| In shadow of coronavirus, Congress contemplates 'one of the biggest rule changes in the last century' Posted: 26 Mar 2020 03:43 PM PDT  The pandemic has left multiple members of Congress in quarantine and led to restrictions on movement that could prevent the House from voting.
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| Pope faces coronavirus 'tempest' alone in St Peter's Square Posted: 27 Mar 2020 04:46 PM PDT  Pope Francis stood alone in vast Saint Peter's Square Friday to bless Catholics around the world suffering under the coronavirus pandemic, urging people to ease their fears through faith. In a historic first, the Argentine performed the rarely recited "Urbi et Orbi" blessing from the steps of the basilica to an empty square, addressing those in lockdown across the globe via television, radio and social media.
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| Tehran says missing former U.S. agent left Iran years ago Posted: 26 Mar 2020 01:54 AM PDT  Tehran said on Thursday that a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran 13 years ago had left the country a long time ago, despite his family saying a day earlier that he had died in Iranian custody. Robert Levinson went missing on Iran's Kish Island in the Gulf in March 2007. The case is another irritant in the already hostile relationship between Washington and Tehran.
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| U.S. Treasury imposes fresh Iran-related sanctions despite coronavirus Posted: 26 Mar 2020 04:25 PM PDT  The United States blacklisted five Iran- and Iraq-based companies and 15 individuals on Thursday for supporting terrorist groups, its third round of sanctions on Iranian targets in the last two weeks even as Tehran battles the coronavirus outbreak.
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| Coronavirus outbreak diverts Navy aircraft carrier to Guam, all 5,000 aboard to be tested Posted: 26 Mar 2020 12:31 PM PDT  The number of infected sailors has risen sharply — from initial reports of three to "dozens" as of Thursday, officials said.
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| One chart compares coronavirus cases per capita in the hardest-hit countries around the world — Switzerland, Spain, and Italy top the list Posted: 26 Mar 2020 04:50 PM PDT  Switzerland tops the list, with 1,340 coronavirus cases per million residents. The US, by contrast, has only 210 cases per million people.
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| A 90-year-old woman in Washington state recovered from the coronavirus, and she credits family, God, and potato soup Posted: 27 Mar 2020 02:38 PM PDT  Family members of 90-year-old COVID-19 patient Geneva Wood were called to the hospital to say their goodbyes. After seeing them, she recovered.
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| Trump boosts virus aid, warns governors to be 'appreciative' Posted: 27 Mar 2020 03:23 PM PDT  After days of desperate pleas from the nation's governors, President Donald Trump took a round of steps Friday to expand the federal government's role in helping produce critically needed supplies to fight the coronavirus pandemic even as he warned the leaders of hard-hit states not to cross him. "I want them to be appreciative," Trump said after the White House announced that he would be using the powers granted to him under the Korean War-era Defense Production Act to try to compel auto giant General Motors to produce ventilators.
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| Influenza-like activity soars again during historic flu season amid escalating pandemic Posted: 27 Mar 2020 10:37 AM PDT  Visits to health care providers for flu-like illnesses increased for the third straight week, jumping 13.2 percent from last week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in the United States "may affect healthcare-seeking behavior, which, in turn, would impact data" it receives from its influenza-like illness (ILI) network.A total of 6.4 percent of such visits to health care providers were for ILI activity; that number was 5.6 percent last week. The highest peak during all of last year's difficult flu season was 5.1 percent.The increase was not a surprise for experts in the field of infectious diseases."This is a significant event that may continue to cause continued challenges for influenza forecasting into the fall," Dr. Bryan Lewis, a professor at the Biocomplexity Institute, told AccuWeather. "We are already altering these methods to try and forecast COVID-19 and because it will be tracked by the ILI surveillance system, the forecasts in the coming weeks will be capturing this activity." Source: CDC This season figures to be the longest above-baseline flu season in at least 20 years of CDC records. This is the 19th straight week flu activity is above baseline normal (2.4 percent).Flu-like activity has had a longer stretch only once since 1999-2000, according to CDC records, and this season's third spike is expected to continue upward, according to researchers. Last year's above-baseline activity went for 20 weeks; in 2014-15, a stretch lasted 19 weeks also.CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APPU.S. confirmed cases of COVID-19 have increased almost 80 percent in 10 days, going from 52,000-plus on March 17 to roughly 93,000 as of Friday March 27. The virus has now spread to 176 countries or regions with more than 566,000 confirmed cases and at least 25,000-plus deaths. More than 127,000 people have recovered from coronavirus cases, according to data from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.Laboratory-confirmed, influenza-associated hospitalization rates for the U.S. population overall are higher than most recent seasons and rates for children 0-4 years old and adults 18-49 are the highest the CDC has on record, surpassing rates reported during the 2009 pandemic, according to the CDC. Raeanne Castillo, at right, with Roper St. Francis Healthcare gives specimen collection kits to a LabCorp employee at the hospital's North Charleston office on March 16, 2020, in North Charleston, S.C. Roper St. Francis Healthcare was providing drive-thru specimen collecting for patients suspected of having COVID-19 or flu who have already been screened by a Virtual Care provider. (AP Photo/Mic Smith) The CDC estimates there have been at least 39 million flu illnesses, 400,000 hospitalizations and 24,000 deaths from the flu during the 2019-20 season.Flu season typically begins in October, peaks between December and February and lasts well into March, although activity can last as late as May. Flu viruses are more stable in cold air and the low humidity allows the virus particles to remain in the air, according to Peter Palese, who was the lead author on a key flu study in 2007.Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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| Pope holds dramatic solitary service for relief from coronavirus Posted: 27 Mar 2020 11:54 AM PDT  Pope Francis said the coronavirus had put everyone "in the same boat" as he held a dramatic, solitary prayer service in St. Peter's Square on Friday, urging the world to see the crisis as a test of solidarity and a reminder of basic values. "Thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets and our cities," he said, speaking from the steps of St. Peter's Basilica into an eerily empty and rainy square before delivering an extraordinary "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) blessing - something he normally does only twice a year. The Vatican called the service "An Extraordinary Prayer in the Time of Pandemic," a sombre echo of an announcement by Italian officials minutes earlier that the coronavirus death toll in the country had surged past 9,000.
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| New Zealand Economy Facing Biggest Activity Drop Ever Seen Posted: 25 Mar 2020 09:00 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- New Zealand's economy could contract by as much as 10%, the jobless rate will jump to levels not seen in almost 30 years and prices are likely to start falling.Those are some of the dire initial estimates of economists as they try to forecast the economic impact of the coronavirus, which has forced the country into a nationwide lockdown."All forecasts are nonsensical but we think it important that folk understand the shape, if not the magnitude, of the way ahead," said Stephen Toplis, Head of Research at Bank of New Zealand in Wellington. "New Zealand will witness the biggest quarterly decline in activity ever seen. Never have we experienced a shut-down which is so widespread and so sudden."The abrupt, total cessation of tourism, New Zealand's largest source of foreign-exchange earnings, has dealt the economy a sucker punch. Weaker global demand for its food exports will also hurt. Now the nationwide lockdown, which will remain in place for at least four weeks, has brought the entire country to a virtual standstill.Toplis said he's penciled in a 5% contraction in the second quarter alone, "but it could easily be more than double" that.Infometrics chief forecaster Gareth Kiernan estimates a contraction of almost 9% over the first two quarters of 2020, while ASB Bank chief economist Nick Tuffley said he expects the economy to be around 7% smaller once it has emerged from the lockdown -- more than twice the 2.7% decline experienced during the global financial crisis.'Short, Sharp Shock'"Obviously the economy is going to contract enormously in the second quarter because of the lockdown," said Tuffley. "It's a short, sharp shock in the near-term."Unemployment is seen jumping from 4% to 8% by ASB and to more than 9% by BNZ, which would take it to the highest level since the early 1990s.Infometrics sees house prices falling by as much as 10% over the next 12 to 18 months. BNZ also expects general prices to fall, predicting the consumer price index will drop in the second quarter.Government debt is expected to balloon from 19.5% of GDP now to as much as 50%, as it borrows to fund multi-billion dollar fiscal rescue packages. To ensure there's demand for those new government bonds, and to keep interest rates low, the central bank has been forced to launch a NZ$30 billion ($17 billion) bond-purchase program.But as sudden and painful as the recession is likely to be, economists said New Zealand could be well placed to eventually stage a swift recovery, particularly if it can successfully keep the virus at bay."However horrific the number turns out to be, it should not be seen as the beginnings of a great depression," said Toplis. "At some stage in the next 12 months, we should also be celebrating the biggest quarterly bounce in activity ever."The dramatic drop in the New Zealand dollar -- it has plunged almost 14% against the greenback this year -- should aid exporters during the recovery.Kiernan said New Zealand's heavy reliance on exports to China, often seen as an Achilles Heel, may prove fortuitous as the country where the virus originated looks set to recover sooner than the rest of the world."New Zealand's position as a food exporter to China places us in good stead," he said. "If the Chinese domestic economy is functioning relatively normally, its people will still need to eat."(Adds current jobless rate in eighth paragraph)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| New York's coronavirus death toll passes 500, but Cuomo shares some 'good news' Posted: 27 Mar 2020 10:27 AM PDT  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Friday announced the state's coronavirus death toll has passed 500, but he did have a bit of good news to offer.Cuomo on Friday said 519 people have died from the COVID-19 coronavirus in New York, up from 385 fatalities reported the day before."That is going to continue to go up, and that is the worst news that I could possibly tell the people of the state of New York," the governor said.The number of coronavirus cases in New York has climbed past 40,000, by far the most in the country. Cuomo cited the number of people who were hospitalized 20 or 25 days ago and had been on a ventilator since then in explaining the rising death toll."We're seeing a significant increase in deaths because the length of time people are on the ventilator is increasing, and the more it increases, the higher the level of deaths will increase," Cuomo said. "...It's bad news, it's tragic news, it's the worst news, but it is not unexpected news, either."Cuomo did, however, offer some good news, saying that COVID-19 hospitalizations were previously doubling every two-and-a-half days in the state, but now, the number is doubling roughly every four days."It's still doubling, and that's still bad news," Cuomo said. "...But there is good news in that the rate of the increase is slowing."Cuomo on Friday also delivered an impassioned message to members of the National Guard assisting with the pandemic response, saying, "I am proud to fight this fight with you." > On Thursday, 6,481 people who have tested positive for coronavirus were hospitalized, up from 5,327 Wednesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. > "It's doubling about every four days," but the "good news" is the rate of increase is slowing, he said.https://t.co/MzTZgPVKxT pic.twitter.com/QXbndwzj4D> > -- CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) March 27, 2020More stories from theweek.com Social distancing is about to get a whole lot harder Trump has never been worse — but his approval is surging. Why? Why Minnesota's coronavirus response is different
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| Italy, Spain suffer record virus deaths as British PM tests positive Posted: 27 Mar 2020 07:07 PM PDT  Italy on Friday recorded the most daily deaths of any country since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and Spain had its deadliest day, as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson became the first major world leader to test positive. Italy reported 969 new deaths, Spain 769 and France 299 as Europe reeled from a crisis that led the United States on Friday to finalise an unprecedented $2 trillion stimulus package. In other grim milestones, AFP tallies showed more than 26,000 deaths worldwide, and a total of 300,000 cases now recorded in Europe, after the United States overtook China as the country with the most infections.
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| North Korea is secretly asking for coronavirus aid from other countries while publicly denying that it has any cases Posted: 26 Mar 2020 04:09 AM PDT  Officials in the isolated country have been privately asking other countries and aid groups for supplies like masks and test kits, reports say.
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| Trump strikes conciliatory tone with China's Xi on coronavirus call Posted: 27 Mar 2020 03:46 AM PDT  The leaders of the world's two biggest economies made a bid to dial down tensions over the pandemic in a late night call.
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| Pedestrian bridge falls onto Detroit freeway after collision Posted: 27 Mar 2020 08:34 AM PDT  A truck collided with a pedestrian bridge early Friday in Detroit, sending a portion of the span onto a freeway and blocking traffic along part of the heavily traveled thoroughfare, authorities said. No one was injured in the collapse onto westbound Interstate 94, Lt. Mike Shaw, a Michigan State Police spokesman, said in an email. The freeway in both directions was closed after the collapse, which was caused by a truck apparently carrying a large load hitting the bridge at some point after 5 a.m, said Diane Cross, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Transportation.
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| 'Like wartime' - Philippine doctors overwhelmed by coronavirus deluge Posted: 27 Mar 2020 05:52 AM PDT  Private hospitals in the Philippines capital Manila have stopped accepting coronavirus patients in the face of surging numbers of sufferers and people seeking tests, the hospitals said. The Philippines has reported relatively fewer infections than many other countries in Southeast Asia, but medical experts say a lack of testing has meant that the scale of the epidemic has gone undetected. "It's like wartime," said Eugenio Ramos, a doctor and head of The Medical City, a Manila private hospital, which was among the first to turn away coronavirus patients.
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| Fact check: Did Gates Foundation fund, does Pirbright Institute own coronavirus patent? Posted: 27 Mar 2020 12:30 PM PDT  Multiple posts on Facebook claim that Pirbright Institute, with ties to the Gates Foundation, owns the patent on the coronavirus. This is false.
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| The next financial crisis: A collapse of the mortgage system Posted: 27 Mar 2020 01:01 PM PDT  The mortgage finance system could collapse if the Fed doesn't step in with emergency loans to offset a coming wave of missed payments from borrowers crippled by the coronavirus pandemic.
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| Coronavirus: People urged not to move house Posted: 27 Mar 2020 04:46 AM PDT  Buyers and renters should delay moving while emergency measures are in place, the government says.
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| Mosques remain open in Pakistan despite virus threats Posted: 27 Mar 2020 06:59 AM PDT  The country's leading religious scholars have only advised that the old and sick avoid prayers and instructed clerics to keep sermons brief. Tiktok videos garnering hundreds of thousands of likes on social media in Pakistan have called for Muslims to attend mosques despite public health warnings. "Most of the people are terrified," said Islamabad resident Syed Ashfaq Ahmed after visiting a mosque this week.
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| China threatens to strike back after Taiwan deal Posted: 27 Mar 2020 06:37 AM PDT  China has denounced a U.S. act that increases American support for Taiwan internationally.
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| Billionaire Jeff Bezos says he spoke directly to WHO and hinted Amazon might deliver COVID-19 test kits globally Posted: 27 Mar 2020 03:32 AM PDT  Jeff Bezos suggested Amazon will start delivering COVID-19 testing kits, something it has already promised to do in the UK.
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| Pelosi says she doesn't think 'we've seen the end of direct payments,' calls for fourth coronavirus bill Posted: 26 Mar 2020 09:53 AM PDT  Pelosi said that House Democrats plan to take the lead on the fourth installment of economic and health care relief.
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| China Supplied Faulty Coronavirus Test Kits to Spain, Czech Republic Posted: 26 Mar 2020 09:23 AM PDT  The majority of rapid test coronavirus test kits supplied by China to Spain and the Czech Republic are faulty, local news outlets reported.Up to 80 percent of the 150,000 portable, quick coronavirus test kits China delivered to the Czech Republic earlier this month were faulty, according to local Czech news site Expats.cz. The tests can produce a result in 10 or 15 minutes but are usually less accurate than other tests. Because of the high error rate, the country will continue to rely on conventional laboratory tests, of which they perform about 900 a day.The country's Health Ministry paid $546,000 for 100,000 of the test kits, while the Interior Ministry paid for the other 50,000.Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Jan Hamacek downplayed the discovery that many of the tests were faulty, blaming it on a possible wrong methodology and saying the kits can still be used "when the disease has been around for some time," or when "someone returns after quarantine after fourteen days.""In my opinion, this is not about some scandalous revelation that it is not working," Hamacek said.Meanwhile, Spain, which has more than 56,000 infected people and more than 4,000 coronavirus deaths, the second-highest number of fatalities in the world after Italy, found that the rapid coronavirus test kits it purchased from Chinese company Bioeasy only correctly identified 30 percent of virus cases, according to Spanish newspaper El Pais.The director Spain's Center for Health Alerts and Emergencies, Fernando Simón, said Spain tested 9,000 of the test kits and will return them based on their high error rate.Studies performed on the tests which discovered the high error rate caused the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology to recommend officially that the tests not be used.The Chinese embassy in Spain claimed the Bioeasy products are not included in the products China has been supplying to countries where the virus has broken out.
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| Russia confirms coronavirus case in Putin's administration, tightens curbs Posted: 27 Mar 2020 02:42 AM PDT  The Kremlin confirmed a coronavirus case in President Vladimir Putin's administration on Friday and the government said measures imposed in Moscow to fight the virus should be extended across Russia. The Kremlin said it was taking measures to stop the virus spreading further after a staff member in the presidential administration contracted the virus. It said the person had not come into contact with Putin, but declined to identify them.
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| Does hand sanitizer work? Yes, but it's important to understand its limitations Posted: 27 Mar 2020 07:10 AM PDT  Don't toss your bottle of hand sanitizer just because it doesn't kill 100% of germs. Here's how sanitizer compares to soap and when best to use it.
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| A defiant Maduro threatens 'cowboy' Trump after drug charge Posted: 26 Mar 2020 09:06 PM PDT  Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro stood defiant in the face of a $15 million bounty by the U.S. to face drug trafficking charges, calling Donald Trump a "racist cowboy" and warning that he is ready to fight by whatever means necessary should the U.S. and neighboring Colombia dare to invade. Maduro's bellicose remarks Thursday night came hours after the U.S. announced sweeping indictments against the socialist leader and several members of his inner circle for allegedly converting Venezuela into a criminal enterprise at the service of drug traffickers and terrorist groups.
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| This TSA officer has coronavirus symptoms. He can't get tested Posted: 27 Mar 2020 04:19 PM PDT  TSA officer Brian Shoup's case illustrates the difficulties of the coronavirus pandemic across the country: the risk of exposure and lack of testing.
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| Biden reportedly says Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is in his 'top three' picks for VP Posted: 26 Mar 2020 02:58 PM PDT  While reportedly setting up video equipment in Delaware over four days, former Vice President Joe Biden was apparently mulling over possible running mates.Biden told former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) is one of his "top three" choices should he win the Democratic presidential nomination, Mediaite reported Thursday.Reid, who was also a longtime senator representing Nevada, is reportedly nudging Biden toward choosing Cortez Masto as his VP, and Biden's campaign apparently feels she would be a strong choice and could help expand Biden's popularity among Latinx voters. Biden publicly committed to choosing a woman as his vice president if nominated over Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), sparking endless speculation over who that woman might be. CNBC says Biden's "business allies" are hoping for Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) or Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), two former presidential candidates themselves. The Washington Post, meanwhile, said Biden's shortlist probably included Cortez Masto, but also named more well-known Democrats like former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Biden's campaign declined to dispute Mediaite's reporting, simply saying he would vigorously vet candidates.New York magazine wrote that Biden is spending his "coronavirus bunker" time "thinking a lot" about a potential VP, and taking lots of calls from supporters and Democratic strategists who are pushing Biden to pick their candidate of choice. None of those calls, however, resulted in much reported information on whether Biden had narrowed his list.Biden told The View on Tuesday his "short" list was between "12 and 15" names, but if his reported statement to Reid is to be believed, he's done a lot of whittling in the past few days. Read more at Mediaite and New York.More stories from theweek.com Social distancing is about to get a whole lot harder Trump has never been worse — but his approval is surging. Why? Why Minnesota's coronavirus response is different
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| Cruise-ship workers say they have so much sex that their ships are like college dorms Posted: 27 Mar 2020 07:37 AM PDT  Sex among cruise ship workers is pervasive, current and former cruise ship employees told Business Insider.
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| Catholics allowed to eat meat on Lenten Fridays Posted: 27 Mar 2020 09:18 AM PDT  Some bishops this year are telling parishioners that they've sacrificed enough as the coronavirus pandemic denies people of gatherings, outside entertainment and everyday conveniences.
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| Now That Canada Is Rationing Masks, Trudeau Faces Backlash for Donating Medical Supplies to China Posted: 27 Mar 2020 10:34 AM PDT  Canada's Official Opposition Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer took aim at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for shipping tons of medical supplies to China in February, calling the move "outrageous" with current concerns that Canada is running short on supplies amid its own fight against coronavirus."Drs. across the country are facing urgent shortages of critical supplies. PM must explain why he sent 50,118 face shields, 1,101 masks, 1,820 goggles, 36,425 medical coveralls, 200,000 nitrile gloves and 3,000 aprons from Canada's own gov't reserves overseas in Feb," Scheer tweeted.> Outrageous. Drs across the country are facing urgent shortages of critical supplies. PM must explain why he sent 50,118 face shields, 1,101 masks, 1,820 goggles, 36,425 medical coveralls, 200,000 nitrile gloves and 3,000 aprons from Canada's own gov't reserves overseas in Feb. https://t.co/OkXFErFw57> > -- Andrew Scheer (@AndrewScheer) March 26, 2020 Canada's Foreign Affairs department announced on February 9 that "Canada has deployed approximately 16 tonnes of personal protective equipment, such as clothing, face shields, masks, goggles and gloves" overseas to China, the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.The move came after the World Health Organization warned the international community that "further international exportation of cases may appear in any country" and that "severe coronavirus-related disruptions" would occur as a result."It was absolutely certain in early February that we would need this equipment," Amir Attaran, a professor at University of Ottawa's school of epidemiology and public health and its faculty of law, told The Globe and Mail. "This decision went beyond altruism into high negligence and incompetence because Canada did not, and does not, have surplus equipment to spare."A spokesman for Foreign Affairs explained to the paper that the decision was made "when the spread of COVID-19 was primarily limited to China," and that Canada had since "welcomed donations from Chinese companies" to boost its own stockpiles.Local European news outlets reported this week that the majority of rapid coronavirus test kits supplied by China to Spain and the Czech Republic are faulty.
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| Japan, spared mass outbreak so far, now sees 'national crisis' after Tokyo surge Posted: 25 Mar 2020 07:45 PM PDT  Japan, so far spared the mass spread of coronavirus that has hit Europe and North America, took urgent new steps on Thursday to respond to what Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described as a "national crisis" following a surge of cases in Tokyo. With 47 new cases reported in the capital, Abe banned entry from 21 European countries and Iran, and set up a new crisis task force - a preliminary step toward declaring a state of emergency, although his government said none was planned. "In order to overcome what can be described as a national crisis, it is necessary for the state, local governments, medical community, and the people to act as one and press ahead with measures against coronavirus infections," Abe said at a task force meeting.
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| U.S. warship passes through the sensitive Taiwan Strait amid heightened tensions Posted: 26 Mar 2020 06:44 AM PDT  A U.S. warship passed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, the U.S. and Taiwan militaries said, following heightened tensions between China and Taiwan that have seen Taiwanese air force jets scramble to intercept Chinese fighters.
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| The Cheesecake Factory announced it wasn't paying April rent, eliciting calls of solidarity online amid a growing strike movement Posted: 26 Mar 2020 08:50 AM PDT  In a letter to landlords, Cheesecake Factory announced it will not be paying rent for any of its 294 restaurant locations in the month of April.
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| Why the US is leading the world in confirmed coronavirus cases Posted: 27 Mar 2020 01:58 PM PDT  From the first known patient in late January to now almost 100,000 infected, the United States has earned the unwanted distinction of leading the world in confirmed coronavirus cases. Public health experts say that while we've yet to hit the peak of the US epidemic, there are several reasons why the COVID-19 disease has exploded in America. Early on in the outbreak, President Donald Trump was accused of downplaying its severity, saying that sustained community spread was not "inevitable" even after a senior health official said it was, which could have led to a sense of complacency.
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| Water shutoffs in sharp focus amid coronavirus outbreak Posted: 27 Mar 2020 11:35 AM PDT  The advice is simple and universal: Washing your hands with soap and water is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The Rev. Roslyn Bouier remembers when children began to show up at the Brightmoor Connection Food Pantry on Detroit's northwest side, clutching empty pitchers. Through the end of 2019, the city has recorded about 127,500 total service cutoffs, according to the water department, though that figure includes households where the water was turned off repeatedly.
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| Mick Mulvaney reportedly received 2 coronavirus tests, despite not showing any symptoms Posted: 25 Mar 2020 11:10 PM PDT  Mick Mulvaney, the former acting White House chief of staff, was tested twice for coronavirus despite exhibiting no symptoms, The Washington Post reports.Mulvaney was first tested in February. He was scheduled to accompany President Trump on his visit to India, but prior to leaving said he felt sick. Although the test came back negative, Mulvaney did not join Trump on the trip. He was tested again this month after his niece, who shares an apartment with him, showed COVID-19 coronavirus symptoms after visiting Mar-a-Lago and meeting members of a Brazilian delegation who later tested positive for the virus, the Post reports.During an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in late February, Mulvaney tried to downplay the seriousness of COVID-19, saying it is "not a death sentence" and was being exaggerated because the media thinks "this will bring down the president."In addition to Mulvaney, two other people close to Trump have been tested for coronavirus despite not showing any symptoms; Mark Meadows, his new acting White House chief of staff, and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). Gaetz and Meadows came into contact with a person at CPAC who was later diagnosed with COVID-19, and the White House medical office arranged their tests because of the possibility they could infect Trump, the Post says.Federal health officials have said only people who are seriously ill should receive COVID-19 tests, and because of shortages, the United States is testing at a rate of just 0.12 percent, the Post reports. People who have been exposed to COVID-19 are being told to stay at home, take their temperature twice a day, and monitor for any symptoms. Read more at The Washington Post.More stories from theweek.com Dr. Anthony Fauci answers all Trevor Noah's coronavirus questions. Joe Biden tells Jimmy Kimmel his plan. Elton John to host 'Living Room Concert for America' with stars performing from home New Oxford study suggests millions of people may have already built up coronavirus immunity
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| The UK government claims it failed to take part in an EU scheme for coronavirus ventilators because it didn't see the email asking it to take part Posted: 27 Mar 2020 07:57 AM PDT  The UK government is accused of putting "Brexit before breathing" after failing to sign up to an EU scheme for coronavirus ventilators.
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| Spain Reports 655 Deaths in Past 24 Hours, Fewer Than Wednesday Posted: 26 Mar 2020 03:41 AM PDT |
| Italy again reported the highest single-day death toll since the coronavirus outbreak began: 919 deaths. Its cases have surpassed China's. Posted: 27 Mar 2020 10:26 AM PDT  Italy's coronavirus death toll is the world's highest: More than 9,000 people have died, compared with 1,300 people in the US and 3,300 in China.
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| Coronavirus unemployment benefits. Here's who qualifies and how much they get. Posted: 27 Mar 2020 02:24 PM PDT  How long do the payments last? What if you worked part time? You got hired but couldn't start your job — are you eligible? And more.
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| Coalition Out of Crisis: Why Gantz Threw in with Netanyahu Posted: 27 Mar 2020 01:28 PM PDT  After more than a year of bitter political dispute and maneuvering, Israel is about to have a coalition government. It took three elections and an unprecedented public-health crisis to get the country to this point.Benny Gantz, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces and the leader of the opposition Blue and White Party, was faced with a choice this week. He could join Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, or he could stick to the commitment he'd made to his supporters to bring Bibi down. As the country dealt with the coronavirus pandemic, Gantz's continued refusal to join a coalition would likely have plunged it into the agony of a fourth election in less than two years. He chose to throw in with Netanyahu.The price of that decision, which Gantz described as a patriotic duty at a time of national distress, was the destruction of the Blue and White. The year-old political alliance had presented the most potent challenge to Netanyahu's grip on power in more than a decade, propelling Gantz to the brink of becoming his successor.In the new coalition, Gantz will reportedly serve as foreign minister, with Netanyahu continuing as prime minister. The agreement calls for him to switch places with Netanyahu after 18 months, ending the latter's run as the country's longest-serving prime minister. But this will not be a broad unity coalition with Netanyahu's Likud and its right-wing and religious-party allies; rather, Gantz will take only part of his faction into the new government.Gantz took his decision in the midst of a tense and complicated squabble. The Knesset that was elected earlier this month struggled to organize itself in the absence of a governing majority for either Netanyahu or Gantz. Netanyahu and his bloc had 58 seats in the 120-seat parliament, leaving him three short of the votes he needed to continue in power. Gantz had the endorsement of 61 members, but that included the 15 seats held by the Arab Joint List, an alliance of four parties comprising Islamists, Palestinian nationalists, and Communists. A number of Knesset members from the Blue and White refused to serve in a government that depended on the votes of an alliance with the declared intent of ending Israel's status as a Jewish state. Thus Gantz, too, lacked the votes to create a government.A similar impasse after the two previous elections, held in April and September 2019, had led to the March 2 general election. On both sides of the political divide, there were some who were prepared to take their chances a fourth time in order to get a decisive result. But fate in the form of the coronavirus pandemic intervened.Netanyahu, as the head of a caretaker government, embraced the crisis as only an experienced policymaker and wartime leader could. Some of his leftist critics decried the emergency measures he ordered to contain the coronavirus contagion, charging him with exploiting the crisis to bolster his political standing and to distract the country from the fact that he is still facing trial on three corruption charges. Indeed, some regarded his decision to close the courts, one result of which was to postpone the start of his trial, as an assault on democracy. But polls show that most Israelis believe he is once again demonstrating his competence in dealing with an emergency.The incumbent prime minister knew that, though his opponent couldn't form a government, Gantz did have the votes to effectively prevent Netanyahu from remaining in power. The critical factor was the position of Speaker of the Knesset, which has been held by a Netanyahu loyalist. A coalition of the Blue and White, smaller leftist parties, and the Joint List could have elected a new Speaker, and the Knesset could then have passed a law banning anyone under indictment from serving as prime minister. To members of the opposition, this was Gantz's golden opportunity to take Netanyahu down. Indeed, the Blue and White — a diverse alliance including former members of the once-dominant Labor Party, a right-wing faction led by former general and Likud defense minister Moshe Ya'alon, the left-leaning Yesh Atid Party, and Gantz's own centrist faction — was united by only one common purpose: pushing Netanyahu out the door.Though Gantz entered politics as a much-needed fresh face a year ago, after three bruising election campaigns he is now widely seen as lacking the energy and political skills that Netanyahu possesses. Moreover, Gantz had campaigned on a promise not to form a government that would be dependent on the anti-Zionists of the Joint List, and his flirtation with that alliance in the weeks since the last election had soured voters on the Blue and White. Going to a fourth election was therefore a big risk for the party, with polls suggesting not a big or even a narrow win but in fact a decisive defeat. The electorate leans right to begin with, on top of which it was most likely to want a familiar steady hand to lead the country through the pandemic crisis. Thus Gantz came to the conclusion that joining the prime minister was the only reasonable choice.But if he thought he could bring all of his party with him into Netanyahu's cabinet, he was dead wrong. Leaders of the factions within the opposition regarded Gantz's decision as a betrayal, not only of them personally but of the million Israelis who voted for them. Much of Israel's left-leaning mainstream media, especially columnists in Haaretz, the newspaper that dubs itself Israel's version of the New York Times, echoed this sentiment, lambasting Gantz for his cowardice and for just being too exhausted to carry on the fight.So what becomes of the Blue and White? Some factions will stay in the opposition, and since they will have more Knesset seats than Gantz's own faction, they will likely retain the Blue and White label. But in effect, this split spells the end of the party that had presented the most formidable challenge that Netanyahu has faced since 2009. Moreover, given that the factions disagree on most policy questions, the ability of the party, or what's left of it, to serve as an effective opposition is questionable.The exact terms of Gantz's deal with Netanyahu have yet to be formalized. Gantz signaled his deal with the prime minister by having himself elected Speaker of the Knesset with Likud support — presumably only until the final bargain is sealed. In doing so, he prevented the Blue and White from wielding any remaining leverage to block the coalition. The arrangement hinges on a rotation of the office of prime minister after 18 months and on allowing Gantz's allies to lead the ministries of defense and justice. Having one of Gantz's allies in the latter post will ensure that, once the national coronavirus lockdown has been lifted and the courts reopened, Netanyahu's trial will go forward.As things stand, it appears that Netanyahu's rule will end either with a conviction or with the prime minister's scheduled handing over of the office to Gantz — whichever comes first. Still, many in the Likud as well as Blue and White believe that if Netanyahu is acquitted, he will find a way to renege on his deal with Gantz. Indeed, it may be that Gantz suspects the same thing.Gantz has gone from the savior of Israel's left-wing opposition to its bête noire. But he understood that the political stalemate could not go on: It was preventing the country from passing a budget that was needed, most urgently, to provide relief to citizens in the face of the pandemic and to shore up the economy. Dragging out the stalemate was neither rational policy nor good politics. Deciding to end it may have cost Gantz a political future, since it's unlikely he will be able to reassemble another formidable coalition. Whether or not he really does become prime minister in September 2021, Gantz decided that destroying his party was not too high a price to pay for saving his country from further chaos in the midst of a pandemic.
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| Coronavirus could kill 81,000 in U.S., subside in June - Washington University analysis Posted: 26 Mar 2020 05:19 PM PDT  The analysis, using data from governments, hospitals and other sources, predicts that the number of U.S. deaths could vary widely, ranging from as low as around 38,000 to as high as around 162,000. The variance is due in part to disparate rates of the spread of the virus in different regions, which experts are still struggling to explain, said Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, who led the study. The duration of the virus means there may be a need for social distancing measures for longer than initially expected, although the country may eventually be able relax restrictions if it can more effectively test and quarantine the sick, Murray said.
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| Coronavirus: Man planning to bomb Missouri hospital killed, FBI says Posted: 26 Mar 2020 03:49 AM PDT  The suspect wanted to bomb a facility treating coronavirus cases to cause severe harm, the FBI says.
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