THE CRAZY YEARS: An engineer deliberately ran a train off the tracks at high speed near the Port of Los Angeles in an attempt to crash into and damage the USNS Mercy hospital ship, prosecutors say. “Federal prosecutors allege train engineer Eduardo Moreno, 44, of San Pedro intended to hit the ship, saying he thought it was ‘suspicious’ and did not believe ‘the ship is what they say it’s for.'”

SAN DIEGO TUNNEL TASK FORCE UNCOVERS SOPHISTICATED CROSS-BORDER DRUG TUNNEL UNDER THE U.S./MEXICO BORDER: Federal agents seize 4,400 pounds of illicit drugs from the tunnel’s exit in the U.S.

STEPPING UP: Ventilator manufactor Medtronic gives away patents to its competitors.

JIM TREACHER: Did COVID-19 Originate in a Chinese Lab? And Why Is It Crazy to Ask?

Yeah, I know, I know. This sounds like some Alex Jones $#!+. But even Alex Jones, after 17 shots of tequila and/or HGH, couldn’t have predicted where we are now. If I could die from this virus, if my loved ones could die, if millions of other people could die and even more could be plunged into poverty, then I don’t care what I’m not supposed to call it. And I certainly don’t care who tries to shame me for wanting to know what the hell is going on.

The only people who benefit from your reluctance to ask what’s happening to you are the people whose negligence, incompetence, and dishonesty are responsible for this fiasco: the Chinese Communist Party. Anyone who tries to shut you up is doing their bidding, directly or indirectly. If daring to say so means I’ll get some unpleasant tweets and emails and blog comments, go right ahead. I have absolutely nothing to lose.

Read the whole thing.

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FOX NEWS: JOE BIDEN OFFERING TO CALL PRESIDENT TRUMP TO DISCUSS CORONAVIRUS STRATEGY. During his evening press conference, Trump called Biden’s bluff: “President Trump says he is ‘absolutely’ open to talking to Democratic rival Joe Biden about ways to take on the coronavirus.”

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Higher Education Will Never Be the Same—And That’s Not All Bad.

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CHINA’S HUAWEI GAMBIT: Beijing spies on the world using a 5G “virus”?

Here’s the high-risk rub: Does anyone not on the payroll of the Chinese Communist Party trust Beijing’s dictatorship with the power to pervasively monitor communications (spy locally as well as globally), interrupt, deny or corrupt digital services, and possibly take surreptitious control of digital devices, say, the air traffic control computers at Los Angeles International Airport?

Outrageous scenario? No, given Huawei’s baggage is a legitimate worry exacerbated by the regime’s criminal dishonesty (e.g., lying about COVID-19/Wuhan virus). For all practical purposes, Huawei is a Chinese Communist Party tool. In spy lingo, a cutout company can hide an espionage operation. Abundant evidence suggests Huawei serves as a cutout.

Suggest you read the entire column.

CHINA LIED, PEOPLE DIED: Don’t Let China Off The Hook.

MORE NEWS: David Lat, Eyeing Hospital Discharge, Talks About His Battle and Donating Blood to COVID-19 Research.

CHINA SYNDROME: FDA Demands Zantac Heartburn Drug And Generics Pulled Over Carcinogen Fears.

THIS SOUNDS LIKE WHAT THERANOS PROMISED BUT DIDN’T DELIVER: New AI-Powered Blood Test Promises Easy Screening For Over 50 Types of Cancer.

HMM: Quercetin as an Antiviral Agent Inhibits Influenza A Virus (IAV) Entry. No idea if it helps with coronavirus, but I take it anyway as an anti-aging supplement, so I guess I can hope.

IN THE WORDS OF THAT HONG KONG PROTESTER, “DON’T TRUST CHINA. CHINA IS ASSHOLE.” Ominous Reports Indicate China Hasn’t Contained the Coronavirus Yet. “You probably heard about China’s closing the country’s movie theaters shortly after reopening them. You probably have not heard that similar re-closings are occurring at public buildings in Shanghai. . . . Does this sound like a country of a billion people that has only a couple dozen new cases per day, as the official numbers state?”

LIKE HIGHER EDUCATION, THEY’RE GOING ONLINE BUT THEY’RE AFRAID THE ONLINE FUTURE WILL BE LESS LUCRATIVE: “What is clear is that the pandemic will change the landscape of the sex industry for the foreseeable future.”

HMM: China reports asymptomatic cases — nearly 150 — for first time. This UPI story seems to equate what China reports with what’s actually happening in China, which seems likely to be a mistake.

KUROSAWA FILM FESTIVAL STARRING TOSHIRO MIFUNE: Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Toshiro Mifune. Powerline film critic Scott Johnson examines TCM’s Kurosawa with Mifune festival.

FASTER, PLEASE: Phage capsid against influenza: Perfectly fitting inhibitor prevents viral infection.

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I SURVIVED BEING YOUNG AND STUPID, AND HOPE THESE KIDS DO, TOO: I’m old enough to remember when the worst thing you might bring home from spring break was a sunburn and maybe gonorrhea, but how would you enjoy a touch of potentially deadly pandemic when you get back?

MORE ON THE SLOW-JOE-TO-CUOMO SCENARIO:  Will the Democrats Junk Joe?

GOOD NEWS FROM ABOVE THE LAW’S DAVID LAT: “Not an #AprilFoolsDay Joke: after 17 days at @nyulangone, including 6 days on a ventilator, I’m being discharged!”