Day: March 16, 2020

Commentary: The Anti-Climactic Joe and Bernie Debate Show Draws an Audience of Zero

Minnesota Sun Staff

“This is weird,” I said to myself as the eleventh 2020 Democrat presidential primary debate commenced in the isolated (quarantined?) CNN studio in Washington, DC on Sunday night. Originally conceived by the DNC as a means to narrow down the remnants of the party field ahead of the next round of consequential primaries, events and circumstances instead turned the evening into an even slower-moving snooze-fest between two long-past-prime rivals going through the motions one final time before people stop tuning in and impatiently wait for the summer political fireworks to commence.

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Jeff Webb Commentary: Corporate Responsibility During the Coronavirus Pandemic Economic Crisis

Minnesota Sun Staff

by Jeff Webb   For the past several decades large corporations operating in the United States have made business decisions significantly influenced by the widely held belief they have social responsibilities that extend beyond their fiduciary responsibility to maximize profits. The current economic slowdown created by the Coronavirus pandemic presents…

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A New Jersey Hospital Has 6 Male ICU Patients with Coronavirus, All Ages 28 to 48

Jason M. Reynolds

One New Jersey hospital in the front lines of fighting the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak shows startling statistics as its section of the Garden State braces for more cases.

Of 11 cases at Holy Name Medical Center, six are in the ICU, and all six are men between the ages of 28 to 48, according to a story by ROI-NJ. Forty more patients are under observation at the Teaneck, NJ hospital, according to CEO Mike Maron.

“From what we’ve seen, it’s not impacting children at all — or pretty much anybody under 20,” he said. “That doesn’t mean they don’t have it. They may just process it in a better way, a faster way. That’s the beauty of being young.

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President Trump ‘Strongly Considering’ Full Pardon for Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn

Minnesota Sun Staff

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he is “strongly considering” a pardon for Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser who pleaded guilty in the special counsel’s probe to lying to the FBI.

Trump cited an unspecified report that the FBI and Justice Department “lost” records related to Flynn, a retired Army general.

“How convenient,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “I am strongly considering a Full Pardon!”

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Commentary: What’s in Your Chinese-Supplied Medication?

Minnesota Sun Staff

The New York Post last week published an article with the ominous headline, “Pharmacists quietly panicking over looming respiratory drug shortage.” The gist was that in addition to the rush on personal protection products such as face masks, hand sanitizers, disinfectants, and rubber gloves, the supply chains for various important prescription drugs, especially generics with components made in China, are fraying.

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President Trump Praises Fed as Interest Rates Are Slashed to Near Zero

Minnesota Sun Staff

The Federal Reserve slashed interest rates to near zero on Sunday as part of a series of measures intended to combat the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The central bank cut rates to 0% to 0.25%, the central bank announced in a statement. The Fed will also purchase $700 billion worth of Treasury and mortgage-backed securities through quantitative easing, a measure previously used during the Great Recession to get money flowing back into the markets, The Washington Post reported.

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Governor Walz Orders Closure of All Public Schools, Confirmed Cases Jumps to 35

Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Tim Walz ordered the temporary closure of all K-12 public schools in Minnesota Sunday in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Under the executive order, all schools will be closed to students by Wednesday, March 18 through Friday, March 27 to accommodate teachers and administrators as they devise a long-term plan for responding to the virus.

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