In other news, in addition to warnings from the intelligence community, the Daily Beast reports that the Army also warned the White House that the pandemic could kill up to 150,000 Americans all the way back on February 3rd.
Meanwhile, the director of the International Energy Agency, of which the United States is a member of, says Trump's scheme to increase oil prices by cutting production won't work because the pandemic has wiped out a quarter of global demand. Cutting output by 10 percent would still increase stockpiles by 15 percent each day.
Finally, the Trump regime reportedly intercepted and more or less stole a shipment of masks that was bound for Berlin, Germany, and the Germans are understandably angry about it.
The city of Berlin had ordered special FFP2 and FFP3 masks that are used to protect emergency staff and care workers from infection with coronavirus. The order was for 200,000 such masks, according to the German newspaper Tagesspiegel.
Berlin's interior minister Andreas Geisel confirmed that the consignment had been “confiscated” in Bangkok and never reached Berlin.
“We consider that an act of modern piracy,” he said. “You don't treat your transatlantic partners like that.”
3M, the company that makes the masks, says banning exports would actually decrease the number of masks available to the United States once other countries retaliate.
“Ceasing all export of respirators produced in the United States would likely cause other countries to retaliate and do the same, as some have already done. If that were to occur, the net number of respirators being made available to the United States would actually decrease,” the company said. “That is the opposite of what we and the Administration, on behalf of the American people, both seek.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said essential health supplies and workers flow both ways across the border, and blocking exports of 3M masks would be a mistake.
“I think of the thousands of nurses who cross the bridge in Windsor to work in the Detroit medical system every day,” Trudeau said. “These are things American rely on.”
Doug Ford, premier of Ontario province, said he protested to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, expressing concern that Trump could create a shortage of masks for Canadian doctors and nurses.
This is the work of Jared Kushner.
Thank you very much to those who donate during this week's fundraiser. This is a hard time for everyone and I appreciate your generosity.