NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT FRIDAY 3/20/2020 NEWSDUMP FRIDAY

(SERVICE WHEN ABLE THROUGH LATE FRIDAY EARLY SATURDAY)

The coronavirus death rate in the US is just over 1.25 percent of cases but first.....

North Korea firing two short range ballistic missiles Saturday morning local time at 6:45 am and 6:50 am, that's 5:45 and 5:50 pm Eastern US time.

They flew at some 410 kilometers   (255 miles) and reached a maximum altitude of about 50 kilometers (31 miles).

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff calling the launch "a very inappropriate act"....YONHAP NEWS AGENCY SOUTH KOREA REPORT

Saying the fight against Islamic State has made progress and out of concern for the coronavirus pandemic the US-led coalition in Iraq is reducing its military presence.    The announcement today from the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve......URDU POINT NEWS/SPUTNIK RUSSIA REPORT.....THE HILL NEWS STORY

At least two dozen Afghan police and military killed with others missing following an attack by Taliban connected forces.    The attack in southern Afghanistan's Zabul province.  The attackers described as "infiltrators" fled in two Humvees and a pickup truck.   This the most serious attack since last month's peace deal signed between the United States and the Taliban....IRAN PRESS TV REPORT

The troubled US aircraft maker Boeing is getting a bailout from the federal government after months of problems caused by the grounding of the 737 MAX aircraft following two deadly accidents last year leading to cancellations of orders.

Now with the coronavirus related downturn in the economy Boeing will be given its bailout on that basis.

Moving to distance herself from the situation is the former UN Ambassador and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley.     She is resigning her post a member of the board of Boeing.    Haley is an aspiring Presidential candidate for the 2024 election......ASSOCIATED PRESS NEWS STORY

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii suspending her 2020 Democrat presidential campaign and endorsing Joe Biden for President.

A shakeup in Washington with a new chief being named for the National Counterterrorism Center.  Chris Miller, a former Army special forces officer and adviser to President Trump, replacing Russell Travers who had been the acting director.

In India four men convicted in the gang rape and murder of a student on a bus in 2012 hanged.....BBC NEWS

Controversy revolving around the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Republican Richard Burr of North Carolina.     Burr is reported to have sold stocks and told political donors of the danger of Covid-19 even as he reassured the public that the virus was not that dangerous.

Mainstream media reporting linking Burr to President Donald Trump.....AFP NEWS AGENCY REPORT

US Senator Kelly Loeffler of Georgia also reported to have dumped stocks following a closed meeting about the coronavirus with other US Senators in January. .....DAILY BEAST REPORT ON MSN

Republican Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma also implicated in stock sell offs before the recent decline in the stock market as well as Democrat California Senator Diane Feinstein.....FOX NEWS REPORT

In France Agnes Buzyn, who was Health Minister in January before being drafted to run for mayor of Paris, said that she warned both President Emmanuel Macron and Premier Edouard Philippe in January to the serious threat that Covid-19 presented including the probability that the municipal election could not be held this month.     The first round was held March 15th with the second round now in limbo.   She made her comments this week to the newspaper "Le Figaro"....

Coronavirus leading New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to order a "lockdown" with all non-essential workers staying home.

Some 8,403 cases in New York state reported tonight with 5,683 now in New York City where 43 have died.

President Trump signing a major disaster declaration for the State of New York today...WHITE HOUSE STATEMENT

Tonight word that a staffer of Vice-President Mike Pence has tested positive for the coronavirus....PRESS TRUST OF INDIA REPORT

The coronavirus death toll now past 10,000.    Statistics worldwide being compiled at Johns Hopkins University show 244,602 cases as of 540 am Eastern US time today along with 10,031 deaths......Those numbers have since risen to 258,052 by 415 pm Eastern with 11,268 deaths reported.......And as we came towards the end of Newsdump Friday at 1130 pm Eastern the worldwide confirmed cases stood at 275,427 with a death toll of 11,397.

HERE IN THE UNITED STATES AT 1130 PM EASTERN US TIME THE WORLDOMETERS NUMBER OF CASES IN THE UNITED STATES STOOD AT 19,640 WITH 264 DEATHS......LINK.....THAT CALCULATES TO A DEATH RATE OF 1.34 PERCENT OF CASES IN THE US.

The death toll rose 627 in Italy today to 4,032 with 47,021 cases now reported, a rise of nearly six thousand cases in the last 24 hours.....

In France today some 450 now reported dead with 12,612 cases confirmed......

The BBC following the story worldwide via a blog.....BBC CORONAVIRUS BLOG

In Poland contraband vodka confiscated by customs and tax authorities is being put to new use as disinfectant to fight the coronavirus.    The national prosecutors office announced today that almost half a million liters of vodka and pure alcohol seized by the authorities can be used to disinfect.    Some of the pure alcohol already sent out to firefighters and hospitals in Poland......(Story from BFM-TV France and AFP News Agency via Google translation)

More of the rest of the news today.....

The markets and a more than 900 point drop on Wall Street.    Oil prices took a 20 percent dive today to below 20 dollars a barrel.....

The low oil prices may force Texas to cut oil production in a bid to drive them up.    Meanwhile President Trump says that the US will get involved "at the appropriate time" to deal with Russian and Saudi moves to drive oil prices down.

The US reportedly will ask Saudi Arabia to cut production and threaten Russia with sanctions to drive oil prices back up.....WALL STREET JOURNAL NEWS STORY

Spanish police in Catalonia arresting two men inside a car that smashed into a terminal at the airport in Barcelona.      The two men identified as Albanians shouted "Islamist slogans"......SPUTNIK NEWS RUSSIA STORY......OLIVE PRESS SPAIN NEWS STORY

A prisoner swap between France and Iran.     France releasing an Iranian engineer wanted by US authorities and a French citizen accused of being a spy released by the Iranian government.....MIDDLE EAST MONITOR STORY

And the financial story of Michael Bloomberg's presidential campaign emerging.    The billionaire and former New York mayor pumped some 935 million dollars into his attempt to win the Democratic presidential nomination including some 474 million last month.    Bloomberg had 60.6 million dollars in the bank with debts of 31.7 million dollars at the end of February.....BNN BLOOMBERG NEWS STORY

And that's the way it really is Friday March 20th, 2020 Newsdump Friday.