Hello Readers,
While the coronavirus is getting under some control in the U.S., it is still out of control in India. Every day, there seems to be well over 300,000 new cases. That’s not for the month or week, that’s EACH day. As of April 28, there are now over 200,000 dead. However, the number of new cases and deaths could be well short of the actual numbers, because it’s not easy to count every single case due to many areas not having resources to accurately record them. I talked to a few of my relatives, and they all believe that it will be over within a month or two. Most of the Indians have not come to reality. They don’t accept the truth. I appeal to all the Indian readers to please tell your family and friends living in India to be serious about COVID-19 and follow the CDC recommendations, as well as the local government’s regulations. In the city of Ahmedabad, the police fine 1,000 Rupees per person for not having a mask. They issue about 1,000 tickets a day, which is 1 million Rupees. Despite catching 1,000 a day, there are still many more not getting caught, and spreading the virus.
Fortunately, help is coming from the U.S. and other countries. Many are sending surplus vaccines, oxygen, and other much needed items. Although Prime Minister Modi has done well to get aid, he has not been really singled out for not properly handling the virus. President Trump took way more criticism for simply asking states to open up than Modi did for actually opening up things like religious ceremonies and the like despite the virus not being contained.
Speaking of Trump, his former attorney Rudy Giuliani had his apartment searched by federal officials. This is regarding a criminal investigation into his dealings with Ukraine, where they want to prove if Giuliani illegally lobbied for Trump’s administration on behalf of Ukrainian officials that he might have also had side deals with. Also, officials want to see if he was digging for dirt on the Biden family at the same time. Whether he is guilty or not, this is such a downfall from the time when Giuliani was “America’s Mayor.”
By the time you read this, President Joseph Biden would have made his first address to Congress. It will not be a full house, as many legislators will be watching remotely due to COVID-19 precautions. It will be interesting to see if Biden will say anything to bridge the gap between Democrats and Republicans or just hammer home his agenda harder.
Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura and 12 others have been accused of harassment. It is not everyday that you hear anything about the Sheriff, either good or bad. Many of our readers have wondered why Fontoura keeps getting reelected despite not doing anything worthwhile for the many years he has held that office. Is it just voter indifference, or is there something else going on? He faces a primary election on June 8.
Recently, Essex County announced that it was ending its contract with ICE. Instead, the Essex County Correctional Facility (ECCF) will house the overflow of inmates from Union County’s facility. It’s not done as a courtesy, as Union will pay Essex to hold the inmates, just like ICE paid for its detainees to be held at ECCF. So far, there is no idea as to what will happen with the dozens of ICE detainees at ECCF when they will be fully removed by sometime in August.
There has been quite the push lately to make jails more financially viable, after things like bail reform has reduced the population in the jails. This is some type of strange game, as there is a financial advantage regarding people who are incarcerated. In the end, I see some kind of disaster coming from this, even bigger than what happened at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility, where at least 10 people have been charged after inmates were assaulted .
Have a wonderful week.
I’ll talk to you next week.
