Virus origin; Japan making a "shift away from China" policy?; Open letters

My guess for the Q1 GDP number coming out tomorrow is -8%. The real number is probably negative double digits but it would be shocking, and refreshing, if they were willing to announce such a decline. I will have an open thread tomorrow morning so we can discuss the official number then.

The hypothesis that the virus leaked from a Wuhan lab is gaining steam here in the US as there have been multiple media reports in the last week discussing the possibility, including a new one yesterday by Fox News.

It is interesting that there is new momentum for this story in the US. Perhaps the timing has to do with the broader rollout of the “blame China” reelection strategy, but I am leaning towards believing it is more than that.

President Trump’s response to a Fox News question Wednesday about the hypothesis was noteworthy:

“Well, I don’t want to say that John, but I will tell you more and more we’re hearing the story.”

Secretary of State Pompeo has also been alluding to the possibility in recent…