| #JustWearScrubs: GOP chairwoman tells anti-lockdown protesters to impersonate health care workers Posted: 27 Apr 2020 11:37 AM PDT  Dr. Kelli Ward, chairwoman of the Arizona Republican Party, is urging would-be demonstrators at rallies against social restrictions to wear personal protective equipment to punk the press.
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| Trump says he knows about Kim Jong Un's health 'but I can't talk about it now' Posted: 27 Apr 2020 04:43 PM PDT  President Trump was asked about the widespread speculation surrounding the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a White House news conference on coronavirus on Monday. Trump suggested he knew "exactly" how Kim is doing, but declined to reveal that information.
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| Tara Reade: What are the sex attack allegations against Joe Biden? Posted: 28 Apr 2020 03:10 PM PDT  A former aide to the presidential candidate finds support for her sexual assault claim against him.
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| McConnell to Move Quickly on Confirming His 38-Year-Old Protégé to the Bench Posted: 27 Apr 2020 03:50 PM PDT  When the U.S. Senate returns from a lengthy absence next week, one of its first orders of business will be advancing the nomination of a 38-year-old ally of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to the second highest court in the land. According to two Democratic aides, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is expected to schedule a committee hearing for May 6 for Justin Walker, a federal judge in Kentucky whom President Trump has nominated to the influential D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. McConnell announced on Monday that the Senate would return to session on May 4 for its first full week of legislative business after the CARES Act passed in late March. And he has not been shy about his desire to start confirming judges as soon as his chamber is back in session. "I haven't seen anything that would discourage me from doing that. And as soon as we get back in session, we'll start confirming judges again," he told Hugh Hewitt in a recent interview. McConnell's office had no comment. Graham's office did not return a request for comment. Mitch McConnell Turned the Courts Conservative—and Democrats Helped HimWalker is a McConnell protégé who has close ties to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and played a high-profile role defending him during his contentious confirmation hearings. Walker moved up the ranks of conservative legal circles before landing a judgeship on the United States District Court of the Western District of Kentucky. There, his record has been distinguished by conservative jurisprudence and a flair for unorthodox rulings. "On Holy Thursday, an American mayor criminalized the communal celebration of Easter," Walker wrote in ruling against ordinances restricting attendance at religious services do to the coronavirus pandemic, "that sentence is one that this Court never expected to see outside the pages of a dystopian novel, or perhaps the pages of The Onion."Walker's lack of experience and partisan background has earned him "not qualified" ratings from the American Bar Association and the opposition of Democrats, who see his nomination as a thinly veiled attempt to place young ideological allies in key judicial positions. "If Graham/McConnell go forward with this, it would show that Senate Rs are rushing the Senate back to confirm an unqualified, anti-health care judge instead of responding to the pandemic and conducting oversight," said a Senate Democratic aide.McConnell and Kavanaugh attended Walker's swearing-in on March 13 in Louisville. There, the majority leader and Walker, his former intern, praised each other effusively in public remarks.In his Monday announcement on the May 4 return, McConnell said the Senate "must focus on concrete steps to strengthen our response to this complex crisis," adding that lawmakers "cannot get distracted by pre-existing partisan wish-lists."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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| Australia asks China to explain 'economic coercion' threat in coronavirus row Posted: 28 Apr 2020 01:48 AM PDT |
| Andrew Cuomo wishes he had 'blown the bugle' on coronavirus earlier Posted: 28 Apr 2020 06:22 AM PDT  New York governor discussed US reactions to first news of the outbreak from China in interview with Axios on HBO * Coronavirus – live US updates * Live global updates * See all our coronavirus coverageNew York's governor, Andrew Cuomo, has said he wishes he had "blown the bugle" about Covid-19 earlier.According to figures from Johns Hopkins University, New York state has confirmed more than 290,000 coronavirus cases and approaching 23,000 deaths. Countries such as France, Italy and Spain have recorded more deaths but not by much, and New York City alone has the fifth-highest death total in the world, with the UK in fourth.Speaking to Axios on HBO, Cuomo discussed US reactions to the first news of the outbreak, from China in December."When we heard in December that China had a virus problem," he said, "and China said basically, 'It was under control, don't worry,' we should've worried."When China says, 'Don't worry, I have a fire in my backyard,' you don't hang up the phone and go back to sleep, right? You get out of your house and you walk two houses over to make sure I have the fire under control. Where was every other country walking out of their home to make sure China had it under control?"Cuomo added: "I wish someone stood up and blew the bugle. And if no one was going to blow the bugle, I would feel much better if I was a bugle blower last December and January … I would feel better sitting here today saying, 'I blew the bugle about Wuhan province in January.' I can't say that."Cuomo's handling of the outbreak has nonetheless met with widespread approval, even fueling talk of an unlikely presidential run – speculation he has consistently turned down.The governor has given daily media briefings widely praised and contrasted with those delivered by Donald Trump at the White House, and demonstrated a grip on governance of his state that has kept it on lockdown while he manages its often fractious relationship with the federal government.Still, questions are increasingly being asked about whether New York's heavy death toll might have been avoided.Cuomo first voiced fears the New York healthcare system would be overwhelmed but that has not turned out to be so."I don't think New Yorkers feel or Americans feel that government failed them here," Cuomo said. "I think they feel good about what government has done … their healthcare system did respond. This was not Italy, with all due respect … There were not people in hallways who didn't get healthcare treatment."Cuomo also said he thought the US would be better prepared for the next such public health crisis."This will change society," he said. "Society will not allow this to happen again. They will want to be more prepared. They will want to move more quickly. And government will follow that social instinct."Cuomo is now considering how to reopen the state economy, a process he has indicated will be done in stages.
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| Erdogan defends Turkey religious chief's anti-gay sermon Posted: 27 Apr 2020 11:55 AM PDT  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday defended a top religious official who claimed homosexuality caused diseases, corrupted people and was condemned in Islamic teaching. Ali Erbas, head of a state-funded agency called the Diyanet, which runs mosques and appoints imams, also claimed during his weekly sermon that homosexuality caused HIV. The Ankara bar association of lawyers accused him of inciting hatred against gay people while ignoring child abuse and misogyny.
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| Spain Reports Slight Increase in Virus Deaths as Easing Starts Posted: 27 Apr 2020 02:18 AM PDT |
| Police: Palestinian stabs Israeli woman, is shot by witness Posted: 28 Apr 2020 04:44 AM PDT  A Palestinian teenager stabbed an Israeli woman on Tuesday before being shot and wounded by a bystander, Israeli police said. The attack came on Israel's Memorial Day, when the country mourns those killed in wars and militant attacks. Israelis usually mark the occasion by visiting the graves of loved ones, but military cemeteries are closed this year and small ceremonies are being held without attendees as part of efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
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| Retired Republican Senator Jeff Flake will vote for Biden over Trump and says GOP needs 'a sound defeat' in 2020 election Posted: 28 Apr 2020 12:12 PM PDT  Retired Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona will not be voting for Donald Trump this November. No, he'll be voting for a Democrat for president for the first time in his life."This won't be the first time I've voted for a Democrat — though not for president [before]. Last time I voted for a third-party candidate. ... But I will not vote for Donald Trump," Mr Flake said in an interview with The Washington Post.
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| El Salvador gangs: 'No ray of sunlight for inmates' Posted: 28 Apr 2020 03:56 AM PDT  El Salvador, already criticised by rights groups, cracks down further on imprisoned gang members.
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| Canceling a cruise due to coronavirus? Here’s a list of updated policies Posted: 28 Apr 2020 07:57 AM PDT  Following the COVID-19 outbreak, cruise lines like Disney, Norwegian and Viking are implementing strict travel restrictions to protect passengers and crew members.
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| Australia rejects Chinese 'economic coercion' threat amid planned coronavirus probe Posted: 27 Apr 2020 02:17 AM PDT  Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne has cautioned China against attempts at "economic coercion" as Australia pushes for an investigation into the coronavirus pandemic that China opposes. Chinese ambassador to Australia, Cheng Jingye, said in a newspaper interview on Monday the "Chinese public" could avoid Australian products and universities. Australia last week called for all members of the World Health Organization (WHO) to support an independent review into the origins and spread of the coronavirus, and is lobbying world leaders.
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| Resettled Cambodian refugees still vulnerable to deportation Posted: 27 Apr 2020 01:21 PM PDT  As the U.S. commemorates the 45th anniversary of the refugee group's arrival, Southeast Asian American refugees still face hardships.
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| German doctors are nakedly protesting PPE shortages to show how vulnerable they are without protection Posted: 28 Apr 2020 03:59 PM PDT  One of the doctors, named Ruben Bernau, told a German magazine for doctors: "The nudity is a symbol of how vulnerable we are without protection."
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| The Supreme Court has thrown out major gun rights case Posted: 27 Apr 2020 01:20 PM PDT  The Supreme Court sidestepped a major decision on gun rights Monday in a dispute over New York City's former ban on transporting guns.
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| With Welfare Repayment Looming, Net1 Seeks Bankruptcy Protection For Unit Posted: 27 Apr 2020 09:45 AM PDT |
| The South Korean government says it's 'aware of Kim Jong Un's location' Posted: 28 Apr 2020 09:34 AM PDT  It was one of South Korea's most unequivocal statements yet, after roughly two weeks of downplaying rumors about the North Korean leader's health.
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| Ivory Coast presidential candidate Soro sentenced to 20 years in prison Posted: 28 Apr 2020 07:52 AM PDT  Guillaume Soro, the former rebel leader running for president in Ivory Coast, was convicted in absentia on Tuesday of embezzlement and sentenced to 20 years in prison, a verdict likely to exclude him from October's election. The verdict was announced after a trial that lasted only a few hours and was boycotted by Soro's lawyers, who say the charges were cooked up to prevent their client from being a candidate. The Oct. 31 election is seen as a test of stability for Ivory Coast, the world's largest cocoa producer, which has emerged from a civil war in 2010-11 that killed some 3,000 people to become one of Africa's fastest-growing economies.
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| Reversing course, House won't return to D.C. next week because of coronavirus threat Posted: 28 Apr 2020 10:40 AM PDT  "We made a judgment that we will not come back next week," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said in a phone call with reporters.
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| A 101-year-old woman who was born during the Spanish flu survived COVID-19 Posted: 28 Apr 2020 10:41 AM PDT  Angelina Friedman, a resident at North Westchester Restorative Therapy and Nursing Center in New York state, turns 102 this year.
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| Trump on Kim Jong Un: ‘He didn’t say anything last Saturday’ Posted: 27 Apr 2020 04:09 PM PDT  President Trump on Monday responded to a question about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, adding that "He didn't say anything last Saturday."
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| Prague mayor under protection after reports of Russian plot Posted: 27 Apr 2020 05:18 PM PDT  Prague's mayor said on Monday that he was under police protection, but stopped short of confirming Czech media reports that he had been targeted by Russia for removing a statue of a Soviet war hero. Zdenek Hrib clashed with Moscow earlier this month after he oversaw the removal of a controversial Cold War-era statue dedicated to Soviet general Ivan Konev, a move Russian diplomats called an "unfriendly" act of "vandalism by unhinged municipal representatives."
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| Coronavirus: What African countries are doing to help people to eat amid the lockdowns Posted: 28 Apr 2020 03:28 AM PDT  What African countries are doing to help people to eat amid the lockdowns.
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| Bill Gates Dismisses Chinese Coronavirus Coverup: ‘It’s Not Even Time for That Discussion’ Posted: 27 Apr 2020 07:16 AM PDT  Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates called allegations that China cost the world valuable time by covering up the origins of the Wuhan coronavirus a "distraction" in an interview Sunday, adding that "China did a lot of things right at the beginning."Speaking to CNN's Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, Gates pushed back on criticism of Beijing's initial response, saying "I don't think that's a timely thing, because it doesn't affect how we act today.""It's not time to talk about that, this is the time to take the great science we have, the fact that we're in this together, fix testing, treatments, and get that vaccine, and minimize the trillions of dollars and many things that you can't even dimensionalize in economic terms that are awful, about the situation that we're in," Gates stated. "So that's a distraction, I think there's a lot of incorrect and unfair things said, but it's not even time for that discussion."> The challenges of fighting Covid-19 in developing countries, how China and the WHO have handled this crisis, and what to make of wild coronavirus conspiracy theories. Pt. 3 of my GPS interview w/ @BillGates: pic.twitter.com/QJJuAR52SM> > -- Fareed Zakaria (@FareedZakaria) April 26, 2020A detailed timeline of Beijing's response to the virus's origins in Wuhan shows that the government gagged the spread of information about the virus for weeks after it had first been noticed, with health officials being warned privately of "a major public health event" nearly a week before the public was alerted to the threat.U.S. intelligence believes that China purposefully misled the global community on the extent of its coronavirus outbreak, with one study finding that the government could have prevented 95 percent of coronavirus infections if it had acted sooner to stem the initial outbreak. Last week, the head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention admitted to state media that the government "knew there must be human-to-human transmission" of the novel virus, despite his organization saying January 15 that "the risk of sustained human-to-human transmission is low."When asked about the World Health Organization's culpability on Sunday, Gates said "basically no," pushing back on President Trump's claim that the organization is "very China-centric.""In the retrospective, we'll see things the WHO could have done better, just like every actor in this whole picture, but the WHO has a strong connection with one country. That country is the United States," Gates stated. He went on to call the WHO a "phenomenal organization that we're more dependent on today, to drive things, than we ever have been."
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| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Wall Street-backed Democratic challenger lived in a Trump property for years before moving to Queens in late 2019 Posted: 27 Apr 2020 05:41 PM PDT  The candidate, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, also renounced several of the conservative positions she took in her 2010 book promoting small government.
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| South Korean official says Kim Jong Un may be avoiding public due to 'coronavirus concerns' Posted: 28 Apr 2020 07:19 AM PDT  South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul said Kim's absence was not "particularly unusual" in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.
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| Putin extends Russia's lockdown for two weeks, prepares to ease in mid-May Posted: 28 Apr 2020 12:57 AM PDT  President Vladimir Putin extended coronavirus lockdown measures for another two weeks on Tuesday, while ordering his government to begin preparations for a gradual lifting of the curbs from mid-May. Although Putin said the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus was now stabilising, he told Russians to expect the worst days of the outbreak were still ahead. The number of new cases in Russia rose by a record 6,411 on Tuesday, bringing its nationwide tally to 93,558.
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| Groceries could see meat shortages by end of week Posted: 27 Apr 2020 12:31 PM PDT  Consumers could start seeing shortages by Friday at supermarket meat counters, expert say.
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| European doctors warn rare kids' syndrome may have virus tie Posted: 28 Apr 2020 04:29 AM PDT  Doctors in Britain, Italy, and Spain have been warned to look out for a rare inflammatory condition in children that is possibly linked to the new coronavirus. Earlier this week, Britain's Paediatric Intensive Care Society issued an alert to doctors noting that, in the past three weeks, there has been an increase in the number of children with "a multi-system inflammatory state requiring intensive care" across the country. The group said there was "growing concern" that either a COVID-19 related syndrome was emerging in children or that a different, unidentified disease might be responsible.
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| Hillary Clinton endorses Joe Biden: 'Think of what it would mean if we had a real president' Posted: 28 Apr 2020 12:52 PM PDT  Hillary Clinton joined former Vice President Joe Biden for a virtual town hall event on Tuesday to officially offer her endorsement.The former secretary of state and Democratic candidate for president was Biden's guest during a live stream on Tuesday focused on the coronavirus pandemic and its effect on women, and Biden introduced Clinton as the "woman who should be president of the United States right now.""Think of what it would mean if we had a real president, not just somebody who plays one on TV, but somebody who gets up every morning worried about the people that he's responsible for leading during this crisis," Clinton said after officially endorsing Biden.Biden, Clinton went on to say, "has been preparing for this moment his entire life," describing her experiences working with him during the Obama administration."I've been not only a colleague of Joe Biden's, I've been a friend, and I can tell you that I wish he were president right now, but I can't wait until he is, if all of us do our part to support the kind of person that we want back in the White House," Clinton said.This is the latest in a series of Democratic endorsements Biden has received since becoming the party's presumptive nominee including from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). As news of the Clinton endorsement broke, President Trump's 2020 campaign manager said in a statement, "There is no greater concentration of Democrat establishment than Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton together. President Trump beat her once and now he'll beat her chosen candidate."More stories from theweek.com Scientists are perplexed by the low rate of coronavirus hospitalizations among smokers. Nicotine may hold the answer. Movies that debut on streaming and not in theaters can be eligible for the Oscars next year How Democrats blew up MeToo
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| Prague's mayor, a critic of Russia, is under police protection after a magazine alleged a Russian assassin had entered the country to kill him Posted: 27 Apr 2020 08:10 PM PDT  The report hasn't been confirmed by Czech authorities, and Russian leader Vladimir Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the report was "fake."
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| There's going to be a huge glut of toilet paper after the coronavirus panic-buying subsides, a supply chain expert says Posted: 28 Apr 2020 02:16 PM PDT  Toilet paper manufacturers have ramped up production to meet the unprecedented demand, but may be left with a huge surplus in the coming months.
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| Mexico Has Deported Nearly All Illegal Immigrants from Shelters to Contain Coronavirus Posted: 27 Apr 2020 04:56 AM PDT  Mexico said it has just over 100 people remaining in its government migrant centers after removing thousands over the past five weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic.Mexico's National Migration Institute (INM) said in a statement that it had removed migrants from 65 government facilities since March 21, following health and safety guidelines amid the coronavirus outbreak. Last month, the Mexican government held 3,759 people, but that number has shrunk to 106 after 3,653 migrants were deported to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.Those remaining in INM centers are awaiting the decisions on asylum requests or judicial hearings, or had asked permission to stay, a migration official told Reuters.Last week, the Trump administration announced an executive order that would suspend permanent immigration procedures for 60 days, after saying in March that it would immediately deport any illegal immigrants attempting to enter the country over concerns of potential coronavirus outbreaks in detention facilities. Reuters found earlier this month that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection have removed nearly 7,000 migrants to Mexico, including nearly 400 children."President Trump is committed to protecting the health and economic well-being of American citizens as we face unprecedented times," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Monday. "As President Trump has said, 'Decades of record immigration have produced lower wages and higher unemployment for our citizens, especially for African-American and Latino workers.' At a time when Americans are looking to get back to work, action is necessary."Democrats around the country, including in California and Chicago, have countered with proposals to provide illegal immigrants with access to locally run relief programs."Here in Chicago, saying 'we are all in this together' means that during this crisis, no one gets left out and no one gets left behind," Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot said in announcing an executive order to secure coronavirus relief benefits for undocumented city residents.
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| if you're making a mask at home use a combination of two fabrics for better protection says study Posted: 27 Apr 2020 03:09 AM PDT  A new US study has found that if you're masking masks at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, then using a combination of two different fabrics and ensuring a good fit could offer the most effective protection. Carried out by researchers at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory, the new study set out to investigate which fabrics are best for filtering the tiny respiratory droplets that are released when a person coughs, sneezes, speaks or breathes and which are thought to spread COVID-19. The researchers looked at a variety of everyday fabrics easily found around the house including cotton, silk, flannel and polyester-spandex chiffon, which is a sheer, synthetic fabric often used for items such as evening gowns.
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| A Former VA Secretary Volunteered to Return As a Doctor. No One’s Called Him Back Posted: 28 Apr 2020 11:26 AM PDT  After the VA announced it was seeking retired health care workers to return to duty, Shulkin threw his hat in the ring.
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| Religious freedom watchdog pitches adding India to blacklist Posted: 28 Apr 2020 07:03 AM PDT  The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is urging that the State Department add India to its list of nations with uniquely poor records on protecting freedom to worship — while proposing to remove Sudan and Uzbekistan from that list. The bipartisan commission, created in 1998 by Congress to make policy recommendations about global religious freedom, proposed designating India as a "country of particular concern" in the annual report it released Tuesday. President Donald Trump declined to criticize the citizenship measure during his February visit to India, where his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi was punctuated by skirmishes between Hindus and Muslims.
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| Swedish official Anders Tegnell says 'herd immunity' in Sweden might be a few weeks away Posted: 28 Apr 2020 04:54 AM PDT  Sweden is accused of dangerously pursuing a 'herd immunity' coronavirus strategy. Its top COVID-19 official Anders Tegnell said it was 'sustainable.'
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| California governor admonishes weekend crowds who flocked to beaches Posted: 27 Apr 2020 06:20 PM PDT  Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday admonished Californians who flocked to beaches by the thousands at the weekend, warning that their behavior could reverse progress made in combating the coronavirus pandemic. "We can't see images like we saw, particularly on Saturday, in Newport Beach and elsewhere," Newsom told reporters, referring to photos showing people packing several beaches in southern California amid a heatwave. The images from Newport Beach and neighboring Huntington Beach have prompted a backlash, with many comparing them to photos in April of beachgoers in Florida that sparked the #FloridaMorons hashtag.
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| Driver who rammed Paris police pledged allegiance to Islamic State: prosecutor Posted: 28 Apr 2020 06:20 AM PDT |
| The EU rewrote a report detailing China's coronavirus 'disinformation' campaign following pressure from Beijing Posted: 27 Apr 2020 06:26 AM PDT  References to a Chinese campaign of "global disinformation" about the coronavirus were removed before publication.
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| Trump pushes advisers to get U.S. troops out of Afghanistan, citing coronavirus Posted: 27 Apr 2020 08:00 AM PDT  Trump complains almost daily that U.S. troops are still in Afghanistan and are now vulnerable to the pandemic, officials said.
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| Bill De Blasio Appoints Wife as Co-Chair of Coronavirus Racial Inequality Task Force Posted: 27 Apr 2020 07:04 AM PDT  New York mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday announced that he would appoint First Lady Chirlane McCray as co-chair of a task force on coronavirus racial inequality.De Blasio will form the "Task Force on Racial Inclusion and Equity" as part of the city's plan to reopen businesses that have been closed during the pandemic. Many of New York's poorest zip codes have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus, with black and Hispanic patients dying at higher rates than white residents."The economic and racial disparities that have been made so clear by this crisis, we knew about them before," de Blasio, who was elected mayor six years ago, said at a press conference. "A powerful, painful exclamation point has been put on them by this crisis."McCray's appointment to the task force has raised eyebrows amid rumors that she is planning a run for the presidency of New York's Brooklyn borough."This is political. I wish de Blasio would stop doing this," City Councilman Robert Holden (D., Queens) told the New York Post. "Let her win the Brooklyn borough presidency on her own merits."McCray has presided over ThriveNYC, an initiative designed to improve the city's mental health care, which has spent over $1 billion since its founding in 2015. Between 2015 and 2018, the number of police complaints in the city involving mentally disturbed people rose 23 percent, and the number of mentally ill homeless individuals rose by over 2,000 over the same period.
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