April 14, 2020 - The Minnesota Sun

Americans Overwhelmingly Favor a Pause on Immigration During Coronavirus Pandemic

April 14, 2020April 13, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

A vast majority of Americans – 8 in 10 – now favor dramatic restrictions on immigration amid the coronavirus pandemic, a new survey has found.

American attitudes about the coronavirus and its impact on our way of life has changed dramatically over the course of one month, a USA Today/ Ipsos poll discovered. The survey had asked voters questions about their feelings on the coronavirus March, when the virus first began spreading through the U.S., and then posed the same questions roughly one month later.

With more than 95% of the country under lockdown orders, millions filing for unemployment benefits, and more than 22,000 deaths from the virus, the U.S. population is, by leaps and bounds, more willing to implement strong measures to combat the pandemic.

Commentary: Wisdom In a Time of Botched Models, Bad Advice, and Deadly Illness

April 14, 2020April 13, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

President Trump with Drs. Fauci and Birx

The virus will teach us many things, but one lesson has already been relearned by the American people: there are two, quite different, types of wisdom.

One, and the most renowned, is a specialization in education that results in titled degrees and presumed authority. That ensuing prestige, in turn, dictates the decisions of most politicians, the media, and public officials – who for the most part share the values and confidence of the credentialed elite.

The other wisdom is not, as commonly caricatured, know-nothingism. Indeed, Americans have always believed in self-improvement and the advantages of higher education, a trust that explained broad public 19th-century support for mandatory elementary and secondary schooling and, during the postwar era, the G.I. Bill.

But the other wisdom also puts a much higher premium on pragmatism and experience, values instilled by fighting nature daily and mixing it up with those who must master the physical world.

Twitter Suspended Account for Steve Bannon Show Critical of Chinese Communist Party

April 14, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

Twitter suspended and then reinstated without explanation the account for “War Room: Pandemic,” a radio program founded by Steve Bannon and one of the first shows in the country to warn about the dangers of COVID-19.

House Republicans Request Hearing on ‘Potentially Flawed’ Coronavirus Modeling Platforms

April 14, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

A group of House Republicans led by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX-21) are calling for a review of the “modeling platforms” the government has been using to make projections on the impacts of the coronavirus during the pandemic.

In a letter to House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY-12), the Republicans urged her to schedule a “formal hearing” to review the “conflicting data” that led to draconian decisions like the stay-at-home orders across the country.

Cuomo: Coalition of Six Northeast States Set to Announce Regional Reopening Plan

April 14, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Monday morning that he feels “the worst is over” when it comes to the ongoing coronavirus crisis that has enveloped his state and the nation, and he suggested that a coalition of six Northeast states would be making a joint announcement at 2 p.m. on plans to reopen the economy in the weeks and months to come.

Speaking at his daily briefing on the pandemic, Cuomo said he had been in contact with the governors of Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Rhode Island about a regional approach to returning to normalcy.

Wisconsin’s Largest Business Group Wants a Re-Opening Plan

April 14, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Wisconsin’s largest business group is asking Gov. Tony Evers for a plan to reopen the state.

Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce sent a letter to the governor asking him what comes next after his Safer at Home order ends April 24.

“To be clear, no one expects that our economy would go back to ‘business as usual’ on April 24,” WMC’s letter said. “We understand that reopening will require a very strategic and well-planned approach that, over time, phases our economy back to an operational level that existed prior to any social distancing requirements.”

Commentary: It Took 50 States to Get to a National Lockdown and It Will Take 50 States to Open it Back Up Again

April 14, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

In order to combat the Chinese coronavirus and to save as many lives as possible, 42 states have issued stay at home orders, and another three have some parts of their states closed, in order to combat the Chinese coronavirus. All 50 states have schools closed. In addition, with the national emergency declared by President Donald Trump, including the overseas travel bans to China and Europe, social distancing, private sector testing and treatments being authorized on an emergency basis, the White House coronavirus task force has credited these closures in part with helping to slowing the total number of cases, which in turn has, according to the models touted by the medical community, already saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

Countries all over the world have resorted to similar national lockdowns in order to win the war on the virus. The unfortunate side effect of the closures is the U.S. and global economies have effectively been shut down except for essential services, resulting in exceptionally high levels of unemployment. In the U.S., anywhere from 17 million to 20 million jobs have already been lost, with many more to come for every week the economy remains closed.

Ocasio-Cortez Says She Has Never Spoken to Biden, Nor Has He Asked for Her Support

April 14, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she’s never met former Vice President Joe Biden, nor has the Democratic presidential frontrunner’s campaign reached out to the New York lawmaker for advice.

A Biden-Ocasio-Cortez rally could happen in the future, but there is a lot of fence-mending that needs to happen before such an event transpires, Ocasio-Cortez said in a New York Times interview published Monday. The progressive lawmaker intends to pressure Biden on several issues.

Senators Ask State Department to Monitor Free Speech Violations Concerning Coronavirus in China, Other Countries

April 14, 2020April 13, 2020 Jordyn Pair

Several senators across the United States have called on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the U.S. Representative to the United Nations Kelly Craft to address concerns about free speech violations in several countries around the world.

Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Cornyn (R-TX), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) submitted the letter on Monday, pointing to crackdown on free speech concerning the coronavirus in China, as well as in Turkey, Bangladesh, Niger and Cambodia, as a reason for concern.

An American Instinct for Civil Society Powers an Ohio Assisted Living Facility

April 14, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Amy Lynn Twyman Smith is the executive director of an assisted living network in Newark, Ohio. Her father died when she was 10 years old. Growing up, she was close with her father’s mother, who eventually developed Alzheimer’s disease. Amy saw first-hand just how important quality care was for her grandmother and her family. Her connection with her grandmother cultivated a passion in Amy that led her to work in assisted living for the entirety of her career.

“It can be hard on families,” she expressed. “I want our care to be the most wonderful experience anyone could have. And especially for our residents, I want every day to be wonderful, as if it was their last.”

Minnesota Republicans Introduce Bill to End Peacetime Emergency, Return Power to Legislature

April 14, 2020April 13, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

Minnesota House Republicans introduced a resolution Monday that would end Gov. Tim Walz’s peacetime emergency declaration and restore power in responding to the pandemic to the State Legislature.

The resolution was introduced shortly after Walz announced that he has extended the state’s peacetime emergency for 30 days, which allows the governor to act unilaterally in adopting “necessary orders and rules.”