R. Frederick Riddle's Blog, page 20

Riddle News: Election Day

11 03 2020

Welcome to Riddle News which is published every Monday and Friday. This is a Special review of the 2020 election.

Note: while CCP (Chinese Communist Party) cases continue to climb the death rate continues to fall.

The Biden ticket continues to deny that he ever said he would stop fracking although he did. The reason he gets so passionate is because this has raised deep concerns among voters in states like Pennsylvania where fracking has boosted the economy. By the way, the fears of the anti-fracking adherents have not materialized.

Biden likes to attack the Trump Administration on the handling of Covid-19. If you read my recent series on the handling of that virus you know that the Trump Administration was taking action on January 3, 2020 before we had our first case! He started out with poor tools at hand and had to recreate modern tools to work with while fighting this deadly ‘gift’ from China. He followed Dr. Fauci and CDC recommendations and banned China travel and was raked over the coals by liberals (including Biden) and the media.

A side note here is that Dr. Fauci enjoyed the President’s ear as long as his advice proved correct. But Dr. Fauci’s advice was not always the best. Perhaps he became too political, I don’t know. But he apparently has switched sides to Biden and therefore damaged his reputation and reliability.

Social Security is also threatened by the Biden/Harris ticket. Now he says we can trust him to preserve it, but he fought for years to do away with it. But if the New Green Deal becomes the law of the land Social Security will be endangered as well as our low taxes. The New Green Deal is very generous with giving money for a wide variety of causes, but the money has to come from somewhere. And as they say, the devil is in the details.

Biden has said that he will raise taxes on people making over $400,000 to a rate off 39.6%. Sounds good on the surface but the result would be businesses would pass the increased costs to their customers and/or leave the country. Prior to Trump’s Tax cuts businesses had left the United States or were contemplating it. When businesses leave, they take jobs with them. So, to say that raising taxes will benefit the average American is rather disingenuous. It would plunge us right back to where we were prior to the 2016 election.

President Trump took a struggling economy (not a good economy like Biden claims) and turned it into a booming economy. I believe the facts show that this turnaround began shortly after the election and the boom was already starting by the time Trump took office. It was a case of rejecting Obama/Biden policies and embracing anticipated Trump/Pence policies. By the way, the same Trump/Pence policies that brought about a boom will bring it back now. There are already signs of a strengthening economy. It may be erratic for a while, but he’s already proved his could outdo the expectations of the ‘experts’.

According to his released agenda and the past four years it is safe to expect that President Trump will continue to put America first in all his dealings both domestically and internationally. His recent successes in the Mid-East shows that he is very effective in bringing historical enemies to the table and securing agreements.

The Trump Administration has also been strong in its stand with Israel. Moving the embassy to Jerusalem was only a step. The administration continues to strengthen our relationship with the nation of Israel.

Another issue is the Right to Life. The left worries about a woman’s discomfort while others have been concerned about the natural right for the unborn to be born. While the baby in the womb is nurtured by the mother it is not an organ of the mother or a part of her body. She provides the shelter and nurturing, but it is already an independent human being. Modern science has finally recognized this, but politicians are still bogged down with the old and disproven idea the baby is like a wart and considered part of the human body.

President Trump has transformed our court system back to the days when judges revered the constitution. I’m not talking about merely conservative judges, I’m talking about judges who value, esteem, and base their decisions on the constitution as it was written. Our founding fathers were quite smart and realized that future politicians (think Pelosi) would try to alter the true meaning of the constitution. That is why they did some serious thinking, discussing, debating, and finally writing the words that now frame our constitution.

In Foreign Relations the Trump Administration has taken our country from being the laughingstock of the world under Obama/Biden to grudging respect. He has given us new treaties that give Americans a level field for international economic activity. Countries didn’t want to do it, but they ended up doing it here in North America (treaty affecting Canada, Mexico, and the United States) plus he caused NATO to increase their financial support and participation.

Whereas Putin of Russia did whatever he wanted to do (think Ukraine) while Obama/Biden did nothing and expanded Russia, Putin has been stymied since then. He’s made threats that haven’t borne fruit, but that’s about it.

The United States is now the #1 leader in oil and natural gas production! That is amazing. And it happened quickly!  the fears that were expressed by the liberals, including Biden/Harris, have not materialized. But we are now enjoying prices we haven’t seen in a long time.

Businesses are returning to the United States! Do you know what that means? It means, jobs! It means a rise in individual income. It means unemployment going down and employment going up. It means more goods manufactured and sold in the United States. It means more profits for businesses and it means that people who were still unemployed under Obama/Biden or working in low paying jobs (McDonalds, taxis, etc.) are now back to work in higher paying jobs or will soon be.

You have a clear choice between the Biden/Harris ticket and the Trump/Pence ticket. There are other issues and accomplishments, but it is clear that the Trump/Pence Administration puts Americans of all colors, ethnics, and education first with both men and women.

Vote Trump/Pence.

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 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you can comment on a blog and/or send an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. His Facebook page is at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Riddle News: Islam is Dying

11 02 2020

Welcome to Riddle News which is published every Monday and Friday. This is a Special review of the Trump response to Covid-19.

The following are facts recited by Muslims, not Christians.

[Historical fact as noted by author: Muhammadanism and Islam refer to the same religion, although Muslims are offended by the former term. It is an historical fact that no free society has ever willingly embraced the religion of Islam. Their religious history is one that is synonymous with the sword. The religion was started with the sword, spread throughout Africa and portions of Europe with the sword, and is to this day sustained by the sword. But is it the fastest growing religion as reported in the press?]

The following findings were revealed by Saudi Arabian Sheik Ahmad Al Qatani in a 2006 debate that:

Since 1900 Muslims have declined to a record low of 316 millionThere are only 150 million African Muslims living outside the Arab countriesOf the 30 African countries using Arabic script there have been a disturbing number of conversions 10,000 converts per year in Algeria 45,000 converts per year in Morocco 250,000 Muslims in Cambodia (1975) 24,321 mosques in Russia in Russia (1927) with only 20 still existing Tens of thousands (2001-2004) in Kyrgyzstan converted to Christ4 million Muslims in Burma ( Today 300,000 )Currently 50,000 converted and baptized believers in Saudi ArabiaPakistan had 80,000 Christians in 1947 and six million in 2000 Bangladesh has seen 10 million converted to ChristianityIran had 500 Christians in 1947 and over 4 million by 2006

Now for my observations:

That means that 110 million Muslims (10% of the world’s Muslim population) have converted to Christianity in the last 18 years! This explains why the persecution of Christians has been on the uptick.

Yet we are taught by the Media and others that Islam is the fastest growing religion. But this growth of Christianity actually explains the increasing persecution of Christianity. Historically governments persecute groups they deem as threats. A declining Christian faith would not be a threat, but a growing Christian faith would be considered a major threat.

Check out the history of the Jewish people. Why are they hated so much? Because of their strong faith in Jehovah God and their growth in numbers. Christianity has been preached worldwide with the message that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to heaven (based on Christ’s own words: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (Jn. 14:6).

Of all the religions of the world only Christianity puts man where he belongs. According to the Bible we were and are created by God, we are born with a sin-nature passed down from Adam, Jesus Christ died for our sins and opens the way for our salvation by His grace, and He takes a personal interest in our lives. False pastors and religious leaders teach otherwise and try to keep ordinary people from reading the Bible.

But Christianity is more than a mere religion. Religion is primarily a set of beliefs established by man for man, while Christianity is a relationship between man and God through God the Son Jesus Christ. When we receive Christ as our Savior, He makes us heirs and joint heirs with Christ. We are made sons of God (believers) rather than creations of God (all humans).

Tomorrow an election is held that will influence the direction this country will follow politically for a long time, but of more import is our need for a revival among Christians both personally (I certainly need it) and corporately (the church needs it). I am 77 years old and have read of revivals taking place on a community, state or even regionally basis, but never have I ever seen a national revival.

But that is what we need!

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 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you can comment on a blog and/or send an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. His Facebook page is at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Riddle News: Covid-19 2020

10 30 2020

Welcome to Riddle News which is published every Monday and Friday. This is a Special review of the Trump response to Covid-19.

In my book Trump an Outsider’s View I have a timeline showing the Trump Administration’s action right up to August 31, 2020. The Timeline begins November 17, 2019 with the first known case and provides a daily look worldwide on the cases and deaths.

As I closed yesterday’s blog, I updated and expanded the Special Notice. Today I will take it further and it will serve to conclude this series.

Special Notice as of 10/30/20

In four days (if you count today) we will have Election Day and you will have the opportunity to choose between former Vice President Joe Biden (chosen by the media) and President Donald Trump, a conservative populist.

Joe Biden’s claim to fame is that he stopped the Great Recession of 2008-2009. However, a little exercise of your memory will tell you that the nation wasn’t recovering right up to election day. Jobs were up, but they were low quality, low wage jobs, and President Obama was telling people to get used to it, the good jobs weren’t coming back.

The Donald Trump economic recovery began within days of his election. Obama was still President, but industry believed Trump’s promises and began hiring. I believe this is when the boom began, possibly the day after the election. It was a combination of rejection of Obama policies and anticipation of Trump policies.

Then came Covid-19. I don’t know who coined the CCP virus (Chinese Communist Party virus), but it is very apropos. We all know the bad news concerning the virus, but the good news is that the Trump Administration got on top of it from the start and were taking actions before America had its first case. It is also good news if we Americans realize the dangers of doing business with China.

It is fine to do business with them, but it is necessary to be extremely careful. Whether they intentionally exported this virus or they were criminally neglectful, they were responsible. And their attempts to cover the situation up played a key roll in over 44,000,000 cases and over 1,100,000 deaths. The death rate of 2.64% is significantly higher than the U.S. rate of 2.54% (today’s data).

I wish I could report on the Chinese death rate but while there are figures out there it is virtually impossible to know or even make an educated guess as to the real numbers. Let’s just say it is likely higher than the reported 85,915 cases and 4,634 deaths. If you believe those numbers, I think Governor Cuomo of New York has a bridge or two he might want to sell to you.

Millions of people have already voted and to my knowledge can’t change their vote. But those of you who haven’t voted yet, you still have a choice. You could choose Joe Biden who attacked President Trump when the President closed travel to and from China. You could also choose Biden who is about my age (I’m 77). While I do have momentary lapses of memory, he seems to have it to a much greater degree and may be taking medicine for it.

Which brings us to Senator Kamala Harris. Recently Rep. Nancy Pelosi began talking about the 25th Amendment. Why? Well, it is not another attack on Trump. Vice President Pence would never agree to such a move. But Senator Harris would. The whole idea is to pave the way for a Vice President Harris to take a President Biden’s place and become President Kamala Harris.

What a scary thought!

So, what are you going to do?

I’ve shown you the Trump record. It is a record of hard work and success in combating an invasion of a deadly virus. But instead of 2.2 million deaths if we did nothing, it has been reduced to under 230,000 deaths. That is amazing, especially when you consider that they started out with antiquated tools and Democratic opposition. They eventually got better tools and the Democrats finally realized the threat (and the opportunity to assail Trump).

While the Democrats used the crises to advance their leftist agenda, the Trump Administration fought to bring the deadly results of the virus down and fought to not only save the economy, but getting it going strong again. And with a 33.1% growth in the 3rd Quarter, he’s succeeding.

My book, Trump an Outsider’s View, covers Covid-19 and the Death Rate rather thoroughly. I still track the Death Rate and it is now down to 2.54% as of today (10/30/20). That’s another 0.03% drop since yesterday. And it is still going down. To dismiss this by noting there is a lag time between cases and related deaths is just being ignorant. We now have almost 11 months of tracking that clearly shows the Death Rate in decline!

Dr. Fauci and others agree that the Trump Administration saved thousands of lives by restricting China travel in January, a fact which embarrasses Biden who opposed the restrictions. This is interesting since Dr. Fauci seems to now be in Biden’s camp (probably because he’ll have job security with Biden).

Another factor to be considered. Many liberals claim that the President said this and said that. I don’t have the time to argue each point. The truth is that actions speak louder than words. January through August were months of action that were wise and often. The Death Rate at the end of May represented the high point, and we are still seeing the Death Rate decline.

Little is mentioned in the media or social media about the corruption of the Democratic Party. I’m not talking about Joe Biden’s son Hunter. We already know about that and that the FBI does not consider it as outside (i.e., Russian) disinformation.

What I am talking about is that the Democratic Party is captive to the Far Left. They support abortions right up to the moment of birth (do you remember the cheering and applause in New York), socialized medicine (where they tell you who will be your doctor and where you will go for surgery if you qualify), socialized industry (private industry gone), defunding the police (instead of 911 you will call the mental health number or something like that), the Green Deal (doing away with fracking which will undermine the economy, plus reducing all fossil fuel consumption), and embracing China as our preferred trading partner. Plus, they opposed Covid-19 restrictions until the virus was underway.

I was born in the early 40’s and most of my childhood was in the 50’s. As a teen and later as a young adult I paid attention to national politics. It didn’t take me long to recognize that there was a difference between the Democrats and Republicans. But I also remember that men and women of both parties could sit down and come to an agreement. It wasn’t perfect, but it was far better than it is now.

The current divide didn’t start with Trump’s election as the Democrats maintain. It didn’t start when Obama was elected. It goes back much further and involves both parties. The seeds for it were planted in the late 1940s. And the divide isn’t just political.

The divide began when we as a nation began turning away from God. Poor laws, even poorer Supreme Court decisions kicked God out of our schools. Today children are going to public schools where they are not taught biblical truths. There is no moral absolute.

The result is chaos. Today people take other people’s lives and think nothing of it. What does our culture do? It blames guns.

Because of the moral cesspool many people are or have already given up. But God is a merciful God (yes, He still exists and has absolute power). What we need is a turning back to Him, a revival such as I have never witnessed. God warned His people Israel, and they would not listen. And He had to punish them. Twice! (Actually many times, but two stand out.)

First, they were taken over by Babylon. Jerusalem was destroyed, the people enslaved until God restored them. The second time was when they rejected Christ. While many now have returned to their land, many more are scattered abroad. God will restore them, but they could have avoided it all if they had worshiped Him in truth and obeyed.

Re-electing Donald Trump is huge right now, but it is just a step. We Christians must pray for revival, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways. We can’t simply blame the liberals and Democrats, it is Christians who didn’t bother to vote in previous elections, who didn’t raise up their voices against sin in all its forms, and who buried their heads in the sand.

Yes, we need to vote and to make that vote for President Donald Trump, for Conservative Representatives and Senators, and then get our own lives right with God. He has and will use Donald Trump; the question is will He use us.

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ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? Want to review our books? Contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. Such as, ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ Be sure to indicate your email address and your name.

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you can comment on a blog and/or send an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. His Facebook page is at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Riddle News: Covid-19 August 2020

10 29 2020

Welcome to Riddle News which is published every Monday and Friday. This is a Special review of the Trump response to Covid-19.

In my book Trump an Outsider’s View I have a timeline showing the Trump Administration’s action right up to August 31, 2020. The Timeline begins November 17, 2019 with the first known case and provides a daily look worldwide on the cases and deaths. I am enclosing excerpts from August here:

AUGUST 2020

03 August

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.

05 August

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

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

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 COVID-19 response announced on August 3.

08 August

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.

10 August

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

State Testing Plans Now Publicly Available: HHS has published an all 50 state COVID-19 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.  

14 August

DOD awards $750K to Plasma Technologies, LLC for manufacturing of convalescent plasma products using a novel process in support of the U.S. COVID-19 response.

20 August

DOD reaches over 50,000 presumed COVID-19 cases (military, military dependents, DOD civilian employees, and DOD contractors).

21 August

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.

23 August

The FDA issued an emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19.

25 August

President Trump announces additional steps, including new testing requirements, to help protect nursing home residents from COVID-19.

27 August

The Trump Administration announces its purchase and production of 150 million rapid COVID-19 tests, to be distributed across the country.

29 August

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.

Special Notice as of 10/29/20

We are just days from perhaps the most crucial election our country has ever had. It is complicated by the lies and distortions that have daily been aimed at Americans. I have personally witnessed otherwise intelligent people repeat the lies they’ve been told. I’ve also read Letters to the Editor of our local paper that are based on these lies as well. And all to many people have believed them. I hope I have reached at least one of the above who now realize that the Trump Administration was on top of Covid-19 (or CCP for Chinese Communist Party virus) from the beginning.

I’ve shown you the record. It is a record of hard work and success. Instead of 2.2 million deaths if we did nothing, it has been reduced to under 228,000 deaths. That is amazing, especially when you consider that they started out with antiquated tools and Democratic opposition. They eventually got better tools and the Democrats finally realized the threat (and the opportunity to assail Trump).

While the Democrats used the crises to advance their leftist agenda, the Trump Administration fought to bring the deadly results of the virus down and fought to not only save the economy, but getting it going strong again. And with a 33.1% growth in the 3rd Quarter, he’s succeeding.

My book, Trump an Outsider’s View, covers Covid-19 and the Death Rate rather thoroughly. I still track the Death Rate and it is now down to 2.57% as of today (10/29/20). That’s another 0.01% drop since yesterday. And it is still going down. To dismiss this by noting there is a lag time between cases and related deaths is just being ignorant. We now have almost 11 months of tracking that clearly shows the Death Rate in decline!

Dr. Fauci and others agree that the Trump Administration saved thousands of lives by restricting China travel in January, a fact which embarrasses Biden who opposed the restrictions. This is interesting since Dr. Fauci seems to now be in Biden’s camp (probably because he’ll have job security with Biden).

Another factor to be considered. Many liberals claim that the President said this and said that. I don’t have the time to argue each point. The truth is that actions speak louder than words. January thru August were months of action that were wise and often. The Death Rate at the end of May represented the high point, and we are still seeing the Death Rate decline.

Tomorrow, I will bring this series to a close.

Get free Guide to Writing at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

Subscribe to Author Alerts (click and submit signup form)

For information about us (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com and get our Free Brochure which tells you about our services.

AUTHOR’S PAGE: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? Want to review our books? Contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. Such as, ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ Be sure to indicate your email address and your name.

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you can comment on a blog and/or send an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. His Facebook page is at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Riddle News: Covid-19 July 2020

10 28 2020

Welcome to Riddle News which is published every Monday and Friday. This is a Special review of the Trump response to Covid-19.

In my book Trump an Outsider’s View I have a timeline showing the Trump Administration’s action right up to August 31, 2020. The Timeline begins November 17, 2019 with the first known case and provides a daily look worldwide on the cases and deaths. I am enclosing excerpts from July here:

JULY 2020

01 July

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

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.

04 July

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.

06 July

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

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 COVID-19. 

08 July

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

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

$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.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.

13 July

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.

17 July

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.

23 July

DOD announces it has awarded a $4.9M contract to Pall Corporation to increase industrial base expansion for medical ventilator components.

24 July

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

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.

27 July

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.

31 July

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?]

Special Notice as of 10/28/20

If you watch TV and read the paper, you are aware of a resurgence in Covid-19 cases both abroad and here in the United States. They are calling it the second wave.

However, you need to take a closer look. It is not so much of a second wave as it is a continuation of the first wave. It is now hitting rural America and young people. If you insist on calling it a second wave, I won’t argue with you. But to include it into the worldwide resurgence is simply not ethical. And please take note that while the cases may be rising, the Death Rate continues to fall.

My book, Trump an Outsider’s View, covers Covid-19 and the Death Rate rather thoroughly. I still track the Death Rate and it is now down to 2.58%. That’s another 0.01% drop since yesterday. And it is still going down. To dismiss this by noting there is a lag time between cases and related deaths is just being ignorant. We now have almost 11 months of tracking that clearly shows the Death Rate in decline!

Dr. Fauci and others agree that the Trump Administration saved thousands of lives by restricting China travel in January, a fact which embarrasses Biden who opposed the restrictions. This is interesting since Dr. Fauci seems to now be in Biden’s camp (probably because he’ll have job security with Biden).

Another factor to be considered. Many liberals claim that the President said this and said that. I don’t have the time to argue each point. The truth is that actions speak louder than words. January thru May were months of action that were wise and often. The Death Rate at the end of May represented the high point.

Get free Guide to Writing at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

Subscribe to Author Alerts (click and submit signup form)

For information about us (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com and get our Free Brochure which tells you about our services.

AUTHOR’S PAGE: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? Want to review our books? Contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. Such as, ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ Be sure to indicate your email address and your name.

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you can comment on a blog and/or send an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. His Facebook page is at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Riddle News: Covid-19 June 2020

10 27 2020

Welcome to Riddle News which is published every Monday and Friday. This is a Special review of the Trump response to Covid-19.

In my book Trump an Outsider’s View I have a timeline showing the Trump Administration’s action right up to August 31, 2020. The Timeline begins November 17, 2019 with the first known case and provides a daily look worldwide on the cases and deaths. I am enclosing excerpts from June here:

JUNE 2020

(I am now focusing on the United States only)

02 June

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

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.

05 June

President Trump signs into law the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act of 2020, modifying provisions for loan forgiveness under the Paycheck Protection Program.

08 June

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

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

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

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.

15 June

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

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

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

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

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.

22 June

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

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

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

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

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.

29 June

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

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.]

Special Notice as of 10/27/20

If you watch TV and read the paper, you are aware of a resurgence in Covid-19 cases both abroad and here in the United States. They are calling it the second wave.

However, you need to take a closer look. It is not so much of a second wave as it is a continuation of the first wave. It is now hitting rural America and young people. If you insist on calling it a second wave, I won’t argue with you. But to include it into the worldwide resurgence is simply not ethical. And please take note that while the cases may be rising, the Death Rate continues to fall.

My book, Trump an Outsider’s View, covers Covid-19 and the Death Rate rather thoroughly. I still track the Death Rate and it is now down to 2.59%. That’s another 0.01% drop since Monday. And it is still going down. To dismiss this by noting there is a lag time between cases and related deaths is just being ignorant. We now have almost 11 months of tracking that clearly shows the Death Rate in decline!

Dr. Fauci and others agree that the Trump Administration saved thousands of lives by restricting China travel in January, a fact which embarrasses Biden who opposed the restrictions. This is interesting since Dr. Fauci seems to now be in Biden’s camp (probably because he’ll have job security with Biden).

Another factor to be considered. Many liberals claim that the President said this and said that. I don’t have the time to argue each point. The truth is that actions speak louder than words. January thru May were months of action that were wise and often. The Death Rate at the end of May represented the high point.

Get free Guide to Writing at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

Subscribe to Author Alerts (click and submit signup form)

For information about us (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com and get our Free Brochure which tells you about our services.

AUTHOR’S PAGE: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? Want to review our books? Contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. Such as, ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ Be sure to indicate your email address and your name.

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you can comment on a blog and/or send an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. His Facebook page is at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Riddle News: Covid-19 May 2020

10 26 2020

Welcome to Riddle News which is published every Monday and Friday. This is a Special review of the Trump response to Covid-19.

In my book Trump an Outsider’s View I have a timeline showing the Trump Administration’s action right up to August 31, 2020. The Timeline begins November 17, 2019 with the first known case and provides a daily look worldwide on the cases and deaths. I am enclosing excerpts from May here:

05 May

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

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.

08 May

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.

11 May

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

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

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

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

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.

19 May

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.

21 May

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.

26 May

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

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

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.

30 May

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.

[At this time, the total cases were 1,776,785 and total deaths were 103,781 for a death rate of 5.8%]

Special Notice as of 10/26/20

If you watch TV and read the paper, you are aware of a resurgence in Covid-19 cases both abroad and here in the United States. They are calling it the second wave.

However, you need to take a closer look. It is not so much of a second wave as it is a continuation of the first wave. It is now hitting rural America and young people. If you insist on calling it a second wave, I won’t argue with you. But to include it into the worldwide resurgence is simply not ethical. And please take note that while the cases may be rising, the Death Rate continues to fall.

My book, Trump an Outsider’s View, covers Covid-19 and the Death Rate rather thoroughly. I still track the Death Rate and it is now down to 2.609% or 2.61% (rounded off)! That’s another 0.05% drop since Friday. And it is still going down. To dismiss this by noting there is a lag time between cases and related deaths is just being ignorant. We now have 10 months of tracking that clearly shows the Death Rate in decline!

Dr. Fauci and others agree that the Trump Administration saved thousands of lives by restricting China travel in January, a fact which embarrasses Biden who opposed the restrictions. This is interesting since Dr. Fauci seems to now be in Biden’s camp (probably because he’ll have job security with Biden).

Another factor to be considered. Many liberals claim that the President said this and said that. I don’t have the time to argue each point. The truth is that actions speak louder than words. January thru May were months of action that were wise and often. The Death Rate at the end of May represented the high point.

Get free Guide to Writing at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

Subscribe to Author Alerts (click and submit signup form)

For information about us (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com and get our Free Brochure which tells you about our services.

AUTHOR’S PAGE: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? Want to review our books? Contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. Such as, ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ Be sure to indicate your email address and your name.

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you can comment on a blog and/or send an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. His Facebook page is at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Riddle News: Covid-19 March 2020

10 22 2020

Welcome to Riddle News which is published every Monday and Friday. This is a Special review of the Trump response to Covid-19.

In my book Trump an Outsider’s View I have a timeline showing the Trump Administration’s action right up to August 31, 2020. The Timeline begins November 17, 2019 with the first known case and provides a daily look worldwide on the cases and deaths. I am enclosing excerpts from March here:

3 March

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

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

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

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.

9 March

President Trump called on Congress to pass a payroll tax cut over coronavirus.

10 March

President Trump and VP Pence met with top health insurance companies and secured a commitment to waive co-pays for coronavirus testing.

11 March

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 low-interest 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.[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.]

13 March

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 drive-through 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.

15 March

President Trumps begins voluntary shutdown for 15 daysThe 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 “federally-supported, state-led efforts” to end coronavirus.

16 March

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.

17 March

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.

18 March

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.

19 March

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 anti-malaria 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.

20 March

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.

21 March

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.

22 March

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.

23 March

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 public-private 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.

24 March

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.

29 March

President Trump extends voluntary shutdown through April due to medical expert’s concerns.

[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%.]

Special Notice

If you watch TV and read the paper, you are aware of a resurgence in Covid-19 cases both abroad and here in the United States. They are calling it the second wave.

However, you need to take a closer look. It is not so much of a second wave as it is a continuation of the first wave. It is now hitting rural America. If you insist on calling it a second wave, I won’t argue with you. But to include it into the worldwide resurgence is simply not ethical.

I wrote a book, Trump an Outsider’s View, that covers Covid-19 and the Death Rate rather thoroughly. I still track the Death Rate and it is now down to 2.66%! That’s another 0.02% drop. And it is still going down. Dr. Fauci and others agree that the Trump Administration saved thousands of lives by restricting China travel in January, a fact which embarrasses Biden who opposed the restrictions. This is interesting since Dr. Fauci seems to now be in Biden’s camp (probably because he’ll have job security with Biden).

Another factor to be considered. Many liberals claim that the President said this and said that. I don’t have the time to argue each point. The truth is that action speaks louder than words. Both January and February were months of action that were wise and often. You can twist his words, but it is much harder to twist his actions (and not get caught!).

Get free Guide to Writing at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

Subscribe to Author Alerts (click and submit signup form)

For information about us (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com and get our Free Brochure which tells you about our services.

AUTHOR’S PAGE: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? Want to review our books? Contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. Such as, ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ Be sure to indicate your email address and your name.

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you can comment on a blog and/or send an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. His Facebook page is at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Riddle News: Covid-19 Feb 2020

10 21 2020

Welcome to Riddle News which is published every Monday and Friday. This is a special series reviewing the Trump Response to Covid-19.

In my book Trump an Outsider’s View I have a timeline showing the Trump Administration’s action right up to August 31, 2020. The Timeline begins November 17, 2019 with the first known case and provides a daily look worldwide on the cases and deaths. I am enclosing excerpts from February here:

2 February

The CDC expanded enhanced entry screening to eight major airports across the nation.

3 February

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

President Trump vowed in his State of the Union Address to “take all necessary steps” to protect Americans from the coronavirus.

5 February

The Trump Administration and health officials briefed lawmakers on the Federal Government’s coronavirus response efforts.

6 February

The CDC began shipping CDC-Developed test kits for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus to U.S. and international labs.

7 February

President Trump told reporters that the CDC is working with China on the coronavirus. 

9 February

The White House Coronavirus Task Force briefed governors from across the nation at the National Governors’ Association Meeting in Washington.

11 February

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

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.

14 February

The CDC began working with five labs to conduct “community-based influenza surveillance” to study and detect the spread of coronavirus.

18 February

HHS announced it would engage with Sanofi Pasteur…to quickly develop a coronavirus vaccine and…treatment

25 February

HHS Secretary Azar testified before the Senate HELP committee on the Administration’s coronavirus response efforts.

26 February

President Trump appointed Vice President Mike Pence to head it [task force] 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.

28 February

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed certified labs to develop and begin testing coronavirus testing kits while reviewing pending applications.

29 February

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%]

Special Notice

If you watch TV and read the paper, you are aware of a resurgence in Covid-19 cases both abroad and here in the United States. They are calling it the second wave.

However, you need to take a closer look. It is not so much of a second wave as it is a continuation of the first wave. It is now hitting rural America. If you insist on calling it a second wave, I won’t argue with you. But to include it into the worldwide resurgence is simply not ethical.

I wrote a book, Trump an Outsider’s View, that covers Covid-19 and the Death Rate rather thoroughly. I still track the Death Rate and it is now down to 2.68%! That’s another 0.02% drop. And it is still going down. Dr. Fauci and others agree that the Trump Administration saved thousands of lives by restricting China travel in January, a fact which embarrasses Biden who opposed the restrictions. This is interesting since Dr. Fauci seems to now be in Biden’s camp (probably because he’ll have job security with Biden).

Another factor to be considered. Many liberals claim that the President said this and said that. I don’t have the time to argue each point. The truth is that action speaks louder than words. Both January and February were months of action that were wise and often.

Get free Guide to Writing at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

Subscribe to Author Alerts (click and submit signup form)

For information about us (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com and get our Free Brochure which tells you about our services.

AUTHOR’S PAGE: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? Want to review our books? Contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. Such as, ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ Be sure to indicate your email address and your name.

 – – – – – – – R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you can comment on a blog and/or send an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. His Facebook page is at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Riddle News: Covid-19

10 20 2020

Welcome to Riddle News which is published every Monday and Friday.

In my book Trump an Outsider’s View I have a timeline showing the Trump Administration’s action right up to August 31, 2020. The Timeline begins November 17, 2019 with the first known case and provides a daily look worldwide on the cases and deaths. I am enclosing excerpts for January here:

3 January

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.

5 January

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

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

The CDC established a coronavirus incident management system to better share and respond to information about the virus.

11 January

The CDC updated a Level 1 travel health notice for Wuhan, China.

13 January

The USCDC announced that the genome had been posted on the NIH genetic sequence database, GenBank.

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.

20 January

Dr. Fauci announces the National Institutes of Health is already working on the development of a vaccine for the coronavirus.

21 January

The CDC activated its emergency operations center to provide ongoing support to the coronavirus response.

23 January

The CDC sought a “special emergency authorization” from the FDA to allow states to use its newly developed coronavirus test.

27 January

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. 

29 January

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).

31 January

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%]

Special Notice

If you watch TV and read the paper, you are aware of a resurgence in Covid-19 cases both abroad and here in the United States. They are calling it the second wave.

However, you need to take a closer look. It is not so much of a second wave as it is a continuation of the first wave. It is now hitting rural America. If you insist on calling it a second wave, I won’t argue with you. But to include it into the worldwide resurgence is simply not ethical.

I wrote a book, Trump an Outsider’s View, that covers Covid-19 and the Death Rate rather thoroughly. I still track the Death Rate and it is now down to 2.7%! And it is still going down. Dr. Fauci and others agree that the Trump Administration saved thousands of lives by restricting China travel in January, a fact which embarrasses Biden who opposed the restrictions.

Another factor to be considered. Many liberals claim that the President said this and said that. I don’t have the time to argue each point. The truth is that action speaks louder than words. And this timeline for January and future timelines demonstrate he acted wisely and often.

Get free Guide to Writing at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

Subscribe to Author Alerts (click and submit signup form)

For information about us (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com and get our Free Brochure which tells you about our services.

AUTHOR’S PAGE: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? Want to review our books? Contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. Such as, ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ Be sure to indicate your email address and your name.

 – – – – – – – R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you can comment on a blog and/or send an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. His Facebook page is at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.