| Federal law enforcement document reveals white supremacists discussed using coronavirus as a bioweapon Posted: 21 Mar 2020 02:20 PM PDT  White supremacists discussed plans to weaponize coronavirus via "saliva," a "spray bottle" or "laced items," according to a weekly intelligence brief distributed by a federal law enforcement division on Feb. 17.
|
| What's the purpose of the phrase 'Chinese virus'? Posted: 21 Mar 2020 11:20 AM PDT  President Trump and other conservatives have begun referring to coronavirus as the "Chinese virus," saying they want to ensure that China's government is held accountable. The change in word choice has raised accusations of racism.
|
| Coronavirus aid bill includes $3,000 for families, $4 trillion liquidity for Fed: Mnuchin Posted: 22 Mar 2020 07:38 AM PDT  The coronavirus economic relief bill being finalized by the U.S. Congress will include a one-time $3,000 payment for families and allow the Federal Reserve to leverage up to $4 trillion of liquidity to support the nation's economy, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Sunday. Mnuchin, speaking on the "Fox News Sunday" television program, said the additional liquidity measures would allow the U.S. central bank to help a broad base of businesses to get through next 90 to 120 days. Trump administration officials hoped to finalize the legislation on Sunday and see a vote on Monday, Mnuchin said, adding that further steps could be taken if the crisis did not abate in 10 to 12 weeks.
|
| Editorial: Climate change is just as real as COVID-19. Now's the last, best chance for our government to treat it that way Posted: 23 Mar 2020 03:00 AM PDT  President Trump and Congress should keep climate change in mind as they prepare economic aid packages for businesses and industries.
|
| Russian army sends coronavirus help to Italy after Putin phone call Posted: 22 Mar 2020 10:21 AM PDT  The Russian military will start sending medical help to Italy on Sunday to help it battle the coronavirus after receiving an order from President Vladimir Putin, Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement.
|
| Act now, Italian doctor at center of outbreak warns the world Posted: 22 Mar 2020 04:52 AM PDT  "Quite a few" patients ages 20 to 30 were in a "severe" condition like older patients, said Dr. Antonio Pensenti.
|
| Italy sees signs of hope in 651 new virus deaths Posted: 22 Mar 2020 01:19 PM PDT  Italian health officials voiced cautious hope Sunday after the coronavirus death toll edged down from the previous day's world record and the rate of infections slowed. The Mediterranean country's world-topping toll from its month-long crisis approached 5,500 and the number of COVID-19 infections neared 60,000. The number of new infections rose by a relatively modest 10.4 percent.
|
| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls Justice Department emergency proposals 'abhorrent' Posted: 22 Mar 2020 10:35 AM PDT  The coronavirus pandemic should not be an excuse for the suspension of civil rights, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said Sunday.During an appearance on CNN's State of the Union, host Jake Tapper asked Ocasio-Cortez to respond to the emergency proposals submitted to Congress by the Justice Department, including one which would give Attorney General William Barr the power to ask chief district judges to pause court proceedings when the court is overwhelmed by an emergency like the ongoing pandemic.That has set off some alarms because of what it could mean for habeas corpus, Politico reports. People have the constitutional right to appear before a judge after arrest and ask for a release, but there are fears the emergency proposal would allow the court to detain people indefinitely without trial during times of crisis.Ocasio-Cortez told Tapper she finds the idea "abhorrent" and said there's a "long history" of governments using emergencies to strip away civil rights. She argued it's particularly important now to keep an eye out for increasingly authoritarian measures. > On CNNSOTU @AOC tells @jaketapper it is "abhorrent" that DOJ proposed to Congress limiting the right to a speedy trial during the coronavirus crisishttps://t.co/S3Q8liJNMD> > -- State of the Union (@CNNSotu) March 22, 2020More stories from theweek.com 'Run them over:' Chinese Americans face growing hate in coronavirus outbreak Surgeon general offers 'dire' coronavirus message: 'This week, it's going to get bad' Amy Klobuchar's husband hospitalized with coronavirus
|
| 'Absolutely irresponsible': Rand Paul's colleagues are calling him out after he reportedly went to the gym after testing for coronavirus Posted: 23 Mar 2020 07:59 AM PDT  Two of Paul's colleagues in the Senate criticized him after he reportedly refused to isolate himself after testing for the coronavirus.
|
| Coronavirus: New York warns of major medical shortages in 10 days Posted: 23 Mar 2020 05:10 AM PDT  New York's mayor issues a stark warning as the state struggles to slow the spread of coronavirus.
|
| 2020 Watch: Can President Donald Trump reclaim control? Posted: 23 Mar 2020 02:23 AM PDT  The coronavirus outbreak has grounded the 2020 presidential race — but not ended it. Call it the Bully Pulpit Rule: The terms of any incumbent presidential election start at the White House. Donald Trump, whose chief political skill always has been media domination, seems ready-made for that.
|
| Former DR Congo health minister convicted of embezzling Ebola funds Posted: 23 Mar 2020 08:57 AM PDT |
| Ahoy! Supreme Court protects states from copyright claims in Blackbeard pirate ship case Posted: 23 Mar 2020 08:07 AM PDT |
| McConnell to Try Again to Force Vote on Virus Stimulus Plan Posted: 23 Mar 2020 10:06 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell scheduled a vote Monday to try again to advance a $2 trillion stimulus plan after Republicans and Democrats failed to engineer a quick jolt to a sinking economy amid the rising coronavirus death toll, plunging financial markets and dire predictions of a deep recession.The Senate will take a vote at about about 1:30 p.m. Washington time aimed at getting the legislation to the floor. But the chamber's Republican majority can't do it without the votes of Democrats."Why are the American people still waiting?" McConnell said on the Senate floor before scheduling the vote. "The markets are not doing well today."Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he has had "almost continuous negotiations" with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Sunday and Monday. He said they are close to reaching a deal and his goal is to do so Monday.While many details of the plan had been hashed out, some fundamental differences hadn't been bridged. The recriminations began immediately after McConnell's first bid for a procedural vote failed Sunday.An incensed McConnell on Monday cited plummeting stock markets to express the urgency to act Monday, and the Kentucky Republican ripped Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.He accused Democrats of pushing for unrelated "wish-list items" such as solar energy tax credits and new emission standards for airlines. "This is the moment to debate new regulations that have nothing whatsoever to do with this crisis?" McConnell said.On Sunday, Schumer complained that McConnell's bill was partisan. He said it amounts to "a large corporate bailout" with insufficient oversight, and shortchanges the health-care response to the pandemic. He said there should be "much more money" for hospitals for equipment that is rapidly becoming in short supply.President Donald Trump sounded an optimistic note after Sunday's failed vote, saying, "I think we'll get there." But there signs that he was growing frustrated with the broader situation in the country. Trump began talking privately late last week about reopening the nation because he's worried about the economic damage from an extended shutdown, according to people familiar with his thinking.Senators from each party said Monday they expected a deal. In one potential sign of movement, Senator Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, Senators have agreed to provide funding for an an accountability board for the $500 billion bailout fund. That's a key Democratic demand, but the details had yet to be worked out."I don't see that there is yet final agreement on the language of what is the scope of that accountability board," he said on Bloomberg Television. Negotiations were ongoing Monday morning, he said.Financial markets have been roiled by the impact of the pandemic as it forces businesses to shutter and governments to keep people inside. The S&P 500 dropped at the open Monday, and the index has now erased almost all gains accrued during Trump's presidency.McConnell at one point threatened to use the market turmoil to force the hand of Democrats, saying he would schedule another procedural vote for 9:45 a.m. Monday, "15 minutes after the markets open, and see if there's a change of heart." The Senate later adjourned until noon.The prospect of an election-year market meltdown will revive memories for many lawmakers of the standoff over the bank rescue plan amid the 2008 financial crisis.In September of that year, the House unexpectedly rejected President George W. Bush's $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Plan to bail out banks in the wake of the subprime mortgage collapse and to restore confidence in credit markets. The defeat was the result of a revolt by rank-and-file Republicans against their own president and it sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average down almost 7 percent.McConnell and then-Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid worked to usher it through the Senate on a solid 74-25 majority two days later. Then on Oct. 3, the House reversed and narrowly cleared the legislation and sent it to Bush for his signature.Until Sunday's procedural vote on the stimulus plan, Republicans insisted that an agreement with Democrats was close to fruition.To attract Democrats, McConnell had agreed to many of their demands, adding hundreds of billions of dollars in fresh spending, including a $600 per week increase per worker in unemployment benefits, a $75 billion public health package, and tens of billions more for transit, education, nutrition and assorted other programs.But Democrats, including Schumer and Pelosi, who flew into Washington Saturday, said a $500 billion chunk of the bill that can be used to help corporations, including airlines, gave too much discretion to the Treasury secretary and that it lacked transparency and accountability. They also said the aid for state and local governments and health care providers fell far short of what is needed.Republicans and Democrats have differed from the starton how much of the money should go toward traditional aid programs like unemployment insurance, food aid and similar programs.Many of those differences appeared to be resolved during the day Saturday as four groups of senators worked out differences. But sticking points remained, particularly when it came to final details such as who would oversee the disbursement of the aid for companies and how that would be disclosed. One Democratic aide said the package could theoretically be used to bail out the president's own company without voters knowing about it for months.The total package includes about $2 trillion worth of proposals, including $350 billion for small businesses, a $500 billion chunk of the bill that can be used for loans to larger corporations including airlines or state and local governments, extensive corporate tax breaks and tax deferrals, and direct payments of $1,200 for middle-class and low-income Americans.Pelosi left a meeting in McConnell's office earlier Sunday saying they had no deal and the House would write its own package -- a move that could add days of partisan wrangling. Pelosi later told House Democrats that the Senate bill was "very different" from the package they were crafting.Even before the defeat of the Senate's procedural motion, House Democratic leaders were not planning to call the chamber's members back to Washington on Monday, or even Tuesday. House Democrats have instead scheduled a caucus-wide telephone call Tuesday afternoon, rather than bringing members back by then, senior Democratic aides said.A major package remains likely, but it now could take additional time for the two parties to work out their differences, even as the virus continues to ravage not just the nation but Congress itself.The outbreak is hitting Congress directly. Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky, announced that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, and two other Republicans, Mitt Romney and Mike Lee, said they were self-quarantining because they had been in contact with him. Two House members, Republican Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida and Utah Democrat Ben McAdams, also have tested positive for the virus. In addition, Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat and former presidential candidate, said Monday that her husband tested positive for Covid-19 and was checked in to a hospital.(Updates with vote planned starting in first 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.
|
| A 12-year-old coronavirus patient 'fighting for her life' had no preexisting conditions, her family said Posted: 23 Mar 2020 07:07 AM PDT  Emma was diagnosed with pneumonia on March 15. On Saturday, she was hospitalized and put on a ventilator.
|
| Asia steps up virus efforts as second wave of infections strikes Posted: 22 Mar 2020 02:32 PM PDT  From Australia's Bondi Beach to the streets of New Delhi, authorities across Asia have ramped up efforts to stem the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus amid fears of a second wave of infections in places where outbreaks had appeared under control. Tighter travel restrictions were imposed in several countries as the number of cases in the region soared past 95,000 -- a third of the world's infections, an AFP tally shows. Outside China -- where the virus was first detected in December and infected more than 80,000 people -- South Korea is the hardest-hit country in Asia with more than 8,500 cases.
|
| A coronavirus vaccine is the only thing that can make life 'perfectly normal' again, former FDA commissioner says Posted: 22 Mar 2020 10:10 AM PDT  The rapid spread of the novel coronavirus may slow down in the United States in the not-so-distant future, but that doesn't mean life will go back to normal.In an appearance on Face the Nation Sunday, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told host Margaret Brennan he expects a "slow transition" for society even if the epidemic peaks, as he expects, in late April and peters off in June. That's because it could come back in the fall, so until there's a vaccine, "life's never going to be perfectly normal."In the meantime, he said some antiviral drugs currently in trial look like they could be effective in combating the virus, but he wasn't ready to say that there's any single development that's been overwhelmingly convincing.> NEWS: @ScottGottliebMD says there's no antiviral drug that is in proper trials that's proven effective in preventing the coronavirus> > "Right now, there is no drug that looks like it's proven so overwhelming in early stage clinical trials that we can say it's highly promising. " pic.twitter.com/CRzwVDaZZb> > -- Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) March 22, 2020New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who has been at the forefront of the pandemic, shared Gottlieb's prediction that life won't revert back to the way it was anytime soon. He rattled off a wide range of time, suggesting things may be altered for anywhere between nine and 12 months. > Cuomo during his daily preser. How long will this last? > "It's gonna be 4 months, 5 months, 9 months....we're in that range." > "Start planning accordingly." > "Life is going to go. Different. But life is going to go on." > Stop hoarding. "The toilet paper is going to be there."> > -- Michael Barbaro (@mikiebarb) March 22, 2020More stories from theweek.com 'Run them over:' Chinese Americans face growing hate in coronavirus outbreak Surgeon general offers 'dire' coronavirus message: 'This week, it's going to get bad' Amy Klobuchar's husband hospitalized with coronavirus
|
| Italy surpasses its own record death toll for a single day, with 793 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours Posted: 21 Mar 2020 12:14 PM PDT  As of March 21, Italy has now recorded a total of nearly 5,000 deaths related to the novel coronavirus, and more than 53,500 infections.
|
| Surgeon General Shuts Down ‘Fox & Friends’ for Hyping Unproven Coronavirus Cure Posted: 23 Mar 2020 07:35 AM PDT  U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams pushed back on the hosts of Fox & Friends on Monday morning after the trio hyped up an anti-malaria drug as a potential treatment for coronavirus. Social distancing, the top doc said, is still currently the best way to stem the spread of the virus.In recent days, President Donald Trump has embraced chloroquine and its derivative hydroxychloroquine as a "game changer" after a small clinical trial in France showed promise of the drugs' effectiveness in treating the viral infection. While Trump has hyped the medications as potential cures, the nation's top infectious-disease expert has expressed hesitancy, noting that the findings are merely anecdotal and that more studies and trials are needed.During Monday's broadcast of the president's favorite morning show, however, celebrity doctor Dr. Oz excitedly shared with the Fox News audience that he had spoken with French doctor behind the trial that's thrilled Trump and he agrees that it is indeed a "game changer."Lou Dobbs Said Media Hyped Coronavirus. Now He's in Quarantine.After Oz, who has a history of "dispensing misinformation" on his show, said that he would be working alongside other universities and clinics to start trials soon, Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade brought up Dr. Anthony Fauci's attempts to temper expectations of the drugs' abilities to combat the coronavirus, wondering what was "going on there" since it appears there's no "downside" since it isn't "hurting people." (Nigerian health officials have, in fact, issued a warning after three people overdosed on chloroquine.)Oz, meanwhile, said that while he respects Fauci he feels comfortable hyping the drug treatment because "the data is so strong" and Americans will be taking it anyway now that it's been advertised. "It's going to happen anyway," he added. "We need more data. Let's do both. You don't have to be right or wrong. Start the clinical trials. Get the data back over the next week or two, three, whatever it takes. But meanwhile, people can start treating."Later in the hour, the program welcomed on Adams, who immediately tossed cold water on the unproven treatment that the TV doctor had just breathlessly promoted. "He wonders, you know, and worries about the fact that we don't have enough pills yet in this country if that works," co-host Steve Doocy pointed out to Adams."Here is the thing about those drugs: There is may and actually does," Adams noted. "These may be promising. So we are trying to make them as available as possible to people across the country. We need to verify through studies that they actually work.""But I also, again, want to go back to the fact that it's not practical to think we are going to treat our way out of this problem with new drugs or with ventilators or with supplies," he continued. "We need to lower demand. We need more people talking about staying at home."The surgeon general went on to say that this is the reason why he's contacted young celebrities to get the word out to millennials and Generation Z that they need to stay home and socially distance themselves.During another morning-show appearance, Adams gave a stark warning to Americans that the worst was yet to come. "I want America to understand, this week, it's going to get bad," he said on NBC's Today.Trump, however, has begun to hint that he may give up on social-distancing guidelines as early as next week. Even though health experts believe it will take several more weeks or months before people can start living life normally, the president fired off an all-caps tweet on Sunday night saying "WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF." He also retweeted several right-wing personalities on Monday morning calling for social-distancing guidelines to be abandoned after the White House's 15-day period is up.Dr. Anthony Fauci: I Don't Want to 'Embarrass' TrumpRead 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.
|
| ANALYSIS-Turkey's economy seemed safer from virus than most. Then outbreak hit home Posted: 23 Mar 2020 04:11 AM PDT |
| Syria's Assad discusses Idlib truce with Russian minister Posted: 23 Mar 2020 09:43 AM PDT  Syria's president hosted Russia's defense minister on Monday to discuss a recent cease-fire in rebel-held northwestern Syria, which ended rare direct fighting between Syrian and Turkish troops. The cease-fire deal was brokered between Russia and Turkey, which back opposing sides in the Syrian conflict. The deal halted a three-month Syrian government offensive into the country's last rebel stronghold.
|
| Op-Ed: Can Democrats take back the Senate? Possibly. Here's how Posted: 22 Mar 2020 10:00 AM PDT  To oust Republicans from Senate control, Democrats need to focus their efforts on a handful of key states.
|
| South Africa: 'Our children are dying, but President Ramaphosa doesn't care' Posted: 22 Mar 2020 05:08 PM PDT  South Africa's leader Cyril Ramaphosa is accused of inaction over a spate of child murders.
|
| State Department charters flights to evacuate Americans stranded in Guatemala by coronavirus pandemic Posted: 22 Mar 2020 04:33 PM PDT  U.S. State Department has chartered flights to evacuate hundreds of Americans stranded in Guatemala after airport closes amid coronavirus outbreak.
|
| Holocaust survivor is Israel's 1st coronavirus death Posted: 22 Mar 2020 09:02 PM PDT  Israel has reported its first death from the COVID-19 coronavirus: Arie Even, an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor who died Friday.There are more than 1,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Israel, health officials said.Born in Budapest in 1932, Even — whose birth name was George Steiner — survived the Holocaust after his mother was tipped off about their impending arrest. Even, his mother, and brother hid in a basement in the Hungarian countryside; his father had been sent to a Nazi camp, and was able to survive. The family moved to Israel when Even was 17.Even's children spoke with the Los Angeles Times on Sunday, and said he had several other close calls during his life — he fled a cholera outbreak in Spain and survived heart attacks. His daughter Ofra told the Times "humanism was in his DNA," and he was concerned about the treatment of Palestinians. "He always spoke about Israeli responsibility." His daughter Yael said their father "believed profoundly in equality, in civil rights. He believed that this land belonged to all of its citizens."His wife, Yona, died in 2012. She was a diplomat, the same career Even had before he resigned, as couples could not serve together. Even's children and 18 grandchildren were not able to visit him during his last days in the hospital, over fears they would catch the virus. The government made an exception so a small funeral could be held for Even on Saturday. It took place in the middle of the night, with the burial team all wearing hazmat suits. Only Even's son, Omri, was allowed to attend.More stories from theweek.com 'Run them over:' Chinese Americans face growing hate in coronavirus outbreak Surgeon general offers 'dire' coronavirus message: 'This week, it's going to get bad' Amy Klobuchar's husband hospitalized with coronavirus
|
| Italy coronavirus deaths jump by almost 800, government shuts most workplaces Posted: 21 Mar 2020 02:27 PM PDT  Italy recorded a jump in deaths from coronavirus of almost 800 on Saturday, taking the toll in the world's hardest-hit country to almost 5,000. "It is the most difficult crisis in our post-war period," Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said in a video posted on Facebook, adding "only production activities deemed vital for national production will be allowed". Conte did not specify which factories and businesses will be considered crucial to keep the country going.
|
| Migrant worker exodus from Thailand over virus lockdown Posted: 23 Mar 2020 04:09 AM PDT  Tens of thousands of migrant labourers from Laos and Myanmar flooded bus stations and border crossings in Thailand on Monday, defying requests to stay put to prevent exporting infections of the deadly coronavirus. Laos and Myanmar -- two of Southeast Asia's least developed countries -- both claim they have no cases of COVID-19, which has killed more than 15,000 people globally. The number of confirmed infections in Thailand, which employs millions of migrant workers from its neighbours, more than doubled over the weekend to a regional high of 721.
|
| Lawyer who live-tweeted struggle to get coronavirus test in NYC is in critical condition Posted: 23 Mar 2020 08:47 AM PDT  A high-profile lawyer and former federal prosecutor who tweeted about his struggle to get tested for coronavirus is now in intensive care at a New York hospital.David Lat, the 44-year-old founder of the Above the Law blog was hospitalised on 18 March after attending ER for a second time with suspected coronavirus but could not be tested.
|
| President Trump Says Has Not Compelled Companies to Make Coronavirus Gear Despite Nationwide Shortages Posted: 21 Mar 2020 11:42 AM PDT  President Trump has not yet forced any companies to produce equipment to fight the novel coronavirus despite healthcare workers reporting nationwide shortages, he said at a Saturday briefing by the administration's coronavirus task force.The president invoked the Defense Production Act on Thursday, a law that gives the government authority in emergencies to harness industrial production to help in a time of need.However, Trump said there had been no need to force companies to produce equipment yet because "we have so many companies making so many products" voluntarily. He said on Saturday that Hanes had retrofitted factories to make N95 masks and Pernod Ricard, an alcohol manufacturer, had switched facilities in three states into factories making hand sanitizer that will be distributed to New York and other states.Many of these products will be sold on the open market but the federal government will not bid against states, Trump said."We have the Act to use in case we need it. But we have so many things being made… They've just stepped up... We have never never seen anything like that," he said. "They are volunteering."The picture has been much different on the frontline. Healthcare workers have told The Daily Beast that they are reusing single-use gear and fashioning new equipment out of protective material because of extreme shortages in personal protective equipment (PPE) in hospitals. Some hospitals are rationing gear at levels they have never seen. There have been 22,177 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S. and 278 deaths, according to the latest figures from John Hopkins University.The Department of Health & Human Services had just placed an order for "hundreds of millions" of N95 masks to be made available to healthcare providers across the country in the coming days, United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir said. More gear was being deployed through the Strategic National Stockpile—a repository of pharmaceuticals and medical products for use in a public health emergency. One Mask Only: Coronavirus Docs and Nurses Forced to Make Terrifying CompromisesFederal stockpiles of personal protective equipment, masks, ventilators and other equipment was being distributed to states who had requested them through FEMA, the task force said. However, officials struggled to say on Saturday how many masks there were, and how and when they would be made available.Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said reporters were not "making things up" when they reported on hospital shortages."I get the calls every night the way you get emails. It's a serious issue," he said. "We don't want that to happen. But it is happening." He reiterated the need for states to apply for equipment through FEMA and said large amounts of additional PPE were coming into the system "very soon." "Sooner than weeks. It's going to be days, I would hope," he added. "We're going to try to make it days the best possible way we can."Trump's comments came as Vice President Mike Pence appealed again on Saturday for Americans to postpone non-critical healthcare producers so equipment can instead be diverted to the coronavirus crisis. He also reiterated previous pleas for non-essential healthcare workers, like dentists, to donate their supplies.Trump acknowledged that the administration was trying to get equipment to states faster. "The people working on this are incredible. But there are tremendous amounts of not only masks, but ventilators, and respirators... It's all being manufactured right now," he said.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get 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.
|
| The Senate is about to pass the 'largest relief package in history' amid the coronavirus-induced economic crisis, but progressives say it isn't enough Posted: 21 Mar 2020 12:57 PM PDT  AOC's former advisers say the government should scale up the stimulus and pay for it by printing more money.
|
| Russia's low infection numbers viewed skeptically as demand grows for more action Posted: 22 Mar 2020 10:44 AM PDT  Russian officials attribute the low reported coronavirus numbers to aggressive border controls, but experts caution that the actual infection rates may be much higher.
|
| PG&E Agrees to Plead Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter for California’s Deadliest Wildfire Posted: 23 Mar 2020 05:02 AM PDT  California electricity provider Pacific Gas & Electric Co. agreed to a plea deal that will see it plead guilty to felony involuntary manslaughter charges for its role in starting the deadliest wildfire in state history.The company, which disclosed the charges Monday in a regulatory finding, filed for Chapter 11 protection last year, after its aging and faulty equipment was blamed for five of the ten most destructive fires in California since 2015.The state's resistance to safety precautions due to environmental regulations has also been well documented. In 2016, then-governor Jerry Brown vetoed a bill to promote the clearing of trees dangerously close to power lines, despite its unanimous passage through the state legislature and watchdogs saying it would have an impact.Butte County, the home of the Camp Fire of November 2018, which destroyed the town of Paradise and killed 85 people — the deadliest wildfire in California history — charged the company with 84 counts of manslaughter and one count of unlawfully causing a fire. The indictment caps a yearlong investigation led by Butte County district attorney Mike Ramsey to examine how PG&E's power lines caused the fire."PG&E acted with criminal negligence, which is a much higher standard than ordinary negligence," Ramsey told the Wall Street Journal. "They acted in a way that created a high risk of death." It is rare for corporations to face homicide charges.The company was already convicted in 2016 related to the neglecting of maintenance for a natural gas pipeline that exploded in 2010 in San Bruno, killing eight people. The sentencing included a five-year probation term, which would likely be violated by the new conviction and complicate the company's attempt to emerge from chapter 11 protection.Last week, the company reached a deal with Governor Gavin Newsom to not pay dividends to shareholders for three years, which would allow PG&E to exit bankruptcy by the state-ordered deadline of June 30, to allow it to enter a fund which will help utilities pay claims from future wildfires."This is the end of business as usual for PG&E," Newsom said in a statement. "Through California's unprecedented intervention in the bankruptcy, we secured a totally transformed board and leadership structure for the company, real accountability tools to ensure safety and reliability and billions more in contributions from shareholders to ensure safety upgrades are achieved."Despite his recent strong stance against the company, Newsom accepted large donations from the company during his 2018 gubernatorial campaign, according to reports in October.
|
| Iran Leader Refuses U.S. Help to Fight COVID-19, Citing Conspiracy Theory Posted: 22 Mar 2020 06:40 AM PDT  He also alleged without offering any evidence that the virus "is specifically built for Iran"
|
| Coronavirus death toll in Italy's Lombardy rises by around 320 in a day - source Posted: 23 Mar 2020 08:19 AM PDT |
| Divisions among Hong Kong expats over virus response Posted: 23 Mar 2020 02:25 AM PDT  As Hong Kong suffers a new spike in coronavirus infections, anger and recrimination have broken out among the city's expatriates over whether enough of their well-heeled community is taking the outbreak seriously enough. Ahead of the city's decision on Monday to ban non-residents from entering for two weeks, officials had reported the number of cases had more than doubled to 318 infections after locals and foreign residents flooded back once the pandemic spread to Europe and North America. The vast majority of new infections have been among Hong Kongers, many students fleeing schools and universities overseas.
|
| Little Haiti remade as climate change upends Miami real estate Posted: 23 Mar 2020 05:14 AM PDT  "It's happening so rapidly. It's almost like you can't stop it," one community activist said.
|
| EU Governments Reach Breakthrough Over Balkans Expansion Plan Posted: 23 Mar 2020 03:59 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- European Union governments revived the membership hopes of North Macedonia and Albania by overcoming a French roadblock after months of deliberations, according to an EU official.Envoys of the 27-nation EU recommended that the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, take the necessary step to trigger accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania, the official said on the condition of anonymity.Clinched through several days of intensive behind-the-scenes exchanges while EU leaders grappled with the coronavirus pandemic, the diplomatic breakthrough on Monday in Brussels now goes to national governments for formal approval. Ministers are due to scrutinize the deal during a video conference on Tuesday.The EU wants to keep alive the prospect of North Macedonia and Albania joining to avoid political instability in a region still scarred by the wars in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. The bloc also wants to prevent a political vacuum that could play into the hands of Russia and China.Three other countries in the region have begun EU entry talks: Serbia in 2014, Montenegro in 2012 and Turkey in 2005.Last October, France blocked the EU's goal of starting membership negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania during the first half of 2020, insisting on tougher scrutiny to ensure their respect for the rule of law.To address the French concerns, the Brussels-based commission in February proposed changes to the way the EU vets aspiring members by giving more weight to "fundamentals," including the functioning of the judicial system and democratic institutions.The deal on Monday in the Belgian capital gives the commission the go-ahead to draw up a "negotiating framework" for North Macedonia and for Albania.The breakthrough came after the member-country diplomats scrapped the idea of fixing a June deadline for the commission to produce these documents, deciding instead on no specific timetable. The envoys also beefed up conditions for Albania before it can actually begin the entry talks.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.
|
| 'Run them over:' Chinese Americans face growing hate in coronavirus outbreak Posted: 23 Mar 2020 08:22 AM PDT  As the new coronavirus continues to spread throughout the U.S., Chinese Americans — and Asian Americans as a whole — have reported rising verbal and physical attacks suggesting they're responsible for COVID-19's emergence. It's "a sudden spasm of hate that is reminiscent of the kind faced by Muslim-Americans after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001," but this time, the president isn't acting like he's on their side, The New York Times reports.Yuanyuan Zhu recalled walking to the gym in San Francisco for one of her last workouts before an inevitable quarantine a few weeks ago. Along the way, she noticed a man "yelling an expletive about China," and hearing him shout "run them over" when a bus went by, the Times writes. Zhu tried to stay away, but when she got stuck with the man waiting for a crosswalk, he spit on her.The possibility of those kinds of attacks have the nearly two dozen Asian Americans interviewed by The New York Times "afraid to go grocery shopping, to travel alone on subways or buses, to let their children go outside." Even Dr. Edward Chew, the head of the emergency department at a large Manhattan hospital, says he has noticed people covering their noses and mouths when he walks by.Still, President Trump insists on calling COVID-19 the "Chinese virus" despite medical professionals warning how that could fuel fear of and attacks against an entire group of people. "If they keep using these terms, the kids are going to pick it up," Tony Du, an epidemiologist in Maryland, told the Times. "They are going to call my 8-year-old son a Chinese virus. It's serious." Read more at The New York Times.More stories from theweek.com Surgeon general offers 'dire' coronavirus message: 'This week, it's going to get bad' Amy Klobuchar's husband hospitalized with coronavirus Trump suggests he might soon prioritize the economy over public health
|
| 'No more slush funds': Democrats attack part of the $1.8 trillion stimulus bill as a bailout for massive corporations Posted: 23 Mar 2020 07:40 AM PDT  "No more slush funds or no-strings-attached bailouts," Elizabeth Warren said in a tweet attacking a key part of the massive stimulus bill.
|
| Trump says undocumented immigrants can get tested for coronavirus Posted: 22 Mar 2020 04:54 PM PDT  President Trump on Sunday said undocumented immigrants can get tested for the coronavirus without fear of deportation for seeking medical care.
|
| Why this Nobel laureate predicts a quicker coronavirus recovery: 'We're going to be fine' Posted: 22 Mar 2020 02:03 PM PDT  A Nobel laureate predicted China's recovery weeks before it happened. Analyzing the numbers, he sees a much brighter global outcome than many experts.
|
| Pope calls for world prayer to stop coronavirus, will deliver special blessing Posted: 22 Mar 2020 12:15 PM PDT  Pope Francis said on Sunday he will this week deliver an extraordinary "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) blessing - normally given only at Christmas and Easter - and called for worldwide prayer to respond to the coronavirus crisis. Francis made the surprise announcement in his weekly Angelus message, which he has been delivering from inside the Vatican over the internet and television instead of before crowds in St. Peter's Square. The square, which is part of the Vatican, has been closed as part of a lockdown in Italy to try to contain the spread of the virus.
|
| Yemen Huthis uphold death sentence for Baha'i, community says Posted: 23 Mar 2020 09:02 AM PDT  A court run by Yemen's Huthi rebels has upheld the death sentence of a Baha'i over his religion in defiance of international appeals, the community said Monday. Hamed bin Haydara, who has been detained since 2013, was not allowed into Sunday's hearing in the capital Sanaa that rejected his appeal against the sentence imposed more than a year ago, the community said. The Baha'i International Community in a statement said it was "utterly dismayed at this outrageous verdict" and urged the court to overturn it.
|
| The Russians Are Coming Again, and They’re Winning Posted: 23 Mar 2020 01:31 AM PDT  On a warm fall evening in late 2018, I received a message on Twitter from a group of self-described "anonymous hackers" who claimed they'd swiped Special Counsel Robert Mueller's database."We are like hundreds of others, but we are the one and only who got the Special Counsel Mueller database," the message read, busted English and all. They claimed they'd tapped into a local Russian server, accessing all and sundry from what Mueller and his team had already compiled. The hackers passed along a series of files, a supposed good-faith offer of their findings, so that I could amplify Mueller's findings, Mueller's work, Mueller's accusations far and wide."You might wonder why we want to share all this information with you," the message giddily closed. "So, you're just one of the few who can handle it in the right way. You are the one who can tell people the truth!"Russian Trolls Release Fake Dirt on Robert MuellerAnd much of what they sent was "the truth," just not the whole truth or nothing but the truth. Much of the material in the files had come directly from Mueller's investigation into Russia's social-media interference efforts. There were the memes and photos, images of Hillary Clinton as Satan and Barack Obama as a Nazi-in-Chief, the garbled texts and histrionics all aimed at tearing Americans apart. As someone who'd spent far too many hours knee-deep in material published by Russia's Internet Research Agency trolls, all of the posts fit the mold we'd come to expect.Buried in the files, though, were other sites and other posts that no one—none of the researchers or journalists, none of the experts or policy analysts—had ever linked to Russian efforts. Popular Facebook pages like Occupy Democrats, popular Instagram accounts like Baller Alert, feeds with millions of followers were supposedly, per this database, fingered by the Mueller investigation as part of the Russian schemes.After bouncing the database off a number of other experts, it quickly became clear that these accounts were plants: honeypots, so to speak, designed to lure us into believing that Mueller had claimed these immensely popular feeds were also, at their core, Russian. It was, as one of the other researchers who received the files later said, "some galaxy brain stuff they wanted us to believe."It didn't take long to learn what the trolls' ultimate aim was. A few months later, Mueller's office filed court documents revealing that the self-described "hackers" had specifically attempted "to discredit the investigation" by trying to "make it appear as though the irrelevant files… were the sum total evidence" Mueller and his team had already uncovered. That is, these "hackers" had somehow gotten hold of Mueller's actual database, and then injected a slew of clearly non-Russian pages and accounts in the hopes of painting Mueller's investigation as a bumbling, McCarthyite operation, accusing any and all of being secret Russian accounts.And without saying as much, there was a clear implication in the prosecution's filings: that the Russian defendants in Mueller's case had funneled Mueller's database to the self-proclaimed hackers. And they'd hoped to use me, and the handful of others these "hackers" contacted directly, to disseminate that material far and wide.Thankfully, none of us bit, and Mueller's prosecution against Russia's troll-farm operators proceeded apace. While Mueller's other prosecutions faltered under pressure from the White House, the prosecution of the trolls who stoked Texas secessionists and racial fissures pushed on.Or it did, until last Monday, when the Justice Department dropped charges against a pair of the shell companies involved in Russia's social-media interference operations. The reason? Prosecutors were no longer confident that sensitive information shared with the defendants—information about sources, about investigative methods, about findings as a whole—would remain confidential, or for defendants' eyes only. And this was thanks in large part to questions about the relationship between the shell companies and the "hackers" who slipped their messages to me in late 2018.According to prosecutors, these companies—connected directly to sanctioned Russian figure Yevgeny Prigozhin, known colloquially as "Putin's chef"—"refused" to "comply with its obligations as a party to this litigation." The companies had "been eager and aggressive in using the judicial system to gather information about how the United States detects and prevents foreign election interference."The decision was, to say the least, a blow to Mueller's prosecutorial legacy, and to the broader efforts at holding Russian entities responsible for their election meddling in 2016. But it also pointed to another strain of Russian interference efforts that's gotten less acclaim, and less attention, than others over the past few years, centering on upending American judicial proceedings.These efforts are understandably less splashy than secretly organizing, say, armed white supremacists on the streets of downtown Houston, or whipping up support for neo-Confederates online. But they've nonetheless chipped away that much further at potential ramifications for those responsible for Russian interference efforts more broadly—and exposed holes in the American judicial system, calling into further question whether any costs will actually be incurred for those in Moscow and St. Petersburg.In 2018, for instance, the Atlantic Council's Anders Aslund detailed a raft of Russian efforts aimed at deflating or upending American judicial proceedings against Kremlin proxies and those in Moscow's good graces. Much of this has centered—like the Mueller proceedings—on obtaining information about the American prosecutions' methods, and even, in some cases, tracking down plaintiffs themselves.One 2017 case saw a U.S. federal subpoena issued against a former shareholder of a private Russian bank who'd fled to the U.S. after backing Russia's flagging opposition. When the defendant (accurately) detailed how sanctioned Russian figures had helped orchestrate the subpoena—which would have transmitted sensitive data back to pro-Kremlin forces—the American court nonetheless allowed it to proceed, no matter what sensitive information may come out. Another recent case saw a subsidiary of Russia's state-owned, and notoriously corrupt, Rosneft energy behemoth convince a U.S. court to permit discovery against an associate of a Russian national who'd fallen out of the Kremlin's favor. (The American court, Aslund wrote, "was not swayed by the evidence of rampant corruption by the Russian Federation and [the subsidiary's] affiliates.") And then, of course, there's the Kremlin's rampant abuse of Interpol's Red Notice system to try to convince American authorities to haul in dissidents and political opponents alike.The examples run on and on. Some have tossed cold water on the notion that this presents "interference," insofar as all of these moves remain technically legal. But the intent remains the same: capsizing judicial proceedings against Kremlin proxies and their supporters.It's unclear what the next steps for the prosecution may be, or what Mueller's ultimate legacy will be. But one thing appears certain: Russia's victory last week in our courts is only going to further embolden the trolls as we go through the 2020 election. Self-described "hackers" are going to accelerate their efforts to try to con support from those of us who can "tell people the truth!"—and who will continue to be the target of hacking, trolling, and interference operations that are pushing on and amping up, with little reason to stop now. Read more at The Daily Beast.Get 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.
|
| Hong Kong Bans All Non-Residents, Says Bars Can’t Serve Alcohol Posted: 23 Mar 2020 01:42 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong will ban non-residents from visiting for 14 days and prevent bars from serving alcohol as the city sees a second wave of imported coronavirus cases.The travel measure will take effect starting on midnight Wednesday, the city's Chief Executive Carrie Lam said in a news conference on Monday. Hong Kong will also halt all airport transit services and impose harsher punishments for quarantine violators, she said."To anyone who intends to breach the quarantine orders, anyone who still wants to go out and meet up with friends, can you not be restrained for some more time so Hong Kong can win this battle?" Lam said, fighting back tears.Hong Kong has seen imported coronavirus cases spike as foreign and local residents returned from overseas ahead of a government deadline last week imposing a mandatory 14-day quarantine on all arrivals.Before the virus spread in the U.S. and Europe, the city had initially managed to contain the outbreak by closing schools, tracing the contacts of infected people and gradually imposing greater travel restrictions.Amid last week's looming deadline, residents arriving in Hong Kong from abroad pushed Hong Kong's daily tally of new confirmed cases to 48, the highest since the outbreak began.Hong Kong reported 39 new cases Monday, bringing the city's total to 356 cases. That's still fewer than Singapore, which had initially won praise for its effective containment measures.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.
|
| Coronavirus: Trump bows to pressure from worst-hit states and allows extra supplies Posted: 22 Mar 2020 11:15 AM PDT  The US National Guard has been activated in New York, California and Washington to aid in their response to the coronavirus pandemic.After New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and officials across the US pressured the federal government for days to ramp up its response to a growing crisis in their respective states, Donald Trump has announced that he signed off on a major disaster declaration for New York, per the governor's request.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment