| Senators say leaders from both parties are stopping renewal of small business relief for coronavirus Posted: 16 Apr 2020 03:45 PM PDT  The $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program to aid small businesses is reportedly already used up, and leaders of both parties blame the other for holding up additional funding
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| Trump's guidelines for reopening country show it could take a while Posted: 16 Apr 2020 05:05 PM PDT  President Trump announced new federal guidelines on Thursday for the easing of social distancing orders put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus, leaving their implementation and timing up to state governors.
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| The US is 'a long way' from beating the coronavirus with herd immunity, experts say, since that would require 50% of the population being immune Posted: 16 Apr 2020 12:59 PM PDT  Herd immunity could put COVID-19 in decline if 50% of the population is immune, but only a small portion of Americans have recovered so far.
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| Sanders says Biden's sexual assault accuser 'has the right to make her claims and get a public hearing' Posted: 16 Apr 2020 07:53 AM PDT  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has responded to a sexual assault allegation against former Vice President Joe Biden.Last month, Tara Reade, a former assistant to Biden when he was in the Senate, accused Biden of sexual assault during that time. Sanders responded to them for the first time on Thursday, saying Reade "has a right to make her claims and get a public hearing."Sanders was asked about the claims in a Thursday interview with CBS This Morning, partly because Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a prominent Sanders supporter, had recently said the allegations are relevant when it comes to deciding whether to vote for Biden. "I think it's relevant to talk about anything. And I think every woman who feels she has been assaulted has every right in the world to stand up and make her claims," Sanders said. "The public will make their own conclusions about it," Sanders continued, before saying "I just don't know enough about it to comment further."> "I think it's relevant [...] And I think any woman who feels that she was assaulted has every right in the world to stand up and make her claims."> > -Sen. @BernieSanders on sexual assault allegations against VP Biden, via @CBSThisMorning pic.twitter.com/8NM3S7lqUC> > — Cara Korte (@CaraKorte) April 16, 2020Sanders was Biden's top rival in the presidential primary until he suspended his 2020 run last week and endorsed Biden. Biden "firmly believes that women have a right to be heard — and heard respectfully," his campaign said, but maintained Reade's claim is untrue.More stories from theweek.com 5 scathing cartoons about Trump's rush to reopen the economy The new mysteries of coronavirus Why can't you go fishing during the pandemic?
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| Some small businesses got $0, while lenders got billions Posted: 17 Apr 2020 02:19 PM PDT  Approximately $6 billion of the $350 billion program went to lender fees, as provided in the legislation.
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| Navy Believes Delivery Flights, Not Vietnam Port Stop, Brought Virus to Carrier Posted: 17 Apr 2020 06:32 AM PDT  Navy officials are unable to make a definitive link between coronavirus cases on the Roosevelt and a port call in Vietnam.
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| City where coronavirus outbreak began revises death toll, reports 50% increase Posted: 17 Apr 2020 05:41 AM PDT  The city where the coronavirus outbreak began revised its death toll, adding at least a 50% increase to its previous count.
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| 11 Modernist Homes for Sale in the U.S. Posted: 17 Apr 2020 11:35 AM PDT |
| Coronavirus: China outbreak city Wuhan raises death toll by 50% Posted: 17 Apr 2020 01:52 PM PDT  The revision of Wuhan's toll comes amid growing scepticism over the transparency of China's response.
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| 7 Midwest states to partner on reopening the economy Posted: 16 Apr 2020 12:00 PM PDT  Seven Midwestern governors announced Thursday that they will coordinate on reopening their state economies amid the coronavirus pandemic, after similar pacts were made in the Northeast and on the West Coast. The latest agreement includes Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Kentucky. "We look forward to working with experts and taking a fact-based, data-driven approach to reopening our economy in a way that protects families from the spread of COVID-19," the governors said in a statement an hour before President Donald Trump outlined to governors a phased approach to restoring normal commerce and services if there is strong testing and a decrease in cases.
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| Dem. Senator Bucks Party, Calls to Pass Emergency Small Business Loan Funding ‘ASAP’ Posted: 16 Apr 2020 12:56 PM PDT  Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D., Ariz.) on Thursday called on the Senate to pass emergency funding for federal small business loans as soon as possible, bucking Democratic senators who are pushing for additional demands.The Paycheck Protection Program "is going to run out of funding soon - the Senate should approve additional funding by unanimous consent ASAP," Sinema wrote on Twitter on Thursday. "Small businesses need our help to survive during this emergency."The PPP, the emergency loan program established as part of Congress's $2.2 trillion economic relief package, depleted the last of the $349 billion in loans allocated to help small businesses weather the coronavirus pandemic. Congress is deadlocked on additional funding for the program, with Democrats demanding specific protections for minority- and women-owned businesses, as well as hospitals and local governments. Republican senators have for the last week called on their colleagues to pass a blanket $251 billion addition by unanimous consent."Exactly right!" Senator Ted Cruz (R., Texas) replied to Sinema's tweet. "Please tell Chuck Schumer to stop objecting."Majority Leader Schumer met with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Wednesday to iron out disagreements, however a full agreement on legislation has not yet been reached. Congress is currently on recess and is not scheduled to return until May 4, so it is unclear when a vote will take place on additional PPP funding.Senator Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) on Thursday criticized Democrats for the hold on funding."[Democrats] say they want more money for other things — I agree we need to do more for those other things," Rubio said. "But why do we have to hold the most successful part of the CARES act, that's helping millions of people, hostage?"
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| Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro fired his popular health minister — who backed social distancing — over disagreements about how to handle the coronavirus Posted: 16 Apr 2020 10:40 PM PDT  As soon as the announcement was made people began banging their pots in protest and calling on Bolsonaro to quit instead.
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| Trump's Gallup approval rating sees the sharpest decline of his presidency Posted: 17 Apr 2020 08:04 AM PDT  President Trump has experienced a six-point dip in his Gallup approval rating, the sharpest decline measured in this poll during his presidency.Trump in Gallup's latest survey released on Thursday earned a 43 percent job approval rating, a six-point decline from his approval rating of 49 percent in Gallup's poll released on March 24."The six-point decline in the president's approval rating is the sharpest drop Gallup has recorded for the Trump presidency so far, largely because Trump's ratings have been highly stable and have yet to reach the historical average for presidents (back to 1945) of 53 percent," Gallup said.When Trump climbed up to a 49 percent approval rating in March's Gallup poll amid the coronavirus pandemic, this tied for the best of his presidency. Even with this six-point decline, his approval rating remains above his average; throughout his administration, Trump's average approval rating from Gallup has been 40 percent.Among Democrats, Trump's approval rating has dropped six points since mid-March, while among independents, it's fallen four points. CNN's Chris Cillizza points to these numbers in writing that "Democrats and independents, who briefly warmed up to him amid the onset of the pandemic, went back to feeling as they always have about him." Gallup, meanwhile, concludes that the dip "may be equally reflective of their assessment of his performance and an overall souring mood as the unemployment rate and death toll both continue to climb."Gallup's poll was conducted by speaking to a random sample of 1,017 U.S. adults over the phone from April 1-14. The margin of error is 4 percentage points. Read more at Gallup. More stories from theweek.com 5 scathing cartoons about Trump's rush to reopen the economy Dr. Phil begrudgingly apologizes for comparing coronavirus to swimming pool deaths Why can't you go fishing during the pandemic?
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| Guatemalan suddenly deported under coronavirus 'emergency' measures readmitted to U.S. Posted: 17 Apr 2020 02:32 PM PDT  Gilmer Barrios' case suggests border agents used the new emergency powers to deport an immigrant who had an open case in U.S. courts and no deportation order.
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| Coronavirus Deaths in Africa Could Reach 300,000 and Overwhelm Health Systems, Says Report Posted: 17 Apr 2020 07:14 AM PDT  Under the worst-case scenario with no interventions against the virus, Africa could see 3.3 million deaths said a report
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| Ilhan Omar unveils bill to cancel rent and mortgage payments amid pandemic Posted: 17 Apr 2020 09:47 AM PDT  Landlords and mortgage holders would be able to have losses covered by the federal government under the legislation * Coronavirus – live US updates * Live global updates * See all our coronavirus coverageThe Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar has unveiled a bill that would cancel rent and mortgage payments for millions of Americans struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic.Under the legislation announced on Friday, landlords and mortgage holders would be able to have losses covered by the federal government. The program would extend for a month beyond the end of the national emergency, which was declared on 13 March, and would be made retroactive to cover April payments.The proposal comes amid an unprecedented housing crisis: 31% of Americans in rental accommodation could not pay rent at the beginning of this month. Millions have lost their jobs since.Federal answers have been limited. The Cares Act stimulus package included $12bn for Department of Housing and Urban Development programs targeting homelessness and rental assistance. But those funds do little to address the needs of millions of Americans who now find themselves on the edge of acute housing insecurity.National housing groups have called for more funding for rental relief. The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates it would cost about $76.1bn over 12 months to provide relief to the 11.5 million people who are already or soon will become severely housing cost-burdened. The group is demanding $100bn in emergency solutions grants towards short-term rental assistance.But many housing advocates are concerned that such assistance would fail to provide the long-term protection needed to prevent mass evictions. A federal eviction moratorium established through the Cares Act extends only through mid-May, prohibiting evictions within properties with federally backed mortgages.Without an enforcement mechanism, or a clear way for tenants to find out if their property is covered, evictions have continued.Omar's bill seeks to tie federal funding to clear renter protections. In order to receive funds, landlords and lenders would be required to follow a set of fair renting and lending practices for five years. These terms would prohibit rent increases, evictions without just cause, discrimination against voucher holders and more. Any owner or mortgagee who breaks the terms would be subject to a fine.Perhaps most ambitiously, the legislation seeks to establish a fund to finance the purchase of private rental properties by not-for-profits, public housing authorities, community land trusts and state and local governments.The legislation was developed with grassroots organizations including People's Action, the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) and PolicyLink. Such groups hope to introduce the kind of solutions they wanted in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.Dianne Enriquez, CPD housing campaign coordinator, said the 2008 crisis wiped out "millions of dollars in generational wealth", particularly in black and brown communities, when people lost their homes."It created a devastation that we have not recovered from in the 12 years since," she said, adding that as a result, "we are now a majority renter nation".In New York, statewide tenant coalition Housing Justice for All is aiming to organize a million renters to withhold rent and compel the governor, Andrew Cuomo, to cancel rent and mortgage payments. Tenants are also organizing in Philadelphia and California, where thousands have pledged to withhold rent on 1 May.Omar's bill proposes "an amazing way to use the federal stimulus package to not just provide direct relief but the long-term transformation of a real-estate market that's based on speculation and private profit to a housing situation that prioritizes homes", said Cea Weaver, campaign coordinator at Housing Justice for All."It provides a pathway to a different ownership structure that doesn't rely on eviction and rent hikes to make money."
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| 'No blacks': Evicted, harassed and targeted in China for their race amid coronavirus Posted: 16 Apr 2020 12:09 PM PDT  After five Nigerians living in Guangzhou, China, test positive for the coronavirus, a campaign targets all Africans in the city.
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| Rohingya crisis: UN reports surge of deadly fighting in Myanmar Posted: 17 Apr 2020 01:14 PM PDT  At least 32 civilians are said to have died in fighting between the military and ethnic militants.
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| Biden looks to placate Sanders by letting him keep delegates Posted: 17 Apr 2020 04:59 PM PDT  Seeking to avoid the bitter feelings that marred the 2016 Democratic convention, Joe Biden's campaign is angling to allow Bernie Sanders to keep some of the delegates he would otherwise forfeit by dropping out of the presidential race. Under a strict application of party rules, Sanders should lose about a third of the delegates he's won in primaries and caucuses as the process moves ahead and states select the actual people who will attend the Democratic National Convention. The rules say those delegates should be Biden supporters, as he is the only candidate still actively seeking the party's nomination.
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| Essential Gifts for Bakers That Go Beyond the Kitchen Posted: 17 Apr 2020 09:00 AM PDT |
| ‘Costliest Government Coverup of All Time’: Growing Confidence among U.S. Officials That Coronavirus Emerged from Lab Posted: 16 Apr 2020 05:00 AM PDT  U.S. intelligence has "increasing confidence" that the novel Wuhan coronavirus outbreak began in a lab that was researching bat-coronaviruses, contrary to China's claim that the pandemic emerged from a Wuhan wet market, according to multiple sources that briefed Fox News.The sources told Fox News that the initial transmission of the virus looks to be bat-to-human, and that "patient zero" contracted the disease while working at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, before going into the general population. While the lab is China's first to achieve the highest level of international bio-research safety, known as BSL-4, its work with bats had been conducted at the lower protection level of BSL-2.President Trump did not deny the bombshell when asked about details during Wednesday's coronavirus press conference."More and more we're hearing the story . . . we are doing a very thorough examination of this horrible situation," he stated.Sources also confirmed that China used the wet market theory, which was parroted by the World Health Organization, to disguise and deflect exploration into the origins of the virus. The Chinese Communist Party has restricted research into the pandemic's origins, while documents obtained by The Washington Post this week show that in 2018, U.S. officials warned the lab's work with bats and "shortage" of safety protocols could lead to a "future emerging coronavirus outbreak."National Review has also detailed how job postings from November and December show the Wuhan Institute of Virology confirming "the origin of bats of major new human and livestock infectious diseases" with new research.Senator Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) first warned that the origins of the coronavirus were unknown, citing a Chinese study which found that the first documented coronavirus case in Wuhan had no connection to the market, but was vilified by U.S. media outlets for suggesting the virus could have come from the lab.Democrats have been largely dismissive of claims of Chinese duplicity, instead focusing criticism on the Trump administration's response. "The reason that we are in the crisis that we are today is not because of anything that China did, not because of anything the WHO did, it's because of what this president did," Senator Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) said Tuesday.While President Trump has praised China publicly for its response, saying on March 27 that he was "working closely together" with Chinese President Xi Jinping, officials explained to Fox News that the comments were diplomatic in nature and aimed at making Beijing "feel good" while U.S. investigations were ongoing.
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| Jeff Bezos reportedly buys 4th condo in NYC for $16 million and now owns nearly $100 million in property in one building alone Posted: 17 Apr 2020 08:32 AM PDT  The latest purchase would be on top of the $80 million worth of real estate Jeff Bezos already owns in the same New York City building.
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| Michigan Gov. Whitmer says she hopes to have 'some relaxing' of stay-at-home order by May 1 Posted: 17 Apr 2020 05:46 AM PDT  The Democratic governor did not elaborate Friday on which part of the order she might be willing to lift.
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| City in Orange County is suing a hotel to stop it from becoming a shelter for elderly homeless people, because of the threat of coronavirus Posted: 16 Apr 2020 08:59 PM PDT  Laguna Hills Mayor Janine Heft said in a statement that the "extreme action" was taken because the county had been put in an "extreme position."
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| China says there has never been a cover-up on coronavirus outbreak Posted: 17 Apr 2020 12:51 AM PDT  Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Friday there has never been a cover-up of the coronavirus outbreak in China and the government does not allow any cover-ups. Zhao told reporters at a daily briefing that the revision of the case toll in Wuhan, where the epidemic first emerged in late 2019, was the result of a statistical verification to ensure accuracy and that revision is a common international practice. Wuhan's health authority earlier on Thursday revised up its cumulative death toll by 50% to 3,869 to rectify what it called incorrect reporting, delays and omissions.
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| Fact check: Black people being targeted in Guangzhou, China, over COVID-19 fears Posted: 16 Apr 2020 07:50 AM PDT  Discrimination against blacks in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, including an incident at McDonald's, has sparked outrage.
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| Could Fired Navy Captain Face Charges? Military Justice Experts Weigh In Posted: 16 Apr 2020 03:34 PM PDT  Modly's suggestion that Crozier broke military law came after the former SecNav suggested the captain leaked to the media.
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| Climate change: US megadrought 'already under way' Posted: 17 Apr 2020 05:05 AM PDT  A drought as bad as any in recorded history may be under way in the US.
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| Biden Stumbles Through Televised Interview on Coronavirus Response: ‘You know, There’s — During World War II, You Know, Where Roosevelt Came Up With A Thing’ Posted: 17 Apr 2020 12:28 PM PDT  Joe Biden on Friday stumbled through an interview on his proposed response to the coronavirus pandemic.Following a long and disjointed introduction, Biden appeared to suggest policy proposals similar to those Franklin D. Roosevelt employed to coordinate manufacturing for the war effort in the 1940's.> BIDEN: "Um, you know, there's a, uh, during World War II, uh, you know, where Roosevelt came up with a thing, uh, that, uh, you know, was totally different than a- than the- it's called, he called it, the, you know, the World War II, he had the war- the the War Production Board." pic.twitter.com/CwFSW2UITD> > -- Eddie Zipperer (@EddieZipperer) April 17, 2020"You know, there's a, uh — during World War II, you know, Roosevelt came up with a thing that uh, you know was totally different than a, than the, you know he called it you know the, World War II, he had the war… the war production board," Biden said.Biden has a history of public speaking gaffes, although the recent frequency of his slip-ups have allegations of cognitive decline from President Trump and his allies. The former vice president's campaign was thrown into further uncertainty with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced various states to implement mail-in voting for their primaries, and has limited campaign events to virtual platforms.During the height of the outbreak in New York, some Democrats speculated on whether Governor Andrew Cuomo might make a better presidential candidate. Cuomo's favorability ratings shot up in his home state as he dealt with the pandemic, however he has denied that he has any intention of challenging Biden.Meanwhile, Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) dropped out of the race after weeks of speculation following a string of Biden primary victories and endorsed the former vice president several days later. Barack Obama has also endorsed his former running-mate.
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| The $350 billion paycheck-protection program for small businesses is already out of cash after just 2 weeks Posted: 16 Apr 2020 08:19 AM PDT  The $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program had faced overwhelming demand since its introduction on April 3.
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| Venezuela slams US over 'vulgar' central bank funds seizure Posted: 17 Apr 2020 02:56 PM PDT  Venezuela on Friday hit out at the United States over the seizure of $342 million that its central bank had held in an account at Citibank. In a Twitter post, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza blasted the "vulgar dispossession" of the money "ordered" by the US -- and pointed to "complicity" by the opposition-controlled National Assembly. The US-based assets of Venezuela's central bank are among those that have been frozen under tough sanctions put in place by the government of President Donald Trump.
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| U.S. intel community examining whether coronavirus emerged accidentally from a Chinese lab Posted: 16 Apr 2020 09:05 AM PDT  One expert said the theory the virus came from a Wuhan animal market has lost favor in some quarters, in part because an early patient had no market link.
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| Mexico Central Bank Rebuffs AMLO Request for Surplus Fund Posted: 16 Apr 2020 03:17 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador met central bank Governor Alejandro Diaz de Leon to ask for an advance on the bank's exchange-rate surplus. He returned empty-handed, for now.In a statement, Banxico said that both Lopez Obrador and Diaz de Leon discussed the importance of following the existing procedure and timing regarding the surplus as laid out in the central bank's own regulations.The surplus -- which is scheduled to be paid out in April next year -- may eventually represent a windfall for Mexico's government as it tries to hold its fiscal position amid shocks from an oil slump and the coronavirus."Banxico won't know how much is left over until the end of the year," said New York-based Bank of America economist Carlos Capistran. "It seems appropriate to me that Banxico respects the timing established by the law."Lopez Obrador had said that he would ask about a possible advance payment on that funding in a morning press conference on Thursday. In a tweet after the meeting, the president said that discussions were cordial and that he had reiterated his absolute respect for the central bank's independence.(Adds Capistran quote in fourth 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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| Still reeling from pig disease, China pork output drops for 6th quarter Posted: 17 Apr 2020 03:37 AM PDT  China's pork output dropped for a sixth straight quarter, as the world's top producer continued to reel from the impact of the African swine fever disease that decimated its hog herd. A sharp 29% plunge in first-quarter output underlines the extent of the impact from the disease and the huge task the sector faces in trying to rebuild after African swine fever killed millions of pigs since August 2018. It slashed China's pork output to a 16-year low of 42.6 million tonnes in 2019, while some experts estimate the sow herd shrank by at least 60% last year after the disease spread throughout the country, largely unreported.
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| Anonymous tip leads police to 17 bodies at a nursing home hit hard by coronavirus Posted: 15 Apr 2020 07:59 PM PDT  An anonymous person called the police department in Andover, New Jersey, on Monday to report that a corpse was being stored in a shed outside the largest licensed nursing home in the state. When officers arrived, they discovered the body was gone, but found 17 others inside the facility's tiny morgue.The Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center I and II has 700 beds in two buildings, The New York Times reports. There have been 68 recent deaths of residents and nurses, with at least 26 testing positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. As of Wednesday, 76 patients and 41 staffers have also tested positive for the virus. Andover Police Chief Eric Danielson told the Times the facility was "just overwhelmed by the amount of people who were expiring." He added, "I don't know if I'm shocked by any means."Most long-term care facilities in New Jersey have reported at least one case of the coronavirus to state authorities. As of Wednesday, 6,815 patients in New Jersey have been infected by the virus, and at least 45 of the day's 351 deaths related to COVID-19 took place at a nursing home."The challenge we're having with all of these nursing homes is once it spreads, it's like a wildfire," Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D) told the Times. "It's very hard to stop it." His office has been receiving calls from worried nurses and family members of residents, and "it's scary for everybody," Gottheimer said. "What is surprising to me is how many are dying in house, versus the hospital."Local health officials were told by Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation I and II staffers that sick patients were separated from other residents, and placed on the same floors or wings. Prior to the pandemic, Medicare gave the facility a one-star rating, or "much below average," based on staffing levels, patient care, and inspections. Read more at The New York Times.More stories from theweek.com Why can't you go fishing during the pandemic? 4,600 U.S. coronavirus deaths were recorded Thursday, nearly double Wednesday's record high Lindsey Graham keeps breaking fundraising records. His Democratic challenger still outraised him.
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| Fears of eroding democracy in Eastern Europe Posted: 17 Apr 2020 04:59 AM PDT  A vote in May could increase President Andrzej Duda's chances of re-election, as he's currently leading in the polls.
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| Coronavirus at Smithfield pork plant: The untold story of America's biggest outbreak Posted: 17 Apr 2020 07:00 AM PDT  Infections spread like wildfire through a pork factory in South Dakota. Here's how it happened.
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| Trump Is Right about the WHO Posted: 16 Apr 2020 03:30 AM PDT  President Trump announced that he would halt funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) pending an investigation into the agency's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The White House based its decision on a series of misleading statements issued by the WHO, as well as on director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus's effusive praise of the Chinese government. (Not coincidentally, China backed Tedros's bid to lead the organization in 2017.)Critics charge Trump with scapegoating the WHO for the administration's failures, while others caution that pulling funding will weaken efforts to combat the pandemic. They are wrong on both counts.It's no secret that the White House got off to a late start in combating the coronavirus. Trump downplayed the threat of the disease even as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Americans to brace for an outbreak, and we criticized him for it. But this obviously doesn't vindicate the World Health Organization. We noted its failures last week.Tedros objected to Trump's correct decision to impose travel restrictions on China, claiming it would "have the effect of increasing fear and stigma, with little public health benefit" — a stark contrast with his deferential statements about China's response. In mid January, the WHO announced that there was "no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus," despite numerous reports to the contrary. Parroting Chinese misinformation wasn't enough for Tedros: He went on to praise the Chinese Communist Party for "setting a new standard for outbreak control." Later, Tedros overruled the objections of WHO colleagues and delayed the declaration of a public-health emergency, which cost the world precious time in preparing for the pandemic.Because there are no existing vaccines or proven treatments for COVID-19, information is our most valuable resource in fighting this pandemic. Policymakers must calibrate their responses based on data collected domestically and received from abroad. In its capacity as the facilitator of international information exchanges, the WHO is supposed to vet and disseminate data from its 194 member states. The organization fell down on this most basic task by buying Chinese spin wholesale.Some argue that withholding our funding of the WHO — $400 million a year — will hinder its international relief efforts. This is a legitimate concern, but the WHO's missteps themselves hindered the fight against the pandemic at a critical stage. In any event, U.S. funding of pandemic relief does not depend on any single multilateral bureaucracy. In fact, the U.S. has already spent more than $500 million on foreign aid to combat the pandemic — roughly 25 percent of the WHO's annual budget — on top of existing contributions to multilateral and nongovernmental organizations. During the 60-day hold on funds to the WHO, the White House says it will redirect resources to public-health programs untainted by Chinese influence. While the White House conducts its investigation, the WHO will retain the bulk of its considerable resources. In the meantime, it will deservedly face more international scrutiny for its apparent complicity in China's coverup of the coronavirus.The more the World Health Organization capitulates to Chinese soft power, the less effective — and the less deserving of our support — it will be. The White House is right to bring serious pressure to bear to try to check this trend.
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| The 10 Most Challenging Puzzles To Try While You Stay Home Posted: 17 Apr 2020 11:58 AM PDT |
| The Ford Mustang continues its reign as the world's top selling sports car. I've driven all the best ones and it's easy to see why. Posted: 17 Apr 2020 01:54 PM PDT  For five years in a row, the Ford Mustang has been the best-selling sports car. I've driven the best ones currently available.
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| Alarms ring as Greenland ice loss causes 40% of 2019 sea level rise Posted: 16 Apr 2020 11:20 AM PDT  The kilometres-thick icesheet that covers Greenland saw a near-record imbalance last year between new snowfall and the discharge of meltwater and ice into the ocean, scientists have reported. A net loss of 600 billion tonnes was enough to raise the global watermark 1.5 millimetres, about 40 percent of total sea level rise in 2019. The Greenland icesheet -- which, until the end of the 20th century accumulated as much mass as it shed -- holds enough frozen water to lift the world's oceans by seven metres.
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| Iran says 'illegal' U.S. presence in Gulf causes insecurity: IRNA Posted: 17 Apr 2020 12:44 AM PDT  Iran's defense minister on Friday dismissed U.S. reports of harassment by Iranian vessels as "baseless" and said the "illegal and aggressive" American presence in the Gulf was causing insecurity in the region. "What leads to insecurity in the Persian Gulf region is actually the illegal and aggressive presence of the Americans who have come from the other end of the world to our borders and make such baseless claims," Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami told reporters in Tehran, according to IRNA.
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| Europe Is Taking a Harder Look at China After Virus Suspicions Posted: 17 Apr 2020 04:42 AM PDT |
| Cowboy Russian Pilot Blamed for 25-Foot Inverted Buzz of US Navy Recon Aircraft Posted: 16 Apr 2020 03:33 PM PDT  Gen. Tod Wolters said that the U.S. Embassy in Moscow had lodged "our dissatisfaction" with the Russian government.
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| Police find 17 bodies at New Jersey nursing home after anonymous tip Posted: 16 Apr 2020 11:40 AM PDT  Seventeen bodies were piled in a morgue built to handle four at a large nursing home in New Jersey.
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| Trump's $19 billion relief package for farms hurt by coronavirus includes payments for farmers Posted: 17 Apr 2020 05:20 PM PDT  The aid includes a $3 billion government purchase of meat, dairy and other agricultural products plus $16 billion in direct payments to farmers.
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| Chinese and Malaysian ships in South China Sea standoff: Sources Posted: 17 Apr 2020 10:57 AM PDT  A Chinese government survey ship is tagging an exploration vessel operated by Malaysia's state oil company, Petronas, in disputed waters in the South China Sea, three regional security sources said on Friday.
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