demmiblue
demmiblue's JournalWhen quarantine is taking its toll
https://twitter.com/thepuppiesclub/status/1245340497192853505States were closing gun shops. Activists turned to the White House.
Long lines were forming outside gun shops. Ammunition was selling out. The national background check system was flooded with requests.
The gun industry wanted to keep it that way, even as governors started ordering nonessential businesses closed during the coronavirus outbreak. And it knew just where it could turn: the White House.
After a lobbying blitz that included calls to both the outgoing and incoming chiefs of staff and a White House aide who used to work for the National Rifle Association, the administration revised its initial guidelines and declared gun stores and shooting ranges to be critical businesses that can stay open during the outbreak — putting them on par with hospitals, grocery stores and pharmacies.
The change has already prompted one state to reverse its previous order and reopen gun stores.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/01/gun-stores-states-white-house-coronavirus-157543
WATCH: 'Stay safe, Detroit' video empowers city, encourages social distancing amid coronavirus
The video is from Doner Advertising, based in Southfield. CEO David Demuth’s 25-year-old son had the idea to create it to help uplift and bring the city together. They did it in 48 hours simply for everyone to share and be reminded of the city’s grit to overcome and the importance of staying home right now.
The video’s official title is “When the Motor Stops.” It shows the city’s busiest streets empty during the state’s stay-at-home order.
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2020/04/01/watch-stay-safe-detroit-video-empowers-city-encourages-social-distancing-amid-coronavirus/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=snd&utm_content=cod
Pence task force freezes coronavirus aid amid backlash
Source: Politico
Last week, a Trump administration official working to secure much-needed protective gear for doctors and nurses in the United States had a startling encounter with counterparts in Thailand.
The official asked the Thais for help—only to be informed by the puzzled voices on the other side of the line that a U.S. shipment of the same supplies, the second of two so far, was already on its way to Bangkok.
Trump aides were alarmed when they learned of the exchange, and immediately put the shipment on hold while they ordered a review of U.S. aid procedures. Crossed wires would only confuse our allies, they worried, or worse—offend them. And Americans confronting a surging death toll and shortages of medical equipment back home would likely be outraged.
Vice President Mike Pence soon realized another step was needed: After a phone call asking a foreign leader’s help with key supplies, he ordered his staff to make sure the review process wasn’t holding up coronavirus-related aid to countries that were assisting the United States.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/31/pence-task-force-coronavirus-aid-157806
https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1245141604933013504
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