Donnie-boy to put 1,000,000 troops on streets

[yankeedoodle]

Trump greenlights call-up of one MILLION reservists to battle Covid-19
https://www.rt.com/usa/484333-us-military-reservists-coronavirus/

To help with the Covid-19 coronavirus emergency, US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order [here:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/eo-order-selected-reserve-certain-members-individual-ready-reserve-armed-forces-active-duty/] authorizing the call-up of up to a million reserve military personnel in the army, navy, air force and coast guard.

Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security – which is in charge of the Coast Guard units not subordinated to the Navy – are now authorized to order individual members and units of the Ready Reserve under their jurisdiction to "active duty not to exceed 24 consecutive months," Trump noted in the executive order signed on Friday evening.

The number of mobilized reservists is "not to exceed 1,000,000 members on active duty at any one time." The Pentagon and Homeland Security are supposed to ensure "appropriate consultation is undertaken with relevant state officials" about using National Guard reserves activated under this order.

The call-up is part of a flurry of presidential actions aimed against the Covid-19 outbreak on Friday, including the signing of a $2.2 trillion stimulus and relief bill – widely criticized on both sides of the aisle in Congress, but passed anyway – and invoking the Defense Production Act to compel automakers to produce ventilators needed to treat severe coronavirus cases.

Trump has been reluctant to invoke the authority under the DPA for over a week, saying major corporations had offered to comply with federal supply requests voluntarily, only to blow up at General Motors and Ford in a series of angry tweets in the morning.

The US shot to first place in the world in terms of the number of registered Covid-19 cases, ahead of Italy and China – where the contagion originated in December – with over 100,000 people testing positive, and more than 1,500 fatalities.

[yankeedoodle]

Movement of military vehicles through SoCal is routine and not related to coronavirus, officials say  [ ]
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/officials-quash-rumors-say-movement-of-military-tanks-in-ventura-county-only-routine-not-related-to-coronavirus/

After photos and videos of armored military vehicles being moved through Southern California started popping up online with claims that the sight was related to the coronavirus pandemic, officials took to Twitter to quash the rumors and explain it was only routine movement.

The images showed hundreds of tank-like vehicles being hauled on a train over the past week, with some social media users tying the movement to Gov. Gavin Newsom's deployment of the California National Guard to assist with COVID-19 aid efforts.

But the Ventura County Sheriff's Department explained on Tuesday that "tanks on train cars" are not related to the state's efforts to fight the pandemic. The vehicles appear to be Bradley Fighting Vehicles.

"Just our brave service members moving equipment... There is no reason to be alarmed," the Sheriff's Department said.

https://twitter.com/VENTURASHERIFF/status/1242598048603107328

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva have both emphasized that the National Guard troops haven't officially been mobilized in the county — and that any help they provide would be humanitarian in nature.

That includes helping distribute supplies at food banks and assisting with transporting patients, according to the sheriff.

"Any logistical movements at Port Hueneme and Naval Air Station Point Mugu are just routine in nature to keep America's deployed forces ready," Naval Base Ventura County said Tuesday in a tweet accompanied by photos of the tanks on the train.

Naval Base Ventura County said it "continues to support the Department of Defense in routine air and port operations."

As more coronavirus cases are reported throughout California, stoking fears in communities that have already seen their lives upended by the virus, officials have been warning residents about scams and misinformation. Those posts have ranged from fake coronavirus tests and cures to false claims of law enforcement fining people for ignoring stay-at-home orders.

"We've heard the rumors, so let's put an end to them. No, the LAPD is not stopping or ticketing people for exercising outdoors," the Los Angeles Police Department said on Twitter. "Spreading false rumors during this time does no good."