| Trump blasts new coronavirus message: 'LIBERATE' swing states that have Democratic governors Posted: 17 Apr 2020 10:30 AM PDT  President Trump fired off a series of tweets Friday that appeared to encourage citizens in states protesting strict coronavirus lockdown orders to "LIBERATE" themselves from their governors.
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| As COVID-19 deaths outpace funerals, New York’s public burial ground becomes a way-stop between the morgue and cemetery Posted: 18 Apr 2020 05:12 AM PDT  Occupying 131 acres in Long Island Sound, off the Bronx shore, Hart Island is the largest public burial ground in the United States. It has been New York City's public burial ground for more than 150 years, and it is the final resting place of more than 1 million individuals — mostly bodies that went unclaimed or those whose families were not able to afford a burial. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, it is being pressed into service as a temporary resting place for deceased New Yorkers whose internments have been postponed.
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| Laboratory in Wuhan breaks silence to deny claims that coronvarius originated there Posted: 18 Apr 2020 07:40 AM PDT  "There is no way this virus came from us,' said Yuan Zhiming, a vice director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
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| Coronavirus: Japan doctors warn of health system 'break down' as cases surge Posted: 18 Apr 2020 04:43 AM PDT  It comes as coronavirus cases in the country surge, leaving its doctors and hospitals stretched.
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| Ilhan Omar unveils bill to cancel rent and mortgage payments amid pandemic Posted: 17 Apr 2020 09:47 AM PDT  Landlords and mortgage holders would be able to have losses covered by the federal government under the legislation * Coronavirus – live US updates * Live global updates * See all our coronavirus coverageThe Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar has unveiled a bill that would cancel rent and mortgage payments for millions of Americans struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic.Under the legislation announced on Friday, landlords and mortgage holders would be able to have losses covered by the federal government. The program would extend for a month beyond the end of the national emergency, which was declared on 13 March, and would be made retroactive to cover April payments.The proposal comes amid an unprecedented housing crisis: 31% of Americans in rental accommodation could not pay rent at the beginning of this month. Millions have lost their jobs since.Federal answers have been limited. The Cares Act stimulus package included $12bn for Department of Housing and Urban Development programs targeting homelessness and rental assistance. But those funds do little to address the needs of millions of Americans who now find themselves on the edge of acute housing insecurity.National housing groups have called for more funding for rental relief. The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates it would cost about $76.1bn over 12 months to provide relief to the 11.5 million people who are already or soon will become severely housing cost-burdened. The group is demanding $100bn in emergency solutions grants towards short-term rental assistance.But many housing advocates are concerned that such assistance would fail to provide the long-term protection needed to prevent mass evictions. A federal eviction moratorium established through the Cares Act extends only through mid-May, prohibiting evictions within properties with federally backed mortgages.Without an enforcement mechanism, or a clear way for tenants to find out if their property is covered, evictions have continued.Omar's bill seeks to tie federal funding to clear renter protections. In order to receive funds, landlords and lenders would be required to follow a set of fair renting and lending practices for five years. These terms would prohibit rent increases, evictions without just cause, discrimination against voucher holders and more. Any owner or mortgagee who breaks the terms would be subject to a fine.Perhaps most ambitiously, the legislation seeks to establish a fund to finance the purchase of private rental properties by not-for-profits, public housing authorities, community land trusts and state and local governments.The legislation was developed with grassroots organizations including People's Action, the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) and PolicyLink. Such groups hope to introduce the kind of solutions they wanted in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.Dianne Enriquez, CPD housing campaign coordinator, said the 2008 crisis wiped out "millions of dollars in generational wealth", particularly in black and brown communities, when people lost their homes."It created a devastation that we have not recovered from in the 12 years since," she said, adding that as a result, "we are now a majority renter nation".In New York, statewide tenant coalition Housing Justice for All is aiming to organize a million renters to withhold rent and compel the governor, Andrew Cuomo, to cancel rent and mortgage payments. Tenants are also organizing in Philadelphia and California, where thousands have pledged to withhold rent on 1 May.Omar's bill proposes "an amazing way to use the federal stimulus package to not just provide direct relief but the long-term transformation of a real-estate market that's based on speculation and private profit to a housing situation that prioritizes homes", said Cea Weaver, campaign coordinator at Housing Justice for All."It provides a pathway to a different ownership structure that doesn't rely on eviction and rent hikes to make money."
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| Senators say leaders from both parties are stopping renewal of small business relief for coronavirus Posted: 16 Apr 2020 03:45 PM PDT  The $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program to aid small businesses is reportedly already used up, and leaders of both parties blame the other for holding up additional funding
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| Joe Exotic: Tiger King star receives wrongful imprisonment lawsuit extension, reports say Posted: 18 Apr 2020 07:02 AM PDT  Joe Exotic, the former zoo operator and convicted felon whose life has become the subject of the hit Netflix show Tiger King, was reportedly granted an extension in his wrongful imprisonment federal lawsuit this week.The controversial showman, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, requested an extension of at least 30 days in the suit, which seeks nearly $94m in damages from the assistant US attorney who prosecuted him and several witnesses, as well as the Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Interior.
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| My father is a top virologist who believes the coronavirus vaccines won't be ready for distribution until 2021 — here's why Posted: 18 Apr 2020 06:00 AM PDT  "SARS-CoV2 vaccines will not be realistically available for another 12-18 months. And even then, we must be lucky every step of the way."
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| Biden Stumbles Through Televised Interview on Coronavirus Response: ‘You Know, There’s — During World War II, You Know, Where Roosevelt Came Up With A Thing’ Posted: 17 Apr 2020 12:28 PM PDT  Joe Biden on Friday stumbled through an interview on his proposed response to the coronavirus pandemic.Following a long and disjointed introduction, Biden appeared to suggest policy proposals similar to those Franklin D. Roosevelt employed to coordinate manufacturing for the war effort in the 1940's.> BIDEN: "Um, you know, there's a, uh, during World War II, uh, you know, where Roosevelt came up with a thing, uh, that, uh, you know, was totally different than a- than the- it's called, he called it, the, you know, the World War II, he had the war- the the War Production Board." pic.twitter.com/CwFSW2UITD> > -- Eddie Zipperer (@EddieZipperer) April 17, 2020"You know, there's a, uh — during World War II, you know, Roosevelt came up with a thing that uh, you know was totally different than a, than the, you know he called it you know the, World War II, he had the war… the war production board," Biden said.Biden has a history of public speaking gaffes, although the recent frequency of his slip-ups have elicited allegations of cognitive decline from President Trump and his allies. The former vice president's campaign was thrown into further uncertainty with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced various states to implement mail-in voting for their primaries, and has limited campaign events to virtual platforms.During the height of the outbreak in New York, some Democrats speculated on whether Governor Andrew Cuomo might make a better presidential candidate. Cuomo's favorability ratings shot up in his home state as he dealt with the pandemic, however he has denied that he has any intention of challenging Biden.Meanwhile, Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) dropped out of the race after weeks of speculation following a string of Biden primary victories and endorsed the former vice president several days later. Barack Obama has also endorsed his former running-mate.
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| Trump's Gallup approval rating sees the sharpest decline of his presidency Posted: 17 Apr 2020 08:04 AM PDT  President Trump has experienced a six-point dip in his Gallup approval rating, the sharpest decline measured in this poll during his presidency.Trump in Gallup's latest survey released on Thursday earned a 43 percent job approval rating, a six-point decline from his approval rating of 49 percent in Gallup's poll released on March 24."The six-point decline in the president's approval rating is the sharpest drop Gallup has recorded for the Trump presidency so far, largely because Trump's ratings have been highly stable and have yet to reach the historical average for presidents (back to 1945) of 53 percent," Gallup said.When Trump climbed up to a 49 percent approval rating in March's Gallup poll amid the coronavirus pandemic, this tied for the best of his presidency. Even with this six-point decline, his approval rating remains above his average; throughout his administration, Trump's average approval rating from Gallup has been 40 percent.Among Democrats, Trump's approval rating has dropped six points since mid-March, while among independents, it's fallen four points. CNN's Chris Cillizza points to these numbers in writing that "Democrats and independents, who briefly warmed up to him amid the onset of the pandemic, went back to feeling as they always have about him." Gallup, meanwhile, concludes that the dip "may be equally reflective of their assessment of his performance and an overall souring mood as the unemployment rate and death toll both continue to climb."Gallup's poll was conducted by speaking to a random sample of 1,017 U.S. adults over the phone from April 1-14. The margin of error is 4 percentage points. Read more at Gallup. More stories from theweek.com A parade that killed thousands? 5 scathing cartoons about Trump's rush to reopen the economy USDA to provide $16 billion in direct aid to farmers, spend $3 billion on agricultural products
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| Chinese and Malaysian ships in South China Sea standoff: Sources Posted: 17 Apr 2020 10:57 AM PDT  A Chinese government survey ship is tagging an exploration vessel operated by Malaysia's state oil company, Petronas, in disputed waters in the South China Sea, three regional security sources said on Friday.
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| Michigan Gov. Whitmer says she hopes to have 'some relaxing' of stay-at-home order by May 1 Posted: 17 Apr 2020 05:46 AM PDT  The Democratic governor did not elaborate Friday on which part of the order she might be willing to lift.
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| Pakistan lifts limit on mosque congregations as Muslim holy month approaches Posted: 18 Apr 2020 08:08 AM PDT |
| 11 Modernist Homes for Sale in the U.S. Posted: 17 Apr 2020 11:35 AM PDT |
| Stimulus package: More money for small businesses could have to wait weeks, Pelosi indicates Posted: 16 Apr 2020 10:03 AM PDT  Speaker Nancy Pelosi has warned that Congress may not pass another round of funding for a key small business payroll relief programme for another week or two, even though the programme is set to run out of money on Thursday.Ms Pelosi told reporters on Thursday that she hopes an interim relief bill that would include money for the Treasury Department's paycheck protection programme (PPP) could pass Congress "by the end of the month."
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| Jeff Bezos reportedly buys 4th condo in NYC for $16 million and now owns nearly $100 million in property in one building alone Posted: 17 Apr 2020 08:32 AM PDT  The latest purchase would be on top of the $80 million worth of real estate Jeff Bezos already owns in the same New York City building.
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| Russia Reports New Record Daily Rise in Coronavirus Cases Posted: 18 Apr 2020 01:35 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Russia recorded its largest daily increase in coronavirus infections, with the new cases rising by almost 5,000 in a single day.New infections jumped by 4,785 to 36,793, the official Russian coronavirus information center reported on its website. Forty people died in the past day, including 21 in Moscow, bringing the number of fatalities to 313. The pace of new cases increased 17.6% after slowing to less than 15% in the previous two days.Officials in Moscow have tightened restrictions on moving around the capital, introducing a new system of digital travel passes on Wednesday to try to curb the spread of the virus. President Vladimir Putin has ordered most Russians to stay at home until April 30, warning this week that the epidemic has yet to reach its peak in the country. On Thursday, he postponed all planned public celebrations of the May 9 World War II victory, including the Red Square military parade.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| CDC Wants to Know if Some Sailors on Stricken Carrier Developed Coronavirus Immunity Posted: 18 Apr 2020 04:13 AM PDT  Medical personnel will take a nasal swab sample and blood tests for sailors on the carrier, which remains docked in Guam.
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| China adds nearly 1,300 coronavirus deaths to official Wuhan toll, blaming reporting delays Posted: 16 Apr 2020 08:19 PM PDT  China has denied covering up the true extent of the coronavirus outbreak after releasing new figures that increase the death toll in Wuhan by 50 per cent. The death toll for Wuhan now stands at 3,869 after China added 1,290 to the tally. It came as the number of infections increased retrospectively by 325, pushing the overall count to 50,333, according to a government statement posted online. Officials said the revision was due to overwhelmed hospitals and medical staff, which meant some people died at home after being unable to be admitted. The surge of patients also meant delayed or missed reports about infections and deaths. The change to data will likely seed further doubt about the accuracy of figures reported by the Chinese government, which has already been questioned by politicians and officials in the US and UK. US intelligence officials have concluded that China concealed the extent of the outbreak and under-reported the infection and death count.
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| After dozens of deportees are positive for coronavirus, U.S. deploys CDC to Guatemala to 'validate' its tests Posted: 16 Apr 2020 09:44 PM PDT  After Guatemalan officials reported more than half of deportees on two flights from the U.S. tested positive for COVID-19, the Trump administration deploys the CDC to 'review' the country's results.
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| 'Commander' of New Mexico group that detained migrants near border is sentenced Posted: 16 Apr 2020 02:16 PM PDT  Larry Mitchell Hopkins, 70, was arrested in 2019. He was a "commander" of a group accused of detaining migrants at the New Mexico-Mexico border.
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| Coronavirus: President Trump defends tweets against US states' lockdowns Posted: 18 Apr 2020 05:06 AM PDT  He says some measures are "too tough", but health experts warn lifting them will increase infection.
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| Coronavirus: Doctor claims 9.8 million people dying could be ‘worthwhile payoff’ if schools are reopened Posted: 16 Apr 2020 10:50 AM PDT  Dr Mehmet Oz had called reopening schools amidst the coronavirus outbreak a very "appetising opportunity," accepting there would be a two to three per-cent increase in deaths as a result."I just saw a nice piece in The Lancet arguing that the opening of schools may only cost us two to three per-cent, in terms of total mortality," Dr Oz said in an interview on Fox News.
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| Biden looks to placate Sanders by letting him keep delegates Posted: 17 Apr 2020 04:59 PM PDT  Seeking to avoid the bitter feelings that marred the 2016 Democratic convention, Joe Biden's campaign is angling to allow Bernie Sanders to keep some of the delegates he would otherwise forfeit by dropping out of the presidential race. Under a strict application of party rules, Sanders should lose about a third of the delegates he's won in primaries and caucuses as the process moves ahead and states select the actual people who will attend the Democratic National Convention. The rules say those delegates should be Biden supporters, as he is the only candidate still actively seeking the party's nomination.
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| Mexico Downgraded to Baa1 by Moody’s on Weak Growth Outlook Posted: 17 Apr 2020 02:35 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Mexico received a long-anticipated downgrade by Moody's Investors Service after a year of economic contraction and persistent uncertainty.The nation's sovereign debt was downgraded one notch to Baa1 with a negative outlook, the rating firm said in a statement. Mexico has held a solid A3 investment-grade rating since 2017, but Moody's lowered the country's outlook from stable to negative in June 2019."Mexico's medium term economic growth prospects have materially weakened," analyst Ariane Ortiz-Bollin wrote in the decision. "The continued deterioration in Pemex's financial and operational standing is eroding the sovereign's fiscal strength."Moody's also cut Pemex's rating two notches to Ba2, well into junk levels, fueling concerns that the state oil company's bonds could be in line for a forced sell-off. The outlook on Pemex's rating remains negative.The decision follows a downgrade by Fitch Ratings Inc. on Wednesday to BBB-, the lowest investment grade score, and a downgrade by S&P Global Ratings on March 26 to BBB.Mexico has been in a precarious position since the election of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in 2018. He canceled an airport project in Mexico City before even assuming office, buffeting markets and ushering in a year and a half of persistent uncertainty that has weighed on the country's economic prospects. In 2019, Mexico's gross domestic product contracted 0.1%, the product of a dismal investment climate domestically and global trade uncertainties.Mexico's Finance Ministry sought to downplay the rating cut."The institutional and economic foundations of our country are solid," the ministry said in a statement. "In their evaluations, the rating agencies reiterate that the country has a highly credible and prudent fiscal policy record."Additional pressure was put on the sovereign rating by state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, better known as Pemex. While the company doesn't have an official government debt guarantee, investors worried that an effort to support the firm with continuous capital injections could undermine Mexico's fiscal position.Still, Lopez Obrador's government staved off a downgrade by defying market expectations and maintaining fiscal prudence. The government posted a primary budget surplus in 2019, only the third time Mexico has done so in a decade.But in the lead up to the downgrade, Mexican markets got hammered by a slide in global oil prices and fears of a continued spread of the coronavirus.(Updates with Finance Ministry comments in seventh paragraph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Berlin is reportedly brokering a deal to consolidate German naval shipbuilders Posted: 16 Apr 2020 01:28 PM PDT  ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, German Naval Yards Kiel, and Lürssen Defence could form a national industry champion akin to those in France and Italy.
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| An infamous WHO tweet saying there was 'no clear evidence' COVID-19 could spread between humans was posted for 'balance' to reflect findings from China Posted: 18 Apr 2020 03:01 AM PDT  The assertion on January 14 that there was "no clear evidence" the coronavirus could spread between people was soon proved wrong.
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| Tehran cautiously reopens as economic hardship trumps virus risks Posted: 18 Apr 2020 08:19 AM PDT  Iran allowed some shuttered Tehran businesses to reopen Saturday despite the Middle East's deadliest coronavirus outbreak, as many faced a bitter choice between risking infection and economic ruin. Top officials argue that Iran's sanctions-hit economy cannot afford to remain on lockdown, and approved similar measures in other provinces last week. There was a "significant" uptick in highway use on Saturday, according to Tehran's traffic police chief, who told state TV that some anti-congestion measures had been lifted to discourage use of public transportation.
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| Landlords are soliciting sex in exchange for rent, advocates say Posted: 17 Apr 2020 02:41 PM PDT  "Landlord coercion has always been a reality, but we've never seen anything like this," Jabola-Carolus said.
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| Protests erupt along Mexican border after deaths at Honeywell, Lear Posted: 16 Apr 2020 09:08 PM PDT  A spate of suspected coronavirus deaths among workers for U.S. companies operating along the border in Mexico has triggered multiple protests in recent days, highlighting friction over which factories should remain open in the pandemic. On Thursday, dozens of protesters demanded a Honeywell assembly plant in Ciudad Juarez be closed to prevent the spread of the virus after a colleague died. Car seat maker Lear confirmed "several" of its workers had died in the city this month of respiratory illnesses, while technology company Poly, also known as Plantronics, told Reuters two workers in Tijuana died this week of unknown causes.
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| Top House Republican Backs Dem. Hospital Funding Proposal as Part of Small Business Loan Package Posted: 17 Apr 2020 11:51 AM PDT  House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) announced on Friday that he would back a Democratic proposal to add hospital funding to a $250 billion relief package for small business loans, signaling that Congress may be closer to passing the legislation."Hospitals need the help. Hospitals are the modern-day soldiers," Mr. McCarthy told the Wall Street Journal. "I'd like to see money in there—money in the [Paycheck Protection Program] and money in hospitals—that would be a very smart move right now."Republicans have repeatedly urged their Democratic colleagues to back legislation that would replenish the Paycheck Protection Program, which was established with an initial $350 billion in loans to small businesses to provide relief during the coronavirus pandemic.The PPP ran out of funds on Thursday, faster than expected. While Republicans sought to pass emergency relief by unanimous consent, Democrats have insisted that the legislation include additional aid to hospitals and local governments, as well as targeted aid for minority and women-owned businesses.A deal must be "a little more comprehensive than just giving money to one small business program," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) told reporters on Friday. Schumer said he and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would continue talks with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin regarding the legislation.However, some Democrats have called to immediately fund the PPP. Karen Mills, the head of the Small Business Administration during Barack Obama's first term, called on Democrats to act quickly to refund the program."Congress has to act as soon as possible," Mills told Roll Call on Thursday.Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D., Ariz.) on Thursday also backed immediate funding for the PPP."The Senate should approve additional funding by unanimous consent ASAP," Sinema wrote on Twitter on Thursday. "Small businesses need our help to survive during this emergency."
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| Coronavirus forced schools online, but many students didn't follow Posted: 17 Apr 2020 10:33 AM PDT  Teachers across the U.S. report their attempts at distance learning are failing to reach large numbers of students.
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| Severe storms and tornadoes could hit the South again on Sunday, forecasters warn Posted: 17 Apr 2020 08:23 AM PDT  Sunday could bring another round of severe storms and tornadoes in the South, including New Orleans, Houston and Atlanta.
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| Biden Says New Endorsements Brought Online Money Windfall Posted: 16 Apr 2020 02:36 PM PDT |
| Hong Kong police arrest democracy activists, media tycoon Posted: 18 Apr 2020 12:31 AM PDT  Among those arrested were 81-year-old activist and former lawmaker Martin Lee and democracy advocates Albert Ho, Lee Cheuk-yan and Au Nok-hin. Police also arrested media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who founded the local newspaper Apple Daily. Lai, Lee Cheuk-yan and Yeung Sum — a former lawmaker from the Democratic Party — were charged in February over their involvement in a mass anti-government demonstration on Aug. 31 last year.
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| Pentagon chief pours cold water on theory that coronavirus was released from a Wuhan lab, despite Trump admin investigation Posted: 17 Apr 2020 05:55 AM PDT  Defense Secretary Mark Esper said most theories view the coronavirus as having emerged naturally, despite a government probe into a Wuhan lab.
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| Venezuela slams US over 'vulgar' central bank funds seizure Posted: 17 Apr 2020 02:56 PM PDT  Venezuela on Friday hit out at the United States over the seizure of $342 million that its central bank had held in an account at Citibank. In a Twitter post, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza blasted the "vulgar dispossession" of the money "ordered" by the US -- and pointed to "complicity" by the opposition-controlled National Assembly. The US-based assets of Venezuela's central bank are among those that have been frozen under tough sanctions put in place by the government of President Donald Trump.
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| McDonald's apologizes after restaurant in China bans black people Posted: 17 Apr 2020 06:03 AM PDT  A sign said that "black people are not allowed to enter" the restaurant in Guangzhou.
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| Ecuador's death rate soars as fears grow over scale of coronavirus crisis Posted: 17 Apr 2020 03:09 PM PDT  Mortalities in one province leap from 3,000 to 11,000 in six weeks, with health and mortuary services overwhelmed New data suggests that Ecuador's coronavirus toll may be much higher than previously indicated, after figures revealed a massive jump in deaths in the province at the centre of the country's devastating outbreak.Since the beginning of March six weeks ago, 10,939 people have died in Guayas province, which includes Ecuador's largest city, Guayaquil, according to figures released late on Thursday.The region would usually see about 3,000 deaths in a six-week period, with the new figures suggesting that the local death rate has almost quadrupled.In Ecuador as a whole, coronavirus has been confirmed as the cause of only 421 deaths, and is suspected in a further 675, but interior minister María Paula Romo said the true number was probably much higher."The number of deaths is totally out of the ordinary," she told the Guardian.Ecuador has been one of worst-affected countries in Latin America, overwhelming medical and mortuary services in Guayaquil, where grieving families have been forced to live alongside corpses of loved ones or abandon them in the street."We've wanted to be open about the statistics for deaths to show a more complete panorama," Romo said, adding that the full statistics would explain "why the funeral services and cemeteries simply could not cope in recent days in Guayaquil and Guayas".The crisis in Ecuador's commercial capital has become a warning to Latin America, where many countries have poor health services and high inequality.Last week, authorities in Guayaquil started handing out thousands of cardboard coffins and created a helpline for families who need corpses to be removed from their homes.Nearly 70% of Ecuador's coronavirus cases have been concentrated in Guayas province, which had 5,777 of the national total of 8,450 cases on Friday.Authorities said nearly 30,000 coronavirus tests had been administered in the country. There are plans to increase capacity to 1,400 tests a day.However, some regional authorities say the death toll will continue to rise. Andrés Guschmer, a Guayaquil councillor who has been leading the fight against the virus in the city, has predicted the number of people infected will exceed 35,000.
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| Dozens of New Air Force Academy Graduates Are Heading Straight to Space Force Posted: 17 Apr 2020 06:05 AM PDT  The graduation ceremony will be held under tight social distancing guidelines.
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| Senate Democrats 'livid' after Pence refuses to push for more coronavirus testing Posted: 17 Apr 2020 12:30 PM PDT  Federal discussions to expand coronavirus testing could not be going worse.Senate Democrats held a call with Vice President Mike Pence on Friday to discuss the federal government's COVID-19 response and how best to restart the economy. But instead of working out any form of plan, Democrats left the call "livid" and complaining of the White House's "dereliction of duty" amid the crisis, the senators say.Despite showing some promising growth for a while, expansion of the U.S.'s COVID-19 testing capacity has ground to a halt, with fewer than 150,000 people able to be tested every day. Experts say we need to double or triple that capacity before even thinking about restarting the economy, and yet President Trump still rooted for protesters pressuring their Democratic governors to do so on Friday with tweets calling to "liberate" some states. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Md.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) pressed Pence on those tweets in the call, per Politico's Burgess Everett.Beyond the tweets, "almost every question from Senate Democrats has been about testing," a source told The Daily Beast's Sam Stein about the call. But Pence never gave the Democrats solid answers about ramping up testing, amounting to what Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) called a "dereliction of duty." "I have never been so mad about a phone call in my life," King even said to Pence and everyone on the call.More stories from theweek.com A parade that killed thousands? 5 scathing cartoons about Trump's rush to reopen the economy USDA to provide $16 billion in direct aid to farmers, spend $3 billion on agricultural products
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| Trump Calls For Reopening America’s Gyms Day After Call With SoulCycle’s Owner Posted: 17 Apr 2020 01:07 PM PDT  President Donald Trump unveiled a proposal this week to reopen America's gyms in spite of the coronavirus outbreak after a phone call that included the head of the company that owns luxury fitness brands Equinox and SoulCycle, who also happens to be a high-profile Trump supporter.In a memo issued on Thursday titled "Guidelines for Opening Up America Again," the White House included gyms among the businesses that would reopen to the general public during "phase one" of its plan to jump-start the American economy, which has cratered amid nationwide stay-at-home orders and business closures. Though the document said gyms could open "if they adhere to strict physical distancing and sanitation protocols," their inclusion nevertheless struck public health experts as bizarre. "Gyms are like a petri dish," said Laurence Gostin, the director of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University. "People are close to one another, they're sweating, they're coughing and sneezing, they're touching multiple surfaces, they're sharing equipment, they're indoors. Literally all of the heightened risk factors for COVID transmission are all entwined together in a gym."The White House's guidance included mitigation measures that would ostensibly minimize the risk of transmission at gyms that opt to reopen, including "strict physical distancing and sanitation protocols." But Gostin said he's not convinced that the risks of transmission could be sufficiently minimized."It's very hard to socially distance. Machines are right next to each other. It's also very hard to disinfect. You'd have to do it continuously, not just every hour," he said. "There was certainly no attempt to put in any scientific evidence as to why they're safe or how they could possibly be made safe."The decision on gyms came a day after Trump's phone call with 16 business leaders including Bahram Akradi, chief executive of health club chain Life Time, and Stephen Ross, the founder and chairman of the Related Companies. That firm's broad portfolio includes a vast swath of commercial and residential real estate properties, as well as Equinox Holdings, which owns its own eponymous chain of luxury gyms as well as fitness brands SoulCycle, Blink Fitness, and Pure Yoga.Trevor Noah Drags Equinox Owner for Ignoring Trump's RacismThose businesses, like the larger fitness industry, have been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus. SoulCycle has slashed payroll and furloughed employees. Equinox and Blink have both frozen membership charges.Arkadi has donated to prominent Republicans in the past, though not to Trump. He warned in an appearance on Laura Ingraham's primetime Fox News show late last month that he might be forced to lay off up to 90 percent of his employees unless American businesses began to reopen.The White House readout of Wednesday's phone call said industry representatives—which included Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Brian Moynihan of Bank of America, Jimmy John Liautaud, the eponymous owner of the Jimmy John's restaurant chain, and Phil Ruffin of Treasure Island Hotels—"shared ideas for ways their industries can safely return." The White House declined to comment on whether ideas presented by Ross informed its phase one guidelines. In an emailed statement, a Related spokesperson told The Daily Beast, "Stephen Ross never discussed gyms, exercise clubs or anything like that with the President and this story is factually incorrect garbage.""Equinox is an independent company, with multiple investors and Related doesn't make strategic or operational decisions for them," the spokesperson added.Ross was one of more than 200 people named to the White House's economic recovery task forces this week, which will advise the Trump administration on policies to reverse the economic damage done by the coronavirus. He was one of 27 high-dollar donors to pro-Trump groups who made the list. Since the 2016 presidential campaign, he's donated about $300,000 to the Republican National Committee.Ross also hosted a fundraiser for Trump's reelection campaign last year at his home in the Hamptons. The move drew criticism from Trump critics and calls to boycott his fitness businesses, which are among the nation's largest by revenue. That fundraiser, combined with one other, helped the president and affiliated campaign groups raise $12 million. As Ross endured criticism for hosting the event, Trump rushed to his defense. "He's a great friend of mine; he's a very successful guy. We were competitors but friends in real estate in New York in the old days," he told reporters. "He's probably more inclined to be a liberal if you want to know the truth, but he likes me, he respects me."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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| Racial toll of virus grows even starker as more data emerges Posted: 17 Apr 2020 09:20 PM PDT  As a clearer picture emerges of COVID-19's decidedly deadly toll on black Americans, leaders are demanding a reckoning of the systemic policies they say have made many African Americans far more vulnerable to the virus, including inequity in access to health care and economic opportunity. A growing chorus of medical professionals, activists and political figures are pressuring the federal government to not just release comprehensive racial demographic data of the country's coronavirus victims, but also to outline clear strategies to blunt the devastation on African Americans and other communities of color. On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its first breakdown of COVID-19 case data by race, showing that 30% of patients whose race was known were black.
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| Amid coronavirus, US is trying to 'squeeze' what it can from the Army's largest European exercise in 25 years Posted: 17 Apr 2020 11:37 AM PDT  Despite the smaller form of Defender-Europe 20, the US military is still aiming to get as much out of the exercise as it and its allies can.
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| Use One of These Grill Cleaners to Ensure a Food-Safe Cooking Space Posted: 18 Apr 2020 07:00 AM PDT |
| Two felons escape Wisconsin prison, residents told 'lock your doors' Posted: 16 Apr 2020 01:23 PM PDT  "Please lock your doors, and stay home. See anyone suspicious call 911," the Columbia County Sheriff's Office said in a statement..
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| Violence and looting point to food crisis in S.Africa lockdown Posted: 18 Apr 2020 04:29 AM PDT  The desperate plea was made in a video posted on social media to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa who imposed a five-week lockdown to try curb the spread of the coronavirus . Four weeks into a 35-day lockdown poor communities are facing food shortages as incomes for mostly informal workers have dried up. Imposed from March 27, the lockdown has placed already cash-strapped citizens under further strain.
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