| Trump adviser warned of millions of virus deaths in January. Trump says he saw the memo only this week. Posted: 07 Apr 2020 05:53 PM PDT  President Trump said Tuesday that he did not learn of two memos written in January and February by his own economic adviser warning that a COVID-19 pandemic could kill as many as 2 million Americans until "maybe a day ago."
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| 'It is an existential threat': As coronavirus spreads to Africa, health experts warn of catastrophe Posted: 07 Apr 2020 01:31 PM PDT  So far, African countries have been spared the high death tolls seen in Italy, Spain, and the U.S., but officials are bracing for the worst in the coming weeks.
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| With thousands of Americans stranded abroad, private companies often pick up where State Department leaves off Posted: 09 Apr 2020 09:33 AM PDT  Private rescue companies have essentially turned into their own intelligence and logistics hubs, publishing notices and advising clients as well as coordinating with counterparts on the ground, in many cases earlier than the U.S. government.
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| Two suspects arrested after Wisconsin doctor and husband were 'targeted' and killed, police say Posted: 08 Apr 2020 07:23 AM PDT  Two suspects were arrested Friday after the double-homicide of Beth Potter, 52, and Robin Carre, 57.
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| Taiwan rebuffs accusations it racially attacked WHO chief Posted: 08 Apr 2020 06:22 PM PDT  Taiwan on Thursday angrily condemned accusations from the World Health Organization's (WHO) boss that racist slurs against him had come from the island, saying racism did not exist in Taiwan. Taiwan's exclusion from the WHO, due to objections from China which claims the island as its own, has infuriated the Taipei government during the coronavirus outbreak. Taiwan says it has been unable to get timely information and that Taiwanese lives have become political pawns.
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| Coronavirus is ushering in a new wave of racially motivated attacks, warns intelligence bulletin Posted: 08 Apr 2020 07:46 AM PDT  Federal agencies are concerned that domestic extremists could use the coronavirus pandemic to attack Asians and Jews, according to a joint intelligence bulletin obtained by Yahoo News. That bulletin mirrors what organizations that monitor online hate content are also finding.
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| Oil producers intend to cut 10-15 mn barrels: Kuwait Posted: 08 Apr 2020 09:31 PM PDT  Top oil producers meeting later Thursday intend to cut production by between 10 and 15 million barrels per day, Kuwait's Oil Minister Khaled al-Fadhel reportedly said. The talks between OPEC and other major producers come as oil languishes at near-two decade lows, with Russia and Saudi Arabia's price war compounding slack demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic. "Through our continuous consultations in the past weeks, I confirm that the intention is to conclude an agreement to cut production by a large amount ranging between 10 million bpd and 15 million bpd," Fadhel said in an interview with Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai published Thursday.
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| Bernie drops out, as Democrats pick pragmatism over consistency Posted: 08 Apr 2020 10:09 AM PDT  In many ways, Bernie Sanders is the anti-Trump. And, in important ways, he ran his campaign as the anti-Biden.Sanders bowed out of the Democratic nomination race on April 8, repeating his runner-up status from four years earlier. His two runs at the White House have cemented his legacy as a consistent standard-bearer for progressive policies. The veteran democratic socialist possessed a rare quality for a political candidate in this age of Trumpian fickleness. He is a politician whose actions and beliefs have remained steadfast over time and across campaigns. But in the current political moment, it appears the Democratic electorate longs less for a politician who is consistent from day to day than one who can provide pragmatic leadership to unseat the vacillating Trump. Same ol' SandersSanders ran his campaign as the antithesis of a political showman, who says one thing today and another tomorrow with little regard for facts and consistency. He has exhibited throughout his career what anthropologist Alessandro Duranti calls "existential coherence" – he is a political figure "whose past, present, and future actions, beliefs, and evaluations follow some clear basic principles, none of which contradicts another." As a linguistic anthropologist who studies language and politics, I know that traditionally, candidates have worried about how to project a consistent political persona, and they have often gone to great pains to do so. But Trump shattered that expectation, excelling in self-contradictions and inconsistencies – often within a single sitting.Sanders, instead, has put forth a consistent vision that has remained more or less the same since his early days in politics as mayor of Burlington, Vermont. Rather than moving toward the electorate and shifting positions based on perceptions of what the electorate desired, the electorate has moved toward Sanders to join his vision for universal health care and other progressive causes. A CNBC survey in 2019 found that a majority of Americans supported progressive policies, including a higher minimum wage and Medicare for All – key issues that Sanders has been advocating throughout his decades-long political career. In an episode of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" last year, host Trevor Noah unearthed footage from 1987 of Sanders discussing politics on a local public access channel in his hometown of Burlington. The Bernie Sanders of 1987 talked of the unfair tax system that placed a large burden on working people and the need for universal health care. "We are one of two nations in the industrialized world that does not have a national health care system," declared Sanders in 1987. Three decades later, in both his 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, Sanders continued with that theme. In 2016, he released his Medicare for All plan by declaring, "It is time for our country to join every other major industrialized nation on Earth and guarantee health care to all citizens as a right, not a privilege." His 2020 campaign website further echoed this sentiment, stating that "the United States will join every other major country on Earth and guarantee health care to all people as a right." A consistent candidate often comes across as a more authentic candidate – someone who is staying true to his core self rather than pandering to the latest polling data or saying whatever will attract the most dramatic news coverage. Sanders' authenticity as a candidate who has fought for working people and progressive ideals his entire life made him appealing to many liberals. He attracted an unshakable following of core supporters because of it. 'Results, not revolution'Biden's pragmatic approach, however, trumped Sanders' often dogmatic consistency. In their debates, Sanders hammered Biden over what he saw as shifting stances on Social Security, Medicare and veterans' programs. And then there was Biden's 2003 vote for the Iraq war before he turned against it.But this is not the 2004 presidential election, where accusations of flip-flopping can sink a candidate, like it did John Kerry in his race against George W. Bush. Perhaps Donald Trump's fickleness has changed what voters look for in a candidate. Maybe it's simply that nobody cares about Biden's apparent lack of judgment in 2003, which occurred well before he spent eight years as vice president in arguably one of the most popular Democratic administrations in U.S. history.Biden easily parried Sanders' accusations of inconsistency by pointing to an underlying consistency of principles that have guided his varying positions over time. Voters ultimately decided to support someone who exhibits a practical sense of how to govern in a way that gets things done. As Biden said in his last debate with Sanders, "People are looking for results, not revolution."On health care, one might have expected Sanders to have an advantage with his Medicare for All proposal, a consistent theme across his time as mayor, congressman, senator and presidential candidate. Polling done by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that for the first time a majority of Americans began to support a single government plan for health care in 2016, corresponding to the Sanders campaign push for Medicare for All.But in the same Kaiser poll, more Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said they would prefer a candidate who would build on the Affordable Care Act rather than replace it. Biden's campaign argued precisely for this more pragmatic approach, and he positioned himself as the right person to get the job done in a contentious political environment. An overtureAfter sweeping the primaries in Florida, Illinois and Arizona in March – putting the wheels in motion for the eventual withdrawal of Sanders from the race – Biden then struck the right chord in his speech after the Florida primary by making an appeal to Sanders voters. "I hear you," he said. "I know what's at stake. I know what we have to do. Our goal as a campaign and my goal as a candidate for president is to unify this party and then to unify the nation." Biden's appeal to Sanders voters suggests he may be willing to absorb some of the best ideas from Sanders – and other candidates. It's a pragmatic approach, rather than a dogmatic consistency, that may bring along their supporters, too. That may be exactly what he will need to do to beat Trump in November.[You're smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation's authors and editors. You can read us daily by subscribing to The Conversation's newsletter.]This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.Read more: * Biden's big night with moderates, African Americans and baby boomers * Biden's resurrection was unprecedented – and well-timedAdam Hodges does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
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| New York's coronavirus outbreak originated mainly in travelers from Europe, new studies show Posted: 08 Apr 2020 09:05 PM PDT  Researchers also found the coronavirus was circulating in New York City as early as mid-February, according to The New York Times.
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| Doctors rethinking coronavirus: Are we using ventilators the wrong way? Posted: 08 Apr 2020 05:37 AM PDT  As hospitals and health care workers grapple with a shortage of supplies, some doctors are raising questions about how ventilators are currently being used on coronavirus patients — and whether they may actually be doing more harm than good.
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| Smithfield temporarily shuts pork plant due to coronavirus Posted: 09 Apr 2020 09:24 AM PDT  The Smithfield pork processing plant in South Dakota will close will temporarily close for cleaning after over 80 employees were confirmed to have the coronavirus, the company announced Thursday. Smithfield Foods plans to suspend operations in a large section of the Sioux Falls plant on Saturday, then completely close on Sunday and Monday. The plant, which employees about 3,700 people in the state's largest city, has emerged as a hotspot of infections, accounting for at least 1 in 5 confirmed cases in South Dakota.
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| Ultra-Orthodox Jews hit disproportionately hard by Israel's coronavirus outbreak Posted: 07 Apr 2020 05:20 PM PDT  Insular, traditional Jewish community, resistant to state authority, sees spike in COVID-19 cases in Israel.
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| Fact check: No, Joe Biden did not put a gun in a woman’s mouth in Wisconsin Posted: 07 Apr 2020 01:08 PM PDT  A viral picture and post claims Joe Biden put a gun in a woman's mouth in Wisconsin. But the gun was digitally added to a 2008 photo from Florida.
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| Pakistan shoots down Indian drone as Kashmir tensions rise Posted: 09 Apr 2020 12:19 AM PDT  Pakistan's army said Thursday it had shot down a small Indian surveillance drone in Kashmir, as tensions rose over continued cross-border shelling in the disputed territory. "This blatant act was aggressively responded to by Pakistan Army troops shooting down Indian quadcopter," the statement read. An Indian army spokesman said the drone "is not ours".
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| Girl who sparked marijuana reform dies after getting unspecified virus Posted: 09 Apr 2020 09:06 AM PDT  Charlotte Figi's success with CBD as a treatment for childhood seizures led to medical marijuana reform.
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| India says lockdown has spared it from overwhelming number of coronavirus cases Posted: 09 Apr 2020 12:42 AM PDT  The Indian government on Thursday claimed initial success in its fight against the coronavirus epidemic, saying it would have been hit with 820,000 cases by next week had it not imposed a nationwide lockdown. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to order 1.3 billion Indians indoors for three weeks in the world's biggest lockdown has helped slow the infection rate, foreign ministry additional secretary Vikas Swarup said, even though it has exacted a heavy toll on the economy and on the hundreds of million of poor. By the middle of April, the caseload would have touched 820,000, he said, citing an internal assessment of the government's Indian Council of Medical Research, far more than the country's underfunded and decrepit public health system could handle.
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| Mattis rebukes Trump over removal of Pentagon inspector general Posted: 07 Apr 2020 01:13 PM PDT  In Donald Trump's latest salvo in an ongoing bid to reshape government oversight of his administration, the president fired the Pentagon inspector general charged with overseeing implementation of the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package.
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| This is what I want my friends to do if they have COVID-19 symptoms and are asked to go to the ER Posted: 08 Apr 2020 06:20 AM PDT  As a frontline infectious diseases doctor, this is what I want my friends and neighbors to do if they have COVID-19 symptoms and are asked to go to the emergency room.
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| Anthony Fauci says people who recover from the coronavirus should be immune through at least September. But some scientists worry that not all patients develop antibodies. Posted: 08 Apr 2020 07:00 PM PDT  Fauci said the 315,000-plus people who have recovered from the virus are likely protected from re-infection — at least for a time.
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| U.K. truck driver pleads guilty in deaths of Vietnamese migrants found in container Posted: 08 Apr 2020 09:50 AM PDT  Victims died of a combination of a lack of oxygen and overheating in an enclosed space, police said.
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| Coronavirus: World Bank predicts sub-Saharan Africa recession Posted: 09 Apr 2020 05:59 AM PDT  The region's economy will shrink for the first time in 25 years because of the coronavirus, the bank predicts.
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| Op-Ed: China's coronavirus statistics aren't the real problem Posted: 09 Apr 2020 03:00 AM PDT  China's reporting obfuscations are blamed for the lack of U.S. preparedness. But other governments recognized the situation in China months ago and took action.
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| Sudan's Bashir, veteran strongman turned inmate Posted: 08 Apr 2020 07:28 PM PDT  Since his ouster last year, Sudan's veteran leader Omar al-Bashir has been detained and convicted of corruption, becoming the Middle East's latest fallen strongman. For three decades, he tenaciously held onto power through several bouts of protests, even after the 2011 Arab Spring revolts that toppled Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi. Bashir's fate, however, was sealed after his own military reacted to mounting popular anger and ousted him in April last year after months of street demonstrations.
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| Singapore Reports Record Increase in New Coronavirus Cases Posted: 08 Apr 2020 07:18 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Singapore reported its largest daily increase in coronavirus cases on Wednesday, just as the city-state started a partial lockdown set to last several weeks to contain the spread of the infection.Authorities said there were 142 new cases, bringing the country's total to 1,623. An Indian national who died while awaiting his test result was subsequently confirmed to have the infection, according to the Ministry of Health. Investigations are going on to establish the cause of death, it said. If confirmed, that would be the seventh fatality linked to the disease.Of the new cases, 40 are linked to clusters at foreign worker dormitories, and 28 are linked to non-dormitory clusters or other cases. Only two of the infections were imported. Contact tracing is pending on the remaining 72.City ClampdownSingapore this week banned public and private gatherings of any size and will fine or jail those involved in meetings among friends or family members who are not living together. The country has closed workplaces, except for essential services and key economic sectors, and schools have moved to full home-based learning as part of "circuit-breaker" measures, which last to May 4.Concern has grown over the conditions of some 20,000 foreign workers housed in dormitories that have been gazetted as "isolation areas." The government has been increasing efforts to ensure the workers receive regular meals and the dormitories are properly cleaned, according to the Ministry of Manpower.The ministry said on Wednesday that conditions at the dormitories continue to improve, with meal portions increasing and waste management and sanitation regimes being stepped up.(Updates to add comment from ministry in last 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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| The woman who alleged her NASA astronaut ex-wife broke into her bank account from space has been charged with making false statements Posted: 08 Apr 2020 03:08 PM PDT  If the woman's allegations were true, it would have marked the first time a crime was committed in space.
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| White Supremacist Groups Are Recruiting With Help From Coronavirus – and a Popular Messaging App Posted: 08 Apr 2020 01:42 PM PDT  As COVID-19 spreads around the world, white supremacist groups are seizing onto it to recruit and spread misinformation
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| FBI arrests Texas man for coronavirus hoax meant to empty grocery stores Posted: 08 Apr 2020 01:36 PM PDT |
| 'It's like nothing else': Klobuchar, husband talk about his battle with coronavirus Posted: 07 Apr 2020 03:58 PM PDT  "It's one of the hardest, hardest things," Klobuchar told NBC News in an exclusive interview about her family's ordeal.
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| Adam Schiff says Intelligence Committee may conduct 'Zoom hearings' during current pandemic Posted: 08 Apr 2020 03:17 PM PDT  House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., says he is considering using the teleconferencing software Zoom to hold hearings into foreign election interference and other key issues, including the firing of intelligence community inspector general Michael Atkinson, while social distancing restrictions remain in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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| Coronavirus: Exploiting nature 'drives outbreaks of new diseases' Posted: 08 Apr 2020 02:33 AM PDT  New evidence has emerged of a link between our impact on nature and pandemics sweeping the world.
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| Fox’s Kilmeade: 60,000 Coronavirus Deaths Shows ‘How Good We Are Doing’ Posted: 09 Apr 2020 08:07 AM PDT  Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade called for the American economy to quickly reopen amid downward revisions of some models projecting the coronavirus death count, saying Thursday that a now-expected 60,000 victims shows just "how good we are doing."With one influential and highly respected modeler moving its projections down over the past few days, Fox News hosts have been clamoring for President Donald Trump to quickly reverse social-distancing restrictions in order to jumpstart the economy, claiming public health experts exaggerated the impact of the virus.Noting that Trump had originally expressed hope that the country could get going again at Easter, Kilmeade said that one model shows that the peak of the coronavirus infections will now come around that time. He then seemed to downplay the possibility of tens of thousands of more deaths."The fact is, when someone says 200,000 people die, oops, I mean 60,000," the Fox host declared. "And it's not going to be right away, it's going to be in August. That's how good we are doing and how off the models were.""You have to wonder, as much as social distancing is working, I wonder if the economists are going to get in that room and say we have to stand up this economy in some way before we're not going to be able to stand when this is all said and done," he continued.Co-host Steve Doocy, meanwhile, reminded his colleague that 60,000 coronavirus victims is still a "staggering number.""It's a high number," Kilmeade reacted. "But how many people are going to die as the country goes flat on its back for three months. We're not going to look like the same country. So the economists have to have a say in this."As of publication, per the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, the United States has over 430,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and nearly 15,000 have died.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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| Russia aims to prosecute destruction of war monuments abroad Posted: 08 Apr 2020 10:59 AM PDT  Russia's defense minister called on law enforcement officials Wednesday to consider filing criminal charges against representatives of other countries where World War II memorials commemorating the actions of the Soviet Union are demolished. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made the appeal to the head of the Investigative Committee, Russia's top criminal investigation body. Russia takes offense at any criticism of the Soviet role in the war.
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| At least 100 American Airlines flight attendants have contracted the coronavirus. Some are sounding the alarm over shortages of personal protective equipment. Posted: 08 Apr 2020 12:47 PM PDT  Some American Airlines flight attendants who spoke with Business Insider said gloves and disinfectant are not always available.
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| Why African Americans are dying at higher rates from COVID-19 Posted: 07 Apr 2020 07:06 PM PDT  The new coronavirus isn't biased about who it infects -- so why does data emerging from some states suggest that African Americans are bearing the brunt of the pandemic in the US? "We know that blacks are more likely to have diabetes, heart disease, lung disease," the nation's top doctor, Surgeon General Jerome Adams told CBS News on Tuesday. "And I, and many black Americans, are at higher risk for COVID."
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| Sanders quits Democratic race for president, Biden is party's apparent nominee Posted: 08 Apr 2020 10:09 PM PDT  The senator's presidential bid got off to a strong start but took a turn in South Carolina and on Super Tuesday. His campaign never recovered.
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| Some African countries heading for coronavirus peak in weeks: WHO Posted: 09 Apr 2020 06:20 AM PDT  Some African countries could see a peak in coronavirus cases in the coming weeks and testing should be urgently increased in the region, World Health Organization officials said on Thursday. "During the last four days we can see that the numbers have already doubled," Michel Yao, the WHO Africa programme manager for emergency response, told a media teleconference on Thursday. The numbers of recorded coronavirus infections in Africa have been relatively low so far - with nearly 11,000 cases and 562 deaths, according to a Reuters tally based on government statements and WHO data.
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| Will we ever take cruise holidays again? Posted: 09 Apr 2020 02:42 AM PDT  The cruise line industry faces a long journey back from the coronavirus pandemic.
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| Kushner Considering Using Personal Patient Data to Create National Coronavirus Surveillance System Posted: 08 Apr 2020 06:45 AM PDT  Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner is leading an effort to develop a national coronavirus surveillance system in order to track patient data almost in real time, Politico reported on Tuesday based on conversations with four people involved in the ongoing effort.The system would allow the federal government to monitor where and for what patients are seeking treatment. Ideally, this would provide government officials with the data needed to determine which areas of the country should implement coronavirus mitigation measures and which can safely lift those measures to open up businesses."It allows you to be much more targeted and precise in how you engage," a person familiar with the development process told Politico. "They need data to make the policy decisions, and so that's what we and others now have been asked to do."Three people working on the project said the data would be handled in such a way as to protect patient privacy. However, the project has sparked civil liberties concerns, especially following criticism of the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act."We dealt with similar issues in 9/11," said Jessica Rich, former director of the Federal Trade Commission's consumer protection bureau. "One reason that the government doesn't have all of this data is there's a lot of concern about big brother maintaining large databases on every consumer on sensitive issues like health, and for good reason."White House spokesman Avi Berkowitz denied that a coronavirus surveillance system was under discussion."This story makes no sense and is completely false," Berkowitz said. "The White House gets many unsolicited random proposals on a variety of topics, but Jared has no knowledge of this proposal or the people mentioned in this article who may have submitted it."The coronavirus pandemic has seen over 1,400,000 infected patients worldwide, with over 80,000 deaths. Medical officials in the U.S. have at times struggled to track the scope of the outbreak, in part due to a lack of testing in the outbreak's early stages.The U.S. has also criticized China's apparent unwillingness to provide a more complete picture of that country's coronavirus outbreak, which Dr. Deborah Birx of the White House coronavirus task force said contributed to the U.S.'s slow initial response.
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| Teen Charged With Sexual Assault, Murder of Nevada Cowgirl Posted: 08 Apr 2020 06:38 PM PDT  A Nevada man is facing charges for the murder of Britney Ujlaky, a 16-year-old cowgirl who disappeared last month after getting a lift from the suspect. The high-schooler was found stabbed to death in a rural area days later.Bryce Dickey, 18, of Spring Creek, is charged with sexual assault and open murder with the use of a deadly weapon. Elko County prosecutors have also proposed the alternative charge of felony murder during a sexual assault or attempted sexual assault, and they're reserving the option of seeking the death penalty. On Wednesday, after a two-day preliminary hearing, Elko County Justice of the Peace Mason Simons said there was probable cause for Dickey's criminal case to be bound over to district court. Dickey will enter a plea at a future hearing.After the hearing concluded Wednesday afternoon, Britney's mother, Alisha Tolhurst, told The Daily Beast the proceeding was "a lot to take in." Teen Cowgirl Found Dead After Disappearing With Mystery ManRodeo Friend Arrested in Murder of Teen Cowgirl Britney Ujlaky"The overall feeling is, it's another step in the right direction for finding justice for our daughter," Tolhurst said. "We're still digesting things that we heard."Britney, born Gabrielle Lynn Ujlaky, went missing on March 8. Her body was discovered three days later in the remote Burner Basin area, which is known as a local hangout for hunters and high school students. Investigators initially said Britney disappeared after entering the pickup truck of a mystery man in a cowboy hat, but that story was apparently fabricated by Dickey, who was the last person to see Britney alive.Britney's parents previously told The Daily Beast that Britney referred to Dickey as a close friend, met him through the local rodeo circuit, and even listed him as her "big brother" in her cellphone contacts. After Britney was found dead, Dickey attended a candlelight vigil and comforted her family and friends."Somebody had told me he'd been having a hard time with his 'sister' being gone," Tolhurst said. "I walked up to him and grabbed his face with both of my hands. I said, 'Please, honey. Please don't beat yourself up. You're a good kid.' "He looked me dead in the eyes and didn't say anything," Tolhurst told The Daily Beast of her encounter with Dickey at the vigil. "This kid is a psychopath.""I will never, ever be able to understand how someone she trusted hurt her," Tolhurst added.Tolhurst described Dickey as a "shy little cowboy kid," who'd politely reply to her by saying, "Yes, ma'am." She said Dickey and his father would visit the Mexican eatery where she used to work. "I knew him well," Tolhurst said of the alleged killer. "In fact, when he and his dad came into the restaurant, I made such a big deal about telling his dad, 'You have such a nice kid. I just love him.'"Britney's father, James Ujlaky, was first to testify at the hearing on Tuesday. He said Britney was watching his band practice in Elko, near Angel Park, on the Sunday that she disappeared. Dickey picked Britney up before the practice concluded, Ujlaky testified, and Britney told her dad she'd beat him home.But Britney never showed up. Ujlaky reported his daughter missing to the Elko County Sheriff's Office hours later, after being unable to reach her. "I was repeatedly calling her all the way home and I sent a text, 'Why aren't you answering my calls?'" Ujlaky testified, according to a local newspaper, the Elko Daily Free Press.Cheyenne Fry, a friend of Britney's, testified that she exchanged Snapchat messages with Britney the day she disappeared. Dickey was pictured in one of two Snapchat videos Britney shared with Fry that afternoon. "She looked pale and I asked if she was OK. She said she was having a day," Fry testified.According to Fry, Dickey called her that afternoon and claimed he dropped Britney off at Spring Creek High School but "tried to stop her" from hopping into a pickup truck with an unidentified new friend. Fry said she did not know of Britney having any kind of romantic relationship with Dickey. "She didn't like him like that," Fry testified.Fry previously told The Daily Beast that Britney "looked up to" and "trusted" Dickey. "She was beautiful, smart and amazing and trusted you as long as you didn't screw her over or she knew you were a good person," Fry said last month. "She was wrong about Bryce."Meanwhile, Washoe County assistant medical examiner Dr. Julie Schrader told the court that Britney's manner of death was homicide, and that her cause of death was strangulation and a stab wound to the neck. Schrader testified that Britney was alive when she was stabbed.Authorities discovered a pair of brown, blood-stained boots in Dickey's bedroom closet and a knife was tucked inside one of the shoes. They also found a sweatshirt with blood stains inside a toolbox in a pickup truck, according to the testimony of Elvira Koeder, a Washoe County forensic investigator.The bloody boots and sweatshirt were also mentioned in a declaration for probable cause filed with the criminal complaint against Dickey.In that declaration, cops said search warrants executed on addresses associated with Dickey yielded a pair of brown boots, which contained blood, along with a sweatshirt containing blood inside a vehicle at one of those residences.Dickey was arrested March 19 shortly after one of several interviews with police.James Ujlaky called the Elko County Sheriff's Office on March 8 around 8:45 p.m. to report Britney missing. A deputy then contacted Dickey, who claimed Britney told him to drop her off at Spring Creek High School to meet a friend. Dickey claimed that male friend was tall, wearing a cowboy hat, and driving a green Ford F150 pickup.Between 8:30 and 9 p.m., two patrol deputies separately spoke to Dickey and a "male juvenile" who were out searching for Britney, the declaration states.One of those deputies, Michael Loup, testified at Tuesday's hearing that Dickey claimed Britney got into a green Ford F150 pickup truck with a stranger. "He told me he was unable to see the license plate," Loup said.Dickey also allegedly informed Loup that Britney's primary means of communication was through Snapchat. When Loup asked Dickey if Britney had any boyfriends, Dickey and his friend indicated Britney was speaking to a man from out of state.According to the probable cause declaration, a deputy contacted Dickey again on March 9, and the murder suspect claimed he drove around with Britney for three-and-a-half hours before dropping her off in the high-school parking lot.During an in-person interview on March 10, Dickey said he picked Britney up at 1:30 p.m. from Angel Park in Elko. Dickey showed police Snapchat messages he sent to Britney's phone at 6:14 p.m. and 6:20 p.m., asking where she was and if she was okay. Dickey denied having a sexual relationship with Britney, the declaration states.Dickey told investigators that a friend of Britney's contacted him at 5 p.m. on the day Britney vanished. The friend told Dickey she couldn't get a hold of Britney, the court filing says.On March 11, Elko County investigators' search for Britney came to an end. Authorities discovered her body, which was dumped at the Burner Basin area and was "partially covered by a tarp and was partially clothed," the declaration states."There was also what appeared to be several areas of blood near the edge of the roadway with a trail of disturbed earth leading to the body," the document adds. "A condom wrapper was observed lying in the roadway near the south side of the road."The Elko Police Department interviewed Dickey on March 13, and Dickey once more described the vehicle of the "mystery man" who supposedly took off with Britney. Dickey's descriptions of the vehicle "contradicted earlier statements [he] made during previous interviews" with sheriff's deputies, the declaration alleges.Dickey again denied he was ever in an intimate relationship with Britney. Asked why his DNA would be found on Britney, Dickey said it wasn't unless there was a possible "hair." The alleged killer consented to providing a DNA sample.On March 14, authorities searched the desert area where Britney's body was discovered and found a pair of Apple earbuds and a used condom. Three days later, investigators learned both Britney's and Dickey's DNA profiles were located on the condom.One of Britney's friends showed investigators Snapchat videos and images of Britney and Dickey in a vehicle together between 3:30 and 4 p.m. on March 8. The friend told police that Britney was wearing Apple earbuds and some jewelry (which authorities did not find).Surveillance footage in the area showed Britney walking to Angel Park at 3:22 p.m. on March 8 and getting into a blue Chevy pickup truck matching Dickey's vehicle—which was nearly two hours later than when Dickey claimed to pick Britney up.Video also showed what appeared to be Dickey's vehicle passing the entrance to the Spring Creek High School parking lot at 3:45 p.m., further contradicting his statements to police, according to the declaration.On March 19, the Elko County Sheriff's Office interviewed Dickey once more. They told him they had evidence that implicated him in Britney's death. According to the declaration, "Mr. Dickey ultimately admitted to investigators that he had engaged in sexual contact with [Britney] with the use of a condom." Toward the end of Wednesday's hearing, Dickey's lawyer, Gary Woodbury, asked Elko County detective Nick Stake whether the medical examiner's report would include whether Britney had alcohol in her system when she died. Stake said such tests would be part of the autopsy report, once it's complete.Woodbury then asked Stake about a supposed sexual encounter, followed by a confrontation, that Dickey claimed to have with Britney.Stake testified that Dickey claimed in a March 19 police interview that he and Britney engaged in sexual activity. Woodbury then asked Stake whether Britney was upset about the alleged encounter and had been "threatening" Dickey."I did not hear anything that would lead me to believe there were threats," Stake testified.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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| Coronavirus: 16-year-old pilot selflessly flies medical supplies to hospitals in need Posted: 07 Apr 2020 03:59 PM PDT  A 16-year-old is using his skills as a budding pilot to bring desperately needed medical equipment to rural hospitals.TJ Kim carries a variety of supplies including gloves, masks and gowns to small hospitals during his flying lessons, The Associated Press reported.
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| Wuhan ends its coronavirus lockdown, but another Chinese city shutdown emerges Posted: 08 Apr 2020 08:22 AM PDT  The Chinese city where the new coronavirus emerged ended its more-than two-month lockdown on Wednesday, even as a small northern city ordered restrictions on residents amid concern about a second wave of infections.
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| Researchers found the coronavirus lasted on a surgical mask for 7 days, showing how crucial it is to properly remove face coverings after wearing them Posted: 07 Apr 2020 10:16 AM PDT  Given their findings, researchers urged people to avoid touching the outside of the masks, where the coronavirus particles could last up to a week.
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| Mother of 5-year-old found dead pleads not guilty to abuse Posted: 07 Apr 2020 10:42 AM PDT |
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