All posts by Alec Baldwin

U.S. Government Seeks to Use Smartphone Data to Monitor Social Distancing Compliance

The U.S. government  are reportedly considering ordering tech companies to hand over data to monitor if people are complying with social distancing guidelines during the Coronavirus pandemic.

According the NBC

Federal health officials say they could use anonymous, aggregated user data collected by the tech companies to map the spread of the virus — a practice known as “syndromic surveillance” — and prevent further infections. They could also use the data to see whether people were practicing “social distancing.”

Some sources stressed that the effort would be anonymized and that government would not have access to specific individuals’ locations. They noted that users would be required to opt-in to the effort.

The federal effort, first reported by The Washington Post, will force the tech giants to weigh their commitments to user privacy against their desire to help combat a disease that has cost thousands of human lives and upended the global economy.

Google confirmed that it is looking at how anonymous aggregated user data could be used in the fight against Covid-19. Saying they are,  “exploring ways that aggregated anonymized location information could help in the fight against COVID-19. One example could be helping health authorities determine the impact of social distancing, similar to the way we show popular restaurant times and traffic patterns in Google Maps.”

Read More: Breitbart

Cannes Film Festival to be Postponed

The most prodigious of the film festivals- Cannes- is to be postponed this year. Organisers have said that until the Coronavirus is under control in France will the make a decision.

“Several hypotheses are being studied to preserve the festival, the main one of which would be a simple postponement,” the festival said in a statement. “As soon as the development of the French and international health situation will allow us to assess the real possibility, we will make our decision known.”

Already South by Southwest and the Tribeca Film Festivals have been cancelled. But the industry hopes that Cannes will survive as it is closer to summer.

Read More: Breitbart

China Looking to Avoid Blame for Covid-19 Pandemic

There is clearly documented evidence that China sought to cover up the Coronavirus outbreak in it’s early days. Failing to contain the outbreak and even arresting the whistleblowers who sought to alert the world.

Some democrats where appalled when the President referred to the virus as the “China Virus” or “Wuhan virus”. Naming the Coronavirus Covid-19 the WHO has taken the spotlight off China, something Beijing is keen to see.

Despite Beijing’s failure to act, many in the West say blaming China is racism. However, not only did China fail to act, they actively censored information, and then spread misinformation by trying to blame the U.S. military for the outbreak.

After this pandemic has been brought under control and economies rebuild. Other nations need to address how they will conduct business with Beijing.

Read More: The Atlantic

Fox Business Host Trish Regan on “Hiatus” After Controversial Comments About Coronavirus and Trump

Trump supporter and Fox Business host Trish Regan is on “hiatus” after she made controversial comments on her show.  On her show she said: “We’ve reached a tipping point. The chorus of hate being leveled at the president is nearing a crescendo as Democrats blame him, and only him, for a virus that originated halfway around the world. This is yet another attempt to impeach the president,” she said Monday, adding that Democrats and the “liberal media” were using the coronavirus to “destroy the president.”

The left quickly jumped on her remarks demanding she be fired. Her show Trish Regan Primetime and another, Kennedy, were the put on hold for the time being.

However Fox were quick to say this is due to them restructuring programming to manage staffing demands at this time. In a tweet Regan responded

I want to let everyone know that Trish Regan Primetime is now on hiatus. FBN has taken prudent steps to limit staffing levels and is prioritizing its coverage during market hours. I fully support this decision — we all must to do our part to keep our colleagues safe. #TrishRegan

— Trish Regan (@trish_regan) March 14, 2020

Read More: The Hill

 

President Trump Announces Travel Ban from Europe

The President has announced a thirty day travel ban between the US and Europe. The ban will affect the Schengen area. This covers the countries in Europe which allow free movement of people within the EU, and includes Italy, France and Germany. Italy has particularly struggled to contain the virus, and has today ordered all shops apart from pharmacies and supermarkets to remain closed. The UK and Ireland will not be included in the travel ban.

EU leaders reacted angrily to the ban. However, the President said that the ban could be shortened or lengthened depending on how the outbreaks continues.

Read More: Sky News

Joel Osteen’s Megachurch to Close it Doors for Sunday Services

Joel Ostend’s megachurch in Houston Texas will cancel in person services in response to Coronavirus. Ostend’s church averages 52,000 attendees on a Sunday. The church will go digital this Sunday as churches across the country respond to COVID-19.

“While we apologize for any inconvenience this causes to our members and visitors, we feel that this move is necessary to ensure the well being of all of the citizens of this great city, especially the most vulnerable among us,” the church said.

Read More: Fox News

Californians Say No to Higher Taxes and Debt.

California pays some the highest taxes on pay and gas in the country.   And there are signs voters have had enough.

Voters defeated on Tuesday the largest borrowing proposal in the history of California schools — $15 billion for repairs. And it has led to questions if the state is on the cusp of a 1970s style tax revolt.

It has been a generation since a school bond failed. Voters also rejected more than half of the 237 local tax and bond measures on that ballot.

“There is a sense that California isn’t working,” Claremont McKenna College political scientist Jack Pitney said. When a fresh request came from Sacramento for billions in new debt, voters said: “We’ve been taxed enough.”

Soaring taxes are not the only thing angering residents. The high cost of housing, a costly high-speed rail project and the homelessness crisis in the state’s major cities are also contributing to voter unease.

Others are asking why voters are being asked to pay more taxes at a time when the economy has been strong and the state is rolling up a multibillion-dollar budget surpluses?

Read More: USNews