NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT SUNDAY 3/15/2020

Coronavirus news is ahead but first........

THE FEDERAL RESERVE IN THE UNITED STATES HAS ACTED TO SLASH INTEREST RATES TO THE ZERO TO .25 PERCENT BASIS POINT RANGE IN A BID TO SHORE UP ECONOMIC INSTABILITY.

PRESIDENT TRUMP PRAISING THE FED DECISION AT A NEWS CONFERENCE THIS EVENING.   JOINING THE PRESIDENT THE TASK FORCE HANDLING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IN THE UNITED STATES.....VIDEO LINK WITH NEWS CONFERENCE STARTING AT 46:30 INTO VIDEO

Jihadist opposition groups in Syria actively working to disrupt implementation of a cease-fire agreement by Russia and Turkey in the Greater Idlib region of northwestern Syria.

Russian-Turkish joint patrols are limited along the M4 highway by what Russia says are terrorist groups planning to use civilians as human shields....TASS NEWS STORY....A version of the story from "Southfront" that includes photos and video......SOUTHFRONT STORY PHOTOS VIDEO

Bernie Sanders is the winner of the Democrat caucuses in a US Pacific territory.   Sanders receiving 84 votes with Joe Biden getting 48 and two votes  for Uncommitted.

Joe  Biden and Bernie Sanders debate tonight under special conditions in Washington DC. because of the coronavirus.

The debate video is here.......CNN VIDEO WITH PRE-DEBATE NEWS AHEAD OF ACTUAL DEBATE

THE ARAB POLITICAL PARTY IN ISRAEL UNANIMOUSLY SUPPORTING BENNY GANTZ OF THE BLUE AND WHITE PARTY TO BE THE NEXT PRIME MINISTER.  THE MOVE BY THE JOINT LIST WILL HELP BLUE AND WHITE PARTY LEADER BENNY GANTZ TO MAKE HIS CASE TO LEAD A NEW GOVERNMENT BUT THERE IS ALSO MOMENTUM IN ISRAEL TOWARD A UNITY GOVERNMENT EMBRACING BOTH BLUE AND WHITE AND LIKUD, THE PARTY OF PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU......ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS STORY

THE LATE WORD FROM ISRAEL TONIGHT IS THAT ISRAELI PRESIDENT REUVEN RIVLIN HAS MET BOTH MAJOR PARTY LEADERS (GANTZ AND NETANYAHU) AND THAT MR. GANTZ BEING RECOMMENDED FOR PRIME MINISTER BY 61 OF THE 120 PARLIAMENT MEMBERS WILL BE TASKED WITH FORMING A NEW GOVERNMENT BY THE PRESIDENT OF ISRAEL......ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS STORY

As voters in France went to the polls today in the first round of municipal elections, police are investigating a cyber attack on the municipal government in the southern city of Marseille.

Authorities say the "massive" attack will not stop the election but will cause some use of hand written materials instead of computer generated ones for voting.

At mid-day voter turnout was just over 18 percent, down from the previous municipal election in 2014.

French opposition political parties are requesting the postponement of the second round of voting set for March 29th, two weeks from today.

Here in the USA as everywhere the coronavirus disruption will likely last for a two month or more period.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine appared on CNN today and made that point....TWITTER

Here in the US late Sunday evening this estimate posted online showing 3,777 cases in the USA with some 69 deaths....WORLDOMETERS ESTIMATE

Statistics tonight across Europe include Italy with 20,603 cases and the death toll up to 1,809...TASS NEWS REPORT....in France 120 dead with 5,400 cases now reported......TASS NEWS REPORT

South Korea reporting a slowdown in new coronavirus cases Sunday.   Only 76 new cases to bring the total to 8,162.    There have been 75 deaths in South Korea.....REUTERS NEWS REPORT

The Philippines closing access to the nation's capital city Manila in a bid to prevent spread of Covid-19.    A month long isolation of the capital began Sunday morning.    Mass gatherings banned and schools closed   Eight have died in the Philippines with cases nearly doubling in recent days to 111......JAPAN TIMES NEWS STORY

Austria, a country neighboring hard hit Italy, limiting gatherings of five or more people in a bid to prevent Covid-19 spread.

The British Health Secretary says that all people over the age of 70 will be told to stay home within weeks and other World War 2 style measures will be brought into place by the British government to deal with the coronavirus......BBC NEWS STORY

NEW YORK CITY OFFICIALS BRIEFED THE UNITED NATIONS ON SATURDAY TELLING THEM THAT CORONAVIRUS HAS SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND COULD LINGER INTO SEPTEMBER.

THE UN HAS ITS HEADQUARTERS IN NEW YORK WITH DIPLOMATS FROM AROUND THE WORLD LIVING AND WORKING THERE.

AS OF SATURDAY THERE WERE 269 CONFIRMED CASES OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK CITY......FOREIGN POLICY STORY

That's the way it really is Sunday March 15th, 2020........