Light News

Max von Sydow
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_von_Sydow
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001884/

The D.C. District Court has granted a nationwide injunction blocking portions of the Administration’s cruel rule that would strip SNAP benefits from 700,000 Americans if implemented April 1
https://twitter.com/RepMarciaFudge/status/1238622794524622848

A parliamentary committee on Thursday warned that China and Russia are threatening Canada's national security and democracy by stepping up "clandestine and coercive" efforts to influence politicians, students and the media. "The threat is real, if often hidden"
https://www.france24.com/en/20200312-canada-intelligence-committee-warns-of-brazen-interference-by-china-russia

Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has been diagnosed with coronavirus
https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/live-coverage-of-australias-coronavirus-outbreak/live-coverage/1c9f53b5f9f7c48d7f41daa36d3ec447

Bernie opening new offices in Philly & Pittsburgh...PA doesn't vote till 4/28. He's taking this all the way to the convention.
https://twitter.com/VABVOX/status/1238449687302201345

Bernie opens 5 new offices in PA. Joe closes offices to prevent the spread of coronavirus. This is getting fucking ridiculous.
https://billypenn.com/2020/03/13/bernie-sanders-is-opening-five-campaign-offices-in-joe-bidens-native-pa/

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Refused To Campaign More For Sanders | Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) turned down repeated requests from Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign to appear at events promoting the Vermont senator’s candidacy in recent weeks, according to three people familiar with the discussions. | The absence of the popular progressive lawmaker on the trail in the weeks that followed was even more notable. In nearly a month that passed from Feb. 11  until March 8 ― two days before the Michigan primary ― Ocasio-Cortez declined multiple invitations from Sanders’ campaign to speak on his behalf in Nevada, South Carolina and the 14 states that voted on Super Tuesday, the three people told HuffPost. | After that, Ocasio-Cortez ― already annoyed with the campaign’s Jan. 23 decision to publicize the endorsement of controversial podcast host Joe Rogan ― grew less interested in helping Sanders’ campaign, according to the source. After her last event in Iowa on Jan. 26, she did not return to the trail for Sanders until 16 days later, at the New Hampshire rally featuring The Strokes.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-bernie-sanders-campaign-rallies_n_5e6ade51c5b6bd8156f44356

My suspicion for a hot minute has been that AOC overreacted to his heart attack and endorsed him because she felt like she owed her political career to him in some ways, and now kind of regrets it. I noticed her dialing back her surrogate work considerably after the Warren fallout. I think she became acutely aware of the sexism coming from his campaign when she became a part of it. I don't expect her to openly talk about her feelings on it because she's trying to be more of a progressive unifier at this point, but something definitely happened along the way that made her have something of a moment of clarity. She says some dumb shit sometimes but I think she's a lot smarter than Bernie's other surrogates.

Alibaba Group Holding’s founder Jack Ma to donate 1.8 million masks to Europe and 100,000 covid test kits.
https://asiatimes.com/2020/03/jack-ma-donates-crucial-supplies-as-europe-reels/

If Bernie's health care plan is so perfect, there would be no need to ban private insurance because nobody would want it. He really is a con artist grifter.

One of the league's best rags to riches story - Caron Butler. He went from a drug dealer (arrested 15 times by the age of 15) to 1st round pick to 2xNBA All-Star to NBA Champion
https://streamable.com/h2i76

McConnell "was absent from negotiations over a coronavirus relief package, spending Friday in Kentucky at a judicial event with Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mcconnell-absent-from-negotiations-on-coronavirus-economic-relief-package/2020/03/13/7f5f495e-6541-11ea-b3fc-7841686c5c57_story.html

The White House is holding up the nomination of Kathryn Wheelbarger to become principal deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence because she is not considered sufficiently loyal to the president.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/13/defense-nomination-trump-loyalty-128244

Full bench of DC Circuit to rehear McGahn case. Victory Trump hailed last month is voided. Also key: en banc court will lean to Dem appointees 7-2 because both Trump nominees--Katsas and Rao--are recused. More:
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/13/appeals-court-don-mcgahn-border-wall-cases-128914

Microsoft says Bill Gates stepping down from company's board; comes moments after Berkshire Hathaway said Gates was also stepping down from its board.
https://twitter.com/CNBCnow/status/1238571943575670791

Leadership: Whatever happens, you're responsible. If it doesn't happen, you're responsible.
11:01 AM - 8 Nov 2013
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/398887965302091776

"I don't take responsibility at all" - Trump today 3/13/2020
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/13/coronavirus-trump-says-i-dont-take-responsibility-at-all-for-lack-of-tests.html


Following the donation of $100,000 by @Giannis_An34 to the impacted Fiserv Forum staff, the Bucks organization is proud to match all Bucks player donations to part-time arena workers.
https://twitter.com/bucks/status/1238555421079633921?s=21

Zion Williamson: The people of New Orleans have been incredibly welcoming and supportive since I was Drafted by the Pels last June, and some of the most special people I have met are those who work at smoothie King Center. These are the folks who make our games possible, creating the perfect environment for our fans and everyone involved in the organization. Unfortunately, many of them are still recovering from long term challenges created by Katrina, and now face the economic impact of the postponement of games because of the virus. My mother has always set an example for me about being respectful for others and being grateful for what we have, and so today I am pledging to cover the salaries for all of those Smoothie King Center workers for the next 30 days. This is a small way for me to express my support and appreciation for these wonderful people who have been so great to me and my teammates and hopefully we can all join together to relieve some of the stress and hardship caused by this national health crisis. This is an incredibly resilient city full of some of the most resilient people, but sometimes providing a little extra assistance can make things a little easier for the community.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9sFV-nFTRG/

Pistons' Blake Griffin to donate $100,000 for workers at Little Caesars Arena
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2020/03/13/pistons-blake-griffin-donate-100-000-workers-little-caesars-arena/5045532002/

Video of my question to @realDonaldTrump today on his administration's disbanding of the White House team responsible for coordinating responses to pandemics. He called my question nasty & said he knew nothing about it. I call it a relevant, fair, and truth-seeking question.
https://twitter.com/Yamiche/status/1238576391693754368

Bill Gates has stepped down from Microsoft's board of directors to focus on philanthropy in arenas like global health and education.
https://twitter.com/axios/status/1238577068214018048

Officials tell us one of the Westerly children who tested positive for #COVID19 had contact with Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert, receiving an autograph from the player - who has tested positive - when the Jazz were in town to play the Celtics last week @tdgarden
https://twitter.com/ScottIsaacs/status/1238569100902912002?s=20

You know whose fault this is, right? With a Republican controlled Senate, Executive Branch, and the Judicial branch? Democrats and Obama.

And then VP Pence says we should all be proud of President Trump's proactive actions tackling COVID-19 from the beginning of the outbreak. That's a bunch of bologna. He has promoted misinformation and lied about the seriousness of the virus on multiple occasions.

March 6: “I don't need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasn't our fault.”
March 7: “We’ll hold tremendous rallies...I’m not concerned at all.”
March 8: “We have a perfectly coordinated and fine tuned plan at the White House for our attack on coronavirus.”
March 9: “This blindsided the world.”

"I don't take responsibility at all.": If every democrat campaign ad does not contain that line from Trump the campaign managers need to be beaten with a nine iron.

Chair of Congressional Black Caucus endorses Biden: “Senator Sanders called one time,” Bass said. “We didn’t have a conversation. He was inviting me to meet with him. But it was at the last minute, I wasn’t able to do it, and I never heard back.”
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/chair-of-congressional-black-caucus-endorses-biden

Italy reports 250 new deaths, the highest one-day death toll yet, and 2,547 new cases, raising total to 1,266 dead and 17,660 cases
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-italy-one-day-coronavirus-deaths.html

The people of Italy are downright ignorant and mentally ill for refusing to self-isolate. They are a disgrace. Fuck them all. Let the entirety of their population drop dead.

Ivanka Trump self-isolates at home after she and Attorney General Bill Barr posed with Australian government minister days before he tested positive for coronavirus and 48 hours before she had dinner with her father at Mar-a-LagoCOVID-19
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8110455/Ivanka-Trump-self-isolates-photo-Australian-official-tested-positive-coronavirus.html

Germany has offered companies 'unlimited' loans to stop them from collapsing because of the coronavirus pandemic
https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-germany-offers-affected-companies-unlimited-loans-covid-19-2020-3

Ilitch Holdings announces it has set up a $1 million fund to cover a month's wages for part-time game and event staff who lost work due to coronavirus cancellations and postponements, including Lakeland staff for six canceled Spring Training games.
https://twitter.com/beckjason/status/1238537327800090629

Michael Bloomberg plans a new organization with offices in six battleground states to help Joe Biden beat Bernie Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination and then defeat President Donald Trump in November, his campaign said Wednesday. The name, budget and scope of the effort is still being formed but will absorb field offices that Bloomberg opened in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, a Bloomberg campaign aide said on condition of anonymity.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-05/bloomberg-plans-new-entity-to-boost-biden-and-defeat-trump

Europe is now the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/13/europe-is-now-the-epicenter-of-the-coronavirus-pandemic-who-says.html

Former Judge Resigns From the Supreme Court Bar | In a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts, he detailed why he’s lost faith in the court. | The legal conservatism I have respected– that of, for example, Justice Lewis Powell, Alexander Bickel or Paul Bator– at a minimum enshrined the idea of stare decisis and eschewed the idea of radical change in legal doctrine for political ends. I can no longer say that with any confidence. You are doing far more— and far worse– than “calling balls and strikes.” You are allowing the Court to become an “errand boy” for an administration that has little respect for the rule of law. The Court, under your leadership and with your votes, has wantonly flouted established precedent. Your “conservative” majority has cynically undermined basic freedoms by hypocritically weaponizing others. The ideas of free speech and religious liberty have been transmogrified to allow officially sanctioned bigotry and discrimination, as well as to elevate the grossest forms of political bribery beyond the ability of the federal government or states to rationally regulate it. More than a score of decisions during your tenure have overturned established precedents—some more than forty years old– and you voted with the majority in most. There is nothing “conservative” about this trend. This is radical “legal activism” at its worst. Without trying to write a law review article, I believe that the Court majority, under your leadership, has become little more than a result-oriented extension of the right wing of the Republican Party, as vetted by the Federalist Society. Yes, politics has always been a factor in the Court’s history, but not to today’s extent. Even routine rules of statutory construction get subverted or ignored to achieve transparently political goals. The rationales of “textualism” and “originalism” are mere fig leaves masking right wing political goals; sheer casuistry.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/03/judge-james-dannenberg-supreme-court-bar-roberts-letter.html

In Iran, two vice-presidents, ministers and almost 10% of the parliament have contracted covid-19
https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/03/12/iran-has-let-its-covid-19-outbreak-get-out-of-hand

Alaska Rep. Republican Gabrielle LeDoux charged with voter misconduct in 2014, 2018 elections
https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/WATCH-NOW-Dept-of-Law-to-announce-criminal-charges-568779611.html

US Republican officials shake hands, touch their faces and share a microphone at coronavirus press briefing
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/13/us-officials-shake-hands-touch-their-faces-and-share-a-microphone-at-coronavirus-press-briefing.html

This Law Makes Voting Nearly Impossible for Native Americans in Montana
https://www.aclu.org/news/voting-rights/this-law-makes-voting-nearly-impossible-for-native-americans-in-montana/

Senate Bill Would End Tax Credits for Renewables and EVs, But Boost Coal, Gas and Nukes
https://www.ewg.org/energy/release/23059/negative-energy-senate-bill-would-end-tax-credits-renewables-and-evs-boost-coal

Jonathan Hayes, the man that oversees the unaccompanied children program, is out as the director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, according to an HHS spokesperson. An HHS official said that Hayes was being pushed out at the direction of the White House.
https://twitter.com/Haleaziz/status/1238587145851289602

Top White House official in charge of pandemic response exits abruptly. His team at NSC has been disbanded. “These moves make us materially less safe,” one expert sayshttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/05/10/top-white-house-official-in-charge-of-pandemic-response-exits-abruptly/?utm_term=.5a67db166fd5

In 2018, health experts warned Trump. Putting tariffs on medical products would hurt US preparedness for pandemics. He did it anyway. How Trump's tariffs may contribute to shortages at the time of a national health crisis.
https://www.piie.com/blogs/trade-and-investment-policy-watch/trumps-trade-policy-hampering-us-fight-against-covid-19

Trump shook hands, patted backs and touched the microphone 31 times while declaring the coronavirus national emergency
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/13/trump-handshakes-coronavirus-press-conference/

Chinese medical workers who have been fighting the #coronavirus day and night in Wuhan celebrated the closing of the last temporary hospital in Wuhan. The reported #covid19 cases went from a surge in February of 15,000 in one day to only 15 this week.
https://twitter.com/redfishstream/status/1238457755415064576

Out of 175 people to go to that Biogen meeting, 94 now have confirmed COVID19. That is stunning. Total cases up to 123, from 108 yesterday
https://twitter.com/BOSBIZJess/status/1238571090764599300

Newborn baby ‘tests positive’ for coronavirus at London hospital. Unknown whether transmitted in utero or after birth. Remember no children under 10 have died, and there was another baby born with covid-19 who recovered with zero problems. Kids 10 and under are the least affected.
https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/13/newborn-baby-tests-positive-coronavirus-12396232/

Jacinda Ardern announces everyone entering New Zealand will be required to isolate, cruise ships banned
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/everyone-entering-new-zealand-required-isolate-cruise-ships-banned

Brazilian Diplomat Nestor Forster, Who Had Dinner with Donald Trump, Tests Positive for Coronavirus
https://people.com/politics/nestor-forster-brazilian-diplomat-who-had-dinner-with-donald-trump-tests-positive-for-coronavirus/

Top Iranian general Shabani dies of Covid-19. It's killing off the old guard who have been holding Iran hostage with particular intensity since the 2009 protests. They had an iron grip on the country and it was their ignorance and bravado that led Iran to have national celebrations that spread the virus even though doctors warned of the risk. This is what happens when politics and religion are allowed to dominate over enlightenment values and science.
https://www.nst.com.my/world/world/2020/03/574568/top-iranian-general-shabani-dies-covid-19

A Senator From the State Hit Hardest by Coronavirus is “So Angry and Frustrated” With Trump for Not Responding Sooner | Washington Sen. Patty Murray Has Been Pushing the Trump Administration to Take Action to Fight the Coronavirus Since January. | “Look, from day one, when we started seeing this grow and develop in China and continue to grow rapidly and expansively, all of us should have been aware that issues like a virus don’t stay in one place. That we are a global community, people travel. ... Instead, the reaction from the federal government or from the person in the White House, in particular, was ‘no worries, be happy,’” Murray told BuzzFeed News in a phone interview on Friday. “And I am so angry and frustrated at that.”
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kadiagoba/coronavirus-response-patty-murray-donald-trump-washington

Former FL Democratic candidate for governor Andrew Gillum was in a Miami Beach hotel room last night where a man had "a possible drug overdose," according to a police report. The report doesnt say Gillum possessed or used illegal drugs. Here's what we know re: the report 1/x
https://twitter.com/MarcACaputo/status/1238490609771560960

Andrew Gillum, who in 2018 came within 34,000 votes of becoming Florida’s governor, was discovered by police at a South Beach hotel early Friday morning in a room with bags of possible crystal meth and in the company of a man who appeared to have overdosed on drugs, according to a Miami Beach police report. Police say Gillum, who was not arrested, was too intoxicated to answer questions. An offense incident report says that officers found three clear plastic baggies of suspected crystal meth on the bed and floor.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article241165641.html

Google techie's wife, who defied quarantine, flew to Delhi & took train to reach Agra, tests positive for coronavirus
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/agra/coronavirus-bengaluru-techies-wife-who-defied-quarantine-flew-to-delhi-took-train-to-reach-agra-tests-positive-for-coronavirus/articleshow/74618637.cms

Jeremy Lin, who already pledged $150,000 to fight the coronavirus in China, will donate an additional $150,000 to the United States Fund for UNICEF. He quoted Tupac in his announcement: "You see the old way wasn't working so it's on us to do what we gotta do, to survive
https://twitter.com/mcten/status/1238630537691947008

David Attenborough calls for ban on 'devastating' deep sea mining - Sir David Attenborough has urged governments to ban deep sea mining, following a study warning of “potentially disastrous” risks to the ocean’s life-support systems if it goes ahead.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/12/david-attenborough-calls-for-ban-on-devastating-deep-sea-mining

FFS: Coronavirus in Kerala: Manhunt launched for US couple who fled from hospital
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/coronavirus-in-kerala-manhunt-launched-for-us-couple-who-fled-from-hospital/articleshow/74618283.cms

Sources have confirmed to me and @MirjamSwanson the Lakers, Clippers, Kings and AEG are finalizing a plan to continue to pay Staples Center workers during event cancellations at L.A.'s busiest pro sports venue
https://twitter.com/kylegoon/status/1238589085175832576?s=21

Golden State Warriors ownership, players and coaches will contribute $1 million to disaster relief fund for Chase Center employees.
http://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1238642468335153153

Oakland is closing schools because of COVID-19. We support this decision but are concerned about the 18,000+ kids that rely on school for 2+ meals daily. @eatlearnplay is donating to @ACCFB to ensure every child has access to the food they need.
https://streamable.com/cpwcx

Toronto Raptors say all players tested negative for the coronavirus, but there is one still pending.
http://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1238651986888650753

Mo Bamba, Markelle Fultz, and Jonathan Isaac commit to help pay for the staff that works at Amway Center while the league is suspended: There’s 250+ @OrlandoMagic teammates of mine behind the scenes at @AmwayCenter n they always got my back win or lose 💫 so u can bet I got theirs - games or no games 🙌🏾💰 #magicaboveall #payitforward @JJudahIsaac @MarkelleF
https://twitter.com/therealmobamba/status/1238626689711816704?s=21

"Suns officially announce that they will provide financial compensation to the part-time and hourly arena workers for the 6 remaining home games on the schedule and the other TSRA events that were canceled."
https://twitter.com/KellanOlson/status/1238637962847342592

Kevin Durant's EPIC 50 Point-Performance In Game 6 vs Clippers | April 26, 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPBwNfj1wJ8

Health insurance coverage (i.e. Medicare-for-all) is unrelated to many of the issues stemming from the crisis.

Even if Medicare-for-all were enacted, it would do nothing to stop or slow the spread of the virus. Many people, even if they were covered under M4A, would still be unable to get tested because of the shortage of coronavirus testing kits. It would not magically make more ventilators and hospital beds appear. Bernie's favorite "economist" even acknowledges that M4A does not address capacity. If anything, the massive funding shortfall inherent in Bernie's health care plan would cripple health care capacity around the country due to lack of funding and prohibition of private insurance. With the health care budget already stretched thin under M4A, the federal government's ability to respond to a health crisis would be dramatically diminished. That, in turn, would invite concierge medicine, as can be seen playing out now, effectively creating a two-tiered health care system in America -- one for the ultra-wealthy, and one for the rest of us. Donald Trump will go down in history as the worst President ever, and his handling of the coronavirus crisis will go down as the worst handling of crisis by a President. It's because for months he's refused to accept the reality of the situation, which led to poor communication and mismanagement of the crisis. Like President Trump, Bernie eschews reality by refusing to acknowledge the shortfalls and limitations in his Medicare-for-all plan. Instead he and his acolytes present it as a panacea for all issues related to health care including a pandemic. Coupled with Trump's and Bernie's shared propensity to blame others for their shortcomings, Bernie does not instill much confidence in me that he would handle the crisis any better than Trump.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/index.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/13/coronavirus-numbers-we-really-should-be-worried-about/
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/3/4/18249888/medicare-for-all-cost-matt-bruenig-voxcare
https://www.crfb.org/papers/primary-care-estimating-democratic-candidates-health-plans
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bartastor/2019/08/06/unintended-consequences-of-medicare-for-all/#792b61d2688b
https://www.businessinsider.com/wealthy-americans-are-paying-for-in-home-coronavirus-tests-2020-3
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-04/trump-blames-obama-era-rule-for-coronavirus-test-shortage
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/03/bernie-sanders-anti-establishment-lost-voters.html