*TOTAL FILTH! – ‘THEY ARE TRANSPORTING THIS VIRUS’: MTA SUBWAY CONDUCTORS SAY TRAINS ARE FILTHIER THAN EVER AMID CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC:

The New York City subways are only supposed to be for essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic, but conductors say the trains are filthier than ever. The MTA says only about 5% of its regular ridership is taking the subway during this pandemic, and that’s made up of people who work in hospitals, grocery stores, and every other essential service. But conductors say the subway has become a homeless shelter and social distancing is nearly impossible. Cell phone video shows subway cars lined with people passed out, using shoes as pillows, not wearing masks, with trash piled in shopping carts. “There is an astronomical amount of homeless people now in the subway,” MTA train conductor Tramell Thompson said. “The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is now the Metropolitan Transmission Authority. They are transporting this virus.”

*COVID-19 DISINFECTING SHOE MATS TO THE RESCUE…NEW WAVE OF PROTECTION:

It started with wash your hands … and it’s now going to be WIPE YOUR FEET!!! That’s the route many businesses are looking to take in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Center for Disease Control reporting that coronavirus particles can live on shoes and not just on handrails and other surfaces. Enter the disinfecting shoe mats. Several companies who offer them said business is boomin’ … as several industries ramp up measures to prevent spread of the virus. The concept of the mats is pretty simple — you wipe your feet on the, it sanitizes and disinfects the shoes. One of the big brands is SaniStride, which says its product is 99.99% effective … and they’ve seen a jump in sales of over 500% since the middle of March. That CDC report about shoes gave the company another sales boost. So far, the Oregon-based company has mailed out THOUSANDS of mats with continuing inquiries from nursing homes, hospitals, office buildings, markets, restaurants and rental car companies. And, there’s this … SaniStride says a few major cruise liners reached out a few weeks ago. It’s no secret the cruise industry is taking it on the chin lately … with multiple coronavirus-related deaths on ships, which have triggered several lawsuits. The “new normal” is also pushing sales through the roof for an Illinois-based company called allMATS, which says it’s backed up on at least 100 orders. We’re told customers are ordering in bulk — 50 to 70 mats at a time. Likewise, Mat Supplier in Washington state says its sales have tripled compared to last year.

*RICHARD BRANSON–
“I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS”:

“Over the five decades I have been in business, this is the most challenging time we have ever faced,” billionaire Virgin Group founder Richard Branson admitted in an open letter to employees. As Branson notes, his constellation of companies operate in some of the sectors hardest hit by virus containment policies: leisure, travel, aviation, hotels, and cruises.  A desperate Branson asked the U.K. government for a loan to keep his Virgin Atlantic airline afloat.  He even said he’d offer up his famous Necker Island estate in the Caribbean as collateral to “save as many jobs as possible around the group.” Branson spent a good chunk of the letter playing defense against critics who point out he hasn’t paid income taxes in the U.K. since decamping for the British Virgin Islands, yet now wants money from British taxpayers. Branson countered that he’d pay back any government aid and has already promised to pour $250 million of his own money into Virgin Group. Virgin Australia, 10% of which is owned by Virgin Group, entered voluntary administration (aka bankruptcy protection) this morning.

*CHIPOTLE TO PAY 3.6 MILLION BURRITOS IN NOROVIRUS CASE

On Monday, LA federal prosecutors smacked Chipotle with a $25 million criminal fine to settle charges related to norovirus outbreaks at some locations. Norovirus = a highly contagious virus that’s easily transmitted by workers handling food. The charges: Prosecutors said Chipotle served food that made over 1,100 people sick in the U.S. from 2015 to 2018. That’s the largest fine ever in a food safety case, according to prosecutors. As part of the settlement, Chipotle pledged to strengthen its food-safety policies and write “I will not make people sick” 30x on the blackboard. Chipotle isn’t a stranger to the courtroom. It’s faced class-action and shareholder lawsuits over its sanitation practices in recent years. Chipotle also reported better-than-expected earnings yesterday, with digital sales growing 81% and same-store sales up 3.3%.

*FACEBOOK LET ADVERTISERS TARGET MILLIONS OF USERS INTERESTED IN ‘PSEUDOSCIENCE’:

Facebook allowed advertisers to target and profit from 78 million users who the social-media company believed were interested in pseudoscience, according to a report from The Markup.Mark Zuckerberg has been keen to stress his company’s efforts to clamp down on misinformation about COVID-19, saying last week that it had pulled “hundreds of thousands” of misleading posts. But The Markup found that it was able to specifically target a database of users that Facebook believed was interested in “pseudoscience.” The Markup paid to advertise posts targeting those people on Facebook and Instagram—both of which were approved. After the nonprofit raised the issue with Facebook, company spokesperson Devon Kearns emailed to say it had eliminated the pseudoscience category.

*HAPPY 15th, YOUTUBE:

• 

It’s been 15 years since YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim uploaded the platform’s first-ever video, 18 seconds of him pontificating about elephant trunks at the San Diego Zoo. Here’s a brief timeline on what’s happened since: 2005: YouTube launches its public beta in May, and with $3.5 million from Sequoia Capital it goes beyond beta by the end of the year.  2006: Google acquires YouTube for $1.7 billion. 2007: “Charlie bit my finger” becomes the first viral video, proving babies are cuter than cats, and YouTube goes mobile-friendly the same month the first iPhone hits stores.  2008: “Evolution of Dance” gets a record-breaking 100 million views. 2009: Justin Bieber. Vevo. The music world is never the same.  2012: Psy’s “Gangnam Style” gets a historic 1 billion views. 2014: Susan Wojcicki becomes YouTube’s third CEO. 2017: The “Adpocalypse” and “Elsagate” throw the platform under public scrutiny. As of last year, 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube…every minute. There’s no sign of that number going down, especially amid COVID-19.

*NO ONE IS GOING ANYWHERE:

If the Wright Brothers time-traveled to April 2020 they’d look up and say, “What have you guys been doing for the last 117 years?”  The number of travelers that passed through TSA checkpoints… April 15, 2020: 90,784 A year ago on the same weekday: 2,317,381 That’s why United Airlines said travel demand was “essentially zero” and going nowhere fast.

*TRACEE DUNBLAZIER, RENOWN SPIRITUAL COUNSELORS, GIVES 5 TIPS ON PROCESSING EVERYDAY GREIF IN TIMES OF TRAUMA:

• 

The coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe has not only left many anxious about life and death issues, but it’s also left people struggling with a host of less obvious, existential losses as they heed stay-home warnings and wonder how bad all of this is going to get. Left unrecognized and unattended, grief can negatively impact every aspect of our being; physically, cognitively, emotionally, and spiritually. Many people are facing difficult battles and might not know where to go or who to turn to.

Well, there are professionals in the world who care about the mental state of people during this tough time. One such professional who has great advice in this area of expertise is renown spiritualist and award-winning author, Tracee Dunblazier. Tracee details a list of 5 tips on processing everyday grief in times of trauma and everyone should read it, especially if you find yourself struggling emotionally. She shares her thoughts on why it’s important to acknowledge the grief you may be feeling, how to manage it, and how she believes we will find meaning in it.

1. It is normal to experience multiple episodes of crying, anger or maniacal laughter in times of cultural trauma.

2. Let yourself let go of shame about feeling strong emotions. (Many people have been taught that showing emotion is unacceptable or a sign of weakness.)

3. Feeling strong emotion does not mean you are out-of-control or crazy.

4. When strong feelings arise, move yourself to a location that allows you to feel them, safely.

5. During times of cultural trauma, it’s common for grief to be triggered by situations one cannot control. Be patient and honest with yourselves and others. Be clear about your boundaries with loved ones.

*EXAMINER – OUR NEW WORLD:

• Scientists are collaborating at warp speed: They’ve published around 3,000 papers on COVID-19, which is 20x the published research of other infectious diseases at the same point in the public health response.
• Zoom has made history: Its surge ranks among the most remarkable growth stories in the internet age, outpacing even Instagram and Fortnite. 
• Federal relief was swift and massive: The U.S.’ $4.3 trillion of monetary and fiscal stimulus = 124% of government revenue in 2019.

*EXAMINER – INVESTIGATES:

Amazon has installed thermal cameras in its warehouses to scan workers for coronavirus symptoms.

*EXAMINER – SEE IT:

A nurse sheds a tear while discussing the situation at Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan in central China’s Hubei province, where the coronavirus outbreak began, on Feb. 13.

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  Cut the B.S.! Readers in all 50 of the United States and 26 foreign countries know that LBN Examiner is “fearlessly independent” and “unbiased”. Once a week but never weakly.

*EXAMINER – INVESTIGATES:

By the year 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish.

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*WHO READS LBN EXAMINER?:

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*EXAMINER–A DIFFERENT VIEW:….

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  Few cities on the planet can compare to the great city of Los Angeles. LA is literally one of the few places in the world where people from every nation come to see their dreams come true, to achieve their goals, and to reach their ultimate potential. It is a city that is about opportunity, creativity, culture, and experience.

Now you can join our free “Best of Los Angeles Award” community and communicate with 6,600 members all interested in the best of L.A. No ads. No B.S. Simply visit the page, click “Like”, and you’re in.

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*WELCOME TO OUR NEW WORLD! STARVING, ANGRY, AND CANNIBALISTIC: AMERICA’S RATS ARE GETTING DESPERATE AMID CORORNAVIRUS PANDEMIC:

America’s rats are being hit hard by the coronavirus. As millions of Americans shelter indoors to combat the deadly virus, which has claimed over 21,000 U.S. lives, many businesses — including restaurants and grocery stores — have closed or limited operations, cutting off many rodents’ main sources for food. On deserted streets across the country, rats are in dire survival mode, experts say. “If you take rats that have been established in the area or somebody’s property and they’re doing well, the reason they’re doing well is because they’re eating well,” Bobby Corrigan, an urban rodentologist, told NBC News. “Ever since coronavirus broke out, not a single thing has changed with them, because someone’s doing their trash exactly the same in their yard as they’ve always done it — poorly.” But many other rats are not faring as well, said Corrigan, who works as a consultant for several city health departments and businesses, such as airports and shopping malls.

“A restaurant all of a sudden closes now, which has happened by the thousands in not just New York City but coast to coast and around the world, and those rats that were living by that restaurant, some place nearby, and perhaps for decades having generations of rats that depended on that restaurant food, well, life is no longer working for them, and they only have a couple of choices.” And those choices are grim. They include cannibalism, rat battles and infanticide. “It’s just like we’ve seen in the history of mankind, where people try to take over lands and they come in with militaries and armies and fight to the death, literally, for who’s going to conquer that land. And that’s what happens with rats,” he said. “A new ‘army’ of rats come in, and whichever army has the strongest rats is going to conquer that area.”Rats whose food sources have vanished will not just move into other colonies and cause fights over grub. They will also eat one another.”They’re mammals just like you and I, and so when you’re really, really hungry, you’re not going to act the same — you’re going to act very bad, usually,” he said. “So these rats are fighting with one another, now the adults are killing the young in the nest and cannibalizing the pups.”

*THIS IS THE ‘SAFEST PLACE’ FROM CORONAVIRUS IN AMERICA:

The safest place from the coronavirus in the US might be a tiny town on an off-the-beaten path peninsula connected to Canada south of Vancouver, according to a report. The 1,300 or so residents of Point Roberts — which is part of Washington state but not directly connected to the US mainland – have not been affected by the pandemic so far. “It’s probably the safest place to be in the country,” Pamala Sheppard, 65, who has lived in the enclave on the southernmost tip of the Tsawwassen peninsula since 1989, told the news outlet. “Because our borders are shut, we’re like an island right now. We’re like an island with no boats,” she added. The isolated town – about 135 miles northwest of Seattle — may be reached by boat, flying into its single-runway airport or driving past two international border crossings through the southwest corner of Canada, the news outlet reported.

Local fire Chief Christopher Carleton said that on a typical weekend last year, the town would see about 2,000 vehicles travel over its border – but that number has now dropped below 100. Residents can still cross the border for essential travel, including for medical appointments and to pick up prescriptions, but any outsider trying to get into the town would have a tough time getting past border agents, Carleton said.

*PANDEMIC EXHAUSTION-CORONAVIRUS AFFECTING SLEEP HABITS FOR 77% OF AMERICANS:

It’s hard enough to fall asleep when times are normal, but add an extra viral pandemic to the mix and millions of Americans are finding themselves up all night due to worry, anxiety, and fear for the future. A recent piece of research surveyed 1,014 Americans on their sleep habits in the wake of the coronavirus situation, and 76.8% admitted their sleep has indeed been affected. Commissioned by SleepStandards, the survey encompassed Americans of various ages (18-65) and consisted of 56% women and 43% men.

It isn’t hard to figure out why so many people’s sleep patterns have changed recently; just about everyone’s life has been affected by COVID-19. As far as alleviating some of that worry and insomnia, 46% said that avoiding the news has helped them sleep better. Others read before bed for better shuteye (40%), use sleep supplements (27%), practice meditation or yoga (21%), or have sex (16%). When respondents were asked why exactly the coronavirus is keeping them up at night, anxiety was the top response (48%). The second most frequent answer was worrying about the safety of loved ones (26%), followed by loneliness (23%) and a generally inconsistent sleeping schedule (23%).

*ZOOM RACES TO CATCH UP WITH ITSELF:

In the coronavirus pandemic era, videoconferencing company Zoom has quickly zum from successful enterprise firm →  essential utility → new face of Big Tech’s privacy and security challenges. To break that journey down… Part 1: Founded in 2011, Zoom met rising demand for workplace video calls that 1) didn’t freeze every 10 minutes and 2) launched quickly. It did that well—when Zoom went public last April, shares popped 72% in an otherwise meh year for IPOs.  Part 2: As social distancing became the norm over the past month, Zoom’s usage has exploded about 20x since December. And it’s not just the numbers—the types of users have changed as well; schools, religious institutions, and friends are using it to connect. Part 3: With all that traffic, Zoom’s flaws have been exposed. A report from The Intercept showed the service did not have end-to-end encryption, despite marketing itself to that effect. Others found security holes that could allow hackers to plant malware. And then there are the trolls—people who “Zoombomb” calls by sneaking in and displaying inappropriate content like pornography.  The Senate’s sergeant at arms reportedly warned the chamber’s members not to use the service. Many private sector firms, like Google and SpaceX, have banned employees from using it. Zoom has patched many of those security issues and apologized for the encryption debacle. Last week, it instituted a 90-day pause on other initiatives to devote engineering resources exclusively to privacy and security. ~Zoom~ out: Achilles needed his heel to become Greece’s greatest warrior and Zoom needed a super-simple user experience to become popular. It’s this ease of use—like the ability to join calls with one click—that made Zoom vulnerable to attacks.  Plus, it wasn’t prepared for the influx of non-enterprise users. Zoom typically leaves some security practices up to customers, since in normal circumstances they’re businesses. But it’s less reasonable to ask teachers or your aunt who’s three Chardonnays deep to configure their own security settings.

*YIKES! PANICKY MEN ARE STASHING SPERM LIKE CRAZY RIGHT NOW:

Heather Kilpatrick has been busy lately. Since the United States began sliding into COVID-19 lockdown mode, the operations manager for at-home sperm collection firm CryoChoice says the company has “seen a lot of inquiries come in from people scared about coronavirus.” But rather than just checking in or canceling orders, many of them seem to want to make purchases. According to Kilpatrick, CryoChoice has seen sales jump by as much as 20 percent in recent weeks. Staff at the at-home sperm collection start-up Legacy claim they’ve seen up to 10 times their usual order volume in recent days. And the minds behind Dadi, another start-up in the field, say they have not only seen a threefold lift in raw sales, but that more people than ever before are buying five years of sperm storage up front. The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the U.S. economy. But the pain isn’t equally distributed. And at-home sperm collection companies—which send men preservable sample collection kits and return postage, run lab tests on returned cups, and promise to cryogenically store viable seed—appear to be enjoying a big leg up. 

Tom Smith, the CEO of Dadi, claimed to be as surprised as anyone, saying he “actually thought there’d be a significant drop-off” in business as Americans went into austerity mode.  Some of this spike may just be at-home kit companies absorbing brick-and-mortar fertility clinics’ business during a terrifying pandemic. Many facilities are trying to keep their doors open for folks like cancer patients who still need to start treatments that could leave them infertile. But quite a few clinics have either decided or been told by authorities that they are not essential services, scaling down operations or closing their doors entirely. Even clinics that have tried to stay open are increasingly reaching out to at-home collection companies for kits they can send to patients at high risk of contracting COVID-19, so that they can avoid unnecessary trips outside.  But at-home collection companies canvassed appear to be getting a big chunk of their pandemic business bump from people who weren’t looking to bank sperm before the crisis. This newfound concern about saving spunk likely stems from emerging fears about the virus’s potential effects on fertility.

*NFL STAR, SAQUON BARKLEY, JOINS NEW JERSEY PANDEMIC RELIEF FUND THAT ANNOUNCED STAR-STUDDED JERSEY 4 JERSEY BENEFIT SHOW:

The New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund (NJPRF) announced JERSEY 4 JERSEY a one-night broadcast fundraiser to fight the medical, social and economic impact of COVID-19 on New Jersey’s most vulnerable communities. This special evening will feature New Jersey’s biggest champions and celebrities participating from their homes, including Saquon Barkley, Tony Bennett, Jon Bon Jovi, Danny DeVito, Whoopi Goldberg, Halsey, Chelsea Handler, Charlie Puth, Kelly Ripa, Chris Rock, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, SZA and many more. This recognition of New Jersey’s strength and character will also include first-hand accounts from front-line workers and citizens impacted by the pandemic.

Jersey 4 Jersey will be broadcast at 7 PM EST on Wednesday, April 22, on Apple Music and AppleTV apps, worldwide. It will also be broadcast live and rebroadcasted five times on E Street Radio on SiriusXM, currently free on the SiriusXM app. And it will be carried on WABC Channel 7, WPVI 6ABC, WPIX, News12, NJTV and radio outlets including 1010 WINS, WCBS 880, CBS-FM, WFAN, New York’s Country 94.7, Alt 92.3, Q104.3 and others. Social media posts will also be shared with the hashtag #jersey4jersey. “New Jersey is on the front lines of this pandemic, making it more important than ever for us to do what Jersey does best – take care of one another,” said New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy. “That’s why we’re asking everyone in our state to join the NJPRF and some of New Jersey’s finest for some much-needed musical entertainment, levity and Jersey Pride during these unprecedented times.” Besides raising funds for NJPRF.org, JERSEY 4 JERSEY will honor those on New Jersey’s front lines, including healthcare workers, first responders and other essential employees. The event also will remind all those tuning in about how they can help stop the spread.

JERSEY 4 JERSEY will be produced by Joel Gallen, who recently produced the iHeart Living Room Concert Benefit for Fox, in addition to numerous other fundraising television events including the award-winning telethon that immediately followed September 11. Additionally, the event will benefit from the talents of Irving Azoff, Jon Landau and Joel Peresman. Azoff, who manages Bon Jovi, and Landau, who manages Springsteen, are two of the top managers in the music business. Peresman is president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.

*EXAMINER – BUSINESS INSIDER:  

GrubHub has promoted their $100-million relief effort even though it’s only a short-term deferral of commissions. Worse, the program forces restaurants to work with Grubhub for at least one extra year.

*EXAMINER – INVESTIGATES:

Michael Cohen has been spending his time behind bars writing an explosive tell-all book about his stint as President Trump’s personal lawyer and plans on releasing it before the election, according to three people familiar with the project. Cohen, Inmate No. 86067-054, is being released early from federal prison because of concerns over coronavirus and after spending 14 days in quarantine will be reunited with his family and serve the rest of his three-year sentence at home. Trump’s former fixer, who had been serving time at the minimum security facility in Otisville, New York, for financial crimes—including illegal hush-money payments to a Playboy playmateand a porn star who claimed they had affairs with Trump—had been slated for release in November 2021.

*EXAMINER – A LOOK BACK:

The great Winston Churchill didn’t take much advantage of his bedroom in the Cabinet War Rooms – he’s only thought to have spent three nights there throughout the whole war. But he did make use of the bedroom as an office. Churchill used the microphones on his desk to make four speeches by radio, and Clementine used the same equipment to make ten broadcasts of her own. Staff also remember him taking his afternoon nap here – an hour-long period during which everyone was expected to keep the noise down.

*THINK BRAVELY: BE FEARLESS INDEPENDENT AND UNBIASED: READ LBN EXAMINER

*EXAMINER – INVESTIGATES:

U.S. air travelers have fallen back to 1954 levels. The TSA screened just under 95,000 travelers on Wednesday. 

*THINK FREELY – BE INDEPENDENT – MAKE UP YOUR OWN (DAMN) MIND: READ LBN EXAMINER

– WITHOUT NOTES-

An in-depth interview with the Rabbi and the Rascal. Rabbi Asher Gottsman “The Rabbi” and Robert Sanchez “The Rascal” make up this fascinating real-life Odd Couple story. A reformed gang member and his spiritual mentor a Jewish Rabbi and how they have affected each other for the better. Part 1 we hear about the Rascal’s background and how he got into the gang.
 

“Without Notes” –The Rabbi and the Rascal -Part 1:The Rascal

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Author, C Pam Zhang, along with 12 members of the White House staff, 3 Nobel Prize winners, over 100 Academy Award winners, 6 U.S. Senators, and over 300 Grammy Award winners.

*EXAMINER–A DIFFERENT VIEW:….

LBN Examiner Edited By: Aurora DeRose 

LBN Examiner Disclaimer: 1.) The LBN Examiner accepts no liability for the content of this email, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. The LBN Examiner is not associated with any commercial or political organization and is transmitted via the web for the sole benefit of its subscribers. 2.) Unfortunately, computer viruses can be transmitted via email. The recipient should check this mail and any attachments for the presence of viruses.

*NYT CALLS OUT DE BLASIO, CUOMO FOR CORONAVIRUS FAILURES:

The New York Times published a lengthy and rather damning piece on Wednesday detailing the belated and at times counterproductive response of the two most prominent Democratic leaders in New York to the Corona Virus: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. For, finally, providing a more even-handed critique of the Democratic politicians calling the shots at the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S., some of the Times’ readers have thanked the paper, though many made a point of noting that the critique was coming rather late in the game. The Times report has been given a conveniently equivocal title — “How Delays and Unheeded Warnings Hindered New York’s Virus Fight” — which fails to directly point the finger at de Blasio or Cuomo, but its subtitle better summarizes the content of the piece: “The federal response was chaotic. Even so, the state’s and city’s own efforts failed to keep pace with the outbreak, The Times found.” Even that more direct criticism, however, does not accurately present just how badly the Times found that the two Democrats initially botched their response.

The report begins with the first confirmed case of the virus in New York City on March 1 — and both Cuomo and de Blasio vowing to take action that, the Times learned, was never taken. A 39-year-old woman took Flight 701 from Doha, Qatar, to John F. Kennedy International Airport in late February, the final leg of her trip home to New York City from Iran. A week later, on March 1, she tested positive for the coronavirus, the first confirmed case in New York City of an outbreak that had already devastated China and parts of Europe. The next day, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, appearing with Mayor Bill de Blasio at a news conference, promised that health investigators would track down every person on the woman’s flight. But no one did. “For many days after the first positive test, as the coronavirus silently spread throughout the New York region, Mr. Cuomo, Mr. de Blasio and their top aides projected an unswerving confidence that the outbreak would be readily contained,” the Times reports.

*DELTA TELLS SICK FLIGHT ATTENDANTS – “DO NOT POST” ON SOCIAL MEDIA OR NOTIFY FELLOW CREW:

Delta Air Lines has directed flight attendants who test positive for the coronavirus to “refrain from notifying” fellow crew members or posting about their health on social media. The email, sent Thursday afternoon to more than 25,000 flight attendants, stated that Delta management will “follow an established process” to alert co-workers who recently came in contact with flight attendants who “are symptomatic or diagnosed with COVID-19,” the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus. “Please refrain from notifying other crew members on your own,” read the email, which was sent at 2:20 p.m. Eastern time. “Once you have completed the reporting procedures listed above, leaders will follow the established process to notify any impacted flight attendants.” The email provides phone numbers for hotlines to report diagnoses and inform management of plans to take an absence, and urges employees to “please ensure you complete these actions as soon as symptoms occur.”

*WTF? – GOOGLE DATA SHOWS NEW YORKER’S DOING LESS SOCIAL DISTANCING THAN PEOPLE IN ITALY  & SPAIN:

Google tracking data released Friday suggests New Yorkers are less likely to avoid public places and stay home than residents of hard-hit coronavirus hotspots in Europe. The tech giant said it released the location data to allow authorities to “make critical decisions to combat COVID-19.” The release follows Trump administration coronavirus coordinator Deborah Birx saying Thursday that she could tell by the US increase in new infections that people were not universally abiding by requests that they stay home. “I know you’ve seen the slope on the US versus the slope in Italy, and we have to change that slope,” Birx said. “What it means in the US is not everyone is doing it. So we’re only as strong as every community, every county, every state, every American following the guidelines to a T.”

The anonymized aggregate data bolster Birx’s claim. It tracks changes in user location from Sunday, Feb. 16 — before the virus walloped the West — against Sunday, March 29, after non-essential businesses were closed across Europe and the US. In New York state, foot traffic in public parks was down 47 percent and people at transit stations down 68 percent — compared to drops around 90 percent in hard-hit Italy and Spain. In France, which has fewer infections than Italy and Spain, there was a drop greater than 80 percent in people going to parks and transit stations. In the UK, which shut down non-essential businesses on March 24, four days after New York, parks and transit stations had lighter traffic too, down 52 percent and 75 percent, respectively. Of the five boroughs, the changes were greatest in Manhattan, but still well below most European rates, at near-80 percent drops in park and transit visits. Queens saw drops of 52 percent and 75 percent, while Brooklyn’s rates dropped 55 percent and 63 percent, respectively.

*SMOKING WEED COULD MAKE THE LUNGS MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO COVID-19, EXPERT SAYS AS POT SALES SPIKE:

In the days and weeks leading up to stay-in-place orders and lockdowns, legal cannabis sales spiked. Some studies and anecdotal reports suggest marijuana can help people cope with anxiety, which is being felt deeply across the world as the coronavirus pandemic continues. But lung health experts warn that smoking marijuana regularly could increase a person’s risk of contracting COVID-19, and also having more severe symptoms and complications from the disease, given evidence on tobacco and COVID-19, and what we already know about how heavy marijuana-smoking can impact the lungs. 

Although there’s no data on marijuana use and COVID-19 patients, marijuana smokers — particularly ones who combine cannabis with tobacco — should be wary of their habits because of existing data on coronavirus patients in Italy and China, according to Dr. Barry J. Make, a pulmonologist at National Jewish Health. “From China and Italy, we see people who developed COVID-19 and had underlying lung disease, [they] have more complications and die more often,” Make said. “So this is the perfect time to stop smoking.”

*FEDS RELEASE PHOTOS  LORI LOUGHLIN ALLEGEDLY USED TO SCAM HER DAUGHTERS INTO USC:

Federal prosecutors have released the photos they say helped Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli scam their daughters’ way into the University of Southern California. The photos, included in new court documents filed Wednesday as part of the FBI’s case, show Olivia Jade, now 20, and Isabella Rose, 21, their faces blurred, in workout attire on ERG rowing machines. Giannulli, 56, emailed Isabella’s photo to the scandal’s mastermind, William “Rick” Singer, on Sept. 7, 2016, prosecutors say in court documents. Giannulli sent the image after Singer requested them in an earlier email to him and Loughlin. “Lori and Moss, I met with USC today [and] I need a PDF of her transcript and test scores very soon while I create a coxswain portfolio for her,” Singer wrote. “It would probably help to get a picture with her on an ERG in workout clothes like a real athlete too.” Giannulli responded, “Fantastic. Will get all,” the documents show. After Isabella was accepted, prosecutors say, Giannulli emailed his financial adviser, “Good news my [older] daughter is in [U]SC bad [news] is I had to work the system,” according to People.

*DC MAYOR THREATENS JAIL TIME FOR LEAVING HOME DURING CORONAVIRUS:

Mayor Muriel Bowser is threatening residents of Washington, DC, with 90 days in jail and a $5,000 fine if they leave their homes during the coronavirus outbreak. The threat of jail is alarming residents and civil libertarians who point out that at least five inmates tested positive for COVID-19 in the city’s 1,700-inmate jail near Capitol Hill. “Our message remains the same: stay home,” Bowser, a Democrat, said in a statement Monday. The stay-home order has exceptions for grocery shopping and work deemed essential. Outdoor recreation such as running is allowed, but cannot involve people outside of a household.

The order is similar to dictates in neighboring Maryland and Virginia, but shocked residents of Washington, where there are just 401 of the nation’s 160,000 confirmed cases. “This is insane. Criminal penalties?” tweeted Mercedes Schlapp, President Trump’s former White House director of strategic communications and an adviser to his re-election campaign. Monica Hopkins, executive director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia, told The Post “we would be deeply concerned” if anyone actually was arrested for violating the order. “When we saw this order, we thought, ‘You want to send them where?’” Hopkins said. “People being arrested for that causes all sorts of problems that are antithetical to the goals of lessening the virus.”

The ACLU of DC filed a lawsuit Monday seeking the appointment of an expert to help depopulate the city’s only jail of elderly, health-compromised and non-violent inmates. Many inmates are awaiting trial. The labor union representing DC jail officers — a part of the Fraternal Order of Police — voted “no confidence” this month against Department of Corrections leaders over safety conditions to prevent spread of the virus. Because DC courts are operating in a limited capacity due to the virus, it’s unclear when arrested people would be able to be released, Hopkins said. “What we would hope for is voluntary compliance with the stay-at-home order and discretion on the part of officers to break those sort of things up and send people home,” Hopkins said. DC’s Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately provide answers to The Post about enforcement, including whether residents would be issued warnings for a first offense. The city has a 6,500-person homeless population. Trump said at a Monday evening press conference at the White House that federal officials are allowing local autonomy. “We’re letting the governors do in their state pretty much what they want, with our supervision, and they consult with us in all cases,” Trump said.

*CORONAVIRUS MOBILE APPS SEPARATE INTO WINNERS AND LOSERS:

Winners:

• Some grocery delivery apps, including Instacart, Walmart Grocery, and Shipt, hit record downloads in mid-March, per Apptopia.
• Business conference apps had their biggest download week ever March 14–21.
• Health and fitness apps saw a surge in downloads. 

Losers: 

• Travel app downloads dipped 31% in March.
• Music app downloads were also slightly down. Same with podcasts.
• Ride-sharing app downloads have collapsed.
• Oh, yeah, Alcoholic beverage sales are spiking in the U.S.

*SEAN MIRESKANDAI, IRANIAN BORN ATTORNEY, EXAMINES HOW IRANIAN DIPLOMATS INSTIGATED THE KILLING OF DISSIDENT IN ISTANBUL:

Tehran struck back at the U.S. on allegations that Iranian diplomats were behind the November 2019 killing of an Iranian dissident in the Turkish city of Istanbul. On 14 November 2019, Masoud Molavi Vardanjani was shot dead. Two senior Turkish officials told Reuters news agency on March 27, 2020 that two intelligence officers instigated the killing at Iran’s Turkish consulate. The allegation is likely to weaken relations between Turkey and Iran, two regional forces that had grown closer under Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s rule. It has come to no surprise however, that U.S accusation is more than likely true as Iran’s diplomats have a long, complicated history of lying to the public. Prominent Iranian Born Attorney, Sean Mireskandari, believes Iran’s diplomats are yet again lying to the public for their own agenda.

“The Islamic government are probably the foremost experts on assassinations in the world. From the minute they came into power in 1979 their priority was the killing of anyone who opposed them,” states Sean. To name a few assignations they carried out: Shahpour Bakhtiar, the former prime minister under the Shah was assassinated in Paris. He was 90 years old. General Ovaissi was assassinated in Paris as he was preparing to do a military take over. Fereydoun Faroukhzad was a top Iranian celebrity who was assassinated in Germany because he was very outspoken against the regime.”

The suspected gunman and several other suspects, including Turks and Iranians who were arrested in the weeks following the shooting, told officials that they had operated at the Iranian consulate on the orders of two intelligence officers, the first official said. “It was reflected in the testimonies of the arrested suspects that these two Iranians, carrying diplomatic passports, had given the order for the assassination,” he said, identifying the two men by their first names and initials. It appears that without a doubt, Iranian diplomats were involved and are now trying to cover up what happened. It looks like that the regime covering up an assassination is just like another day at work. “I suggest people to look at the Chain Murders of Iran and the thousands of people the regime killed in Iran,” continues Sean. “The regime assassinated Saeed Karimian in Istanbul in 2017, he was a TV executive opposed to the Islamic Regime. The Islamic regime lives and survives by lies, murder, theft and deceit. It is only because of China, Russia and some European countries that they have survived this long. The blood of all innocent Iranians murdered by the Islamic regime is on the hands of those countries that have enabled the murders and torture of innocent people.”

The Chain Murders of Iran were a series of murders and disappearances between 1988 and 1998 of certain Iranian dissident intellectuals who had been critical of the Islamic Republic system. The murders and disappearances were carried out by Iranian government internal operatives. The victims included more than 80 writers, translators, poets, political activists, and ordinary citizens, and were killed by a variety of means such as car crashes, stabbings, shootings in staged robberies, and injections with potassium to simulate heart attacks. Dr. Nourizadeh, the most prominent Iranian journalist, wrote a book on the Chain Murders and exposed how all murders were committed under orders of members of the Islamic government. The Islamic regime spent an entire decade covering up all of these murders. Nothing has changed and it appears they are doing that even now. “The Islamic regime is certainly not one that should criticize the conduct of other countries. The world knows of their murderous conduct and soon they will pay for it,” concludes Sean.

*EXAMINER – BUSINESS INSIDER:

• Broadway theaters will be closed for at least another two months.   
• Disney+ has passed 50 million subscribers.  
• McDonald’s global same-store sales fell 22% in March.
• GM will manufacture 30,000 ventilators for the U.S. stockpile for $489 million.

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*EXAMINER – INVESTIGATES: SUGAR

• Sugar is one of the world’s oldest ingredients. The people of New Guinea were most likely the first to domesticate sugar cane around 8000 B.C.
• In the 16th century, a teaspoon of sugar cost the equivalent of five dollars in London.
• The word “sugar” originates from the Sanskrit word sharkara, which means “material in a granule form.” In Arabic, it is sakkar; Turkish is sheker; Italian is zucchero; and Yoruba speakers in Nigeria call it suga.
• The American Heart Association recommends that adult women eat no more than 24 grams, or 6 teaspoons, of added (beyond naturally occurring sugar) sugar and men no more than 36 grams, or 9 teaspoons, per day. The current average is over 30 teaspoons of sugar per day.

Kids’ sugar cravings are rooted in biology

• The only taste humans are born craving is sugar.
• The tallest sugar cube tower measured 6 feet, 10 inches and was built by Camille Courgeon of France on July 1, 2013. The tower used 2,669 cubes and was built in 2 hours and 59 minutes._]
• In 1822, the average American ate 45 grams of sugar—which is the amount in one of today’s 12 oz. sodas—every five days. In 2012, Americans consumed 765 grams of sugar every five days.
• Heinz ketchup contains 1 teaspoon of sugar in each 1 tablespoon serving.
• Worldwide, people consume 500 extra calories a day from sugar, which is roughly the amount of calories needed to gain a pound a week.
• Too much sugar can increase the overall risk for heart disease. In fact, sugar actually changes the muscle protein of the heart as well as the pumping mechanics of the heart.

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*EXAMINER – A LOOK BACK:

  A day in the life of Abraham Lincoln, pictured here in a photograph by Mathew Brady, reveals a president surrounded by criticism, much of it long forgotten.

*EXAMINER – INVESTIGATES:

  Conventionally grown apples, celery, sweet bell peppers, peaches, strawberries, imported nectarines, grapes, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, domestic blueberries, potatoes, green beans, kale, and other greens are among the fruits and vegetables with the highest levels of pesticides.

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