Mornings on the Mall

Friday, April 24, 2020

Hosts: Vince Coglianese and Mary Walter

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

NASA’s Dr. Paul Hertz, Chad Pergram, ESPN 630’s Carol Maloney and Bret Baier joined WMAL on Friday!

5am – A/B/C Antibody Testing Showing More People Have Had Coronavirus:

• New York antibody study estimates 13.9% of residents have had the coronavirus, Gov. Cuomo says (CNBC) –  With more than 19.4 million people residents, according to U.S. Census data, the preliminary results indicate that at least 2.7 million New Yorkers have been infected with Covid-19. The results differed across the state with the largest concentration of positive antibody tests found in New York City at 21.2%. In Long Island, 16.7% of the people tested were positive and in Westchester, where the state’s first major outbreak originated, 11.7% of the tests were positive. The Covid-19 pandemic across the rest of the state is relatively contained with just 3.6% of positive test results. “What we found so far is that the statewide number is 13.9% tested positive for having the antibodies,” he said. “They were infected three weeks ago, four weeks ago, five weeks ago, six weeks ago, but they had the virus, they developed the antibodies and they are now recovered.” While Covid-19 deaths across the state have begun to level off, the “number of lives lost is still breathtakingly tragic,” Cuomo said. The state’s mortality rates remains persistently high, at 7.4% with at least 19,453 fatalities and 263,754 confirmed cases, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The antibody testing indicates that the actual death rate is far lower, less than 1%, Cuomo said.
• OVERWHELMING NUMBER OF PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE ANY SIGNIFICANT RISK OF DYING FROM THE VIRUS: (The Hill) – The overwhelming majority of people do not have any significant risk of dying from COVID-19. The recent Stanford University antibody study now estimates that the fatality rate if infected is likely 0.1 to 0.2 percent, a risk far lower than previous World Health Organization estimates that were 20 to 30 times higher and that motivated isolation policies.  In New York City, an epicenter of the pandemic with more than one-third of all U.S. deaths, the rate of death for people 18 to 45 years old is 0.01 percent, or 11 per 100,000 in the population. On the other hand, people aged 75 and over have a death rate 80 times that. For people under 18 years old, the rate of death is zero per 100,000.
• EARLIER THIS WEEK: Testing shows hundreds of thousands in LA County may have been infected with coronavirus. (Fox News) – The coronavirus outbreak in Los Angeles County is believed to have infected at least 200,000 people by early April, which would far surpass the number of officially confirmed cases, according to a report on Monday. A large scale study by the University of Southern California and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health found that 4.1 percent of the county’s adult population has antibodies to the virus in their blood, which is an indicator of past exposure. Based on the county’s population, that means that between 221,000 and 442,000 adults in the area have previously been infected, the study estimated.
• From earlier this week:
  • AND WHY DO HOSPITALS NEED A RESCUE? BECAUSE THEIR PATIENTS MAY BE DYING WITHOUT TREATMENT… WAPO: Patients with heart attacks, strokes and even appendicitis vanish from hospitals. Soon after he repurposed his 60-bed cardiac unit to accommodate covid-19 patients, Mount Sinai cardiovascular surgeon John Puskas was stumped: With nearly all the beds now occupied by victims of the novel coronavirus, where had all the heart patients gone? Even those left almost speechless by crushing chest pain weren’t coming through the ER. Variations on that question have puzzled clinicians not only in New York, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, but across the country and in Spain, the United Kingdom and China. Five weeks into a nationwide coronavirus lockdown, many doctors believe the pandemic has produced a silent sub-epidemic of people who need care at hospitals but dare not come in. They include people with inflamed appendixes, infected gall bladders and bowel obstructions, and more ominously, chest pains and stroke symptoms, according to these physicians and early research. “Everybody is frightened to come to the ER,” Puskas said. […] Much of the reporting about missing patients is anecdotal — in medical chat rooms and on doctors’ social media accounts. Doctors say it’s unlikely there has been a decline in most of these conditions, which suggests that at least a few people may be dying at home, although there is no data yet to corroborate that. In the case of severe heart attacks, the evidence is mounting that a large percentage of patients with symptoms that typically prompt urgent interventions are simply not showing up. A report to be published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology on nine high-volume cardiac catheterization labs across the country found a 38 percent drop in patients being treated for a life-threatening event known as a STEMI — the blockage of one of the major arteries that supplies oxygen-rich blood to the heart. The study compared what happened this past March, when covid-19 cases were climbing, with the treatments delivered from Jan. 1, 2019, through February 2020.

5am – D         John Durham expands investigative team amid coronavirus outbreak (Washington Examiner) – U.S. Attorney John Durham has expanded his team as his review of the Trump-Russia investigators ramps up during the coronavirus pandemic, which has gripped the country and swept the globe. The top federal prosecutor for Connecticut selected additional team members for his investigative effort in recent weeks, adding agents from the FBI as well as the chief of the Violent Crimes and Narcotics Trafficking Section for the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, Anthony Scarpelli, according to sources cited by CNN. Durham, who has been running the operation out of Connecticut and D.C., drove down to Washington a few weeks ago to keep the investigation moving even as the COVID-19 virus hampered many law enforcement efforts nationwide. The CNN report said Durham requested witness information in March and April. Attorney General William Barr said in an interview this week that Durham’s investigation into the origins of the Crossfire Hurricane operation and the conduct of associated law enforcement officers and intelligence officials is proceeding full speed ahead, and the timing of a report or possible criminal charges will not be based on the 2020 election calendar. But, he stressed, an announcement or possible indictments are not imminent.

• ANOTHER DAILY CALLER EXCLUSIVE: Dossier Author Testified His Emails Were ‘Wiped,’ He No Longer Has Documents Related To Primary Source. (Daily Caller) – Christopher Steele told a British court last month that he no longer has documents and other information from his meetings with the main source for his Trump dossier, suggesting that the former British spy has no way of backing up his side in a dispute with the Justice Department’s inspector general (IG), according to a deposition transcript obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. Steele also told the court that his communications regarding the dossier, including with Fusion GPS, were “wiped” in December 2016 and January 2017, the transcript shows. The former MI6 officer made the disclosures during a March 17-18 deposition in a defamation case related to the dossier. The DCNF obtained a transcript of the deposition. Steele suggested in a Dec. 10 statement that he had evidence that would shed light on what his main dossier source told him back in 2016, when Steele was working for the firm Fusion GPS to investigate the Trump campaign. Steele’s statement was a response to an IG report released the day before that said that Steele’s source — dubbed the “Primary Sub-Source” — told the FBI in January 2017 that Steele misrepresented or embellished information in the dossier.
• FLASHBACK, DEC. 19: Christopher Steele ‘Meticulously’ Recorded Source Who Disavowed Dossier Claims, Lawyers Say. (Daily Caller) – Christopher Steele “meticulously” documented and recorded interactions with a key source for his infamous Trump dossier, lawyers for the former British spy said Tuesday in a lengthy response to the Justice Department inspector general’s report on the FBI’s handling of the Russia probe. The report, released Monday, poked holes in the dossier, and revealed that a primary source for Steele disavowed some of the information in the salacious document. The source, whom FBI agents interviewed multiple times between January and May 2017, said Steele exaggerated or misrepresented information in his dossier, which the FBI cited extensively in applications for surveillance warrants against Carter Page.

5am – E         Federal Data: 28.4M Mail-In Ballots Have Gone Missing Since 2012 Election. (Breitbart News) – About 28.4 million mail-in ballots went missing in the last four election cycles dating back to 2012, federal data obtained by Breitbart News reveals. The data from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and the Election Administration and Voting Surveys for the 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 election cycles finds that nearly 30 million mail-in ballots sent to registered voters went missing. In 2012, for instance, more than 33 million mail-in ballots were sent to registered voters. Of those, nearly four million went missing, more than 425,000 were undeliverable, and almost 260,000 were rejected. For the 2014 election cycle, the number of mail-in ballots that went missing spiked to more than eight million. In that election, 29.2 million mail-in ballots were sent to registered voters. More than 610,000 of those mail-in ballots were undeliverable, and about 269,000 were rejected. Another 8.2 million of those mail-in ballots went missing. “Vote by mail is a disaster,” Public Legal Interest Foundation (PILF) President J. Christian Adams told Breitbart News in a statement. “People who think it works haven’t studied the failures. The facts show mail voting doesn’t work.”

6am – A         BIDEN NEWS:

• AOC announces on Instagram that she will vote for Joe Biden. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will vote for presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in the November election, she reaffirmed in a livestream appearance. Speaking to rapper Fat Joe in an Instagram Live discussion Wednesday, Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was asked bluntly whom she planned to support between the general election candidates. “In November, I’m going to be voting for Joe Biden … that’s what I’m going to be doing,” the progressive darling responded. Fat Joe had told the Bernie Sanders supporter that there are “three things you can do: You can vote for Trump, you can vote for Biden or you can not vote at all. Who you going to vote for?” The “Lean Back” rapper asked AOC if this was the first time she was revealing to the public what she planned to do when she filled out her ballot. “I mean, I’ve been saying this whole time that we got to support the Democratic nominee,” she said, adding, “This is the time where I’m saying it declaratively like this.”
• Meghan McCain Strongly Hints That She’s Going To Vote For Joe Biden. (Daily Caller) – Meghan McCain hinted Wednesday that she might be considering a vote for former Vice President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. McCain, a lifelong Republican, discussed the topic on an episode of “Watch What Happens Live” with Andy Cohen. “So I just had a really long conversation with him a few days ago, like on Saturday, and I love him dearly, I keep telling everyone, I will promise you you will know who I’m voting for,” McCain said. McCain has often said that she loves the Biden family — although she has stopped short of publicly endorsing him or promising him her vote — and was especially appreciative of the former vice president when her father, the late Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, was diagnosed with the same brain cancer that had taken Biden’s son Beau.
• Biden says he thinks Trump will try to delay the November election. (NBC News) – Joe Biden said Thursday that he believes President Donald Trump will try and delay the November election. “Mark my words, I think he is going to try to kick back the election somehow, come up with some rationale why it can’t be held,” the former vice president and apparent Democratic presidential nominee said during an online fundraiser. “Imagine threatening not to fund the post office. Now, what in God’s name is that about? Other than trying to let the word out that he’s going to do all he can to make it very hard for people to vote,” Biden said. “That’s the only way he thinks he can possibly win.”

6am – B/C     MICHIGAN:

• Michigan Gov. Whitmer faces protest outside her home as lawmakers mull curbing her powers. (Fox News) – Meanwhile, the Michigan Legislature has scheduled a special session for Friday with the goal of creating an oversight committee to review Whitmer’s coronavirus orders and possibly strip her of some of her powers, the Detroit Free Press reported.Critics have accused Whitmer, a 48-year-old first-term Democratic governor, of overstepping her authority with a series of measures intended to stem the spread of coronavirus in the state. April 9 revisions to her initial stay-at-home order included bans on visiting friends and relatives or traveling to vacation homes, and halts on sales of items such as furniture and gardening supplies. In a podcast interview, she also said abortions should continue in the state during the virus outbreak because the procedures were part of “life-sustaining” health care for women. In addition, Whitmer came under fire after a no-bid coronavirus-related state contract was awarded to a firm operated by a well-known Democratic consultant who had written that President Trump should “get coronavirus ASAP.” Whitmer’s office later acknowledged that the contract was awarded without adhering to normal protocols. In a podcast interview, she also said abortions should continue in the state during the virus outbreak because the procedures were part of “life-sustaining” health care for women. In addition, Whitmer came under fire after a no-bid coronavirus-related state contract was awarded to a firm operated by a well-known Democratic consultant who had written that President Trump should “get coronavirus ASAP.” Whitmer’s office later acknowledged that the contract was awarded without adhering to normal protocols. Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, explained the point of Friday’s planned session in a Twitter message. “The House & Senate will convene tomorrow to create a special oversight committee on COVID-19 to examine our government’s response,” he wrote. “Michigan needs to handle this pandemic seriously yet properly. It’s what the people deserve, and we will see that it happens.”
• Former Nevada AG Adam Laxalt: Gretchen Whitmer Could Be ‘In Big Trouble’ For No-Bid Contract Attempt. (Daily Caller) – “I think she could be in big trouble,” Laxalt told Carlson. “Let’s see what happened here, so this contract gets awarded to this Democratic group, and politics and your official office are never supposed to overlap.” After noting that Michigan is “one of the only states in America where the governor and the legislature are exempted from Freedom of Information Act requests,” Laxalt said Whitmer’s administration “already rejected” his organization’s request. He nevertheless promised to “FOIA every state entity that should have touched a state contract. “And that’s where we could find the real trouble,” he said. “Did they go through the hurdles they should have to pass the state contact?” “And I would add one interesting thing, any contract over $250,000 goes to a public board that the governor sits on, the Attorney General sits on,” said Laxalt, who also ran unsuccessfully for governor of Nevada in 2018. “The public could have seen it, they could’ve asked questions. Magically this thing ends up under that threshold so, lo and behold it doesn’t go to a public board. So there’s a lot of questions to be answered and of course the governor could clear this up by simply releasing these records and letting the public know exactly how this contract came about.”
• Michigan Democrat facing censure for ‘thank you’ to Trump should join GOP, president says. President Trump on Thursday night shared some advice for Michigan state Rep. Karen Whitsett, the Democrat who recently survived a bout with coronavirus – only to now face possible censure by some fellow Democrats. “Should join the Republican Party!” the president wrote on Twitter. Trump was responding to a message posted by Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, who retweeted a Detroit News story reporting that Whitsett was facing a possible rebuke for having said “thank you” to President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence during a recent White House meeting.

6am – D/E     CONGRESS AND CORONAVIRUS RELIEF:

• House approves more small business loans, AOC joins 4 GOPers in no vote. (NY Post) – The House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted Thursday to replenish a small business loan program designed to halt layoffs during the coronavirus pandemic. The $484 billion relief bill is the fourth large coronavirus deal and revives the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, which ran out of funds last week. The bill also has $75 billion for hospitals and $25 billion for testing. The package passed 388-5 and now goes to President Trump for his signature. But Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) voted “no,” as did four Republicans — Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ken Buck of Colorado, Jody Hice of Georgia and Thomas Massie of Kentucky. Independent Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan voted “present.” A separate Democratic resolution to create a new committee to oversee coronavirus stimulus funds passed 212-182 along party lines.
• House votes to create a powerful panel to investigate the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. (CNN) The Democratic-led House voted earlier on Thursday to establish a new panel with broad authority to oversee the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. The vote was 212-182, with the committee approved along party lines. The panel, which will be a select investigative subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee, will have far-reaching power to investigate how the trillions of dollars already approved by Congress for coronavirus relief are being used. It will be able to issue subpoenas, review US preparedness for the crisis and examine decisions about the crisis within the administration.
• Facing furor, Ruth’s Chris high-end steak chain returns $20M small-business loan. (NBC News) Cheryl Henry, CEO of Ruth’s Hospitality Group said in a statement that the company was eligible for the funds it had applied for in order to protect employees and their families. “We intended to repay this loan in adherence with government guidelines, but as we learned more about the funding limitations of the program and the unintended impact, we have decided to accelerate that repayment,” said Henry. “It is our hope that these funds are loaned to another company to protect their employees.” With fewer than 500 employees at each location, the company argued that it does meet the eligibility requirements for the loan and has had to furlough some employees.

6am – F         NFL DRAFT / REDSKINS:

• Redskins select Chase Young with NFL draft’s second overall pick. (Washington Post) – Ron Rivera’s first draft pick as the Washington Redskins’ coach was hardly a surprise. Just minutes into Thursday night’s first round of the NFL draft, he did what most of the league had expected and took Ohio State pass rusher Chase Young with the second overall selection. Young, who is from Cheltenham, Md. and went to DeMatha Catholic High, is considered by many evaluators to be the best player in this year’s draft and one of the most talented pass rushers to come along in recent years. He will join a defensive front that now has five first-round picks and quickly could become one of the NFL’s best. “I believe so and I feel very fortunate to get him, I really do,” Rivera said after the first round on a video news conference. “I think for what we would like to do going forward for us, I most certainly do believe he’s the best player.

7am – A         Interview – Dr. Paul Hertz – NASA Director of Astrophysics — discussed NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope turning 30 this month.

https://twitter.com/NASAHubble

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html

• When you think of the universe, what do you imagine? Chances are the colorful pictures of galaxies and star clusters that come into view are from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. For 30 years, the bus-sized telescope has been orbiting the Earth as one of humanity’s most important windows to the universe. Hubble was designed to last 15 years, but on April 24 it will mark three decades in space.
• Throughout human history, we have wondered about our place among the stars. Thanks to Hubble, we have a front-row seat to watch our universe evolve before our eyes. Hubble’s observations have fundamentally changed our understanding of the universe, including determining how old it is. It has changed our views of the planets in our own solar system, capturing Jupiter’s famous Great Red Spot shrinking over time, and discovering new objects such as planetary moons and icy objects beyond Pluto. Hubble has shown us the birth of stars and even the creation of black holes. As it turns 30, Hubble continues to push the boundaries of exploration.
• Hubble Quick Facts:
  • Looking Back Through Time: Hubble has peered back to capture light from distant galaxies that has taken more than 13.4 billion years to reach us.
  • A Productive Machine: Hubble has taken more than 1.4 million observations that astronomers have used to write over 17,000 scientific publications on topics such as planet, star and galaxy formation, dark matter, dark energy and black holes.
  • Space Mechanics: Astronauts repaired and upgraded Hubble five times in space, including giving Hubble “glasses” to fix a flaw in its mirror that made the images blurry.
  • Science Bus: The Hubble Space Telescope is about the size of a school bus, roughly 43.5 feet long and 14 feet wide and weighs 27,000 pounds on Earth.
  • Around the World in 95 Minutes: Hubble travels 17,000 mph and completes one orbit around the Earth every 95 minutes, meaning it has made more than 166,000 orbits in its lifetime and has traveled over 4 billion miles.
  • Above the atmosphere: Hubble orbits 340 miles above the Earth’s surface, outside of the distorting effects of our atmosphere. This allows us to look deeper into space and with greater clarity than we can with ground telescopes
  • Cultural Icon: From Star Trek and The Big Bang Theory episodes to music album covers and the clothes you wear, Hubble images are all around you!

• NASA announces launch date for first flight with astronauts from U.S. soil in nearly 10 years. (Washington Post) – The flight from the Kennedy Space Center would send NASA astronauts to the space station. It’s been nearly 10 years since NASA astronauts launched from U.S. soil — a long, ignominious streak that’s been compounded by delays and technical challenges. But finally, the space agency on Friday set the date for when it will fly its astronauts from the Florida Space Coast again: May 27. While the date could change — in spaceflight they often do — the announcement marks a significant milestone in NASA’s winding, at times tortuous, journey to regain its human-spaceflight wings since it retired the space shuttle in 2011.nThis time, though, the launch will be markedly different from any other in the history of the space agency. Unlike Mercury, Gemini, Apollo or the space shuttle era, the rocket will be owned and operated not by NASA, but by a private company — SpaceX, the hard-charging commercial space company founded by Elon Musk.

7am – B/C     Japanese mayor draws fire for saying men should do shopping amid pandemic because they’re “faster”  (CBS News) – As Japan’s leaders push residents to minimize the length and number of outings, an attempt this week by Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui to add the personal touch ended up touching off a firestorm. He suggested the best way to reduce shopping time was to delegate it to the man of the family. “Men are faster. They just buy what they’re told,” he asserted. “Men go straight to where the product is shelved, put it in the basket. It saves time.” “I don’t think this is an issue of gender,” a male reporter gently pushed back. “It sounds odd when you say, ‘women take more time to shop.'” The 56-year-old conservative was unshakeable. “Well, in my house, my wife takes longer, and I’m faster.” The reaction was swift and generally unsympathetic. “People who have no clue what daily life is about, we don’t need their advice,” said one tweet. “My husband ends up choosing the more expensive brand,” said one woman. “Old dudes hanging around the store, don’t they just get in the way? Better for them to stay home and watch the kids.”

7am – D         Interview – CHAD PERGRAM – congressional correspondent, Fox News Channel 

• House approves more small business loans, AOC joins 4 GOPers in no vote. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted Thursday to replenish a small business loan program designed to halt layoffs during the coronavirus pandemic. The $484 billion relief bill is the fourth large coronavirus deal and revives the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, which ran out of funds last week. The bill also has $75 billion for hospitals and $25 billion for testing. The package passed 388-5 and now goes to President Trump for his signature. But Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) voted “no,” as did four Republicans — Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ken Buck of Colorado, Jody Hice of Georgia and Thomas Massie of Kentucky. Independent Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan voted “present.”
• House votes to create a powerful panel to investigate the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Democratic-led House voted earlier on Thursday to establish a new panel with broad authority to oversee the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. The vote was 212-182, with the committee approved along party lines. The panel, which will be a select investigative subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee, will have far-reaching power to investigate how the trillions of dollars already approved by Congress for coronavirus relief are being used. It will be able to issue subpoenas, review US preparedness for the crisis and examine decisions about the crisis within the administration.

7am – E         Pence to Rush Limbaugh: Coronavirus outbreak may be ‘behind us’ by June.  In an interview with conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh on Thursday, Pence was optimistic that a large number of Americans may have been exposed to COVID-19, leading to a “degree of immunity.” “I truly do believe if current trend lines hold, that by early June, we could largely have this coronavirus epidemic behind us, and begin to see our nation open back up and go back to work,” Pence said. “There is a high likelihood that if you’ve had this coronavirus in the past, that you will enjoy some immunity from it in the future,” the veep added. NY coronavirus deaths down — but Cuomo warns ‘happy days are not here again’ “It’s among the reasons why our nation, should the coronavirus reemerge at any time in the future, our nation will be in a much better place,” he said. “If some of those early studies hold out, there will be an awful lot of Americans in the fall and in the winter of next year that actually enjoy a degree of immunity from the coronavirus. That will be a bulwark against this.”

• Sunlight, heat and humidity weaken coronavirus, U.S. official says. WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The coronavirus appears to weaken more quickly when exposed to sunlight, heat and humidity, a U.S. official said on Thursday in a potential sign that the pandemic could become less contagious in summer months. U.S. government researchers have determined that the virus survives best indoors and in dry conditions, and loses potency when temperatures and humidity rise – and especially when it is exposed to sunlight, said William Bryan, acting head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate. “The virus dies quickest in the presence of direct sunlight,” he told a White House news briefing.
• SCOTT GOTTLIEB: New: Study of 318 outbreaks in China found transmission occurred out-of-doors in only one, involving just 2 cases. Most occurred in home or public transport. Raises key chance for states to move services outdoors (religious, gym classes, restaurants, etc).
• EXAMINER: Trump floats using UV light or disinfectant injections to treat COVID-19 patients. Then he mused on using ultraviolet or “just very powerful light” to treat patients. “Supposing we hit the body with a tremendous … whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful light. And I think you said that hasn’t been checked, but you are going to test it,” he said to Bryan, who was sitting off to the side of the podium. “And then I said supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you said you are going to test it.” Bryan responded: “We’ll get the right folks who could.” The president reflected on the possibility of using disinfectant. “And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning,” he asked.
• MAYBE NOT INJECTIONS, BUT… COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Could a New Ultraviolet Technology Fight the Spread of Coronavirus? A technique that zaps airborne viruses with a narrow-wavelength band of UV light shows promise for curtailing the person-to-person spread of COVID-19 in indoor public places. The technology, developed by Columbia University’s Center for Radiological Research, uses lamps that emit continuous, low doses of a particular wavelength of ultraviolent light, known as far-UVC, which can kill viruses and bacteria without harming human skin, eyes and other tissues, as is the problem with conventional UV light. “Far-UVC light has the potential to be a ‘game changer,’” said David Brenner, professor of radiation biophysics and director of the center. “It can be safely used in occupied public spaces, and it kills pathogens in the air before we can breathe them in.” The research team’s experiments have shown far-UVC effective in eradicating two types of airborne seasonal coronaviruses (the ones that cause coughs and colds). The researchers are now testing the light against the SARS-CoV-2 virus at Columbia in a biosafety laboratory, with encouraging results, Brenner said. […] “Our system is a low-cost, safe solution to eradicating airborne viruses minutes after they’ve been breathed, coughed or sneezed into the air,” Brenner said. “Not only does it have the potential to prevent the global spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, but also future novel viruses, as well as more familiar viruses like influenza and measles.” Brenner envisions the use of safe overhead far-UVC lamps in a wide range of indoor public spaces. The technology, which can be easily retrofitted into existing light fixtures, he said, could be deployed in hospitals and doctors’ offices as well as schools, shelters, airports, airplanes and other transportation hubs.

8am – A         Interview – CAROL MALONEY – Host of “The Carol Maloney Show” on ESPN 630 – recapped Thursday night’s NFL draft.

• Redskins select Chase Young with NFL draft’s second overall pick. (Washington Post) –  Ron Rivera’s first draft pick as the Washington Redskins’ coach was hardly a surprise. Just minutes into Thursday night’s first round of the NFL draft, he did what most of the league had expected and took Ohio State pass rusher Chase Young with the second overall selection. Young, who is from Cheltenham, Md. and went to DeMatha Catholic High, is considered by many evaluators to be the best player in this year’s draft and one of the most talented pass rushers to come along in recent years. He will join a defensive front that now has five first-round picks and quickly could become one of the NFL’s best. “I believe so and I feel very fortunate to get him, I really do,” Rivera said after the first round on a video news conference. “I think for what we would like to do going forward for us, I most certainly do believe he’s the best player.
• Redskins don’t know when a Trent Williams trade might happen. (Washington Post)  The Washington Redskins continue to look for a way to trade unhappy left tackle Trent Williams, but the market for potential trade partners may be shrinking. Two teams that were potentially interested in trading for Williams, the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets, took tackles in Thursday’s first round of the NFL draft, seemingly minimizing the need to deal for the player who has been to seven Pro Bowls and has one year and $14.5 million left on his contract. Cleveland took Alabama’s Jedrick Willis and the Jets picked Louisville’s Mekhi Becton.
  

8am – B/C     LOCAL NEWS:

• DC, Maryland and Virginia leaders urge Trump officials to extend telework for federal employees. (The Hill) – The leaders of the nation’s capital region on Thursday urged the Trump administration to extend telework for federal government employees as part of a broader regional effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) wrote to the Office of Personnel Management warning of the potential consequences if federal employees are called back to the office too quickly. “Each of us have made tough decisions about which employees in our governments are performing essential roles and must still repot to work locations, and which staff can telework,” the leaders wrote. “This is a hard balancing act between ensuring the continuation of critical government functions and ensuring the safety and well-being of employees.” There are roughly 360,000 federal employees scattered across D.C., Maryland and Virginia, more than any other region in the country.
• GOV. HOGAN’S TO UNVEIL MD RECOVERY PLAN TODAY: Gov Larry Hogan will unveil “Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recovery” on Friday. Gov. Larry Hogan announced he’ll unveil a statewide coronavirus recovery plan on Friday called “Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recovery.” Hogan said his roadmap to recovery plan will be gradual and has been developed with the consultation of doctors and medical experts. Before anything in the state reopens, Maryland must get past these four building blocks: (1) expanding testing capability, (2) increasing hospital surge capacity, (3) increasing supply of personal protective equipment, and (4) developing stronger contact tracing operations. Hogan said Maryland has expanded its testing capacity by 5000% in the last month. Testing will continue to improve in Maryland thanks in large part to the 500,000 coronavirus tests Hogan obtained from South Korea Saturday.
• BOWSER CREATING ADVISORY GROUP FOR REOPENING D.C.: Bowser forms advisory group on D.C. reopening, as cases keep climbing. (Washington Post) — D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser announced plans Thursday for an advisory group focused on when and how to lift coronavirus restrictions — a day before Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan plans to reveal his blueprint for reopening the economy and pulling the Washington region back toward normalcy. Bowser (D) said the Reopen D.C. Advisory Group will include committees focused on health disparities in the city and what reopening would mean for restaurants, food retailers and the real estate and construction industries. The group will issue recommendations in May, mindful of the potential for a new spike in infections if restrictions are lifted too soon or too broadly.
• DC’s Call Center is even busier than usual during this Covid19 pandemic. (NBC Washington) – Hundreds of calls from residents reporting their neighbors violating social distancing rules. As D.C. leaders work to limit the spread of COVID-19, they’re relying on the public as an important source for information. The District has been getting an extra 700 to 1,000 calls each day on its 311 line and the callers aren’t just seeking information — hundreds are reporting their neighbors who aren’t following the pandemic rules. “The community is our eyes and ears and having them have a route to call in and report this is very key,” said Director Karima Holmes, who oversees the District’s 311 and 911 centers. The News4 I-Team found at least 325 coronavirus-related calls in just the first three weeks since the District launched special codes to track mass gathering violations. Holmes said call-takers have adjusted well to helping their neighbors through the pandemic. They’ve also made some physical adjustments in the center, since their work stations previously were only 3 feet apart.  “We split them up for social distancing,” said Holmes, adding that the 25 call-takers on the day shift now work in 3 groups. The center added an 18-wheeler in the parking which now houses part of the staff, so they can practice proper social distancing while taking calls about the District residents who are not. D.C. residents also have the option of submitting requests and information through the 311 website, on the 311 mobile app, and even via Twitter.
• Virginia extends ban on non-emergency surgeries by one week. (WTVR) – Northam’s announcement on Thursday came the same day as a group representing more than 100 hospitals in Virginia asked him to allow the ban to expire Friday. RICHMOND, Va. — Gov. Ralph Northam says he will extend a ban on non-emergency surgeries for another week. Northam’s announcement on Thursday came the same day as a group representing more than 100 hospitals in Virginia asked him to allow the ban to expire Friday. Northam imposed the ban last month in an effort to reserve capacity in the state’s healthcare system for coronavirus patients and personal protective equipment for providers treating those patients.

8am – D         INTERVIEW – BRET BAIER – Anchor of “Special Report” on Fox News Channel weekdays at 6 pm and author of the latest book “Three Days at the Brink: FDR’s Daring Gamble to Win World War II” — discussed the behind-the-scenes and process of the media coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

8am – E         MARY’S SHOPPING EXPERIENCE AND CONCERNS OVER MEAT SHORTAGE:

• Stopping virus a huge challenge at crowded US meat plants. OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Daily reports of giant meat-processing plants closing because workers tested positive for the coronavirus have called into question whether slaughterhouses can remain virus-free. According to experts, the answer may be no. Given that the plants employ thousands of people who often work side by side carving meat, social distancing is all but impossible. Because of that, the risk of catching the virus will likely remain even as companies take steps to increase worker protections. “It’s not that people aren’t trying. It’s just that it is very difficult to control this illness,” said Dennis Burson, an animal science professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.