I'm going to link and paste the New York Times report on Dr. Fauci's testimony today, the link includes video of his remarks, then move forward to some of our stats - but not the complete histories on the crime or the virus locally - hopefully will return to that a bit later because there are terrific reports from Zeta on the front line medical responders and investigative exposes of the violent crime in our region.
Meanwhile, gosh you know what, I like the New York Times and I feel they are entirely ethical unlike
some down here who do not:"El New York Times es un Periodico Famoso, Pero Con Poca Etica", Afirma AMLO".
Didn't Trump say basically the same thing more or less? Still, this is the guy who would not allow reporters from Zeta access to AMLO events...two events actually:
~ From La Silla Rota :
Niegan Acceso a Periodistas del Semanario Zeta En Evento de AMLO
Por, Eduardo Rubio
As far as Azam Ahmed and his ethics, you can read all of his material here:
Azam Ahmed
Never forget The Pentagon Papers ! (;
~~~~
~ From MSN/The New York Times - click title link for videos
At Senate Hearing, Government Experts Paint Bleak Picture Of the Pandemic
by, Sheryl Gay Stolberg
"WASHINGTON — Two of the federal government’s top health officials painted a grim picture of the months ahead on Tuesday, warning a Senate panel that the coronavirus pandemic was far from contained, just a day after President Trump declared that “we have met the moment and we have prevailed.”
The officials — Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, and Dr. Robert R. Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — predicted dire consequences if the nation reopened its economy too soon, noting that the United States still lacked critical testing capacity and the ability to trace the contacts of those infected.
“If we do not respond in an adequate way when the fall comes, given that it is without a doubt that there will be infections that will be in the community, then we run the risk of having a resurgence,” said Dr. Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who is at the forefront of efforts to find a coronavirus vaccine.
If states reopen their economies too soon, he warned, “there is a real risk that you will trigger an outbreak that you may not be able to control,” which could result not only in “some suffering and death that could be avoided, but could even set you back on the road to trying to get economic recovery.”
Dr. Fauci’s remarks, during a high-profile — and partly virtual — hearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, along with those of Dr. Redfield, made clear that the nation had not yet prevailed.
They appeared to rattle the markets, driving the S&P 500 down as investors weighed the potential of a second wave of infections against Mr. Trump’s promises that the economy would bounce back once stay-at-home restrictions were lifted. Worrisome reports of spikes in infections in countries like China, South Korea and Germany, where lockdowns had been lifted, seemed to confirm the American officials’ fears.
Here in Washington, Dr. Fauci and Dr. Redfield, who have been barred by the White House from appearing before the Democratic-controlled House, drew a very different picture of the state of the pandemic than the president, who has cheered for a swift reopening, championed protesters demanding an end to the quarantine and predicted the beginning of a “transition to greatness.”
Dr. Fauci told senators that coronavirus therapeutics and a vaccine would almost certainly not be ready in time for the new school year, that outbreaks in other parts of the world would surely reach the United States and that humility in the face of an unpredictable killer meant erring on the side of caution, even with children, who have fared well but have recently shown new vulnerabilities.
Dr. Redfield pleaded with senators to build up the nation’s public health infrastructure, even as he acknowledged that the C.D.C. had not filled 30 jobs authorized by Congress last year to expand its capacity to track outbreaks, and had yet to put in place a “comprehensive surveillance” system to monitor outbreaks in nursing homes, which have been hard hit by the pandemic.
“We are not out of the woods yet,” he said, “but we are more prepared.”
The two were among four government doctors — the others were Dr. Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of food and drugs, and Adm. Brett P. Giroir, an assistant secretary for health — who testified remotely during the hearing. Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee, who like Dr. Fauci, Dr. Redfield and Dr. Hahn is in quarantine after being exposed to the coronavirus, presided as the committee’s chairman from his home in Maryville, Tenn.
The doctors’ downbeat assessments came as the death toll in the United States surpassed 81,000 — a figure that Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, noted was “45 times the rate of South Korea.” The hearing, titled “Covid-19: Safely Getting Back to Work and Back to School,” offered little concrete advice on how that would happen. It was the first chance lawmakers have had to publicly question the officials in Congress since Mr. Trump declared a national emergency two months ago — and to do so without Mr. Trump standing nearby.
Despite the gloomy predictions for the months ahead, the experts drew a somewhat more upbeat picture over the long term. Asked by Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, if the scientists would ultimately develop a vaccine, Dr. Fauci said: “It’s definitely not a long shot, Senator Romney. I would think that it’s more likely than not that we will.”
And Admiral Giroir assured Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, that his office was determined to see to it that a vaccine “reaches all segments of society regardless of their ability to pay.”
Some Republicans sounded their own upbeat note. Mr. Alexander proclaimed testing in the United States “impressive” and “enough to begin going back to work.” Senator Mike Braun, Republican of Indiana, agreed, saying in an interview, “I have great optimism that we won’t backslide.”
But the sentiment was not universal. Mr. Romney drew an unfavorable comparison between South Korea, which conducted 140,000 tests by March 6 and has had 258 deaths from Covid-19, and the United States, which had conducted about 2,000 tests by March 6.
“I find our testing record is nothing to celebrate,” Mr. Romney said.
For Dr. Redfield, who has largely been sidelined by Mr. Trump — at least in the administration’s public response — the hearing was a rare opportunity to speak directly to Americans, though he often seemed at pains not to showcase any disagreements with the president. Dr. Fauci, one of the most visible federal health officials and voices in the pandemic, has had less frequent appearances at the podium the past two weeks, since Mr. Trump abandoned his daily coronavirus task force briefings. Often the subject of speculation that the president will fire him, Dr. Fauci reassured senators that their relationship was intact.
“There is certainly not a confrontational relationship between me and the president,” he said, adding that when he gives Mr. Trump advice, “he hears that, he respects it, he gets opinions from a variety of other people.”
The hearing scene was extraordinary. The wood-paneled hearing room, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, was set up with tables along all four walls, so senators — some of whom were wearing masks that they removed while speaking — could sit a reasonable distance apart.
Those who participated virtually gave viewers a peek into their private lives. Senator Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the panel, appeared beside a pine cabinet in her home office. Mr. Alexander’s dog, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Rufus, slept in the background as he spoke.
The mood was at times tense. Mr. Alexander put Democrats on notice not to engage in “finger pointing” and insisted that “even the experts underestimated Covid-19.” Ms. Murray followed that by calling Mr. Trump’s response “a disaster,” adding: “The president isn’t telling the truth. We must, and our witnesses must.”
Across the Capitol, House Democrats on Tuesday unveiled a $3 trillion economic stimulus measure to respond to the pandemic, including $1 trillion in aid to state, local and tribal governments, another round of $1,200 direct payments to American families, and more money for jobless aid and food assistance.
Ms. Murray used her time to make a pitch for the package, saying Republicans — who have already joined with Democrats in approving nearly $3 trillion in government aid — had not done enough.
“What good is a bridge that only gets you to the middle of the river?” she asked.
There were flash points between the witnesses and the senators, as well. In one sharp exchange, Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, pressed his belief that children needed to return to school and told Dr. Fauci that his voice was not the only one senators would listen to.
“I think we ought to have a little bit of humility in our belief that we know what’s best for the economy,” Mr. Paul said. “And as much as I respect you, Dr. Fauci, I don’t think you’re the end-all. I don’t think you’re the one person who gets to make a decision.”
Dr. Fauci replied, “We should be humble about what we don’t know.” But, he continued, “we really better be very careful, particularly when it comes to children,” because new research is showing that they may not be “completely immune to the deleterious effects” of Covid-19.
The White House has put out guidelines for states to follow, called “Opening Up America Again,” in planning how to reopen businesses and get people back to work and school. The plan recommends, among other things, that before reopening, states should have a “downward trajectory of positive tests” or a “downward trajectory of documented cases” of the coronavirus over two weeks, while conducting robust contact tracing and “sentinel surveillance” testing of asymptomatic people in vulnerable populations, like nursing homes.
But the guidelines are not mandatory, and many states are reopening without adhering to them, seeking to ease the pain as millions of working people and small-business owners are facing economic ruin while sheltering at home.
Senator Christopher S. Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, complained on Tuesday that Dr. Fauci and the other witnesses were “trying to have it both ways” by saying that states should not reopen too early while giving governors guidance that was “criminally vague.”
The C.D.C. has been working on a more specific plan that has been held up by the White House. Mr. Murphy demanded to know when it would be released — especially given that states were reopening.
“Is it this week? Is it next week?” the senator asked. Dr. Redfield replied that the guidance would be on the C.D.C.’s website “soon,” after being reviewed by Mr. Trump’s coronavirus task force.
“Soon isn’t terribly helpful,” Mr. Murphy shot back."
Then there is this report from AP:
~ From MSN/AP:
As Trump Urges Reopening, Thousands Getting Sick On the Job
by, David Crary
~~~~~
Down this aways, remember what Presidente AMLO said back on May the 4th:
~ From El Politologo:
El 17 de Mayo Vamos a Regreso a la Normalidad: AMLO
"This morning, during the Executive's press conference with the representatives of the media, the president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador , explained that in some places it will " return to normal " next Sunday, May 17, after the days of isolation derived from the Covid 19 pandemic.
I tell you: there is little left.
The president pointed out that the indications of the experts, "the scientists," who have helped the Federal Government to contain the pandemic, must continue.
"Almost there. The light is already visible at the end of the tunnel. I think it will be nothing more this month . That is my forecast.
Even in some places, we will return to normal, little by little, carefully, with sanitary measures, from the 17th .
And, on June 1st, we want to do it nationwide. Carefully. So there is certainty."
May 17th is four days away.
~~~~~
~ Local Covid-19 stats:
A note that in Baja California 70 Maquiladoras reopen..." 40,000 workers restarted work this week and 30% more companies are expected to re-open. From Luis Manuel Hernandez, Presidente de Index Zona Costa, " we have seen high pressure from the United States Manufacturing Association sending letters to the [Mexican] Federal Government."
***Note: Inotherwords, United States Big Business Pressured Mexico To Re-Open The Maqs. Well, you guys remember what JFK called U.S. Big Business? C'mon I know you remember...he called them "S.O.B's."
Baja California: 2,524 Infections and 433 Deaths :
Por COVID-19 se Preve Dificil Regresa a Clases Presenciales en BC; Hay Mas de 2 Mil 500 Contagios
Por, Uriel Saucedo
~~~~~
Nation wide: 38,324 Infections and 3,926 Deaths :
Suman 3 Mil 926 Defunciones de COVID-19 en Mexico
~~~~~
Local Drug War stats:
YTD Tijuana = 726 Dead
YTD Baja California = 985 Dead
Tres cadaveres Calcinados en Tijuana
Por, Gerado Andrade
"According to information obtained by ZETA, around 16:05 hours on Tuesday, May 12, residents of the Rancho Las Flores neighborhood, in Tijuana, reported to the emergency number 911, that in an unpopulated area, attached to a hill, They had found three people lifeless, handcuffed and charred.
The first agents to arrive at the crime scene confirmed that there were charred human beings, so elements of the Fire Department attended, although the fire had already been extinguished by consuming the bodies.
After the fire was completely put down, the authorities were able to see three totally burned corpses and the case was taken by the State Investigation Agency, which on Tuesday night, was still looking for clues to determine if there were more victims among the ashes found in the place.
Neighbors who were near the macabre scene, informed ZETA that in that area of the city located in the Playas delegation, there is a lot of drug sales, and homicides are unfortunately common.
However, they pointed out that they had never witnessed something so "gloomy", the bodies were completely charred and the smell could be perceived from several kilometers away.
"I had never seen anything like this, because poor people, who know who they were, were there, there, (he pointed to the direction where the bodies were found) I find it very sad because this (homicides) is getting worse," said one neighbor of the Rancho Las Flores neighborhood.
24 hours before the discovery of the burned bodies, eleven people had been killed in different parts of the city of Tijuana, one of those executions was in the same delegation of Playas, in the courtyard of a house located on Morelia street in the neighborhood. Artesanal, a man identified by the name of Sergio was shot, the experts located 10 scene casings in the scene.
Tijuana has a total of 726 victims of intentional homicides so far in 2020, according to the State Attorney General's Office (FGE), a high percentage of the 985 murders committed in the same period, in Baja California."
~~~~~
Take care everyone.