| Her granddaughter was sick, so Dr. Birx stayed home: 'You can’t take that kind of risk' around the president Posted: 06 Apr 2020 05:22 PM PDT  Dr. Deborah Birx, one of the two leading medical experts on the White House coronavirus task force, said Monday that out of deference to social-distancing rules she had stayed away from her daughter's house — even though her 10-month-old granddaughter had registered a fever of 105 degrees over the
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| Fauci once dismissed concerns about 'silent carriers' of coronavirus. Not anymore. Posted: 07 Apr 2020 09:17 AM PDT  The nation's top infectious disease expert says half of the people spreading coronavirus may never feel sick. That's more than anyone thought.
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| Azul Rojas Marín: Peru found responsible for torture of LGBT person Posted: 08 Apr 2020 05:40 AM PDT  Azul Rojas Marín was beaten and raped in custody in Peru, a top human rights court rules.
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| NYC Is Taking Hundreds of Body Bags Out of Houses—and Soon They Will Be Counted Posted: 08 Apr 2020 11:21 AM PDT  The coronavirus death count in New York City, already unfathomable, is expected to surge in the coming days as officials begin including people who have been dropping dead at home without an official diagnosis.Emergency Medical Service data first reported by Gothamist suggests the undercount of individuals who have likely died from the virus is massive. On Tuesday alone, 256 people were pronounced dead at home across the five boroughs. Until this month, about 25 people in New York City were found dead in their homes on a typical day, suggesting that most of Tuesday's calls were related to the outbreak that has already killed over 5,400 people across the state and infected 140,386 more. According to New York City Fire Department data obtained by The Daily Beast, first responders have reported 2,192 "dead-on-arrival" calls over the last two weeks. On average, the department handled about 453 of those calls over the same period last year. That data also showed that the number of cardiac or respiratory arrest calls has exploded, from 20 to 30 a day at the end of March and the beginning of April in 2019, to 322 on one day in April in 2020—with more than 100 calls every day since March 28. While 30 to 50 percent of those calls ended in a death in 2019, more than 50 percent of those calls have ended in a death every day since March 22 this year, with the percentage steadily rising to 75 percent as of April 5.'New York Is in Crisis': Cuomo Pleads for Help as State Suffers Worst Single-Day Death Toll "Every person with a lab-confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis is counted in the number of fatalities, whether they passed away at home or in a hospital," a spokesperson for the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said in a statement to The Daily Beast. "The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) and the NYC Health Department are working together to include into their reports deaths that may be linked to COVID but not lab-confirmed that occur at home." They did not specify when the city will begin reporting that data, but the decision to include the possible virus-related fatalities comes after Gothamist's report about at-home deaths that were likely related to the disease and not included in the city's reports.While New York City reported over 400 coronavirus deaths in less than 24 hours on Wednesday, that number did not include those who died in non-hospital settings without a formal lab diagnosis.While initially refusing to discuss his administration's reporting system, Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday agreed the city should include home deaths to give an accurate account of the tragedy raging the city. He acknowledged that a "vast majority" of deaths at home are "coronavirus related.""The blunt truth is coronavirus is driving these very tragic deaths," de Blasio said on CNN. "We're talking about something like 100, 200 people per day. Don't take this disease ever lightly because the real death toll is even higher."The mayor added that New York—currently the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States—has seen more deaths in the "last couple of days" than "the number of people who died in the World Trade Center."State and city officials are still struggling to track the number of coronavirus cases, as officials believe there are a number of individuals infected with the virus who have not, or cannot, be tested. One emergency room doctor told The Daily Beast that his hospital is "aggressively sending people home." "Being in the hospital is not going to change their course of illness," the physician said, indicating the hard choices medical professionals face during this pandemic.De Blasio said that he was hopeful the virus was starting to slow after seeing indications that the city's overwhelmed hospital system was seeing fewer admissions—until he learned that hundreds of people are dying in their homes without seeking medical care. NYC Is on the Brink as Patients Flood Hospitals Already 'Under Siege'"We never saw anything like this in normal times," he added. "We have to acknowledge that, and say this is further evidence of just how destructive this disease is."On Wednesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that 779 more people had died across the state, marking the second day in a row that the Empire State saw an increase in deaths related to the pandemic."If the hospitalization rate keeps decreasing the way it is now, then the system should stabilize these next couple of weeks, which will minimize the need for an overflow that we have built into the system," Cuomo said, adding that "the number of deaths, as a matter of fact, will continue to rise as those hospitalized for a longer period of time pass away." The death toll has already overwhelmed city hospitals and morgues. To deal with the flood of bodies, 45 refrigerated trucks have been set up across the five boroughs, some of which are already full, and a temporary morgue has been erected outside Bellevue Hospital in Midtown Manhattan. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said last week that New York will also receive 250 ambulances, about 500 EMTs and paramedics, and 85 more refrigerated trucks to help with the overload. On Monday, de Blasio, who'd previously refused to detail any plans for mass burials, said that the city has contingency plans in place if needed to bury COVID-19 victims in temporary plots on Hart Island, which has been used as New York's potter's grave for 150 years, until morgues and cemeteries can handle the influx. "We're going to try and treat every family with dignity, respect, religious needs of those who are devout and the focus right now is to try to get through this crisis and obviously also put all of our energy and resources into saving those we can save," de Blasio said. "That's how we're going to go about it. We'll have the capacity for temporary burials. That's all I'm going to say."Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Philippines backs Vietnam after China sinks fishing boat Posted: 08 Apr 2020 03:51 AM PDT  The Philippines on Wednesday expressed solidarity with Vietnam after Hanoi protested what it said was the ramming and sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat by a Chinese coast guard ship in the disputed South China Sea. The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila expressed deep concern over the reported April 3 sinking of the boat carrying eight fishermen off the Paracel Islands. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea and has built several islands equipped with military installations in the area, one of world's busiest shipping lanes.
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| Chinese Official Tries to Walk Back Claim U.S. Military Brought Virus to Wuhan Posted: 07 Apr 2020 02:59 PM PDT  China Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian held his first press conference in several weeks on Tuesday, attempting to walk back his earlier claim that the U.S. military had brought the novel coronavirus to the city of Wuhan."The virus [is] a scientific question that requires scientific opinions," Zhao told reporters. He was then asked if he stood behind a March 12 tweet in which he wrote that, "It might be the U.S. Army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan.""The questions raised on my personal Twitter account are a response to U.S. politicians' stigmatization of China, which also reflects the righteous anger of many Chinese people over these stigmatizing acts," Zhao responded.China blocks Twitter within its borders, although certain citizens and companies may use the app with government approval. Twitter has said that using the platform to claim that the U.S. brought coronavirus to Wuhan does not violate its rules and terms of service.The Chinese government and state-owned media outlets have repeatedly tried to portray President Trump's use of the term "Chinese virus" as stigmatizing. On March 17, Trump was asked during a White House press conference whether he thought calling the coronavirus the "Chinese virus" created a "stigma.""No, I don't think so. I think saying that our military gave it to them creates a stigma," Trump replied.The coronavirus pandemic that began in Wuhan has now claimed over 81,000 lives and seen 1,400,000 people infected.
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| 86-year-old and three sons die after contracting COVID-19 Posted: 07 Apr 2020 04:19 PM PDT  The mother and three sons all died within days of each other, the New Orleans Coroner's Office confirmed.
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| Jakarta coffin maker faces gruelling days as coronavirus death toll climbs Posted: 08 Apr 2020 02:25 AM PDT  As debate rages about the true death toll caused by the coronavirus outbreak in Indonesia, Jakarta coffin maker Sahroni has been too busy to pay the issue much attention. "Usually we sell between five to seven coffins a day, but now it is up to 20 to 30 coffins a day," said Sahroni, 38, as he applied base coat onto a wooden coffin. The warehouse where Sahroni works normally specialises in coffins for Indonesia's Christian minority, but now they are providing coffins for all denominations, including Muslims who would usually be buried in a shroud.
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| Korean Air puts 70 percent of staff on leave Posted: 07 Apr 2020 07:17 PM PDT  Korean Air is the flagship of the Hanjin group, one of the multifaceted, family-controlled conglomerates known as chaebols that dominate business in South Korea and played a key part in its rise to become the world's 12th-largest economy. Most of its staff will go on leave from April 16 for six months in response to "deteriorating business circumstances", Korean Air said in a statement. Korean Air's labour union agreed to participate as part of a "burden-sharing" initiative, the company said -- executives have also agreed to take pay cuts.
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| Sailors reportedly 'livid' with acting Navy secretary after he blasts captain who expressed coronavirus concerns Posted: 06 Apr 2020 03:11 PM PDT  A speech by acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly to the aircraft carrier crew whose captain he relieved April 2 has exposed him to accusations of hypocrisy and led to calls for him to be fired.
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| As coronavirus spreads, mentally ill Americans are left scrambling for options Posted: 07 Apr 2020 09:51 AM PDT  The rapid spread of the coronavirus has dramatically affected the one in five Americans who deal with mental health in any given year, as well as those who work tirelessly to keep those individuals well.
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| Coronavirus: Why China's claims of success raise eyebrows Posted: 07 Apr 2020 04:05 AM PDT  China has claimed its first day without a virus death, but faces lingering scepticism over its data.
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| UK truck driver pleads guilty in deaths of 39 Vietnamese Posted: 08 Apr 2020 07:49 AM PDT  A truck driver accused in the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants whose bodies were found inside a refrigerated container that had been hauled to England pleaded guilty to manslaughter Wednesday. Maurice Robinson, 25, of Craigavon in Northern Ireland, entered the plea at Central London Criminal Court.
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| Coronavirus: McConnell breaks silence and says more money for small businesses could be approved this week Posted: 07 Apr 2020 09:05 AM PDT  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday the $367bn federal program green lighted in March to help small businesses through the coronavirus crisis will need more money in a follow-up bill, which he hopes to pass through the Senate as early as Thursday.Mr McConnell's statement Tuesday on providing more small business relief marks the first time he has commented on the substance of a follow-up bill to the the $2.2trn "phase three" economic stimulus package passed in March, and could be a jumping off point for negotiations on a phase four package with Democrats.
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| Pelosi reportedly tells Democrats next coronavirus relief package will top $1 trillion Posted: 06 Apr 2020 07:55 PM PDT  During a private conference call with Democrats on Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said at least $1 trillion will be needed for the next coronavirus relief package.Last month, Congress passed a $2.2 trillion stimulus package, and Pelosi said the next bill will build onto that, people on the call told Bloomberg News. Pelosi said there will have to be more direct payments to individuals, extended unemployment insurance, and additional funding for food stamps and the Payroll Protection Plan, which provides small business loans.One lawmaker told Bloomberg News Pelosi also said the bill should help state and local governments, particularly in areas with no more than 500,000 residents. While the House isn't scheduled to be back in session until April 20 at the earliest, Pelosi said she wants the package passed this month. President Trump was asked on Monday evening about a second round of direct payments to Americans, and he said it is "absolutely under consideration."More stories from theweek.com Trump threatens to freeze U.S. funding to the World Health Organization Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey pledges $1 billion to coronavirus relief What America needs to do before lockdown can end
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| Your Home (and Mind) Needs One of These High-Design Mobiles Posted: 07 Apr 2020 12:28 PM PDT |
| New York hits new coronavirus peak but curve flattening Posted: 08 Apr 2020 11:50 AM PDT  New York recorded a new single-day high for coronavirus deaths on Wednesday but Governor Andrew Cuomo said the epidemic appeared to be stabilizing. Cuomo said 779 people had died in the last 24 hours, bringing the total death toll in New York state from COVID-19 to 6,268. New York is bearing the brunt of America's deadly coronavirus pandemic, accounting for around half the number of deaths across the country.
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| Trump berates reporters during coronavirus briefing: 'You will never make it' Posted: 06 Apr 2020 06:20 PM PDT  Trump used Monday's briefing of the coronavirus task force to lash out at several members of the press, despite having recently praised media coverage of his response to the crisis as "very fair."
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| New York, New Jersey report record coronavirus deaths, fear death toll undercounted Posted: 08 Apr 2020 06:46 AM PDT  The number of coronavirus cases in New York state alone approached 150,000 on Wednesday, surpassing Spain for the most infections anywhere in the world, even as authorities warned the state's official death tally may understate the true toll. New York and neighboring New Jersey on Wednesday again reported new single-day highs for coronavirus deaths. New York state has 149,316 reported cases compared to Spain's 146,690, according to a Reuters tally.
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| Surgeon General says he's 'optimistic' the coronavirus impact can be slowed if US keeps up social distancing for 30 days Posted: 07 Apr 2020 11:04 AM PDT  The US is not in the clear: More than 378,200 coronavirus cases and 11,800 deaths have been reported as of Tuesday.
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| Iran says US oil production must be known before OPEC+ call Posted: 08 Apr 2020 01:21 AM PDT  Iran demanded on Wednesday that U.S. oil production levels must be known before an upcoming OPEC meeting with Russia and others seeking to boost global energy prices. The meeting of the so-called OPEC+ is scheduled to be held Thursday after officials delayed it following Saudi Arabia criticizing Russia over its comments about the price collapse. A meeting in March saw OPEC and other nations led by Russia fail to agree to a production cut as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has drastically cut demand for oil.
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| EU Nations Upgrade Trade Arsenal to Offset U.S. Attack on WTO Posted: 08 Apr 2020 01:20 AM PDT |
| Illinois mayor's wife found at bar violating stay-at-home order Posted: 07 Apr 2020 05:50 PM PDT  "My wife is an adult capable of making her own decisions, and in this instance she exhibited a stunning lack of judgement," Mayor Brant Walker of Alton, Illinois, wrote on Facebook.
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| Democrat Amy McGrath raises more money than Mitch McConnell in 1st quarter Posted: 07 Apr 2020 11:11 PM PDT  Democrat Amy McGrath is hoping she'll be the one to take on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in November, and when it comes to campaign cash, she's already ahead.McGrath, a retired Marine fighter pilot who narrowly lost a 2018 congressional race, is the favorite to win the Democratic primary, which was moved to June because of the coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday, McGrath's campaign reported bringing in $12.8 million over the first three months of 2020, while McConnell's campaign reported raising close to $7.5 million over the same time period.This was McConnell's most successful fundraising haul since becoming a senator in the mid-1980s, his campaign said. "Kentuckians know that at a time of great consequence, there is no substitute for the proven leadership of Mitch McConnell," campaign manager Kevin Golden told The Associated Press. McGrath entered the Democratic primary race last summer, and has so far received $29.8 million in contributions for the 2020 election cycle, with McConnell raising $25.6 million; she has $14.7 million on hand, while McConnell has almost $14.9 million. McGrath campaign spokesman Terry Sebastian told AP her numbers show "voters are fed up with Mitch McConnell continually putting corporate handouts ahead of working people" and "working Americans don't trust his leadership and are demanding new leaders like Amy McGrath who they know will have their back."More stories from theweek.com Dr. Anthony Fauci cautiously predicts kids will return to school next fall, 'but it's going to be different' What America needs to do before lockdown can end The coming backlash against the public health experts
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| Dems Demand Half of $251 Billion in Additional Small Business Loans Be Targeted to Minority, Women-Owned Companies Posted: 08 Apr 2020 06:30 AM PDT  The White House is requesting an additional $251 billion for additional small business lending as part of the government's coronavirus response, eliciting a counter from congressional Democrats asking for $125 billion in targeted aid for farmers, women, minorities, and veteran-owned businesses."I'll be asking Congress to provide an additional $250 billion for the paycheck protection, which will help keep Americans employed, to facilitate a quick and full recovery," President Trump said on Tuesday at the White House during a coronavirus task force briefing.The Senate's phase-three package, which passed last month, earmarked $350 billion to make small business loans through commercial banks to companies with 500 or fewer employees, provided the companies agree to keep workers on the payroll. As part of the "Paycheck Protection Program," most or all of the loan would be written off if the borrower retained its workers and didn't cut their wages, with the government repaying the banks for the forgiven portions of the loans.In a letter to Capitol Hill, the White House Office of Management and Budget said that the program, conducted through the Small Business Administration (SBA), has administered over 220,000 loans — totaling approximately $66 billion. "Given the level of demand for the program, the Administration believes the funds appropriated for this program will soon be exhausted," the letter reads.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said in a statement on Tuesday that he hoped to approve the additional funding with unanimous consent or a voice vote during a procedural session on Thursday, without the full chamber present."It is quickly becoming clear that Congress will need to provide more funding or this crucial program may run dry," McConnell said. "That cannot happen. Nearly 10 million Americans filed for unemployment in just the last two weeks. This is already a record-shattering tragedy, and every day counts."Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) — who said she was open to "an interim package" — countered with their own proposal Wednesday, which placed a number of conditions on the new funding to make sure 50 percent of it goes to farmers, women, minorities, and veteran-owned businesses. The proposal also called for an additional $100 billion in hospital funding and $150 billion more for state and local governments.
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| Trump’s Fox News Cabinet Tells Him the Coronavirus Crisis Is Over Posted: 08 Apr 2020 11:31 AM PDT  Throughout the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump's decisions and stances have seemingly been influenced by the unofficial advisers he treasures most: Fox News primetime hosts.After downplaying for weeks the threat of the virus, just as many on Fox News did the same, the president began taking it seriously last month after Tucker Carlson personally confronted him before delivering an on-air monologue calling for action. Elsewhere, Fox stars have been the primary driving force behind Trump's incessant promotion of an unproven anti-malarial drug as the miracle COVID-19 cure.And in recent days, it seems, the president has been receiving his newest coronavirus intel briefing from Fox News. This time, they say, the pandemic is over and it's time to move on.Throughout Tuesday night's primetime stretch, Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham were in lockstep in telegraphing to Trump a message that the pandemic's threat has been overstated, death counts have been inflated, and the U.S. is already on the downside of the curve.Carlson, who received mainstream plaudits for his "admirable" early coronavirus coverage, kicked off his show by declaring that the crisis "may have passed," noting that health-care systems across the country haven't come close to collapsing—"except in a handful of places.""Patients are not dying alone in the hallways of emergency rooms with physicians too overwhelmed to treat them," he asserted. "That was the concern. It happens in other countries, it's not happening here. Thank God for that."There have been numerous reports and testimonials from health-care workers expressing horror over the conditions of overcrowded hospitals and the stress it has placed on both medical staffers and patients. Much reporting has also been done on how many patients are dying alone and away from family members and friends from the disease.But despite nearly 13,000 U.S. deaths and at least 400,000 confirmed cases, with portions of the country having yet to suffer the worst effects of the outbreak, Carlson called for a quick reversal of social-distancing restrictions in order to jumpstart the economy, citing downward revisions of coronavirus models as the key reason."Before we go ahead and alter our lives and our country forever, it is fair to ask about the numbers, their numbers, the ones we acted on the first time, that turned out to be completely wrong," the Fox star fumed. "How did they screw that up so thoroughly? That is a fair question."Adjustments of expected death tolls in some models—which, weeks ago, showed as many as 240,000 American deaths—have largely occurred due to the widespread adoption of social-distancing guidelines and the assumption that school and business closures will stay in place through the summer. Even factoring all that in, the models still project roughly 80,000 deaths.Nevertheless, over the past few days, Carlson has been pushing the president to ignore medical expertise and quickly move forward with economic activity. "Is there a single person who sincerely expects the coronavirus itself will hurt more people in the end than the damage we're causing in our response to it? Probably not," he said on Monday night. "Mass unemployment is almost certain to cause far more harm, including physical harm, to the average family than this disease."Carlson has also railed against top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has urged Americans to embrace social distancing in order to flatten the curve. Calling it "bewildering" that the U.S. is allowing medical "experts" to make policy decisions, Carlson claimed last week that Fauci is proposing "national suicide" by pushing aggressive social distancing. "We should never let someone like that run this country," he said.Fox News senior analyst Brit Hume, who has recently been at the forefront of right-wing media's questioning of coronavirus deaths, has also joined the chorus of Fox stars agitating against medical expertise. The official COVID-19 death count has been inflated, he declared Carlson on Tuesday evening."Dr. Birx said tonight during the briefing at the White House that all deaths from anyone who died with coronavirus is counted as if the person died from coronavirus," Hume said. "Now, we all know that isn't true.""And if everybody is being automatically classified, if they're found to have COVID-19, as a COVID-19 death, we're going to get a very large number of deaths that way and we're probably not going to have an accurate count of what the real death total is," he added.Besides the fact that flu deaths—which Trump and Fox figures have constantly used as a comparison point to downplay the pandemic—are tracked the exact same way, and coronavirus disproportionately impacts people with pre-conditions, it is actually far more likely that the COVID-19 death count has been understated so far.Hannity, meanwhile, kicked off his Tuesday evening broadcast by claiming there is a "ton of good news" surrounding the pandemic, touting revised downward estimates of the death count to suggest that regular economic activity should restart very soon.In a phone interview with the president, Hannity—who has served as an unofficial Trump adviser and confidant—noted that the "cure can't be worse than the problem" and nudged the president to reveal when he'd roll back social-distancing policies."I'd love to open with a big bang, one beautiful country and just open," Trump declared, adding: "We're looking at two concepts. We're looking at the concept where you open up sections and we're also looking at the concept where you open up everything."In a Wednesday morning tweet, Trump further hinted that he is looking to end restrictions "sooner rather than later," adding that the "horror" of coronavirus "must be quickly forgotten" and predicting that the economy "will BOOM" going forward.Laura Ingraham, however, may have been the most aggressive among her primetime colleagues in openly pushing Trump to view the pandemic threat as completely neutralized.Claiming the experts were "wrong" with their modeling and that it caused undue panic for Americans, Ingraham echoed Carlson by railing against medical officials, claiming this pandemic should "make us less willing to rely on the same experts to help determine when and how we should reopen our economy.""We didn't vote for doctors," exclaimed Ingraham, who recently sat with the president to tout the unproven coronavirus cure hydroxychloroquine. "We voted for political leadership that sees the big picture. That means the whole picture of America."She continued to hammer away at that message Wednesday on her Twitter account.Tucker Carlson Wants to Have It Both Ways on Coronavirus"At some point, the president is going to have to look at Drs. Fauci and Birx and say, we're opening on May 1," she wrote on Wednesday morning. "Give me your best guidance on protocols, but we cannot deny our people their basic freedoms any longer.""America must get back to work," Ingraham blared in another tweet. "'Experts' were wrong on fatalities by a factor of 30 now want to dictate when we reopen."While Trump's Fox News cabinet is declaring the crisis over, the network's brass is still taking the pandemic seriously, implementing strict social-distancing policies for its employees. In a memo sent last week, Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott announced the company would distribute thermometers to all essential workers and suggested the use of face masks for anyone who had to come into one of Fox's offices. Additionally, Scott said that Fox was targeting May 4 as a possible return date for employees currently telecommuting.And as Fox News' biggest stars tried to convince the president to ditch social distancing altogether, one of Trump's own health officials rebuked the network's faux-populist manipulation of the expert data and projections."Physical distancing is incredibly important—remember the projections," Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir said Wednesday on Fox & Friends. "I have seen people twist that like this was not going to be that bad after all and we didn't need to do it. That's a complete misinterpretation. The estimate of deaths going down is the result of the fact that we have listened to the president and vice president and task force.""I do want to emphasize the point, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but don't keep your foot—don't take your foot off the gas," Giroir continued. "Because we really need to continue these efforts because we could see another peak, a second peak, a third peak if people don't do the physical distancing or they think it's all over."It's not over yet."Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Special Report: Johnson listened to his scientists about coronavirus - but they were slow to sound the alarm Posted: 07 Apr 2020 06:04 AM PDT  It was early spring when British scientists laid out the bald truth to their government. It was "highly likely," they said, that there was now "sustained transmission" of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom. If unconstrained and if the virus behaved as in China, up to four-fifths of Britons could be infected and one in a hundred might die, wrote the scientists, members of an official committee set up to model the spread of pandemic flu, on March 2.
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| 'I can't take it back': Trump's Navy secretary resigns and apologizes after he described a fired carrier captain as 'too naïve or too stupid' Posted: 07 Apr 2020 12:28 PM PDT  The Navy official, who once served as a helicopter pilot, described Capt. Brett Crozier's warning about a coronavirus outbreak as "a betrayal."
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| Congo mine gun attack kills three Chinese nationals: Xinhua Posted: 07 Apr 2020 07:24 AM PDT  A gun attack in a mining area in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed three Chinese nationals, China's official Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Chinese embassy in the mineral-rich central African country.
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| Mayor says virus has hit black, Hispanic New Yorkers hard Posted: 08 Apr 2020 06:05 AM PDT  New data shows New York City's death toll from COVID-19 has been disproportionately high in black and Hispanic communities. New York City's death toll from the coronavirus has been disproportionately high in black and Hispanic communities, and the city is starting an outreach campaign for those residents, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday.
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| Japan to Fund Firms to Shift Production Out of China Posted: 08 Apr 2020 02:01 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Japan has earmarked $2.2 billion of its record economic stimulus package to help its manufacturers shift production out of China as the coronavirus disrupts supply chains between the major trading partners.The extra budget, compiled to try to offset the devastating effects of the pandemic, includes 220 billion yen ($2 billion) for companies shifting production back to Japan and 23.5 billion yen for those seeking to move production to other countries, according to details of the plan posted online.The move coincides with what should have been a celebration of friendlier ties between the two countries. Chinese President Xi Jinping was supposed to be on a state visit to Japan early this month. But what would have been the first visit of its sort in a decade was postponed a month ago amid the spread of the virus and no new date has been set.China is Japan's biggest trading partner under normal circumstances, but imports from China slumped by almost half in February as the disease shuttered factories, in turn starving Japanese manufacturers of necessary components.That has renewed talk of Japanese firms reducing their reliance on China as a manufacturing base. The government's panel on future investment last month discussed the need for manufacturing of high-added value products to be shifted back to Japan, and for production of other goods to be diversified across Southeast Asia.Japan exports a far larger share of parts and partially finished goods to China than other major industrial nations, according to data compiled for the panel. A February survey by Tokyo Shoko Research Ltd. found 37% of the more than 2,600 companies that responded were diversifying procurement to places other than China amid the coronavirus crisis.It remains to be seen how the policy will affect Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's years-long effort to restore relations with China."We are doing our best to resume economic development," Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a briefing Wednesday in Beijing, when asked about the move. "In this process, we hope other countries will act like China and take proper measures to ensure the world economy will be impacted as little as possible and to ensure that supply chains are impacted as little as possible."The initial stages of the Covid-19 outbreak in China appeared to warm the often chilly ties between the two countries. Japan provided aid in the form of masks and protective gear -- and in one case a shipment was accompanied by a fragment of ancient Chinese poetry. In return, it received praise from Beijing.In another step welcomed in Japan, China declared Avigan, an anti-viral produced by Japan's Fujifilm Holdings Corp. to be an effective treatment for the coronavirus, even though it has yet to be approved for that use by the Japanese.Yet many in Japan are inclined to blame China for mishandling the early stages of the outbreak and Abe for not blocking visitors from China sooner.Meanwhile, other issues that have deeply divided the neighbors -- including a territorial dispute over East China Sea islands that brought them close to a military clash in 2012-13 -- are no nearer resolution.Chinese government ships have continued their patrols around the Japanese-administered islands throughout the crisis, with Japan saying four Chinese ships on Wednesday entered what it sees as its territorial waters.(Updates with Chinese government comment in eighth 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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| Canada says medical donations won't sway policies Posted: 08 Apr 2020 04:15 AM PDT  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned Tuesday that donations of medical equipment by foreign companies like Huawei in the fight against the coronavirus will have no influence on future government policy. The prime minister was asked if donations to Canada by Huawei could influence his government's policies toward the Chinese telecoms giant, which is at the center of a protracted diplomatic crisis between Ottawa and Beijing. At a time when the world faces a shortage of masks, Huawei gave Canada more than a million masks, 30,000 face shields and 50,000 pairs of gloves, according to the Globe and Mail daily.
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| Coronavirus is disproportionately killing black Americans Posted: 07 Apr 2020 07:37 AM PDT  Celebrities may be calling COVID-19 a "great equalizer," but statistics from across the U.S. show that's far from the truth. Coronavirus case numbers and death tolls have revealed the virus is disproportionately affecting black Americans in many parts of the country — though statistics from some of the hardest hit areas haven't been revealed yet, The New York Times reports.Black Americans make up just about a third of Louisiana's population. But according to numbers released Monday by the state government, more than 70 percent of those who've died of COVID-19 were black. Chicago is less than a third black, but 72 percent of those who've died of the new coronavirus were black. And while the county around Milwaukee is about 27 percent black, around twice as many black residents tested positive for COVID-19 as white residents.There's not enough data to fully explain the overwhelmingly disproportionate numbers, experts tell the Times. But the fact that black Americans are less likely than white Americans to be insured, suffer racial bias in medical testing and treatment, and more often have jobs that haven't let them stay home during the pandemic all certainly contribute.California, New Jersey, New York and Washington are among the states COVID-19 has hit the hardest, but they haven't yet released statewide information about the race of patients, the Times notes. Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), have demanded the federal government track and release this data.More stories from theweek.com Dr. Anthony Fauci cautiously predicts kids will return to school next fall, 'but it's going to be different' What America needs to do before lockdown can end The coming backlash against the public health experts
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| China investigates party member critical of government's handling of coronavirus outbreak Posted: 08 Apr 2020 04:09 AM PDT  China is investigating a prominent Communist Party member who criticized leader Xi Jinping's handling of the coronavirus outbreak.
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| Kayleigh McEnany will replace Stephanie Grisham as White House press secretary Posted: 07 Apr 2020 07:55 AM PDT  Stephanie Grisham, President Trump's third press secretary, has not held a briefing with the White House press corps since taking the job late last June.
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| Column: 'Pharma bro' Martin Shkreli wants out of prison to find a cure for coronavirus Posted: 07 Apr 2020 01:06 PM PDT  In act of chutzpah, 'Pharma bro' Shkreli seeks prison release to find a coronavirus cure.
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| Austria and Denmark are planning to lift their coronavirus lockdowns. But experts say easing measures too early might bring the virus back worse than before. Posted: 07 Apr 2020 03:01 AM PDT  Experts have warned that lifting restrictions too soon may lead to a "second wave of infections" in countries that gained an upper hand on the virus.
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| Ethiopia and Liberia declare states of emergency to curb coronavirus Posted: 08 Apr 2020 02:39 AM PDT  Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation, and Liberia declared states of emergency on Wednesday to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus, a day after cases on the continent surged past 10,000. Various African governments have announced lockdowns or curfews in response to the virus, which was slow to reach many African countries but is now growing exponentially, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). As of Wednesday afternoon, Africa had over 10,900 confirmed infections and 550 deaths from the novel coronavirus, according to a Reuters tally based on government statements and WHO data.
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| Countries start thinking about easing up on restrictions Posted: 07 Apr 2020 10:47 PM PDT  Even as coronavirus deaths mount across Europe and New York, the U.S. and other countries are starting to contemplate an exit strategy and thinking about a staggered and carefully calibrated easing of the restrictions designed to curb the scourge. "To end the confinement, we're not going to go from black to white; we're going to go from black to gray," top French epidemiologist Jean-François Delfraissy said in a radio interview. At the same time, politicians and health officials emphatically warn that while deaths, hospitalizations and new infections may be leveling off in places like Italy and Spain, and even New York has seen encouraging signs amid the gloom, the crisis is far from over, and a catastrophic second wave could hit if countries let their guard down too soon.
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| Brazil’s Health Minister Won’t Quit After Clash With Bolsonaro Posted: 06 Apr 2020 06:01 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Brazil's Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta said he will stay put in his job for now, despite coming under fire from President Jair Bolsonaro for his handling of the coronavirus crisis."I'm not bothered by the criticism," he told reporters on Monday evening outside the health ministry in Brasilia. "But I'm bothered when the criticism is intended to make the work environment more difficult."His remarks capped a dramatic few days during which pressure mounted for the minister to step down. Earlier on Monday, O Globo newspaper reported that Bolsonaro had decided to fire him, and would publish his decision in the official gazette by the end of the day.While Mandetta has encouraged Brazilians to adopt the World Health Organization's guidance on social distancing and self-quarantining, Bolsonaro has said such a response will destroy the economy and do more harm to the population than the virus itself. The president has repeatedly mingled with crowds while expressing his discontent about his minister's guidance, telling one radio show last week that he had "gone too far" and "lacked humility."The relationship between the two has deteriorated just as the pandemic heads toward a peak in Brazil. Mandetta's departure would allow Bolsonaro to select a more like-minded minister who could reduce social distancing measures in Brazil at a critical moment."A doctor doesn't abandon the patient," Mandetta said, "and I won't abandon the country right now."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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| 'Stunning lack of judgment': An Illinois mayor apologized after his wife was found partying at an illegally open bar and violating the state's stay-at-home order Posted: 07 Apr 2020 08:47 AM PDT  Mayor Brant Walker said his wife would be treated like any other citizen violating the stay-at-home order and faces a complaint of reckless conduct.
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| Georgia Mom Goes Missing as Boyfriend Is Wanted for Murder Posted: 06 Apr 2020 03:08 PM PDT  Georgia police are searching for a 21-year-old mother of two who is thought to be in "grave danger" and possibly being held hostage by a man suspected of murder.Autumn Keara Finlay vanished after her boyfriend, Cody Bryce Matthews, 20, allegedly shot and killed a man on Sunday in Butts County. The gunfire erupted in a pool area—close to tennis courts where children played—at the Jackson Glenn subdivision, a local newspaper, the Jackson Progress-Argus, reported. Matthews is wanted for murder and aggravated assault in connection to the fatal shooting, which claimed the life of a man in his 30s. Police did not release the man's name on Monday afternoon, but relatives identified him as Ryan Ray of Jenkinsburg. Authorities have released few details about Finlay and Matthews. But on social media, Finlay's friends and relatives say Matthews was her boyfriend."Y'all please share!!!!" Finlay's mom, Denise Taylor, frantically posted on Facebook. "My daughter is in danger I can't breathe … if anyone sees him or her please call 911 can't reach her phone goes straight to voicemail my heart is dying."According to family members' Facebook posts, no one has heard from Finlay since about 11 p.m. on Sunday. Her sister, Chrichelle Wood, wrote that Finlay called her parents from a private number and claimed she "was with a friend and was on the way home.""Something isn't right," Wood added. "I don't believe she is safe. Y'all please help bring my baby sister home …. She has 2 babies she has to come home to."In another post, Wood said both Finlay's and Matthews' vehicles are parked at the suspected killer's home. Both their cellphones appeared to be turned off."Cody HAS been violent towards my sister in the past so I do not believe her to be safe right now and do believe she is being held against her will," Wood wrote. "Autumn has 2 little boys to come home to and would not just run off with Cody especially after he just killed a man. She would not go willingly. This isn't like her."Michelle Finlay, Autumn's stepmother, told The Daily Beast that the missing mom has a 2-year-old boy and a 5-year-old who just had his birthday on Sunday. "She is our youngest girl out of 5," Michelle Finlay said. "She's a hard worker, bright and very smart." In an interview with The Daily Beast, Wood said her sister isn't typically secretive and tells her family where she's going. "She wouldn't give us a name and wouldn't tell us where she was or anything," Wood said of the last time she spoke to Finlay. The sibling believes Matthews instructed Finlay on what to say.Wood said that "police aren't looking at her as any kind of accomplice.""I'm not just saying it because she's my sister," Wood said of Finlay. "She's a sweet girl. She'd give you the shirt off her back." Wood said that when Finlay was 5 years old, she had their mother pull over to the roadside so Finlay could give her McDonald's burger to a homeless man."She's always been a good kid," Wood added. "She doesn't have a track record of any trouble. She's never gone off the wall and took off."Finlay and Matthews have been dating for about a year and, according to Wood, had a "rocky relationship." Wood said, "There's been points where he's not allowed at our house," but the tension between Finlay's parents and Matthews would blow over.Wood said Finlay was working as a waitress at Denny's but lost her job because of COVID-19. Because of the pandemic, Finlay recently moved out of her family home—which is in the Jackson Glenn subdivision where the shooting took place—and into the house where Matthews lives with his mother. Wood told The Daily Beast both she and Finlay left their parents' house because their father is an electrician, whose work is essential, and they didn't want to put their children at risk of contracting the virus.On Sunday, Finlay was at the home of Matthews' mother when Matthews allegedly left and committed the shooting. Finlay's children were with their father, Wood said.Wood said U.S. Marshals were at her parents' home on Monday and keeping them updated on the manhunt. "We have no idea if they went north, south, east, west, or if they're in the state of Georgia anymore," Wood said."He has nothing to lose," Wood said of Matthews. "I know he has put hands on my sister before. She confided in me about that. That's why I'm so scared."It's unclear why Matthews allegedly shot a man—or why he's believed to be keeping Finlay against her will.The Butts County Sheriff's Office did not return messages left Monday.After the shooting on Sunday afternoon, word spread quickly in the small-town community that Matthews was the alleged gunman. Wood said rumors are circulating that the shooting stemmed from a drug deal gone bad.Finlay used to work at a Waffle House restaurant with the girlfriend of the victim, Wood said. "Detectives are not telling us anything at this point, but they did know each other," the sibling told The Daily Beast.Matthews appears to have a history of arrests in Butts County.According to jail log books published by the Progress-Argus, in February 2019, Matthews was booked on charges of marijuana possession and theft by receiving stolen property.In March 2018, Matthews was arrested for entering an auto or other motor vehicle with intent to commit a felony, as well as possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of or attempt to commit certain crimes.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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| The Army Plans to Issue 'Black or Camouflage' Face Masks to Soldiers Posted: 07 Apr 2020 11:48 AM PDT  The U.S. Army's top enlisted soldier said Tuesday that the service plans to issue some type of non-surgical mask to troops.
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| Trump: GOP should fight mail-in voting because it ‘doesn’t work out well for Republicans’ Posted: 08 Apr 2020 06:48 AM PDT  In-person voting has been complicated by the coronavirus' spread across the country.
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| L.A. County's public health director tells families to consider removing elderly relatives from nursing homes Posted: 07 Apr 2020 10:15 PM PDT  The coronavirus can spread like wildfire through nursing homes, and Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County's public health director, said on Tuesday if families are able, it would be "perfectly appropriate" for them to pull their elderly relatives out of such facilities.The COVID-19 coronavirus is able to cause devastation at nursing homes because many of the elderly residents have underlying health conditions; one of the country's first outbreaks was at a nursing home in Kirkland, Washington, where two-thirds of residents and 47 workers became infected, and 35 people died. As of Tuesday, 173 people have died of COVID-19 in L.A. County, and 36 were residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, Ferrer said.Ferrer suggested that people who are now working from home might be able to care for their relatives, but acknowledged that for those whose loved ones have dementia or serious illnesses, taking them out of the nursing home might not be an option.Dr. Michael Wasserman is president of the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine, which represents doctors, nurses, and other nursing home employees, and he told the Los Angeles Times if his mother or grandmother lived in a nursing home right now, and he had the "capability and the wherewithal to bring her home, I would." It doesn't matter how good a facility is, most nursing homes in the United States "are going to be challenged by this," Wasserman said. "Some will do better than others, but sooner or later, the virus will find its way in."More stories from theweek.com Dr. Anthony Fauci cautiously predicts kids will return to school next fall, 'but it's going to be different' What America needs to do before lockdown can end The coming backlash against the public health experts
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| In El Salvador, gangs are enforcing the coronavirus lockdown with baseball bats Posted: 07 Apr 2020 02:38 PM PDT  Street gangs in El Salvador have turned from extortion and killing to enforcing social distancing restrictions, often with threats and baseball bats.
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| China snake village scales down as coronavirus prompts wildlife trade ban Posted: 08 Apr 2020 01:38 AM PDT  Since China began frantic efforts to curb a coronavirus epidemic in late January, residents in the tiny snake breeding village of Zisiqiao have had to come to terms with a ban on wildlife trading, its lifeline for decades. Zisiqiao employed hundreds of people to breed three million snakes a year. The Chinese character for "snake" has even been removed from the sign on the front wall of a specialty snake meat restaurant on the village's edge.
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