| 'I have a PhD': The spotlight is now on Peter Navarro's role in White House coronavirus response Posted: 06 Apr 2020 12:15 PM PDT  Peter Navarro has a Harvard degree, and he isn't shy about letting it be known. "You can always tell a Harvard man, but you can't tell him much," Navarro joked after President Trump introduced him last week as director of supply-chain issues related to the coronavirus pandemic.
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| 'Who gets the kids?' I took an oath to serve my patients. My family didn't, but we're all in this together. Posted: 06 Apr 2020 05:52 AM PDT  A doctor treating COVID-19 patients sits down with her husband to make a will.
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| Mideastern burial traditions clash with fears of contagion Posted: 06 Apr 2020 11:05 PM PDT  Mohammed al-Dulfi's 67-year-old father died on March 21 after a brief struggle against the new coronavirus, but it would take nine days for his body to find a final resting place in the Shiite holy city of Najaf in southern Iraq. On two occasions, the family rejected remote burial plots proposed by the government outside Baghdad for him and seven other coronavirus victims, al-Dulfi said. A fight broke out between the families and the Health Ministry's team.
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| Pompeo says Afghanistan peace progress made since his March 23 Kabul visit Posted: 07 Apr 2020 09:04 AM PDT  U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday said a U.S.-led Afghanistan peacemaking drive has seen progress since he visited Kabul last month to persuade the Afghan president and his main political foe to end their leadership feud. "We've made some progress, but we see them posturing in the media, we see statements that come out," Pompeo told a State Department news conference. Pompeo paid a one-day visit to Kabul on March 23 to pressure Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and political rival Abdullah Abdullah to end a feud over a disputed September presidential election that saw them both claim victory and hold competing inaugurations.
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| U.S. reports 1,200 coronavirus deaths in one day as China lifts lockdown Posted: 07 Apr 2020 03:48 AM PDT  Nation's top infectious diseases expert said he is "cautiously optimistic" that worst projections may be avoided "if we keep our foot on the accelerator."
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| Brazil minister offends China with 'racist' virus tweet Posted: 06 Apr 2020 09:33 AM PDT  China demanded an explanation from Brazil Monday after the far-right government's education minister linked the coronavirus pandemic to the Asian country's "plan for world domination," in a tweet imitating a Chinese accent. In the latest incident to strain ties between Brasilia and Beijing, Education Minister Abraham Weintraub insinuated China was behind the global health crisis. "Geopolitically, who will come out stronger from this global crisis?" he wrote on Twitter Saturday.
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| Your Home (and Mind) Needs One of These High-Design Mobiles Posted: 07 Apr 2020 12:28 PM PDT |
| Spain’s New Virus Infections Fall as Austria Eases Lockdown Posted: 06 Apr 2020 04:20 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Spain reported the lowest number of new coronavirus cases in more than two weeks and German infections were the fewest in six days, tentative signs that the spread of the deadly disease is slowing in Europe's worst-hit countries.The most recent figures from Spain, Italy, Germany and France suggest containment measures that have idled millions of workers are having an effect. While most leaders pleaded for patience, Austria became the first country in Europe to ease restrictions and Denmark may follow later.After weeks of measures designed to limit contact between people, European governments are seeing growing evidence that shutting down much of the economy is containing the disease. Italy, Spain, France and the U.K. have suffered the most deaths worldwide, accounting for nearly 60% of all fatalities.New infections in Spain were 4,273, the lowest since March 22, according to Health Ministry data on Monday. The death toll in Europe's biggest outbreak rose by 637, the lowest number of daily fatalities since March 24.German infections rose by 4,031 to surpass 100,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. With 140 fatalities, it was the lowest daily increase in nearly a week. The coming days will show if the trend holds. New cases and deaths in Germany have consistently dropped over weekends as regional health authorities have been slower to report figures.Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff said it's critical to reduce the number of infections before taking decisions on easing social-distancing rules. The concern is that patients require ventilation for a longer period of time than initially anticipated "because more and more older people get infected," Helge Braun told Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung on Sunday.Reports on Covid-19 related outbreaks in nursing homes and hospitals are increasing, and the number of deaths is relatively high in some of these outbreaks, Germany's health authority said. Europe's largest economy continues to have the third-highest number of confirmed cases in Europe.Spain and Italy -- the epicenters of the pandemic in region -- have the highest death tolls worldwide. That means officials have to weigh any attempts to restart parts of the economy against the risk of reigniting the outbreak.In Spain, public opinion of the government's management of the crisis has consistently deteriorated. Just 27.7% of voters approve of the efforts by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's administration, compared with 35.1% three weeks ago, according to a GAD3 poll published Monday by Spanish newspaper ABC."It's the lockdown measures that are helping us," Silvio Brusaferro, head of Italy's public health institute, said in Rome on Sunday. Rules designed to limit contact between people have led to a "significant slowdown in the spread," he said.Italy reported 525 new deaths on Sunday, the lowest daily number in more than two weeks, and new confirmed cases also declined. France reported an additional 518 deaths, the fewest since last Tuesday.Crisis ExitIn Austria, small retailers, hardware stores and gardening shops will reopen next week after national lockdown measures succeeded in slowing the spread. The number of active coronavirus patients has declined, with recoveries outnumbering new positive tests for three consecutive days.Despite easing restrictions, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called on Austrians to sacrifice traditional Easter holiday celebrations with friends and family this weekend and stick to social-distancing rules at least until the end of April. Should Covid-19's spread be contained, more shops could reopen in May and schools in mid-May."We have reacted faster and more restrictive than other countries," Kurz said in Vienna. "We'll also get out of the crisis faster if everybody continues to stick to the measures."Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen may also announce initial steps toward a return to normal life as early as Monday. Still, she's made clear that any slight uptick in the number of cases would be followed by an instant return to tight restrictions.Italy is heading into its fifth week under lockdown, and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that he can't say when it will be lifted.He is expected to announce revised rules and timelines by the end of next week, Il Messaggero newspaper reported. Italy's measures have been extended through at least April 13, and Spain's will now be in force at least until April 25.Italy's new confirmed cases totaled 4,316 on Sunday, lower than the day before. Total infections rose to 128,948 cases, slightly fewer than Spain.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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| Iran supreme leader approves withdrawal of 1 billion euros from sovereign wealth fund to fight coronavirus Posted: 07 Apr 2020 07:28 AM PDT  Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has approved the withdrawal of 1 billion euros from the country's sovereign wealth fund to help fight the coronavirus epidemic, President Hassan Rouhani's official website said on Monday.
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| Her granddaughter was sick, so Dr. Birx stayed home: 'You can’t take that kind of risk' around the president Posted: 06 Apr 2020 05:22 PM PDT  Dr. Deborah Birx, one of the two leading medical experts on the White House coronavirus task force, said Monday that out of deference to social-distancing rules she had stayed away from her daughter's house — even though her 10-month-old granddaughter had registered a fever of 105 degrees over the
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| As New York Posts Highest One-Day Death Toll, Cuomo Says No Victim Died ‘Because We Couldn’t Provide Care’ Posted: 07 Apr 2020 10:30 AM PDT  New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that no victim of the coronavirus has died because the state could not provide health care for them, even as New York posted its highest number of deaths in one day."You can't save everyone. This virus is very good at what it does, and it kills vulnerable people," Cuomo said at his daily briefing providing updates on the outbreak. "The question is, are you saving everyone you can save? And there the answer is yes, and I take some solace in that fact.""Our health care system is operating. I don't believe we've lost a single person because we couldn't provide care," the Democratic governor continued. "People we lost we couldn't save despite our best efforts."A record 731 New Yorkers died between Monday and Tuesday, Cuomo reported. He cautioned that the death rate is a "lagging indicator," meaning that those who died are often sick for weeks before they pass. More than 138,000 people in the state have been infected with the respiratory illness, with 8,157 new positive cases on Tuesday, the lowest rate in a week. The number of patients being hospitalized and moved to intensive care has dropped as well.The governor warned Thursday that New York state only had enough ventilators for six days and was considering how to increase the supply. The state released 400 ventilators to New York City a day earlier. Cuomo has worked to get as many ventilators as possible to the city, which has emerged as the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak with nearly half the total deaths in the country. On Friday, the governor issued an executive order allowing the state to take ventilators and personal protective equipment from hospitals and transfer them to places that need them.New York has also received medical equipment from other states and countries, including Oregon and China, where the coronavirus outbreak originated.
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| US sees coronavirus window to push Taiwan's global status Posted: 05 Apr 2020 09:32 PM PDT  The Trump administration is seizing the opportunity of the coronavirus pandemic to push a cause that has long been an irritant in U.S. relations with China: Taiwan. The virus has added yet another dimension to U.S.-China tensions that were already wracked by a trade war and heated discussions over intellectual property, human rights and Chinese policies in Hong Kong and the South China Sea. As the pandemic has grown, U.S. officials and lawmakers have stepped up alternately bashing China for a lack of transparency over the outbreak and praising Taiwan for its response to the outbreak.
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| Supreme Court won't hear Catholic Church challenge to ban on religious advertising Posted: 06 Apr 2020 09:40 AM PDT  The case would have been the latest example of religious freedom appeals to be heard by the conservative-leaning court.
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| Dr. Fauci says America getting back to normal and where it was before the coronavirus crisis 'might not ever happen' without a vaccine Posted: 06 Apr 2020 05:05 PM PDT  "If you want to get back to pre-coronavirus, that might not ever happen in the sense that the threat is there," Fauci said.
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| Scammers try selling world's tallest statue as pandemic boosts India's cyber crime Posted: 06 Apr 2020 10:46 PM PDT  Police in India lodged a case this week against an unknown online fraudster who tried selling the world's largest statue for $4 billion, claiming the proceeds would be used to help the Gujarat state government fund its fight against the coronavirus. With scams ranging from free mobile recharges, to offers of free Netflix subscriptions, federal home ministry officials say there has been 86% percent rise in cyber crime in the past four weeks. Police and internal security officials said scammers have created fake versions of the flagship 'PM CARES Fund' payments interface that look deceptively similar to the original and many Indians and Non-Residents Indians (NRIs) have fallen prey.
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| Coronavirus wreaks havoc in African American neighbourhoods Posted: 07 Apr 2020 02:32 PM PDT  Black Chicagoans account for 70% of coronavirus deaths, despite making up 30% of the population.
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| 86-year-old and three sons die after contracting COVID-19 Posted: 07 Apr 2020 04:19 PM PDT  The mother and three sons all died within days of each other, the New Orleans Coroner's Office confirmed.
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| Trump just ousted the inspector general overseeing coronavirus relief spending Posted: 07 Apr 2020 10:05 AM PDT  President Trump has removed the inspector general tasked with overseeing how the federal government's coronavirus relief package is spent.After Trump signed $2.2 trillion in federal spending, a panel of inspectors general from across Cabinet departments were tasked with ensuring it was distributed and spent as intended. The panel chose Defense Department Inspector General Glenn Fine as its chair, but Trump ousted him from the department on Monday, thus removing him from the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee.News of Fine's ouster started circulating Tuesday, and a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed he was removed both from office and the committee to Politico. Michael Bromwich, a Justice Department inspector general under former President Bill Clinton, declared it "the latest step in the president's wholesale assault on the inspector general community" in a tweet.> 2/2 Glenn Fine was selected by his peers to chair the panel of IGs responsible for overseeing all aspects pandemic response spending. His 25-years experience in the IG community and his reputation for independence and integrity clearly posed a clear and present danger.> > — Michael R. Bromwich (@mrbromwich) April 7, 2020Trump has since designated EPA Inspector General Sean O'Donnell as the Pentagon's temporary IG and head of the accountability committee, and nominated Jason Abend, a senior policy adviser at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, to fill Fine's role. The panel of inspectors general will be able to select a new chair to oversee the massive spending bill soon.More stories from theweek.com What America needs to do before lockdown can end Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey pledges $1 billion to coronavirus relief Is Trump's 'campaign of retaliation' about to get worse?
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| Asia virus latest: Wuhan travel ban lifted, Japan under state of emergency Posted: 07 Apr 2020 12:16 PM PDT  Here are the latest developments in Asia related to the coronavirus pandemic:
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| McGrath outpaces McConnell in fundraising for Kentucky race Posted: 07 Apr 2020 06:27 AM PDT  Democrat Amy McGrath raised substantially more campaign cash than Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in the first three months of 2020, showing her staying power against the Republican lawmaker in setting a blistering fundraising pace in Kentucky. Hours after McConnell's campaign reported raising nearly $7.5 million in the quarter, McGrath upped the ante.
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| The Vatican Welcomes Back Cardinal Pell After Stunning Sex Abuse Reversal in Australia Posted: 07 Apr 2020 05:04 AM PDT  ROME—About an hour after Cardinal George Pell was discharged from Melbourne's Barwon Prison on Tuesday, a courier left a case of wine at the monastery where he would spend his first night as a free man. The wine was not the kind used in Catholic mass. It was the kind for toasting victories: Pells' clerical sex abuse conviction had just been overturned by Australia's highest court. It's not clear who ordered the wine, but for sure not everyone is celebrating the decision. The reversal of the conviction—which had been upheld by an appellate court in Melbourne last year—has deeply divided the Catholic Church around the world. Many Vatican insiders who felt Pell was a scapegoat convicted for the sins of many others will now feel vindicated, while survivors of clerical sexual abuse feel as if they have been victimized all over again.Pope Francis earlier said he would refrain from commenting until all the Australian court processes played out. But at his televised mass Tuesday morning, he seemed to send a subtle message of support for Pell. "I want to pray today for all those who suffer unjust sentences," Francis said. "In these days of Lent, we've been witnessing the persecution that Jesus underwent and how he was judged ferociously, even though he was innocent. Let us pray together today for all those persons who suffer due to an unjust sentence because of someone who had it in for them."Convicted Cardinal Pell's Second Secret Sex Abuse Trial Is Called OffThe Vatican issued a statement on Tuesday in Rome in which they "expressed confidence in the Australian judicial authority" and "welcome the High Court's unanimous decision concerning Cardinal George Pell, acquitting him of the accusations of abuse of minors and overturning his sentence." The statement goes on to say that Pell has "always maintained his innocence, and has waited for the truth to be ascertained" but that "the Holy See reaffirms its commitment to preventing and pursuing all cases of abuse against minors."Pell, formerly the Vatican's finance czar, had served more than a year of his six year prison sentence after he was convicted two years ago of assaulting two 13-year-old choirboys in Melbourne's St. Patrick's cathedral in the '90s. One of the victims testified that Pell had exposed himself and touched the boy inappropriately. The other alleged victim had taken his own life years ago, but his family spoke on his behalf, recounting the spiral of substance abuse and personal strife experienced by so many victims of clerical sex abuse. The seven-judge panel presiding over an empty courtroom, which was cleared due to the coronavirus pandemic, read its ruling on line: "The jury, acting rationally on the whole of the evidence, ought to have entertained a doubt as to the applicant's guilt with respect to each of the offenses for which he was convicted."The cardinal issued a statement of his own, in which he said he had suffered a "serious injustice" that the high court now "remedied." He added that he held "no ill will to my accuser," who had testified in his trial. "I do not want my acquittal to add to the hurt and bitterness so many feel," he said. "There is certainly hurt and bitterness enough."Lisa Flynn, who represents the father of Pell's alleged victim who took his life by suicide, said her client has lost faith in Australian justice because of the ruling. "Our client is currently in shock," Flynn said in a statement to The Daily Beast. "He is furious the man he believes is responsible for sexually abusing his son was convicted by a unanimous jury only to have that decision overturned today, allowing George Pell to walk free from jail."Flynn added that her client is "heartbroken" for the surviving victim who came forward to testify. "Our client says he is heartbroken for the surviving victim who stuck his neck out by coming forward to tell his story but was ultimately let down by a legal process that forced him to re-live his pain and trauma for no benefit," she said. "Our client says this man, who the jury believed, is an upstanding citizen who had nothing to gain from speaking out other than to protect other children from the pain and suffering he has to live with on a daily basis.""This is not the message we need to be sending to vulnerable survivors of sexual abuse," said Flynn. "It suggests that even if survivors of child sexual abuse report their abuse, convince police to lay charges, convince the prosecution to pursue those charges, convince a jury to convict the accused, convince a Court of Appeal to uphold the jury's decision, they can still be denied justice by the country's highest court."Pell has expressed a desire to stay in his native Australia, but he might also be welcomed back in Rome, where he could live more anonymously inside the walls of Vatican City. He has become a divisive figure in Australia and might face a constant barrage of criticism and protest should he stay. He is also facing civil suits from the victims, which he does not have to stay in Australia to fight. Because he was never stripped of any clerical status, he will be eligible to vote in a conclave to elect the next pope should it happen before he turns 80 in 2021. Pell's new status is devastating for victims who may now choose to stay silent. "Do not let this decision stop you from speaking your truth," Flynn wrote in her statement. "Instead, use today's decision to free George Pell to ignite your fire and take on your abuser."Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| The Bureau of Prisons just bought $60,000 worth of hydroxychloroquine, the unproved coronavirus treatment touted by Trump Posted: 07 Apr 2020 09:13 AM PDT  The novel coronavirus has been spreading rapidly throughout federal prisons, and the BOP reported Monday that eight inmates have died so far.
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| Defense secretary reportedly told Navy chief to apologize for bashing fired captain to crew of aircraft carrier Posted: 07 Apr 2020 09:19 AM PDT  The acting secretary did an about-face Monday night, apologizing for his remarks after saying hours earlier that he stood by "every word" he said.
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| Which countries have flattened the curve? Posted: 06 Apr 2020 12:01 AM PDT  The U.S. has been in social-distancing mode for about three weeks — it also has the most coronavirus cases in the world.
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| Coronavirus: Japan to declare emergency as Tokyo cases soar Posted: 06 Apr 2020 04:54 AM PDT  The measures aim to avert a major outbreak in its major cities but fall short of a lockdown.
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| Pompeo to Afghan leaders: Make a deal with the Taliban or risk full U.S. troop pullout Posted: 07 Apr 2020 04:00 AM PDT  The stern message, delivered two weeks ago, underscores Trump's concern that the absence of a unified government in Kabul threatens to unravel his tenuous Taliban peace deal.
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| U.S. Supreme Court sides with GOP on Wisconsin election, apparently rewrites state election law Posted: 06 Apr 2020 11:12 PM PDT  Wisconsin's local elections and presidential primaries will likely proceed on Tuesday after the conservative majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down an executive order Monday from Gov. Tony Evers (D) to delay the election to June 9 due to the coronavirus outbreak. There are open questions about how many polling places will be open and how many people will be able to vote by absentee ballot. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Monday night that Wisconsin voters must hand-deliver their absentee ballots by Tuesday evening or have them postmarked April 7, overruling a lower court that had extended absentee voting for six days.The U.S. Supreme Court, like the state court, split along ideological lines, siding with the state and national Republican Party. In the dissent for the four liberals on the court, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg warned of "massive disenfranchisement" due to the conservative majority's "eleventh hour" intervention "to prevent voters who have timely requested absentee ballots from casting their votes." As of Monday, only 57 percent of the 1.3 million requested absentee ballots had been returned, The Associated Press reports, and "it's unclear how many of the outstanding 539,000 ballots will be in voters' hands by Tuesday to meet the April 7 postmark deadline."The court conservatives said Ginsberg's "entirely misplaced" dissent "completely overlooks" that the court is allowing the absentee ballots to be received by April 13, so long as they are postmarked April 7. But that changes Wisconsin election law, says Matthew DeFour, state politics editor for the Wisconsin State Journal.> There is no postmark requirement in state law. The lower court judge changed the date, but did not add a postmark. The U.S. Supreme Court has just written a new election law in Wisconsin.> > — Matthew DeFour (@WSJMattD4) April 6, 2020The state Supreme Court — one of whose 5 conservative members recused himself because he's on Tuesday's ballot — said Evers lacked the authority to change the election date. Evers had called the GOP-controlled legislature into special session over the weekend to shift the date or switch to all-mail-in-ballots, like Ohio did, but the Republican leaders gaveled in and out of season without taking any action, NPR News reports. Thousands of poll workers have refused to participate in the election over COVID-19 fears; heavily Democratic Milwaukee, for example, will have just five polling sites, not its planned 180. The National Guard has been asked to help.More stories from theweek.com What America needs to do before lockdown can end Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey pledges $1 billion to coronavirus relief Is Trump's 'campaign of retaliation' about to get worse?
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| 3rd Guatemalan tests positive for virus after US deportation Posted: 07 Apr 2020 12:05 PM PDT  Guatemala said Tuesday that a third deportee has tested positive for the coronavirus after being flown home by the United States. The report came a day after authorities announced they were suspending deportation flights from the U.S. over concerns about spreading the virus. The Health Ministry said the latest positive case was a 37-year-old man who was deported March 26 from Mesa, Arizona, and had been in quarantine since his return.
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| Why Army Helicopters Are Launching From a Navy Ship Posted: 07 Apr 2020 10:50 AM PDT  The USS Puller is acting as a floating base for Army attack helicopters.
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| How the Coronavirus Death Toll Compares to Other Deadly Events From American History Posted: 06 Apr 2020 04:43 PM PDT  Some projections estimate that more American lives could be lost to COVID-19 than to World War I
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| Congo mine gun attack kills three Chinese nationals: Xinhua Posted: 07 Apr 2020 07:24 AM PDT  A gun attack in a mining area in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed three Chinese nationals, China's official Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Chinese embassy in the mineral-rich central African country.
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| Boris Johnson's government reportedly believes the coronavirus may have accidentally leaked from a Chinese laboratory Posted: 06 Apr 2020 04:50 AM PDT  "Perhaps it is no coincidence that there is that laboratory in Wuhan," one UK government official told the Mail on Sunday.
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| Coronavirus: Why China's claims of success raise eyebrows Posted: 07 Apr 2020 04:05 AM PDT  China has claimed its first day without a virus death, but faces lingering scepticism over its data.
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| Spain's coronavirus death rate quickens again Posted: 07 Apr 2020 02:43 AM PDT  Spain's daily toll of coronavirus deaths rose on Tuesday for the first time in five days, with 743 people succumbing overnight compared with 637 in the previous 24 hours, but there was still hope the national lockdown might be eased soon. As officials worked on a plan to lift some of the social and economic restrictions imposed to halt the virus' spread, the Spanish unit of Germany's Volkswagen said it may partially reopen a plant in the Navarra region on April 20. Health Minister Salvador Illa said 60,000 randomly chosen people would be tested over three weeks to gauge the spread of the virus.
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| Schiff says acting DNI Grenell improperly overhauling intel community Posted: 07 Apr 2020 11:40 AM PDT  Schiff said every Senate-appointed official in the DNI's hierarchy had been removed.
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| Coronavirus is disproportionately killing black Americans Posted: 07 Apr 2020 07:37 AM PDT  Celebrities may be calling COVID-19 a "great equalizer," but statistics from across the U.S. show that's far from the truth. Coronavirus case numbers and death tolls have revealed the virus is disproportionately affecting black Americans in many parts of the country — though statistics from some of the hardest hit areas haven't been revealed yet, The New York Times reports.Black Americans make up just about a third of Louisiana's population. But according to numbers released Monday by the state government, more than 70 percent of those who've died of COVID-19 were black. Chicago is less than a third black, but 72 percent of those who've died of the new coronavirus were black. And while the county around Milwaukee is about 27 percent black, around twice as many black residents tested positive for COVID-19 as white residents.There's not enough data to fully explain the overwhelmingly disproportionate numbers, experts tell the Times. But the fact that black Americans are less likely than white Americans to be insured, suffer racial bias in medical testing and treatment, and more often have jobs that haven't let them stay home during the pandemic all certainly contribute.California, New Jersey, New York and Washington are among the states COVID-19 has hit the hardest, but they haven't yet released statewide information about the race of patients, the Times notes. Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), have demanded the federal government track and release this data.More stories from theweek.com What America needs to do before lockdown can end Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey pledges $1 billion to coronavirus relief Is Trump's 'campaign of retaliation' about to get worse?
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| Israeli security agency says it arrested alleged Iran spy Posted: 07 Apr 2020 08:49 AM PDT |
| Wisconsin Voters Defy Stay-at-Home Orders With Polls Open Posted: 07 Apr 2020 04:22 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Wisconsin voters defied stay-at-home orders and waited for hours to cast ballots in the first state to hold an in-person election since the coronavirus pandemic shut down most public spaces.Although at least a dozen states have delayed primaries or switched to vote-by-mail since the outbreak, similar attempts by Wisconsin's Democratic governor, Tony Evers, were stymied by Republican opposition and rulings from the conservative majorities on the state and U.S. Supreme Courts.Democratic front-runner Joe Biden and rival Bernie Sanders were at the top of the ticket with 87 delegates at stake in the presidential primary fight. Biden, who has a near-insurmountable lead over Sanders, is expected to win the state handily.But there were state and local offices on the ballot, which may have triggered the unusual insistence by the state GOP leaders to proceed with the voting on Tuesday.Democrats have accused the state's Republicans of political motives in refusing to delay the vote, saying that lower turnout caused by the pandemic would help ensure that a Republican incumbent candidate for the state Supreme Court, Daniel Kelly, would be re-elected to a 10-year term, cementing his party's 5-2 majority.But Republicans countered that voting rules shouldn't be changed so soon before an election and called attempts to loosen them by the governor and a federal judge a constitutional overreach.Candidates Weigh InThe state court race bled over into the presidential race, with Biden endorsing Kelly's challenger, Jill Karofsky. President Donald Trump urged voters to "get out and vote" for Kelly, whom he said would defend gun rights."Wisconsin, get out and vote NOW for Justice Daniel Kelly. Protect your 2nd Amendment!" he tweeted.Trump said Tuesday that Democrats' push to delay the Wisconsin election was politically motivated and came only after he endorsed Kelly."As soon as I endorsed him, the Wisconsin Democrats say 'oh, let's move the election to two months later,'" he told reporters at a White House briefing. "It was 15 minutes after I put out an endorsement that they said we have to move the election. They didn't want to move the election before that."The election led to renewed calls among congressional Democrats for national legislation to address the pandemic's effects on voting. It's likely that there will be court challenges to the results, which in a twist, won't be announced until Monday."An election that forces voters to choose between protecting their health and casting their ballot is not a free and fair election," said Representative Zoe Lofgren of California, who chairs the Committee on House Administration.Sanders called for delaying the vote last week, saying "people should not be forced to put their lives on the line to vote."Biden, however, has argued that voting in the primary would be safe, even though he has said that the Democratic National Convention slated for this summer in Milwaukee might have to be held virtually."A convention having tens of thousands of people in one arena is very different than having people walk into a polling booth with accurate spacing with six to 10 feet apart, one at a time going in, and having the machines scrubbed down," he said.Court ChallengesThe battle over how to hold the primary continued right up to Monday, when the state Supreme Court blocked Evers from postponing the election by executive order and the U.S. Supreme Court threw out a lower court's ruling that would have extended absentee voting by a week.The nation's highest court divided along ideological lines, with the five Republican appointees in the majority. In an unsigned opinion, they said the district judge's order would "fundamentally alter the nature of the election by allowing voting for six additional days after the election." The court's four Democratic appointees dissented, saying the rights of tens of thousands of people would be affected.Voting rights experts agreed, saying the changes effectively disenfranchised thousands of voters who didn't want to risk contagion at polling places and sought absentee ballots after Evers ordered Wisconsinites to stay at home in a state that had 2,440 cases and 84 deaths as of Monday."It's a colossal failure," said Wendy Weiser, vice president for democracy at the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University Law School.No 'I Voted' StickersWith many poll workers choosing to stay home, some towns and cities in Wisconsin drastically cut the number of polling places, while Evers called out the National Guard to help balloting. Each voter received his or her own pen to mark ballots and "I voted" stickers were eliminated.Milwaukee had five polling places open instead of more than 180 that are normally open.Patrick S. Tomlinson, a science fiction author who lives in Milwaukee, spotted a long line at the Riverside University High School polling station in Milwaukee Tuesday morning. He said it took 10 minutes to walk from the front to the end of the line, in part because voters were keeping the recommended six feet apart from one another."It was massive," he said. "I've been voting in every election since moving to Milwaukee eight and a half years ago, and I've never seen anything like it."Erik Forkin, 23, a software developer in Madison, said that about half of the poll workers at his voting place in a senior center weren't wearing masks or protective gear."That seems problematic when they're dealing with hundreds of people," he said.Andrew Hitt, head of the Wisconsin Republican Party, blamed municipalities for the lines at some polling places."Cities that have long waiting times to vote could have opened a sufficient number of locations to prevent long lines," he said. "Local elected officials and election planners need to answer to their constituents as to why they've chosen not to use resources at their disposal when the vast majority of polling locations across the state are running smoothly."Milwaukee county clerk George Christenson said he was still upset that the election was being held at all, saying it was putting voters' lives at risk."This election is being conducted as safely as possible, but there is no 100% guarantee that people will not be affected or harmed health-wise," he said.(Adds Trump comments in ninth, 10th paragraphs)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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| Coronavirus Model Used by White House Changed to Reflect Decrease in Projected Fatalities Posted: 06 Apr 2020 07:27 AM PDT  A coronavirus projection used by the White House to warn that the country could face between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths in a "best case scenario" has dramatically reduced its estimates, cutting the number of hospital beds needed by 58 percent and the death forecast by 12 percent.The IHME model, produced by the University of Washington, updated its numbers overnight to show that projected deaths decreased from 93,531 to 81,766, and the projected total bed shortage fell from 87,674 to 36,654, after projected needed hospital beds fell 45 percent from 262,000 to 141,000 and needed ICU beds decreased 26 percent from almost 39,700 to 29,200. While the model remained unchanged in estimating a peak of April 15, it also moved forward its projected date of fewer than 200 daily deaths from June 3 to May 18.A state-by-state breakdown suggested that a number of the U.S.'s hotspots were gaining ground on the virus, with death projections falling for California, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, Washington State, and others. New Jersey's projection rose dramatically from 2,100 to 9,690, while the projection for Illinois remained essentially the same.The University of Washington model, led by Professor Chris Murray, has been widely cited and circulated to illustrate the seriousness of the coronavirus outbreak. Its estimates were also used by Dr. Debbie Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, to inform her own models."If you go on [Murray's] website, you can see the concern that we had with the growing number of potential fatalities," Birx told reporters last week.The model also helped inform a projection made by Birx and Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the task for and head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, that the country would face "a best case scenario" of 100,000 to 200,000 coronavirus deaths.
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| New York Reports Largest Single-Day Death Toll From Coronavirus Posted: 07 Apr 2020 08:36 AM PDT  Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that New York has recorded the largest single-day increase in the number of deaths related to the novel coronavirus, despite indications that hospitalizations are plateauing in the state.So far, more than 5,500 people have died and 138,836 more have been infected with the virus in New York State. Over the last 24 hours alone, 731 people died, the state's highest single-day death toll since the first known infection last month, Cuomo said."Behind every one of those numbers is an individual, is a family, is a mother, is a father, is a sister, is a brother," Cuomo said during a press conference in Albany. "So a lot of pain again today for many New Yorkers."The devastating increase comes just one day after Cuomo was cautiously optimistic about New York seeing a "possible flattening of the curve" after two days in which the rate of new deaths seemed to slow. Cuomo said that despite the spike in deaths over the last day, New York is still seeing a falling rate in the number of hospitalizations and an increase in discharged patients. Cuomo Suggests 'Possible Flattening of the Curve' in New York"We are projecting that we are reaching a plateau on the number of hospitalizations," Cuomo said, stating that the number of infected patients in the ICU saw its smallest increase since the outbreak began in New York. "This virus is very good at what it does. And it kills vulnerable people. We can't stop that. The question is, 'Are you saving everyone you can save?' There the answer is yes. And I take some solace in that fact."To date, over 11,008 have died and 368,533 people have been infected with the virus nationwide, with New York accounting for about 50 percent of the total cases. Despite the increase, Cuomo reassured residents on Tuesday that "social distancing is working" after previously extending the state-wide "pause" until April 29.The projection models, he said, indicate that New York is near its apex of cases, and stressed that even if the number of cases decreases, hospitals and morgues across the state are still facing an enormous strain on their resources if residents don't do their part and stay indoors. "To the extent that we see a flattening or a possible plateau, that's because of what we are doing and we have to keep doing it," he said."Social distancing is working. That's why you see those numbers coming down."Cuomo said Tuesday that despite the ongoing situation, state officials are already starting to look at life after the pandemic, noting that in his personal opinion, "it's going to come down to how good we are with testing.""You have 19 million people in the state of New York," Cuomo said. "Just think of how many people you would need to be able to test and test quickly."The New York State Department of Health has already developed a COVID-19 antibody test, and state officials are now working with the FDA to get it approved and bring it to scale, Cuomo said.The test would allow residents who already had the virus, or are immune to it, to return back to public life. New York will work with New Jersey and Connecticut to scale the "rapid 15 minutes test" for use across the region, he said, noting that New York has tested more individuals per capita than anywhere else worldwide. "We need to start planning a restarting life. But we're not there yet," Cuomo said, noting states will need "a federal stimulus bill" to go back to normal life because "there's no other way to do this."Discussing the impact of the economic shutdown, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that initial projections suggest that half a million New Yorkers "are either already out of work or soon will be."He said it's a dire situation that is "only getting worse."'This Is a War': Cuomo Pleads for Help From Doctors Across U.S. as Coronavirus Death Toll Surges"The only comparison you could make for that is the Great Depression, which scares me to death to even say that," de Blasio said.But de Blasio did offer one piece of uplifting news as the city continues to fight the pandemic. On Tuesday, he said that doctors and nurses across the five boroughs may finally have enough supplies to combat the surge of new patients. De Blasio said Tuesday that Elmhurst Hospital Center, a 545-bed public facility in Queens that lost 13 patients within 24 hours last month, is now "pretty much breaking even" on ventilators and other supplies. This is the first time the total number of patients on ventilators at the hospital did not increase, the mayor said. The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, originally converted into a makeshift, 3,000-bed overflow hospital facility to alleviate overcrowding, will now be fully dedicated to COVID-19 patients, Cuomo said. Central Park has also been transformed into a field hospital to help house COVID-19 patients, and construction has begun on a 350-bed facility at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens for patients without the virus. The USNS Comfort—a naval ship docked in Manhattan with 1,000 beds, 12 operating rooms, a medical laboratory, and over 1,000 officers—is now also treating more than 50 coronavirus patients after initially being tasked to help relieve hospitals of residents without the virus. On Tuesday, the Navy confirmed a crew member aboard the converted super tank has tested positive for the flu-like virus and is currently in isolation. These steps, Cuomo said, have allowed hospitals across the state to unload their patient burden, share supplies, and provide a safe environment for patients who do not have the virus."This is not an act of God we're looking at. It's an act of what society actually does," Cuomo said. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Many Americans won't get coronavirus checks. Here's a look at who is ineligible. Posted: 06 Apr 2020 05:59 PM PDT  Stimulus check funding leaves out most college kids, immigrants without Social Security numbers and some disabled adults.
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| Coronavirus: Africa will not be testing ground for vaccine, says WHO Posted: 06 Apr 2020 03:52 PM PDT  Two doctors sparked outrage after suggesting a vaccine for coronavirus could be tested in Africa.
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| Saudi Arabia says it could reach 200,000 coronavirus infections Posted: 07 Apr 2020 08:07 AM PDT  The new coronavirus could eventually infect between 10,000 and 200,000 people in Saudi Arabia, the kingdom's health minister said on Tuesday, urging the public to adhere more closely to state directives against mixing and movement. The country of some 30 million has so far reported 2,795 cases and 41 deaths, the highest in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), despite halting all passenger flights, suspending most commercial activities and imposing a 24-hour curfew in major cities including the capital Riyadh. "We stand today at a decisive moment as a society in raising our sense of responsibility and contributing together with determination to stop the spread of this pandemic," Health Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah said in a rare televised address.
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| In his resignation letter, fired inspector general Michael Atkinson urged whistleblowers to 'bravely speak up' and reminded them 'there is no disgrace in doing so' Posted: 06 Apr 2020 02:34 PM PDT  Atkinson said he was "disappointed and saddened" by Trump's decision and urged whistleblowers not to "allow recent events to silence your voices."
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| Time to put China on lockdown for its dishonesty amid coronavirus crisis Posted: 06 Apr 2020 09:01 PM PDT  China's response was inept, dishonest and utterly inconsiderate of the world. We need to teach the Chinese government a lesson.
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| Bangladesh arrests fugitive killer of independence leader Posted: 07 Apr 2020 04:50 AM PDT  Police in Bangladesh arrested a fugitive killer of the country's independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on Tuesday, nearly 45 years after the brutal assassination, the country's home minister said. Abdul Majed, a former military captain, was arrested in the capital, Dhaka, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said, adding that the arrest was "the biggest gift" for Bangladesh this year. Majed had publicly announced his involvement in the assassination after the killing and had reportedly been hiding in India for many years.
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| Trump on Biden call: 'We had a really wonderful, warm conversation’ Posted: 06 Apr 2020 04:05 PM PDT  President Trump on Monday said he and former Vice President Joe Biden had a "really wonderful, warm conversation" on the phone.
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