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Weak Oil Demand Could Spark Another Market Share Showdown

Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter and the main force behind the OPEC+ production cuts, faces a too familiar dilemma just four months into the new collective agreement to curtail output in order to rebalance the market crushed by the pandemic-driven demand crash.

The global oil demand recovery seems to have stalled just as OPEC+ starts to ease the production cuts by 2 million barrels per day (bpd) as of August 1.

OPEC’s leader finds itself in an all-too-familiar position: should it try to regain its own market share again, or should it continue to try forcing full compliance with the cuts, hoping that a tighter market will drive oil prices higher.  Recent signs that oil demand recovery is now slower than many analysts expected could prompt the Saudis to go back to the market-share game, instead of ensuring their unwavering compliance with the OPEC+ cuts, hoping that all others will finally stop cheating and cut as much as they are supposed to, Clyde Russell, a columnist for Reuters, writes.

There are increased uncertainties on the oil market on both the demand and supply side. Demand recovery is surely not V-shaped, and it may have stalled as economies re-open in fits and starts and new localized lockdowns as COVID-19 cases return to grow in many countries. At the same time, global oil supply is also subject to speculation, as OPEC+ and North American producers restore part of the previously curtailed production. Saudi Arabia has promised that the higher production from the eased cuts would go to its domestic market, not to the global oil market.  Saudi Arabia has also promised that the actual OPEC+ cuts in August would be higher than the 7.7-million-bpd as per the agreement because laggards had promised over-compliance to offset previously poor compliance. The biggest laggard in the deal, Iraq, is promising additional cuts of around 400,000 bpd this month as part of its ‘compensation schedule’. Considering that Iraq has never fulfilled a promise as part of the deal since 2017, it’s not certain it will do so this time.

The easing of the OPEC+ cuts as of August comes as signs mount that the oil demand recovery is stumbling, including in OPEC’s key market Asia. 

This could prompt Saudi Arabia to cut its official selling prices (OSPs) for the first time in four months. Oil refiners and traders in Asia largely expect Saudi oil giant Aramco to cut the price of its crude oil going to Asia in September as faltering oil demand recovery is depressing refining margins and weakening the Middle East oil benchmarks against which the producers in the Gulf set their prices for Asia.    Saudi Arabia typically releases the pricing for its crude around the fifth of each month, but this month, Aramco delayed the OSP announcement for several days because of a Muslim holiday. Profit margins for processing crude into gasoline in Asia evaporated through July, crashing from $2.37 per barrel on July 1 to just $0.04 at end-July, according to Reuters estimates.  The world’s third-largest oil importer, India, is seeing refiners cut processing rates because fuel demand has slowed in recent weeks as fuel prices are higher and parts of India are again under local lockdowns, while the monsoon season is also stalling economic activity and transport, officials at refineries told Reuters last week. Against these bearish developments in terms of demand, Saudi Arabia had no other choice but to cut its prices for Asia for September.  If the weaker-than-expected demand recovery persists beyond September, it could frustrate the OPEC+ efforts to tighten the market and draw down inventories.  Having moved from managing the immediate surplus of the crisis, the OPEC+ cuts are now managing the recovery, Roger Diwan, vice president financial services at IHS Markit, said in a note on Thursday.  Nick Note: Oil demand did a dead cat bounce. Reality is things are slowing right back down again globally. This is because the global economy is in the process of suck shutting down again. The virus is back more infectious and mOre deadlier then eveR. And what is left of the sorry ass summer driving season is in its last hurrah. And in a little over 3 weeks we come to the slowest demand time of the year in normal and new normal times. Never forget we are in the new abnormal times….. AND we will make a freeging killing!!!!!!!

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Trump antagonizes GOP megadonor Adelson in heated phone call

When President Donald Trump connected by phone last week with Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson — perhaps the only person in the party who can cut a nine-figure check to aid his reelection — the phone call unexpectedly turned contentious. The 87-year-old casino mogul had reached out to Trump to talk about the coronavirus relief bill and the economy. But then Trump brought the conversation around to the campaign and confronted Adelson about why he wasn’t doing more to bolster his reelection, according to three people with direct knowledge of the call. One of the people said it was apparent the president had no idea how much Adelson, who’s donated tens of millions of dollars to pro-Trump efforts over the years, had helped him. Adelson chose not to come back at Trump. When word of the call circulated afterward, Republican Party officials grew alarmed the president had antagonized one of his biggest benefactors at a precarious moment in his campaign. They rushed to smooth things over with him, but the damage may have been done. Adelson’s allies say it’s unclear whether the episode will dissuade the Las Vegas mogul — long regarded as a financial linchpin for Trump’s reelection — from helping the president down the home stretch.

With Trump trailing badly, some donors are more interested in bankrolling efforts to save the GOP’s Senate majority. Among the contributors who’ve cut checks to the super PAC for Senate Republicans but not Trump’s are hedge fund manager Paul Singer, investor Charles Schwab, and real estate developer Mel Sembler.

Others say there is simply exhaustion with Trump and disgust at his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Nick Note: I meet Adelson several times at a Hotel we were both staying at as we went to a big buffet breakfast. I am sure he does not know my name. And i was never invited to the table where the big wigs were putting the bite on his ass. But my presence in the room was acknowledged. In the elevator he turned to me with a look like what to you want. I said to him Sheldon you can relax i do not want anything. We spoke briefly about the markets and some local politics we were both interested in. To my surprise later found out he bought my idea to the table. And a big guy who has received massive donations took note. I can tell you his handlers were VERY worried that i would speak to him. Suffice it to say this man is ruthless, sharp as a tack and not a man to be trifled with. People in the know tell me Trump just made a BIG mistake.

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US new COVID cases rise to 65,474, daily deaths up by 1,329

Lack of discipline has led to a recent spike in virus cases, WHO spokeswoman says

  • More than 18.8 million people have contracted the virus worldwide, resulting in nearly 708,000 deaths

All updates in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC/GMT)

23:00 Here’s a roundup of all developments from Asia at the end of Wednesday:

China: The country is struggling to contain an outbreak in the northwestern region of Xinjiang with 101 new cases reported on Wednesday. This is the highest daily increase for China in weeks.

India is set to open gyms and lift a nighttime curfew that has been in place for months, even as the total number of confirmed infections cross 1.5 million. Schools, colleges, cinemas and bars will remain closed.

North Korean authorities are reminding foreigners residing in Pyongyang to abide by preventive measures like wearing masks and avoiding large gatherings, as North Korea investigates its first possible infection.

Some areas in Japan are running out of isolation facilities as the country attempts to deal with an uptick in confirmed infections. Chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the national government is ready to help regions that are struggling to house and monitor those infected.

22:35 Here’s the latest news from North and South America:

The death toll from COVID-19 in the United States has exceeded 158,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. More than half of the country’s 50 states have recorded 1,000 deaths. The US has also recorded more than 4.8 million cases since the pandemic began.

Brazil set a daily record of 69,074 new cases and 1,595 deaths, according to the country’s health ministry. Brazil has now recorded more than 2.5 million cases and 90,134 deaths since the pandemic began, both of which are the second highest in the world behind the US.

Ecuador’s capital Quito has seen a surge in coronavirus cases since the South American country eased lockdown measures last month. The city has recorded 12,474 cases and 605 deaths since the pandemic began, but half of the cases and 141 deaths have been recorded since June 30. Ecuador has a whole has registered 83,193 cases and 5,623 deaths.

Hospital officials in Guatemala say they have had to bury dozens of unidentified COVID-19 death victims. A hospital has been creating an archive with the hopes of eventually identifying the deceased when the pandemic passes. Guatemala has recorded 47,605 cases and 1,800 deaths since the pandemic began.

Argentina has approved clinical trials of a COVID-19 treatment involving hyperimmune serum from horses. The serum is obtained by injecting a horse with a SARS-CoV-2 protein and extracting plasma with the neutralizing antibodies the horse creates. The clinical trial, which is being conducted by biotech firm Inmunova, will be carried out on 242 people diagnosed with the disease.

19:00 The government of the Netherlands said on Wednesday that it would not formally advise or require people to wear masks in public, saying their effectiveness was yet to be proven. Over the past week, the Netherlands has identified 1,329 new cases, an increase of roughly one third on the previous week.

16:15 Germany has said it will provide 1.4 million COVID-19 tests to the African Union, as an estimated 20,000 new infections on the African continent are currently being reported every day — twice as many as last month.

In South Africa, the hardest-hit African country with 450,000 COVID-19 cases, only around 46 tests have been carried out per 1,000 people, according to Oxford University. In Kenya, the number is around 4.8 and in Nigeria it is 1 per 1,000. By comparison the German figure is around 88 per 1,000 and the US is at 155 per 1,000.

15:10 Israel’s Ministry of Health has reported a record 2,093 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, as infections continue to rise after Israeli authorities appeared to have the virus under control in May. Since lockdowns were lifted at the end of May, cases have steadily risen, and the government has faced widespread protests and public discontent over its handling of the pandemic and other more longstanding grievances.

Israel has logged a total of 66,805 COVID-19 cases and 490 deaths, with over 33,000 cases currently active.

Continue reading “US new COVID cases rise to 65,474, daily deaths up by 1,329”

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Lebanon protest: Beirut in chaos as riot police block every exit after bank attacks PROTESTERS in Lebanon

https://youtu.be/EpOx7kEUV-c

Protestors have attempted to storm the Government buildings in the capital, as riot police try to disperse them with water cannons and tear gas, with dozens injured in clashes with officers. Pictures from downtown Beirut show the streets engulfed in smoke, as police attempt to disperse the protests.  Riot police had erected barbed wire barricades to prevent protesters from reaching Government buildings, but the activists are attempting to force their way through. Tear gas and water cannons are being used by the police to try and disperse them, as the protests turn increasingly violent as the “week of rage” continues. Today marks the 94th day of protests in Lebanon, as people have become increasingly fed up with they are calling a “corrupt and inefficient” government. Protests became increasingly violent this afternoon, as activists clashed with police in the streets. The protesters were caught on camera throwing stones and other objects at police, after weeks of excessive force by security forces. It comes after protests vandalised several banks in the city’s central Hamra neighbourhood overnight, after two nights of violent anti-government demonstrations.

Protesters attacked financial institutions, who they believe are to blame for the country’s worst economic crisis in decades.

In recent weeks the economic crisis has deepened as banks have imposed informal capital controls, which have placed restrictions on how much money customers can withdraw.

Protesters attacked financial institutions, who they believe are to blame for the country’s worst economic crisis in decades.

Nearly 300 banks and ATMs were targeted during demonstrations across the country, according to police.  Protests erupted in Beirut’s commercial district, leading to some 352 arrests.  The country is one of the most indebted in the world, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 152 percent. This, coupled with the value of the Lebanese pound continuing to dip, has prompted anger across the country. The crisis has seen people’s salaries cut and the price of food and goods skyrocket. Many now fear their savings will be wiped out.  Nick Note: Hear my words This will soon enough be New York city. What they forgot to tell you is people who have accounts domiciled outside the country has full access to their money. I have seen and lived through this in Greece and Cyprus and now Lebanon. Its a page right out of the bankers play book…. You will see the financial icons of our times headquarters burned down to the ground and bankers strung up from lampposts….. Is it not amazing how the US bankers controlled press forgot to report this story. Sure they covered the riots but forgot to tell you the banks were targeted….

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Trump announces four orders on economic relief

President Trump on Saturday signed several executive orders that he said would provide economic relief to millions of Americans, moving forward after talks with Democrats faltered. One of the executive orders would aim to provide $400 in weekly unemployment aid for millions of Americans whose $600 in weekly benefits expired last month. But some of this money would be required to be paid by states, many of which are already dealing with major budget shortfalls and have pleaded with Congress for more aid. Two of the other executive orders would relate to eviction protections and student loan relief. And the fourth executive order would seek to defer payroll tax payments from August 1 – retroactively – through December for people who earn less than $100,000. He said if he wins reelection he would seek to extend the deferral and somehow “terminate” the tax. The tax funds Social Security and Medicare benefits, and it’s unclear what will happen to those programs without the money. The first three issues had been the subject of talks with congressional Democrats, which faltered on Friday. The payroll tax initiative is one Trump has sought for more than a year with little congressional support.Trump signed the orders during a press event in Bedminster, N.J. On Friday, Trump acknowledged that the executive orders could be controversial and prompt lawsuits. Democrats on Friday signaled they were still holding out hopes that talks with the White House could be revived.  Trump signed the orders two weeks after key parts of the $2 trillion Cares Act expired. The law passed in March with bipartisan support but the White House and Democrats were unable to reach agreement on legislation to deal with expiring provisions.The Cares Act provided enhanced weekly unemployment benefits of $600 through July, as well as temporary eviction protections, which also expired in July. Some experts have expressed confusion over the legality of a plan to unilaterally extend federal unemployment benefits. White House officials have studied using leftover money approved by Congress for use by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But it is unclear if the administration can repurpose those funds for unemployment benefits without violating the Antideficiency Act, a federal budgeting law.”States cannot pay unemployment insurance benefits in a way that has not been authorized by Congress through enactment of legislation,” said Michele Evermore, an unemployment insurance expert at the National Employment Law Project. “By definition, states’ administration of unemployment insurance must conform to federal law — and there is no federal law on the books allowing for an additional sum,”   Nick Note: this is a preliminary report. I will report back to you an in depth analysis. IT IS NOT A GAME CHANGER AND WAS EXPECTED!

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Elastomeric respirators are safer then N95 masks during the coronavirus

Elastomeric (P3 r cartage) respirators are safer and more
sustainable alternatives to disposable N95
masks during the coronavirus outbreak

International Journal of
Emergency Medicine

A study done in Wuhan where COVID-19 had its initial outbreak found that aerosolized viral particles were detectable in high concentrations
in rooms where providers were doffing PPE,
and the majority of these particles were 0.25 to 0.5 μm. Another study has found that aerosolized viral particles of COVID-19 are detectable in the air 3 h after aerosolization [11]. Based on this evidence, proper protective equipment against aerosols and the safe removal of PPE are crucial for prevention of coronavirus infection in the healthcare setting. Reusing disposable N95 masks potentially
exposes patients and workers to considerable infection

In this regard, respirator masks with particulate (P3 R Canister) filters can be used for an extremely long duration, at least 1 year, so long as
the filter is not damaged or soiled [15].

Evidence shows that coronavirus remains detectable and viable on varioussurfaces up to 3 days [11]. It can then be extrapolated that once these viral particles are trapped in the electrostatic filters, they will slowly die over several days,
negating the need to change viral filters frequently.
Given the current short supply of disposable N95 masks, this advantage can potentially allow one respirator mask to replace using hundreds to potentially thousands ofnew disposable N95 masks. Elastomeric respirators also differ from disposable N95 masks in that they have a separate exhale vent, and exhaled air does not travel through the contaminated filter and re-aerosolize trapped viral particles. This is in contrast
to disposable N95 masks, which when re-used may
carry an increased risk of transferring viral particles from one patient to another.

Better fit and seal National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-approved (P3 R masks) have  nonpowered particulate filter efficiency class to 99.97% filtration of particulates down to 0.3 μm, respectively. There are three levels of oil-particle resistance, N for no resistance, R for some oil resistance, and P for being completely oil proof [16].

Each user needs to be fit-tested for these respirator masks to be effective [17]. However, several studies show that healthcare professionals that do not frequently use N95 masks or wear masks for an extended duration tend to have inadequate seal. Nearly half of healthcare professionals who repeat a fit test 3 months after passing a fit test end up failing the second fit test [18].  (PAPRs), elastomeric respirators are still superior and preferred options over disposable respirators, especially given the severe shortage and increasing cases of healthcare professional  infected with coronavirus. Currently, the CDC recommends that health care providers that will be within 3 ft of a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patient without a mask, or if providers are in the room for an aerosolizing procedure, the provider may voluntarily utilize higher level of protection than N95 masks, such as elastomeric respirators or PAPR. The American Academy of Emergency Physicians and American Association of Nurse Anesthetists have made official statements that
support healthcare providers using self-supplied
NIOSH-approved PPE to feel safe or if it is inadequately provided [23, 24]. Download the coplete study below

Electro resperators better then N95

Chiang et al. International Journal of Emergency Medicine (2020) 13:39
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12245-020-00296-8

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What went wrong in the pandemic response

Five former directors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who came together to speak about the coronavirus on Thursday said repeatedly that the United States is still struggling to deal with the pandemic because of one thing: mixed messages from leadership. “This is the first public health response where the ground rules weren’t set up that we would be driven by the best available public health science,” said Dr. Richard Besser, who served as acting director of the CDC in 2009. “So, when you have political leaders and public health leaders coming at this with very different messaging, [and] when you don’t see the political leadership supporting public health science, you lose trust. And the people question whether things are being done because they’re the right thing to do scientifically or whether they’re being done for political reasons, and that leads to an undermining of the efforts to control something that is truly controllable,” he added. Besser, who was also the former chief medical correspondent for ABC News, was joined by Drs. Julie Gerberding, Tom Frieden, Jeffrey Koplan and David Satcher to speak with ABC News’ Linsey Davis. The former CDC directors, who worked under both Democratic and Republican administrations, also spoke about preventing the next pandemic and about the challenges Americans will face even once a vaccine is approved. They said the country’s best chance at stopping the virus is by working together. “Right now, one person a minute is getting killed by this virus in the U.S., and we need to focus on what the virus is doing and what we as a community are doing to stop it,” said Frieden, who was the CDC director from 2009 to 2017. “Because all of us can do things to make it less severe, whether that’s wearing a mask, washing our hands, watching our distance or supporting public health so that they can box in virus… and protect the most vulnerable. There’s a lot we can do,” he continued. “Progress is in our hands, but when it’s undermined, it makes it very difficult to make progress.” “This pandemic is not something that’s going to end abruptly,” said Satcher, who was the CDC director from 1993 to 1998. “The problem is going to be with us for a while in terms of COVID, so the question becomes: When are we going to get on top of it? When people take seriously the challenge.” The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 is higher than anywhere else in the world with at least 159,000 deaths. Nearly 5 million Americans have been diagnosed with the virus. As 31 states see a rising number of daily deaths and 25 states see increasing rates of positive cases, President Donald Trump in recent weeks claimed the U.S. has the virus “under control” and that the country is in “really good shape.” “Every one of those falsehoods drives away our opportunity to improve our mitigation efforts… and it causes confusion in everyone’s mind,” said Koplan, who directed the CDC from 1998 to 2002.

Continue reading “What went wrong in the pandemic response”

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CDC Data Shows 207,000 ‘Excess Deaths’ During Pandemic…

 

According to a New York Times analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there have been 207,000 excess deaths in the United States during the coronavirus pandemic, much higher than the current total of 161,000 confirmed deaths. While President Donald Trump’s supporters tend to believe that coronavirus deaths have been exaggerated, and Trump himself reportedly has said the same in private, there has been copious data all along showing the opposite, and even White House infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci has said that the death toll is “almost certainly higher” than the reported totals. How much higher is the question, and the NYT analysis suggests a grim reality — one which isn’t confined to blue states:

Nationwide, 200,700 more people have died than usual from March 15 to July 25, according to C.D.C. estimates, which adjust current death records to account for typical reporting lags. That number is 54,000 higher than the official count of coronavirus deaths for that period. Higher-than-normal death rates are now widespread across the country; only Alaska, Hawaii, Maine and West Virginia show numbers that look similar to recent years.

Our analysis examines deaths from all causes — not just confirmed cases of coronavirus — beginning in mid-March when the virus took hold. That allows comparisons that don’t depend on the availability of coronavirus tests in a given place or on the accuracy of cause-of-death reporting. What it shows is that some places have seen staggering death tolls, while a few states have experienced fewer deaths, but enough to clearly differentiate this year from a typical one.

New York City, an early epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, has so far experienced the most extreme increase in deaths, which surged to seven times the usual number during the peak of its coronavirus outbreak. But as the pandemic has spread across the country, New York is not the only place where the death counts are far above normal levels.

Over time, the number of states with deaths at least 10 percent above normal levels has grown, and includes states in not just the Northeast, but also the South, West and Midwest.  Nick Note: Its bad enough these people are victims of bad information, bad masks and bad medicine…. But to have their death not even count is a sad commentary for what is suppose to be a free, Fair and open country. No wonder we are seeing the wrath of GOD!

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Trump’s disastrous interview with Axios

https://youtu.be/zaaTZkqsaxY

 

  • President Donald Trump’s interview with Axios on Monday evening tackled many issues, from the rising coronavirus death toll to the Black Lives Matter protests.
  • Snippets of the 37-minute interview that originally aired on HBO have been trending on Twitter.
  • Many have been praising reporter Jonathan Swan for his unflinching interviewing of the president.

Axios reporter Jonathan Swan cornered President Donald Trump on multiple issues in a wide-ranging interview aired on HBO on Monday evening. Clips of the interview have been circulating online and trending on Twitter. They show Swan pressing the president on the coronavirus crisis, the 2020 elections, foreign policy, and the anti-racism protests, among other topics. Many users have created memes of Swan reacting to Trump’s answers and applauded the reporter for his unwavering questioning of the president.

  • On the coronavirus crisis taking 1,000 lives a day (7:20):

Trump: Right now, I think it’s under control.

Swan: How? 1,000 Americans are dying a day.

Trump: They are dying. That’s true. It is what it is. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t doing everything we can. It’s under control as much as you can control it. This is a horrible plague that beset us.

Swan: You really think this is as much as we can control — 1,000 deaths a day?

Trump: First of all, we have done a great job. We’ve gotten the governors everything they needed. They didn’t do their job. Many of them didn’t and some of them did. … But the governors do it. We gave them massive amounts of material.

  • On the seriousness of the virus (8:35):

Swan: Even some of your own aides wonder whether you will stick to that message until Election Day. Whether in a week or two, you won’t say, ‘Right, we got to reopen again. We can’t do this stuff anymore.’ That you’ll get bored of talking about the virus and go back to that sort of cheerleading.

Trump: No, I never get bored. I never get bored of talking about this. It’s too big of a thing.

Swan: So will you stick to that message?

Trump: It should’ve been stopped by China. It should’ve been stopped by China, and it wasn’t.

Swan: But now it’s here and you’re the president.

Trump: I think I’m very consistent. No, this is a very serious thing. We have 140,000 people at this moment. This is a very, very serious situation, and what you have to do is handle it the best it can be handled. And again, I’m working with the governors.

  • On addressing inadequate coronavirus testing (10:00):

Trump: There are those that say you can test too much. You do know that.

Swan: Who says that?

Trump: Just read the manuals. Read the books. Read the books.

Swan: Manuals? What manuals? What books?

Trump: Let me explain. What testing does is it shows cases, it shows where there may be cases. Other countries test, you know when they test? They test when somebody’s sick. That’s when they test. And I’m not saying they’re right or wrong. Nobody’s done it like we’ve done it. We’ve gotten absolutely no credit for it but we’ve come up with so many different tests. The only thing that we have now is some people have to wait longer than we’d like them to.

Swan: It’s a big problem. … When, do you think, you’ll have it for everyone? What day?

Trump: I think you’ll have that relatively soon.

Swan: What does that mean?

Trump: I would much rather get back to you because I don’t want to have you write ‘in one month,’ I didn’t make it, I missed it by a day and it’s a headline.

Swan: OK. That’s fine.

  • On the US’s coronavirus death toll versus the rest of the world’s (13:14):

Swan: You’re doing death as a proportion of cases. I’m talking about death as a proportion of population. That’s where the US is really bad. Much worse than South Korea, Germany, et cetera.

Trump: You can’t do that.

Swan: Why can’t I do that?

Trump: You have to go by the cases.

Swan: … Well look at South Korea, for example: 51 million population. 300 deaths. It’s crazy.

Trump: You don’t know that. You don’t know that.

Swan: You think they’re faking their statistics? South Korea? An advanced country?

Trump: I won’t get into that because I have a very good relationship with the country. But you don’t know that.

  • On intelligence reports of Russia paying bounties to the Taliban to kill American soldiers (16:27):

Swan: You had a phone call with Vladimir Putin on July 23. Did you bring up this issue?

Trump: No, that was a phone call to discuss other things. And frankly, that’s an issue that many people said was fake news. … But we had a call talking about nuclear proliferation, which is a very big subject. … We did not discuss that, no.

Swan: It’s because you don’t believe the intelligence, is that why?

Trump: … If it reached my desk, I would’ve done something about it. It never reached my desk. … I have so many briefings on so many different countries. But this one didn’t reach my desk.

Swan: Even if you don’t believe this particular piece of intelligence, and there is dispute in the intelligence community about it, your former head of forces in Afghanistan said, and this was when he was working for you, that Russia is supplying weapons to the Taliban. Isn’t that enough to challenge Putin over the killings of US soldiers?

Trump: Well, we supplied weapons when they were fighting Russia, too.

Swan: But that’s a different era.

Trump: I’m just saying we did that too. … I have heard that, but, again, it’s never reached my desk.

  • On uncertainty around accepting the results of the 2020 election and mail-in voting (22:22):

Swan: What does that actually look like as the sitting president? I mean, it’s unprecedented.

Trump: Hillary Clinton never accepted them. She still doesn’t accept them.

Swan: She conceded on election night. She grumbled about it.

Trump: Grumbled? Grumbled? She wrote books about it. Don’t use the word “grumbled.”

Swan: … What does that look like, not accepting?

Trump: We have a new phenomena, called mail-in voting.

Swan: New? It’s been here since the Civil War. … It’ll be bigger this year because of the pandemic.

Trump: Bigger? Not bigger, massively bigger. So they’re going to send tens of millions of ballots to California, all over the place … You got millions of ballots going, nobody even knows where they’re going. You look at some of the corruption having to do with universal mail-in voting. Absentee voting is OK.

Swan: It’s the same thing.

Trump: … You could have a case where this election won’t be decided on the evening of November 3. This election could be decided two months later.

Swan: Absolutely. What’s wrong with that? What’s wrong with the proper mailing count?

Trump: Lots of things will happen during that period of time, especially when you have tight margins. … Right now we have to live with it, but we’re challenging it in many courts

Nick Note: What a fucking idiot… It is what it is!!!

 

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Two German schools shut again after new cases

Two schools in northeast Germany have closed due to coronavirus infections, state authorities announced on Friday. Both schools, the Ostsee elementary school and the Goethe High School, are in the state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. This was the first German state to re-open for classes, at the beginning of this week following the summer holidays. In one of the schools, the Goethe High School, a teacher tested positive for the virus but had not yet given any lessons to students, the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim, where the school is located, announced on its website. The school will remain shut until next Wednesday and all 55 teachers will be also be tested, local authorities said.

“Safety first! We will continuously inform parents, teachers and students about new developments,” Mayor Stefan Sternberg said in a statement on the district’s official website.

In the second school, the Ostsee Elementary School in the district of greater Rostock, a student tested positive for Covid-19, according to local authorities. Rostock district said in a press release that all students and staff will be quarantined.

“The students will not be going to school for a limited amount of time. Our safety concept has the aim of reacting precisely and locally to any possible infection without having to resort to large scale school closures,” Mecklenburg-West Pomerania’s Education Minister Bettina Martin said in a statement published by state authorities.

On Thursday the German government voiced concern over a recent spike in infections across the country, and urged citizens to follow pandemic rules like social distancing, mask wearing and sanitizing more closely. Nick Note: Oh GOD please do not let the stupids open the schools and kill millions…….