"Someone who is 'Machiavellian' today is thought to be sneaky, cunning and lacking a moral code. So, meet the Democrats in the House of Representatives who'd probably make Machiavelli their leader if he were still around. ...

"Of course, what the House really wants in the bailout bill is a provision that Donald Trump won't be President for another four years. But Pelosi can't have that because -- well -- we live in a democracy where that decision is left to the voters.

"The U.S. economy is in trouble. The Federal Reserve has done what it can and it's not enough.

"Now it's up to the elected officials to step in. The Senate has done its job, although it could have moved faster. The White House stands ready to do what it has to do.

"It'll be seen on Thursday whether the House is still diddling around and whether Pelosi can place the needs of the country ahead of 15th century thinking about putting one over on the other political party. Dragging their feet would be political suicide for the Democrats, but people often do stupid things without thinking that they later regret.

"So, let John Crudele be quoted forever as saying this to the Democrats: 'Don't miss this opportunity to fix things because you want to create a bigger crisis. Get off your butts and, at least for once, do the right thing.'"

"Sacrifice? commitment?

"Americans of the 21st century have no idea of the sacrices made during World War II. Today's Americans think sacrifice is when Starbucks runs out of cinnamon for their latte mochas.

"No doubt the coronavirus is real and scary. And there is talk in the air of World War II-style commitment, but staying home and binge-watching 'The Simpsons' is not quite the sacrice that their parents and grandparents made some 80 years ago. A lot more was involved.

"After Dec. 7, 1941, America went on a full war footing and not just the government. 'Don't you know there's a war on?' was a common exhortation to remind people about going without in that time of national crisis.

"Americans went without gas and oil, or had it rationed. Milk was rationed. Meat was rationed. Sugar was rationed. Coffee was rationed. In fact, nearly all foodstuffs were rationed. So was clothing, including diapers.

"So were lightbulbs. So was practically everything else. Civilians were kicked off trains and planes to make way for American servicemen. No one complained.

"Meanwhile, Americans collected rubber, aluminum, paper, cooking grease and old stockings and they did so joyously too, for the war effort. Wine and beer were rationed, too, as was hard liquor. Wages were frozen for the most part and unions could not go on strike. With one corporation, President Roosevelt's men did not like the CEO, so they promptly had him removed from the management of his own company.

"Nobody raised an eyebrow. ...

"America truly was united in World War II because we had a common enemy and a common goal, but we were an uncommon country inhabited by uncommon people."

Read entire article here.

"Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are close to reaching a deal on a $2 trillion coronavirus aid package, both said.

"'We look forward to having a deal tomorrow,' Mnuchin told reporters outside Schumer's (D-NY) office late Monday night.

"'That's the expectation -- that we finish it tomorrow and hopefully vote on it tomorrow evening,' Schumer added.

"Mnuchin and Schumer said they spoke by phone with President Trump throughout the night of negotiations and that they had resolved most issues in the legislation."

"Senate Democrats Sunday blocked a critical economic relief package worth more than $2 trillion, stalling plans to pass the bill by Monday and send it to the House.

"Lawmakers and the Trump administration hoped to send a positive message to unstable stock markets and to those worried about the damage to the economy and the job losses caused by the spread of the virus.

"The measure includes sending direct cash payments that would average about $3,000 per family and expanding unemployment insurance, as well as $350 billion in aid to struggling small businesses. It also provides $500 billion in loans to industries hurt by the economic slowdown. ...

"McConnell, visibly angry on the Senate floor, entered a motion to reconsider the measure and said he'd bring it up again for a vote by Monday.

"'We'll have this...vote again at some point of my choosing and hopefully some adults will show up on the other side of the room and understand the gravity of the situation and the need to act before the markets go down further and the American people become even more depressed about our lack of ability to come together under the most extraordinary of circumstances,' he said.

"The Senate bill is the product of a day of bipartisan talks and includes many of the provisions sought by Democrats."

Read entire article here.

"Saying lawmakers 'need to take bold and swift action as soon as possible,' Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday introduced legislation to provide as much as $1,200 per person and $2,400 per couple in the U.S. amid the coronavirus outbreak and skyrocketing jobless claims.

"The draft legislation, obtained by Fox News, would provide minimum payments of $600, and aid would be phased down at adjusted gross income thresholds of $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 per couple. Additionally, there would be $500 payments for each child.

"The rebate amount is slated to then be reduced by $5 for each $100 a taxpayer's income exceeds the legislation's threshold. The amount is therefore reduced to zero for single taxpayers with incomes exceeding $99,000 and $198,000 for joint filers. ...

"Qualifying income includes earned income, as well as Social Security retirement benefits and certain compensation and pension benefits paid to veterans. This approach 'ensures relief gets to low-income seniors and disabled veterans' as well, top Republicans said in their summary of the legislation.

"And, similar to previous disaster-related relief provisions, the bill would 'waive the 10-percent early withdrawal penalty for distributions up to $100,000 from qualified retirement accounts for coronavirus-related purposes.'

"McConnell's proposal aligns with the Trump administration's push to swiftly send checks to U.S. citizens."

Read entire article here.

"This week, President Donald Trump came under fire for his use of the phrase 'Chinese virus' to describe the coronavirus, the source of the new pandemic that has led to a global economic shutdown as well as lockdowns of citizens in every major Western country.

"That media have somehow found time to hone in on the one issue that matters least -- the labeling of a Chinese virus as such -- in the middle of an unprecedented planet-wide freeze demonstrates the utter unseriousness of those objecting.

"That the term should be controversial at all is nearly beyond belief. The virus did indeed originate in China. Most of all, that the Chinese government should be shielded in any way from the results of its own pathological and tyrannical misgovernment is perverse beyond measure.

"Make no mistake: The Chinese government is chiefly responsible for the explosion of this pandemic. ...

"Once this is all over, it's far past time for Americans to have a serious discussion about the extent to which openness to China ought to be curbed."

Read entire article here.

"Taxpayers will get a three-month reprieve to pay the income taxes they owe for 2019, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Tuesday at a news conference.

"As part of its coronavirus response, the federal government will give filers 90 days to pay income taxes due on up to $1 million in tax owed, Mnuchin said in Washington. The reprieve on that amount would cover many pass-through entities and small businesses, he said.

"Corporate filers would get the same length of time to pay amounts due on up to $10 million in taxes owed, Mnuchin said.

"During that three-month deferral period, taxpayers won't be subject to interest and penalties, he said.

"You should still get your 2019 income tax return in to the federal government as soon as possible, especially if you're due a refund and need cash."

"American biotech firms began racing to develop coronavirus treatments almost as soon as the first case was reported in December. Massachusetts-based Moderna Inc. has already sent its experimental vaccine to government researchers for human trials. If testing begins on schedule, it would mark a record three-month turnaround from design to human trials.

"Inovio Pharmaceuticals is working on a vaccine that could start human testing around the same time. California-based Gilead Sciences is investigating whether its antiviral drug 'Remdesivir' -- previously developed to treat Ebola -- is effective against coronavirus.

"Meanwhile, Johnson and Johnson is teaming up with the federal Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to respond to the pandemic. Through an existing partnership, the company and BARDA will look into whether existing therapeutics could treat or alleviate the severity of coronavirus infections. ...

"The American biotech industry's response to the coronavirus pandemic would look a lot different if the United States implemented price controls on innovative therapies. Firms wouldn't have much incentive to develop treatments, knowing the government would eventually seize the fruits of their research at bargain-basement prices."

Read entire article here.

"We've been through difficult and scary times before, like 9/11 and the Great Recession, but we've never faced anything quite like this. Not even terrorist attacks or a severe economic downturn forced us to close schools for weeks or months at a time, effectively end spring-semester classes at colleges and universities, make millions of Americans work from home, suspend sports seasons, and quarantine millions of Americans in their homes. In past crises, we at least had the option of dealing with the fear by coming together: at Masses in churches and gatherings in synagogues, in public ceremonies and events, in bars and restaurants. One of the better ways to cope with a scary situation is to know you're not alone, that lots of other people are in the same circumstance, and to be around them. Chinese coronavirus has taken even that from us. Now interacting with people has turned into something potentially dangerous. ...

"The coronavirus is here, and it has sentenced most of us to anywhere from a few weeks to several months of a situation we'd much prefer to avoid. No classes, no hanging around with coworkers, no PTA meetings, no Little League or youth soccer, no going out with buddies to the ball game or concert, never or rarely going to the movies. Visits to Grandma and Grandpa's house are becoming calculated risks. Few of us will be experiencing the joys and inconveniences of air travel. No family reunions, no in-person conferences ... Perhaps we'll once again go to the beach as summer approaches, but maybe we'll still be keeping our distance.

"By the time we get through all of this, we will have started to miss all of that social contact, warts and all. If things take a turn for the better, in a few months, we'll all feel that we've had a sufficient encounter with 'the full extent of darkness,' and we'll be left appreciating the simple bliss of coffee and pie with our loved ones."

"Coronavirus is nothing to sneeze at. But so far, widespread panic may not be justified.

"You should know:

• Almost all of the reported coronavirus deaths in the U.S. happened in long-term care facilities in Washington State. And almost all of those occurred at the same facility.

• Most people who get coronavirus have mild or no symptoms.

• No young or middle-age people have died of coronavirus in the U.S.A.

• Most around the world diagnosed from January-March 1 have already recovered. ...

"Some current death rates that sound high are being calculated in a particular age group. The rate will be highest among the elderly and, in the U.S., there have been zero deaths among people age 50 and under. Some death rates are being calculated as deaths among the sickest patients, those are diagnosed and treated, which will produce a much higher number than a more accurate death rate that takes into consideration those patients who are infected but do not become ill at all."

Read entire article here.