Brisbane homeowner shoots, kills man inside his home’

BRISBANE CA— A resident shot and killed a man inside his home in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Brisbane in what authorities initially said was a home invasion.

Officers were called Monday around 4:20 p.m. to a home in a quiet neighborhood, where they found a man dead from gunshot wounds inside the house, Brisbane police spokeswoman Michelle Moneda.

Moneda said Tuesday that the incident no longer appears to have stemmed from a home invasion or robbery, though she could not provide more information about what happened. Detectives were still trying to determine what happened and whether the shooter and the man who died were related, she said.

The resident was cooperating with police and was not in custody on Tuesday, Moneda said.

Neither of the men’s names have been released

One teen shot by neighbors, another crashes into tree during police chase after alleged crime spree

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – One teen was shot and another crashed into a tree while running from police following a string of attempted armed robberies and burglaries Tuesday morning, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.

The series of events began around 4:35 a.m. on Otter Creek Drive when a man spotted two people breaking into his wife’s vehicle. The man confronted the would-be thieves who then pulled out a gun and began to drive away in a white Toyota Camry. But before leaving, police say, the duo circled back around and fired multiple shots at the man.

The victim was not struck, but his vehicle was.

Less than a half hour later, around 4:50 p.m., police say the duo – still driving the Camry – pulled up behind another car on Clems Branch Drive. One of the teens then got out of the Camry, put on a mask and pointed a gun at the driver of the second vehicle. That driver was armed, however, and fired at the masked teen who then ran from the scene.

Just a few minutes after that, around 4:56 a.m., police spotted a stolen white Camry that matched the description of the one used in the two recent crimes. The driver refused to stop and a pursuit ensued before the teen driving the Camry struck a tree on Bevington Place.

Police say the driver, a teenager and a convicted felon, was taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

Some time later, at 6:30 a.m., police were still trying to find the second suspect whey they got a call about a shooting on Myers Mill Lane in Ballantyne. When they arrived, they found a 17-year-old who had been shot being held down by good Samaritans.

Climate Hypocrite: Bernie Leads 2020 Field in Private Jet Spending

The Bernie Sanders campaign spent just under $1.2 million on private jet travel last quarter, outpacing the entire 2020 Democratic presidential primary field.

The most recent filing from Sanders reveals $1,199,579 in spending during the final three months of 2019 to Apollo Jets, LLC, a “luxury private jet charter service.”

The campaign spent an additional $23,941 for transportation to Virginia-based Advanced Aviation Team.

The candidate who comes closest to matching Sanders in private jet spending was former vice president Joe Biden, whose campaign spent $1,040,698 to Advanced Aviation Team last quarter.

Gun Mania: A New Perspective – What We Must Do to Reduce Shootings, Homicides and Suicides in America

My strategy is that what gun a person owns is immaterial. People should be able to possess whatever gun they can afford. It’s what they do with the gun that they should be held accountable for. I think I’m going to buy this one and do a review of it.

Gun Mania: A New Perspective – What We Must Do to Reduce Shootings, Homicides and Suicides in America is now available in print and e-book formats. In it, Bruce D. Thatcher examines the historical reasons why guns are a core element of America’s culture, why guns are not significant in the cultures of other developed nations, and policy implications for reduction of gun-related and other homicides and suicides in America.

When confronted with gun-related deaths, many want guns to be the problem. They’re easy to see.  Dealing with them should be simple and fast; just pass new laws to keep guns away from people who shouldn’t have them … or from everyone. However, this approach hasn’t, doesn’t and won’t work in America.

Thatcher says, “How can we reduce death and injury caused by guns?” is the wrong question. A much better question is “how can we reduce the overall rates of suicide and violent crime?”
Gun Mania brings that question to the forefront by looking at the history of America and four other nations to identify why guns are a core element of only the American culture, and implications for reducing our rate of violent deaths.
The United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand were all settled and developed, initially, by migrants from the United Kingdom.
But key differences in the development circumstances led to guns becoming a core cultural element only in America.
Because guns are not significant in the cultures of these other countries, they have been able to implement substantial gun control. Because guns are a core element of the American culture, the sorts of gun measures that have been accepted in the other four countries generally will not work in America.
When confronted with the problem of gun deaths, many want guns to be the problem.
They’re easy to see. Dealing with them should be simple and fast; just pass new laws to keep guns away from people who shouldn’t have them, or from everyone.
However, this approach hasn’t, doesn’t and won’t work in America. A different strategy has far more potential for saving lives.

FROM THE EDITOR: Can someone explain the gun control endgame?

End game? They want to disarm the population, because they want you dead.

With another legislative session in Olympia, there is another slate of gun control bills that have conservative Facebook whipped up in a frenzy. For the umpteenth year, gun control is among the top issues when it comes to politics and that probably will never change.

We hear the same tired stats that have been thrown out and modeled for everyone’s argument. While I do like to look at some sort of basis when it comes to political topics, it almost appears facts really don’t matter anymore because you can cherry pick basically any subset of data to support your view.

A quick glance at cable news and you might think we have a huge gun violence problem since it is always being talked about. However the top killers in the U.S. for 2019 is:

647,457 dead from heart disease
599,108 from cancer
169,936 from accidents.
160,201 from chronic lower respiratory diseases
146,383 from strokes
121,404 from Alzheimer’s disease
83,563 from Diabetes
55, 673 from influenza and pneumonia

But how often do people draw opposing lines in the diabetes debate, or talk about the accident lobby? When did cable news do a wall-to-wall special report on heart disease?

Some of these causes of death due to poor life choices and poor diets. “Eat healthier” isn’t going to transition into a viable bill on Capitol Hill. Our healthcare system is hopelessly tangled, and while cancer treatment keeps getting better, we don’t have a cure. No amount of legislation is going to stop cancer. We usually don’t even think about the flu or pneumonia but they are actually big killers

When it comes to violence, there are some weird things to consider. You have definitions and terms thrown out there that aren’t clearly defined. There is no accepted definition of “mass shooting,” for example.

While the 30K+ people died in shootings is thrown around a lot in the media, the breakdown of these stats paint a slightly different picture.

In 2016, nearly 23K of these deaths were from suicides, 14K came from homicides and just 71 of them came from mass shootings.

But again this breakdown is really never presented to us by the media or politicians when discussing gun control bills. There was a recent story saying 2019 had the most number of mass shootings on record resulting in the death of 211 people combined.

It’s tragic. It’s sad to see. I’m not condoning gun violence or shrugging it. But when things get put into perspective, blunt objects kill more people a year than guns, with 443 people killed. There were 1,515 people who died in a year from knives or cutting objects. There were 672 deaths from fists, feet and other personal weapons according to the FBI. The maligned firearm – the rifle – was around 400 people.

To me, it begs the question, what good will gun control laws do if it “may” prevent 400 deaths? That doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the 30K+ deaths a year. The handgun is the biggest perpetrator of shootings and a large majority of these are people taking their own lives – which is a completely different topic to unpack. While firearms make it easier, people have many other methods that could be used to take their own lives as well.

The reality and numbers smack into what is coming from bills in Olympia and how the argument is framed. Heck the recent rally of thousands of gun rights activists in Virginia was called a “White Nationalists gathering” and the rally was portrayed as something that could erupt in violence at any point. You know what happened? Nothing. People just showed that they want to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.

I was asked “wouldn’t you feel uncomfortable if you were among that group?”

No. No one is going to mess with an armed group of people. Gun owners to me are the people who follow the laws, and I’ve never felt uncomfortable around 2nd Amendment enthusiasts. On the flip side, a recent shooting in Seattle showed that a criminal not following gun laws currently on the books had no problem getting a firearm — again proving our government’s inability to control guns except by making law-abiding gun owners criminals with sweeping rule changes.

I’ve said before, there is plenty of dialogue that needs to happen in this country. I, for one, would like to see more gun training, gun safety courses and more teaching moments. The anti-gun movement is so patently ignorant about how guns even operate, how can they govern them? More information needs to be spread.

But gun control narratives and misrepresentations get spun. It is a perfectly suited political football. Both sides can form their ranks, talk about how the other side is either taking away rights, crazy, out of touch or hellbent on turning America into a hellscape.

But why?

With no solution reached in decades of gun debate, what exactly are the goals? Prevent 400 gun deaths out of 38K? Take guns away from law abiding citizens while criminals can still acquire guns? I would just like someone to lay out their end goals as opposed to root for their team in the debate

2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the U.S.

People Under Investigation (PUI) in the United States*†

As of 2/3/2020

People under Investigation (PUI) in the United States
Positive 11
Negative 167
Pending§ 82
Total 260

WHO Novel Coronavirus(2019-nCoV)
Situation Report – 14

SITUATION IN NUMBERS
total and new cases in last 24 hours
Globally
17391 confirmed (2838 new)
China
17238 confirmed (2831 new)
2296 severe (186 new)
361 deaths (57 new)
Outside of China
153 confirmed (7 new)
23 countries
1 death

Robber Killed, Shopkeeper Wounded in Gunfight at Santa Clarita Liquor Store

A gun battle between a would-be robber and a liquor store owner in Santa Clarita late Sunday left the suspect dead and the shopkeeper wounded, authorities said.

The shootout unfolded about 8:20 p.m. at a store in the 19900 block of Golden Valley Road, just east of Sierra Highway, according to Deputy Tracey Koerner of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Information Bureau.

A man entered the store and tried to rob it, offiicals said.

“There was an exchange of gunfire between the suspect and the victim/store owner,” Koerner said in a written statement.

Both the robber and the store owner were struck, he said.

Video footage from the scene showed deputies approaching with guns drawn as the store owner is seen crawling out of the business with apparent leg wounds.

“(He) was transported to a local hospital with a non-life threatening injury to his lower torso,” Koerner said.

Paramedics pronounced the suspect dead at the scene.

No additional suspects were being sought, officials said.

No further information was available as the investigation continued into the early-morning hours Monday.

Man shoots teen in stolen car, drives him to the hospital

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Officials with the Metro Nashville Police Department say a 15-year-old was shot in Nashville after a man found him in his girlfriend’s stolen car.

The ordeal unfolded around 8:30 a.m. Monday on Rainwood Drive near Madison. Authorities said a 27-year-old man and his girlfriend tracked the car to the address after it was stolen last week.

Police said there were two people in the vehicle, both of whom appeared to be teens. The man used his car to box in the other to keep the driver from leaving.

The teen driver tried to drive away and hit the shooter’s car and another vehicle. The man shot at the car several times, hitting the teen in the arm. The other suspect ran and hasn’t been found.

The man drove the teen to TriStar Skyline Medical Center with a non-life-threatening injury. Police said the shooter’s vehicle, the shooter, and the juvenile were all detained at the hospital for further investigation.

“I heard four or five gun shots and they were loud and they echoed in the house,” neighbor Jacori Leffler recalled. “It sounded like you were in downtown on Fourth of July watching the fireworks.”

Neighbors said the actions of the shooter went too far, and believed he should’ve called police instead.

No. When the car thief used the stolen car as a weapon, that was who went ‘too far’.

The name of the shooter has not been released.

 

Health officials confirm 6 cases of novel coronavirus in California

SACRAMENTO, Calif – According to the California Department of Public Health, they have confirmed a new case of novel coronavirus 2019 in Santa Clara County on Sunday.

In addition, two more cases have been confirmed in San Benito County, bringing California’s number of confirmed cases to six. This information is confirmed by the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, the San Benito County Public Health Department and the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention laboratory.

hose sickened are husband and wife, and both are 57 years of age. One spouse traveled to China and one who did not. This marks the first instance of close household person-to-person transmission of novel coronavirus in California. There is no evidence of person-to-person transmission in the general public in California.

Currently, the California Department of Public Health confirms a total of six cases of novel coronavirus in California: two people in Santa Clara County, two people in San Benito County, one person in Los Angeles County and one person in Orange County have tested positive for novel coronavirus 2019.

This brings the U.S. total to 11.

This has not just been a very good weekend for the bunglers among us.

Intruder who allegedly made death threats after breaking into north Tulsa residence fatally shot by homeowner

A homeowner fatally shot a man Saturday after he allegedly broke into the residence and made death threats to the people inside.

The intruder broke into the residence in the 800 block of North Oxford Avenue around 11 a.m. Saturday, Tulsa Police Lt. Brandon Watkins said. At least three people were in the home.

“When he kicked in the door, they said he was talking crazy and making threats to kill everyone inside,” Watkins said.

The homeowner told investigators he did not know the man, Watkins said. The man allegedly walked through the house and kicked in interior doors.

The owner of the home then retrieved a rifle and fired one shot, striking the man in the torso, Watkins said. All occupants of the home left the residence and called 911 from a neighbor’s residence.

Emergency responders pronounced the man dead at the scene, Tulsa police said in a news release.

The identity of the man who was shot is being withheld pending family notification.

Those inside the home along with witnesses were questioned and released pending further investigation.

Home intruder shot during break in

No, this is not a duplicate! This is another break-in in Tulsa where the deadhead tendered his ticket for a free trip straight to the morgue

Tulsa police responded to the area of Admiral and North Sheridan for reports of a shooting.

The intruder was shot once with a rifle in the upper torso and died at the scene.

The homeowner stated that he shot the intruder in self-defense.

Crime scene investigators recovered a vintage bolt action rifle as evidence.

No arrest have been made at this time.

The name of the intruder has been confirmed but is not being released until next of kin is notified.

Homeowner fires shot when confronting intruder, deputies looking for suspect

VANDERBURGH CO., Ind. (WFIE) – Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a man who they say broke into someone’s home.

Deputies say a homeowner came home to find somebody they didn’t know inside. That’s when deputies say the homeowner shot his gun at the intruder.

This happened at a home on Green River Road near Booneville-New Harmoney Road around 3 p.m. Saturday.

Deputies say they searched the area, but couldn’t find him.

According to the press release, the person they are looking for was last seen wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans and has a slender build.

Suspected burglar shot dead by occupant of home in Kansas City, Kansas

A suspected burglar was shot dead early Saturday in Kansas City, Kansas, police said.

Officers responded to a report of a shooting at 1:05 a.m. in the 1900 block of Minnesota Avenue, said Officer Jonathon Westbrook, a spokesman for the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department.

Police located a male who had been shot. He was confirmed dead at the scene.

A preliminary investigation suggests that an occupant of the home confronted and shot the suspected burglar.

Coronavirus: scientists identify possible new mode of transmission in human faeces

Not surprising as the virus that causes polio uses the same vector. I guess we’ll have to write off San Francisco now.

Chinese scientists have found traces of the new coronavirus in the faeces of some infected patients, possibly indicating an additional mode of transmitting the deadly disease.

Health authorities had previously thought the main ways the disease was spread was through respiratory droplet transmission and contact, including touching the face after exposure to a surface containing the virus.

But new findings from Shenzhen Third People’s Hospital raise the possibility of faecel-oral transmission, after researchers found genetic traces of coronavirus  in patients’ stool samples.

The presence of the 2019 coronavirus RNA, or ribonucleic acid – a molecule that carries genetic codes in some viruses – indicates the disease may live in faeces, the Shenzhen Health Commission said in a statement on Saturday.

Alleged Al-Qaeda Terrorist Leader Arrested In Phoenix On Murder Charges.

So how  – and why – did he manage to sneak hisslef into the U.S.?

Federal law enforcement officials arrested an alleged Al-Qaeda terrorist leader in Phoenix, Arizona, late this week on murder charges filed by the Iraqi government.

Ali Yousif Ahmed Al-Nouri, a 42-year-old Iraqi national was “wanted to stand trial in Iraq for two charges of premeditated murder committed in 2006 in Al-Fallujah,” the Department of Justice said in a statement.

An Iraqi judge issued an arrest warrant for Ahmed and subsequently requested Ahmed’s extradition from the United States.

“According to the information provided by the Government of Iraq in support of its extradition request, Ahmed served as the leader of a group of Al-Qaeda terrorists in Al-Fallujah, Iraq, which planned operations targeting Iraqi police,” the DOJ added. “Ahmed and other members of the Al-Qaeda group allegedly shot and killed a first lieutenant in the Fallujah Police Directorate and a police officer in the Fallujah Police Directorate, on or about June 1, 2006, and October 3, 2006, respectively.”

The DOJ noted that the decision to extradite him to Iraq will ultimately be made by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Novel Coronavirus(2019-nCoV)
Situation Report – 12

SITUATION IN NUMBERS
total and new cases in last 24 hours
Globally
11953 confirmed (2128 new)
China
11821 confirmed (2102 new)
1795 severe (268 new)
259 deaths (46 new)
Outside of China
132 confirmed (26 new)
23 countries (4 new)

Notable Epidemiological Events Reported in the Last 24 Hours

In France, for the first time outside China, a healthcare worker was diagnosed as being ill with 2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease.
The health worker treated two patients who were later identified as probable cases.
The first instance of third-generation human-to-human transmission outside China has been identified, in an individual who was exposed to a confirmed case from the cluster in Bavaria, Germany.
For the first time, a case was exported from a country other than China: a patient was identified in South Korea following their exposure in Japan to a confirmed case.
In the last 24 hours, additional instances of human-to-human transmission outside China were reported:
in Japan, a tour guide who is part of the same cluster of Japanese cases who had contact with tourists from Wuhan;
in Germany, a case that is part of the cluster in Bavaria;
and in Thailand, a taxi driver who had no travel history to China.

Epidemiological link to Hubei Province
The outbreak of 2019-nCoV is still largely centered around Hubei Province.
In China, 60.5% of all cases since the start of the outbreak have been reported from Hubei Province. The remaining 39.5% of cases have been reported from 33 provinces, regions and cities. After Hubei Province, the second largest number of cases has been reported from Zhejiang Province (599 cases).
Of the 132 cases identified outside China, 14 were due to secondary transmission outside China. Of the remaining cases, travel history is available for 101 of them: all 101 had travelled to China in the 14 days before illness onset. Of the 81 for whom the exact destination in China was known, all had travelled to Hubei province.

Countries, territories or areas with reported confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV. Data as of 1 February 2020
WHO Regional Office Country/Territory/Area Confirmed Cases
Western Pacific
China* 11821
Japan 17
Republic of Korea 12
Viet Nam 6
Singapore 16
Australia 12
Malaysia 8
Cambodia 1
Philippines 1
South-East Asia Thailand 19
Nepal 1
Sri Lanka 1
India 1

Region of the Americas
United States of America 7
Canada 4

European Region
France 6
Finland 1
Germany 7
Italy 2
Russian Federation 2
Spain 1
Sweden 1
United Kingdom 2

Eastern Mediterranean
United Arab Emirates 4

Total Confirmed cases Total 11953

Campbell County (Virginia) militia muster announced

CAMPBELL COUNTY — Groups in Campbell and Bedford counties are now organizing militia musters. Organizers said the purpose of their county’s muster is to preserve tranquility, peace, and civil order by organizing volunteers in the event that a militia is required to defend the rights and liberties of the citizens of Campbell County and Bedford County.

The Campbell County muster is set for noon-2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29 from 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. at Timbrook Public Library on Leesville Road.

Three Bedford County citizens including Chad Oaks, Anthony Burke and Scott Sewing came before their county’s board of supervisors at its Jan. 27 regular meeting Monday, asking for the county’s support in forming a militia, entirely comprised of volunteer citizens.

“I think a county directed, county controlled and county leadership appointed militia is something that would benefit our county at this point,” Sewing said. “I believe that it’s crucial for a citizen to possess the ability to defend themselves. I believe that and I believe that’s what the second amendment represents.”

Last month, the board approved to become a second amendment sanctuary and not enforce any stricter gun laws that are considered to be unconstitutional. Sewing, a former Marine who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, expressed his gratitude to the board for this.

“I was a part of the group that went to Richmond to stand up for second amendment rights,” Burke said. “We weren’t heard there, it’s pretty obvious with the laws that keep on passing. I am seeking to get the topic discussed however about forming a militia.”

Burke said that he has already spoken with the sheriff’s office about where everyone stands.

For information on the Campbell muster, email campbell@gunownersofvirginia.org.

Castle Rock resident shoots wanted felon during break-in

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Deputies said they arrested a man who broke into a Castle Rock home and got into a violent fight with a person inside.

Authorities in Cowlitz County got a 911 call just before 9 p.m. on Thursday about a break-in on Toutle Park Road.

The caller said the suspect was fighting with her husband and shots had been fired.

Deputies and Castle Rock police responded and had to use a taser to take the suspect into custody. They identified him as 27-year-old Joseph Wiegert.

Authorities said he was armed with a piece of pipe with a hooked end when he forced his way into the home. The homeowner tried to block his entrance and told him he would shoot if he didn’t stop. Deputies said Wiegert overpowered the homeowner, knocked him to the ground and got inside. That’s when the homeowner fired.

The suspect was shot in the shoulder during the struggle but is expected to recover.

The resident suffered minor injuries, deputies said.

Wiegert was booked into the Cowlitz County Jail on charges of 1st-degree attempted murder, 1st-degree burglary and unlawful possession of a gun. He also had an outstanding felony warrant.

Suspected robber critically injured after being shot at Northland home, found on highway ramp

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One person has been critically injured Thursday afternoon in a Northland shooting that police say stemmed from an attempted robbery.

Police say victims of that attempted robbery, which took place near N.E. 119th and N. Campbell streets, defended themselves and shot the suspect.

Officers found the suspect who was shot on the ramp from southbound 169 Highway to westbound Highway 152. That person was taken to a nearby hospital with critical injuries.

Police said they don’t know if this was a random or targeted incident or if the suspect actually got into the Northland home. Officers said they believe there was more than one person involved in this incident. They are still investigating.

Novel Coronavirus(2019-nCoV)
Situation Report – 11

SITUATION IN NUMBERS
Globally
9826 confirmed
China
9720 confirmed
15238 suspected
1527 severe
213 deaths

Outside of China
106 confirmed
19 countries

Patients Under Investigation (PUI) in the United States*†

As of 1/31/2020

People under Investigation (PUI) in the United States
Positive 6
Negative 114
Pending§ 121
Total 241

 

Florida bills would allow concealed weapons at school churches, armed city officials in meetings

TALLAHASSEE — With supporters pointing to attacks on churches and synagogues, a House panel Tuesday approved a measure that would allow people to carry concealed weapons at religious institutions that share properties with schools.

The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee also approved a separate bill that would allow county commissioners, school board members and elected city officials to be armed at their public meetings.

State law generally allows people to carry concealed weapons at religious institutions, but it bars being armed on school properties. That has effectively meant that people cannot carry guns to churches or synagogues that meet at places with schools.

The measure (HB 1437) approved Tuesday would allow religious institutions to authorize people with concealed-weapons licenses to carry guns at such locations.

“Right now, if a church was located on the same property as, say, a preschool, and that preschool met from Monday through Friday, people at that church would not be allowed to carry concealed on Sunday and Wednesday night during those services, and this bill would change that,” bill sponsor Jayer Williamson, R-Pace, said.

Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey supported the proposal, saying he considers it a “property rights bill” instead of a gun bill.

Perjury charge filed against woman who tried to have CSU officer’s weapons confiscated

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A perjury charge has been filed against Susan Holmes, the woman who recently tried to use Colorado’s new “red flag” law to have a Colorado State University officer’s weapons confiscated.

Earlier this month, Holmes filed an extreme risk protection order against Cpl. Phillip Morris. It was denied.

Morris shot and killed Holmes’ son in 2017. The district attorney found the shooting to be “clearly justified.”

A petition for an extreme risk protection order requires the petitioner to have a connection to the respondent, such as being a blood relative, a marriage or domestic partner, or having a child in common with the respondent.

Under penalty of perjury, Holmes claimed she had a child in common with Morris when in fact, she does not.

On Thursday, Colorado court records showed Holmes is charged with one count of perjury and one count of attempt to influence a public servant. The latter charge is for allegedly lying to a judge.

The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office said a warrant is out for Holmes and she is not in custody. The sheriff’s office confirmed the warrant is in relation to the ERPO case.

The warrant has been active for about one week.

Holmes’ bond is currently set at $5,000.

Coronavirus spread now a global emergency declares World Health Organization

The rise in new coronavirus cases outside China, now constitutes a global health emergency, the World Health Organization’s Emergency Committee declared on Thursday, calling on all countries to take urgent measures to contain the respiratory disease.Latest WHO figures state there are more than 7,800 confirmed cases globally, with 7,736 confirmed in China, and a further 12,167 suspected cases inside the country where the outbreak began in Wuhan, a city of around 11 million which remains in lockdown.

Latest figures

So far, 170 people have died in China, and 1,370 cases there are officially described as severe. A total of 124 have recovered and been discharged from hospital.

Outside China, there are 82 confirmed cases, in 18 different countries, and only seven had no history of travel in China.

“There has been human-to-human transmission in three countries outside China”, according to a statement released by WHO’s Emergency Committee. “One of these cases is severe and there have been no deaths.”

Army Rangers Conducted the Most Successful Rescue Mission in U.S. History 75 Years Ago

After the end of the war when all the PW records could be correlated with the lists of the still missing in action, it was determined that a great uncle was one of those who had died on the Bataan Death March.

Seventy-five years ago a company of Army Rangers and Filipino guerrilla fighters conducted the most successful rescue mission in U.S. military history, freeing over 500 prisoners of war being held by the Japanese.

The raid took place at Cabanatuan prison camp, located about 65 miles north of Manila, in the Philippines.

Most of the POWs in the camp were survivors of the infamous Bataan Death March, which took place in the spring of 1942………

In early January 1945, U.S. forces landed on Luzon island and began the push toward Manila.

By this time, most of the American POWs had been transported back to Japan or Manchuria to work as slave laborers.

However, among those remaining were over 500 being held at Cabanatuan.

When one of MacArthur’s top generals, Sixth Army commander Gen. Walter Krueger, learned of the camp, he green-lit a mission to rescue the POWs, knowing they were in danger of being killed by the Japanese as American forces drew near……

Charlie Company of the 6th Ranger Battalion, beefed up with an extra platoon to be 120 strong, was chosen for the perilous mission to slip 30 miles behind enemy lines, undetected, liberate the camp and lead the POWs back to freedom.

They would be supported on the mission by 200 Philippine guerrilla fighters.

Opposing them would be approximately 250 Japanese guards and other troops housed at Cabanatuan, with nearly 1,000 Japanese soldiers positioned less than a mile from the camp.

Only four miles away, at Cabanatuan City, were an additional 9,000 Japanese forces……

Armed with intelligence provided by Filipino guerrillas and the 6th Army’s Alamo Scouts, Mucci and his men crossed into enemy-held territory on the morning of Jan. 28…….

The Rangers launched the raid of Cabanatuan on the evening of Jan. 30.

A P-61 Black Widow fighter plane flew low over the camp creating a diversion, so the U.S. troops could draw in close to the fence-line undetected.

Suddenly, at 7:44 p.m. local time, the night sky lit up with a fusillade of gunfire as Rangers took out the Japanese guards in their assigned sectors.

The Americans quickly broke through the front gate and fanned out into the camp.

The frenetic scene during the liberation was depicted in the 2005 film “The Great Raid.”

All the POWs were directed to go to the front gate if they could walk (or Rangers carried them). There, they were met and escorted to a nearby riverbed.

The most fragile among them were then loaded onto caraboa (ox) carts provided by the local Filipinos.

Meanwhile, less than a mile from Cabanatuan, 200 Philippine guerrillas under the leadership of Captain Juan Pajota held off nearly a thousand Japanese soldiers.

Pajota’s men managed to partially blow a bridge over the Cabu River, which ran between Cabanatuan and the Japanese forces, which prevented tanks and other heavy vehicles from crossing.

The liberated POWs, guarded by the Rangers and guerrillas, marched through the night toward the American lines, only encountering some light Japanese resistance along the way……..