: One new country/territory/area reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours: São Tomé and Príncipe. Abkhazia, Artsakh, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, South Sudan, Switzerland, Turkey, and Ukraine report new cases and deaths. In the United States, New York state reports 731 new deaths, bringing the death toll in that state to 5,489. According to Johns Hopkins University, over 1.3 million people globally have been affected by the coronavirus. More than 74,500 people have died while nearly 285,000 have recovered. President Trump participated in a conference call with bank execs…how to deliver financial aid and tech. assistance to small businesses. President Trump announced the SBA has processed “more than $70 billion” in loans to help small businesses as part of the Paycheck Protection Program. President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for Minnesota related to the coronavirus outbreak. President Trump announced that in addition to the 8,675 ventilators in the strategic national stockpile, the federal government will be acquiring 110,000 ventilators in the next three months to be distributed to states in need. President Trump announced that 1.87 million coronavirus tests have been completed. President Trump announced his intent to ask Congress for … $250 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program … to small businesses. V.P. Pence participated in a conference call with over 500 business owners to discuss their needs amid the coronavirus response effort.

CMS Administrator Verma announced that CMS will make available additional $30 billion in grants this week for health care organizations with increased operating costs due to the coronavirus. The State Department announced an additional $225 million in health, humanitarian, and economic assistance to reduce the transmission of the coronavirus around the world. As part of Project Airbridge, UPS and FEMA began shipments of 25 flights with more than three million pounds of medical supplies. The DOT finalized a requirement that airlines who receive assistance under the CARES Act continue flights to destinations they were serving before the outbreak, ensuring commercial flights are available. The EPA distributed over 1,100 N95 masks to the California Office of Emergency Services. 08 April WHO Situation Report 79: One new country/territory/area reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours: Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Bangladesh, Belarus, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Somalia, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the Emirate of Dubai, which is part of the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom report new cases and deaths. The United States reports 400,000 confirmed cases and a total of 12,900 deaths. President Trump spoke to over 10,000 faith leaders & more than 3,000 state, local, and tribal officials to discuss the coronavirus response effort. Secretary Pompeo announced that since January, over 50,000 Americans have been repatriated by 90 countries in over 480 flights. Under the DPA, HHS announced a $646.7M contract with Philips to produce 2,500 ventilators for the Strategic National Stockpile by end of May, and 43,000 by December. President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for Vermont related to the coronavirus outbreak. President Trump announced a Project Airbridge shipment of protective gowns landed in Dallas, Texas. President Trump announced 10 drugs to … be used against coronavirus are currently in clinical trial. President Trump thanked Indian PM Modi for allowing a shipment of the life-saving drug hydroxychloroquine to be released to the U.S. V.P. Pence announced $98B in forgivable loans were disbursed through the Paycheck Protection Program, plus 27,000 National Guard service members were activated across country to assist in the coronavirus response. The CDC issued new guidance for how essential and critical workers who have been exposed to the coronavirus can return to work, with precautions. Four additional flights as part of Project Airbridge have landed across the country while delivering PPE and other medical supplies. Customs and Borders Protection announced with FEMA that it will detain shipments of PPE in order to keep critical medical supplies within the U.S. for domestic use. HHS announced an agreement with DuPont and FedEx to rapidly manufacture and deliver 2.25M new Tyvek Protective Suits to the Strategic National Stockpile over the next five weeks. HHS expanded telehealth services for Native Americans through The Indian Health Service. HHS authorized pharmacists to order and administer coronavirus tests, further expanding the availability of testing. HHS awarded $1.3B from the CARES Act to 1,387 health centers in all 50 states, 8 territories, and the District of Columbia to fight coronavirus. CMS issued updated guidance based on CDC guidelines to protect patients and health care workers in hospitals from the coronavirus. The USDA announced approval of Arizona's & California’s request for food stamp recipients to purchase food online, allowing these recipients to purchase groceries for delivery. The VA announced that it has begun using funding from the CARES Act to pay overtime, hire new staff, and purchase supplies including PPE, beds, and pharmaceuticals. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a $500 million contract with General Motors to produce 30,000 ventilators under the Defense Production Act.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that the number of deaths in the United States resulting from the coronavirus would be below his original projection of 100,000 to 200,000. 09 April WHO Situation Report 80: No new country/territory/area reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, Hungary, Ireland, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom report new cases and deaths. The United States reports over 15,000 deaths linked to the coronavirus. Western Sahara confirms new cases. According to figures released by Johns Hopkins University, there has been a total of 1,502,618 cases, 89,915 deaths, and 339,775 recoveries. President Trump spoke with mental health advocates from across the country to discuss their work amid the coronavirus outbreak. President Trump approved major disaster declarations related to the coronavirus outbreak for Alaska and Idaho. President Trump announced that 24 Project Airbridge flights have been completed to date, with an additional 49 flights scheduled. President Trump announced that there are currently 19 potential coronavirus therapies being tested and another 26 potential therapies in active planning for clinical trials. President Trump announced that, to date, over 2 million coronavirus tests have been completed. Vice President Pence announced that $125B in Paycheck Protection Program forgivable loans has been approved to date. Vice President Pence announced that a total of 29,000 National Guard service members have been activated across the country to assist in the coronavirus response. Vice President Pence announced that to date 4,100 military medical personnel have been deployed to New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The Treasury Department announced that it extended over 300 tax filing, payment, and administrative deadlines to give relief to taxpayers. Working with the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve announced new lending programs providing up to $2.3T in loans to businesses and state & local governments. HHS announced it would relax enforcement of HIPPAA for pharmacies and other organizations that are working at coronavirus testing sites, helping these groups focus on testing. Secretary of Education DeVos announced that $6.3B in CARES Act funding will be immediately distributed to colleges and universities to provide cash grants to students affected by the coronavirus. The EPA announced that more than 11,500 pieces of PPE have been transferred to FEMA, which will be later transferred to state and local agencies across New England combating the coronavirus. The USDA launched the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Program in Michigan, which will help feed children eligible for USDA school lunch programs who are now home during the coronavirus outbreak. The USDA announced relief for farmers across the country by giving borrowers 12 months to repay marketing assistance loans (MAL), helping protect farmers from being forced to sell crops to make loan payments. CMS temporarily suspended a number of regulations so that hospitals, clinics, and other health care providers can book the number of staff to confront the coronavirus. 10 April WHO Situation Report 81: No new country/territory/area reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Africa, Bangladesh, China, Ecuador, France, Hungary, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor Leste, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom report new cases and deaths. The United States has reported over 16,500 deaths. Yemen confirms new case. According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been 1.6 million coronavirus cases, over 100,000 deaths, and 372,000 recoveries. President announced 60 mask sterilization systems, with ability to clean over 80,000 masks about 20 times, will be sent to 10 cities. President spoke with Russian President Putin to discuss the global

coronavirus response and the global energy market. President Trump announced that a field hospital in Seattle will be leaving, as Washington State’s coronavirus outbreak becomes more manageable. President Trump announced that his Administration is working to bring blood-based serology tests to market “as quickly as possible” so Americans can determine if they have had the coronavirus. President Trump announced that he will soon be establishing an “Opening Our Country Council” with more details to be released shortly. President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum to facilitate the supply of medical equipment and other humanitarian relief to Italy. Dr. Fauci spoke to Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon…coronavirus mitigation. V.P. Pence, CDC Director Redfield, & Surgeon General Adams spoke to over 400 leaders of the African American community, including Jesse Jackson, NAACP representatives, & the National Black Nurses Association to discuss the impact of the coronavirus. Vice President Pence spoke to Colorado Governor Jared Polis about the specific needs of his state’s battle against the coronavirus. VP Pence announced more than 2.1M coronavirus tests have been completed. Vice President Pence announced that 29,600 National Guard Troops have been activated, and 4,700 active duty medical personnel have been deployed to nine states. Vice President Pence announced that to date, 26 Project Airbridge flights have landed in the U.S. with PPE, with four flights scheduled to land today with 250,000 gowns and 25M pairs of gloves. HHS began delivering $30B in relief funding to health care providers, part of the $100B allocated to health care providers by the CARES Act. The FDA approved an emergency authorization for a blood purification device to treat coronavirus patients. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced $1B for Amtrak to continue rail service and respond to the spread of the coronavirus. The Treasury Department launched a web portal to help Americans who did not file tax returns receive their coronavirus relief payments under the CARES Act. The Treasury Department announced it will launch a new “get my payment” app where Americans can enter their direct deposit information to get coronavirus relief payments quicker. The VA deployed medical staffers to New Orleans to help “surge” personnel in the area, which is currently being heavily impacted by the coronavirus. 11 April WHO Situation Report 82: No new country/territory/area reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Armenia, Belarus, Canada, China, France, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Saba, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom report new cases and deaths. The United States reports a total of 20,071 deaths and 522,000 cases. The global death toll is now over 107,000, global infections number more than 1.7 million, and global recoveries number 396,000. President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for Wyoming related to the coronavirus outbreak, marking the first time in U.S. history a President has declared that a major disaster exists in all 50 states. The DoD announced it is using The Defense Production Act to get the private sector to produce 39 million N95 masks within 90 days, a $133M investment. Three Project Airbridge flights landed in Chicago, Illinois, delivering over 62 million gloves. The Department of Justice announced it is monitoring state and local social distancing regulations to ensure religious organizations are not unfairly targeted. The USDA added Florida & Idaho to the food stamp online pilot program, allowing food stamp recipients to purchase food online. CMS expanded the requirements that private health insurers provide free coronavirus testing, saying that this includes anti-body testing and costs related to coronavirus testing, like emergency room or urgent care visits. 12 April WHO Situation Report 83: No new country/territory/area reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Canada, China, Hong Kong, France, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy,

Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom report new cases and deaths. There are about 1.7 million global cases and over 109,000 deaths. A deal brokered by President Trump was announced between The OPEC countries, Russia, and the U.S. to cut production and stabilize the oil market amid dual disruptions from coronavirus and the price war between Saudi Arabia & Russia. The FDA issued an emergency authorization to devices from Advanced Sterilization Products, which can decontaminate approximately 4 million N95 respirators each day. The FBI uncovered an international fraud scheme related to the attempted purchase of 39 million N95 masks by a Service Employees International Union Affiliate. 13 April WHO Situation Report 84: No new country/territory/area reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Australia, Burundi, Canada, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Malaysia, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South African, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom reported new cases and deaths. In the United States, the Associated Press reported that more than 3,600 deaths have been linked to coronavirus outbreaks in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. New York reports 671 new deaths, bringing the state's death toll to 10,056. According to figures released by Johns Hopkins University, there have been 23,070 fatalities, 572,169 confirmed cases, and 42,324 recoveries in the United States. According to data release by Johns Hopkins University, the number of global coronavirus cases exceed 1.9 million, 118,500 deaths, and 500,000 recoveries. Johns Hopkins University later revised its figures to 1.918 million cases. President Trump announced that new coronavirus infection rates remained “flat” over the weekend across the country. President Trump announced that HHS is signing five new contracts for ventilators with GE, Hillrom, Medtronic, ResMed, & Vyaire, which will be added to the Strategic National Stockpile. President Trump reported nearly 3 million coronavirus tests have been completed, with roughly 150,000 new tests daily. President Trump announced that multiple advisory committees, including a “faith leaders committee” will be formed to consult on the reopening of the country. Trump announced the members of his Council to Re-Open America. Those members are Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, senior adviser Ivanka Trump, senior adviser Jared Kushner, Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, Director of the United States National Economic Council Larry Kudlow, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. President Trump and Vice President Pence met with representatives from Abbott to discuss increasing the production of cartridges for Abbott’s rapid coronavirus test machines. Vice President Pence and members of the Coronavirus Task Force led a conference call with 48 governors. Vice President Pence announced that there are currently just under 7,000 ventilators in the Strategic National Stockpile, and that no one has been denied a ventilator who needed one. Dr. Fauci participated in a meeting with members of the Congressional Black Caucus to discuss the impact of the coronavirus on the African American community. Adm. Polowczyk announced that 37 Project Airbridge flights have been completed, with another 43 scheduled. 5 flights landed across the country carrying shipments of PPE as part of Project Airbridge. The U.S. government now has 28 million doses of hydroxychloroquine stockpiled. Treasury Department announced 80 million Americans will receive economic impact payments in their bank accts within the week. The Treasury Department launched a new web portal which will quickly deliver CARES Act funding to state, local, and tribal governments. The Defense Department announced it was buying 60 Battelle decontamination systems which can sanitize 80,000 N95 respirators per day.

HUD announced new guidelines clarifying that borrowers of multifamily mortgages insured by HUD and FHA and renters have certain protections from eviction and foreclosure. The Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission announced that they will be enforcing antitrust laws against businesses that try to exploit the coronavirus outbreak to harm American workers. The USDA released a “one-stop-shop” resource guide to help farmers, rural communities, and others know what resources and assistance are available to them as a response to the coronavirus. USDA approved Rhode Island’s request to join Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Program, which will help feed children eligible for USDA school lunch programs who are now at home during the coronavirus outbreak. The Department of Commerce and Census Bureau announced adjustments to the 2020 Census operational schedule to protect census workers and the American people during the coronavirus outbreak. The VA announced a “dramatic” increase in virtual and tele-mental health appointments, a sign that veterans are still able to access care remotely during the coronavirus. 14 April WHO Situation Report 85: No new country/territory/area reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. China, France, Germany, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, and Ukraine report new cases deaths. British nursing home company HC-One reports a total of 311 deaths among its residents in 232 of the firm's homes. First report on nursing homes. The United States reports 2,228 deaths, bringing the total to above 28,300. The country has reported over 600,000 cases. The State Department reports its first death among staff members at its headquarters in Washington, bringing the death toll in its global workforce to five. According to figures released by Johns Hopkins University, there are about 1.93 million coronavirus cases, 120,000 deaths, and 450,000 recoveries worldwide. President announced halt in funding to the WHO while a review is conducted to assess its mistakes and mismanagement of the coronavirus outbreak. President Trump announced the Dynamic Ventilator Reserve, a public-private partnership to help hospitals with surplus loan them to hospitals in need. President Trump met with health care executives to discuss ventilator supply. President Trump announced the members of the Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups, who will advise the President on how to re-open the economy. President Trump met with coronavirus survivors at the White House to discuss their treatment and condition. President Trump spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the global coronavirus response and the re-opening of the global economy. President Trump extended an order for the federal government to cover the costs of all National Guard operations to states with recently approved disaster declarations. HHS announced it was distributing the $3.5 billion in childcare and development block grant funding included in the CARES act. FEMA confirmed it send out 19.1 million doses of hydroxychloroquine to cities across the country. More than 30,000 National Guard troops total have been activated to assist in the coronavirus response. Two flights landed carrying 16 million gloves, 698,590 gowns, and 690 thermometers as part of Project Airbridge. The Treasury Department announced that many of the nation’s major airlines, including American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, and Southwest intend to participate in the Payroll Support Program, helping pay… worker’s salaries and benefits. The Transportation Department announced $10 billion in relief for America’s airports from the Trump Administration’s newly created CARES Act airport grant program. The Department of Energy announced it is negotiating crude oil storage contracts totaling 23 million barrels to help US energy producers affected by lower demand. The EPA announced that it has temporarily waived certain approvals for manufacturers producing disinfectants for use against the coronavirus.

The Department of Education Announced $3 billion in education block grants for states to help schools, students, and educators at all levels. The VA announced…1,500 hospital beds around the country available to FEMA. GM began mass production on an order of 30,000 Ventec ventilators, 600 ventilators are expected to be shipped this month and the full order will be completed by August. 15 April WHO Situation Report 86: No new country/territory/area reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Canada, France, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, New Zealand, Qatar, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom report new cases and deaths. According to US Vice President Mike Pence, more than 3 million in the United States have been tested for the coronavirus. Pence has reported 619,000 cases, over 27,000 deaths, and 45,000 recoveries. Johns Hopkins University reports that the global number of coronavirus cases and deaths have reached 2,000,984 and 128,011, respectively. The U.S. Senate has taken up a $250B measure to help small business. President Trump announced that new guidelines for re-opening the country will be announced tomorrow, in consultation with governors and lawmakers. President Trump announced the completion of more than 3.3 million coronavirus tests. President Trump announced that 44 Project Airbridge flights have delivered supplies to date. HHS awarded $90 million to Ryan White HIV/AID Program recipients to combat coronavirus. The Treasury Department launched the “Get My Payment” web app, allowing taxpayers to submit their direct deposit information online for their Coronavirus Economic Impact Payments. The Treasury Department announced that supplemental security income recipients will receive coronavirus relief payments as they would their SSI benefits, directly into their bank accounts or by debit cards or by check. CMS announced Medicare will nearly double payments for “highthroughput” coronavirus tests, incentivizing health care providers to increase the supply and speed of testing. The Department of Labor awarded more than $131 million in dislocated worker grants to help workers impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. 16 April WHO Situation Report 87: No new country/territory/area reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Africa, Bonaire, China, Eswatini/Swaziland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Timor Leste, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom reports new cases and deaths. The United States reports a total of 31,002 deaths from the coronavirus: the highest in the world. The World Health Organization's Europe regional director Hans Kluge has reported over 1 million cases and 84,000 deaths in Europe. President Trump held conference call with governors and laid out guidelines for them to follow. The plan is divided into three phases: Phase I allows restaurants to reopen with strict social distancing enforced; Phase II allows; and Phase III allows return. President Trump participated in a video conference with leaders of the G7 to discuss a coordinated response to coronavirus, including pooling data and research, preparations to re-open their economies, and the WHO’s response to the coronavirus. President Trump spoke with Republican and Democrat members of the Opening Up America Again Congressional Group on the coronavirus response and efforts to re-open the economy. President Trump held a “Thank God for Truckers” ceremony on the South Lawn to thank truckers for moving goods and ensuring a stable supply of food, medical equipment, and other supplies during the pandemic. President Trump announced that 3.5 million coronavirus tests have been completed to date, the most of any country worldwide. President Trump reiterated his request for an additional $250 billion to replenish the paycheck protection program to help struggling small

businesses. President Trump announced that 4,000 community banks have participated in the paycheck protection program. Under the DPA, HHS announced a $336 million contract with GE for 50,000 ventilators to be produced by July 13; in total, HHS has signed contracts for 41,000 ventilators by May and over 187,000 ventilators by end of the year. Secretary Mnuchin and Administrator Carranza urged Congress to provide additional funds to the paycheck protection program to help small businesses. USAID announced that it committed nearly $508 million in emergency health, humanitarian, and economic aid around the world to help respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The FDA encouraged Americans who have recovered from coronavirus to donate their plasma for the development of new treatments and therapies. OSHA issued an alert listing safety tips that employers can follow to help keep manufacturing workers safe during the coronavirus pandemic. 17 April WHO Situation Report 88: China, France, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Syria, the Kurdish-administered northeast region, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom report new cases and deaths. The number of global deaths resulting from the coronavirus has reached 150,000. Some governors resist the phased plan. One governor denied U.S. government support using the word “none” although the U.S. Navy and Army had provided direct support. Media treats it as if governors had a real complaint. Jacksonville Florida partially reopens beaches. People flock to them, but pictures show them honoring social distancing. Other cities in Florida and elsewhere considering partial reopening of beaches. Meanwhile in Michigan a huge traffic jam occurs by people protesting Governor’s harsh social distancing clampdown. President Trump and Secretary Perdue announced a $19 billion relief package for ranchers and farmers impacted by the coronavirus. President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for American Samoa related to the coronavirus outbreak, meaning major disaster declarations have been approved in all 50 states and in all US territories for the first time in history. President Trump participated in a conversation with faith leaders to discuss the coronavirus response and “express his eagerness to get” houses of worship reopened as soon as possible. President Trump spoke to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico to discuss Mexico’s need for additional ventilators. President Trump announced that 3.7 million coronavirus tests have been completed. V. P. Pence announced that a total of 33,000 National Guard troops and 5,500 active duty servicemembers have been activated … to assist in the coronavirus response. Dr. Fauci participated in a call with the Senate Democrat Caucus to discuss the US coronavirus testing capacity. CDC Director Redfield announced that 500 CDC staff are now embedded in state, local, and tribal health agencies across the country. Dr. Birx announced that 47 states have the ability to perform at least 30 tests per month per 1,000 residents. The NIH announced a new public-private partnership with over a dozen leading biopharmaceutical companies to speed up the development of coronavirus vaccines and therapies. At the director of FEMA, GM announced that they delivered the first GMVentec ventilators to Chicagoland hospitals. To support FEMA’s Project Airbridge, UPS announced it would add over 200 flights in April. The Treasury Department and VA announced that veterans who had not filed tax returns would automatically receive economic impact payments without additional paperwork. The DOJ filed an injunction to halt the online sale of a supposed “miracle” treatment for the coronavirus which is “unapproved, unproven, and potentially dangerous”. The DOI announced it will continue to allow public access to parks.

The USDA added Washington, DC, and North Carolina to the SNAP online pilot program, allowing food stamp recipients to purchase food online and for delivery. The USDA approved the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer for North Carolina and Massachusetts, which will help feed children eligible for USDA school lunch programs who are now at home during the coronavirus outbreak. 18 April WHO Situation Report 89: Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Croatia, Egypt, France, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Palestinian, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom report new cases and deaths. In the United States, the death toll has exceeded 31,000. New York state authorities have reported 540 deaths and over 2,000 hospital admissions in the last 24 hours. According to Johns Hopkins University, the number of global cases has reached 2.3 million while the global death toll has exceeded 159,000. President Trump announced that over 4 million coronavirus tests have been completed to date, double the number of tests done by any other country. President Trump announced that 1.6 million small businesses have participated in the paycheck protection program and reiterated his request that Congress replenish funding for the program. President Trump offered to send ventilators to Iran if the Iranian government accepted the assistance. President Trump consulted with FEMA and military officials about the coronavirus response. President Trump spoke to the leaders of Poland, South Korea, and Bahrain about the global response to the coronavirus. The USDA added West Virginia to the SNAP online pilot program, allowing food stamp recipients to purchase food online and for delivery. 19 April WHO Situation Report 90: Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, Guinea, Honduras, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom reported new cases and deaths. The United States reports 2,009 new cases, bringing the total to 735,336. The US has reported a total of 40,585 deaths, with almost half of them originating in New York state. President Trump announced that 4.18 million coronavirus tests have been completed to date – more tests than France, The U.K., South Korea, Japan, Singapore, India, Austria, Australia, Sweden, and Canada combined. President Trump announced his Administration is working on using the DPA to increase the production of testing swabs. President Trump participated in a call with Republican senators on opening up America again. 64 Project Airbridge flights have been completed to date carrying over 600 million pieces of gloves, gowns, and other PPE, with 50 additional flights scheduled in the future. CMS Administrator Verma announced new requirements for nursing homes to report outbreaks of coronavirus to patients, patients’ families, and the CDC. President Trump held calls with the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church Archbishop Bartholomew I, Turkish President Erdogan, and President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte about the response to the coronavirus pandemic. Zimbabwe has reported new cases and deaths. According to figures released by Johns Hopkins University, more than 2.3 million people have been infected and over 164,000 people have died. 20 April WHO Situation Report 91: Canada, China, Ecuador, France, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, and Ukraine report new cases and deaths. President Trump announced that HHS has distributed the $30 billion in relief funding to health care providers under the CARES act. President Trump announced that there are currently 72 active trials for

coronavirus therapies, with 211 additional therapies in the planning stages for active trials. Vice President Pence and members of the coronavirus task force spoke to all 50 state governors and provided each with a list of labs with additional testing capacity in their respective states. Chief of the Army Corps of Engineers Gen. Todd Semonite announced that USACE has, to date, executed the construction of 32 facilities across the country, creating approximately 16,000 more beds. The Trump Administration announced it’s helping increase testing swab production by 30M per month - assisting an Ohio manufacturer to convert production lines to produce 10M swabs a month & using the DPA to help Puritan Medical Products produce 20M testing swabs a month. CMS Deputy Administrator and CMMI Director Brad Smith announced that 650,000 infrared thermometers have been secured by the federal government in anticipation of future demand for these devices as states re-open. Vice President Pence and Dr. Birx visited FEMA HQ and thanked FEMA staff for their hard work. Vice President Pence announced that all DoD and federal labs will be made available for states to use in order to increase testing capacity. Vice President Pence and Adm. Giroir announced that current testing capacity means that all 50 states are “ready right now to enter phase one” if they meet other criteria of the President’s opening up America guidelines. HHS announced a partnership with Oracle and their donation of a therapeutic learning system, an online platform designed for collecting crowd-sourced data on potential coronavirus therapies. Vice President Pence announced that the CDC is deploying teams of 10-12 experts to all states and territories to assist in contact tracing. HHS’ substance abuse and mental health services administration (SAMHSA) announced $110 million in emergency grants for those suffering from mental illness and substance abuse amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Defense Department announced the hospital ship the USNS Comfort has started admitting patients from New Jersey. The Defense Department announced the US will be providing humanitarian support and relief to Italy, including transportation, supplies, and telemedicine. The EPA announced expanded research efforts into the coronavirus’ impact on the environment and human health. The VA announced it acquired a 470,000 sq. ft. facility in Texas to help provide overflow bed capacity to treat coronavirus cases, which will eventually serve as an outpatients and specialty care clinic for veterans. Acting DHS Secretary Wolf announced that US, Canada, and Mexico had extended non-essential travel restrictions for an additional 30 days. The Justice Department announced it cleared antitrust barriers which could have blocked the drug distribution company AmerisourceBergen from distributing medicine and supplies as part of the coronavirus response, including hydroxychloroquine. The USDA approved Arizona and Illinois to join the pandemic EBT program, which will help feed children eligible for USDA school lunch programs in these states who are now at home during the coronavirus outbreak. CMS announced it is incentivizing Medicare health care providers to report more coronavirus data to help treat and fight the spread of the disease. 21 April WHO Situation Report 92: Canada, China, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Turkey, and Ukraine report new cases and deaths. The United States has reported 2,721 new deaths and more than 40,000 new cases. U.S. health regulators OK’d the first coronavirus test that allows people to self-test at home. The test, developed by LabCorp will initially be available only for health care workers and first responders, however expected to expand to general population later. President Trump supports it. After negotiations with the Trump Administration, the Senate passed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, which includes an additional $382B for the PPP, $75B for hospitals, and $25B for coronavirus testing efforts. [Author’s comment]: The previous aid package to help small businesses hit a snag. Many small businesses are thinking about returning the money because the aid comes with a stipulation that they rehire previous employees at 100%. But since

Unemployment pays more than what they pay it is difficult to get employees back. Also, the 100% rehire comes at a time when people can only be expected to start shopping again at a slower pace. It will take time to get back to their normal business traffic and sales. They are hoping to get the 100% halved and maybe scaled to a more gradual rehire. President Trump announced that 20 states announced plans to enter phase one of the opening up America again guidelines. President Trump officially announced plans to suspend immigration, with certain exceptions, for 60 days. President Trump met with Governor Cuomo at the White House to discuss coronavirus testing. President Trump announced the FDA has authorized more than 50 coronavirus diagnostic tests and four antibody tests. HHS announced $995 million in CARES Act grants for older adults and the disabled. FEMA approved nearly $5 million for BiPAP breathing machines for Pennsylvania. The State Department announced it is coordinating international humanitarian assistance with pacific nations including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Taiwan. The USDA announced that states of Kentucky, Missouri, and Texas have been added to the SNAP online program, allowing food stamp recipients to purchase food online. Education Secretary DeVos announced an additional $6.2 billion in grants is available for universities to continue providing educational services during the outbreak, such as distance and remote learning programs. Trump signed an executive order temporarily suspending the issuance of new green cards. The order only applies to those applying for a green card residing outside of the country at the time of the order. 22 April WHO Situation Report 93: Bulgaria, Canada, China, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and United Kingdom confirmed new cases and deaths. The United States has reported 1,738 new deaths, bringing the death toll to 46,583. Californian health authorities have also confirmed that two people in the state died from the coronavirus before the United States reported its first death in late February 2020. According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 2.5 million people globally have contracted the coronavirus and at least 178,000 have died. Several large corporations are returning money received from the Paycheck Protection Program. That program is aimed at helping small businesses and never meant for the large corporations. Public backlash and government pressure were applied to encourage these paybacks. President Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation suspending immigration in the U.S. for 60 days due to “the impact of foreign workers on the United States labor market, particularly in an environment of high domestic unemployment’. President Trump urged the House of Representatives to pass the Senatebacked Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act without delay. President directed the Opportunity & Revitalization Council to focus on supporting underserved communities…including Black and Hispanic communities. The President announced the Administration has to date directed more than $7 billion in funding towards coronavirus treatments, diagnostics, and therapies. President Trump spoke to Governor Newsom about increasing testing capacity. President talked with Pakistan’s PM Imran Khan and Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar…global coronavirus response. Vice President Pence held a call with over 340 state legislators from 43 states to discuss the response to coronavirus. Vice President Pence announced that 5,500 active duty military personnel are currently deployed to assist in the coronavirus response, including 964 medical personnel in 17 hospitals in 7 states.

Vice President Pence announced that the VA has been deploying teams of VA personnel to assist nursing homes in some states. HHS awarded nearly $165 million in funding to fight the coronavirus in rural communities, providing CARES Act funding to 1,779 small rural hospitals and 14 HRSA-Funded telehealth resource centers. HHS announced an additional $20 billion in CARES Act funding for health care providers would be disbursed this week. FEMA Announced $36.5 million in expedited funding to the city and county of Denver, Colorado in response to the coronavirus. FEMA published a final rule defining certain PPE as “scarce” to combat hoarding and price gouging of these materials. The Justice Department announced federal law enforcement officials had successfully disrupted hundreds of online coronavirus scam websites. The USDA announced it has successfully increased monthly SNAP benefits by 40% during the coronavirus outbreak. USDA approved Alabama for the Pandemic EBT Program, which will help feed children eligible for USDA school lunch programs who are now at home during the coronavirus outbreak. Secretary DeVos called on wealthy universities to reject taxpayer coronavirus funds and on Congress to change the eligibility put forth by the CARES Act. 23 April WHO Situation Report 94: China, France, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom reported new cases and deaths. In the United States, California reports 115 deaths in the past 24 hours. Venezuela, and Africa CDC report new cases and deaths. Congress passed another relief bill of $484M to aid employers and hospitals. Most of the funding is for the Paycheck Protection Program enabling thousands of workers to remain on the job. President Trump held calls with United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed, South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, and Colombian President Ivan Duque about pandemic response. President Trump announced that to date 750 million pieces of PPE have been delivered to the US through Project Airbridge. VP Pence participated in a conference call with Secretary Carson to discuss refocusing White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council on the needs of Hispanic and Black communities impacted by the coronavirus. Vice President Pence announced that since the release of the Trump Administration’s Opening Up America Again guidelines, 16 states have issued formal re-opening plans. Acting DHS Undersecretary for Science & Technology William Bryan announced findings of a study indicating that heat, humidity, and UV rays can slow and kill the coronavirus. HHS announced $631 million in CARES Act funding for public health departments across the country for testing, contact tracing, and containment of the coronavirus. HHS awarded nearly $5 million to poison control centers across the country which are seeing increased calls during the outbreak. CMS released a new telehealth toolkit to accelerate state us of telehealth in Medicaid and CHIP during the coronavirus pandemic. The USDA approved Wisconsin for the Pandemic EBT Program, which will help feed children eligible for USDA school lunch programs who are now at home during the coronavirus outbreak. The EPA announced that it blocked the importation of “a significant number of shipments” of illegal and untested “virus shut out” products that were being shipped into California airports. 24 April WHO Situation Report 95: Bangladesh, Belarus, China, Djibouti, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Timor Leste, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. The United States has reported a total of 50,031 deaths and 870,648 cases, based on figures released by Johns Hopkins University. Vietnam has reported two new cases, bringing the total to 270. President Trump signed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act into law, providing $321B in new funding for PPP, $75B for

health care providers, and $25B for coronavirus testing. President Trump held calls with the Indonesian President, Ecuadorian President, El Salvadorian President, and Honduran President about the response to the coronavirus pandemic. Vice President Pence announced to date 5.1 million coronavirus tests have been completed. Vice President Pence announced that over 35,000 National Guard troops and 5,000 active duty military personnel in 10 states remain active to assist in the coronavirus response. VP Pence & members of the coronavirus held a conference call with Governors discussing increasing testing capacity. FDA Administrator Dr. Hahn announced FDA granted emergency approvals to 63 diagnostic and serological tests to date. Administrator Carranza & Secretary Mnuchin announced that the FBA will resume accepting PPP loans on Monday, April 27. Secretary of Labor Scalia participated in a virtual G20 Labor & Employment Ministers meeting to discuss the response to the coronavirus pandemic. The VA announced that hiring has increased 37% during the first 2 weeks of April, as the agency surges staff to fight the coronavirus. DOJ obtained an injunction prohibiting a Dallas health center from fraudulently promoting “ozone therapy” as a legitimate COVID-19 treatment. USDA approved California & Connecticut for Pandemic EBT Program, helping feed children eligible for USDA school lunch programs who are at home during outbreak. The USDA announced Vermont was added to the SNAP online program, allowing food stamp recipients to purchase food online. Maj Gen Lee Payne is designated as lead coordinator for DOD COVID-19 Task Force Laboratory Testing, focused on screening, surveillance, and diagnostic testing for critical national capabilities. 25 April WHO Situation Report 96: China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom report new cases and deaths. The United States has reported a total of 895,766 cases. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 1,623 new deaths, bringing the death toll to 50,439. Johns Hopkins University has reported that the global death toll now stands at 200,697. 26 April WHO Situation Report 97: Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom has reported new cases and deaths. According to a Reuters report, 96% of the 3,277 prisoners who tested positive for the coronavirus in the US states of Arkansas, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia were asymptomatic. Johns Hopkins University has reported over 200,000 deaths, 2.88 million cases, and 813,000 recoveries. 27 April WHO Situation Report 98: Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom reported new cases and deaths. In the United States, New York has recorded 337 new deaths. President announces blueprint for testing to help safely open up America again. 28 April WHO Situation Report 99: China, Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey, and Ukraine confirmed new cases. The United States has reported over 1 million cases and more than 57,000 deaths as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Illinois has reported 142 deaths, bringing the total to 2,125. Illinois has also reported 2,219 cases, bringing the total to 48,102. Trump signed an executive order aimed at keeping meat processing plants open throughout the country. Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to designate meat processing plants as critical infrastructure.

29 April WHO Situation Report 100: Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, and Ukraine confirmed new cases and deaths. Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke about an existing drug Remdesivir that has shown a 31% improvement in helping people sick with COVID 19 to heal (11 days instead of 15 days). This drug is being tested and may soon be available. 30 April WHO Situation Report 101: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, China, Comoros, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Malaysia, Maldives, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom confirmed new cases and deaths. Yemen and Sub-Saharan Africa has confirmed new cases and deaths. According to Johns Hopkins University, the global number of recoveries has reached 1,004,483 people. USNS Comfort departs New York City after supporting DOD's COVID-19 response efforts for one month. The Comfort will return to Norfolk, Va., prepared for future taskings in support of FEMA as relief efforts continue. President Trump announces new initiatives aimed at protecting seniors from COVID-19. [Some people call April a ‘LOST’ month because the government didn’t do what they wanted it to do. On the contrary, it was a very important month that saw the government begin a cautious reopening of America. At this time, the total cases were 1,033,157 and total deaths were 55,225 for a death rate of 5.3%] MAY 2020 01 May WHO Situation Report 102: Australia, Azerbaijan, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom confirmed they had new cases and deaths. The United States reaches 63,000 deaths. Yemen confirmed one new case and total of two deaths. According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been over 3.26 million cases, some 233,000 deaths, and more than one million recoveries worldwide. 02 May WHO Situation Report 103: The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has confirmed that Africa has recorded nearly 40,000 cases, nearly 1,700 deaths, and more than 13,000 recoveries. The coronavirus has occurred in 53 African countries Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, and Russia confirmed new cases and deaths. Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom confirmed new cases and deaths. The United States confirmed new cases and deaths. Yemen confirmed new cases and a total of two deaths. There have been over 3.35 million cases, 239,000 deaths, and over 1.05 million recoveries globally. 03 May WHO Situation Report 104: Afghanistan, Armenia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and United Kingdom confirmed new cases and deaths. In the United States, Virginia has reported first death due to the virus, bringing the total deaths in the United States to 65,646. Vietnam reported its first new case in nine days, bringing the total to 271. 04 May WHO Situation Report 105: Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, China, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Yemen confirmed new cases and deaths. 05 May WHO Situation Report 106: Brazil, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru,

Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sudan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom confirmed new cases and deaths. The United States reported a total of 70,115 deaths, 1,192,119 cases, and 187,000 recoveries. Yemen has reported nine new cases, bringing the total to 21, and three deaths. According to figures released by Johns Hopkins University, the number of global coronavirus cases has exceeded 3.5 million, 251,718 have died, and 1.2 million recovered. Vice President Mike Pence told reporters the White House was considering winding down its coronavirus task force in May or June. He has overseen the task force since January. The task force responsibilities could be transferred to other federal agencies. 06 May WHO Situation Report 107: Canada, China, Ecuador, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Ossetia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, The International Council of Nurses has reported that 90,000 nurses have been affected, with 260 killed. Yemen has reported three deaths and 25 cases. DOD has signed, in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services, a $126M contract award with 3M for increased production of 26M N95 medical-grade masks per month, starting in October. 07 May WHO Situation Report 108: Afghanistan, Africa, Belarus, Brazil, China, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Latvia, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom confirmed new cases and deaths. The United States has reported its first death in immigration custody. 08 May WHO Situation Report 109: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, France, Honduras, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, and Ukraine confirmed new cases and deaths. In the United States, New York has reported that 73 children have been infected with a new inflammatory syndrome believed to be linked to COVID-19. One five-year-old boy has reportedly died. Yemen has reported nine new cases, and two deaths. President issues memo providing continued federal support for governors' use of the National Guard to respond to COVID-19 and to facilitate economic recovery to the state of South Dakota. 09 May WHO Situation Report 110: Australia, Belarus, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom confirmed new cases and deaths. The United States has reported a total of 1,342,329 cases, 79,906 deaths, and 232,821 recoveries. In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that three more children have died of an infectious disease linked to COVID-19. 10 May WHO Situation Report 111: Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom confirmed new cases and deaths. In the United States, at least 25,600 residents and workers have died at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities for the elderly. The coronavirus has affected 143,000 people at about 7,500 facilities. A total of about 4 million cases, almost 1.4 million recoveries, and over 279,000 deaths have been reported globally. 11 May WHO Situation Report 112: Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Ukraine confirmed new cases and deaths. In a call with state governors, Vice President Mike Pence (R) said the federal government was recommending that states test all nursing home staff and residents over the next two weeks. 12 May WHO Situation Report 113: India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Ukraine confirmed new cases and

deaths. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that it will publicly post CDC data on all nursing homes across the country by the end of May. The data will include suspected and confirmed cases and deaths at each facility. 13 May WHO Situation Report 114: Indonesia, Lesotho, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Ukraine confirmed new cases and deaths. Defense Logistics Agency, in coordination with FEMA and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, signs a $134M contract with the Federal Resources Supply Company to provide PPE for medical personnel at over 15,000 nursing homes. 14 May WHO Situation Report 115: Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Ukraine confirmed new cases and deaths. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will publicly post CDC data on all nursing homes across the country by the end of May. The data will include suspected and confirmed cases and deaths at each facility. 15 May WHO Situation Report 116: Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Ukraine confirmed new cases and deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued reopening guidelines for businesses and workplaces, including bars and restaurants. President Donald Trump announced the creation of Operation Warp Speed, an Administration task force meant to help develop a coronavirus vaccine. Moncef Slaoui was named as the task force's chief scientist, and U.S. Army General Gustave Perna was named chief operating officer. USNS Mercy departs Los Angeles after supporting DOD's COVID-19 response efforts for a month and a half. The Mercy will return to San Diego, Calif., prepared for future taskings in support of FEMA as relief efforts continue. 16 May WHO Situation Report 117: Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Ukraine confirmed new cases and deaths. 17 May WHO Situation Report 118: Malaysia has reported 22 new cases. New Zealand has reported one new case. Singapore has reported 682 new cases. Ukraine has reported 433 new cases and 17 new deaths. 18 May WHO Situation Report 119: Malaysia has reported 47 new cases. New Zealand has reported no new cases, recoveries, or deaths. Singapore has reported 305 new cases. Ukraine has reported 325 new cases and 21 new deaths. 19 May WHO Situation Report 120: China has reported 6 new cases. Malaysia has reported 37 new cases one more death. New Zealand has reported four new cases. Singapore has reported 451 new cases. Ukraine has reported 260 new cases and 13 new deaths. President Trump issued an executive order directing federal agencies to remove regulatory barriers to economic activity as part of a coronavirus pandemic recovery effort. The White House announced that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, had awarded a $354 million contract to Phlow Corp., a Virginia-based pharmaceutical company, to manufacture generic medicines and ingredients used to treat COVID-19. The four-year contract is part of an effort by the White House to return pharmaceutical manufacturing back to the United States. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf announced the U.S. would extend travel restrictions in place at the Canadian and Mexican borders another 30 days to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The restrictions were enacted in late March in cooperation with both countries and extended for an additional 30 days on April 20. Essential travel, including for trade and

commerce, is still allowed, but travel for tourism or recreation is prohibited. 20 May WHO Situation Report 121: Malaysia has reported 31 new cases. New Zealand has reported no new cases. Singapore has reported 570 new cases. Ukraine has reported 354 new cases and 16 new deaths. 21 May WHO Situation Report 122: Malaysia has reported 50 new cases. New Zealand has reported no new cases or deaths. Singapore has reported 448 new cases and 1 death. Ukraine has reported 476 new cases and 15 new deaths. The DoD ended a ban on new recruits who’d been hospitalized for COVID-19. Matthew Donavan, the Under Secretary of Defense for personnel and readiness, said the military would evaluate recruits who had recovered from the disease on a case-by-case basis. 22 May WHO Situation Report 123: Malaysia has reported 78 new cases and 1 death. New Zealand has reported 1 new case. Singapore has reported 614 new cases. Ukraine has reported 442 new cases and 9 new deaths 23 May WHO Situation Report 124: Malaysia has reported 48 new cases. New Zealand reported no new cases, or deaths. Singapore has reported 642 new cases. Ukraine has reported 432 new cases and 17 new deaths. 24 May WHO Situation Report 125: Brazil has no new cases or deaths. Malaysia has reported 60 new cases. New Zealand reported no new cases or deaths. Singapore has reported 548 new cases. Ukraine has reported 406 new cases and 12 new deaths. 25 May WHO Situation Report 126: Malaysia has reported 172 new cases. New Zealand saw no new cases or deaths. The Philippines has reported 284 new cases and 5 new deaths. Singapore has reported 344 new cases. Ukraine has reported 259 new cases and 6 new deaths. 26 May WHO Situation Report 127: Malaysia reported 187 new cases and no new deaths. New Zealand reported no new cases or deaths. Singapore reported 383 new cases. Ukraine reported 339 new cases and 21 new deaths. On May 24, the White House announced it had accelerated a proclamation prohibiting travelers from Brazil from entering the United States, moving the date the restrictions take effect from Thursday, May 28, to Tuesday, May 26 at midnight. The proclamation prohibits foreign travelers who have been in Brazil in the last 14 days from entering the United States. 27 May WHO Situation Report 128: Malaysia has reported 15 new cases. New Zealand reported no cases or deaths. Singapore reported 533 new cases. Ukraine reported 321 new cases and 14 new deaths. The Department of Defense released new details on the approach it will take to phase out global travel restrictions on military and civilian personnel. The restrictions, which placed limits on deployments, redeployments, and personnel movement within the United States and between counties, will be gradually lifted on a geographic basis. 28 May WHO Situation Report 129: Malaysia has reported ten new cases.

New Zealand has reported no new cases and 1 death. Russia has reported 8,371 new cases and 174 deaths. Singapore has reported 373 new cases. Ukraine has reported 477 new cases and 11 new deaths. DOD, in support of the Department of Health and Human Services, has signed a $2.2M contract with Hollingsworth & Vose to increase U.S. domestic production of 27.5M N95 ventilator filters, and 3.1M N95 respirators per month, starting in August. 29 May WHO Situation Report 130: Malaysia has reported 103 new cases. New Zealand has reported no new cases. Singapore has reported 611 new cases. Ukraine has reported 429 new cases and 10 new deaths. 30 May WHO Situation Report 131: Malaysia has reported 30 new cases. New Zealand has reported no new cases. Singapore has reported 506 new cases. Ukraine has reported 393 new cases and 17 new deaths. President Trump plans a U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization and will redirect the nation's contribution funds to help meet global public health needs. 31 May WHO Situation Report 132: Malaysia has reported 57 new cases. New Zealand has reported no new cases or deaths, Singapore has reported 518 new cases. Ukraine has reported 468 new cases and 12 new deaths. [At this time, the total cases were 1,776,785 and total deaths were 103,781 for a death rate of 5.8%] JUNE 2020 (I am now focusing on the United States only with WHO and CDC data) 01 June WHO Situation Report 133: Ohio: The Ohio State Controlling Board approves $873 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Michigan: Governor Whitmer lifts the state's stay-at-home order; outdoor gatherings of up to a hundred are allowed. On June 8, dine-in service can resume. Meanwhile, the total number of cases increases to 57,532—the smallest daily increase (135) since March 18— with a death toll of 5,516. U.S. cases 14,790. 02 June WHO Situation Report 134: Michigan: The total number of cases of coronavirus in the state increases to 57,731 with a death toll of 5,553. U.S. cases 24,955. Ohio: DeWine announces that all surgeries can resume. United States Secretary of Energy Dan Brouilette announced Monday that the Department of Energy will enter the first phase of its reopening plan June 8, allowing some mission-critical personnel to return to work at facilities in Washington and Maryland. Pandemic Challenges Highlight the Importance of the New Era of Smarter Food Safety: The FDA has issued a new piece, “Pandemic Challenges Highlight the Importance of the New Era of Smarter Food Safety.” and bylined by Stephen M. Hahn, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs, and Frank Yiannas, Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response. Plans for the New Era initiative were put on hold in order to prioritize the agency's COVID-19 response. The FDA will release the blueprint in the coming weeks, outlining plans over the next decade to create a more digital, traceable, and safer food system. CDC Releases Several COVID-19 Guidance Documents: The CDC has released several COVID-19 guidance documents for individuals with disabilities. The resources include: Guidance for Direct Service Providers, Guidance for Group Homes for Individuals with Disabilities, a resource for direct service providers, caregivers and parents of individuals with disabilities and a final resource for those with developmental or behavioral disorders including information on maintaining routine care, managing stress and mental health. 03 June WHO Situation Report 135: Michigan: The total number of cases of coronavirus in the state increases to 58,035 with a death toll of 5,570. U.S. cases 14,676. COVID-19 Supplemental Funding: HHS has announced another round of funding that

will help providers respond to COVID-19. The agency has disbursed $250 million, provided by Congress in the CARES Act, to go to providers to help expand telehealth services, train staff, procure supplies and personal protective equipment PPE and better coordinate their overall response. The FDA Provides New Web-based Resource, Testing Supply Substitution Strategies: The file contains information to help support labs performing authorized COVID-19 tests and an interactive ability that includes validated supply alternatives that labs can use to continue performing testing when there are supply issues. This information is not intended to alter any already issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for a COVID-19 diagnostic test. 04 June WHO Situation Report 136: U.S. cases 20,555. 05 June WHO Situation Report 137: The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it would resume committal services in all but two VA national cemeteries on June 9. Ohio: DeWine announces that entertainment facilities such as movie theaters and zoos may re-open in one week and casinos, racing, amusement parks, water parks, and outdoor theaters can reopen in two weeks. He also says that his office will approve a safety plan which will allow the Memorial Tournament to be held from July 13–19. The Pentagon reports biggest increase in the DoD since mid- April on Covid-19 cases bringing the number up to 10,462. The DoD includes military members, their dependents, contractors, and civilians. The United States Navy remains as the most affected as of June 5. U.S. cases 29,039. President Trump signs into law the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act of 2020, modifying provisions for loan forgiveness under the Paycheck Protection Program. 06 June WHO Situation Report 138: U.S. cases (29,214) & deaths (4,926 for week) 07 June WHO Situation Report 139: U.S. cases 17,919. 08 June WHO Situation Report 140: U.S. cases 17,598. FMCSA Updates Emergency Rules for Truck Drivers: The federal motor carrier safety administration extended and modified its emergency declaration in response to COVID-19 pandemic. While the agency will continue to allow commercial motor vehicle operators to disregard hours of service for delivery of certain medical products necessary to fight the pandemic, those operators delivering food will now have to abide existing requirements. The agency first issued a relaxation of requirements for operators back in March. 09 June WHO Situation Report 141: U.S. cases 17,376. The Department of Defense announced that it was lifting travel restrictions on installations in 38 states, Washington D.C., and five countries (Bahrain, Belgium, Germany, the U.K., and Japan). Service members could travel between those areas without needing permission. Travel restrictions remained in place in 12 states. 10 June WHO Situation Report 142: U.S. cases 20,486. DOD announces details for five Defense Production Act Title 3 COVID-19 actions: Bethel Industries, Inc. ($15M); GE Aviation ($20M); Spirit AeroSystems ($80M); Steel America ($19.5M); and Allied System ($500K). These actions will help sustain defense-critical workforce capabilities in body armor, aircraft manufacturing, and shipbuilding. 11 June WHO Situation Report 143: Ohio: DeWine announces that anyone who wants to get tested for COVID-19 can be tested. South Carolina: McMaster announces that South Carolina will not shut down again despite increase in infection rates since Memorial Day holiday weekend. U.S. cases 21,744. Based on analysis of local conditions and per the Administration's guidelines for Opening Up America Again, DOD Chief Management Officer announces the Pentagon Reservation will move to Phase One (Restricted) of the Pentagon Reservation Plan for Resilience, effective June 15, 2020. Under Phase One, the

Health Protection Condition for the Pentagon remains at Charlie. 12 June WHO Situation Report 144: Ohio: 40,424 cases have been reported statewide. U.S. cases 22,317. 13 June WHO Situation Report 145: U.S. cases 25,468 and 4,129 deaths for week. 14 June WHO Situation Report 146: U.S. cases 21,957. 15 June WHO Situation Report 147: U.S. cases 18,577. FDA COVID-19 Update on EUA: The FDA revoked the emergency use authorization (EUA) that allowed for donation of certain drugs to the Strategic National Stockpile as a treatment for COVID-19 patients. The drugs, chloroquine, phosphate, and hydroxychloroquine have been determined as unlikely be effective in treating COVID-19 for the authorized uses in the EUA. 16 June WHO Situation Report 148: U.S. cases 28,392. the Department of Homeland Security and the Executive Office for Immigration Review announced that Migrant Protection Protocol proceedings and in-person document services would likely resume on July 20. • Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf announced that the U.S. would keep restrictions limiting non-essential travel to or from Mexico and Canada in place through July 21. 17 June WHO Situation Report 149: U.S. cases 22,834. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration released a report for nonessential businesses planning on reopening, titled "Guidance on Returning to Work." The guidance includes recommendations for a three-phased reopening strategy. 18 June WHO Situation Report 150: Ohio: Dr. Amy Edwards says at a press conference that COVID-19 is increasing among children. New Mexico: Total cases reported at 10,153, deaths at 456. U.S. cases 27,828. HHS Funds to Grow and Train the Health Workforce: HHS announced $107.2 million in funding to 310 recipients to help increase the health workforce in rural and underserved communities. 45 states and U.S. territories have received funding to help improve the quality, distribution, and diversity of health professionals. 19 June WHO Situation Report 151: U.S. cases 32,218. The Department of Defense lifted travel restrictions on additional installations in 46 states and eight host nations, allowing military and civilian personnel to travel to those locations. The Internal Revenue Service released guidance for individuals participating in retirement plans that describes how they can take advantage of provisions in the CARES Act that related to retirement plans. CDC Released COVID-19 Case Surveillance Report: The CDC report describes COVID-19 case surveillance in the United States and demographic characteristics, underlying health conditions, symptoms, and outcomes among the 1,320,4888 confirmed COVID-19 cases that were reported individually between Jan. 22 through May 30,2020. DOD, in support of the Department of Health and Human Services, has signed a $13.5M contract with Lydall, Inc., to increase U.S. domestic production of meltdown filtration media, a critical commodity component to produce N95 respirators and surgical masks. DOD announces details for 5 Defense Production Act Title 3 COVID-19 actions: Austal USA ($50M), W International ($55M), Weber Metals Inc. ($25M), GE Aviation ($55M), and American Woolen Company ($2M). These actions will help to retain critical workforce capabilities throughout the COVID-19 disruption and to restore some jobs lost because of the pandemic. 20 June WHO Situation Report 152:

U.S. cases 32,411 and 3,708 deaths for week. 21 June WHO Situation Report 153: U.S. cases 27,616. 22 June WHO Situation Report 154: Ohio: The number of cases surpasses 45,000. U.S. cases 26,657. Citing economic disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, President Trump (R) signed a proclamation restricting the issuance of some visas that permit immigrants to work in the United States. Visas affected include L-1s, H-1Bs, H-4s, H-2Bs, and J-1s. The restrictions take effect June 24 and expire December 31, 2020. DOD Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment signs Memorandum of Agreement with the CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). The agreement formalizes the relationship between DOD and DFC to use $100M of DOD's CARES Act spend plan to subsidize multiple federal loans for domestic industrial base capabilities to support national COVID-19 response. 23 June WHO Situation Report 155: U.S. cases 34,313. Nursing Home Guidance for Visitors Released: CMS released guidance on reopening nursing homes to visitors using a FAQ sheet. Nursing homes can open up to visitors depending on incidence of COVID-19 cases in a 28-day period. The FAQ sheet discusses reopening before Phase III, compassionate care situations, factors to consider for visitation, and testing strategies. 24 June WHO Situation Report 156: U.S. cases 37,667. Department of Health and Human Services ended support for 13 federal testing sites and encouraged states to take them over. The sites are spread across five states, including Texas. Changes to Staffing Information and Quality Measures on Nursing Homes: CMS plans to end Medicare emergency blanket waiver requiring all nursing homes to resume submitting staffing data by Aug. 14, 2020. The reporting system CMS uses to collect nursing home staffing information impacts the quality of patient care. The waiver temporarily allows the agency to concentrate on combating COVID-19 and reduce administrative burdens on nursing homes. Treasury Updates the Coronavirus Relief Fund Frequently Asked Questions: The Department of Treasury has updated its guidance on the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) for state, territorial, local, and tribal governments. Through CRF, the CARES Act provides payments to state, local, and tribal governments navigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 25 June WHO Situation Report 157: U.S. cases 40,588. Based on analysis of local conditions and per the Administration's guidelines for Opening Up America Again, DOD Chief Management Officer reports Pentagon Reservation will move to Phase Two of the Pentagon Reservation Plan for Resilience, effective June 29, 2020. This transition lowers the Health Protection Condition for the Pentagon to Bravo. 26 June WHO Situation Report 158: U.S. cases 44,602. Guidance Issued for Healthcare Facilities: In conjunction with the CDC, CMS issued guidance for healthcare facilities entering Phase II to begin preparing for their non-emergent, non-COVID-19 care, including visitation guidelines in buildings such as nursing homes and hospitals. CMS recommends that every visitor be screened for COVID-19 and complete reopening of facilities should wait until Phase III. 27 June WHO Situation Report 159: U.S. cases 44,703 and 3,640 deaths for week. 28 June WHO Situation Report 160: U.S. cases 41,390. 29 June WHO Situation Report 161:

U.S. cases 39,664. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate will begin work on the next coronavirus relief bill after the two-week recess over July 4. The Defense Department announced that it had lifted travel restrictions on military installations in ten more states, allowing service members to resume recreational travel and change-of-station moves. Restrictions were also lifted on troops in Guam, Puerto Rico, and South Korea. New Supplies of Remdesivir for the U.S.: HHS announced an agreement that will secure large supplies of remdesivir from Gilead Sciences through September and will allow American hospitals to purchase the drug in amounts allocated by HHS and state health departments. 30 June WHO Situation Report 162: U.S. cases 43,644. Ohio: DeWine announces that nursing homes will be open for outdoor visitation starting July 20. The Treasury Department and the IRS announced that the tax deadline would not be extended beyond July 15. The deadline was postponed from April 15 to July 15 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The FDA took important action to help facilitate the timely development of safe and effective vaccines to prevent COVID-19 by providing guidance with recommendations for those developing COVID-19 vaccines for the ultimate purpose of licensure. The guidance, which reflects FDA advice has been providing over the past several months to companies, researchers, and others, describes the agency’s current recommendations regarding the data needed to facilitate manufacturing, clinical development, and approval of a COVID-19 vaccine. [At this time, the total cases were 2,590,000 and total deaths were 126,140 for a death rate of 4.9%. Starting in July reporting data begins to shift in both W.H.O. & CDC reports. A move away from daily reports.] JULY 2020

01 July

WHO Situation Report 163: U.S. 54,351. On July 1, the U.S. Department of the Interior released public health guidance for the Independence Day celebrations on the National Mall on July 4. The Department recommends people who are not members of the same household keep six feet apart and asks people to wear masks. The Department is providing 300,000 cloth masks at the event. DOD approves award of the Armed Forces Service Medal and Humanitarian Service Medal to recognize service members for their qualifying participation in COVID-19 operations.

02 July

WHO Situation Report 164: The United States has reported 50,700 new cases, the highest daily number of new infections recorded so far. The total is over 2.73 million. Ohio: Governor Mike DeWine released guidelines for schools to follow as they re-open. DOD replaces its "Travel Restrictions: Green Locations" releases with installation status updates. The previous format listed U.S. states, districts, and territories, and host nations which meet the conditions outlined in the Secretary of Defense's May 22 memo on moving to a conditions-based, phased approach to personnel movement and travel. The new format lists the status of travel restrictions for DOD Installation, facilities, and locations with greater than 1,000 DOD personnel assigned. Weekly updates will be posted on the releases page of Defense.gov.

03 July

WHO Situation Report 165: The United States reported 57,683 new cases, the highest daily increase so far, bringing the total to 2,793,022. A further 728 deaths were also reported, bringing the death toll to 129,405.

04 July

WHO Situation Report 166: U.S. cases 52,228 and 4,187 deaths for week. POTUS signs into law a bill that reauthorizes lending under the Paycheck Protection Program through August 8, 2020 and separates the authorized limits for commitments under the program from other Small Business Administration loan programs.

05 July

WHO Situation Report 167:

U.S. cases 44,361.

06 July

WHO Situation Report 168: The United States passed 130,000 deaths to record a total of 130,007. It was also reported that the total number of cases had reached 2,888,729. New cases 46,329. DA Authorizes EUA for Rapid Diagnostic Test: The Food and Drug Administration granted an Emergency Use Authorization for a rapid, point-of-care, SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test called a BD Veritor Plus System. Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett P. Giroir, M.D. believes it will help identify community spread of the virus by further enabling rapid diagnosis of COVID-19. PA Announces First Disinfectants Proven against COVID-19: The EPA announced that it has approved the first two surface disinfectant products, Lysol Disinfectant Spray and Lysol Max Cover Disinfectant Mist as effective against COVID-19. The agency also maintains a list (List N) of over 400 products from manufacturers that submit data to the agency showing their disinfectants are effective against harder-to-kill viruses that are similar to COVID-19.

07 July

WHO Situation Report 169: The United States reported that the total number of cases has passed 3 million. New cases 50,304. HHS and DOD Partner with Regeneron for COVID-19 Therapeutic Treatment Project: HHS and DOD announce their partnership with Regeneron, Inc. to demonstrate a commercial-scale manufacturing of the company’s COVID-19 investigational anti-viral antibody treatment, REGN-COV2. The partnership allows the federal government to own the doses of the anti-viral treatment expected to result from the demonstration project. The company estimates between 70,000 and 300,000 treatment doses could be available from this project, with the initial doses ready as early as end of summer and completed this fall. HHS and DOD Partner with Novavax to Produce Doses of Experimental Vaccine: In a $1.6 billion agreement with Novavax, HHS and DOD set out to demonstrate commercial-scale manufacturing of the private company’s COVID-19 investigational vaccine. This agreement allows the federal government to own the 100 million doses of the investigational vaccine expected to result from the demonstration projects. As a part of Operation Warp Speed, the vaccine doses will become available for clinical trials to investigate their effectiveness. Increase in COVID-19 Testing for Hotspot Jurisdictions: HHS announced free COVID-19 testing for Jacksonville, Florida; Baton Rouge, AR; and Edinburgh, TX. The temporary funding increases federal support in places where there has been an intense rise in positive cases and hospitalizations. Testing at surge locations is available to people five years and older who have been exposed, are experiencing symptoms, at a high risk for exposure, or those worried about contracting COVID19. 08 July WHO Situation Report 170: U.S. cases 64,771. The United States formally withdraws from WHO. The reason is the failure of WHO (documented in this chapter) in handling COVID-19. Withdrawal was effective July 6, 2020. 09 July WHO Situation Report 171: The United States reported 65,551 new cases, the highest daily amount so far, raising the total number of confirmed cases to over 3.1 million. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, 1,000 deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours, raising the country's death toll to 133,195. 21 Million to Health Centers for COVID-19 Response: HHS awards HRSA $21 million to be distributed to health centers to help their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of the funding will be used to expand health centers’ capabilities for COVID-19 testing, with $17 million to support 78 Health Center Program look-alikes.

10 July

WHO Situation Report 172: The United States reported 69,000 new cases, another daily record, raising the total to 3.18 million, with more than 134,000 deaths confirmed so far. $4 Billion in Additional Relief Payments to Healthcare Providers: HHA announces an

additional relief package to healthcare providers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitals serving a large percentage of vulnerable populations on thin margins is set to receive $3 billion and approximately $1 billion will go to specialty rural hospitals, urban hospitals with certain rural Medicare designations, and hospitals in small metropolitan areas. HHS expects to distribute over $3 billion across 215 acute care facilities, bringing the total payments for safety net hospitals from the Provider Relief Fund to $12.8 billion to 959 facilities. May and June COVID-19 State Testing Plans: State plans from all states, territories, and localities on COVID-19 testing from May and June will be publicly available. Testing strategies from other states and localities can be used as road maps for reaching vulnerable populations including minorities, immunocompromised individuals, and older adults. DOD announces details for seven Defense Production Act Title 3 COVID-19 actions: AirMap ($3.3M), ModalAI ($3M), Skydio ($4M), Graffiti Enterprises ($1.5M), Obsidian Sensors ($1.6M), Leo Labs Inc. ($15M), and ArcelorMittal Inc. ($56M). These actions will help to retain critical workforce capabilities throughout the COVID-19 disruption and to restore some jobs lost because of the pandemic.

11 July

WHO Situation Report 173: The United States reported 66,528 new cases and 760 new deaths, raising the totals to 3,242,073 and 134,729 respectively, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Florida reported the largest daily increase in cases in a single state so far, with 15,299 positive cases confirmed.

12 July

WHO Situation Report 174: U.S. cases 60,469.

13 July

WHO Situation Report 175: U.S. cases 58,858. President signs into law the "Emergency Aid for Returning Americans Affected by Coronavirus Act," increasing from $1M to $10M the amount the DHHS may spend for the provision of assistance to repatriated U.S. citizens in FY 2020.

14 July

WHO Situation Report 176: U.S. cases 60,971.

15 July

WHO Situation Report 177: U.S. cases 67,404.

16 July

WHO Situation Report 178: The United States passed 3.5 million total cases, with more than 137,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. New cases 72,645.

17 July

WHO Situation Report 179: U.S. cases 74,710. DOD reports two Defense Production Act Title 3 COVID-19 actions: Amfuel ($14.9M), and Rolls-Royce ($22M) helping retain critical workforce capabilities throughout COVID-19 disruption restoring some jobs lost due to the pandemic.

18 July

WHO Situation Report 180: U.S. cases 67,004.

19 July

WHO Situation Report 181: U.S. cases 63,201. DOD, in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services, has signed a $3.5M contract with Crosstex International, Inc., to increase U.S. domestic production of surgical masks.

20 July

WHO Situation Report 182: U.S. cases 57,777 / 473 deaths.

21 July

WHO Situation Report 183:

U.S. cases 63,0028.

22 July

WHO Situation Report 184: U.S. cases 70,106 / 1078 deaths.

23 July

WHO Situation Report 185: U.S. cases 72,219. DOD announces it has awarded a $4.9M contract to Pall Corporation to increase industrial base expansion for medical ventilator components.

24 July

WHO Situation Report 186: U.S. cases 74,818. DOD announces details for three Defense Production Act Title 3 COVID-19 actions: eMagin Corporation ($33.6M), Meggitt-Rockmart, Inc. ($14.9M), and Urban Mining Company ($28.8M). These actions will help to retain critical workforce capabilities throughout the COVID-19 disruption and to restore some jobs lost because of the pandemic.

25 July

WHO Situation Report 187: U.S. cases 64,582 and 5,559 deaths for week. DOD, in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services, has signed a $2.75M contract with NPS to increase U.S. domestic production of meltblown fiber.

26 July

WHO Situation Report 188: U.S. cases 61,795.

27 July

WHO Situation Report 189: U.S. cases 54,448 / 1126 deaths. Moderna and Pfizer begin Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. This step builds toward the Operation Warp Speed goal to begin delivering millions of doses of safe and effective vaccines to Americans by January 2021. DOD and the Department of Health and Human Services have awarded a $7.6M contract with Hologic, Inc., to increase U.S. domestic production of custom sample collection and processing consumables for COVID-19 testing.

28 July

WHO Situation Report 190: U.S. cases 59,862.

29 July

WHO Situation Report 191: U.S. cases 65,935 / 1417 deaths.

30 July

WHO Situation Report 192: U.S. cases 68,042.

31 July

WHO Situation Report 193: U.S. cases 68,605. HHS Announces an Extension to the Application Deadline for Medicaid and Medicare Providers: HHS extended the application deadline for the Phase 2 general distribution to Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and dental providers. Providers now have until Aug. 28, 2020 to apply for these federal programs. By extending the deadline, certain Medicare providers get a second chance to apply for federal assistance due to COVID-19 expenses, and providers who had a change in ownership get to apply for the Provider Relief Fund payment. DOD announces it has awarded a $42M contract to Curative Inc. to provide 250,000 Curative Inc. oral fluid swab test kits to military treatment facilities, thus expanding the department's COVID-19 testing capability. DOD announces details for a Defense Production Act Title 3 COVID-19 action: a $31M agreement with North American Forgemasters to sustain and increase critical industrial base capability for domestic production of ultra-large iron and steel forging in support of the U.S. Navy and Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. DOD, in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded a $51.15M undefinitized contract action to Puritan Medical Products Company LLC to increase domestic production capacity of flock tip testing swabs. DOD and the DHHS have invested $24.3M in Becton, Dickinson, and Co. to establish and expand production of SARS-CoV-2 assays for BD Veritor™ devices

[At this time, the total cases were 3,760,000 and total deaths were 140,471 for a death rate of 3.7%. This indicates that the so-called death rate delay has not shown up as the rise in cases began July 2. Despite this fact the national news media continues to talk about the virus in an urgent, discouraging manner. Why?] AUGUST 2020

01 August

WHO Situation Report 194: U.S. cases 67,823 / 1,211 deaths.

02 August

WHO Situation Report 195: U.S. cases 67,499 / 1,365 deaths.

03 August

WHO Situation Report 196: U.S. cases 58,388 / 1127 deaths. President authorizes extension through the end of the year for the use of the National Guard for COVID-19 assistance in 46 states and the territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Effective August 21, 44 states and these territories will have a 75% Federal cost share. Florida and Texas will retain a 100% Federal cost share. President signs an Executive Order focusing Federal agencies on United States labor in Federal contracts. The order notes that these opportunities are especially critical during the economic dislocation caused by COVID-19.

04 August

WHO Situation Report 197: U.S. cases 47,183 / 469 deaths.

05 August

WHO Situation Report 198: U.S. cases 49,151 / 726 deaths. DOD, in support of the DHHS Strategic National Stockpile, announces it has awarded $104M for procurement of syringes in support of the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

06 August

WHO Situation Report 199: U.S. cases 49,629 / 1,098 deaths. President signs an Executive Order on ensuring essential medicines, medical countermeasures, and critical inputs are made in the United States. The U.S. State Department, in coordination with the CDC, lifts its Global Level 4 Health Advisory that had been in place since March 19. With changing COVID-19 conditions, the Department is returning to its previous system of country-specific levels of travel advice. DOD Under Secretary for Personnel & Readiness issues Force Health Protection Guidance Supplement 12.

07 August

WHO Situation Report 200: U.S. cases 53,373 / 1,307 deaths. President directs FEMA to fund 25% of the cost share through September 30 for the use of the National Guard for COVID-19 assistance in Arizona, California, and Connecticut. This assistance is in addition to the 75% federal cost share through the end of the year for the extension of the use of the National Guard for COVID19 response announced on August 3.

08 August

WHO Situation Report 201: U.S. cases 55,318 / 1249 deaths. President signs a memorandum authorizing the Other Needs Assistance Program for major disaster declarations related to COVID-19. President signs a memorandum deferring payroll tax obligations in light of COVID-19. POTUS signs an Executive Order on fighting the spread of COVID-19 by providing assistance to renters and homeowners. President extends student loan payment relief during COVID-19 through the end of the year.

09 August

WHO Situation Report 202: U.S. cases 61,028 / 1,324 deaths.

10 August

WHO Situation Report 203:

U.S. cases 53,893 / 1,059 deaths. DOD, in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services, announces details for a Defense Production Act Title 3 COVID-19 action: a $3.1M agreement with BioFire Defense, LLC, to expand domestic production capacity for molecular diagnostic testing.

11 August

WHO Situation Report 204: U.S. cases 47,964 / 558 deaths. State Testing Plans Now Publicly Available: HHS has published an all 50 state COVID19 testing plans. Posting the plans allows states to view others’ approaches, plans and strategies and create new methods moving forward. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) awarded a total of $10.25 billion to states, territories, and localities to help implement the goals of each jurisdiction’s testing plan, with goals to improve testing for minorities and other vulnerable groups.

12 August

WHO Situation Report 205: U.S. cases 47,964 / 558 deaths.

13 August

WHO Situation Report 206: U.S. cases 39,894 / 557 deaths.

14 August

WHO Situation Report 207: U.S. cases 55,907 / 1,486 deaths. DOD awards $750K to Plasma Technologies, LLC for manufacturing of convalescent plasma products using a novel process in support of the U.S. COVID19 response.

15 August

WHO Situation Report 208: U.S. cases 52,799 / 1,169 deaths.

16 August

WHO Situation Report 209: U.S. cases 55,359 / 1,206 deaths. W.H.O. Situation Reports cease but using W.H.O. data 17 August U.S. cases 54,375 / 1,144 deaths. 18 August U.S. cases 41,073 / 1,144 deaths. 19 August U.S. cases 39,125 / 509 deaths. 20 August U.S. cases 37,908 / 1,132 deaths. DOD reaches over 50,000 presumed COVID-19 cases (military, military dependents, DOD civilian employees, and DOD contractors). 21 August WHO Situation Report 213: U.S. cases 46,259 / 1,393 deaths. DOD announces details for three more Defense Production Act Title 3 COVID-19 actions: AQYR Technologies ($3.6M), Leonardo Electronics US Inc. ($7M), and Aero Turbine ($3.7M). These actions will help to retain critical workforce capabilities throughout the COVID-19 disruption. 22 August U.S. cases 43,952 / 1,065 deaths. 23 August U.S. cases 45,960 / 1,148 deaths. The FDA issued an emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19. 24 August U.S. cases 44,946 / 997 deaths. 25 August U.S. cases 37,765 / 570 deaths. President Trump announces additional steps, including new testing requirements, to help protect nursing home residents from COVID-19. 26 August U.S. cases 32,883 / 388 deaths. 27 August U.S. cases 37,030 / 1,155 deaths. The Trump Administration announces its purchase and production of 150 million

rapid COVID-19 tests, to be distributed across the country. 28 August U.S. cases 45,484 / 1,229 deaths. 29 August U.S. cases 46,194 / 1,155 deaths. FEMA, acting on President Trump’s order earlier in the month, announced Lost Wages Grant for Florida. It will allow Florida to provide $300 per week – on top of their regular unemployment benefit – to those unemployed due to COVID-19. 30 August U.S. cases 44,002 / 973 deaths. 31 August U.S. cases 34,344 / 529 deaths. [The daily case and death data are from the W.H.O. database. There has been other material added from a variety of sources such as the Florida Department of Health. One thing becomes very clear: the numbers are boggling! And extremely hard to comprehend. However, in the following pages you will find Total Cases/Deaths which helps put everything in perspective. You be the judge. Death Rate is 3.05%] TOTAL CASES/DEATHS The following charts are based on my belief that charts based on populations are interesting and maybe valuable to the medical/scientific community but present a misleading picture to the average American. A clearer picture emerges when you compare deaths to cases.

Chart A: TOTAL U.S. CASES vs. DEATHS BY Month Date Cases Deaths Percent January February March April May June July August September

6 68 200,000 1,033,157 1,776,785 2,629,372 4,556,232 6,028,012 6,438,739

0 1 4,076 55,225 103,776 127,322 153,268 183,563 192,834

0.0 1.47 2.04 5.35 5.84 4.84* 3.36* 3.05* 2.99*

This is a running total updated almost daily.

*June 1 through September 11 equals 14 weeks of plunging death rate. Latest prior to publication. The picture is clear that beginning in June 2020 the Death Rate began falling; not just falling but plummeting. During this same period of time the Liberals and the Media were wringing their hands and making wild accusations against the President. Let’s not forget that sorrow over the deaths that have occurred exists for most Americans. It is a tragedy, but there is a difference between true sorrow and the use of a tragedy to accomplish one’s goals. The Left, both in Congress and in the Media, have been doing just that and they should be ashamed of themselves! It is time we in America put a stop to such woeful behavior. Chart B: WORLD vs. U.S. Where Date Cases Deaths % World 09/11/20 U.S.A. 09/11/20 World cases / U.S. deaths World deaths / U.S. deaths

28,301,633 6,438,739 28,301,633

911,988 192,834 192,834

3.22 2.99 0.68

911,988

192,834

21.14

Comparing the U.S. to the World

Chart C: Chart of Death Rate %

Jan

Feb Mar Apr May

5





4

3











5.35

5.84









Jun Jul

Aug Sep









4.84







3.36

3.05













2





2.04







































1 0

1.47

0.00



%



Jan



Feb Mar Apr May

Jun Jul

2.99



Aug Sep

The above chart clearly demonstrates the Death Rate movement in a more spectacular visual. It clearly shows the sudden rise and the plunge that took place after May. It also shows that the plunge has been over a longer time span (over 3 months) than the rise (over 2 ½ months). It helps put in perspective the fact that while the virus is certainly deadly, it has been losing its venom. Now it looks like the decline is slowing down but still going down. Charts explained: The first chart covers the United States from the first case in January 2020 to September 11th. According to this chart deaths as a percentage peaked in May and plunged afterward. This despite the reported resurgence of cases within the country. Why hasn’t this been reported? Answer: It doesn’t fit within the media’s agenda. The second chart compares the United States to the World and demonstrates that our death rate is lower than the world’s death rate. A remarkable feat considering the reporting of the news media that suggests otherwise. The third chart (Chart C) simply pictures the Death Rate for you so you get a clearer picture. With all the fearmongering that has been going on this chart demonstrates that while the disease is definitely contagious it is not as lethal as once feared. Now, with cases declining and deaths bottoming out the gap between them will narrow. But the lack of accurate reporting has left many good, sane, and usually informed people in the lurch. What they once considered a reliable news media betrayed them. One of the reasons why the death rate is overlooked is the manner in which it is determined by some writers. Instead of a percentage, they provide a ‘deaths per million’ number. While this provides a clearer picture than some charts it still misleads. A percentage of deaths to cases is a far better picture as it is related to the total cases not to the population of a country! There are two problems with this approach. The first is the reliability of the nominator and denominator. Since we don’t know if these numbers are too high or too low there is a degree of unreliability. But for the purposes of this book and for getting a picture of where we stand the numbers are assumed to be correct. The second problem is more difficult. That is that reported deaths from a disease tend to be delayed from the diagnosis. However, the charts used here cover larger periods of time and help lessen this problem. Which brings up the ‘we against them approach’. The media constantly compares us against other countries. By using misleading information, they can point to the Trump Administration as failures, but that is not accurate. While we are not in competition with other countries, we are doing a better job against the world death rate than most other countries. It is important to note that despite the problems, some inherited and some indicated in the paragraph below, that the U.S. Death Rate, which is the most important statistic, never surpassed single digits and, in fact, is lower than the World death rate! On August 21, 2020, the CDC had the following message on their website: ‘Nationally, levels of influenza-like illness (ILI) are below baseline but higher than typically seen at this time of year. Indicators that track ILI and COVID-19-like illness (CLI) and the percentage of laboratory tests positive for SARS-CoV-2 have continued to decrease nationally since mid-July. Regionally, from week 32 to week 33, indicators that track ILI were decreasing or stable (change of ≤0.1%) in nine of ten regions of the country, an indicator that tracks CLI decreased in all regions, and the percentage of laboratory tests positive for SARS-CoV-2 decreased or remained the same in nine of ten regions. Weekly hospitalization rates and mortality attributed to COVID-19 declined during week 33 but may change as more data for admissions and deaths occurring during recent weeks are received. Mortality attributed to COVID-19 remains above the epidemic threshold. (For this book I have emphasized certain portions.) In other words, during the same time that national media is wringing their hands over the rising numbers, the percentages tell an entirely different story. In fact, although the press claims the numbers are most likely higher, I believe the truth is quite different. There is evidence that a significant overcounting of cases and deaths have occurred throughout this period. Some of it was due to the magnitude of the problem, but most appeared to be due to cases being attributed to COVID-19 when the actual cause was something else. Doctors felt pressured to report deaths as COVID-19 rather than what they knew was the real cause. The pressure ultimately came from Medicare. The problem being that Medicare offered a 20 percent premium for COVID-19 patients. The unintended consequence of this premium resulted in overblown figures that were reported as facts by the media. While a full understanding of this is yet to come, it certainly has had an impact. How much is yet to be determined? Like I said above, the intent was likely not to have been to inflate numbers, but the impact seems to have done just that. Another problem appears to have been misdiagnosis. One case here in Florida involved a woman being labeled as having tested positive. It was true she had been in a line to be tested, but after waiting a while she realized the line was only for those people exhibiting symptoms. So, she left. That should have ended it, but the people doing the testing were using a number system. When you got in line you were assigned a number, say 15. By doing that the person’s name was associated with the number plus they were able to track the number of people tested. If you were number 15 and you left, the next person in line got the number 15 but it was still assigned

to her name. That means not only was she misdiagnosed but that everyone who had been in line after her was wrongly diagnosed! That didn’t impact the numbers, but the accuracy! But it also shows that mistakes were easy to make whether in counting or in accuracy. Mistakes that not only affected overall counts but individual lives. Another possible misdiagnosis is the flue. They worry that Covid-19 cases are being misdiagnosed as the flue. Based on articles I’ve read and conversations I’ve heard it could also be the flue being misdiagnosed as Covid-19, which would help explain the plunging death rate. Conclusion: It’s Your Decision As stated earlier I have never seen in my 77 plus years the government react so quickly as I have in the Covid-19 virus. As you went through this timeline you saw week after week, almost day after day of the United States acting during the early stages. As early as January 3rd! And in some instances, it was multiple actions in a single day! Yet to this day the media shrugs these actions off as merely press releases. Yes, they were press releases but with hard facts behind them. Sometimes it was highly publicized and other times behind the scenes. Most of these actions were not reported in the press or were downplayed, but all had value. All represented the U.S. government doing the little things as well as the big things needful for the people! And, as a side note, we know that W.H.O. didn’t officially act until after the United States did. (Please see January 3rd, 9th, 17th, 20th, 21st, 26th, 29th, and 30th.) This is significant. The government immediately found itself fighting against a new invisible and dangerous enemy. As they went to battle, they also discovered they were defending America with outdated tools. This latter problem dated back decades with both Republican and Democratic Administrations doing very little or nothing, plus budget cutting. Even the Trump Administration was guilty of cutting the budget. But when the problem was identified the Trump Administration acted! And these actions enabled him to shut down our economy in March. From June through early August there was an upsurge of cases appearing primarily in the young adult age groupings. Unsurprisingly, social engineers, and politicians panicked. Instead of taking note of the obvious, (i.e., increased testing, young people crowding the beaches and filling the bars) these critics began advocating a near complete shutdown. It was classic overreaction. Fortunately, most of those in power stayed the course and the surge faded. Another obvious fact overlooked or dismissed was the fact that the Death Rate (the most important statistic) plummeted during that same time! Why is it the most important? Remember, I am an observer not a doctor or scientist. So, here is my observation. Covid-19 is classified as a pandemic. That tells us that the disease is highly contagious. There have also been hospitalizations and deaths. All of this tells us that this is a contagious disease that could cause severe conditions including death. And the W.H.O. and the CDC do a great job of tracking this virus. You could say the media tracks this as well. But they continue to focus on rising numbers instead of the decreasing Case Rate (since mid-July) and Death Rate (since May 31st). Here’s the facts as I see them: You can catch Covid-19, but you can recover; you can get so sick you are hospitalized, but you can recover. But if you die, there is no recovery. Simple, huh? For an analogy, think of a bee sting. If you pull the stinger out of the bee, it is no longer to be feared. A collapsing death rate is that stinger. Covid-19 can kill you, but that danger is diminishing which should be good news for the world and the nation. But the media chooses not to report that. What did the Administration do? The Trump Administration reinvented the tools (some decades old) necessary to fight this disease and they did it on the run. The Administration brought in experts from the medical field (such as Drs. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx), and private industry. The President made use of Emergency powers, some of which hadn’t been used for a long time. In other words, the President initiated an all-out war against the disease and is winning! So, did he handle it well or mishandle it? It is interesting to note that while the media pitted Dr. Fauci against President Trump, Dr. Fauci himself stated before a House committee that he had been involved in the decisions the President made, agreed with the decisions that were made, and believed lives were saved because of the decisions made! For your further information, consider this as having been fact checked because I sat in my office and watched his ‘live’ testimony! The decision is yours, but I believe there is no doubt that he handled it well. He was even willing to change directions when shown facts that contradicted his opinion. I would like to say the same about the Democratic leadership, but while they eventually provided the tools he needed, they couldn’t stop themselves from trying to make political hay. When the President banned travel from China in January, the Democrats, including the Democratic Candidate, called the action racist and xenophobic. I hope America won’t forget on election day. They also held up needed support, both economic and medical, to add non-Covid-19 related Democratic issues to the bill. What they couldn’t get through by Constitutional methods (House and Senate passage) they got through basically by blackmail. Another aspect on display was the President constantly balancing health concerns and the American economy. Failure in either concern was not acceptable.

The President shut the nation down while leaving the details to the governors and later began a phasedin opening while again working with governors. The strategy has proven to be very effective in that the economy is beginning to come back and gaining strength. Not there yet, but it’s coming contrary to the Media. As a side note, the President and the Governors were able to keep the economy going and getting stronger during the George Floyd protests. That was quite an accomplishment in itself. Meanwhile, work on a vaccine and on effective treatments continue. Even now one or more vaccines are being tested and may be distributed this Fall. Then came the reopening of America! I identify April 16th as the date President Trump began reopening America. For the President it was a time of balancing the physical health concerns of Americans and the financial health of American business. He knew he couldn’t emphasize just one. That road either led to double digit percentages of deaths or to a depression. So, he and the governors of 50 states had to work together. It has been difficult and rocky, but by and large it is successful. Some governors were obstinate, some were innovative, and some cautiously aggressive. The battle continues but I believe most Americans would say the recovery is gaining in strength. Slower than we want, but faster than the ‘experts’ predicted. By the time you read this book it might be roaring again! Here in Florida, Governor DeSantis embraced the national phase-in of economic recovery. He took a very aggressive yet cautious approach that worked while being criticized by the Press. Working with the President rather than against the President seemed to be the right tact. Florida’s death rate is now 1.89%. Predictions of a Recession proved premature (though technically correct because two or more months of deficits equates to a recession). Yes, our economy nosedived because we shut it down for health reasons, but it is coming back! Why? Because our economy was strong when the shutdown occurred. It didn’t require a major fix but a gradual reopening. The results speak for themselves. Does President Trump get the credit? Reluctantly the media gives him some credit, but they slant the news to make it appear it is despite his actions not because of them. In my opinion, he deserves the lion’s share of credit. Why? Because this COVID-19 and associated problems have not been a state crisis, but a national crisis. [Note: New York was the epicenter and the state was slow in responding, often criticizing the President because he didn’t do the work they should have done. Leave off the New York stats and the national numbers (both cases and deaths) nosedive. Some people call Florida an epicenter. It is true that SE Florida is the epicenter of Florida, but the state is not the epicenter of the nation. The number of cases should not be the criteria for that, it should be the death rate or, if you want a visual, body bags. Florida doesn’t qualify.] The President has had to play cheerleader, defensive coordinator, and offensive coordinator (to use a football analogy). There have been criticisms (some valid, most not), and disagreements, but progress continues, and the dangers so often mentioned in the media have failed to come to pass. The media kept telling us to trust them for the facts and not fears, but the national media kept reporting negative news, which was usually speculation rather than fact, instead of a balanced approach. Their selected experts poured oil on the fire. Local media did a much better job of living up to their commitment. Despite the hysteria caused by an irresponsible media and #NeverTrump politicians, we weathered the attack better than predicted (or reported). History should have taught us that much. What about the Future? I love history and history tells us we tend to repeat ourselves. With that in mind let’s compare this pandemic with another. In 1918 the world experienced the H1N1 Flu pandemic. Over 50,000,000 people died worldwide, as compared to less than 920,000 worldwide as of September 11th. Occurring during World War I some believe that it was soldiers returning from Europe that brought the disease to American shores. About 675,000 Americans lost their lives compared to less than 200,000 by September 11th. But the thing I want to bring up is that America didn’t retreat to the 19th Century. Rather, it moved forward. And that is what I expect will happen now. We are constantly hearing the term ‘the New Normal’ as if what we are experiencing now will continue forever. But again, history doesn’t support that. I see no reason in history or in modern science that supports such an outcome. Sure, we will see some changes remain. For example, during this time Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and others have either grown and expanded, or have just started. And these are good things that I suspect will grow and take a permanent place in our lives. But the negative things will be removed or replaced. Masks will probably disappear, although they could be used in cold air. And that is an important consideration. Americans face challenges by creating answers. The masks led many Americans to create and wear masks with pictures on them; they also used their talents to change from manufacturing one thing and changing to masks or ventilators. Masks with pictures have become quite popular. I wouldn’t be surprised if some nonemergency uses were found for them. Changing what they manufacture and sell, is an exciting development. As our economy rebounds, I expect the negative effects will be removed or replaced, and the positive

aspects will remain. In some cases, new industries might arise. And America will be showcased to the whole world what can happen in a representative democracy. As an author I expect to see bookstores reopen fully by January 1, 2021 or shortly thereafter, accepting new books and marketing aggressively. I also expect to see other businesses open and people flocking to them. In short, I expect to see a return to the ‘old normal’ in many ways. Some of the changes that might stay are new products, new TV shows, expanded use of Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and similar tools. All of these are worthwhile.

PART THREE: ELECTION This part is broken into four separate chapters: The Announcement, A Populist Campaign, The 2016 Election, and Collusion. The Announcement This chapter deals with Donald Trump’s announcing that he would be running to become President of the United States and with the early stages of his campaign. One item discussed is the slogan, Make America Great Again. This brilliant slogan captured the imagination of America and is discussed here. A Populist Campaign A major misunderstanding of Trump by liberals and conservatives alike is to consider him a conservative. He is a conservative populist, which means conservatives will likely approve most of his decisions, but not all. The 2016 Election Here I break down the election further and look at some of the reasons Trump won.

FOUR: THE ANNOUNCEMENT

June 16, 2015 Possibly one of the most brilliant decisions was coming up with the ‘Make America Great Again’. It immediately connected with people. After almost 8 years of disappointment, lies, and discouragement from the Obama Administration, not to mention previous administrations, people were looking for hope. And Donald Trump provided it in spades! A populist and entrepreneur, he was and is the right man at the right time. Some of the topics high on the list were illegal immigration, Islamic terrorism, national debt, and offshoring of American jobs. These were hot button issues that drew immediate interest. When he made his announcement, I was curious but didn’t really believe he was seriously considering a real campaign or that he had a chance. I knew he’d looked at it in the past, but I thought at the time he was just teasing the public. Why I Supported Trump. I had not yet settled on a candidate and his announcement didn’t change my mind. Instead, in the days following I began looking closer at other candidates such as former Governor Mike Huckabee, Senator Ted Cruz, and Senator Rubio. But as time went on and Huckabee withdrew, I turned to Ted Cruz. Although a staunch Conservative, Senator Cruz tapped into what I call the Populist Wave. He saw, understood, and identified with many of the concerns of the Populist Wave. In fact, I dare say that there wasn’t much difference between Populist and Conservative principles! On top of that he had powerful debating skills that enabled him to react instantly and respond to verbal attacks. It was about this time a commentator I had started watching, Dick Morris, predicted that Donald Trump would win the nomination. This was when Trump was still trailing, and it was simply unheard of at the time! And I argued with Dick (not in person, and not aloud), within my mind. But then I began seeing what Dick was seeing. Trump was also tapping into the Populist Wave. But he was far more comfortable with populism than Cruz and was more direct in his convictions. I would say it was that ‘I don’t care what you think, but I’m going to do something about this!’ attitude that won me over. I was tired of the old ‘me too’ politics. I wanted someone with the guts to both do and say what needed to be done. Senator Cruz still held my loyalty and I was thinking of donating to his campaign. But now I liked both men. The thing that won me over to Trump was Trump’s bigger than life attitude, an attitude that took no prisoners. It was something I don’t believe Senator Cruz could match. Nor do I think the Senator wanted to match it. My loyalty shifted to Donald Trump and I began to believe in his campaign. I began taking a much closer look at him. Of course, I knew a little of his past. I had watched The Apprentice and either read about or heard about his lifestyle. It was during this analysis of the man that I as a Christian began wondering if I should support him or not. But as I read and studied the Bible, I realized that when God picks a man to be ruler, He doesn’t always pick a believer! Names like Nebuchadnezzar – King of Babylon, the King of Persia, and others were men who were placed in power by God Himself! Sometimes He chose ungodly men to rule, sometimes these men became believers, and sometimes they never changed. But all of them were used of God to either judge Israel or to be instrumental in Israel’s preservation. Ahasuerus reigned over Persia. There is no evidence that I know of that he was a believer. But he married a young Jewish woman by the name of Esther and through her was used of God to save her people. Is Donald Trump a Christian? I don’t know. He says so and the facts rather than insults and lies thrown at him definitely show him as sensitive to Christian values! He even chose a strong, Christian man as his Vice-President. So, while I cannot say with any certainty that President Trump is a Christian, it is undeniable that he has surrounded himself with Christians and has been strongly influenced by them. This became evident in the campaign and I swung my support and vote to him and have never regretted it! Has he always made the decisions I wanted? No. But I saw his populist roots and understood there is a difference between populism and conservatism. Sometimes I would be disappointed or would disagree with him. The title of this book ‘Trump an Outsider’s View refers to the fact that I am outside his circle of friends, outside any political activities, and outside national, state, and local politics or government. I am simply an American with the right to vote. Watching Trump from afar has been instructive. You’ve just read my end of the story. There are probably thousands, tens of thousands, and maybe millions of people with similar stories. It has been a learning experience, including the learning of what populism is. I believe President Trump has been successful because above all else he loves America. He may be crude and a bully, but he works hard for the country he loves. Most of you probably know that he gives his salary away, but his love also seems to drive him. One of the things that impresses me the most is that this man who needs little, gave up much so that he could be vilified, hated, wished dead, and pursued. But that is all right. The important things have gone the way we Christians wanted them to go!



FIVE: A POPULIST CAMPAIGN

As an outsider I have a different view of the President’s politics than most prognosticators. And I believe that they’re view is wrong and contributes to their not understanding him. During the 2016 campaigns two Republicans running to be President tapped into an ignored populist surge among the people. The first was Senator Ted Cruse, a Conservative. He attracted my attention early on because he spoke my language. He could be described as a Conservative whose views coincided with rising populist ideas. And it made him a strong candidate. But when Donald Trump entered the race it became only a matter of time until he drew those populists to himself. Basically, a non-politician, he should not have been able to achieve that against an experienced and intelligent candidate. But he did. I think it happened because Donald Trump is a populist that is comfortable in the Republican Party. Rather than a true Conservative he’s a committed populist. In the modern world there are populists to the right and to the left. But both Cruse and Trump tapped into a shift to the right. Was it because of 8 years of liberal government? I suspect that played a big role, but the cause is probably deeper than just that. Another idea recently espoused by someone else is that he is not only a populist but also an entrepreneur! Think of that: a combination of populist and entrepreneur! Campaign rhetoric When watching sports, I find it always impressive when a player can get inside another player’s mind. Trump has that same ability. I believe that is why he uses exaggeration as a weapon. Also known as hyperbole, it is the making of statements that are not meant to be taken seriously. But his enemies did and do. Liberal leaning fact-checkers such as Politico, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times all claimed a multitude of falsehoods. Yet when examined closely they weren’t falsehoods at all, but purposeful exaggerations meant to entrap them. It worked. With fact-checking organizations denouncing him, he had the perfect platform. He was able to undermine them while at the same time appealing to the everyday people; people like you and me. His statements confused and angered liberals but rang of truth. Especially when we could look around and see the evidence with our own eyes. And in the case of us older folks, we could remember when things were different; when life was valued and faith in God was a way of life. His penchant to use hyperbole is believed to have its roots in the New York real estate scene. There he was a success in real estate. He also knew how to evaluate the men and women he dealt with. He knows the right amount of pressure and how to apply it. It’s a skill he developed over his lifetime and now serves him well on the national and international stage. Politically correct people simply don’t know how to handle a man like Donald Trump. They end up either getting out of his way or getting rolled over. And in the world, we now live in, we need a man with that kind of skill!

SIX: THE 2016 ELECTION

In the chapter called The Announcement we looked at Donald Trump’s announcement that he was running for the President of the United States. And we saw how he immediately went after the populist vote. We’ve looked at the Populist Campaign, but now we will take a closer look at the election itself. Doing research for this book I was amused by the attempt to tie the Trump campaign to white supremacists, racists, and the Ku Klux Klan. This is what extreme hatred for all things Trump can lead to. It becomes a circus. Did David Duke support Trump? Perhaps. But who cares? Ask the people that worked for Trump. They knew he was no racist. Both Democrats and Republicans have appealed to a wide crosscut of America. That doesn’t mean the candidates are evil, it simply shows that a candidate can be liked by a great deal of people who don’t agree on other issues. David Duke is a citizen of the United States and can vote for whomever he wants. Another complaint is that Trump got tons of free publicity. Duh. Of course, he did. So does Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and the other candidates. It’s called the news cycle. News, whether good or bad, is free publicity. It is the currency they operate with. Many years ago, a union strike against a relatively unknown clothing manufacturer created a great deal of negative news for the company. The strike was eventually settled, but Levi had become a household name. Over time people forgot why they knew the name, but they did know it and Levi became a major clothing source! Negative publicity can be turned to positive results! Then the critics lumped us all in what is called the alt-right as if we were somehow a minor player. Hillary called us ‘deplorables’. The truth is the people Trump attracted are the same people who were once called the Tea Party (nowadays they seem a shadow of themselves). Prior to that we were called the ‘Silent Majority.’ But by calling us the alt-right they sought to dismiss us. It didn’t work. But, you say, he appointed Steve Bannon, Breitbart News, as campaign CEO. True. Being an outsider, I don’t know the thinking, except perhaps Trump believed that Bannon would be an asset. In any case, after the election Trump condemned the use of Nazi salutes celebrating his victory. Trump’s campaign platform emphasized issues that had wide appeal. It crossed party lines, ethnic lines, and age. It included U.S.-China relations, free trade agreements (remember NAFTA and the Trans-Pacific Partnership), enforcing immigration laws, building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, energy independence, and more. These are issues that the people in the ‘flyover zone’, people living between New York and California, aka the Midwest, feels are important. These are the people the Democrats need but take for granted. Throughout the election Trump got in and stayed in his opponent’s minds. That includes the minds of the news media. Loving Clinton and overlooking her serious baggage, the news media did all they could do to undermine and belittle Trump. But it was like throwing a bucket of water on a raging fire and the Trump phenomenon was a raging fire! The questions regarding his moral character frequently thrown at him ran down his back like water. Why? Because the very existence of our nation was at stake. We needed a man of action. Is Trump flawed? Yes. So am I and so are you! We needed a man who could rescue us from the malaise we had fallen into. As for being a Christian. Trump is a Presbyterian, listens to a born-again Vice President and a council of Christian advisors, plus makes good solid decisions. Two striking decisions stand out: 1 – got the government out of church business, and 2 – moved our embassy to Jerusalem. 2016 Election On November 8, 2016 Trump upset Clinton with 304 to 227 electoral votes. Primarily Clinton won the northeastern states and the west coast states and Trump everything else (with some exceptions). Although we are a democratic republic rather than a democracy people cried over the fact Clinton won the popular vote. It is irrelevant. Our forefathers designed it that way to protect the smaller states. It demonstrated a massive failure of the polling data. Liberals believe that the polls were relatively accurate. Is that the same thing as the Titanic was relatively safe? It’s a dubious statement that can be interpreted variously. The fact is that the polls consistently overestimated Clinton’s appeal and underestimated Trump’s appeal. If I remember correctly only one poll was accurate and it only polled U.S. citizens likely to vote! The media also contributed to this by embracing the polling data and gleefully predicting a Clinton win. This high and unreasonable expectancy led to the charges of collusion covered elsewhere in this book. Another disappointing thing for the liberals was the lower than expected Women’s March in Washington on January 21, 2017. This was the day after the inauguration. This and other marches around the world resulted in only 2,600,000 marchers worldwide and only 500,000 in Washington. While that sounds like a lot of people, remember that they had weeks, actually months, to organize and should have had more. In a nation of millions with over half probably women, the numbers could have and, in my opinion, should have been higher. Why was it lower? I believe it is because the majority of women were willing to give the new President a chance. That plus I believe most women did not support the same issues as the marchers did. Turnaround While Trump’s election sparked protests, it also sparked an economic turnaround. The economy will be

discussed later but I want to share an observation I made on November 8-9, 2016. I have been around for a long time. I’ve lived through good times and bad times. And I certainly lived through the recession that Obama inherited. I will give credit due to the Obama Administration. Operating within the principles they believed in they tried mightily to bring our nation out of recession. And they achieved marginal success. In fact, in 2009 ‘experts’ declared the nation to no longer be in recession. This startled me at the time because I knew people still out of work and could see the impact on a daily basis. The problem is that they only looked at numbers. These numbers were misleading in that there was a large group of Americans who had dropped out of the work force. This meant that while unemployment registered in the single digits, it was actually in double digits in the mid-to-high teens. This was comparable to the double-digit unemployment experienced during the recent nationwide pandemic. Another area they didn’t check or simply ignored was the nature of the jobs they were reporting. The government had encouraged the growth of low-income jobs like McDonalds. What they didn’t consider was that a lot of people working at McDonalds and other fast food type businesses were working for far less than they had been before the recession. Then of course Obama made his statement that jobs ‘are just not going to come back’ which President Trump proved wrong. Excerpts from an article by Chuck DeVore: ‘Trump’s focus on manufacturing brought out high-profile critics who scoffed at the notion. President Obama notably said in June 2016 that manufacturing jobs “are just not going to come back.” He said this at a time when manufacturing job growth had flatlined, falling by 31,000 from January of 2016 to when he delivered his pessimistic comments in June of that year.’ ‘The current stretch in increased manufacturing employment started in November 2016—the month of Trump’s election. Employers, especially those faced with making long-term investments in physical plants and equipment, anticipated regulatory relief under Trump. ‘They got the relief they hoped for. ‘By October 2018, the Trump Administration cut 2.7 major regulations for every one added, greatly reducing regulatory cost and risk.’ I noticed on November 8th and 9th a strange phenomenon happening. The major companies that were following the election had apparently decided it was possible Trump would win. So, they made plans, sat on them, and when it was known Trump was going to win, they set those plans in motion. Therefore, Obama’s claim that the resurgence came under his Administration’s policies is partially right. The resurgence was a reaction to his policies and Trump’s promises. They believed Trump would do what he promised, and the boom began. By the way, I believe we are once again heading toward a booming economy. COVID-19 blasted a hole in our economy, but Trump policies are patching the hole and rebuilding a vibrant economy. This is good news for everyone! Yes, it is not as it was – yet. But the signs are there. Unemployment is heading down, hiring is rising. I believe that as we get closer to the election the economy will be looking quite strong. President Trump will have overseen an economic revival that started with his election and a second economic revival that started when he reopened America for business. Past performance is no guarantee—but so far, President Trump’s pro-growth policies have confounded his critics’ predictions with the prime beneficiaries being hard-working Americans. As a Christian I know that God is the One who really oversaw all this. But He chose to use President Donald Trump to accomplish it!

SEVEN: COLLUSION

Collusion: A secret agreement for a wrongful purpose especially between persons wishing to defraud another or between persons who wish to appear as adversaries. (dictionary description.) When Donald Trump upended Hillary Clinton by winning the election, the Democratic leaders could not accept the results. Soon we began hearing the words ‘collude’ and ‘Russian collusion’. The charges, instead of being rejected, found root in an eager media who wanted answers. But prior to this while the campaign was being waged, the Clinton Campaign decided to play dirty politics, not unusual in politics and certainly not unusual for her campaigns. The facts keep coming out in bits and pieces. In fact, we may never see the entire picture. But based on revelations here is the apparent story: In late 2015 a conservative publisher hired Fusion GPS to find dirt on Donald Trump. This apparently was a search for information to benefit another Republican. In the Spring of 2016, the Clinton Campaign hired Fusion GPS to produce a believable lie that could undermine the Trump Campaign. In June, Fusion GPS hired Christopher Steele, a former British Intelligence spy. Mr. Steele then used a few facts and a great deal of imagination to create what would become known as the Steele Dossier. This dossier made its way to friendly Congressmen, one of which was John McCain, a U.S. Senator. Looking back, we can see the Senator was in the process of closing down. I doubt anyone, least of all the Senator, knew or suspected that he had a tumor. But he did and it eventually killed him. But I believe it also affected his thinking, which when combined with an ongoing battle with President Trump made for a disastrous decision. He may or may not have read the dossier, I suspect he scanned it or had someone read it. If he had read it, I believe the dossier would have died right there. But he forwarded it to the FBI. Despite denials by people involved and so-called factcheckers lawsuits have been bringing out the fact that within the FBI there were people bent on undermining or destroying the Trump Presidency. When they got hold of the dossier, they felt they had dynamite. The Steele Dossier was a masterful fiction story, but as a real revelation about Trump it turned out to be full of holes. In some cases, the dossier had certain members of the Trump Campaign in foreign cities meeting with Putin representatives. The problem was that those members of the Trump Campaign were elsewhere on those dates. Fiction after fiction became facts to those within the FBI establishment and later to adherents of the document. And the Steele Dossier became their weapon. Later, when the falsehoods of the dossier were made known to the public, the liberals in Congress and the news media sought to distance themselves from it. Nowadays, they treat the dossier as a minor issue. But the die was cast. The Democrats used that and other issues, imagined and outright hatred of all things Trump to launch a costly investigation and impeachment. When faced with a President who fought back, they pressed forward. The interesting thing is they could have challenged Trump in the courtroom. At that point in time most judges were of a liberal bent and probably would have treated their cause favorably. We’ll never know, because for some unknown reason they never took that route. Instead, they later sought to force the Senate into doing what had been their responsibility. The Senate said no. After the impeachment failed in the Senate the House Democrats refused to sit down. They turned to find other issues to bring another impeachment charge. Until COVID-19 came around, they kept denying the 2016 election, kept believing the collusion charge, and kept trying to roadblock the President at every turn. Yet, he managed to accomplish a great deal despite their opposition. Then COVID-19 arrived. They made a few missteps at the beginning, but soon they were on the attack. But their problem seemed more like a slippery slope with each passing day. I mention the missteps of Biden and other Democrats blasting Trump when he suspended travel with China on January 31, 2020. But now they are back on course and instead of denying COVID-19 they now are critics of his handling of the crises. Even the eventual success of his Administration’s efforts didn’t faze them. With the help of the media they drummed up fear as a weapon. It is rather a brilliant move on their part. While talking about being calm and not panicking, they were at the same time emphasizing the speed of the disease. One news article even deftly compared the United States with other countries by using to different methods of rating. On the one hand they used a rate per million for the spread and then used another rate showing actual deaths. The result was to show the United States doing poorly when the opposite was true. The news media continually spoke out of both sides of their mouths. They constantly reminded us to be safe, stay indoors, etc. At the same time, they talked about the fast spread and the related deaths. Very little reporting showed that the vast majority of infected people were recovering or had recovered. While they did mention the low death rate, that was overwhelmed with the coverage of the spread and the dire needs of hospitals. The coverage was just enough to claim balance without actually being balanced. As of the last reported cases and deaths the percent of deaths was 2.99%. While even one death is one too many, the fact is that the United States had the most cases and ranked quite a bit lower in deaths. And this was largely due to the quick decisive course the President took by bringing in private, industrial, and government experts. (See the chapter on COVID-19 for more details.) Below is a possible timeline for the Steele Dossier.

Date Activity Oct. 2015 Fusion GPS was contracted by conservative political website The Washington Free Beacon to provide general opposition research on Trump and other Republican presidential candidates Apr. 2016 An attorney for Hillary Clinton's campaign and the DNC separately hired Fusion GPS to investigate Trump May 2016 The Free Beacon stopped its backing of the Fusion GPS research. June 2016 Fusion GPS subcontracted Steele's firm to compile the dossier. DNC officials denied knowing their attorney had contracted with Fusion GPS, and Steele asserted he was not aware the Clinton campaign was the recipient of his research until months after he contracted with Fusion GPS. To this day the media’s acceptance of this dossier from the very beginning is denied. But if you think back to the coverage it was reported as crucial and authoritative evidence that would drive the President from office. The dossier is also still represented as being 70% - 90% accurate (according to Steele). Question: If I give you a glass of milk with no more than 10 – 30% arsenic would you drink it? Obviously not! A little bit of poison poisons the whole thing. And the dossier was poison. It is rightly reported that the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane was the impetus of their investigation that led to the Mueller Investigation. However, that investigation didn’t appear to be going anywhere until the Steele Dossier’s appearance. Once again bias controls the reporting. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that the only reason the dossier was only briefly stated or referred to in the Mueller Report is that by that time it was known as unreliable. Finally, as a citizen of the United States, I was alarmed by the Mueller investigation’s abuse of the rights of citizens. You might say that their tactics resulted in confessions and convictions. That is true, but were the confessions true? If I was subjected to some of those tactics, I just might confess to anything. Just saying. A good example of the misuse of power that Mueller used were the FISA warrants regarding Carter Page. There had to be a ‘probable cause’ and the Steele Dossier provided it. Much later the truth came out and FISA had to raise their bar for probable cause. In 2016, Hillary Clinton presidential candidate hired an ex-intelligence officer and foreign national, British subject Christopher Steele, to use Russian sources to find dirt (“opposition research”) on her then political opponent Donald Trump. So much for the worry about “foreign interference” in U.S. elections. The public would take years to learn of the funding sources of Steele, because Clinton camouflaged her role through three firewalls: The Democratic National Committee; the Perkins-Coie legal firm; and Glenn Simpson’s Fusion GPS opposition-research firm. Steele had collected rumor and gossip from mostly Russian sources in an effort to tar Trump as a Russian colluder and asset. We know now that his sources were either bogus or deliberately warped by Steele himself. Almost everything in the dossier was unverified and later was proved fanciful. Yet with the help of high Obama Administration and elected officials, the dossier’s gossip and rumor were leaked throughout the top echelons of Washington politics and the media. Its lies spread because its chief message — Donald J. Trump was a dangerous fool, should never be elected, and once elected had no business as president — was exactly what the establishment wished to hear. The dossier was infectious because it was deemed welcome and useful. The inspector general of the U.S. Department of Justice, Michael Horowitz, after an exhaustive study, found that the Steele dossier not just unverifiable but unethically and unprofessionally used to delude federal judges to issue warrants to surveil an American citizen. In my opinion, Horowitz simply confirmed what many journalists had already discovered, namely, that Steele was both a pathological liar and an inveterate hater of Donald Trump who acted to ensure that Trump would not be president. Although the befuddled special counsel Robert Mueller, in sworn testimony before Congress, seemed to have amnesia about the Steele dossier and its chief purveyor Fusion GPS, his own investigation was de facto repudiation of the entire Steele dossier in its conclusion that Donald Trump did not engage in collusion with the Russians to warp the 2016 election. As a result, all who trafficked in the infectious dossier as if it were factual and disinterested have lost all credibility. Many are now seeing their careers demolished and in ruins. Here is a small sampling of reputations that were marred or destroyed. The following represents information I have read and have formed an opinion on. Rachel Maddow. She is a Stanford graduate, Rhodes scholar, and MSNBC host. Many of her 2016–19 evening cable news commentaries focused on the supposed dangers that candidate and then President Trump posed to the republic. She cited the Steele dossier chapter and verse as factual in making her arguments that Trump was dishonest and amoral and therefore an illegitimate president who should be removed. It will be difficult for any audience to take Maddow’s on-air assertions seriously in the future. She rose to high ratings promoting the dossier, and I think she’ll suffer the consequences in reverse. James Comey and the FBI. It is no exaggeration that James Comey, the former director of the FBI, probably knew intimately of the dossier, approved its use to spy on American and to launch an

investigation into Donald Trump’s purported Russian connection. In addition, it appears he serially lied about the dossier’s authenticity and his own agency’s use of its author Christopher Steele, who at times was a paid informant for the FBI. More than a dozen top FBI agents, investigators, and lawyers who worked for Comey in the FBI’s Washington’s office have now either been fired, disgraced, reassigned, demoted, or they quit or have abruptly retired. The common denominator to all their fates is that in some fashion they either leaked false information to the media, knowingly broke the law, lied to federal investigators, altered documents, deluded federal judges, or were afraid that something they had done would surface. Trace the origins of such misbehavior, and at its front will be the sensational Steele dossier and the nearly religious belief that it either was true or should be true or somehow could be made to be true. The late Senator John McCain. McCain was tipped off about the dossier by a British intelligence official, who apparently in turn had been prepped by Steele in an effort to promulgate his work among high American officials. McCain, who had engaged in a well-publicized feud with Trump, almost immediately met with federal officials and sent his former associate David Kramer to the UK to talk with Steele. McCain himself then gave the dossier to FBI Director Comey. Kramer made sure that the unverified dossier was leaked to media sources before the 2016 election and well after it also. In McCain’s final memoir, he and his coauthor were defiant about the senator’s role in spreading the unsubstantiated gossip around Washington: “I would do it again. Anyone who doesn’t like it can go to hell.” By January 2019, almost all sane and informed people did not like the idea of deliberately spreading false information to destroy a presidential candidate and later president, and most certainly they did not feel they should “go to hell” for voicing such outrage. This was a sad chapter in McCain’s life. In his defense, he was not in good health. I believe he allowed Trump’s comments about him to get under his skin and he reacted in a non-McCain manner. This is a man who underwent tremendous torture while a prisoner in North Vietnam and remained true to his country and his personal faith. I believe his suffering played a big role in his decision making as he neared the end. Where once he was a staunch conservative, his politics began moving left. By 2016, he could no longer be considered a conservative. When he ran for President, I supported him. But after his defeat he began drifting to the Left. Was it old age or perhaps the effect of his torture so many years before? I don’t know and I doubt anyone knows. But I believe that in earlier years he would never have allowed himself to be used by others. But it appears he was used. Personally, I admire the man. Especially his courage and love of country. And that is the way I choose to remember him. James Clapper and John Brennan. James Clapper, the former director of National Intelligence under Barack Obama, and John Brennan, the former CIA director, both previously had been caught lying under oath to Congress. Both then apologized, and their illegal behaviors were excused without legal consequences. But both once again have not told the full truth about their own knowledge of the Steele dossier, its unverified and mostly false information, and the role they both played in circulating and promulgating the dossier to the media and high government officials. That both directors were deeply involved in spreading the dossier around Washington, leaking its comments, and then denying their roles while they worked as paid television commentators on CNN and MSNBC only ensured the rapid erosion of their beltway careers and reputations. And both still may have a rendezvous with federal prosecutors in regard to the dossier. As of this writing and to my knowledge nothing has happened. The United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Several federal judges approved FBI and DOJ requests to perform surveillance of Carter Page both before and after the 2016 presidential election, supposedly as a way to learn of Trump-Russian collusion. None of the judges seriously probed government lawyers about the dossier. Although they were told in a footnote it was a product of opposition research, apparently none asked the nature of such sponsorship. Yet if a judge is apprised that evidence before him supporting a federal surveillance warrant is based on political opposition research related to candidate and then president Donald Trump, would it not be prudent to ask attorneys to name who had paid the dossier’s author? Worse still, in winter and late spring 2018, Representative Devin Nunes (R., Calif.) twice warned the eleven-justice FISA court that the Steele dossier was unreliable and not a sound basis to authorize surveilling an American citizen. Nunes and his House colleagues were essentially ignored and dismissed by the court. After issuance of the Horowitz report the FISA court’s presiding justice, Rosemary Collyer, blasted the FBI for deluding her court. The impression remains that FISA judges either were incompetent or simply did not wish to learn evidence that might have discredited their decision to allow the FBI to surveille a former Trump official, as part of a larger effort to discredit Donald Trump. As a result, the entire reputation of the FISA court is now in shreds, both for being so easily or willingly fooled, and for so opportunistically and belatedly criticizing those who deluded them. FISA is part of the government and will probably not be overly hurt. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they undergo a round of personnel changes Hillary Clinton. There are complex federal election laws governing the role of foreign nationals interfering in an American election. The public became more aware of such statutes paradoxically

because Hillary Clinton, almost immediately after losing the November 2016 election, claimed Russian collusion. Ironically, the origin of that claim was the Steele dossier itself secretly bought by the Clinton campaign. This dossier swept through the media, helped prime FISA warrants, played a key part in launching FBI investigations, and ultimately kick-started the Robert Mueller special-counsel investigation, Hillary Clinton and her committee remained immune from scrutiny. However, their reputations declined. A Related Case On May 14, 2020, I downloaded an article written by John Solomon titled Dirty Dozen: The 12 revelations that sunk Mueller's case against Flynn. This article documents 12 revelations of the FBI’s attacking National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. FBI agents had cleared former Michael Flynn of any wrongdoing with Russia, but the bureau's leadership hijacked the process to build a case that he lied during a subsequent interview. This effort to dismantle the Trump Administration though dissed by the news media and initially denied by factcheckers, is a bombshell. This case shows there are still reporters desiring to know the truth. Sara Carter and John Solomon persisted in following the trail eked out of their investigations. They were reporting on the FISA case when John received a call. He said, “It was an intermediary for someone high up in the intelligence community. “The story that source told me that day — initially I feared it may have been too spectacular to be true — was that FBI line agents had actually cleared former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn of any wrongdoing with Russia only to have the bureau's leadership hijack the process to build a case that he lied during a subsequent interview. “In fact, my notes show, the source used the words "concoct 1001 false statements case" to describe the objections of career agents who did not believe Flynn had intended to deceive the FBI. A leak of a transcript of Flynn's call with the Russian ambassador was just part of a campaign, the source alleged. “The tip resulted in a two-and-a-half-year journey by myself and a small group of curious and determined journalists like Carter, Catherine Herridge, Greg Jarrett, Mollie Hemingway, Lee Smith, Byron York, and Kimberly Strassel to slowly peel back the onion. “The pursuit of the truth ended on Thursday when the Justice Department formally asked a court to vacate Flynn's conviction and end the criminal case, acknowledging the former general had indeed been cleared by FBI agents and that the bureau did not have a lawful purpose when it interviewed him in January 2017.”



EIGHT: DENIAL

Here we are dealing with the Democratic denial of the 2016 election. I could have titled this chapter NeverTrumpers. The basic tenet is this: The election was stolen. First, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, and, in a democracy, the popular vote should be final. Second, for Donald Trump to win in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan there had to be some form of voter fraud. Third, Collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. These are all dealt with elsewhere, so let’s move on. I invite you to look back over the past four years and identify the negative publicity toward the President. Almost all of it relates to the denial. Generally speaking, I think that you can divide the negatives into separate groups, such as Impeachment, Lies, and portrayals. Impeachment This is treated elsewhere in the book in greater detail. Here, what’s important to understand: the issues involved in the impeachment were primarily due to denial. Remember that the word impeachment was being talked about before Trump’s election. At first it was fear that if he got elected, he would undo the political policies of the Obama years. But when he got elected it quickly became outright denial. The so-called collusion, primarily based on the Steele Dossier, jumped into the dialog. The Deniers embraced it even though it was quickly shown to be a false narrative that was initially paid for by the Clinton Campaign. Then when that document became untenable, they switched to the Ukraine phone call again substituting fiction for facts. The Collusion charge is dealt with in the chapter Collusion. Lies This is two-pronged. On the one side you hear that Trump has told thousands of lies. But upon investigation these are primarily cases of hyperbole (a common political tool) and willful twisting of facts by those making the charges. The second prong is simply the critics distorting the President’s words. This is not new. I have watched the Democratic Party over the years and seen their ads where they purposely misdirect the voter through ads attacking Republican candidates for office (any office). Some of these ads are stupid and silly, but if they can turn one voter against the Republican candidate than it is considered worthwhile. Like I said this is not new. I’ve seen Republicans try to fight fire with fire, but the Democrats are the real pros when it comes to that. As an aside, this is not as effective as it once was because all voters now have access to the internet and can do their own factchecks. Just the same, the constant flow of negative publicity can still be effective. Truth is not necessary. Portrayals This is another tried and true tactic of the Democrats. Yes, Republicans use this as well. However, the Democrats and the liberal media have used it effectively. In the current environment they like to portray the President as a (put the negative here) person unfit for office. It doesn’t matter about the accuracy; what matters is to put it out there and repeat it over and over. The idea is that if you repeat something often enough people will believe you. This tactic has been used in past elections with great success. And was expected to be successful again. Fortunately, most people saw through this tactic. You might find other categories that can be added to those above, but these have, in my opinion, been the top three categories. Why haven’t they worked? I believe it is because the American people have become wise to the ways of the liberals and they have a better understanding of the internet than they are credited with. This includes seniors such as me. You may doubt it but one of the biggest myths about seniors is that they don’t understand computers. At one time it was true, but you are constantly having younger people join our ranks. Plus, we have learned and become proficient, not necessarily expert, in the computer age. Some years ago, I read an article that said seniors are one of the richest and most knowledgeable groups. And employers as well as marketers should take notice. I also believe that most people realize that factcheckers on the internet need to be factchecked themselves (see chapter on factcheckers), plus Americans are more astute, tech savvy, and aware of what is going on in the world than before. The average American has more resources than their parents and an ability to use those resources. In addition, modern Americans are quite often bolder and more outspoken. And wiser. That last is important, because if they had spoken out during the recent riots, they would have been tarred and feathered. But the voices of reason waited until the noise abated and began talking sense. As a result, people on all sides began to move closer together and talking with one another. When this happens, the liberal may hail it, but it is contrary to their agenda and they switch to other issues. As we move away from the virus and the BLM, we become more thoughtful and less reactive. Be assured, there will be more issues, but the current environ has put President Trump in a much stronger position than his opponent.



PART FOUR: DOMESTIC POLICIES This section looks at the Trump Administration’s domestic policies. While I do comment on these, I also allow you to make your own decision about them. These chapters are in alphabetical order rather than chronological order. This is to facilitate your finding the right chapter quickly and easily. Many of these chapters overlap so you might find some facts related more than once. That is unavoidable due to the necessity to tell the whole story as much as possible. One of the key points I make is that Trump’s Surging Economic Boom began in November 2019. Former President Obama likes to tout that the boom began under and because of his economic policies. As a true factchecker would note this is partially true. In my research I found that it began the day after Donald Trump won the Presidency! They were right that it happened because of Obama’s policies, although it was actually a reaction to it. One of the chapters deals with the Church. Under Obama there was an assault against it. They will of course deny it but when you have policies in place that discriminate against Christian businesses that constitutes an assault. When you have policies in place that infringe on the right to practice your faith in all venues, that is an assault. Moreover, when you lift new ‘rights’ over the rights of individual believers that is an assault not only on the Church but on all moral citizens. Recently, largely due to a leftist push, we were being told what was morally right by the government and the Press rather than the Church. Thankfully, President Trump has removed a lot of restrictions and gotten the government out of the way. But as recent court decisions have shown the fight to live our lives freely to worship God is not over. Other chapters deal with the Courts, the Economy, the Electoral College, and more. The one on the Electoral College is necessary because the Left has blurred the picture and our schools have failed to teach about it. Then there are the subjects of immigration, the silly impeachment, and the News media. Happy reading.

NINE: CHURCH

Separation of Church and State This issue began with a group of Connecticut Baptist ministers of the Danbury Baptist Association writing a letter to President Jefferson. Concerned about freedom of religion they wrote of these concerns. Here, in part, is their letter broken into paragraphs for better reading. ...Our sentiments are uniformly on the side of religious liberty: that Religion is at all times and places a matter between God and individuals, that no man ought to suffer in name, person, or effects on account of his religious opinions, [and] that the legitimate power of civil government extends no further than to punish the man who works ill to his neighbor. But sir, our constitution of government is not specific. Our ancient charter, together with the laws made coincident therewith, were adopted as the basis of our government at the time of our revolution. And such has been our laws and usages, and such still are, [so] that Religion is considered as the first object of Legislation, and therefore what religious privileges we enjoy (as a minor part of the State) we enjoy as favors granted, and not as inalienable rights. And these favors we receive at the expense of such degrading acknowledgments, as are inconsistent with the rights of freemen. It is not to be wondered at therefore, if those who seek after power and gain, under the pretense of government and Religion, should reproach their fellow men, [or] should reproach their Chief Magistrate, as an enemy of religion, law, and good order, because he will not, dares not, assume the prerogative of Jehovah and make laws to govern the Kingdom of Christ. I’ve highlighted with italics portions for your better reading and understanding plus paragraphing as previously mentioned. Notice that they were concerned about the inalienable rights of religion. Further they were concerned with the government overreaching and ‘make laws to govern the Kingdom of Christ’. The President responded and I here include portions: ... Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature would “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church and State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties. I’ve highlighted with italics and bold portions. It is interesting to note that Jefferson borrowed the phrase, “wall of separation” from a Baptist and supporter of religious freedom. The meaning was clear that the wall was to protect religion from the government. Another important distinction is that the term “wall of separation” exists nowhere in the Constitution. This was a letter without any government power behind it. It was Jefferson’s understanding, which by the way, agreed and replied to the Baptist’s concerns. It is unfortunate that the term “wall of separation” has been so twisted from its original meaning as to now mean government not being influenced by religion. Politicians and courts have ascribed this meaning to the term despite its clear history and wording. When these letters were written there were states requiring church membership to be citizens of the state. In effect the church was under the control of the state. To be a Baptist or other denomination was illegal and meant arrest, flogging, whippings, and other abuses. The whole issue was that religion (worship of God) was an inalienable right not a privilege to be given by the government! It is yours and my right! It was the belief that everyone was answerable to God and that the worship of God was not subject to the rule of government. It means you could worship God as a Baptist, a Methodist, a Catholic, a Mormon, or any other religion. In fact, in my understanding you could choose not to worship God. You are answerable to God Alone! And this understanding ruled for over 150 years! By the way, the charge that Christians “shove their religion” down the throats of fellow Americans has no proof or evidence supporting it. Instead, Christians fought and died along with others that all men might have the freedom to worship God as they believed was right. Christians are deeply concerned about the road our nation has been following for decades. We are not surprised that when God was kicked out of school the schools stopped teaching the Ten Commandments and children grew up with no moral compass. Today we are experiencing the spoiled fruit. You only need to read or watch the News to see that spoiled fruit in action. What the critics contend are actions forcing Christianity down their throats is nothing more than Christians standing firm in their beliefs and not bowing to disbelievers who are literally shoving their beliefs down our throats. Look about you. In some communities Christians are persecuted while others are given a pass. Take our public schools. It is allowed throughout the country for religious groups to use school facilities for their events. But when Christian groups want to use these same facilities they are refused or sued based on government having a ‘wall of separation’ between them and religion. Their only recourse is to sue the government so they can worship God freely.

Perhaps one of the most disturbing trends in our society is the turning of evil to good as we were warned in Romans: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” Today the ‘end justifies the means’ is the mantra of the those claiming to be more moral. The LGBTQ+ crowd demands the Bible not be used against them. They even try to change the Bible to show they are the ones being persecuted. Nowadays they even are engaged in “queering” the Bible (an attempt to twist the Bible into supporting them). We live in a sad time. The Church and President Trump Under previous administrations the Church came under intense and increasing pressure from the government. Atheists and other unbelievers threatened the government (schools, military, government offices, etc.) and demanded actions clearly contrary to religious freedom. It has resulted in much litigation. And while Christians have been on the winning side it has been a costly and time-consuming victory. Though much has improved during the Trump years we cannot rest. The President has removed many restrictions aimed at churches. Where once there was prayer in the Oval Office it had been effectively removed. But now it’s once again practiced. As Christians we should celebrate this! But we also need to stay alert. The Democratic Party has now selected a woman for Vice-President who is not just irreligious but is against the Catholic Church. But if elected she will be opposed to all of us! And remember this, she is likely to be the de facto President. Another reason to celebrate Trump’s Presidency is he strengthened America’s relationship with Israel. Our Embassy is now in Jerusalem and our longstanding relationship with Israel has improved. The Church is criticized because it supports the President. We are instructed in the Bible to pray for our leaders, a command we took seriously in all previous administrations. We may have opposed their antiChristian actions, but we prayed for them anyhow. The Church is never commanded to abandon Biblical truths in favor of the world’s brand of morality. Nor are we as citizens expected to use the world’s moral view, though it might be in the majority, in our political loyalties. Our only resource for moral rightness lies in the Bible, which is an absolute arbiter of truth. This is the standard the Church has followed regarding all past Presidents in making decisions that agree with the Bible. Any President has our support whether he be Democratic, Republican, or Independent. During the Obama years the church still prayed for him though his administration acted contrary to our wellbeing. In today’s landscape it’s getting easier to tell if a President or politician is a friend of Christianity. Just look at where they stand on a few: Abortion Freedom to worship without fear Freedom to tell others about Christ Freedom to oppose immorality Freedom to practice Christian values The point is that these freedoms have been under attack and still are. It is always good when God moves on a ruler’s heart to do that which is right. Observation: I’ve observed in the past legal pressures were brought against military personnel who wanted to worship Christ. It’s still going on, but at a reduced presence. I’ve also observed that political correctness has reached into our colleges and universities making Christian expressions difficult, if not impossible. Since Trump assumed the Presidency many strides have been made. But these are of a decree not a law. A new President can completely undo a previous President.

TEN: COURTS

The Judicial Branch of Government is co-equal to the Legislative Branch and the Executive Branch according to the Constitution. But in recent decades the courts have increasingly taken power unto themselves. That is bad, but what is worse is that these same courts have drifted from the literal interpretation of the Constitution. They accepted the doctrine of the living Constitution. By this they mean that the Constitution need not be read literally but in relationship to the mores of the day. It has resulted in what I consider bad laws and/or bad precedent. As the courts have gained power, we citizens of the country have lost rights. Nowadays the Left has taken control of the courts and citizens have been increasingly taken to court. The Constitution gives citizens certain rights, but lower courts decided those rights no longer existed or that they needed to be restrained. Christians and non-Christians alike have had to fight to retain their rights. During the period of 2009 – 2016 battles were fought. Some had to go all the way to the Supreme Court with mixed results. One of the exciting things that has been happening since the inauguration of the President has been the record-breaking appointments of conservative judges who believe in following the Constitution. These appointments have impacted lower courts, appeals courts, and the Supreme Court. Recent court decisions show we still have some work to do, but once our courts are in line with the Constitution (as written and interpreted by the men who wrote it) we will see a country that is moving toward a great future. It is something all of us should be praying for. This is a legacy that Donald Trump can and will be proud of. When he steps down in four years, he will have transformed our country back to many of the ideals our country once cherished. Whoever follows him as President will find an Executive Branch that has reasserted itself making it coequal with the Legislative and Judicial Branches. And that will be a good thing!

ELEVEN: ECONOMY

I’ve watched our politics and economy for at least 60 years. What follows is as I recall. In 2008 Barak Obama was elected President. The recession was already underway and during his tenure of 8 years he tried a variety of ways to right the ship. By the year 2010 experts said the recession was over. The only problem was people on the bottom of the pay scale up to the middle class didn’t notice. I think it is safe to say that the numbers economists followed failed. People with college educations and years of experience in the corporate world survived on low paying jobs. But they were jobs and that impacted the numbers. Also, people with low paying jobs lost them. They used up unemployment benefits and still couldn’t find a job as comfortable as before. It led to frustration and they stopped seeking employment. Experts interpreted this to mean unemployment had stabilized when in fact it was still in double figures. If I recall correctly it reached the mid-teens. When Donald Trump announced he was running for the Presidency the economy was still in doldrums. In fact, President Obama, commented jobs weren’t coming back! Throughout the election Trump criticized the government for lack of a real recovery. He made promises, such as to rescind restrictive standards of the Obama Administration. Both small and large corporate businesses noticed, and I believe they saw in Trump the necessary relief they needed. I suspect they made contingency plans regarding questions like: What if Trump keeps those promises? What would that mean and how can we prepare? The hope of relief built up the closer to the election we got. Plans were made and stored away just in case Mr. Trump pulled off an impossible upset. On November 8, 2016, Donald Trump upset Hillary Clinton! While shocked Democrats cried foul and wouldn’t admit their own failures, mom and pops saw the window of hope opening. CEOs pulled out the stored plans. Then started our economic recovery. Since then businesses have been expanding and hiring, real unemployment has dipped to unheard of depths in decades, and mom and pop businesses started growing again. Businesses President Obama said would never come back are coming back! Covid-19 is just a pause. The following chart is from U.S. Bureau of Statistics. Unemployment rate

Jan 3.6

Feb 3.5

Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug 4.4 14.7 13.3 11.1 10.2 8.4



The current decline is real though not as fast as we would like. It’s important to remember the economy was strong before the shutdown and the strengths are still there. The decline in unemployment and the rise in employment is somewhat dependent on public perception. As confidence grows, the economy grows. Meanwhile the economic outlook is good for 2021 and probably better than the experts predict.



TWELVE: ELECTORAL COLLEGE

This is one of the most politically misunderstood topics of today. Part of the misunderstanding comes from the left because they know that they have a chance of winning with the popular vote. So, let’s take a look at it. Article II of the United States Constitution SECTION 1. The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his office during the term of four years, and, together with the Vice-President, chosen for the same term, be elected as follows: Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of senators and representatives to which the state may be entitled in the Congress; but no senator or representative, or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector. (Emphasis added.) The electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for two persons, of whom one at least shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves. And they shall make a list of all the persons voted for, and of the number of votes for each; which list they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the president of the Senate. The president of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted. The person having the greatest number of votes shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such majority, and have an equal number of votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately choose by ballot one of them for President; and if no person shall have a majority, then from the five highest on the list, the said House shall, in like manner, choose the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two=thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice… (Emphasis added) The argument made by the Democrats and the Left is that Clinton was elected by popular vote and should then be the President. Nowhere in the Constitution is popular vote given a role in the President’s election. Why did they not choose Popular Vote? That is a fair question and the answer was fought out in the Convention. At this point in history there were 13 states, some of which were bigger than others. Pennsylvania was bigger than Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and others. New York was also bigger. If the President of the United States was elected by popular vote that would mean that states like New York and Pennsylvania would always have the say. Nowadays, we have other large states, such as Texas and California. This was a dilemma. How do you assure that every person and every state have an equal say in the election of the President? The answer they arrived at is called Representative Democracy. These days you often hear the United States called a democracy. But the United States has never been a democracy! We are a representative democracy. A fact which should be taught in school! It is a system that works. It creates an even playing field where all states have a say in who is elected. The bigger states cannot control the process simply because they have more people; nor can the smaller states gang up and control the process. Because the bigger states have more people, they have more state representatives and senators and therefore have more electors, thus countering any ganging up. It is a system that has worked for over 200 years. The left and its friends in the media continue to use the word democracy to describe our system. But, as stated above, we’ve never been a democracy. Democracy, true democracy, results in mob rule. Every decree and every law would be subject to popular vote rather than a congress. Government would slow down and become inefficient and unable to meet the demands of the day. Democracy might work for a small village but as that village grows in the number of residents it becomes more and more difficult for democracy to survive. Towns and cities must elect people to make decisions. That is an example of representative democracy at the lowest levels. In the recent Covid-19 crises we’ve seen how partisan legislators can hold a nation hostage over unrelated political agendas. That is obviously not good, but can you imagine the chaos if there was no legislature at all? A nationwide referendum would have to be called and the government would have been crippled! In the matter of the election of a President we cannot afford such confusion. Divisions between smaller states and larger states would become insurmountable possibly leading to a civil war. It could take years to determine who is President, which would leave us weak in the eyes of our allies and our enemies. A lot of prayer, negotiation, and compromise went into the designing of our government and the election of our officers. In my opinion they got it right!

THIRTEEN: IMMIGRATION

Undocumented or Illegal? The liberals insist on calling immigrants that have violated our laws and entered America ‘undocumented immigrants’. Meanwhile, Conservatives call them ‘illegal immigrants. Let’s look at these terms. Undocumented Immigrants This term is used to imply that these immigrants are merely missing the proper documentation. It is an argument that undermines the whole idea of documentation. To understand this better, imagine that instead of immigration the lack of proper documentation affected you as a driver. You’ve been driving without a license! If you were pulled over and it was discovered you had forged documents or no documents, you’d be arrested. If you were living with someone of the opposite sex without a marriage certificate you could be arrested for adultery depending on the state where you are dwelling. How about the gun laws which are so precious to liberals? If you owned a gun and didn’t have proper documentation, you could be arrested depending on the circumstances. Liberals would celebrate but not you. Documentation is how you determine the legal nature of something. Illegal Immigrants This term describes an immigrant that is in the United States illegally. They are required to have a green card or proof of citizenship. It means that they are not citizens, but residents. If they don’t have a green card they could be arrested and deported. In short, if they lack documentation, they are criminals. And, if they are criminals, they have no more rights than any other criminal. That may seem harsh, but it is reality. Now that we have the key terms explained what has Trump done about the illegal immigrants? Have you ever heard of the ‘Wall’? The Wall for the most part is not a wall, although that is changing. Compromises by the House along with decisions by the courts have given the President room to work on building the Wall. The compromise came during the Impeachment. It is my understanding that during previous impeachments similar compromises were reached with the House of Representatives. The idea is that the party in charge of the House hedges their bets, so to speak. For one thing, they don’t want people to think that impeachment is all consuming; that they actually are doing the work they were elected to do. Both parties have done this, so don’t be too harsh on the Democrats. The truth is they enabled Trump to keep another promise. And that is a good thing. Why? Because I believe that the reason illegal immigration has been reduced is in part due to the Wall. Another reason is stepped up enforcement by ICE. But a really big reason is Mexico. Originally Mexico was allowing hundreds and thousands of potential illegal immigrants to cross their territory without trying to deter them. The Trump Administration played hard-boil with them by using the old carrot and the stick type of diplomacy. It worked! Now Mexico is enforcing their own immigration laws and restricting movements across their territory. It’s a win/win for both countries!

FOURTEEN: IMPEACHMENT

This subject has been covered from a number of angles by analysts from almost every political spectrum in the United States. It comes down to you either believe the Democrats or you don’t believe them. I have opined both in my blog and privately that the Democrats made a huge mistake going for impeachment. But why did they make it? That is a hard question to understand. You don’t get into government without having some savvy. But we’ve heard some really idiotic statements come from elected officials. So being savvy doesn’t really mean having intelligence. Not so long ago, the Democrats embraced Donald Trump. They sought his money and his endorsement. If memory serves me right Hillary Clinton sought his support in 2008. So, what happened that changed their minds from seeking his support to condemning him as a danger to the country? Even when he was ‘considering’ running for the presidency the liberals were laughing and saying ‘no way’ would he be elected. When he won the 2016 election, they couldn’t believe it and immediately began floating the idea that he got elected through trickery or something illegal. For two years they seethed and planned, then they took the House in 2018. Upon taking office the now Democratic controlled House began moving in the direction they had for so long planned on. Like millions of others I sat and watched unfold one of the most bizarre trials I’ve ever heard of! Assuming the House investigation was tantamount to a police investigation, they had certain legal powers. When the President claimed Executive Privilege, they had the right to go to the courts (mostly liberal at the time) and try to enforce their will. Would they have won? Good question. I’m not a lawyer nor seer. But I will say this, as mentioned above the courts leaned liberal in their approach to the constitution and to law itself. Some lower courts have ruled against the President on other issues and they might have been prone to rule against him in this particular case. But the Democrats never pursued that course of action. And it could have gone to the Supreme Court where one ‘conservative’ justice may have voted against him. But they never pursued that avenue. Then when the case went to the Senate, they demanded that the Senate do what they couldn’t or wouldn’t do. It was bizarre! Absent any real evidence, including the so-called whistleblower, they had no real case. Please note that a true whistleblower is one who has firsthand knowledge of illegal activity, but this person was simply quoting what someone else said. The result was predictable. I believe if it had been in a real trial the case would have been thrown out. But since it was in the Senate it had to go forth. The President won and the Democrats were defeated. But you have to give it to the Democrats. Faced with defeat and seeing the likelihood of the President’s reelection, they immediately began looking for another opportunity to get rid of him. Some even talked of another impeachment. I don’t know if they are blinded by hate or fear, but I suspect they fear he will really ‘drain the swamp’. But then came January 31st and February 3rd of 2020. President Trump took action against China and imposed travel restrictions to and from China because of a virus of an unknown nature. The President had goofed! Or, it at least seemed that way to the Democrats. When the President issued the travel bans, Joe Biden, a former Senator and Vice-President, plus a candidate for the Presidency, jumped on it. He had found an issue that potentially could take the country’s eyes off the disastrous impeachment and maybe help him to get elected! He quickly attacked and accused the President of acting in panic. He and other Democrats not only pushed that idea but added that it amounted to racism. But it wasn’t long before the nature of the Coronavirus was better understood. The Democrats dropped their accusations and found new ground, namely that the President acted too slow. Such a turnaround is not unknown in politics. But I believe this one truly has backfired. One reason is that the people of America are a lot smarter than politicians of any party think they are. The Internet has changed things and, in the process, changed the world and how the world is understood by everyone. We get news faster; we can investigate political statements; and we know how to read between the lines. So, when any politician makes statements about another politician the average voter can check out the facts. Democratic, Republican, and other leaders know how to use the Internet, but all too often they, and the media, forget we do as well. Today the Democrats are still trying to get rid of the President and there is a constant flow of lies, contradictions, and misdirection aimed at us with the goal of getting rid of him. In our local paper the majority of letter writers to the Editor are anti-Trump. They repeat the national party’s statements and ‘facts’ in nauseum; call followers of Trump names; and often wish ill upon us. Yet they call themselves wise and tolerant. Further attempts at Impeachment and the personal attacks can be expected to continue. But the American people will have the opportunity to restore commonsense to government and give the President the opportunity to fully restore our economy and move forward.

FIFTEEN: NEWS MEDIA

Amendment I “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” (Italics are by this author.) Three little words that today’s media hides behind. If the President bars a reporter these words are brought forth in their defense. It doesn’t matter that the reporter was rude; apparently that is the right of all reporters. It doesn’t matter if the reporter interrupts others; nor does it matter if their actions and speech are disruptive or corrupt. All that matters is they are a reporter and to stop them is an abridgement of the press. Poppycock! Like millions of others I watch the television and read the newspaper to get the latest news. When I was young, TV news was more respectful and more accurate. Moreover, the reporters back then did the work of digging and reporting the news as free as possible from personal bias. Alas those days are gone. For me it’s not as bad as for some. I grew up reading the paper. Back then news and personal opinion were separate. But as years went by, they merged. It was a slow process that enabled me and millions of others to learn how to read between the lines. Unfortunately, TV does not allow for reading between the lines. Television news has what are called Cutting Rooms; these are rooms where the tapes are edited and by necessity, they have to reduce the tapes from something like an hour down to a few minutes or even seconds. It’s a necessity because they only have so many minutes available to show when on the air. It’s also an opportunity. A man or woman with an agenda can remove unwanted recordings and mix and match other pieces to create a completely different view of what took place. Obviously, they will deny this, but I believe it to be true, especially when I see and hear the original and then watch the news media’s report. Do I sound antimedia? To some extent I am. Especially the national media. Local media simply plays out what the national media tells them to show. The trouble with the national media is it doesn’t matter which station does it. Whether you are watching ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, CNBC, FOX, FOX NEWS (yes them also), or any other station, if they have a newsroom then they edit the news you see. And they edit it in support of their agenda. You might say I should listen to radio then. Admittedly they don’t have a cutting room for editing videos, but they have the same constraints of time. So, it would be perfectly plausible if they edit the sound bites, also for necessity. And they have the same opportunity. A lot of information is available on the internet if you are willing to search for it. And you can find blogs that will provide you with consistent detailed information. I have my favorites and I gain information from them. But a blog is primarily an opinion. So, when they quote ‘facts’ you need to look those facts up, because the blog is essentially opinion. But that is fine with me. That is something I can do. While I subscribe to a lot of different blogs, not all are on government or hard news. Some blogs are on marketing, writing, and publishing, while others are more dedicated to hard news. So, I have multiple sources of news that I can use. The problem is it takes time. And not all blogs are a reliable source of news. I tend to listen mostly to those who have a proven track record. And I don’t necessarily agree with all they say. As a subscriber I can listen or read and make my own decisions regarding the particular subject they’re talking about. But it isn’t a substitute for a newspaper. Which sort of makes me mad. The newspaper’s and television news have a duty to provide unbiased reporting. It is why they are protected in the Constitution. Journalism has fallen a long way from the days when reporters dug for every scrap of information they could find. Nowadays it is much easier to find the facts, but now the average reporter seems to think it is their duty to tell the American people, their readers, not only the facts but what to believe. I challenge any reader of this book to pick up their daily newspaper and read the news in Section A. In most newspapers this is the hard news on a national basis. And it is supposed to be news. But when you read the articles you soon discover bias. Bias is a natural part of being human, but in journalism it belongs on the Editorial Page. A good example of current bias is the reporting of President Trump’s speeches, comments, etc. All presidents are quoted and examined, but President Trump’s statements are usually surrounded by words undermining his statement. I have seen instances where his statement was preceded by the reporter’s biased opinion and followed by more words contrasting his statement with a biased opinion of his past. Such reporting would have been condemned by previous generations of reporters. It attempts to paint a picture that negates whatever the President is saying. This type of coverage was unheard of during the Obama Presidency. The news media needs to clean house. They could begin by making sure that the reporter reports only the facts and leaves personal bias on the desk or at least relegated to the Editorial Page. I realize that’s never truly effective, but they should try.

Although I haven’t watched Fox News in years (because I no longer get it), I like the Fox News motto: We report, you decide. It doesn’t matter whether they always achieve that or not, but that they try to provide an unbiased product. As it stands right now, there is not much on television that I can trust.

PART FIVE: FOREIGN AFFAIRS This section covers the Trump Administration’s Foreign Affairs. It is in alphabetical order. Opinion The liberal media and congressional politicians like to say Trump is disrespected and a laughingstock to world leaders. I have a different view. Looking at his goals and accomplishments domestically and internationally you see a man who’s achieved a great deal. Not by being polite or saying ‘please’. Rather, he used his position as the President of the United States to force them to bend to his will. They weren’t laughing when he threatened to pull out of NATO if they didn’t carry their fair share of the burden. Rather, they stepped up to the plate and increased both their financial and military assets to NATO. Our European friends didn’t like it when Trump tightened the screws on the Iranians. But Iran, all bluster aside, is experiencing pressure and our European allies have moved more in our direction. Iranians are getting restive against their government. It’s working! The President was impolite to the former Prime Minister of Great Britain, but when she was gone relations between the U.S. government and Great Britain improved. One commentator called it the beginning of the Anglosphere. Now that the United Kingdom is leaving the EU things are looking promising. (See EU.) President Trump’s brand of diplomacy is working wherever he applies it. He understands what it takes to get these foreign leaders to act and he’s got the patience to wear them out! Check it out:

AFGHANISTAN Opinion We have been at war in Afghanistan since 2001. That’s a long time. On February 29, 2020, the United States signed an historic agreement with the Taliban to begin downsizing our involvement. Will it succeed? The answer to that is unknown. On May 13 a Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Thomas Campbell, said, “ Consistent with the agreement, the U.S. military will continue to conduct defensive strikes against the Taliban when they attack our [Afghan] partners. As the secretary of defense stated recently, this is going to be a windy, bumpy road, but a political agreement is the best way to end the war." Progress toward winding down is ongoing but it is a very slow process. The Trump Administration appears to be balancing the war needs and the downsizing successfully. Even as the world is in the midst of a pandemic. ***

BREXIT Opinion Brexit is now an international fact that will have repercussions around the world, but it will take time for all the negotiating and maneuvering to take place, especially with the EU. But I see an opportunity for President Trump and Prime Minister Boris Johnson. I wouldn’t be surprised if President Trump hasn’t already reached out to the Prime Minister. If he has, it is probably behind the scenes and we won’t learn about it until later. But the fact is we have a history with England. We share a language and much of our Common Law is based on their law. This is a situation I will watch with interest. Most prognosticators don’t see it happening, but they didn’t foresee Trumps election or Boris Johnson’s election. But there are more familiar bonds between Britain and the United States than differences. Also, the President and Prime Minister appear to be made from the same cloth. Obviously COVID-19 delayed any such negotiations, the Prime Minister almost losing his life. In addition, there are problems that need to be ironed out between the United Kingdom and Europe. But once that has been dealt with, I think there will be at least small steps going toward a closer relationship with the United States. ***

CHINA Opinion President Trump is the first president to sit down with the Chinese leader since the Communists took over. While the rewards are coming extremely slow, they are coming. Even during the COVID-19 virus, which started in China, there has been some progress and cooperation from the Chinese. It didn’t come immediately and didn’t come until Trump pointed out it was their lack of communication that left the world in the dark. They tried to shift the blame to the United States, but I know of no country that bought that line. Probably China didn’t buy it either. Another factor regarding China relations is the warming of Taiwan/U.S. relations. We have been rightly been providing military and political aid to Taiwan, thus strengthening her against Chinese attack. This has not gone unnoticed by the Chinese and has strained our relations with them. The attempt, according to our government, of the Chinese to interfere in our election is an interesting factor. I believe they think Biden will be more lenient with them, especially concerning trade secrets and trade itself. He’s been a useful idiot in the past when he was mentally capable, now with rising doubts about his mental sharpness they may see an opportunity. But if we stay the course, China may yet come to the understanding that the United States is no longer a pushover and indeed deserves their respect. Assuming that China becomes more responsible, it is possible that Asia will become more stable. ***

EUROPEAN UNON Opinion The European Union is not an economically healthy union. Before COVID-19 they were struggling with the Euro and Brexit. President Trump understands their problems better than the press. It has been an interesting relationship between them and Trump. Publicly they are partners, semipublic they squabble, but underneath it all, they do bend to Trump’s will. Call him a bully if you want, but this is a case where bullying is just the right mixture. Since Trump took office the EU has acceded to his demands on a number of issues, including NATO and Iran. Those are only two examples. No, he is not a laughingstock! Economically Brexit will impact not just the U.K. but the EU as well. There will be economic, socio/political changes, and a host of others. At this point it is too hard to tell how things will work out. ***

IRAN Opinion In some ways Iran is more dangerous than Russia. Russia has Putin who has dreams of grandeur, but Iran has hate-filled leaders who are unpredictable. They could attack us though it would mean the destruction of their country. President Trump is very knowledgeable about the world. I think he knows the overall weakness of Iran. Despite their military they have a very restive people who are increasingly wanting the freedoms they see in the west. Moreover, they want financial relief which the government cannot or will not provide. It is an explosive situation. The President has kept the pressure on them, and it has been working. They talk loudly but privately they are worried. Some of the President’s critics here in America have expressed ‘concern’ that his policies will fail. This appears a pipe dream. ***

ISRAEL Opinion The United States is a friend to Israel and Israel is a friend to the United States. Over the decades it has been a very profitable relationship between the countries. Profitable in trade, defense, science, and politics. Moving the Embassy to Jerusalem was not only timely but highly visible. It brought condemnation from the world but love from the Israelis. And I read not too long ago that some other countries are considering a similar move. It was a move that the world expected would turn Israel into a warzone, but it didn’t happen. Perhaps because it is already a warzone to a degree, but more likely because the Israelis are very good at defending themselves. In August 2020 Israel and the U.A.E. signed an historic agreement brokered by the Trump Administration. This gives the Peace process a shot in the arm, helps the U.A.E. which is threatened by Iran, and extends Israeli influence. Our defense of Israel is not only important to them but to Evangelicals and Fundamentalists. ***

NORTH KOREA Opinion Describe in one word the leader of North Kora: Crazy! We don’t know what he will do. Normal men would steer clear of him. But President Donald Trump is not normal. I think he sees a child playing with a toy (a nuclear armed N. Korea) and like any good parent he takes action. They have communicated with one another, even sat down together. This is unheard of! ***

NAFTA Opinion The North Atlantic Foreign Trade Agreement was an agreement that hamstrung the United States in international trade. President Trump objected to this as well as other treaties. His strong opposition led to the enactment of the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada agreement) on January 29, 2020. The agreement has leveled the playing field for American trade with both Mexico and Canada. ***

PAKISTAN Opinion In my view, our relationship with Pakistan is a delicate one involving Afghanistan and India. You might think that tough talk from President Trump wouldn’t work in such a mixture, but so far it has. I think that it is important to keep both Pakistan and India as friends. But their territorial arguments could explode into a full-blown war. This isn’t new, it has been going on for decades and has shown little tendency to be resolved. It will surely be a test of the President’s skills. ***

RUSSIA Opinion While Obama was President of the United States the Russian President pursued an agenda in the Crimean Peninsula that alarmed the world. Disrupting and eventually annexing part of the Ukraine (see Ukraine). Many people felt that he was trying to rebuild the old Soviet Union. To do that he needed full control of the Black Sea. It would appear he got what he wanted at that time. But he wanted more. One of the reasons I believe he wanted Clinton to be President instead of Trump is that he had dealt with both previously. He knew Trump would be a tough negotiator and he knew the Clinton Foundation had accepted funds from Russia. He would have an easier time pursuing his dream if she were president. It didn’t happen and he hasn’t achieved his next dream. Instead he has been stalemated. So far, I am unaware of any investigative reporting relative to Putin and the 2016 Election. Does Russia try to influence the course of our elections? Undoubtedly! But when you can’t trust your own FBI (consider the Weapons of Mass Destruction during the Bush Presidency as well as the attempted coup during the Trump’s Presidency) it is very difficult to discern the truth. ***

TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP Opinion The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was signed in 2016 by the Obama Administration, but was never ratified by the Senate. This treaty had numerous problems that quickly made an impact upon the 2016 election. During the election, the candidate Donald Trump added it to a list of treaties that were bad for America and needed to be exited. He promised that if elected he would take America out of it. He kept his promise. In January 2017, the United States formerly withdrew from what was viewed in the President’s words as a “horrible deal.” The Democrats decried this action, but it was the right thing to do, while at the same time the United States indicated a willingness to negotiate a different deal that would give us an even playing field. ***

UKRAINE Opinion Though the Ukraine no longer dominates the world stage, the leaders need peace. In my opinion, they need Russia and the United States to come to some kind of resolution. A resolution that will allow the Ukraine more space to grow stronger economically and politically. It is a situation that we should continue to watch. This chapter has not been an in-depth report. I have tried to show that contrary to the popular opinion that Trump has been ineffective, the opposite is true. He is bigger than life on the international stage. Trump has put his own brand on the "speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far" foreign policy of Theodore Roosevelt. Where President Roosevelt used diplomacy backed by the big stick, President Trump has used strong language and hyperbole. It has largely been misunderstood by the news media either ignorantly or purposefully. But I believe foreign leaders understand it and have seen the necessity to cede to his demands. In either case, he has been able to get foreign leaders to bend to his will while at the same time they retain the respect of their own people. In looking at Trump diplomacy you see that he has thrown aside the failed policies based on meaningless but genteel diplomacy and replaced it with his own. Although the media claims world leaders are laughing at him there is little doubt that his diplomacy has worked much to the chagrin of Russia and China.

PART SIX: DECISION TIME These last few chapters deal with your decision for 2020. I have included three chapters: Decision, Vice President, and Special Report. Decision: As voters maul over Biden’s mental capacity, we know that Trump is capable and experienced. Biden has served the nation for decades, but judgment, memory, and capacity have all decreased. Do you believe he will be anything more than a figurehead? A Vice President Harris will likely exercise Presidential authority. Vice President: A look at Vice President Pence and a Vice President Harris. President Trump values Vice President Pence’s advice and service. Meanwhile, a Democratic victory puts Harris in as Vice President, a far left politician. Special Report: The Special Report deals with the subject of Voter Fraud which is larger than what the media acknowledges. A very thorough article that is available online. I give you the essential message. It is accessible through the Heritage Foundation’s Election Fraud Database.



SIXTEEN: DECISION

The 2020 election is coming upon us fast. It is Donald Trump versus Joe Biden. Have you made up your mind yet? If not consider this. During the 2020 campaign Joe Biden has shown moments of his old self being quick, smart, and on point. But there have been other times when he has been just the opposite, even to the point of not knowing what office he was running for! Or what state he was in! This alone raises red flags. I’m the same age as Joe, but I don’t have the mental problems he seems to have. There is already talk that if elected he would be President in name only and probably his Vice President will be the real power. That’s scary! But there is more! To be nominated, he has also had to use reversals of previously long held convictions. These were convictions that placed him in the Left Center of American politics and is where the party was six years ago. His convictions that he campaigned on election after election remained stalwart. To my knowledge he staked out his ground and stayed there. But in the last few years the party moved further Left. I think that began taking place with Clinton and moved further left in the Mid-Terms. In fact, I am of the persuasion that it moved left of President Obama. But Biden wanted to be the President of the United States. So, he moved further Left. Who is he and what can be expected of him? When you start changing positions held for years, this raises a red flag. Moreover, it scares away people who once supported you. I haven’t heard much from the media on this. It appears to be largely unreported or ignored. But the divide between the Left and the Far Left seems to have grown. In 2018 many Far Left people got elected to the House of Representatives. This group is too small to by themselves take over the party. But they know how to make noise and have learned when to do it. In effect, they forced Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to change her position on such things as impeachment. If you believe her statements early on, she didn’t want to do that, but she did. But that was just the beginning. Then came the revelations concerning Joe’s connections with and the promotion of China. His denials and explanations only seem to raise more questions. The very idea of any politician being a stooge for China is disturbing. The unfounded accusations against Trump colluding with Russia are still fresh in our minds. It leaves me wary of these charges against Biden. Not only the charges concerning his politics but the questions rising due to his son’s dubious business dealings. And then there are the sexual charges. They need to be investigated so the American public can make up their minds about him. But don’t expect the party who was eager to explore all the dirt they could find on Trump to be willing to explore the dirt already discovered on Biden. That said, it’s alarming how a candidate for the Presidency of the United States can be so forgetful as Biden and still be considered a viable candidate. And his unconscionable politicking during the protests over George Floyd’s murder. The George Floyd case doesn’t appear to be as clear cut as we were told. (note: I have not explored his case). As it stands right now, I believe he was murdered and the man responsible needs to be punished. Black Lives Matter movement. This movement has been in the shadows for years. We’ve all heard of them. Most of us probably associated them with violence, racism, and criminal activity. We were unaware of their profound interest in the wellbeing of Black America. (That’s sarcasm if you missed it.) Occasionally, Black Lives Matter gets into the public eye and dirties our image of Black America. In the past, the media condemned them, but now they embrace BLM. Why? Because they believe their own bias. Also, many of the black protestors have identified with BLM. They even talk about their personal ideals and tell us Black Lives Matter believes the same thing. History says otherwise. Black America, in my opinion, is at a crossroads. Long denied the ability to share in the American Dream they were quietly and effectively making headway. Men and women of character were rising above the poverty level, lack of good education (despite millions of dollars thrown at the schools), and lingering suspicion. Although he garnered a minority of votes from Black America in 2016, the resurgence of American business and the economy in general under Trump has lifted them and the Latinos, and all Americans. They were beginning to enjoy the benefits of their homeland! Then came the murder of George Floyd and the outrage felt by black America. The murder of George Floyd provided an opportunity for the left leaning politicians and news media. The BLM saw an opportunity and immediately filled it. Peaceful demonstrations had already occurred and captured the attention of America to a problem largely not seen before; that is, the problem of Police brutality and bias against the Black community. BLM came in with professionally prepared signs and took over the movement. This was seen on our

television sets. Spontaneous protests don’t have professionally prepared signs. Those take time and planning. Soon buildings were being burnt down (black owned businesses in black communities), people were beaten, and cops were attacked. And our brave city and state officials around America caved. Instead of only allowing peaceful demonstrations, the politicians hamstrung the police and the rest is history. One interesting footnote on the ‘protests’ was that the media and liberal politicians apparently equate rioting, robbery, and destruction of personal property to be the same as protesting. They vilified the President because he stood for law and order. I also noted that many, perhaps most, black people seemed to agree with the President. Instead of violence they chose peace; and instead of robbery they chose prayer and proper protest. But, for the most part, the media underreported them. The truth is black lives matter. That’s true of Latino lives, and white lives. We live in a world where people seek to dominate others. God never intended that. It is important to note that slavery is not a black issue. There has been slavery of most if not all races. The blacks are the most recent. Prior to black slavery you had the Jewish people who still have to fight to keep their freedom and their lives. They have been persecuted for the longest time. There is ongoing white slavery, which is usually white women who are kidnapped and sold into slavery. It is a broad issue that needs addressed. Then there’s police brutality. The problem with the police is they’re made up of flawed human beings. Police departments try to screen all who want to be a policeman or policewoman. But you can’t see all contingencies. Defunding the Police The initial meaning of this was to shut the police down. And some municipalities took steps in that direction. It is an absolutely stupid and dangerous action! And is being played out on national television. Now they have a new interpretation. Defund the Police means replacing cops with social workers. Dumb! The idea is to send these social workers into certain situations rather than police. They would then be able to resolve the problem without anyone being hurt. The problem is shifting funds from the police department to other areas. If you remove cops on the ground, you lesson security. If you transfer monies to other areas, you again impact the number of police. You also will see services such as 911, the Police Athletic League, and others shut down or severely handicapped. These services are still seen as important, but they would be the most likely affected. When a crook sees his/her chance of getting away with a criminal act, they will take it. Defunding the police is a dangerous idea; adding social workers might be worthy of consideration. But it will require more money. That’s enough to make a person think Trump! While this book has been about Donald Trump, I look for a Republican resurgence in both the House and Senate. In 2018 it was expected that the Democrats would take the House. This was the historical pattern for decades. The party out of power usually wins either the House or the Senate in Mid-term elections. When the Democrats won the House, they called it a Blue Wave. But a Blue Wave would have been winning both the House and the Senate. They didn’t! The predicted Blue Wave never happened, although they contend it did. Yes, they won a majority of the House seats, but Republicans added to their lead in the Senate. The 2020 election has consistently looked to be a big year for Republicans. Prior to COVID 19 it was an overwhelming economy and an immature Democratic minority that dominated the picture. Then came COVID 19. When the President acted to suspend flights from China, the Democrats, including Biden, called him ‘racist’ and ‘rash’. But when they realized COVID 19 was real they became critical, obstinate, and opportunistic (adding billions for wasteful and highly political issues). All of this has played out before an intelligent citizenry capable of digging for truth on their own. Americans are not the naïve people Democrats can take advantage of as in the past. Today the average Americans have an understanding, and ability to dig for information. The informed American doesn’t take the biased reporting of the media as truth. They check it out for themselves. It’s a time-consuming effort to separate truth from fiction, but it is worth it.

Vice-President Mike Pence

SEVENTEEN: VICE-PRESIDENT

I am a fan of the Vice President. It has been a long time since we have had a Vice President who is more than a figurehead. While Joe Biden was apparently a man who worked behind the scenes furthering Obama’s agenda, in my opinion he was more of a political figurehead. Mike Pence is different. He supports the agenda set by the President, but in many ways, he is an activist Vice President who has influenced the President to take action on several fronts. He’s a man who has earned the President’s trust performing the will of the President with grace, skill, and aplomb. More important than that is he is a born-again believer in Jesus Christ. What does that mean? It is a biblical term that means he trusted Jesus Christ to save him and the Lord accepted his faith in Him and saved him. Although the term is usually associated with Baptists, there are Christians around the world that belong to other denominations. They may not understand it as well as Baptists do, but their faith is in what Christ did for them and not in baptism or any other work. That’s a simple explanation. For more, go to tr-writingservices.com and click on Faith. But what it means for all Americans is that we have a highly moral man in the Administration who has the President’s ear. This has resulted in a number of decisions that Christians and other religions benefit from. However, the Vice President has come under fire from liberals for wide ranging and often silly criticisms. The more influence he gains, and the more Americans see him in public the more these attacks come. Consider it a badge of honor. The Biblical Comparison. If you are a student of the Bible you might have seen a slight comparison between Donald Trump/Mike Pence with Nebuchadnezzar/Daniel. If not, consider this. Donald Trump’s past life has often been brought up as proof of his immoral character. Some charges are old and have been documented; other charges simply appear to be false. Mike Pence is a born-again man who was Governor of Indiana. He was selected by Trump to be his Vice President. Nebuchadnezzar was a Gentile dictator who was worshipped as deity. He was proud, ruthless, and not religious. Daniel was a prince, possibly a descendant of King Hezekiah. A teenager at the time of the fall of Jerusalem he was taken to Babylon and made a eunuch. When you compare these two combinations you see a godly man influencing his leader. Nebuchadnezzar was ungodly, yet there is evidence he may have gotten saved under Daniel’s ministry. On the other hand, Trump is a man with a bad past. Unlike Nebuchadnezzar he is a religious man, who might have gotten saved not long ago. There are two things that should be remembered: One is that God chooses who He wants and we have no right to criticize; second, Daniel was and Pence is devoted to the will of God and both influenced their leaders. For example, many of Trump’s decisions I believe can be traced back to Pence or to the advice of Christian men and women Trump has surrounded himself with. As Pence’s star has risen, he has gained enemies. Some are absolutely hateful and are willing to spread lies. This is much like Daniel who was hated by certain Chaldeans and was plotted against. They accused him before Nebuchadnezzar and he ended up in the lions’ den, so to speak. It was Daniel’s constant faith in God and testimony before his king that won the king’s heart. A fanciful comparison? Perhaps. But Pence’s influence is undeniable. And the Christian church has much to be thankful for as the President has removed anti-Christian rules and attitudes that dominated the previous administration. Where once Christians were concerned about their future, they now are more willing to express their faith and serve God without fear. There is still work to be done, but progress is being made. Vice-President candidate Kamala Harris

Senator Harris is currently serving a term from 2017 to 2023. The senator is from California and is a former candidate for the Presidency.

During the Presidential campaign Senator Kamala Harris rose to the top briefly. I evaluated her in a previous book and suggested she might be the Presidential Nominee. But then Biden caught fire right about the time she was falling out of popularity. Winning a debate in June placed her in serious consideration, but her caustic and biased manner may have turned moderate and independent voters against her. Her debates were also platforms where she attacked the former Vice-President on ‘busing’ and working with segregationists. How does she walk that back? But then came the scandal regarding the withholding of evidence. The scandal goes directly to how she managed her office. She claimed she knew nothing of this, but as head of the office she should have known. This hit her hard and she tumbled. And when Joe grabbed the lead it was over. Then there is her anti-Catholic bigotry that was recently revealed. I am not a Catholic, but as a Baptist and more importantly a Christian I believe in and treasure our Constitutional right to freedom of religion. In an article by Newt Gingrich, a Catholic, he points out, ‘Her record is perfectly clear. She is openly anti-Catholic in confirming federal judges, wanting to prosecute the Little Sisters of the Poor, closing Catholic Hospitals who don’t join her union allies, and favoring tax paid abortion up until birth (in fact, she has twice voted against bills that would ensure that babies who lived through abortion procedures got medical care).’ Emphasis added. Here’s another sampling, ‘The most explicit example of Sen. Harris’s anti-Catholic bigotry was her treatment of now-US District Court Judge Brian Buescher during his confirmation hearings. Specifically, she questioned Buescher’s membership in the Knights of Columbus …’. What is noticeable about all of this is that Joe Biden is a Catholic. If you were running for office, would you want as your political partner a person who is a bigot and that bigotry is aimed at your faith? Repeatedly Kamala Harris has shown that she is unfit for the Presidency of the United States. Yet if Biden wins that is most likely what she will become. And rather quickly. As a Vice-Presidential nominee she will be susceptible to all of her history. The only scheduled debate between her and Mike Pence will be Wednesday, October 7 at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. She will be going against an experienced debater and a winner in the 2016 debates. And you can be sure her past will be brought up. But don’t count on the hosts to bring it up. Usually the hosts, in my opinion, support the Democratic candidate and only throw softballs. However, her support for Medicare-for-All with a public option puts her in the Moderately Left column as does her support for Israel. Yet in many ways she is Far Left. Because she favors the public option and supports Israel, I have marked her Moderately Left. But that is still very much to the Left. And she supports such things as the Green New Deal, straddles the fence on police defunding, and supports other extreme left ideas championed by the Left. These leave wide gaps in her resume that Pence can attack. While her aggressiveness as a prosecutor and Senator is seen as a plus by many, it is also a mine field she will have to tread through carefully. Democratic National Convention News: The secret is out: Biden and Harris were chosen as the Democratic nominees for President and VicePresident. It is a Far-Left ticket and the convention did nothing to change that. It could be called a Socialist ticket. Republican National Convention News: Despite rumors otherwise the Republicans nominated Donald J. Trump and Michael R. Pence as President and Vice-President. It is a Right ticket with a touch of Populism. It is called a Make America Great Again ticket. So, Who Wins? With the country in a recovery mode Americans now have a chance to reflect upon the eight years of Obama versus the almost four years of Trump and they will prefer the latter!

EIGHTEEN: SPECIAL REPORT

[This is a Special Report on Voter Fraud by the Heritage Foundation, a Conservative public policy think tank. According to Wikipedia “It is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C., primarily geared towards public policy. The Heritage Foundation has continued to have a significant influence in U.S. public policy making, and is considered to be one of the most influential conservative public policy organizations in the United States.”] The Heritage Foundation’s Election Fraud Database presents a sampling of recent proven instances of election fraud from across the country. This database is not an exhaustive or comprehensive list. It does not capture all cases and certainly does not capture reported instances that are not investigated or prosecuted. It is intended to demonstrate the vulnerabilities in the election system and the many ways in which fraud is committed. In addition to diluting the votes of legitimate voters, fraud can have an impact in close elections, and we have many close elections in this country. Preventing, deterring, and prosecuting election fraud is essential to protecting the integrity of our voting process. Reforms intended to ensure such integrity do not disenfranchise voters and, in fact, protect their right to vote. Winning elections leads to political power and the incentives to take advantage of security vulnerabilities are great, so it is important that we take reasonable steps to make it hard to cheat, while making it easy for legitimate voters to vote. [Voter Fraud page of Heritage.org] [In their report they begin by providing a KEY that both informs and helps you understand the subject a little better. What begins on the following page is taken from their database. TYPES OF CASES CRIMINAL CONVICTION: Any case that results in a defendant entering a plea of guilty or no contest or being found guilty in court of election-related offenses. CIVIL PENALTY: Any civil case resulting in fines or other penalties imposed for a violation of election laws. DIVERSION PROGRAM: Any criminal case in which a judge directs a defendant into a pre-trial diversion program or stays or defers adjudication with the understanding that the conviction will be cleared upon completion of the program. JUDICIAL FINDING: A finding by a court of law that fraud occurred in an election, including judicial orders overturning election results or ordering a new election due to fraud. OFFICIAL FINDING: A finding by a government body that fraud occurred in an election, including orders overturning election results or ordering a new election due to fraud. TYPES OF VOTER FRAUD IMPERSONATION FRAUD AT THE POLLS: Voting in the name of other legitimate voters and voters who have died, moved away, or lost their right to vote because they are felons, but remain registered. FALSE REGISTRATIONS: Voting under fraudulent voter registrations that either use a phony name and a real or fake address or claim residence in a particular jurisdiction where the registered voter does not actually live and is not entitled to vote. DUPLICATE VOTING: Registering in multiple locations and voting in the same election in more than one jurisdiction or state. FRAUDULENT USE OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS: Requesting absentee ballots and voting without the knowledge of the actual voter; or obtaining the absentee ballot from a voter and either filling it in directly and forging the voter’s signature or illegally telling the voter who to vote for. BUYING VOTES: Paying voters to cast either an in-person or absentee ballot for a particular candidate. ILLEGAL “ASSISTANCE” AT THE POLLS: Forcing or intimidating voters—particularly the elderly, disabled, illiterate, and those for whom English is a second language—to vote for particular candidates while supposedly providing them with “assistance.” INELIGIBLE VOTING: Illegal registration and voting by individuals who are not U.S. citizens, are convicted felons, or are otherwise not eligible to vote. ALTERING THE VOTE COUNT: Changing the actual vote count either in a precinct or at the central location where votes are counted. BALLOT PETITION FRAUD: Forging the signatures of registered voters on the ballot petitions that must be filed with election officials in some states for a candidate or issue to be listed on the official ballot. The report provides a state after state listing of voter fraud examples detailing when, where, who, and what. It is wise to remember that just one case of voter fraud can turn an election upside down and disenfranchise legitimate voters.

NINETEEN: MY PREDICTION

I’ve already alluded to what I believe. But here I will state it as clearly as I know how. I believe that the American people are fed up with the lies of the Media and the Democrats. We have been fed a line of lies and false statements dating back to the Bush Administration and earlier. I have come to the conclusion that the Democrats are not interested in improving our country. They are sold out to the Far Left. Growing up I always knew they were the party of the Left. But it was a party of Left Centrists and produced politicians who leaned to the Left but were willing to negotiate and compromise. But that is not where they are today. They sold out whatever values they had and now the Party kneels or soon will kneel before the banner of the Left. They will strip America of her wealth and health. All the successes that we have seen under Trump will be torn down and we will become a Third World country where Christianity is banned, private enterprise will disappear and be replaced with government owned and controlled business, and where poverty will rule the day. It is not a pretty picture, but that is what I see under a Democratic Administration. Doubt it look at other countries that went socialist. That’s not fear; it’s fact! God is giving us one more chance. For America to become really great, we need a revival where we put God back on the throne of our hearts!

TWENTY: TRUMP’S PLEDGE

Here is an outline of President Trump pledges. JOBS Create 10 Million New Jobs in 10 Months Create 1 Million New Small Businesses Cut Taxes to Boost Take-Home Pay and Keep Jobs in America Enact Fair Trade Deals that Protect American Jobs “Made in America” Tax Credits Expand Opportunity Zones Continue Deregulatory Agenda for Energy Independence ERADICATE COVID-19 Develop a Vaccine by The End Of 2020 Return to Normal in 2021 Make All Critical Medicines and Supplies for Healthcare Workers in The United States Refill Stockpiles and Prepare for Future Pandemics END OUR RELIANCE ON CHINA Bring Back 1 Million Manufacturing Jobs from China Tax Credits for Companies that Bring Back Jobs from China Allow 100% Expensing Deductions for Essential Industries like Pharmaceuticals and Robotics who Bring Back their Manufacturing to the United States No Federal Contracts for Companies who Outsource to China Hold China Fully Accountable for Allowing the Virus to Spread around the World HEALTHCARE Cut Prescription Drug Prices Put Patients and Doctors Back in Charge of our Healthcare System Lower Healthcare Insurance Premiums End Surprise Billing Cover All Pre-Existing Conditions Protect Social Security and Medicare Protect Our Veterans and Provide World-Class Healthcare and Services EDUCATION Provide School Choice to Every Child in America Teach American Exceptionalism DRAIN THE SWAMP Pass Congressional Term Limits End Bureaucratic Government Bullying of U.S. Citizens and Small Businesses Expose Washington’s Money Trail and Delegate Powers Back to People and States Drain the Globalist Swamp by Taking on International Organizations That Hurt American Citizens DEFEND OUR POLICE Fully Fund and Hire More Police and Law Enforcement Officers Increase Criminal Penalties for Assaults on Law Enforcement Officers Prosecute Drive-By Shootings as Acts of Domestic Terrorism Bring Violent Extremist Groups Like ANTIFA to Justice End Cashless Bail and Keep Dangerous Criminals Locked Up until Trial DEFEND AMERICAN VALUES Continue nominating Constitutionalist Supreme Court and lower court judges Protect unborn life through every means available Defend the freedom of religious believers and organizations Support the exercise of Second Amendment rights END ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND PROTECT AMERICAN WORKERS Block Illegal Immigrants from Becoming Eligible for Taxpayer-Funded Welfare, Healthcare, and Free College Tuition Mandatory Deportation for Non-Citizen Gang Members Dismantle Human Trafficking Networks End Sanctuary Cities to Restore our Neighborhoods and Protect our Families Prohibit American Companies from Replacing United States Citizens with Lower-Cost Foreign Workers Require New Immigrants to Be Able to Support Themselves Financially INNOVATE FOR THE FUTURE Launch Space Force, Establish Permanent Manned Presence on The Moon and Send the First Manned Mission to Mars Build the World’s Greatest Infrastructure System Win the Race to 5G and Establish a National High-Speed Wireless Internet Network Continue to Lead the World in Access to the Cleanest Drinking Water and Cleanest Air Partner with Other Nations to Clean Up our Planet’s Oceans

AMERICA FIRST FOREIGN POLICY Stop Endless Wars and Bring Our Troops Home Get Allies to Pay their Fair Share Maintain and Expand America’s Unrivaled Military Strength Wipe Out Global Terrorists Who Threaten to Harm Americans Build a Great Cybersecurity Defense System and Missile Defense System This is quite a list of goals but based on his first four years it certainly looks attainable. A key to all of this would not only be his reelection, but the Republicans taking back the House and increasing their lead in the Senate. This last statement about the Senate was shown in a recent vote. Although Senate Republicans hold a lead in the Senate it is not enough to get passage of bills that are not bipartisan. They need enough votes to guarantee passage of Trump’s agenda. In the House it is a matter of which party is the majority. As long as the Democrats control the House much time will be wasted in posturing and going after the President rather than accomplishing anything. Back in 2018 the Democrats claimed they had a Blue Wave. This is obviously not true as a Blue Wave would have at least increased their Senate seats and more likely would have captured the Senate. Neither happened. This year I believe we need a real Red Wave. That means increasing our Republican Senate seats and taking back the House. If that happens then it is safe to say that our government will get back to the business of governing rather than posturing. At least one of the goal listed above I will call a miracle if it happens and that is getting Congress (even a Republican Congress) to vote for Congressional Term Limits. I hope the President can pull it off! He has a record of fulfilling or at least striving to fulfill his promises. With a Republican Congress there’s no telling what he can accomplish. I’m expecting great things! ~

REVIEW REQUESTED Dear Reader, If you enjoyed Trump: An Outsider’s View, why not review it? I provide free copies (PDF) for honest reviews. How do I review the book? Simple. Use a rating of 1 to 5 with 1 the lowest and 5 the highest. Then simply give a detailed reason for the rating. Here are the steps: Read the book. Rate the book. Give detailed reason for the rating. Post. Let me know If you do review the book on Amazon, I thank you in advance. Your opinion is important to me. It will help potential readers to decide and it will help me to become a better writer. To contact me (R. Frederick Riddle) simply send an email to [email protected] with “Book Review of [title]” in the subject line. Be sure to indicate desired format of book.

RESOURCES In the process of researching this book I used many resources. Here is an alphabetical list of most of them: Businessinsider.com CenterforHealthSecurity.org CDC.gov Department of Defense (DOD) Dick Morris Lunch Alerts (videos) Florida Department of Health Google.com National Review NCSL National Conference of State Legislatures Newspaper (local) Personal Friends Personal Observation Statista Trump Official Biography USA: HealthMetrics.heart.org Wikipedia W.H.O. In some cases, I have used multiple resources for the data. Sometimes by choice and sometimes one resource was quoting another resource. I have also read numerous articles on President Trump, both pro and con. One of the most reliable resources has been Dick Morris’ Lunch Alerts (videos). He gives you facts, well researched facts. When I first came across his Lunch Alerts, I was impressed but also dubious. But I began paying attention and doing my own research. It didn’t take long to realize he is very accurate. He was one of the first to say that Trump would win the 2016 election and he gave his reasons. The accuracy was point on and the reasons have been substantiated. Another resource has been friendships. I have been blessed by knowing people who are very knowledgeable. For example, a friend who works in the medical industry was the first who told me about the Medicare premium for COVID-19 patients. While this is undoubtedly a good thing, there are unintended consequences that resulted in overstated cases and deaths. But my own observations were also important. Instead of just taking in the media’s reporting, I began paying attention. That’s when I realized the media was only telling part of the story, the part that fed their agenda. The emphasis in the COVID-19 reporting was how dangerous it was. So, they focused on the cases. Yes, the number of cases was important, but the death rate was the most important and this was underreported except when it pushed their agenda. We all remember the body bags in New York. That was widely reported. But when you went beyond New York City and looked at the national picture you began to see that the death rate not only flattened but plunged! And the body bags disappeared as well! So, what is the media agenda you ask? Primarily to influence readers against the President so that when they vote they will vote for someone else. The media and their fact checkers will deny this, but what other explanation can you give? Incompetency? Maybe. Lack of oversight? Possibly. Willful disregard for the truth? Likely. But the evidence points to the #NeverTrump point of view. Whatever the reason the Left is poised to destroy the country. It doesn’t matter if you are concerned about the economy, our veterans, the Constitution, the environment, or freedom of religion, the Left is on the wrong side both historically and Constitutionally. But they don’t care. They believe that the effort to get rid of President Trump gives them the right to use any method possible. In other words, their agenda justifies the methods. We can’t let them succeed.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

R. Frederick Riddle loved writing long before publishing his first book in 2003. Over the years he has established himself as a writer of Bible based books. While not all are Bible based this has been his forte. A student of the Bible as well as a student of writing, he has now written three books of the World That Was series (Perished, World of Noah and the Ark, World of Shem, and World of Abraham). To inquire about his books or to comment on his books he can be reached at his Facebook Business page which is at https://www.facebook.com/RFrederickRiddlesWorld/ or on Twitter at AuthorRiddle.

BOOKS BY R. FREDERICK RIDDLE The author and his wife Teresa (aka Tess) are co-founders of T&R Independent Books. NON-FICTION 2020 Election Candidates and Issues  Trump an Outsider’s View So You Want To Write _____________________________________

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