CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: April 22nd

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: 2,573,471 (up from 2,498,474 Yesterday)
  • Total Confirmed Deaths Worldwide: 178,558 (up from 171,332 Yesterday)
  • Total Confirmed Recovered Worldwide: 701,838 (up from 657,808 Yesterday)
  • The US has 819,175 Confirmed Cases and 45,343 Deaths, up from 792,938 cases and 42,518 deaths yesterday
  • The US currently has 14,016 people in Serious or Critical Condition, up from 13,887 yesterday
  • The US has now tested 4,190,002 people, with 21% of tests showing positive for SARS-CoV-2
Food/Meat Rationing Hits UShttps://finance.yahoo.com/news/food-rationing-reality-buyers-once-230000895.html
  • At a Publix store in St. Petersburg, Florida, handmade signs limit customers to two packages of beef, pork and Italian sausage products.
  • In Toronto, shoppers at a west end Loblaws can't buy more than two dozen eggs and two gallons of milk.
  • Shoppers at Walmart in Utah were limited to no more than 2 of any item from the stores Meat department.
  • Across the US, grocers have started limiting the amount of meat and other products whose supply chains have been impacted by COVID-19 outbreaks.
  • "The thing I'm struck by, in the U.S., we're so used to walking down a supermarket aisle and having thousands of choices," said Heidi Heitkamp, a former North Dakota Senator and current member of Alliant Group's strategic advisory board. "Now that's not what people see on the shelves and it's a little unnerving.
  • "But what everyone should be grateful for is that you can walk into any supermarket in a major metro area and you can still find food to eat. That's a critically important national security concern."
  • "Once we see the impact of workers testing positive in the meat packing plants, we're going to see a shortage of meat," said Heitkamp, the former senator.
  • 49% of U.S. shoppers report their supermarket has had products out of stock, according to one industry survey. On popular items, "they could consider limits based on where the grocer may be located and when their supplier or wholesalers can get them product," industry analysts said in a report.
Iowa Governor "Meat Packers Must Remain Open"https://apnews.com/e4d88c7f43d429fd01c58c8bc08ab4e2
  • Gov. Kim Reynolds said Monday that Iowa's meatpacking plants must stay open despite coronavirus outbreaks that have sickened hundreds of workers, saying that shutting them down would be devastating for farmers and the nation's food supply.
  • "But these are also essential businesses and an essential workforce," she said. "Without them, people's lives and our food supply will be impacted. So we must do our part to keep them open in a safe and responsible way."
  • If hogs are unable to be processed, farmers may "have to consider euthanizing" them, the governor said. "We're not that far from that and it will be devastating not only for the food supply but for the cost of food moving forward," she said.
  • The Tama National beef plant resumed limited production Monday after a two-week shutdown, employees said, despite the news that 177 workers out of more than 500 tested were positive.
  • Tyson Foods also said that its pork plant in Waterloo remained open, defying pleas from the mayor and other officials to temporarily close for cleaning and additional testing of workers.
  • Coronavirus cases in Black Hawk County have doubled in recent days to 356, with 90 percent of them traced to Tyson plant workers. The county reported two more deaths on Monday, both former Tyson employees.
Let Them Eat Ice Creamhttps://dailycaller.com/2020/04/21/biden-spent-nearly-11-thousand-on-pelosi-favorite-ice-cream/
  • Former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign has spent nearly $11,000 on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's favorite ice-cream, which she has come under fire for after showing off her collection in an interview.
  • According to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Biden's campaign has spent $10,600 on Pelosi's favorite ice cream as donor gifts between May 2019 and March 2020.
  • The description for the ice-cream in the FEC filing says "donor gifts." The Daily Caller contacted the Biden campaign to ask about the gifts but did not immediately receive a response.
  • Jeni's Gourmet Ice Cream has also responded to the COVID-19 Pandemic by offering customers free to download Zoom backgrounds featuring selections of Jeni's Gourmet flavors.
  • President Donald Trump's campaign released an advertisement Monday blasting Pelosi for focusing on eating ice cream instead of working with Congress to put together legislation for coronavirus funding.
VA Study: No Benefit From Taking HydroxyChloroquinehttps://apnews.com/a5077c7227b8eb8b0dc23423c0bbe2b2
  • A malaria drug widely touted by President Donald Trump for treating the new coronavirus showed no benefit in a study of its use in U.S. veterans hospitals. There were more deaths among those given hydroxychloroquine versus standard care, researchers reported.
  • The nationwide study was not a rigorous experiment. But with 368 patients, it's the largest look so far of hydroxychloroquine with or without the antibiotic azithromycin for COVID-19, which has killed more than 171,000 people as of Tuesday.
  • Researchers analyzed medical records of 368 male veterans hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infection at VA medical centers who either died or were discharged by April 11.
  • About 28% who were given hydroxychloroquine plus usual care died, versus 11% of those getting routine care alone. About 22% of those getting the drug plus azithromycin died too, but the difference between that group and usual care was not considered large enough to rule out other factors that could have affected survival.
  • Hydroxychloroquine made no difference in the need for a breathing machine, either.
  • The study was posted on an online site for researchers and has not been peer reviewed by other scientists. Grants from the National Institutes of Health and the University of Virginia paid for the work.
Total US COVID-19 Deaths Double Over Last 8 Dayshttps://news.trust.org/item/20200421211344-sn3xj
  • U.S. coronavirus deaths doubled in a little over a week and rising by a near-record amount in a single day.
  • U.S. deaths increased by more than 2,750 on Tuesday alone, just shy of a peak of 2,806 deaths in a single day on April 15.
  • Officials reminded the public that deaths are a lagging indicator since the average victim takes 24 days to succumb to the disease.
  • New reported U.S. cases appear to be slowing this week, rising by less than 30,000 a day for the past four days through Tuesday.
  • The United States had a high of 35,392 new cases on April 4.
First West Texas, Now Northsea Brent Crude Crashes https://finance.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-brent-crude-hits-1999-lows-as-oil-prices-continue-to-fall-072702942.html
  • Brent Crude, Europe's equivalent to West Texas Intermediary crude oil, crashed to levels not seen in 3 decades yesterday and is trading at levels well below production cost.
  • More than 140 Million Barrels are being stored at sea, according to one industry survey.
  • Some companies have taken to floating barrels chained together to form 'barrel rafts', a practice not seen since barrels of oil were floated down the Mississippi River in the early 1900s.
  • In Europe, demand for Petrol has dropped by over 30% since April 1st, as more and more countries limit travel and have closed borders.
Mexico Enters Phase III of Outbreak, Deaths Spikehttps://news.yahoo.com/mexico-entered-most-serious-phase-125222515.html
  • Mexico has entered what the government calls "Phase 3" of the spread of the new coronavirus, the most serious stage, as transmission of the virus is intensifying.
  • Mexico has registered 712 coronavirus deaths and 8,772 infections, with 511 new cases reported on Monday.
  • But health officials expect the real number to be substantially higher as Mexico has limited testing capacity.
  • The government's "Sentinel Surveillance" mathematical model estimated there were 55,951 cases across the country, and estimated over 2,800 deaths due to COVID-19. Hospitals in Mexico City reported nearly 3,000 more deaths so far in April compared to the same month last year.
  • Mexico's leftist leader, President Obrador once again vowed that the country would not enforce "authoritarian" measures such as curfews or travel restrictions, which other countries around the globe have implemented.
  • He has come under fire for downplaying the seriousness of the outbreak, and as recently as last week had allowed a bullfight in Mexico City, with nearly 28,000 spectators in attendance.
Survey: 4 in 5 Households Report COVID-19 Lockdowns Bring Family Closer Togetherhttps://www.studyfinds.org/quarantine-quality-time-4-in-5-parents-say-coronavirus-lockdown-has-brought-family-closer-together/
  • British study finds 4 out of 5 Parents report lockdowns have brought the family closer together.
  • Six in ten say they're happier with their spouse or partner than ever before.
  • A Quarter of respondents say the extra time together has improved their sex life.
  • The survey finds that half of families are getting together to play board games and make puzzles. Another 30% say they've formed book clubs and read together.
  • And some parents are engaging in new activities with their kids. Just over a quarter of families (28%) have picked up family gardening.
  • The study was conducted online by MumPoll, and included over 2,000 participants.
NY Times: Massive Undercounting of COVID-19 Deaths Worldwidehttps://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/21/world/coronavirus-missing-deaths.html
  • There are tens of thousands of "Excess Deaths" across the globe, in a country by country analysis conducted by researchers from the Times.
  • Examining state medical records and official death statistics, more than 25,000 extra deaths were recorded compared to the same period last year.
  • The totals include suspected deaths from COVID-19 as well as those from other causes, likely including people who could not be treated as hospitals became overwhelmed.
  • AREAPCT. ABOVE NORMALEXCESS DEATHSREPORTED COVID-19 DEATHS=DIFFERENCE
    Spain
    Mar. 9 - Apr. 5
    66%19,70012,401=7,300
    England & Wales
    Mar. 7 - Apr. 10
    33%16,70010,335=6,300
    New York City
    Mar. 11 - Apr. 18
    298%17,20013,240=4,000
    France
    Mar. 9 - Apr. 5
    21%10,5008,059=2,500
    Netherlands
    Mar. 9 - Apr. 5
    33%4,0002,166=1,900
    Istanbul
    Mar. 9 - Apr. 12
    29%2,1001,006=1,100
    Jakarta
    March
    36%1,00084=900
    Belgium
    Mar. 9 - Apr. 5
    25%2,3001,632=700
    Switzerland
    Mar. 9 - Apr. 5
    21%1,000712=300
  • Among all countries who included causes, deaths by Automobile-Accident dropped dramatically and was down by over 59% in the US for April compared to 2019.

Do aliens... EXIST? Or is it a distraction?

Rastan | Getty Images

Yesterday, whistleblower David Charles Grusch, a decorated Air Force veteran claimed the Department of Defense has a secret team aimed at "retrieving non-human origin technical vehicles, call it spacecraft if you will, non-human exotic origin vehicles that have either landed or crashed."

Talk about UFOs and aliens has typically been siloed to the realm of sci-fi and "conspiracy theories." However, in recent years, publicized evidence of UFOs and whistleblowers, like David Grusch, have brought the once fantastical subjects into the mainstream. Could it be that alien life forms do, in fact, exist? Have they already arrived and been kept secret underneath the government's nose? Or could this all be a ruse to distract us from more pressing stories in the news cycle?

We want to hear from YOU! Do YOU think aliens and UFOs are a distraction tactic, or do you think there's truth behind these whistleblowers?

Do you believe the government has intel about UFOs?

Do you believe the government has intel about alien life?

Do you believe the government is hiding this intel from the general public?

Do you believe alien life exists? 

Do you think the media is using this story to distract us from other issues?

Remembering D-Day: We are called to the same standard

Universal History Archive / Contributor | Getty Images

79 years ago today, my grandfather jumped out of a plane. He was 17 years old when he joined the 101st Airborne Division, and at the ripe age of 18, he boarded a C-47 aircraft with the rest of his company destined for Normandy. On June 6, 1944, he jumped out of that plane onto Utah Beach, becoming a part of what would become the largest amphibious invasion in military history, Operation Overlord, or, as it's more commonly known, D-Day.

Though only 18, my grandfather was one of the oldest soldiers in his company. He recounted how many, like himself, lied about their age in order to have their shot at fighting for their country. As Omaha Beach veteran Frank Devita recounted:

We were all kids. We were too young to drink. We were too young to vote. And we were too young to die.

And many of them did.

On June 6, 1944, almost 160,000 troops from the United States, the British Commonwealth, and their allies began what would become the ultimate demise of the Third Reich, concluding one of the darkest chapters in human history. 2,500 of these soldiers were American boys who gave the ultimate sacrifice in Normandy, where most of them remain, their bodies never making it back home to the country for which they paid the ultimate price.

2,500 of these soldiers were American boys who gave the ultimate sacrifice in Normandy.

Underwood Archives / Contributor | Getty Images

In an age seemingly devoid of courage and virtue, it is natural to picture these soldiers as the greatest of men. And they were. However, we must remember these exemplars of manhood were boys, young boys, who exhibited the courage and virtue that we so seldom see in those twice their age today.

We must remember these exemplars of manhood were boys.

Remembering D-Day is not only sobering regarding the loss of life and innocence; it's sobering to consider how far our country has strayed from the ideals exemplified by the "greatest generation."

79 years ago, Americans knew what they were fighting for. As a Jewish man born in Berlin, witnessing the rise of fascism and socialism at the expense of individual liberty and the sanctity of life, my grandfather was eager to go back to his birthplace as an American soldier to fight for the fundamental principles of life and liberty that he and his family had been denied in Nazi Germany.

They were some of the lucky individuals who were able to escape—and there's a reason why he and his family chose America as their new homeland. The life and liberty they had been denied in Germany were regarded as sacred in the United States.

Yet, do we still regard these things as sacred?

JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / Contributor | Getty Images

Most of the United States still hold that the sanctity of life is contingent upon convenience and circumstance. Economic policies continue to morph closer to the socialism adopted by the rest of the world in the 20th century, penalizing the success and merit that was once tantalizing to immigrants like my grandfather. Moreover, 2020 extinguished any doubt that the freedoms we hold dear are expendable at the whims of our ruling class.

This isn't the same America that provided refuge to my grandfather's family nor is it the same country that he and his brothers-in-arms fought for.

On this anniversary of D-Day, it is important that we remember the sacrifice given by the young American boys, who became the greatest of men, on the beaches of Normandy. However, perhaps it is just as important to remember that we are called to the very same standard as they so powerfully exemplified: to love our country and the principles of life and freedom that stand in stark contrast to much of the onlooking world and to have the courage to defend it, even if it requires the level courage that these young men were called to.

5 new AI your children may be using and how to counter them

NurPhoto / Contributor | Getty Images

With the rapid emergence of widely available AI, it's no surprise many parents are concerned about how interacting with AI might affect their children. It feels like we are just barely beginning to understand how the internet and social media affect childhood development. Now, we suddenly have a whole new dimension to unpack, with reports of people developing emotional attachments to AI and students using AI to write entire essays. It's no wonder why some parents are starting to feel overwhelmed.

Here are 5 of the most prevalent AI programs discoverable to children and the options parents have to deal with them.

Snapchat “My AI”

Image of chat with MyAI on Snapchat

Snapchat

What is it?

My AI is an AI chatbot built into Snapchat. It's designed to look just like another human user, though it will always stay on top of the "Chat" page and can be identified by a robot emoji on the right side of the screen. The bot can be given a custom name and avatar, answer questions, chat, and provide recommendations, much like ChatGPT—the software that powers My AI, albeit less powerful.

Like ChatGPT, My AI has many biases—typically left-leaning, and is subject to mistakes and inaccuracies. Unlike ChatGTP however, My AI may claim to be a real person and a friend to the user, which might be misleading to a young person. Perhaps most disturbing, it can access your location—provided you allow Snapchat to know your location.

If you want to protect your children from My AI, you have a few different options.

The first is to disable My AI within Snapchat. Naturally, Snapchat has made disabling the bot a premium feature, only available to Snapchat+ subscribers. Assuming your child does not already have a Snapchat+ subscription, you can purchase a one-month subscription for $3.99, disable My AI from the Snapchat+ management screen, then cancel the subscription. Users are reporting that once the subscription ends the bot remains disabled, though note that your child can easily re-enable the feature at any time and it cannot be password protected.

Your other options are to either block or limit the use of the entire app from within the settings of your children's phones or to educate your child on the dangers and nature of AI.

ChatGPT/OpenAI

What is it?

ChatGPT is one of the most popular AI programs available on the internet. Its sophistication and power make it as formidable as it is fascinating. Glenn had a conversation with ChatGPT, which demonstrated its power and intelligence. It's an AI-powered chatbot and much like other chatbots, it can answer questions, chat, and provide recommendations. It can also write essays, do math worksheets, translate back and forth between many languages, write computer code, and much more. Like My AI, it can be inaccurate at times and has major left-leaning biases. The company responsible for ChatGPT, OpenAI, has other AI tools, such as DALL·E 2, an image creation program that utilizes the same AI as ChatGPT.

If you want to protect your children from ChatGPT, you have a few different options.

The first and most important thing to do is to make sure that your children know that using ChatGPT or any other AI to do homework, write essays or complete tests or quizzes IS CHEATING. There have been multiple stories recently about students using ChatGPT to write papers or do homework and the consequences they faced once they got caught. Long story short, it never ends well for the student. Make sure your children understand that although AIs are not humans, using them to complete school work IS STILL cheating.

If you want to prevent your children from accessing ChatGPT altogether, you can block it along with other websites using your web browser's child settings. Here are instructions on how to block websites for your child on Google Chrome.

Replika

What is it?

Replika is an online companion that custom builds an AI "companion," a chatbot with a customizable name and avatar. Though similar to My AI, Replika creates an avatar whose appearance and function is much more lifelike than My AI, and, consequently, more intimate. Replika advertises itself as "The AI companion who cares" and will remember things that are important to you in order to be the perfect "companion."

The app rewards users for time spent talking with their AI companions with points that can be spent on unlocking more clothes, jewelry, hairstyles, accessories, etc., and gives the user the option to skip the points altogether and purchase the digital items with real money, a common tactic in apps and mobile games.

The major thing that sets Replika apart from other chatbots is its ability to "role play," flirt, and send "hot photos." These features, which play a major role in Replika's advertising, are meant to promote Replika's use as a replacement for a "partner."

If you want to protect your children from Replika, you really only have one option.

You can block the app and website on your children's devices. Replika does not have a child mode or any way to disable explicit content, it is either all or nothing.

AI Dungeon

What is it?

AI Dungeon is a spin-off of the popular role-playing game, "Dungeons and Dragons." It's a text-based game where the player chooses or creates a scenario and plays out the scenario with the AI. For example, the player might be cast in the role of a knight and can type out what the knight says and does, and the AI will give text responses to the players' actions in an attempt to create an interactive story.

The game can be played for free, but players can also purchase access to more powerful AI, which in theory creates better stories. Moreover, you can purchase additional game modes. The major concern is that the AI can generate explicit material as well as violent scenarios, which it can describe quite graphically.

If you want to protect your children from AI Dungeon you really only have one option:

You can turn on "safe mode" from within the app settings, but it can easily be deactivated. Your best bet is to block the app on your children's devices.

YouTube

What is it?

It might surprise you to learn that the algorithm that decides what content gets recommended to you on YouTube is AI-powered. It sorts through millions of videos and decides which ones to recommend to you based on many factors, such as the channels you are subscribed to, your watch history, trending videos, etc. The goal of this AI algorithm is to keep you hooked and watching, which generates ad revenue for YouTube.

YouTube is owned by Google, and both companies have a long track record of left-wing biases, which permeates YouTube's algorithm. This can lead to videos about gun safety being labeled as "promoting violence" and videos of drag queens being promoted to children.

If you want to protect your children from the YouTube algorithm, you have a few different options.

You can set up a YouTube Kids account for your children, which gives you a lot of control over what your child can and can not find and watch on YouTube. Be warned, due to YouTube's left lean, videos such as "Drag Queen Storytime" are still available, though the channels that post them can be blocked.

It might take a while to set up properly, and things may get through the cracks, but you could set up a relatively safe YouTube account for your children. The other option, of course, is to block YouTube on your kids' devices, and web browsers, keeping them from accessing it at all.

It feels like lately hardly a week can go by without some new AI advancement—or warning—making headlines, but unless you have been paying VERY close attention you might believe the power of AI is something relegated to technical institutions or Silicon Valley labs and only accessible by the most highly trained computer wizards. But as Glenn has demonstrated, AI can now be accessed by anyone with internet access and can take many different shapes and forms—not just that of the ominous and awkward ChatBot. In fact, you are probably using AI without even realizing it.

If AI can enter into your life without you realizing it, would you even know if your CHILDREN were interacting with it?

We want to hear from YOU. Do you allow your children to use AI? Do you know if they are? Do you use AI? Are you aware of the many shapes and forms AI can take?

Do you use AI?

Do you allow your children to use AI?

Do you know if your children are using AI?

Did you know that AI is integral to the functions of many social media content recommendation algorithms, including YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram?  

Did you know that many messaging platforms your child may be using, like Discord and Snapchat, now have built-in AI chatbots?

Are you aware that AI such as ChatGPT can be easily accessed from any internet browser?

Are you aware that AI such as ChatGPT can be easily used to CHEAT school assignments?

Are you aware that AI applications exist that are meant to replace intimate human relationships and are available on most smartphones?

Are you teaching your children about AI and its potential dangers and misuses?