| Coronavirus cases continue to rise in U.S. as Trump issues reassurance Posted: 06 Mar 2020 11:25 AM PST  As more Americans have been tested for the coronavirus, the number of cases has continued to rise steadily. Yet the Trump administration has sought to portray the situation as under control.
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| Iran warns it could use 'force' to halt travel amid virus Posted: 06 Mar 2020 01:12 PM PST  Iranian authorities warned Friday they may use "force" to limit travel between cities and announced the new coronavirus has killed 124 people amid 4,747 confirmed cases in the Islamic Republic. Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour offered the figures at a televised news conference. The threat may be to stop people from using closed schools and universities as an excuse to go to the Caspian Sea and other Iranian vacation spots.
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| One chart shows 11 countries' current coronavirus death rates, based on the known number of cases and deaths Posted: 06 Mar 2020 04:15 PM PST  The death rate for the coronavirus varies around the world — but that's likely because some countries are testing more people than others.
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| Warren Should Send Sanders Packing, and It Sounds Like She Might Posted: 05 Mar 2020 07:30 PM PST  So now there are none, women, that is, running for president, leaving out the quixotic Tulsi Gabbard. Elizabeth Warren suspended her campaign Thursday but didn't do what others have done — endorse Joe Biden, the candidate her party has coalesced around as the one who can deprive Donald Trump of another four years. Bernie Sanders, who's treated his so-called friend like gum on his shoe in the course of his campaign, is hoping that means her endorsement will come his way. He might not want to hold his breath.Warren should send Sanders packing in a Massachusetts minute, and it sounds like she might.Elizabeth Warren is Strong. So is the Glass Ceiling.Talking with Rachel Maddow Thursday evening, Warren discussed "this onslaught of online threats" where her supporters "felt really under attack." She said that "we are responsible for the people who claim to be our supporters and who really threaten ugly, dangerous things to other candidates."Maddow interjected: "And it's a particular problem with Sanders' supporters."And Warren replied: "It is. It just is."She said that she'd talked with Sanders about that particular problem, and that "it was short." She added that "It's a real problem." Past that, Warren declined to characterize her conversation with Sanders (which of course was one of the things that led his supporters to that "real problem" the last time she did so), saying "It's something he should speak for himself on."The Warren-Sanders interplay tells us a lot about why the Democratic primary that started out with six women has devolved into an uninspiring one between between two men, both white, both flawed, and both over 70. In exiting, Warren said she started out believing there was room for her and Sanders in the race but "Evidently, I was wrong." True, but what an admission. Sanders drove her off the shoulder of the road in his Humvee with his left blinker flashing constantly and she let him, although she was the much better person, an actual Democrat and capitalist, to carry the progressive torch. Warren had a plan for everything. Bernie has a plan for nothing, or vague ones in a briefing book somewhere. If you have a question, she has an answer and if you waited long enough after a speech, she held office hours where she would explain the finer points of restructuring institutions holding working people down—a health care system that bankrupted them, college costs that crippled them, and banks that exploited them. And then she'd pose for selfies where she'd get contact info for her massive operation of field directors, paid staff and volunteers, and a get-out-the-vote effort in states others hadn't set foot in. By the fall, after hundreds of lectures, rallies attracting 10,000 roaring fans, and stellar performances at debates, she was a front runner. It didn't last. When everyone was yelling last fall for a price tag for Medicare for All, Warren, the A student, stepped up and offered one. That bought breathing room for Sanders, who still hasn't. And Warren suggested there would be a transition period before anyone's private insurance would be taken away. That was heresy to purists but not enough reassurance to moderates to keep her from sinking in the polls. Last month, Warren took the risk of being too aggressive, which for a woman means being aggressive at all, and took down Mike Bloomberg. I haven't heard Sanders or Biden thank her for that, which had the added benefit to them of reducing the time she had to point out their shortcomings. It had been a sideshow but a telling one when Warren was rattled by Sanders' underhanded breach of their non-aggression pact. His campaign had been making calls to voters claiming that she was too elite to win. In the dust-up that followed, she was more hurt than angry. She shot back that he'd told her a woman couldn't be president. He denied it, and she asked him, off mic, if he was calling her a liar. He was. But voters couldn't follow the dust-up, and the betrayal, like so much else, didn't stick to him. When Sanders did pay attention to Warren, it was to compliment her on agreeing with him on issues he took up first. Mostly he treated Warren like a supporting actress in his star turn as a romantic revolutionary admiring of Fidel Castro. Good luck with Florida's 29 electoral votes if he makes it to the general election. You only have to look at the debate stage next week, emptied of women, to know something's wrong in our politics. It used to be "I'd vote for a woman, just not this one." Now we know there's always something that makes any woman just not right. If we're going to have a Hollywood ending, where my daughter cheers at the inauguration of the first woman president, it may be that we have to have a Hollywood candidate. We know the first isn't going to look like Warren, or Amy Klobuchar, or Hillary Clinton. She's going to look like Tea Leoni's Madame Secretary (whose show was canceled after she became president) or Julia Louis-Dreyfus (whose show petered out after the Veep moved into the Oval Office), or Sela Ward who studied Clinton in 2016 thinking the first female president to-be would provide pointers for her role as commander-in-chief in Independence Day 2. Sanders welcomed Warren's supporters into his fold earlier on Thursday, remembering Warren with cold words like disciplined, focused, and hard working. He told Maddow that "it's too early to talk about her as a running mate but I would love to sit down and talk to her about what sort of role she could play in my administration." I have an idea, how about if she runs it? Warren got emotional earlier on Thursday when she lamented all those little girls she made pinky promises to who would have to wait another four years for a woman president. And she tiptoed up to gender, the third rail of politics for women. "If you say, yeah, there was sexism in this race, everyone says 'whiner.' And if you say no, there was no sexism, about a bazillion women think, what planet do you live on? I promise you this, I will have a lot more to say on that subject later on."We'll be listening, and hoping that Warren will stick with her initial decision not to endorse anyone. Biden doesn't need it and Bernie doesn't deserve it. Here's hoping that, after a lot of hard knocks, a woman can learn. 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.
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| Why the Coronavirus Really Terrifies Us Posted: 06 Mar 2020 05:08 PM PST  Keep calm and wash your hands.
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| Alabama executed Nathaniel Woods for killing 3 cops — even though his co-defendant confessed to shooting them Posted: 06 Mar 2020 08:06 AM PST  Nathaniel Woods' co-defendant who admitted to killing the police said Woods didn't have a gun on him and had run away when shots rang out.
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| OJ Simpson ridiculed after stockpiling toilet paper and water amid coronavirus outbreak Posted: 06 Mar 2020 09:06 AM PST  OJ Simpson is facing ridicule after sharing a photo of himself stockpiling toilet paper and water amid the coronavirus outbreak.The 72-year-old posted a photo of himself with the groceries on Twitter on Friday.
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| Andrew Yang is launching a nonprofit to make universal basic income a reality Posted: 05 Mar 2020 02:27 PM PST  Andrew Yang's $1,000 promise may be coming to a town near you.The entrepreneur is following his failed 2020 bid with a nonprofit dedicated to bringing his signature campaign promise to life, Yang announced Thursday. Humanity First will turn one New York town into a testing ground for the universal basic income Yang constantly promised during his run, along with other initiatives that make the nonprofit basically an extension of Yang's campaign.In a beta version of Yang's so-called "freedom dividend," Humanity First — a name borrowed from one of Yang's campaign slogans — will give $500,000 to a to-be-determined town in the form of $1,000-per-month checks for each resident. Also on Humanity First's list is a "data dividend" program that will use its funds to protect people's data privacy rights.The funding for the UBI initiative comes from venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and even a professional poker player, as well as some anonymous donors, The New York Times reports. So far, Humanity First has received $3 million in pledges to make the UBI pilots work. "My hands were tied as a political candidate to some extent," Yang told the Times, so now he has a chance to "get to work" and actually give his policies a whirl.More stories from theweek.com China's coronavirus recovery is 'all fake,' whistleblowers and residents claim South by Southwest canceled amid coronavirus concerns Bond yields, oil prices, and stocks all fall after a tumultuous week
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| Trump officials lavish praise on president's coronavirus response Posted: 06 Mar 2020 03:57 PM PST  Almost every day for the past week and a half the White House has held a briefing on the coronavirus, and the message that emerges from them is clear: President Trump is doing a tremendous job.
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| Iran coronavirus death toll jumps to 145, govt lashes out at US Posted: 07 Mar 2020 07:57 AM PST  Iran's official death toll from the new coronavirus rose by 21 Saturday, with a lawmaker among the latest fatalities, while the government accused Washington of hampering Tehran's response to the virus. Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said that the 21 deaths took the country's total death toll to 145, while 1,076 additional cases had been confirmed in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 5,823. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif later said American sanctions -- reimposed from 2018, after Washington pulled out of a multilateral nuclear deal -- were undermining Iran's battle against coronavirus.
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| Italian Deaths, Infections Surge; N.Y. Cases Climb: Virus Update Posted: 07 Mar 2020 10:16 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Italian deaths from the new coronavirus climbed to 233, the most after China, and total infections surged in New York City and its suburbs as the outbreak widened its global reach.One person was diagnosed in the Vatican, the tiny walled city-state in Rome that is home to Pope Francis. Germany, Spain, Belgium, Iran, Korea and Thailand also confirmed new infections.A 55-year-old Iranian lawmaker died from the illness, the first fatality among 23 infected members of parliament. In the U.S., Florida reported its first two deaths.Key Developments:Cases surpass 104,000 worldwide; deaths exceed 3,500Chinese exports fell 17.2% in the first two months of 2020Hungary scraps main national holiday eventItaly reports 233 virus deaths, 5,883 infectionsMalta reports first caseEgypt confirmed another 33 cases from Nile cruiseKuwait suspends parliament for two weeksClick VRUS on the terminal for news and data on the coronavirus and here for maps and charts. For analysis of the impact from Bloomberg Economics, click here.Italian Cases Top Iran, Deaths Climb (1 p.m. NY)Italy's total fatalities from the new coronavirus climbed to 233, with total cases increasing to 5,883, the third-highest in the world after China and South Korea.Civil protection chief Angelo Borrelli on Saturday said the biggest one-day jump in infections included more than 300 cases from a Lombardy region laboratory in the town of Brescia that had not been counted previously.Deaths in Italy rank second in the world, behind more than 80,000 in China, where the virus emerged more than two months ago.N.Y. Cases Rise to 76: Cuomo (12:20 p.m. NY)New York state reported a 38% jump in new coronavirus infections on Saturday, to 76, with most cases concentrated in the Westchester County suburbs north of New York City.Governor Andrew Cuomo said 57 infections are reported in Westchester. New York City has 11 total cases, he said. All the cases are in or near New York City, except for two infections in Saratoga County, near the capital in Albany. Cuomo reported 21 new cases.Cuomo also criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, calling the federal agency a "bottleneck" slowing down state efforts to find infected individuals.In answer to a question, the governor advised elderly residents to avoid attending gatherings with large numbers of people.Hungary's National Day Rally Canceled (11:10 a.m. NY)Hungary's government canceled a rally planned for the March 15 national holiday in central Budapest. Prime Minister Viktor Orban usually speaks to the crowd at the event in front of thousands.The number of confirmed coronavirus patients in Hungary has increased to five since the first infections were announced on Wednesday.French Lawmakers Get Tested (10:30 a.m. NY)A third member of France's lower house was diagnosed with the virus and hospitalized, the National Assembly said in an emailed statement. The female MP has been hospitalized. Another five legislators and one employee are being tested. French MPs are scheduled to break from March 9 through March 22, a recess unrelated to the outbreak.Sweden, Portugal Brace for More (8:50 a.m. NY)Officials from Sweden and Portugal warned that the outbreak will get worse. The epidemic "will have a major impact at the global level," Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven told reporters in Lisbon following a meeting with his Portuguese counterpart. "In Sweden, we do have plans for a worse scenario than we have today."In Portugal, "it's highly probable that the number of infected people will continue to increase in the next few days," said Prime Minister Antonio Costa. The government has so far confirmed 13 cases in the country.Italy Mulls New Measures (7:17 a.m. NY)Italy is poised to announce sweeping measures including extending quarantine areas to deal with the virus after the death toll surged by about a third. The number of fatalities over the past two weeks has risen to 197, with infections growing by 78 to 4,636, the fourth-highest after China, South Korea and Iran. One case was diagnosed in the Vatican. Nicola Zingaretti, the head of the country's democratic party, said on Facebook that he had tested positive for the virus.Barcelona Delays Marathon (6:56 a.m. NY)Barcelona's local government has decided to postpone the city's annual marathon, newspaper El Pais reported. The decision comes about a week after Paris canceled its half marathon one day before the event. The Barcelona race was due to take place on March 15 and has been delayed until Oct. 25.The marathon is not the first local event affected by the outbreak. Last month, the Mobile World Congress, the wireless industry's annual showcase, was scrapped in a major blow to the city's economy. In Catalonia, Barcelona's region, about a hundred health staff have been isolated due to the risk of infection, the regional health authority said.Malta Reports First Case (6:00 a.m. NY)Malta confirmed its first infection in a 12-year-old girl who had visited northern Italy, the Associated Press reported, citing Health Minister Chris Fearne.The girl was tested on Friday and results came back positive early Saturday. She is being held in an isolated section of Malta's main public hospital, together with her immediate family.Philippines Declares State of Emergency (5:37am NY)President Rodrigo Duterte has agreed to declare a state of national public health emergency in the Philippines after a local transmission of coronavirus, CNN Philippines reports, citing Senator Bong Go.The Philippines health department reported the country's sixth infection Saturday, a 59-year-old woman who is married to the country's fifth patient, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said at a press briefing in Manila. The woman is stable; her husband, 62, is in critical condition.Officials are bracing for an increase in cases as the government repatriates hundreds of citizens from affected areas abroad, including tourists, overseas workers and undocumented migrants.Vietnam Air Crew Quarantined (4:45am NY)All air crew and ground staff working on a Vietnam Airlines' flight from London to Hanoi on March 1 are being quarantined after a passenger tested positive for coronavirus, according to a release from the country's health minister.The 26-year-old woman is the country's 17th confirmed case, the first in Hanoi. City officials are trying to contact about 30 people who traveled in business class with the patient.Nile Cruise Quarantined (4:00 a.m. NY)About 150 tourists and local crew were quarantined on a cruise ship on Egypt's Nile river in the southern city of Luxor after 12 people tested positive for the virus, the Associated Press reported.A tourist who had been on the same ship tested positive when she returned to Taiwan, according to the report. The World Health Organization informed Egyptian authorities, who tested everyone currently on the ship.Iranian Lawmaker Dies (3:52 a.m. NY)Fatemeh Rahbar, an Iranian lawmaker, died Saturday two days after entering a coma, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. The death toll from the virus increased to 145 as the number of diagnosed cases grew to 5,823, a health ministry spokesman said on state television.Rahbar was a conservative politician poised to represent the constituency that includes Tehran in the upcoming parliament. She was among the top local candidates in the party, which won February's general election by a sweeping majority amid the lowest turnout in the republic's history.Cases Swell in Germany, Spain (2:00 a.m. NY)Germany's confirmed infections rose to 684 from 534 a day earlier, according to the Robert Koch Institute. Spain identified 93 new cases, bringing its total to 441.Germany wants to ease the rules for implementing short-time work to help companies cope with the economic impact of the virus, Handelsblatt reported, citing unidentified coalition officials. Chancellor Angela Merkel's government plans to reinstate rules that were in effect during the financial crisis until the end of the year. Spain is also considering some measures to help cushion the economic blow, according to El Pais.Milken Conference Postponed (00:20 a.m. NY)The Milken Institute Global Conference, originally scheduled for early May in Beverly Hills, California, is being postponed until July. Nicknamed "Davos of the West," the annual event run by billionaire financier Michael Milken's think tank brings together some of the world's most influential people for discussions of global trends in finance, health care, immigration and politics.The Milken conference joins Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Morgan Stanley and Oaktree Capital Management on the growing list of finance industry gatherings that are rescheduling, moving events online or canceling outright as the spreading coronavirus brings new concerns about travel and big public gatherings.U.S. Reports New Deaths (9:15 p.m. NY)Florida health officials confirmed the state's first two deaths from coronavirus as well the first pair of cases in the Miami metropolitan area. The health agency for Seattle and King County said a man in his 60s died on Thursday, the ninth fatality associated with the outbreak at an area nursing home.Nebraska and Kentucky reported their first cases. A person in Alameda County, California, who had been on a cruise ship last month tested positive for the virus, as did a Chicago school aide and a Starbucks barista at one of the coffee chain's downtown Seattle stores.G-20 Ready to Act (6:40 p.m. NY)G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors in a statement said they are closely monitoring the evolution of new coronavirus, including its impact on markets and economic conditions.The officials said they are ready to take further action, including fiscal and monetary steps -- as appropriate -- to aid in the response, support the economy and maintain the resilience of the financial system."We reiterate our commitment to use all available policy tools to achieve strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth, and safeguard against downside risks," according to the statement.Princess Cruise Ship Has 21 Cases (6:04 p.m. NY)At least 19 passengers and two crew members on Carnival Corp.'s Grand Princess, currently off the coast of California, tested positive for the virus, Vice President Mike Pence said.Forty-six people on the ship have been tested, Pence said at a news conference in Washington. The Grand Princess will be brought to shore and everyone will be tested and quarantined as needed. He said cruise ships "represent a unique challenge for health officials" and advised elderly Americans to carefully consider whether to to take cruises.\--With assistance from Justin Sink, Lizette Chapman, John Follain, Angelina Rascouet, Thomas Gualtieri, Karl Maier, Joao Lima and Marton Eder.To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Steve Geimann in Washington at sgeimann@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Matthew G. Miller at mmiller144@bloomberg.net, Marthe Fourcade, Steve GeimannFor 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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| Students Protest Mormon Church's 'Explicitly Homophobic' Ruling on Brigham Young University's Honor Code Posted: 05 Mar 2020 03:50 PM PST  The Mormon church teaches that while experiencing same-sex attraction is not a sin, having same-sex sexual relations is
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| Love in the time of the coronavirus: Do you turn your back when someone offers you a hand, a kiss or a hug? Posted: 06 Mar 2020 05:01 AM PST  Editor's note: The toll of the coronavirus grows, with California under a state of emergency, and more than 150 cases and 11 deaths reported in the U.S.. Also, more than 300 million school children worldwide are facing closures of their schools. What does this mean for you in your personal life? We asked Brian Labus, professor of public health at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, about what kinds of physical contact are safe while COVID-19 is spreading.We are exposed to numerous viruses from our day-to-day interactions with other people all the time. However, our risk of being infected by a simple greeting usually isn't in the forefront of our minds. The spread of COVID-19 has changed that. Conferences have banned handshakes, churches have changed their worship services, and even politicians have changed the way they greet each other. But what's the risk in a simple hug or a handshake?If someone's hand is covered in virus because they coughed into it right before they shook your hand, it is no different than handling their dirty tissue. Your hand is now contaminated, and if you absentmindedly rub your eye or touch your mouth, you have potentially just infected yourself. You are relying on other people to wash their hands in order to protect you, but we know that people are terrible about hand-washing, even after using the bathroom. The simple fact is that we put ourselves at some risk of infection every time we interact with other humans. So what should you do if a stranger extends their hand to greet you or a friend tries to hug you? Pulling your hand away from that potential big sale or recoiling in shock from your friend's embrace is probably not the best approach. It's about balancing the risk of infection with the negative consequences of breaching social etiquette. Health experts around the world have been recommending that people reduce unnecessary physical contact with other people, such as shaking hands or kissing on the cheek. Even the French have recommended no cheek kissing. You can still greet each people warmly and politely without touching them, by bumping elbows or fists, tapping feet (the "Wuhan shake" popular on social media), simply waving hi, or one of the many other creative suggestions that are popping up online. This isn't about making extreme changes to our social interactions; it's about taking simple steps to help reduce your risk of disease. The other important step in protecting yourself is to frequently wash your hands or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not readily available. This is a critical part of protecting yourself, as you can't introduce a virus into your mucous membranes if you have removed it from your hands. As this outbreak progresses, maybe we will see the refusal to shake hands not as a snub, but as an expression of genuine concern for each others' health. If you are worried about offending someone by using hand sanitizer after shaking someone's hand, offer them some of your sanitizer as well. Change the conversation and help make having clean hands something that not only important to you, but socially desirable as well. [You're smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation's authors and editors. You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter.]This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.Read more: * Why hand-washing really is as important as doctors say * You (and most of the millions of holiday travelers you encounter) are washing your hands wrongBrian Labus previously received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.
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| Gulf states report new rise in coronavirus cases Posted: 06 Mar 2020 01:20 PM PST  The number of coronavirus cases in the United Arab Emirates has risen to 45 from 30, the Health Ministry said on Saturday, as other countries in the Gulf region also reported new infections. Kuwait recorded three new cases of the coronavirus, bringing its infection tally to 61, while Qatar reported its 12th case, the Health Ministries in the two nations said on Saturday. Saudi Arabia reported two new cases on Saturday, a woman coming from Iran, via Bahrain, and another one from Iraq, via the UAE, bringing the total number of infection in the kingdom to seven, according to a statement from the Health Ministry.
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| Human remains believed to be missing Tennessee toddler Evelyn Boswell found Posted: 06 Mar 2020 09:05 PM PST  Authorities have found remains they believe belong to Evelyn Boswell, a 15-month-old girl from Tennessee who was reportedly last seen late last year.
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| Before and after photos show how coronavirus fears have emptied out some the busiest holy sites Posted: 06 Mar 2020 06:03 PM PST  Photos show how empty one of Islam's holiest site is after Saudi Arabia banned visitors amid coronavirus fears.
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| Police seek suspects following attack on teenage girl Posted: 06 Mar 2020 01:50 PM PST  Police are currently trying to find suspects who attacked a teenage girl in NYC.
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| Trump's mental state — not Biden's — is the real concern, mental health professionals say Posted: 05 Mar 2020 02:36 PM PST  Mental health professionals who have expressed concern over what they see as Donald Trump's declining mental state say that similar fears about Joe Biden are overblown.
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| A 5-story hotel used for coronavirus quarantine collapsed in China. People are demanding an investigation. Posted: 07 Mar 2020 09:16 AM PST  While new cases appear to be slowing in China, the country is still reeling from fallout and criticism over its response to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.That was on full display Saturday when a five-story hotel in Quanzhou, China, used to quarantine people potentially exposed to COVID-19 after traveling to the epicenter, Hubei province, collapsed Saturday, reportedly trapping around 70 people. It is not clear if anyone has died, but Reuters reports 34 people have been rescued in the hours after the hotel collapsed.A woman staying under quarantine at another hotel said she tried contacting her relatives who were in the hotel, and reportedly healthy, but has not yet been able to reach them. She said she's "very worried."Some people are reportedly demanding an investigation into how the hotel collapsed, the reason for which is not currently known. But, either way, the incident will likely do little to quell anger directed at Beijing from China's citizenry over how the government has handled the COVID-19 outbreak from the beginning. Read more at Reuters.More stories from theweek.com China's coronavirus recovery is 'all fake,' whistleblowers and residents claim Trump says doctors keep asking how he knows so much about the coronavirus Expert says officials need to get passengers off coronavirus-infected cruise ship quickly
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| MSNBC Anchor Brian Williams and Guest Fail Spectacularly at Math Posted: 06 Mar 2020 07:38 AM PST  How did this ever make it to air?During Thursday night's live broadcast of MSNBC's The 11th Hour, anchor Brian Williams and New York Times editorial board member Mara Gay both credulously believed a viral, flatly wrong tweet claiming that Michael Bloomberg could have gifted each American one million dollars with the money he spent on his failed campaign.Discussing Bloomberg's plans to form a Super PAC to support the Democratic presidential nominee, Williams said that Gay has "spoken with great knowledge" about Bloomberg in the past and how he could be a "one-man bank."After Gay noted that Bloomberg can make a huge difference for former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign, Williams asked her if she sees the possibility that the ex-mayor could spend "a billion bucks beating" President Donald Trump."Absolutely," she responded. "Somebody tweeted recently that actually with the money he's spent, he could have given every American a million dollars."Williams, meanwhile, pointed out that they actually had the tweet in question from writer Mekita Rivas—who has since deleted the tweet and acknowledged the poor math—and had the control room put it on-screen."When I read it tonight on social media, it kind of all became clear," Williams confidently declared. "Bloomberg spent $500 million on ads. U.S. Population, $327 million. Don't tell us if you're ahead of us on the math. He could have given each American $1 million and have had lunch money left over. It's an incredible way of putting it.""It's an incredible way of putting it," Gay responded. "It's true. It's disturbing. It does suggest, you know, what we're talking about here, which is there is too much money in politics."Yes, indeed, it is an "incredible way of putting it," but it is nowhere near "true." For those who don't want to do the math, in order for Bloomberg to have given a million dollars to every American, he would have had to have spent $327 trillion. After a commercial break, Williams issued a self-deprecating correction, saying to camera: "Turns out Mara and I got the same grades at math. I'm speaking of the tweet we both misinterpreted. He could give each American $1. Again, I didn't have it in high school. I don't have it tonight. Stand corrected. Sorry about that. The tweet is wrong. Garbage in, garbage out."In addition to the on-air correction, the program's official Twitter account posted an apology noting that they had "quoted a tweet that relied on bad math" and "removed it from later editions of tonight's program."Stephen Colbert Booed for Brutal Takedown of Bloomberg's Debate PerformanceRead 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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| Report: Iran Revolutionary Guard commander killed in Syria Posted: 07 Mar 2020 05:41 AM PST |
| Bernie's Fatal Mistake: Most Americans Don't Want Medicare For All Posted: 05 Mar 2020 07:30 PM PST  And the 'public option' isn't much better.
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| 'Despicable' - Women seethe over Mexican leader's wobbly response to violence Posted: 06 Mar 2020 02:39 PM PST  Mexico's president sells himself as lifelong champion of the rights of women, who he calls "more honest" than men. Support for an unprecedented women's "strike" on Monday has swelled, even as Lopez Obrador has tried to paint the event as a cynical attempt by political opponents to discredit him and capitalize on problems he says they created. Such comments strike many as tone-deaf and lacking empathy, exposing a weak spot for a government already battling to tackle gang violence, impunity and a stagnant economy.
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| 138 Salvadorans who fled to U.S. to escape violence returned to it and died Posted: 06 Mar 2020 10:50 AM PST  According to a report by Human Rights Watch, 138 Salvadorans deported from the United States have been killed upon returning to their country since 2013.
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| No ordinary flu: Coronavirus and the lessons of the 1918 pandemic for a world on edge Posted: 06 Mar 2020 03:01 AM PST  As cases of COVID-19 spread worldwide, one expert tells Yahoo News there's an important lesson we should learn from the deadliest pandemic in modern history: Tell the truth.
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| Mitt Romney might thwart a Senate investigation of Hunter Biden Posted: 05 Mar 2020 10:37 PM PST  After former Vice President Joe Biden revived his Democratic presidential candidacy with a win in South Carolina, Senate Republicans suddenly started making noise about an investigation into Biden's son Hunter and his work for Ukrainian gas company Burisma. Before Biden won 10 of 14 states on Super Tuesday, Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said he might try to subpoena documents on Hunter Biden's Burisma work, and he's now set a committee vote on the motion for next Wednesday.Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) could derail the subpoena. And he suggested Thursday that he's seriously considering it. "I would prefer that investigations are done by an independent, nonpolitical body," he told The Washington Post. "There's no question the appearance is not good." Romney added that "looking into Burisma and Hunter Biden appears political," and "I think people are tired of these kind of political investigations."> Romney indicated to me today that he is still weighing whether to vote for a subpoena in Burisma probe. (He could kill the effort if he votes 'no' on Wednesday.) "There's no question the appearance of looking into Burisma and Hunter Biden appears political," he said pic.twitter.com/YfeKYGM9v6> > — Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 5, 2020The Homeland Security Committee has eight Republicans and six Democrats, and if Romney sides with the Democrats and causes a 7-7 split, the subpoena motion fails.Joe Biden was the Obama administration's point person on Ukraine corruption when Burisma hired Hunter Biden, and Republicans are search for evidence that there was something corrupt in this arrangement, not just unseemly — like, say, overcharging the Secret Service to stay at your president-father's property, or profiting off a rule you pushed while working at your father-in-law's White House.Romney is already a pariah in some Republican circles because he voted to convict Trump on one impeachment count — abuse of power for trying to get Ukraine to announce an investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden — and in his speech explaining that vote, Romney made clear he thinks Hunter Biden "taking excessive advantage of his father's name is unsavory but also not a crime," adding: "There is no question in my mind that were their names not Biden, the president would never have done what he did." Trump has made clear he plans to make Burisma a campaign issue.More stories from theweek.com China's coronavirus recovery is 'all fake,' whistleblowers and residents claim Trump says doctors keep asking how he knows so much about the coronavirus Expert says officials need to get passengers off coronavirus-infected cruise ship quickly
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| Hillary Clinton Gets Tipsy and Throws Shade at Bernie and Trump on ‘Watch What Happens Live’ Posted: 05 Mar 2020 09:47 PM PST  "Can I call you Hillary?"Hillary Clinton's appearance on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen was never going to be the typical interview with the former secretary of state and presidential candidate, what with the talk show's penchant for getting guests liquored up and loose enough to swan-dive into rumor pools they ordinarily would never even dip a toe into. It was never not going to be the hardest-hitting, news-making sit-down with Clinton, who was promoting Hulu's documentary series Hillary, which chronicles her life and 2016 presidential campaign and launches Friday. But that was precisely what made the appearance such a delight. It's not every day you see Hillary Clinton take a shot with a Real Housewife and kiki with some drag queens in the Bravo Clubhouse. The interview was taped Wednesday, which means Clinton wasn't asked to weigh in on the biggest news on the minds of many viewers by the time it aired Thursday night: Elizabeth Warren's announcement that she was suspending her own presidential campaign, leaving it statistically near-impossible for a woman to swing open the door she cracked open in 2016. (But you do you, Tulsi.)But Cohen has always had a talent for making his guests comfortable enough to use his show as a pitching mound to throw shade—this is the show, remember, that birthed Mariah Carey's "I don't know her" dig at J. Lo—and Clinton seemed happy to take aim at a few choice batters.Asked what she really thinks of Melania Trump's "Be Best" anti-bullying campaign, Clinton quipped, "I think she should look closer to home." And she divulged that, while she's spoken with varying degrees of regularity to most of the Democratic candidates throughout primary season, "I've not been in touch with a few of them, most notably Bernie Sanders." Had Sanders reached out to her, she clarifies, she would have gladly spoken to him. Still, the comment echoes a saltiness that's already generated plenty of headlines, when it was revealed that, in one episode of Hillary, she slams Sanders pretty harshly."Honestly, Bernie drove me crazy," she says. "He was in the Senate for years. Years! He had one senator support him. Nobody likes him. Nobody wants to work with him. He got nothing done. He was a career politician. He did not work until he was like 41, and then he got elected to something. It was all just baloney, and I feel so bad that people got sucked into it." Asked about the comment afterwards, she's stood by it. It's clear that Clinton knew what kind of party she was being invited to when she showed up on Cohen's show, and she seemed totally game to engage in all of its demented joy. The episode opened with Cohen tossing off a series of HRC-themed puns, soundtracked by Clinton's clearly amused laughter off-camera: "Let's make like a glass ceiling and get smashed." "I'm with her, literally." And, in reference to the show's drinking game, an encouragement for audience members to "drink until all Hill breaks loose." We Need to Talk About Hillary Clinton's Disturbing Harvey Weinstein TiesHillary Clinton Slams Bernie and Dismisses Email Scandal in New Doc: 'All These Things About Us Get Disproved'Cohen asked Clinton what was going through her mind during iconic photos throughout her political history. About being at Trump's inauguration, she says she was thinking, "This is even worse than I thought." About the presidential debate in which he notoriously stalked behind her while she spoke, she remembers thinking, "This guy really has problems." And as for the famous photo of her looking exasperated during the 11-hour Benghazi Senate hearing, she captions it, "I cannot believe these idiots."I don't know if this is the first time the meme of Clinton cringe-inducingly shimmying with excitement during one of the 2016 debates was brought up in her presence, but it was definitely the first time it was used as the theme for a Never Have I Ever-inspired parlor game in which she would recreate the shimmy every time she's done the thing Cohen prompts her with. The revelations were nothing particularly scandalous, but they were pretty fun. She's forgotten the name of a world leader she's meeting before. She's taken a roadie with her in a motorcade. She's gotten tipsy with Obama. She's gone skinny-dipping, but not in the White House pool. She's been to a gay bar. It was all very cute!She followed tradition and delivered what she said would be her Real Housewives tagline, hilariously turning her back to the camera so she could dramatically whip herself around to deliver it: "I'm neither as good or as bad as people say." (This is what she also reveals in Hillary as what she wants etched on her gravestone.)There's a bit of news in her earnest defense of Nancy Pelosi's controversial State of the Union gesture, tearing up the text of Trump's speech after he finished. "I thought she was making a very strong point in demonstrating that so much of what he said was untethered from reality and just plain factually wrong," she said. "Sometimes it's the only way to get attention because otherwise his speech, which was filled with so many errors, would have been taken at face value. Because she visibly did that, which then went viral across the internet, people said, wait a minute, maybe we better take another look. I thought it was an interesting and effective gesture." Even when she was deflecting the few more uncomfortable questions, she was quippy and fun. "I'm the last person to comment on anybody's relationship," she responded to a question about Melania repeated swatting Trump's hand. The entire thing ended in a drag pageant, with RuPaul's Drag Race alumni Trinity the Tuck, Peppermint, and Alaska modeling looks inspired by Clinton's college days, time as first lady, and modern style, respectively. The plastered politician's smile immediately elasticized, nearly spreading off Clinton's face as she cackled breathlessly at the whole ordeal. She seemed to be having the time of her life. The entire thing was a blast. Sometimes it's just fun to see a world leader be allowed to enjoy herself with such abandon, freed of shackles of political propriety. More, in the wake of the Warren news Thursday, it was a much-needed elixir for many crestfallen Bravo viewers. As one tweeted me during the show, "It could not have been better timed for this thoroughly disappointed woman tonight."There is a necessity for Clinton to engage in the heavy news of the current election cycle, and there has been and will be ample opportunity for that. But sometimes it's just nice to have a little fun. Preferably in the presence of some drag queens. Hillary Clinton Basically Endorses Biden After Vowing to Stay NeutralRead 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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| See These Missiles? This Is How North Korea Could Attack with Nearly 'No Warning' Posted: 06 Mar 2020 01:30 AM PST  Not nuclear weapons.
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| Sacked DR Congo general died by 'hanging': president Posted: 07 Mar 2020 02:58 AM PST  DR Congo's sacked former deputy chief of military intelligence, who was under European Union sanctions, died by hanging, President Felix Tshisekedi said Saturday. Delphin Kahimbi, 50, a close associate of former president Joseph Kabila, had died of a heart attack on February 28 at home in Kinshasa, his wife and media reports said. Tshisekedi ordered a probe into the death, and the preliminary findings were made public on Saturday after a cabinet meeting.
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| Nathaniel Woods executed after Supreme Court dismisses last-minute appeals Posted: 06 Mar 2020 02:46 AM PST  A man who had been given a last-minute stay of execution by the Supreme Court has now been put to death after his final appeals were refused.Nathaniel Woods was due to be executed by the state of Alabama on Thursday, but just 30 minutes before the lethal injection was due to begin it was suspended so the Supreme Court could consider new petitions filed.
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| Shocking video shows a New York City subway rider spraying an Asian man and yelling at him to move Posted: 06 Mar 2020 07:53 AM PST  As the coronavirus that originated in China spreads throughout the US, Asian Americans say there's been an uptick in discrimination incidents.
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| Coronavirus panic sparks racist incidents against Asian Americans Posted: 05 Mar 2020 10:05 PM PST  "They're just scared to get infected by Chinese people," restaurant owner Kin Lam told CBS News.
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| Coronavirus found on cruise ship as more U.S. states report cases Posted: 06 Mar 2020 07:17 AM PST  NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Twenty-one people aboard a cruise ship that was barred from docking in San Francisco have tested positive for coronavirus, U.S. officials said on Friday, as eight more states reported their first cases of the fast-spreading respiratory disease. Vice President Mike Pence, who is running the White House's response to the outbreak, said at a news conference that 19 crew members and two passengers out of 46 people tested so far on the Grand Princess ship had the virus. U.S. President Donald Trump said he would rather have passengers remain on board the vessel, but that he would let others decide if they can disembark.
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| China rejects report it fired laser at US Navy plane Posted: 06 Mar 2020 06:27 PM PST  China's Defense Ministry says a report one of its navy ships fired a laser last month at a U.S. Navy surveillance plane circling overhead does not "accord with reality." The report last month was the latest accusation that Chinese forces have used lasers to harass and potentially damage U.S. and other nations' military aircraft and personnel. In China's first public comments on the alleged incident, Ren accused an American P-8A Poseidon of carrying out "long-period circling reconnaissance at low-altitude despite repeated warnings from the Chinese side."
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| Children aren't at great risk for coronavirus, WHO report says, but some doctors aren't so sure Posted: 06 Mar 2020 11:01 AM PST  A report released by the Joint Mission and the World Health Organization-China says that people under 18 experience 'a relatively low attack rate.'
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| A 94-year-old former Nazi camp guard who's living in Tennessee is going to be deported to Germany Posted: 05 Mar 2020 03:05 PM PST  Friedrich Karl Berger served as an armed guard at a sub-camp of Neuengamme near Meppen, Germany, during World War II.
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| Trump says he'd rather keep people on cruise ship to keep numbers down Posted: 06 Mar 2020 04:29 PM PST  While at the CDC, President Trump said that he didn't want people to leave the cruise ship that's currently being quarantined because the number of infected people with coronavirus in the U.S. would likely go up.
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| Elon Musk is showering Bernie Sanders with memes since his own favorite Democratic candidate Andrew Yang dropped out of the race Posted: 07 Mar 2020 02:00 AM PST  Musk has not openly endorsed Sanders and the memes give little insight into whether he supports the Vermont senator.
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| 'Zero-empathy' Trump shows lack of emotion when told about 8-year-old boy's family being killed in tornado Posted: 06 Mar 2020 03:04 PM PST  Donald Trump has been filmed showing "zero empathy" for an 8-year-old boy during a meeting with families of Tennessee tornado victims.The US president met with the families on Friday in the town of Cookeville as part of a trip to see the devastation caused by this week's tornadoes.
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| Ceasefire in Syria's Idlib comes at a cost for Turkey's Erdogan Posted: 06 Mar 2020 08:56 AM PST |
| How the coronavirus could impact the Las Vegas tourism economy Posted: 06 Mar 2020 04:29 PM PST  What impact could coronavirus travel fallout really have on Las Vegas – a land that depends on people coming and going all the time?
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| China Hates India's Fast and Sneaky Brahmos Missiles Posted: 06 Mar 2020 12:00 PM PST  No way to counter it?
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| After former Republican congressman Aaron Schock came out as gay, the LGBTQ+ internet said it wasn't enough to forgive his anti-gay voting record Posted: 06 Mar 2020 08:42 AM PST  In particular, many took issue with Schock's failure to apologize for making life more difficult for queer Americans during his political career.
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