MyPillow founder Mike Lindell has shifted the majority of his U.S. manufacturing plants to generate 50,000 healthcare masks per day.   During his announcement at the White House Mr. Lindell shared a hope that Americans will revisit their faith and embrace God and hope during their time at home. The media went absolutely bananas.

Today Mr. Lindell explains why he told people to pray during their time in isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic.  Mike Lindell is buckets of awesome.

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As more essential service outlets start to become overwhelmed at the stress upon their food delivery operations; and with more food store employees necessarily absent due to the coronavirus spread; regionally, the food supply chain will becoming more dependent on food bank distribution.

If the virus spread continues at current pace, some regional supermarkets with multiple locations will likely begin targeted shut-downs by retreating and disbursing available healthy (non-infected) employees on a store-by-store basis.  The potential for this issue is most likely to first originate within urban communities; and then outflow.

This reality is starting to become more evident in localized communities, and a distribution center in the greater Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area gives a great example of what could become increasingly common across the nation.

Approximately 1,500 cars line up to receive essential food products from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Center.  The capacity was anticipated around 1,700 at the beginning of the three hour event. 1,500 cars were in line before it began.  [Video Story]

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An executive order [Full pdf Here] from Virginia Governor Ralph Northam requires all residents of Virginia to remain in lock-down until June 10, 2020.  Virginia is essentially shut down for three months…. But don’t forget to pay your taxes comrades.

RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today issued a statewide Stay at Home order to protect the health and safety of Virginians and mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. The executive order takes effect immediately and will remain in place until June 10, 2020, unless amended or rescinded by a further executive order.

The order directs all Virginians to stay home except in extremely limited circumstances. Individuals may leave their residence for allowable travel, including to seek medical attention, work, care for family or household members, obtain goods and services like groceries, prescriptions, and others as outlined in Executive Order Fifty-Three, and engage in outdoor activity with strict social distancing requirements.

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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin explains some of details about how the CAREs Act provides financial relief for small businesses (0 to 500 employees). Mnuchin explains how the primary part of the relief bill will support approximately 50% of those impacted.

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The Treasury Department has stood up a system inside the Small Business Administration that cuts through much of the bureaucracy. By using FDIC lenders (local banks) as the point of contact for small businesses and S-corps Treasury can backstop the process.

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National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow appears on Fox News with Maria Bartiromo to discuss the critical decisions to balance health risks for Americans with the need to keep the U.S. economy primed to reignite.

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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin appears on Fox News to discuss the latest developments in the battle against COVID-19 and how the coronavirus economic relief package will roll out. Unfortunately the always insufferable Wallace wants to waste time discussing the politics of the administration effort and not communicate important details to American businesses/individuals about what financial relief efforts are available.

Smartly Secretary Mnuchin outlines the process. The Treasury Department has stood up a system inside the Small Business Administration that cuts through much of the bureaucracy. By using FDIC lenders (local banks) as the point of contact for small businesses and S-corps Treasury can backstop the process. [SEE BELOW]

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The local business (or S-corp) takes their payroll and yearly expense documents to their local bank where they already have a relationship. As long as the bank is in the FDIC network; and because the emergency funds are distributed based on a good faith relationship; the bank gives the business or individual immediate access to funds; the bank deposits in the business account. The FDIC guarantees the lender against any risk.

If the business does not continue payroll for the employees, the funds are considered a loan that must be repaid. However, if the business retains their employees (continues to keep current payroll); or -if needed- rehires any recent lay-offs using the funds provided; then the emergency loan becomes a grant the business will not have to repay. The system should be in place by this Friday.

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The White House holds a COVID-19 task force briefing today to provide updates and take questions from the media pool at 5:00pm ET.  [Livestream Links Below]

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A month ago CTH pointed out the short-sighted approach when federal, state and local government dictates began enforcing restaurant closings.  By shutting down 50% of the total food supply output, the retail food supply chain was simply overwhelmed.

Since then some state governors recognized the issue their decisions made within the total U.S. food supply network; and subsequently modified their state rules permitting restaurants to sell their bulk food ingredients to retail consumers.  This was a smart move by some state and local officials.  Here’s one example of how it is working:

Miami – […] Unlike many restaurants, which are trying to stay afloat delivering and offering take out after governments ordered dining rooms closed to stem the spread of the coronavirus, Threefold Cafe is busier than ever.

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Oh, this is almost too much winning.  Almost…  President Trump has appointed White House Manufacturing Advisor Peter Navarro to lead all U.S. coordination of the Defense Production Act.   Just like that… presto… Navarro becomes a bazillion times more powerful than CoC President Tom Donohue.   Delicious.

WASHNGTON – President Trump announced Friday he is appointing his trade adviser Peter Navarro to serve as his national Defense Production Act policy coordinator after using the act to force General Motors to begin making ventilators to treat coronavirus patients.

“He’s a tremendous guy and he will do a fantastic job,” the president said during a press briefing with his coronavirus taskforce at the White House. He said Navarro will serve as the national Defense Production Act coordinator for the federal government. (link)

Peter Navarro has been a long-term China hawk warning about the risk of U.S. multinationals doing critical supply-chain manufacturing overseas.  Navarro, working closely with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, has been the tip of the spear in the execution of America First policy and jobs.

This appointment, and these additional responsibilities, is a recognition for his efforts.

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Earlier today President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) in the oval office.  [Video and Transcript Below]

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[Transcript] – THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you all very much. This is a very important day. I’ll sign the single-biggest economic relief package in American history and, I must say, or any other package, by the way. It’s twice as large as any relief ever signed. It’s $2.2 billion, but it actually goes up to 6.2 — potentially — billion dollars — trillion dollars. So you’re talking about 6.2 trillion-dollar bill. Nothing like that. And this will deliver urgently needed relief to our nation’s families, workers, and businesses. And that’s what this is all about.

And it got a 96 to nothing. And, I don’t know, what was the number in Congress?

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