Days after a top U.S. general said Russia is testing the American military during the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Navy sent four ships into the Barents Sea for the first time in decades. Three Navy destroyers and a fast combat support ship, as well as a frigate from Britain’s Royal Navy, entered the Barents Sea above the Arctic Circle on Monday “to assert freedom of navigation,” according to a service news release. It marked the first time Navy ships have operated there, off Russia’s northern coast, since the Cold War.
The operation was announced weeks after Russian aircraft were spotted flying near Alaska. Another buzzed a Navy reconnaissance plane last month above the Mediterranean Sea.
Vice Adm. Lisa Franchetti, commander of 6th Fleet, said in a statement, “In these challenging times, it is more important than ever that we maintain our steady drumbeat of operations across the European theater. “We remain committed to promoting regional security and stability, while building trust and reinforcing a foundation of Arctic readiness,” she added.
The Russian Ministry of Defense was notified Friday that the Navy would have ships in the Barents Sea. The notification was made to “avoid misperceptions, reduce risk and prevent inadvertent escalation,” according to the Navy.
Navy leaders in Europe have warned that a surge in Russian submarine activity is posing new challenges for NATO allies. The Russian subs are deploying with more lethal weapons systems and staying out for longer periods, Vice Adm. Andrew “Woody” Lewis, commander of 2nd Fleet, said earlier this year. The Navy has been sending more vessels above the Arctic Circle in recent years. Franchetti called the environment “unforgiving.”
“Our ships must be prepared to operate across all mission sets,” she said. “… This is especially critical in the Arctic, where the austere weather environment demands constant vigilance and practice.”
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Public Mostly Believes Tara Reade Biden Accusations
A new poll finds that voters are split on who to believe; Tara Reade, who says that former Vice President Joe Biden sexually assaulted her in 1993. Or Joe Biden, who denies the allegations as you’d expect. The public is divided, but more believe it than don’t, in every important category.
Biden has support among many top Democrats who have rallied to his defense.
The latest survey from Monmouth University Poll finds that 37% of respondents say the allegations are probably true, against 32% who say the allegations are probably not true and 31% who have no opinion. That’s a big number of undecideds that the Trump Campaign can exploit as the election grows closer. Among voters who say the allegations are probably not true, 79% support Biden, compared to 14% who support President Trump. Among those who believe Reade, 59% support Trump and 32% support Biden. Those who have not formed an opinion on the allegations are split, with 45% supporting Trump and 43% Biden.
A majority of Democrats surveyed, 55%, say the allegations are probably not true, compared to 20% who say the allegations are probably true. Fifty percent of Republicans in the poll say the allegations are probably true, against 17% who do not believe Reade. Among independents, 43% said they think the claims are true and 22% said they think they’re not true.
Men are more likely than women to believe the allegations. 39% of men said they think it’s true, against 29% who said they do not. Among women, 35% said they believe the allegations are true and 34% said they did not think so. Most voters have heard about the allegations. 86% say they’ve heard about them.
The Monmouth University survey of 739 registered voters was conducted between April 30 and May 4 and has a 3.6 percentage-point margin of error.
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Wind is the Key, according to Wind Companies
According to a statement released by Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) the wind sector is a key building block for economic recovery from the impact of COVID-19, which will enable governments to renew critical infrastructure for a sustainable future.
The statement which has been signed by major wind industry corporates and associations across the world highlighting wind power’s role in the global economic recovery following the COVID-19 crisis, and laying out the key policy actions that must be taken in order to realize a sustainable economic recovery.
Ben Backwell, CEO at GWEC said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has had unprecedented social and economic impact around the world, and how we recover from the crisis depends on the actions that we all take over the coming months. We have the opportunity here to ‘re-build back better’, help kick-start sustainable economic recovery, and build the energy infrastructure of the future.”
He added: “Young people in particular, will bear the financial, social, health and environmental costs of the stimulus plans now being designed, and carry the debt associated with this spending, so we must make sure they are able to benefit from today’s decisions.
“At the same time, governments should establish a principle of ‘no harm’ for economic stimulus spending and ensure that this doesn’t go to reviving fossil fuel industries, which need to be phased out to achieve the energy transition and head off the threat of dangerous and irreversible climate change.”
Giles Dickson, CEO at WindEurope, added: “The long-term impact of COVID-19 depends on the political action we take now. In Europe, the Green Deal offers the route to economic recovery. Jobs, growth and sustainability – a clear vision for all countries to pursue. Governments should align their recovery packages with climate goals and invest in the job-creating potential of onshore and offshore wind. Their economies will bounce back stronger and more resilient.”
CVS Health Corp (NYSE: CVS) Earnings
CVS Health Corp.’s first-quarter profit spiked 41 percent from a year ago as same-store sales surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the stock didn’t benefit much. It opened $2.23 higher, but ended the day down $0.80
The pharmacy health care posted an EPS of $1.53 a share, with revenue increasing 8.3% to $66.8 billion. Adjusted earnings were $1.91 per share, easily beating the $1.63 that analysts expected. Total sales at stores open at least a year rose 9 percent while pharmacy revenue jumped 9.3 percent and “front store sales” climbed 8 percent.
“We have a presence in communities across the country and interact with one in three Americans every year,” CVS Health CEO Larry Merlo said in a statement. “We have a leading consumer brand with a diversified portfolio of essential health care businesses.”
COVID-19, which has infected 1.2 million Americans, caused customers to stock up on 90-day prescriptions and refill their medications in preparation for “stay-at-home” orders. As a result, the number of prescriptions filled rose 8.2 percent from the year prior, but those are looked at as sales borrowed from the future which is one of the reasons the stock declined. The same is true of the front store sales growth.
The company held its full-year 2020 earnings target at $7.04 to $7.17 despite uncertainty about how the coronavirus will affect its business.
Bear on the Run in Italy
Meet Papillon, a rambunctious 3-year-old brown bear who has finally been recaptured. This very cunning fellow managed to escape captivity in Northern Italy about nine months ago. And he’s been seen wreaking havoc ever since! According to sources, Papillon scaled a 13ft, 7,000-volt electric fence and has been enjoying his freedom ever since.
Papillon left a slightly unimpressive wake of terror along his journey. Damaging beehives and attempting to chase a herd of cows only to be run off by the attending sheep dog. However, he did succeed in scaring the crap out of two shepherds as he shook their caravan in an attempt to empty a garbage bin close by.
When Papillon was finally nabbed by the fuzz he was 220 miles from home! But before anyone was able to capture him, he was spotted crossing a major highway followed by a 350-mile stroll around Lake Garda. Somewhere along his extraordinary journey he went into hibernation before he finished his reign of terror when he was seen rolling around in some deep snow like a big puppy.
The funny part of this whole wild bear chase is, prior to his escape, Papillon was part of a program to help reintroduce bears into the Italian Alps in an attempt to bump up their population numbers. He was freed once before but took a liking to the taste of donkeys and sheep, so they had to bring him back to his captive grounds. He obviously wasn’t too fond of being incarcerated again so he took matters into his own paws.
Animal rights activists are rooting for Papillons’ freedom once again, declaring he was never a true threat to any humans. He was just trying to do what all bears do…survive.