"How the coronavirus is making us lose our minds; Fights among family members over canceled plans. Hands rubbed raw from so much washing. Even Bobby McFerrin wouldn’t sing, “Don’t Worry.”" by Beth Teitell Globe Staff, March 4, 2020
At this point in the coronavirus outbreak, we need two metrics, but who can blame us? We’re being told to remain calm, but the Federal Reserve is cutting its benchmark interest rate in an emergency move, Governor Charlie Baker is urging Massachusetts schools to cancel international trips, and the MBTA is going to begin disinfecting stations every four hours, but all the guidance feels so vague. It’s like we’re being told to prepare for a major storm, except we don’t know when it’s coming, how big it will be, or what it will knock out. School? Work? Day drinking at brunch in the Seaport?
Yeah, brunch is the new Saturday night and most anything these days comes with a drink, but don't dare take a puff or you will go mad.
Some things around here have not changed — new Orange Line trains were once again taken out of service — but the threat is moving closer. Nineteen students from Newton North, back from a monthlong trip to Italy, have been ordered to stay home indefinitely. Authorities confirmed New Hampshire’s first case. A Rhode Island student who was on a school trip to Europe last month served food at a soup kitchen, and the head of the facility is worried that the coronavirus could spread to her clients.
Like any stressor, coronavirus is sparking family disputes. Between the daughter who wants to go on a long-planned international spring break trip with college pals (”people my age aren’t dying”) and the parents who worry she’ll be caught in a quarantine. Between the adventurous spouse who wants to take advantage of low prices in Europe and the cautious one who doesn’t.
Parents are afraid of the virus, but also of their own children. “There aren’t enough sticker books in the world for a two-week pandemic,” a mom with a preschooler said. “I’m less worried about corona than spending two weeks with them,” a mom of teenagers whispered into the phone.
I don't know who the Globe talks to or if these people even exist, but I'm flabbergasted. I would have thought a parent would want to protect their child if they were sick, but they apparently don't even want to spend time with them at all. Wow. That's some mindset.
We’re stress buying — water, batteries, food that can be eaten without cooking, but what are we expecting? That the electricity will go out? We’re doing so much hand washing that our skin is cracking.
All I can say is beware the Ides of March.
We’re calling to ask for insurance overrides so we can get a three-month supply of Lipitor in fear that the supply chain from China will be disrupted, or that we won’t be able to leave our homes for CVS. “Why do you need extra?” a pharmacy worker in Brookline asked the nervous mom of a child with a chronic illness. Had the worker not heard?
Related: "Apple Inc. warned retail employees about shortages of replacement iPhones, another sign the coronavirus outbreak is straining the company’s supply chain....."
With daily pictures of health workers in hazmat suits and reports of deaths, people are on edge. A business woman having breakfast in Kendall Square confesses that she’s going to pop Advil before flying domestically so she has no chance of getting a fever, even though she’s not sick and no one here is taking flyers’ temperatures’ anyway. A couple passing a surgical-masked Uber driver taking a break on the sidewalk outside his car near Coolidge Corner hold their breath as they pass him.
Yeah, about those masks:
"Some emergency stockpiles of respirator masks at the Department of Veterans Affairs have deteriorated in storage and can’t be used, according to an internal e-mail warning that the agency’s supplies may be overestimated. The warning about problems in caches of emergency supplies comes after the World Health Organization said Tuesday that disruptions to the global supply of personal protective equipment are putting lives at risk in the novel coronavirus outbreak. VA officials in one region in the southeastern US were inspecting their stocks of the respirators, known as N95s, which filter out more particles than standard surgical masks. The masks are effective shields against infection only when properly fitted. “The rubberized straps are deteriorated due to prolonged storage,” a VA employee wrote in the e-mail to medical and emergency staff viewed by Bloomberg News, rendering “the majority” of the N95s in storage in that service area unusable. That would also leave the area “at a critically low” level of supply, according to the email. The e-mail’s author sought guidance on using masks beyond their expiration date. The message also warned that without inspecting the supply of masks, “our inventory at hand is woefully overestimating what really we are able to use.”
Can you say war-profiteering?
How much will things change here? Will it get so bad that even yogis are affected? In a recent e-mail, the chief executive of YogaWorks sought to reassure his people.
Even as we brace for doom, life goes on. “Marie Osmond reveals she won’t leave her fortune to her children,” CNN.com reports. In Time magazine, “Judge Judy TV Show Ending.”
That's the "news" she is following?
At Sunday afternoon’s Bobby McFerrin concert, the Symphony Hall crowd hushed as he took the stage, and one woman whispered to her friend, “Well, at least this should be uplifting,” and she was right — it was, even though McFerrin didn’t sing the one song we all need right now, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”
I'm not worried, and why is she unhappy?
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Have you been tested yet?
"Baker administration says coronavirus test kits are coming to Mass., but many questions remain" by Kay Lazar, Adam Vaccaro and Felice J. Freyer Globe Staff, March 4, 2020
Governor Charlie Baker said that the threat of contracting the virus remained low in Massachusetts, which has seen only one confirmed case and another suspected case thus far, but Covid-19 continued to spread around the world Wednesday, with 95,000 people in more than 80 countries sickened by the illness, and more than 3,200 deaths reported.
Italy, the hardest-hit country in Europe with more than 3,000 cases, closed schools through mid-March and barred fans from attending sporting events until next month. In Iran, Muslim Friday prayers were canceled, and in Saudi Arabia, the government temporarily banned religious Umrah pilgrimages to Mecca and Medina for its own citizens and residents.
The United States recorded its 11th death from coronavirus on Wednesday, when an elderly man in California who had recently returned from a cruise became the first fatality outside Washington state.
Closer to home, in Rhode Island, a Catholic school in Pawtucket closed for another week after three people who’d traveled to the Mediterranean coast on a school field trip — including one person counted among the Massachusetts cases — were diagnosed with coronavirus, including a student who’d attended school for three days before going home sick.
Related:
"Governor Gina M. Raimondo is advising colleges and other schools to cancel trips abroad, just as Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has done. Raimondo noted that the trip to Europe organized by Saint Raphael has already resulted in three positive tests for coronavirus....."
That's just “commonsense,” right?
It's getting to the point where kissing on campus will be banned.
Baker administration officials repeatedly assured the public and lawmakers that most people who have been infected, according to the latest research, experience mild symptoms. They also said that of the 700 or so people that have been self-quarantined in Massachusetts because of concern they were exposed to the virus, 470 have completed their 14 days and are no longer in quarantine. Currently, 259 individuals are undergoing monitoring at home, they said.
The CDC issued a new travel advisory Wednesday urging US travelers returning from so-called Level 3 alert nations — China, South Korea, Iran, and Italy — to stay home for 14 days upon their return and discouraging all non-essential travel to those countries. The CDC is also advising travelers returning from Japan, which is under a Level 2 alert, to monitor their health and limit interactions with others.
Colleges typically hold their spring breaks in March, as do many private schools; public schools have spring break coming up in mid-April. Baker said his request to high schools and colleges in the state to cancel upcoming trips abroad would "help protect the students and the Commonwealth, since we are home to so many colleges and universities,” Baker said.
At Boston University, officials announced Wednesday evening that they were canceling all university-sponsored international group trips for the foreseeable future, including over spring break.
In another step by the administration to prevent the virus from spreading, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority general manager Steve Poftak said the transit agency would soon begin disinfecting any surface that commuters touch inside stations — such as rails or fare equipment — every four hours, and that every MBTA vehicle will be sanitized on a daily basis. Poftak estimated that by the end of this week the agency will be able to disinfect subway cars, buses, and para-transit vehicles daily.
The MBTA will also install hand-sanitizing equipment in stations and use electronic message boards to communicate basic prevention tips, like handwashing, he said.
The cars will continue to break down and not run on time, but at least they will smell clean.
Baker said there are ongoing discussions about whether major public events such as the Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade or the Boston Marathon could be canceled, but that it was premature to make any decisions.
Give it a week or two. Then this story will have more or less disappeared.
Access to coronavirus testing emerged as a major issue across the country this week. Vice President Mike Pence Tuesday night said new guidelines will lift all restrictions on coronavirus testing, allowing even people with mild illness to be screened.
At a hearing on Beacon Hill Wednesday, lawmakers on the Joint Committee on Public Health zeroed in on whether the state would have enough testing capacity, but some health specialists are voicing concern about a public rush on testing.
Marc Lipsitch, professor of epidemiology and director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said that widespread testing would overwhelm laboratories.
In a teleconference with reporters, he said it makes sense to test severely ill patients and selected patients for studies tracking the virus’s spread and severity, but testing everyone who feels ill and wants a diagnosis — especially at the height of cold and flu season — “is going to bring the health system crashing down,” Lipsitch said.
Just one more thing to worry about.
Another question is who will pay for coronavirus testing. Lawmakers at the hearing asked Baker administration officials whether patients could be required by insurers to pay for any portion of these tests through copays or deductibles.
Pressed on whether Massachusetts would consider following the lead of New York, which is among the first states in the country to waive some insurance fees and expenses for people who undergo coronavirus testing, the state’s public health commissioner, Dr. Monica Bharel, said the administration would consider the issue.
Later, asked for comment on a proposal that insurers cover the full cost of tests, Lora Pellegrini, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, said that health plans are holding frequent conference calls and monitoring what is clearly “a fluid situation.”
At the legislative hearing, medical and academic specialists said the weeks of heightened alert on hospitals are taking a toll on both workers and supplies. Dr. Paul Biddinger, vice chairman for emergency preparedness at Massachusetts General Hospital, said fatigue is setting in among staff, and they are attempting to deal with it by rotating schedules.....
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It will soon be over now that they got their money:
"Congressional negotiators reach deal on roughly $8 billion in emergency coronavirus funds" by Erica Werner and Mike DeBonis Washington Post, March 4, 2020
WASHINGTON — The House overwhelmingly approved an $8.3 billion emergency spending bill Wednesday to combat the coronavirus, sending the legislation to the Senate, which could act as soon as Thursday.
President Trump is expected to sign the legislation, which is more than triple the size of the White House’s budget request from last week. It sends billions to address nearly every aspect of the outbreak, from vaccine research and development, to support for state and local public health agencies, to medical supplies and preparation at home and abroad. The vote in the House was 415-2.
They are using the "cri$i$" for this and tax cuts.
‘‘Congress is acting with the seriousness and sense of urgency the coronavirus threat demands,’’ House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey, Democrat of New York, said in the floor debate ahead of the vote. ‘‘While we all ardently hope that this public health emergency does not worsen, House Democrats will not hesitate to act again if we must augment this funding with more resources.’’
Yeah, we will pour as much money into the pharmaceuticals so they will be in$ulated from the cra$h.
The package includes more than $3 billion for research and development on vaccines, therapeutics, and other treatments, as well as $2.2 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support the response from federal, state, and local public health agencies, including for lab testing and infection control.
Other parts of the deal include close to $1 billion for medical supplies, health-care preparedness, and community health centers, among other things. Also included is $1 billion in loan subsidies for small businesses, which Democrats said would enable the Small Business Administration to provide $7 billion in low-interest loans for companies affected by the outbreak.
About 85 percent of the money in the bill would be spent domestically, and there is $1.25 billion for the State Department to assist in battling the spread of the coronavirus internationally.
The final price on the bill dwarfed a $2.5 billion spending proposal the White House presented last week, which was divided between $1.25 billion in new funds and $1.25 billion taken from other accounts, such as an Ebola response fund. The congressional bill is all new money.
‘‘We have to recognize this is one giant step,’’ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, told reporters. ‘‘In this bill, we’ll go from the administration putting forth $2.3 [billion] and money taken from Ebola and home heating to over $8 billion in clean money.’’
They must have laundered it before throwing it into this $lu$h fund.
Lawmakers of both parties viewed the initial White House spending proposal as inadequate to address the crisis at hand, in terms of both the monetary commitment and the public perception of how Congress and the White House were responding. Subsequently, Trump has said repeatedly that he’s open to approving however much money Congress sends him.
That's their main concern.
The bill also includes a provision requiring reimbursement of $136 million the Trump administration had said it was transferring from other accounts to address the virus.
The legislation came together with unusual speed on Capitol Hill, showing that despite partisan gridlock, lawmakers can act quickly when they feel they must. With the coronavirus outbreak, lawmakers in both parties are confronting growing alarm from their constituents and health-care providers in their districts over the availability of resources. There are now more than 150 coronavirus cases in the United States and 11 deaths — 10 in Washington state and one in California.
Earlier Wednesday, Los Angeles County declared a local health emergency, as officials confirmed six new cases of coronavirus. Four new cases were also confirmed in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced.....
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You know who is behind the spread of the virus, right?
"FBI Director Christopher Wray addresses cybersecurity at Boston College" by Tonya Alanez Globe Staff, March 4, 2020
They held a security conference in the middle of this epidemic?
Coronavirus may be dominating the current news cycle but our digital devices are susceptible to pandemics too — and no one is immune.
Instead, today’s cyberthreats grow stronger, more complex, and reach farther, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Thursday at the Cyber Security Conference at Boston College.
The one-day conference was the fourth collaboration between the FBI and the Woods College of Advancing Studies, which offers a master’s program in cybersecurity policy and governance.
Cybercrimes, cyberthreats, cyber intrusions and cyber scammers have gotten so savvy and are ever-changing and advancing at such a rapid rate that it’s time for one and all to step up their game, Wray said.
We live in a time, Wray said, when cyber tools capable of paralyzing entire hospitals, police departments, and businesses are traded in cryptocurrency on the darknet.
Sometimes the bad actors are hackers in it for the money, other times they’re American adversaries. Oftentimes it’s China, he said, but Russia, Iran, and North Korea also have been involved.
In other words, the usual suspects when the truth is most of the cyberattacks are false flags conducted by the government and $elf-$erving $oftware firms.
“All of them and others are working to simultaneously strengthen themselves and to weaken the United States," he said.
Why would they want to do that when we are destroying ourselves?
They’re in it to steal our ideas, innovation, research, and technology, Wray said, “anything that can give them a competitive advantage,” and the defense industry is not the only target, he said.
American adversaries also have gone after companies with products as far ranging as proprietary rice seeds, software for wind turbines, and high-end medical devices, he said.
To combat the cyber dangers, “America deploys a whole cyber ecosystem" with the FBI at the core, Wray said.
Among the FBI’s enhanced strategies to tackle crime in the cyber realm in a “more thoughtful, driven, and agile” way is its Cyber Action Team and various cyber task forces, outreach, and information sharing.
The agency has also formed cyber squads in every one of its 56 field offices, Wray said.
Are they anything like the CIA coders?
Agents are working to establish international coalitions with like-minded countries, as well as domestic relationships with universities, nongovernment groups, companies, and other potential victims before there’s a problem.
“Whether you’re a corporate victim of a massive data breach, or whether you’re a person turned upside down by fraud, we want to be there," Wray said.
He referenced a 2018 SamSam Ransomware attack in which malicious software was used to hack into hospitals, schools, and government agencies. Among its more than 200 victims were the City of Atlanta, the Port of San Diego, and MedStar Health.
The FBI collaborated with victims countrywide, foreign intelligence, and companies, Wray said.
“With all those pieces of the puzzle, we were able to attribute the attack to two Iranians,” he said.
(Blog editor just shakes head)
Further investigations showed the pair were working for personal profit and not on behalf of the Iranian government, Wray said.
“Partnerships are what made all of this possible."
The FBI will continue to indict and arrest the cybercriminals they can identify, Wray said. The others, they’ll expose and put out of business, he said.
As for foreign countries caught trying to sell stolen data, sanctions could be in store, he said.
The end game, Wray said, is “instead of capturing a single criminal, we’re taking down an entire enterprise.”
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Related:
"Some of the world’s biggest money managers will meet next week in Boston after joining forces to create an investor conference that cuts out Wall Street middlemen. About 25 companies are expected to participate in the event, set for March 11-12. Fund managers in the past typically counted on Wall Street banks to organize such conferences, where they get access to senior executives at companies they invest in. Active managers are looking for new ways to gain an investing edge — including spending more time with corporate management — in an era of compressed fees and the shift toward index-tracking funds....."
No worries here.
"United Airlines plans to trim flights, freeze hiring, and halt merit pay raises as it grapples with a swift drop in travel demand because of the coronavirus outbreak. The dramatic moves flashed a new warning sign as airlines across the world grapple with an abrupt decline in passengers while governments rush to contain the virus’ spread. United is joining carriers from Asia to Europe, which have slashed their schedules and grounded aircraft amid falling demand and the cancellation of large trade shows and other events....."
After checking the plane they will be flying in a Japanese team that is working on a coronavirus treatment and doing all they can to combat the threat.
At least the economy is taking off:
"The Dow Jones industrial average soared more than 1,100 points, or 4.5 percent, Wednesday on hopes that governments and central banks around the world will take more forceful measures to fight the virus outbreak. The gains more than recouped the market’s big losses from a day earlier as Wall Street’s wild, virus-fueled swings extend into a third week. Stocks rose sharply from the get-go, led by big gains for health care stocks after Joe Biden solidified his contender status for the Democratic presidential nomination. Investors see him as a more business-friendly alternative to Bernie Sanders. The rally’s momentum accelerated around midday after House and Senate leadership reached a deal on a bipartisan $8.3 billion bill to battle the coronavirus outbreak. The measure’s funds would go toward research into a vaccine, improved tests and drugs to treat infected people. Investors are also anticipating other central banks will follow up on the Federal Reserve’s surprise move Tuesday to slash interest rates by half a percentage point in hopes of protecting the economy from the economic fallout of a fast-spreading virus. Canada’s central bank cut rates on Wednesday, also by half a percentage point and citing the virus’ effect. “The fact that you get an $8 billion bill, that’s money that will be spent, hopefully, on something that really will have an impact on mitigating the effects on the economy,” said Tom Martin, senior portfolio manager with Globalt Investments. Some measures of fear in the market eased. Treasury yields rose but were still near record lows in a sign that the bond market remains concerned about the economic pain possible from the fast-spreading virus. Companies around the world are already saying the virus is sapping away earnings due to supply chain disruptions and weaker sales, with General Electric becoming the latest to warn its investors. Even though many investors say they know lower interest rates will not halt the spread of the virus, they want to see central banks and other authorities do what they can to lessen the damage. A Biden nomination would be more welcome on Wall Street than a nod for Sanders. “It’s probably a trend toward more of the same in terms of the market and the regulatory and business environment,” said Ablin. “I don’t think investors are looking for revolution.” Data reports released Wednesday painted a US economy that was still holding up, at least as of last month. The country’s services industries grew at a faster rate last month than economists expected, according to a report from the Institute for Supply Management. Hiring at private employers was stronger than expected in February, according to a report from payroll processor ADP, though slower than January’s pace. That could be an encouraging sign for the comprehensive jobs report coming from the government at the end of the week. Markets have been on edge for two weeks amid worries about how much economic damage the coronavirus will do. The big swings in recent days will likely continue until investors get a sense of what the worst-case scenario really is in the virus outbreak. They need to see the number of new infections at least slow its acceleration, analysts say. Indexes jumped on Monday, and the Dow had its best day in more than a decade on rising anticipation for coordinated support from the Fed and other central banks. That followed a dismal week that erased gains for 2020. The tide rose for stocks around the world on Wednesday......"
Also see: "US businesses added 183,000 jobs last month, a solid gain that shows the economy was largely healthy when the coronavirus outbreak spread further around the globe....."
So much for the collapsing economy.
How they are going to get over to the conference hall:
"Massachusetts House passes hike to gas tax, ride-hailing fees; The $600 million bill is designed to funnel new money toward transportation" by Matt Stout and Adam Vaccaro Globe Staff, March 4, 2020
The Massachusetts House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a package of fee and tax hikes late Wednesday night that would make it more expensive for motorists to get around, raising as much as $600 million and plowing that money into the MBTA, rural towns, and improvements to crumbling transportation infrastructure.
That's the money-grabbing state government for you.
Six months before most seek reelection in the state primary, lawmakers approved the legislation, 113-40, which would raise the state’s gas tax 5 cents, to 29 cents per gallon. It would also hike fees in most cases by $1 per ride on ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft, which lawmakers say would be barred from passing on the cost on to riders.
In aiming to raise between $522 million and $612 million annually, the bill also targets businesses: It would create a new system for corporate taxes, requiring companies with $1 billion or more in sales to pay at least $150,000, and it would eliminate a sales tax exemption on rental car company fleets.
The unusual timing to pursue a tax hike in an election year has hung over deliberations, and they come at an economic crossroads. The state has enjoyed back-to-back budget surpluses, but it’s facing broader uncertainty about the economy as coronavirus fears have left global markets reeling.
They are even dragging that into this.
In passing the gas tax increase, which would be the second in seven years, lawmakers are trying to answer years of calls to seed the state’s crumbling roads and unreliable public transit options with new cash.
“The current condition of our transportation system is unacceptable, and we have to provide the resources to further address our roads, bridges and mass transit system,” said Representative William M. Straus, the House chairman of the transportation committee, but raising the cost of gasoline is also a politically volatile option, and one voters have pushed back on before.
“It’s the kind of left-of center idea that working people don’t like,” said Mark Horan, a Democratic strategist who in 2014 worked on the effort to keep the law that hooked the state’s gas tax to inflation. Voters ultimately repealed it on that year’s ballot, and Horan said “we always knew we were behind.”
While lawmakers have pledged that some of the new revenue would be used to fund transportation in rural communities, as well as public bus systems outside of Greater Boston, a gas tax hike impacts most of the state’s travelers, Horan said.
“If you’re outside of Boston without public transportation, you have to drive. If you’re a plumber or an electrician, you have to drive. If you’re a nurse living 30 miles from a hospital, you have to drive. For them, it’s reaching into their pocket,” he said.
There were other political and financial considerations in play as well. Governor Charlie Baker, who has opposed raising the gas tax, is nonetheless also pursuing a multistate pact — known as the Transportation and Climate Initiative, or TCI — that would establish a cap-and-trade system for transportation fuels and could increase gas prices by as much as 17 cents per gallon along the East Coast, and looming in roughly two years is still another potential tax hike: A 2022 ballot question that, if approved by voters, would add a surtax on household income over $1 million and raise as much as $2 billion annually to help fund transportation and education.
House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo has described the current tax bill as a “bridge” to that potential revenue windfall, a version of which was shot down before reaching the 2018 ballot amid a legal challenge, but his budget chair, Representative Aaron Michlewitz, warned that both the multistate initiative and wealth surtax, despite their “noble goals,” are still hypothetical and that any promised revenue could be at least three years away.
I'm $tarting to $tall, people.
“It is undeniable that both of these have many challenges and hurdles in front of them before they will ever become reality,” Michlewitz said from the House floor Wednesday in arguing for the need to raise taxes now. He also gave a muted assessment of emissions initiative, which has sowed concern among other New England governors.
“To be perfectly blunt,” Michlewitz said, "it seems as if we’re the only ones leading and not many others are following.”
Whaaaaaaaat?
The transportation financing proposal spent months in development in the House, where lawmakers labored over how to craft a politically palatable package that could also inject a substantial amount of new money into the state’s struggling public transportation systems.
The corporate tax changes were key to gathering support from progressive lawmakers and advocates, who worried about leaning primarily on middle- and lower-class drivers to underwrite the bill.
On Thursday, the House is also expected to take up separate but related legislation: A $14.5 billion transportation bond bill that seeds various projects over several years through borrowing.
Oh, the fiscal challenges of climate change and borrowing against the future.
As the tax bill moves to the Senate, transit advocates suggested that chamber should raise the levy on gas even higher and authorize a tolling pilot with a goal of reducing traffic. The House bill calls for a study of these “congestion pricing” mechanisms and a to-be-determined date to create a plan to implement the study’s recommendations.
They are going to kill the golden goo$e.
What do you guys think, we are all made of money?
The House bill is “definitely progress, and we need that when the status quo is so painful for so many people across the state,” said Chris Dempsey, director of Transportation for Massachusetts, an advocacy group. “But we’re also looking forward to working with the Senate because we think there’s more that can be done.”
Senate leaders have not laid out a specific timeline for tackling legislation. The chamber’s president, Karen E. Spilka, has suggested it would look at using new revenue to offset public transit fares.
Some business leaders, meanwhile, have chafed at the change to the corporate tax structure. The Massachusetts High Technology Council, a trade group, has denounced the proposal, calling it packed with “taxes and fees that we just don’t need at this point."
Can you guys at least give back the billion in tax subsidies (he was later stripped of his chairmanship)?
Democrats, who hold a super-majority in the House, spent hours Wednesday dispatching with dozens of amendments, the vast majority of which died. Among the few that did pass, one would exempt fees on Uber and Lyft trips for riders with disabilities who use the services as part of a paratransit program such as the MBTA Ride.
Lawmakers also adjusted their proposal for future MBTA oversight, ultimately settling on an amendment that would expand the T’s current five-member governing board by adding a seat representing the city of Boston and another representing other communities served by the T.
Adding to the bureaucracy is not going to help anything!
The House bill calls for an additional 4 cents per gallon increase on the cost of diesel fuel and included language requiring the state, should it join TCI, to offset the five-cent gas tax increase, in an attempt to avoid hitting motorists with double pain at the pumps.....
You know the drill, readers.
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As we turn to the Bu$ine$$ $ection it is time to gas up:
"Saudis want OPEC+ to cut more than 1 million barrels a day" by Grant Smith and Salma El Wardany Bloomberg News, March 4, 2020
Saudi Arabia is urging OPEC+ to agree to an oil-output cut of more than 1 million barrels a day to compensate for the hit to demand from the global spread of the coronavirus, delegates said.
The Saudi push reflects mounting concern that growth in fuel consumption could be wiped out this year as the raging outbreak wreaks havoc on the world economy. To secure a supply cut that could stop the rout, OPEC+ must overcome Russian resistance while also grappling with the risks of bringing together delegations from 23 nations as the deadly disease continues to spread. One of those members, Iran, has a serious outbreak at home affecting members of parliament.
Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh arrived in the Austrian capital on Wednesday without his usual cohort of government officials. He refused to be drawn on the possible extent of production curbs, and said Russia is likely to wait until the last moment to make any decision. The Saudi suggestion represents a larger cut than that put forward by the group’s technical committee on Tuesday.
With flights canceled in Europe, schools closed in Japan, towns quarantined in Italy, and a rising death toll from Iran to Washington state, the coronavirus crisis has gone global, and with it, its impact on energy demand. For only the fourth time in almost 40 years, oil consumption may not grow at all in 2020, according to a growing minority of traders, investors, and analysts. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. on Tuesday became the first major Wall Street Bank to forecast a contraction in demand this year.
At least it will help with climate change before we reach a tipping point.
‘‘This is a sudden, instant demand shock,’’ said Jim Burkhard, vice president and head of oil markets at IHS Markit Ltd. ‘‘The scale of the decline is unprecedented.’’
That's a lie, and who didn't see this coming?
In an effort to limit potential contagion as officials arrived in Vienna, OPEC said medical advisers would conduct screenings to detect staff or delegates who might have high temperatures. Some employees will be told to work from home. OPEC told national delegations to limit their size to the ‘‘bare minimum,’’ pressing ahead with the meeting even as conferences across the globe were canceled.
In an effort to limit contagion as officials arrived in Vienna, OPEC said medical advisers would conduct screenings to detect staff or delegates who might have high temperatures. Ronald Zak/Associated Press/Associated Press
Good show!
Jolly good show!
It has taken the unprecedented step of blocking journalists from entering its headquarters, and has also scrapped the final press conference in favor of a webinar. The cartel’s gatherings typically attract a contingent of hundreds of officials, reporters, TV crews, analysts and consultants from around the world.
The OPEC+ alliance was formed in late 2016, and has been struggling to manage the price impact from the US shale boom ever since. It kicked off a new round of supply curbs at the start of this year, removing about 2.1 million barrels a day from the market.....
The boom led to an oversupply.
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Sorry, readers, but I'm out of gas.
{@@##$$%%^^&&}
NEXT DAY UPDATE:
The virus has gone into remission (a.k.a. below the fold):
"‘This is not a drill’: WHO urges the world to fight virus" by Matt Sedensky and John Leicester Associated Press, March 5, 2020
BANGKOK — The global march of the new virus triggered a vigorous appeal Thursday from the World Health Organization for governments to pull out “all the stops” to slow the epidemic, as it drained color from India’s spring festivities, closed Bethlehem’s Nativity Church, and blocked Italians from visiting elderly relatives in nursing homes.
As China, after many arduous weeks, appeared to be winning its epic, costly battle against the new virus, the fight was revving up in newly affected areas of the globe, unleashing disruptions that profoundly impacted billions of people.
The UN health agency urged all countries to “push this virus back,” a call to action reinforced by figures showing about 17 times as many new infections outside China as in it. The virus has infected nearly 98,000 people and killed more than 3,300.
“This is not a drill,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva. ‘‘Countries have been planning for scenarios like this for decades. Now is the time to act on those plans.’’
As Chinese manufacturers gradually reopened their factories, antivirus barriers went up elsewhere.
In Italy, the epicenter of Europe’s outbreak, workers in latex gloves pinned “closed” notices on school gates, enforcing a 10-day shutdown of the education system. Italy’s sports-mad fans are also barred from stadiums until April 3.
A government decree that took effect Thursday urged the country’s famously demonstrative citizens to stay at least 3 feet apart from each other, placed restrictions on visiting nursing homes, and urged the elderly not to go outside unless absolutely necessary.
Italy’s death toll climbed Thursday to 148, and its confirmed cases to 3,858.
Iran, which has registered 107 virus deaths, also closed schools and universities and introduced checkpoints to limit travel between major cities. Iranians were urged to reduce their use of paper money. Iranian state TV also reported that Hossein Sheikholeslam, a 68-year-old diplomat who was an adviser to Iran’s foreign minister, had died of the virus.
Amid the string of bad news, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged state television to offer “happier” programs to entertain those stuck at home. Brian Hook, the US special representative for Iran, said the United States offered humanitarian assistance to help Iran deal with its outbreak but “the regime rejected the offer.” He said the offer would stand.
Like being in prison!
Virus fears also affected the joyful Indian celebration of Holi, in which Hindu revelers celebrate the arrival of spring with bursts of color, including bright powders smeared on faces. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders said they wouldn’t attend Holi events and the Holi Moo Festival in New Delhi was canceled.
Across the globe, travelers faced ever-greater disruptions, as countries sought to keep the virus out, but South Africa confirmed its first case Thursday, becoming the seventh African nation to report infections. Britain and Switzerland reported their first coronavirus deaths.
“The virus doesn’t care about race and belief or color. It is attacking us all, equally,” said Ian MacKay, who studies viruses at the University of Queensland in Australia.
The outlook for the travel industry was increasingly grim. Germany’s Lufthansa and its subsidiaries Austrian Airlines and Swiss said they will cancel all flights to and from Israel for three weeks starting Sunday after Israeli authorities announced tough restrictions on travelers from several countries because of the new virus.
Then this is serious!
Related:
"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has again fallen short of a parliamentary majority with his hard-line allies, final election results confirmed Thursday, extending the country’s year-old political deadlock and weakening the longtime leader as he prepares to go on trial for corruption charges. The embattled Netanyahu had been looking for a decisive victory in Monday’s vote, and initial exit polls had indicated his Likud party and smaller religious and nationalist allies had captured 60 seats, just one short of a majority required to form a new government. Netanyahu triumphantly declared a “huge victory,” but a final count announced by the election commission determined that Netanyahu’s jubilation was premature. Likud emerged as the largest individual party, with 36 seats, ahead of 33 seats for the rival Blue and White Party, but with his smaller allies, Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc captured just 58 seats, well short of the 61-seat majority. In a video statement, Netanyahu continued to claim victory on Thursday. “The Likud and the right won the election in a knockout,’’ he said. He accused his opponents of trying to ‘‘steal the decision from the masses of Israeli citizens who gave the Likud under my leadership a crushing victory.”
Not only is it bye-bye, Bernie, but it looks like bye-bye Bibi as well.
Palestinian officials closed the storied Church of the Nativity in the biblical city of Bethlehem indefinitely, weeks ahead of the busy Easter holiday.
Japan said visitors from China and South Korea would face a two-week quarantine at a government facility and be barred from public transit. Sri Lankans arriving from Italy, South Korea, and Iran will be quarantined at a hospital once used for leprosy patients.
In China, where hospitals were releasing hundreds of recovered patients, officials reported 139 new infection cases and 31 more deaths. Overall, China has reported 80,409 cases and 3,012 deaths, and authorities say about 6,000 people remained hospitalized in serious condition.
A state visit to Japan by Chinese President Xi Jinping was postponed. It was to have been the first for a Chinese leader since 2008.....
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They have no antidote yet even as Biogen employees test positive for coronavirus as a third case is announced in Massachusetts.
Related:
Cruise ship is held off California coast for virus testing
That was my page A2 lead, and.....
"Meanwhile, the US Senate passed an $8.3 billion measure Thursday to help tackle the coronavirus outbreak in hopes of reassuring a fearful public and accelerating the government’s response to the virus, whose rapid spread is threatening to upend everyday life in the United States and across the globe. The money would pay for a multifaceted attack on a virus that is spreading more widely every day, sending financial markets spiraling again Thursday, disrupting travel, and potentially threatening the US economy’s decadelong expansion. Thursday’s sweeping 96-1 vote sends the bill to the White House for President Trump’s signature. Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, cast the sole “no” vote. The House passed the bill Wednesday by a 415-2 vote. Assistant Health Secretary Brett Giroir cited a model that included mild cases to say the United States could expect a death rate somewhere between 0.1 percent — like seasonal flu — and 1 percent. The risk is highest for older people and anyone with conditions such as heart or lung disease, diabetes, or suppressed immune systems, such as from cancer treatments....."
"The stock market has swung wildly in the past week as investors have struggled to get a bead on the economic damage the fast spreading coronavirus might cause, as the number of cases continues to rise. News about the coronavirus’s spread has been relentless. Around the world, more than 90,000 cases and 3,000 deaths have been reported. The jump in the number of cases in the United States has crystallized expectations that the crisis will last longer than earlier predictions suggested, and without the kind of full-court-press efforts that China staged to guard against the virus’s spread, some analysts worried that infections could expand widely. Policymakers have responded by cutting interest rates to prop up economic growth. They are expected to do so again, but the sell-off reflects in part the fact that lower interest rates will not address the immediate impact of the virus if factories are closed, workers are furloughed and consumers stop spending. As consumers stockpile products like disinfectants and canned goods, some Costco locations have started setting purchase limits on high-demand items. Skittish consumers searching for details about the coronavirus are being targeted with ads spouting unsupported claims that face masks and other products can protect against the outbreak. One set of ads, served up on CNN, tried to drum up demand using “alarmist language.”
Even if they lower the rates and shut off the lights, the Globe advises you to stand pat. Even the casinos are feeling the effects of coronavirus, so gamble responsibly (good thing they have a robot who can help out in the kitchen. That way you can rest assured that your food will not be sneezed on).
"An additional 35,000 temporary foreign workers will be allowed into the US this year to fill seasonal jobs amid a tight labor market, the Trump administration said Thursday. In expanding the number of so-called H-2B visas for temporary non-farm workers, the administration is siding with business groups and members of Congress who have argued that there are not enough Americans to fill many service-sector and food-processing jobs across the country, but it also puts the administration in conflict with those who favor more restrictive immigration policies, including many supporters of President Trump."
He betrays his base just as much as Democrats betray theirs, and then makes a big show of it:
ICE targets sanctuary cities with increased surveillance
ICE is going to intensify its enforcement in so-called sanctuary cities across the country with 24-hour surveillance operations around the homes and workplaces of immigrants living in the country illegally, deploying hundreds of additional officers in unmarked cars in the coming weeks to increase arrests in cities where local law enforcement agencies do not cooperate with federal enforcement on deportation actions (they couldn't possibly mean the State Police, right?).
Here is where they are going to house them until then:
Huge development at Bayside Expo Center site a step closer to reality
An Uber can take you over because.....
To defend against coronavirus, MBTA steps up cleaning of crowded trains and stations
Just hope the train doesn't derail on the way over to the Garden:
"Mother of man who drowned in Charles River after Celtics game sues TD Garden parent company in wrongful death lawsuit" by Travis Andersen Globe Staff, March 5, 2020, 12:43 p.m.
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The mother of a young Southborough man who drowned in the Charles River after leaving a Celtics game drunk in 2017 is suing TD Garden and its parent company, alleging staff continued to serve her son alcohol during the game when he was intoxicated and then failed to help him.
The 16-page civil complaint says Michael Joseph Kelleher, who was 23 when he went missing after a Celtics game on March 29, 2017 and whose body was pulled from the Charles about two weeks later, attended the game with a friend, and that Kelleher entered the Garden in a drunken state after consuming alcohol beforehand. He bought multiple beers during the game “in an obviously intoxicated state,” and several fans noticed him unconscious in his seat, the filing says.
See: Body of missing 23-year-old pulled from the Charles
During the game, the complaint says, security guards saw Kelleher in the Garden and its corridors in an impaired and vulnerable condition, as documented on surveillance video. Following the game, the suit says, Kelleher became separated from his friend and sat on the floor holding his head in his hands, which was also captured on video. He exited the Garden around 10:01 p.m.
“Upon information and belief, within minutes after leaving the TD Garden... Michael fell into the cold waters of the Charles River, cried for help and thereafter drowned," the complaint says.....
Yeah, but don't smoke pot no matter what.
I often throw the prohibition of alcohol argument to make a point; however, in this case it certainly begins to seem like a good idea. How tragic and heartbreaking.
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Meanwhile, the Globe tells us how the Greater Boston biomedical community is tackling the coronavirus at a historic meeting held Monday at Harvard Medical School and gives us a detailed guide to the coronavirus drugs and vaccines in development (they grow them in eggs) with Modern at the front of the line.
I'm wondering if they are the ones who made it, as the Globe editorial board argues that the coronavirus and Maine vote make the case for the Massachusetts vaccine law to compel more parents to vaccinate their kids.
Coronavirus fear closes schools on Friday
The Plymouth Public Schools canceled all classes for Friday in order to disinfect buildings and school buses after a student who returned from a school trip to Italy was taken to the hospital with flu-like symptoms, officials said, as the Boston Public Schools’ operations chief resigned.
