NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT THURSDAY 4/9/2020

(SERVICE WHEN ABLE THROUGH LATE THURSDAY)

US Representative Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) continuing his efforts to get recorded votes in the House on all the spending of money now going on in the name of fighting the coronavirus.    He wants House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to open the door to recorded voting by all members instead of the voice votes of a few that have been used to spend trillions of dollars in recent weeks....THOMAS MASSIE TWITTER

The OPEC+ nations video conference got underway scheduled to start at 9am Eastern US time today.....TASS NEWS REPORT...The oil producing nations being pressured to cut production with the United States appointing a special energy ambassador to Saudi Arabia former defense official Victoria Coates.

WORD IS THAT THE COUNTRIES HAVE THE OUTLINE OF AN AGREEMENT TO MAKE CUTS IN OIL PRODUCTION OF 10 MILLION BARRELS A DAY......BNN BLOOMBERG STORY

THE FINAL DEAL WILL BE MADE ONCE ISSUES INVOLVING MEXICO ARE RESOLVED BUT THE CORE OF THE AGREEMENT IS ALREADY DONE.

PRESIDENT TRUMP IS EXPECTING A PRODUCTION CUT DEAL SAYING HE HAS SPOKEN TO RUSSIAN AND SAUDI LEADERS AND HAD A "GOOD TALK" WITH BOTH.....TASS NEWS STORY

The US energy producing industry is not viable with oil prices below 40 dollars a barrel.

The Saudis are took a hard line going into the negotiations with Russian media reporting they want a more favorable outcome for themselves than the Russians.....TASS NEWS REPORT

In Emmett, Idaho tonight for the third Thursday in a row a meeting to discuss Constitutional Rights in the face of coronavirus restrictions with plans for an event this weekend.    Ammon Bundy posting on Facebook that an Easter service with the public invited to attend will be held at a location to be announced in Idaho.

The meeting tonight at 8 pm at 800 East Locust Street in Emmett, Idaho.

Islamic State claiming responsibility for a rocket attack on a US base in Afghanistan......

In Iraq the political wrangling continues forcing the appointment of a new prime minister designate today.      Mustafa Al Kadhimi is the head of Iraq's intelligence service......THE NATIONAL UNITED ARAB EMIRATES STORY

Iraq's military and the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units are conducting a security operation in the western part of the country from the Jordanian border eastwards.  ISIS cells have launched attacks in the area recently......SOUTHFRONT STORY

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte called on the European Union to organize and provide help for the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus.    He says that the EU risks failing as an institution if it is unable to do that.

Italy and other nations deeply affected by Covid-19 want the wealthier nations in the EU like Germany to create bonds that would help nations like Italy.     This has caused a dispute within the organization......BBC NEWS STORY 

Late today the EU agreeing to a "rescue package" worth about 550 billion dollars for European countries affected the worst by the coronavirus situation.....BBC NEWS STORY

And what are the statistics tonight regarding Covid-19.    In the USA via Worldometers at 1115 pm Eastern US time its 468,799 cases with 16,697 deaths and 25,928 recoveries.

Worldwide from John Hopkins the stats read out as 1,601,018 cases with 95,718 deaths and 354,972 recoveries as of 1115 pm Eastern US time.

Coronavirus in the USA today with a Minnesota state senator and doctor saying the state health department is coaching doctors to cook the books when it comes to death certificates.

This video interview with Senator Scott Jensen was broadcast a few days ago Tuesday April 7th by KXJB ("KX 4") television in Fargo, North Dakota.....VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH MINNESOTA STATE SENATOR-DOCTOR

There were some 824 more deaths reported in New York State.  The number of cases going up some 10-thousand today to reach 161,504.

Here in Pennsylvania the number of reported cases rising to 18,228......5029 cases reported in Philadelphia but other counties have more cases per population like Luzerne County in northeastern PA where Wilkes-Barre is located.     1241 cases in the county with a population of 317,000 which means around 1 in 250 people who live there have tested positive.     Lehigh County where Allentown is located with some 1466 cases has a population of 366,000 which puts it at roughly 1 in 250 people who live there testing positive for Covid-19.

"There's been a very small number of breakouts on the Nimitz, and we are watching that very closely before the Nimitz goes out"

Those words from the Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John Hyten at the Pentagon today.    Covid-19 reported on the Nimitz currently getting ready to go out to sea from Bremerton, Washington.    But after the briefing the Navy said there are "no active cases" on the Nimitz....BUSINESS INSIDER STORY

Israel's Passover is one of strict restrictions that included an all night curfew across the country with some communities shut off completely from contact with the outside world......YNET NEWS PICTURE STORY

In France the government says that house arrest for the nation will continue indefinitely beyond the previously announced April 15th date.

Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte says the nationwide house arrest-lockdown may be eased at the end of the month.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson out of intensive care but remaining hospitalized for Covid-19.

The coronavirus story around the world as reported by BBC News on its blog......BBC NEWS CORONAVIRUS BLOG 4/9/2020

Other news today........

Canada has decided to allow arms exports to Saudi Arabia again.    The ban on arms trade with Saudi Arabia imposed because of the October 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.     Saudi Arabia's de-facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is suspected of involvement in the killing.

Firefighters in Ukraine are battling blazes in the exclusion zone around the site of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant where there was a major disaster in 1986.     High winds whipping up the flames and authorities have moved additional firefighters in to contain them.

There are fears that the fires would stir up radioactive ash in the ground but so far its reported that radiation levels have not become dangerous....AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORT PUBLISHED BY 9 NEWS

That's the way it really is Thursday April 9th, 2020.