CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: April 10th

Glenn gives the latest coronavirus numbers, updating YOU on everything needed to know as Americans and officials monitor China's new COVID-19 virus:

Daily Stats as of 5:30 AM CT (from John's Hopkins)

  • Total Confirmed Cases Worldwide: 1,615,092 (up from 1,529,961 yesterday)
  • Total Confirmed Deaths Worldwide: 96,791 (up from 89,426 yesterday)
  • Total Confirmed Recovered Worldwide: 362,542 (up from 337,164 yesterday)
  • US has 468,895 Confirmed Cases and 16,697 Deaths, up from 435,160 cases and 14,797 deaths yesterday
  • That is two days in a row with nearly 2000 deaths in the US from COVID-19
  • Measured on a weekly basis for the last 7 days, COVID-19 is currently the leading cause of death in the US
  • US Now Accounts for 30% of all confirmed/diagnosed cases globally
Cue The Fat Lady? US Federal Reserve Buys Everythinghttps://finance.yahoo.com/news/fed-seizing-control-entire-u-144633849.html
  • The US Federal Reserve is purchasing approximately $625 Billion per week in US Treasury Bonds, US Municipal Bonds and Corporate Bonds.
  • That that rate of spend, The Federal Reserve will own all outstanding US Public Debt - Federal and Local - by September 2020 and all Private/Corporate US Bond Debt by December.
  • The Federal Reserve is already the largest single holder of US Government Bonds...Of $20 Trillion in outstanding US Debt, the Federal Reserve owns approximately $5.7 Trillion, and it is adding $1 Trillion in new US Bond purchases every two weeks.
  • This comes as the Bank of England skips the Bond Market entirely and is simply printing new currency to fund UK expenditures directly https://www.ft.com/content/664c575b-0f54-44e5-ab78-2fd30ef213cb, https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52226482 This is also known as Modern Monetary Theory.
  • As of this week's Fed Open Market Committee meeting, The Fed is also willing to purchase so-called Junk Bonds from US Companies in distress.
  • The Fed also issued a new fund to buy US Mortgage Assets from Banks, pledging $200 Billion per month to US Banks plus Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy distressed mortgages that may become insolvent due to COVID-19 mortgage delinquencies or defaults.
  • At this point, the only major asset in US Equity Markets the Fed is not directly buying are US Stocks https://finance.yahoo.com/news/feds-cure-risks-being-worse-110052807.html
  • Ultimately, it is the US Taxpayer who is responsible for all of this debt, NOT the Fed.
  • The Treasury, using the Exchange Stabilization Fund, will make an equity investment in each Fed Fund and be in a "first loss" position, making US Taxpayers responsible should any of the investments or underlying funds fail...
  • As such, the US Treasury, not the Fed, is really buying all these securities and backstopping of loans; the Fed is acting as banker and providing financing.
US Has Lost 10% Of Workforce In Last 3 Weekshttps://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/09/weekly-jobless-claims-report.html
  • Nearly 17 Million Americans have sought unemployment insurance since March 16th, over 10% of the entire US Workforce.
  • If you include the estimated newly out of work Americans who have yet to seek Unemployment Insurance, the US has lost 15% of its workforce.
  • Analysts expect another wave of newly unemployed in April as well, as most states continue to experience Economic shutdowns due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions and limits on social activity.
  • Per McKinsey & Company, the US GDP is losing over $1 Trillion per month to COVID-19. US GDP was $22 Trillion last year.
Bread LInes Across the US - Food Banks Rationing Supplies https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/covid-19-crisis-heaps-pressure-nation-s-food-banks-n1178731
  • In eerie echoes of The Great Depression, food lines stretch for miles as hungry Americans line up for boxes of food supplies.
  • "Six weeks ago, I had a job making $55,000 a year and could buy my own food. Now I am just trying to make sure my kids eat this weekend," said David Kramer, standing in line for a food bank in San Diego.
  • At Feeding San Diego's emergency drive-thru distribution Saturday, vehicles lined up 14 deep in the SDCCU Stadium parking lot for boxes filled with produce and nonperishable food. About 1,200 vehicles were served until the food bank ran out - in just under an hour.
  • "We're seeing as much as a 40 percent to 50 percent increase in demand at individual distribution locations," CEO Vince Hall said. "Many of the people that we're seeing have never before sought food assistance. Many of them aren't even sure what the process is. We get lots of very fundamental questions: 'Do I qualify? Is there somebody more deserving than me?'"
  • In some markets, such as Baton Rouge, Louisianna and Omaha Nebraska, Food Banks that saw 100 people show up a day in February are seeing 900 people per day now. "We're at zero, zero food left," said Pastor Byron Hicks in Omaha. "It's Easter weekend, there's nothing left to hand out."
  • Nationwide, demand for Food Assistance is up nearly 200% compared to this time last year. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/08/business/economy/coronavirus-food-banks.html
Now the WHO Defends North Korea: "The Numbers Are The Numbers"https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2020/04/09/world-health-organization-defends-north-koreas-claim-of-zero-coronavirus-cases/
  • WHO says numbers out of North Korea must be believed.
  • "We trust all Governments to deliver valid data to our organization, and have no valid reason to doubt any numbers delivered at this time,' said a WHO spokesperson.
  • North Korea claims that it has zero cases of COVID-19, despite the fact that reports have leaked of hundreds of corpses being loaded into trucks wrapped in white sheets from Hospitals in Pyongyang, North Korea's capital.
  • Meanwhile, Reuters noted that U.N. human rights experts want the international sanctions against North Korea's nuclear weapons program lifted "to ensure that food supplies reach hungry populations during the pandemic."
  • It is unclear why the experts would think this necessary since WHO officially believes North Korea's insistence that there is no pandemic impact in N Korea.
All Chinese-made COVID-19 Tests Fail In The UKhttps://www.nationalreview.com/news/u-k-purchased-millions-of-unreliable-coronavirus-tests-from-china/
  • The United Kingdom on Monday revealed that all 17.5 million Coronavirus antibody test kits the country ordered from China are unreliable when used outside "severely ill" populations.
  • "The test developed in China was validated against patients who were severely ill," Professor John Bell, coordinator of coronavirus testing for Public Health England, told reporters.
  • "Whereas we want to use the test in the context of a wider range of levels of infection….So for our purposes, we need a test that performs better than these can."
  • Bell added, "We see many false negatives… and we also see false positives. This is not a good result or test suppliers or for us."
  • Nasal Swab tests developed in China and sold to Western Governments reportedly have false-negative rates as high as 40%. "It's basically like flipping a coin," one researcher said.
Models Now Spare 140,000 American Liveshttps://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/04/09/dr-anthony-fauci-weve-had-a-bad-week-of-deaths-good-week-of-data/
  • Just two weeks after terrifying America with predictions of 200,000 or more dead, Dr Anthony Fauci said new data shows that only 60,000 Americans will die...maybe.
  • He noted that early predictive models of 100,000 – 240,000 deaths were already down to about 60,000.
  • "That's a sign when you take the data you have and you reinsert it into the model, the model modifies," he said. "Data is real. The model is hypothesis."
  • Fauci acknowledged the number of deaths continued to go up, but that other numbers, such as new hospitalizations and patient admittance into the ICU, were down.
  • "It is in the sense of deaths a bad week," he said, acknowledging new record death rates in a single day. "At the same time, as we're seeing an increase in deaths, we're seeing a rather dramatic decrease in hospitalizations."
  • But Fauci said that the social distancing guidelines should remain in place through April.
  • "That means that what we are doing is working, and therefore it means we need to continue to do it," he said. "Lower numbers mean this is working," he said.

POLL: Do you think Trump is going to win the election?

Kevin Dietsch / Staff, Chip Somodevilla / Staff, Kevin Dietsch / Staff | Getty Image

It feels like all of the tension that has been building over the last four years has finally burst to the surface over the past month. Many predicted 2024 was going to be one of the most important and tumultuous elections in our lifetimes, but the last two weeks will go down in the history books. And it's not over yet.

The Democratic National Convention is in August, and while Kamala seems to be the likely candidate to replace Biden, anything could happen in Chicago. And if Biden is too old to campaign, isn't he too old to be president? Glenn doesn't think he'll make it as President through January, but who knows?

There is a lot of uncertainty that surrounds the current political landscape. Trump came out of the attempted assassination, and the RNC is looking stronger than ever, but who knows what tricks the Democrats have up their sleeves? Let us know your predictions in the poll below:

Is Trump going to win the election?

Did the assassination attempt increase Trump's chances at winning in November?

Did Trump's pick of J.D. Vance help his odds?

Did the Trump-Biden debate in June help Trump's chances?

Did Biden's resignation from the election hand Trump a victory in November? 

Do the Democrats have any chance of winning this election?

What is the Secret Service trying to hide about Trump's assassination attempt?

KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Contributor, Anadolu / Contributor | Getty Images

This past weekend we were mere inches away from a radically different America than the one we have today. This was the first time a president had been wounded by a would-be assassin since 1981, and the horrific event has many people questioning the competency and motives of the supposedly elite agents trusted with the president's life.

The director of the Secret Service apparently knew about the assassin's rooftop before the shooting—and did nothing.

Kimberly Cheatle has come under intense scrutiny these last couple of weeks, as Secret Service director she is responsible for the president's well-being, along with all security operations onsite. In a recent interview with ABC, Cheatle admitted that she was aware of the building where the assassin made his mark on American history. She even said that she was mindful of the potential risk but decided against securing the site due to "safety concerns" with the slope of the roof. This statement has called her competence into question. Clearly, the rooftop wasn't that unsafe if the 20-year-old shooter managed to access it.

Glenn pointed out recently that Cheatle seems to be unqualified for the job. Her previous position was senior director in global security at America's second-favorite soda tycoon, PepsiCo. While guarding soda pop and potato chips sounds like an important job to some, it doesn't seem like a position that would qualify you to protect the life of America's most important and controversial people. Even considering her lack of appropriate experience, this seems like a major oversight that even a layperson would have seen. Can we really chalk this up to incompetence?

Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Contributor | Getty Images

The Secret Service and DHS said they'd be transparent with the investigation...

Shortly after the attempted assassination, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the Secret Service, launched an investigation into the shooting and the security protocols in place at the rally. The DHS promised full transparency during the investigation, but House Republicans don't feel that they've been living up to that promise. Republican members of the House Oversight Committee are frustrated with Director Cheatle after she seemingly dodged a meeting scheduled for Tuesday. This has resulted in calls for Cheatle to step down from her position.

Two FBI agents investigate the assassin's rooftop Jeff Swensen / Stringer | Getty Images

Why is the Secret Service being so elusive? Are they just trying to cover their blunder? We seem to be left with two unsettling options: either the government is even more incompetent than we'd ever believed, or there is more going on here than they want us to know.

Cheatle steps down

Following a horrendous testimony to the House Oversight Committee Director Cheatle finally stepped down from her position ten days after the assassination attempt. Cheatle failed to give any meaningful answer to the barrage of questions she faced from the committee. These questions, coming from both Republicans and Democrats, were often regarding basic information that Cheatle should have had hours after the shooting, yet Cheatle struggled with each and every one. Glenn pointed out that Director Cheatle's resignation should not signal the end of the investigation, the American people deserve to know what happened.

What we DO and DON'T know about Thomas Matthew Crooks

Jim Vondruska / Stringer | Getty Images

It has been over a week since 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks narrowly failed to assassinate President Trump while the president gave a speech at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennslyvania. Despite the ongoing investigations, we still know very little about the would-be assassin, which has left many wondering if the agencies involved are limiting the information that Congress and the public are receiving.

As Glenn has pointed out, there are still major questions about the shooter that are unanswered, and the American people are left at the whim of unreliable federal agencies. Here is everything we know—and everything we don't know—about Thomas Matthew Crooks:

Who was he?

What we know:Thomas Crooks lived in Bethel Parks, Pennsylvania, approximately an hour south of Butler. Crooks went to high school in Bethel Parks, where he would graduate in 2022. Teachers and classmates described him as a loner and as nerdy, but generally nice, friendly, and intelligent. Crooks tried out for the school rifle team but was rejected due to his poor aim, and reports indicate that Crooks was often bullied for his nerdy demeanor and for wearing camo hunting gear to school.

After high school, Crooks began work at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center as a dietary aide. In fact, he was scheduled to work on the day of the rally but requested the day off. He passed a background check to work at the facility and was reportedly an unproblematic employee. Crooks was also a member of a local gun club where he practiced shooting the day before the rally.

It was recently revealed that sometime before his attempted assassination, Crooks posted the following message on Steam, a popular computer application used for playing video games: "July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds." Aside from this, Crooks posted no warning or manifesto regarding his attack, and little other relevant information is known about him.

What we don't know:It is unclear what Crook's political affiliations or views were, or if he was aligned with any extremist organizations. Crooks was a registered Republican, and his classmates recall him defending conservative ideas and viewpoints in class. On the other hand, the Federal Election Commission has revealed he donated to a progressive PAC on the day Biden was inaugurated. He also reportedly wore a COVID mask to school much longer than was required.

Clearly, we are missing the full picture. Why would a Republican attempt to assassinate the Republican presidential nominee? What is to gain? And why would he donate to a progressive organization as a conservative? This doesn't add up, and so far the federal agencies investigating the attack have yet to reveal anything more.

What were his goals?

What we know: Obviously we know he was trying to assassinate President Trump—and came very close to succeeding, but beyond that, Crooks' goals are unknown. He left no manifesto or any sort of written motive behind, or if he did, the authorities haven't published it yet. We have frustratingly little to go off of.

What we don't know: As stated before, we don't know anything about the movies behind Crooks' heinous actions. We are left with disjointed pieces that make it difficult to paint a cohesive picture of this man. There is also the matter that he left explosives, ammo, and a bulletproof vest in his car. Why? Did he assume he was going to make it back to his car? Or were those supplies meant for an accomplice that never showed up?

The shocking lack of information on Crooks' motives makes it seem likely that we are not being let on to the whole truth.

Did he work alone?

What we know: Reportedly, Crooks was the only gunman on the site, and as of now, no other suspects have been identified. The rifle used during the assassination attempt was purchased and registered by Crooks' father. However, it is unlikely that the father was involved as he reported both his son and rifle missing the night of the assassination attempt. Crooks' former classmates described him as a "loner," which seems to corroborate the narrative that he worked alone.

What we don't know: We know how Crooks acquired his rifle, but what about the rest of his equipment? He reportedly had nearly a hundred extra rounds of ammunition, a bulletproof vest, and several homemade bombs in his car. Could these have been meant for a co-conspirator who didn't show? Did Crooks acquire all of this equipment himself, or did he have help?

There's also the matter of the message Crooks left on the video game platform Steam that served as his only warning of the attack. Who was the message for? Are there people out there who were aware of the attack before it occurred? Why didn't they alert authorities?

We know authorities have access to Crooks' laptop and cellphone that probably contain the answers to these pertinent questions. Why haven't we heard any clarity from the authorities? It seems we are again at the mercy of the federal bureaucracy, which begs one more question: Will we ever know the whole truth?

Who will be Kamala Harris' VP pick?

JIM WATSON / Contributor, Chris duMond / Stringer, Justin Sullivan / Staff | Getty Images

Over the weekend, President Joe Biden officially dropped out of the 2024 presidential election and put forward his endorsement behind his Vice President Kamala Harris.

Glenn recently predicted that Biden would step down due to the mountain of pressure within his party to do so. But now that we are here we are faced with an all-new line of questions, like, who will be the candidate on the Democratic ticket? Who will be their pick for vice president?

As of now, the answer to the first question seems to be Kamala Harris, who received the support of the president and several prominent democrats. It's still too early to call for certain, and Glenn doesn't think it's likely, but assuming Kamala becomes the Democrat nominee, who will her VP pick be? There are endless possible options, but there are a 5 big names that could prove beneficial to Harris' campaign:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom

Bill Pugliano / Stringer | Getty Images

Governor Newsom has spiked in popularity within his party since his taking office in 2019 due to his scathing criticisms of President Trump and other Republicans. Newsom has been a popular contender as a possible Biden replacement, and a future presidential bid seems likely.

His widespread recognition may be a boon to Kamala's ticket, but the California governor comes with a dark side. Newsom was famously nearly recalled as Governor in 2021, hanging on to his office by a narrow margin. He also faced criticism for his hypocrisy during the COVID lockdowns, attending large gatherings while the rest of his state was locked inside. There's also the issue that both Newsom and Kamala are from California, meaning that if they were to appear on the same ticket, that ticket would lack geographical balance and would potentially lead to a Constitutional issue that would force the duo to forfeit all 54 of the states' Electoral College votes.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro

Tom Williams / Contributor | Getty Images

Another prominent Democrat Governor, Josh Shapiro has also been floated as a potential VP pick. Governor Shapiro has become a viable pick due to his well-received performance as Pennslyvania's Governor. The governor has good support within the swing state due to his handling of the I-95 bridge collapse, the train derailment in East Palestine, which had effects on his state, and the assassination attempt on the former president last week. Shapiro would bring much-needed support from the swing state if he was put on the ticket.

That being said, Shapiro has little time to build nationwide name recognition before the DNC in August and the November election. This would be Shapiro's debut on the national stage, and he would find himself in the most unforgiving situation possible.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg

FREDERIC J. BROWN / Contributor | Getty Images

Former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and opponent of Biden during the 2020 Democratic primaries, "Mayor Pete's" name recognition might be what Kamala needs on her presidential ticket. Buttigieg rose to popularity during the 2020 election due to his youth and status as "openly gay." Buttigieg has served as the Secretary of Transportation during the Biden administration for the past four years and has formally endorsed Harris.

Nevertheless, Buttigieg has some dark spots on his resume. The East Palestine train derailment disaster has besmirched his reputation as Secretary of Transportation. And while his youth may work in his favor when compared to the other elderly members of our federal government, it also means Buttigieg lacks the experience and prestige that other politicians enjoy.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

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Yet another governor of a crucial swing state, Whitmer was elected in 2018, two years after President Trump was elected, helping secure the state for the Democrats. Whitmer is known for her strong opposition to Trump, both during his presidency and his reelection campaign. Whitmer serves as co-chair for the Biden-Harris campaign and as vice chairperson of the DNC, which gives her influence over the Democratic party, something that would come in handy as a Vice President. Gov. Whitmer also established the Fight Like Hell PAC, which is dedicated to helping Democrats get elected and to stopping Trump by any means.

On the other hand, in a statement following Biden's resignation from the election, Governor Whitmer stated that her role “will remain the same.” It is also worth noting that if she were to be chosen as Kamala's VP, that would make their ticket all-female, which may foster some "woke points," but is politically risky.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear

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Andy Bashear has seemingly beaten the odds twice, having been elected and reelected as the Governor of Kentucky, despite the deep-red nature of the state. Beshear, who has moderate tendencies, would be a boon to the Harris campaign as he has a track record of reaching rural, typically conservative regions where Democrats tend to struggle. He is also known for his propensity to talk about his Christian faith and willingness to work with Republicans, which are traits that might help win over moderates.

But, like Gov. Shapiro, Bashear has very little time to whip up national support and recognition. He also is unlikely to be very much help for the Harris campaign in winning over important swing states.