World News – The USA Realist

NO HOLDS BARRED IMPEACHMENT- MANIA 2020 LIVE!

Interested in the impeachment trial of Donald John Trump?

I’m not.

Too many people who are enthusiastic about political parties are like football fans. Our team must win over all else. Us vs. Them. How many people who support the president, or oppose him, do so with an open mind? I don’t know the answer to this, but I believe that the answer is not too many.

Looking at both sides of the political spectrum (yes, a two-sided spectrum) and you will find the exact same type of mentality. It is rare to find politicians who are willing to find neutral ground and support both Democrats and Republicans. Why? They need to win elections, and, appealing to extreme views tends to motivate people to vote.

No one is perfect and no President will ever satisfy everyone. We all have to accept that whoever is in the oval office will be faced with opposition to policy decisions.

The scary thing that everyone is witnessing today is the volume of politicians who are willing to do an about face on their own core beliefs and blindly support the President. Party over values (also true in the democratic party). There are many intelligent men and women who know deep in their hearts that some shady business is being done in the White House. So has been true throughout history. What makes this President different is that he has no shame, and blatantly disrespects the office of the presidency, behaving in a very unpresidential manner. Here’s the catch, that’s what got him elected in the first place. Now all the senators and representatives need to support this unhinged behavior so they don’t lose support in their local elections. Lindsey Graham is the poster boy for saying what is necessary to stay in his office and keep the base aligned.

Enough already. Whatever pretense the impeachment of President Trump was crafted under is not important at this stage in the game. Let’s all sit back and take a deep breath and don’t worry about it. We already know the outcome. Nothing will change. This is the same reason Nancy Pelosi didn’t want to start the impeachment process in the first place. She wanted to let time run it’s course and wait until the next election. Also, history shows that impeachments have strengthened the opposing party. This whole process may end up helping the President’s chances of re-election.

So, for now, just take a deep breath and relax. It really isn’t a big deal. There are more important things in life to worry about, like work, family, and health. All we can do is hope that our elected senators can follow policy and law and vote based on the facts.

If you really want to watch this repetitive snooze-fest, check out the live stream:

Basketball Legend Kobe Bryant Killed in Helicopter Crash

World News

Legendary basketball star, Kobe Bryant, 41, was killed in a helicopter crash along with his daughter, Gianna, 13, early Sunday, January 26, 2020. The helicopter was reported to be traveling in foggy conditions in the Calabasas region of northern LA county. The LA Times is reporting three other people were on board the Sikorsky S-76B when it went down in a fireball at around 10am.

According to the report in the LA Times, eyewitnesses reported some issues with the aircraft shortly before it went down.

Jerry Kocharian was standing outside the Church in the Canyon drinking coffee when he heard a helicopter unusually low struggling overhead. “It [didn’t] sound right and it was real low. I saw it falling and spluttering. But it was hard to make out as it was so foggy,” Kocharian said. The helicopter vanished into a cloud of fog and then there was a boom.

This devistating news is sending shocks throughout the sports community. Kobe was know as one of the greats of the game and will be sadly missed by many.

There is conflicting reporting at the moment regarding the total number killed in the crash. It is believed to be 5 people, but that total may not include pilots or crew members. Some news sources have reported the number of deceased to be 9. We will be updating the story as more information is available.

UPDATE: 9 people were killed in the crash.

Coronavirus Infections Spike in Recent Days

Health, World News

There is growing concern that the new form of coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, is more dangerous than previously believed. Initial reporting indicated that there was little concern of a pandemic. Health officials in China, Japan, Korea, and the USA all indicated the potential for wide-spread infection to low, however, new reporting is showing more cause for alarm. The Washington Post reported a massive quarantine in China meant to help contain the dangerous virus.

The number of reported cases keep growing every day. So far, the virus has spread from Wuhan City, Hubei province, to Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, South Korea, France, Australia, Japan, Nepal, the United States, and Taiwan. The first accounts of the coronavirus were not very alarming, leading many to believe that containment would not be much of an issue. However in recent days, that sentiment has changed. When news of the new virus broke, the number of infected was very low. Now, there are almost 2000 confirmed cases in China and the death toll has jumped to 56.

A recent article from The New York Times highlighted the concern for this virus to spread more ferociously than the SARS outbreak in the early 2000’s.

The director of China’s National Health and Health Commission, said on Sunday that the new coronavirus’s incubation period was about 10 to 14 days. And that period in which a virus is contagious is different from the SARS outbreak, said the director, Ma Xiaowei.
The rate of the current epidemic is accelerating, he said, and is “likely to continue for some time.”

The pressure is on to contain the outbreak with China building a new field hospital in Wuhan designed to treat patients suspected of contracting 2019-nCoV. Also, Chinese President Xi Jinping was warning residents to be prepared for the virus spreading rapidly. This high-level announcement stoked the fear in the already jittery nation. It was reported in an article from The Washing Post that there is now an effort to quarantine in China.

“More than 50 million people were ordered on lockdown in central China with a travel ban covering 16 cities in the central Hubei Province, where the virus was first encountered.”

The Washington Post has a useful tool to track and map the spread of the virus. It can be found here.

Here is the latest map from that site:

Even with the alarming news of the rapidly growing number of cases. The World Health Organization has yet to declare a global emergency. Despite the lack of an officially declared emergency, there is great cooperation in the international community to contain the coronavirus.

There are still contrasting views on the dangers of a pandemic. In China, where the death rate of those infected is about 4% and ‘severe’ infections are about 25%, officials are concerned. Another report on the outbreak from Yahoo News highlights the Chinese response.

After more countries reported cases, Xi said at a Communist Party leadership meeting on the disease that China was “faced with the grave situation of an accelerating spread of the new coronavirus” but that the country will “definitely be able to win the battle,” according to state media.

In the United States, where only 3 cases have been reported, most recently in Orange County, California, there seems to be much less worry. Efforts at some airports have been stepped up to monitor passengers coming from affected areas. Reporting from the local newspaper, The Orange County Register, highlights the response from the Orange County Health Care Agency and the CDC.

The Orange County agency said it, in consultation with the CDC and the state Department of Public Health, is following up with all people who have had close contact with the patient.
It said:
–The HCA will monitor any close contacts and assure that proper evaluation and care is provided if they become ill.
–The CDC’s guidance indicates that people who have casual contact with a case (such as in the same grocery store or movie theater) are at minimal risk of developing infection.
–There is no evidence that person-to-person transmission has occurred in Orange County.
“The current risk of local transmission remains low,” the agency said in a statement.Information about the coronavirus is on the OC agency’s website here.

Continued containment efforts will remain difficult as the incubation period for 2019-nCoV is about 2 weeks, where the virus can be spread while those infected remain asymptomatic. Efforts for containment in China are commendable. We will continue to follow this story and watch for updated information relating to infection rates and follow-up meetings from the WHO.

Another Virus Update…More Infections Reported

Health, World News

Does anyone remember SARS? It was a big deal way back in aught two (2002, that is). SARS infections claimed almost 800 lives. 2019-nCoV and SARS are both forms of coronavirus that can affect the respiratory system and lead to pneumonia. This is more of a concern in those with compromised immune systems, young children, and the elderly. So far, reporting on the new virus was surrounded with caution, yet it remained optimistic. In the previous articles about the new virus posted on USArealist.com, it was noted that health officials from China, Japan, the USA, and the WHO all expressed the same sentiment that transmission of the disease was unlikely to be spread from human contact.

This initial assessment was based upon the belief that the virus originated in China and was specifically related to contact with animals at a local market in Wuhan City. As stated in the original article on USArealist.com, one of the biggest threats to containment is the globalized society in which we live.

Infections are spreading and so far about 300 people have tested positive for 2019-nCoV that resulted in 6 reported deaths in China. Health officials globally are appearing to be proactive in their response to the updated data that shows a spike in infections being reported across the globe. Numerous airports are stepping up efforts to contain the spread of the virus through enhanced health screening. So Far, cases have been identified in China, Japan, Thailand, and South Korea.

A recent article from the Associated Press indicated the risk associated with treating the virus as health worker infections are growing.

“ “Fifteen medical workers have also tested positive for the virus, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said.

Two cases in Guangdong were people who had not visited Wuhan but fell ill after family members returned from there. Zhong cited those as evidence the disease had spread between humans.”

Zhong Nanshan is a health expert from China.

Although the new virus can cause alarm, there should be an overwhelming sense of relief that governments are sharing data and stepping up screening to try and contain the outbreak. The response to 2019-nCoV is quicker and more coordinated than the response to SARS. Also, although there have been some fatalities, the symptoms of infection seem to be milder than other coronaviruses lessening the potential for a mass-casualty event.

2019-nCoV Virus Update

Health, World News

Update….Another Coronavirus Infection Detected Outside of China

Another person has been affected by the new coronavirus, this time in Japan. It was reported in The Japan Times that the infected man in his 30s was a Chinese national who recently returned from a trip to Wuhan City. Health officials do not seem alarmed as he was treated and released from the hospital with mild symptoms.

At the airports in Tokyo, passengers have to pass through a screening that uses thermal cameras to detect passengers who have fevers. The man who was infected with 2019-nCoV (2019 novel coronavirus) passed this screening and was hospitalized 4 days later on January 10^th. He spent 5 days in the hospital and was released.

Although the idea of a new virus spreading around seems alarming, at this stage there seems to be minimal risk of a widespread event. Even though coronaviruses are typically spread through human-to-human contact, the rate at which this happens with 2019-nCoV appears to be minimal.

As reported in the recent article in The Japan Times:

“Satoshi Kutsuna, an expert at the Disease Control and Prevention Center under the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, said in a web article that people don’t need to be excessively worried about the virus.

Although the infection case between the couple suggests the possibility of human-to-human transmission, examinations on nearly 1,000 people who came in contact with the infected patients have shown they were not infected.

This indicates that “it’s unlikely that it will spread widely around the globe,” Kutsuna wrote.”

There seems to be no need for alarm…for now.

Iranian Attack on US Airbase

Military, World News

Don’t you just love Twitter where the American public can get real-time statements from the President that are quite entertaining and sometimes shocking? Take this Tweet, for example:

All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2020

All is well, American public! So far, so good! Except that it wasn’t and isn’t. According to a recent report in The Wall Street Journal, 11 service members were affected by the Iranian strike on the base.

“While no U.S. service members were killed in the Jan. 8 Iranian attack on Al Asad Air Base, several were treated for concussion symptoms from the blast and are still being assessed,” according to Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla. “As a standard procedure, all personnel in the vicinity of a blast are screened for traumatic brain injury, and if deemed appropriate, are transported to a higher level of care.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/american-troops-were-injured-in-jan-8-iran-missile-attack-11579240704

The affected service members were taken to facilities outside of Iraq to determine the severity of their injuries.

The initial response from the President delivered to the American public indicated that everything was OK. While there were no casualties, as the President boasted, the possibility of brain injuries was not even hinted at. It does not appear that the President’s statements were intentionally misleading, however, caution should be exercised when using definitive statements that might not be 100% accurate.

It should be noted that the flow of information regarding injuries related to the Al Asad Air Base attack would not be immediate and the tweet did state that an assessment was taking place. The service men and women who were treated had varying levels of injuries and many were seen days later as a precautionary measure to mitigate the risk of brain injury due to concussion. Although the President enjoys a victory lap like everyone else, and was quick to reassure the public that everything was fine, his use of more neutral language would have been advisable.

So what’s going on with Iran? The American public is not itching to get into another war since we are still trudging along with other conflicts in the Middle East. But, a foreign government attacked a US military base and Reuters reported that an Iranian MP issued a bounty for the murder of the President. Surely, a response beyond sanctions is warranted.

New Virus Has Health Officials on Alert

Health, World News

Mystery Virus

The idea of a new virus is causing alarm at some international airports. The recent discovery of an unknown form of coronavirus has health officials across the globe on high alert. The virus, known as “2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV as listed on the GenBank sequence database), was detected in Wuhan city, Central-Eastern China. There have been 41 confirmed cases among Chinese nationals, one of which was detected at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok, Thailand. The virus is not a mystery any longer as Chinese scientists have sequenced and shared the genome data of 2019-nCoV.

According to a recent article in the Bangkok Post, health officials are working on containment by stepping up monitoring of travelers from Wuhan City.

“The Public Health Ministry has increased its monitoring at four airports that have daily flights from Wuhan – Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueng, Chiang Mai and Phuket – and any airports that receive charter flights from the city.”

Sophon Iamsirithaworn, the Director of the Thai Disease Control Department, indicated that there are approximately 1,200 arrivals from Wuhan, with a slight increase during the Luna New Year holiday.

With any disease outbreak, one of the biggest concerns is undiagnosed infections that could lead to a pandemic. This is especially true with previously unknown viruses. Althought 2019-nCoV is classified as a coronavirus, typically spread through human-to-human contact, a CDC report referencing Chinese officials indicated that the transmission of this virus may have been related to exposure to an animal and seafood market.

“Chinese health authorities report that to date in this outbreak, most infections with 2019-nCoV have had some exposure to one large seafood and animal market. They report no confirmed person-to-person spread of this virus. Authorities also report that several hundred contacts, including health care workers caring for outbreak patients, are being monitored and no additional illnesses have been detected.”

adding…

“There is much more to learn about the transmissibility, severity, and other features associated with 2019-nCoV, and investigations are ongoing. Based on current information, however, the risk from 2019-nCoV to the American public is deemed to be low at this time. Nevertheless, CDC is taking proactive preparedness precautions.”

While the reported infections of this new virus are relatively low, and located in Mainland China, there is a significant risk of the virus spreading globally. Chinese tourism has been expanding over the past decade. The Bangkok Post article shared a staggering statistic on Chinese tourism numbers:

“The president of the Tourism Council of Thailand told Reuters on Wednesday that about 800,000 visitors from China were expected to visit the country over the Lunar New Year holiday later this month.”

Chinese tourists have been exploding over the past decade, however, there has been a slowdown in growth in recent years. In the United States alone, approximately 3 million Chinese tourists arrived in 2018. Overall, approximately 150 million Chinese tourists took trips abroad in 2018 with continued growth expected.

Health officials worldwide are grateful for the prompt sharing of information about the new virus. However, containing any outbreak is difficult as we live in increasingly globalized society. Undiagnosed infection, substandard sterilization of aircraft, and lack of universal screening at airports are obstacles that can exacerbate the spread of the disease.