Deflation is here, and it is a real threat to any economic recovery from the virus:
http://dailytorch.com/2020/04/deflation-is-here-and-it-is-a-real-threat-to-any-economic-recovery-from-the-virus/

The price of a barrel of oil briefly fell below zero dollars this week, demonstrating clearly what happens when there is no longer demand for a product or commodity, as tens of millions of Americans are leaving cars in their driveways and airlines are largely grounded. All around the world, it’s much the same situation as the global economy has collapsed in the wake of the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. In that environment, prices fall, and sometimes they can fall all the way to zero with a sufficient collapse of demand. In the case of oil, there’s simply nowhere left to store the oil being pumped out the ground and as it is, it will take months or longer to clear existing inventories. Overall, last month consumer prices fell by 0.4 percent led by the drop in energy prices.The collapse of demand appears destined to affect many sectors of the economy. Making matters worse, the dollar was already quite strong relative to other currencies when the pandemic-induced recession began. And, in March, the Trade Weighted U.S. Dollar Index rose to an all-time high as the world poured into U.S. treasuries in a flight to safety. This might be the biggest warning light of all. The Great Depression dragged on for as long as it did because of the failure to understand the unintended consequences of keeping the dollar exchange rate to gold too high as other economies engaged in massive competitive devaluation and retired the interwar gold standard. Today, if the Fed refuses to intervene to keep the dollar’s value stable — again, it just hit an all-time high — President Donald Trump needs to pay attention. The President could direct Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to work with the Federal Reserve Board of Governors to engineer a devaluation, using the boosted the Exchange Stabilization Fund to buy foreign exchanges and then selling them directly to the Fed. Or get the Fed to unlock its own exchange stabilization powers and conduct those operations directly. As long as the dollar keeps rising, based on past experience, unemployment could keep increasing — even after states reopen their economies. What do you think?

Mama’s in McAllen, Texas is working to stay afloat during the COVID-19 shutdown and keep its employees on staff. But in order to do so, it needs to do curbside service. This is tough and they want to re-open!

An Elsa, Texas car lot owner is grateful to be in his state. He says times have been tough, though they could be tougher. But he has worked to keep his employees working and he sees light at the end of the tunnel. He believes he is at an advantage because he is in the Lone Star State.

Go to http://stopsocializedmedicine.org and tell Congress to address surprise medical billing without price controls!

The media cares more about saving their anti-Trump narrative than all the lives he helped save from the virus:
http://dailytorch.com/2020/04/the-media-cares-more-about-saving-their-anti-trump-narrative-than-all-the-lives-he-helped-save-from-the-virus/

When the national lockdown began about a month ago, with the federal, state and local governments, the military, the private sector and the American people all combining resources to win the war on the Chinese coronavirus, the predictions could not have been more dire. If nothing was done, more than 2 million Americans, mostly elderly, would die. Without testing, the pandemic would quickly spread beyond control. There were no effective treatments. We would soon run out of hospital beds and ventilators. Instead, thanks to the effective leadership of President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and the task force, timely action by state governors to close schools and non-essential businesses, private sector mobilization on testing, new treatments and war-time production of needed medical equipment including ventilators, and military coordination to bring in Navy hospital ships, medical supplies and additional medical personnel on the ground locally where the virus was surging, none of that has happened. But can the media admit President Trump did a good job?

President Trump and coronavirus taskforce unveil federal strategy to reopen America community by community, state by state:
http://dailytorch.com/2020/04/president-trump-and-coronavirus-taskforce-unveil-federal-strategy-to-reopen-america-community-by-community-state-by-state/

President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and the White House coronavirus task force have unveiled the administration’s strategy and recommendations for reopening America in three phases, community by community and state by state at a time of their choosing so that America’s way of life and economy can get back to normal as soon as possible.Hundreds of thousands of lives have already been saved and with thousands of ventilators and other medical supplies in high-scale production, the supply mercifully kept up with the demand, and we are past peak hospital usage. The surge that was feared is now in the past. The President’s mitigation strategy has worked and he, his team, all 50 states and the American people have combined their efforts and have appeared to defeat the model’s most dire projections and even the more modest ones.Now, with the recommendations being issued to every state, a gradual layered approach will be implemented, based on local situations, to reopen America piece by piece. “We are not opening all at once, but one careful step at a time,” President Trump said. It truly is a case study in federalism, with national leadership, guidance and resources, and state and local execution and implementation over the next couple of months or so, with decision-making remaining where it should with state governors. Are you ready to get back to work?

A registered nurse explains how hospital facilities are treating coronavirus. She says there are some good signs during these dark times.