| Yahoo News/YouGov poll: With one week left, Biden's lead over Trump grows to 12 points — his biggest yet Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:27 PM PDT  Biden's lead is four times the size of Hillary Clinton's national advantage over Trump at this point in 2016, underscoring how hard it will be for the president to pull off another upset on Election Day.
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| Pennsylvania teen fatally shot while watching sunset in park with girlfriend, authorities say Posted: 27 Oct 2020 04:52 AM PDT  Jason Kutt, the 18-year-old shot at Nockamixon State Park Saturday died from injuries, according to his family.
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| Head of Virginia military academy resigns amid report of racist culture Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:41 PM PDT  J. H. Binford Peay III, who had been the institute's superintendent for 17 years, told its board he was stepping down after learning on Friday that Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and "certain legislative leaders had lost confidence in my leadership ... and desired my resignation." "You have profoundly changed our school for the better," John William Boland, president of the school's Board of Visitors, said in a letter to Peay. Last week, Northam and several top elected officials and lawmakers wrote to the board to express concern "about the clear and appalling culture of ongoing structural racism" at the college.
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| Armed villagers guard strategic gateway to Nagorno-Karabakh Posted: 26 Oct 2020 06:51 AM PDT  Wearing camouflage and holding Kalashnikov rifles, volunteer villagers patrol a winding river in a Nagorno-Karabakh valley, defending a strategic area between the disputed region's capital and Armenia.
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| 'You will never, never get your credibility back': Schumer warns GOP that they have no right to tell Democrats how to run things when they're the majority after Barrett's confirmation Posted: 26 Oct 2020 07:08 PM PDT  He warned Republicans that they now have no right to tell Democrats how to run a majority when the GOP are in the minority in the future.
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| Heated protests in Philadelphia after Black man shot dead by police Posted: 27 Oct 2020 04:16 AM PDT  "I have watched the video of this tragic incident and it presents difficult questions that must be answered," Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said.
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| Hurricane Zeta could hit Louisiana by Thursday. It's the 27th named storm in this hurricane season, nearing the record. Posted: 26 Oct 2020 11:58 PM PDT  Only 2005 saw more named storms than 2020. But there's still more than a month left in this year's hurricane season.
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| Trump revives 'Sleepy Joe' attacks, but gets the facts wrong Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:01 PM PDT  The president kicked off the first of three reelection rallies in Pennsylvania on Monday with his usual attack lines aimed at painting his Democratic opponent as cognitively challenged. But it was Trump who ended up looking confused.
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| Skull on fireplace mantel identified as man missing since 2012, Tennessee officials say Posted: 27 Oct 2020 05:29 AM PDT |
| Turkey's Erdogan says it's time for two-state solution in Cyprus Posted: 26 Oct 2020 10:38 AM PDT  Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday it was time for a realistic proposal about a two-state solution on the divided island of Cyprus to be discussed, and added that the parameters of the current talks were not sustainable. Cyprus was split after a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. The European Union admitted the island into the bloc in 2004, represented by the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government in the south.
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| Tory revolt deepens as Scottish Conservatives back Rashford over Johnson in free school meals row Posted: 26 Oct 2020 02:59 PM PDT  An internal Tory rift over Boris Johnson's refusal to extend free school has deepended after the leader of the Scottish Conservatives publicly backed the footballer Marcus Rashford's "extraordinary" campaign. Douglas Ross said that the Manchester United and England striker was right to demand that free school meals were extended over holiday periods in England and said Rashford had the full support of the Conservatives north of the border. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, The MP, who was the only UK minister to quit the Government over Dominic Cummings's lockdown trip to Durham, described providing free school meals as "good policy" and added: "I support what he's fighting for and the Scottish Conservatives are behind his campaign."
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| Justice Kavanaugh seems to argue no votes should be counted after Election Day. He may get his wish in key states. Posted: 26 Oct 2020 10:39 PM PDT  The Supreme Court sided with Republicans in Wisconsin on Monday, ruling 5-3 along ideological lines that Wisconsin can count only those absentee ballots that arrive by Election Day — even if they were mailed days earlier. Since first-class mail has been taking an average of 10 days to be delivered in the state, Wisconsin's Democratic Party urged mail-in Democrats to hand-deliver their absentee ballots or vote in person.The practical issue involves what happens with Wisconsin's 700,000 outstanding absentee ballots. "But the deeper issue is about the extent to which a ballot should be considered as valid," Phillip Bump writes in The Washington Post. In a factually sloppy concurring opinion, Justice Brett Kavanaugh evidently embraced President Trump's baseless conspiracies about voter fraud and bizarre demand that the winner be announced election night.Many states require absentee ballots to arrive by Election Day because they "want to avoid the chaos and suspicions of impropriety that can ensue if thousands of absentee ballots flow in after election day and potentially flip the results of an election," Kavanaugh wrote. "And those states also want to be able to definitively announce the results of the election on election night, or as soon as possible thereafter."Justice Elena Kagan, in her dissent, noted that "there are no results to 'flip' until all valid votes are counted. And nothing could be more 'suspicio[us]' or 'improp[er]' than refusing to tally votes once the clock strikes 12 on election night."More broadly, Kavanaugh — and Justice Neil Gorsuch — embraced late Chief Justice William Rehnquist's concurring opinion in 2000's Bush v. Gore, which invented a legal theory "so radical, so contrary to basic principles of democracy and federalism, that two conservative justices" rejected it, even as they agreed to hand the White House to George W. Bush in what was supposed to be a one-off decision, Mark Joseph Stern writes at Slate.> Kavanaugh favorably cites Bush v. Gore two pages later. So much for "limited to the present circumstances." (Kavanaugh worked on Bush's legal team in that case.) pic.twitter.com/3Q7E9Y6Kiy> > — Matt Ford (@fordm) October 26, 2020Rehnquist argued that state courts cannot interpret state election laws in federal elections, Stern writes, "a breathtaking assault on state sovereignty" that would transform the Supreme Court "into a national board of elections with veto power over each state's election rules." With Judge Amy Coney Barrett put on the court, the conservatives likely have five votes enact Rehnquist's theory, throwing out ballots in Pennsylvania and North Carolina as well as Wisconsin, he added. "In other words, Barrett's first decisions as a justice may determine the outcome of the election."More stories from theweek.com Republicans are on the verge of a spectacular upside-down achievement The very different emotional lives of Trump and Biden voters The 19 greatest and worst presidential campaign ads of the 2020 election
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| Man charged in burning of ballot drop box in Boston Posted: 26 Oct 2020 09:43 AM PDT  A man was charged with setting a Boston ballot drop box on fire and damaging dozens of ballots, police said Monday. Worldy Armand, a 39-year-old Boston resident, was taken into custody late Sunday, hours after he started a fire inside a drop box outside the Boston Public Library in the city's Back Bay neighborhood, authorities said. The box contained more than 120 ballots.
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| Hurricane Zeta hits Mexico's Caribbean coast Posted: 27 Oct 2020 12:21 AM PDT  Hurricane Zeta slammed into Mexico's Caribbean coast late Monday, bringing strong winds and heavy rains to the Yucatan Peninsula, where authorities warned residents and tourists to shelter indoors.
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| People across Italy violently protested new lockdown measures imposed after a spike in COVID-19 cases, setting fires and looting luxury stores Posted: 27 Oct 2020 04:01 AM PDT  Protesters clashed with police officers in cities like Turin, Milan, and Naples and in smaller towns. More than two dozen people were arrested.
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| Judge rejects Trump request to be replaced in columnist's defamation lawsuit Posted: 27 Oct 2020 07:34 AM PDT  A federal judge on Tuesday denied President Trump's request that he be replaced as the defendant in a defamation lawsuit alleging he raped a woman in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s.
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| As Trump says news about COVID should be illegal, WH chief of staff says goal is to 'defeat' virus, not 'control' it Posted: 26 Oct 2020 07:42 AM PDT  While President Trump's chief of staff on Monday attempted to clarify the assertion that the United States is "not going to control" the coronavirus crisis, the president himself complained that the media is too focused on the pandemic.
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| Miranda Devine: We're seeing the 'perils' of early voting after Hunter Biden story broke Posted: 27 Oct 2020 04:30 AM PDT  New York Post columnist Miranda Devine says people who voted early may be having second thoughts after the news about Hunter Biden's emails and Joe Biden's comments on the oil and gas industry.
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| 18-year-old freshman at University of Dayton apparently dies from Covid-19 Posted: 26 Oct 2020 10:01 AM PDT  Michael Lang, 18, died on Thursday "apparently due to complications from" coronavirus after a long hospitalization, officials at the Ohio school said.
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| Florida Democrats need to flip 3 state Senate seats. Here’s why they’re going for 2. Posted: 26 Oct 2020 07:50 AM PDT  Florida's government could undergo a seismic shift it hasn't seen in more than a quarter century.
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| Bosnia detains two Serb ex-soldiers over wartime killing of 78 Bosniaks Posted: 27 Oct 2020 03:56 AM PDT |
| Canadian policeman describes arresting Huawei exec Meng Posted: 26 Oct 2020 04:12 PM PDT  A Canadian police officer testified Monday about his arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a US extradition warrant, revealing that Washington had requested that data on her phone and laptop be secured so that it could not be "erased remotely."
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| In pictures: Evacuations as two wildfires rage in California Posted: 27 Oct 2020 08:39 AM PDT  Mass evacuation orders are in place as two fast-moving fires engulf thousands of acres near Los Angeles.
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| Fox News staffers say the network is 'in a panic' about election-night coverage after top hosts were exposed to a COVID-19 patient and told to quarantine Posted: 27 Oct 2020 04:26 AM PDT  Hosts such as Bret Baier, Martha MacCallum, and Dana Perino had flown on a private jet with someone who later tested positive for the coronavirus.
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| Columnist Peggy Noonan slammed for saying Harris’ dancing is ‘embarrassing’ Posted: 26 Oct 2020 11:40 AM PDT  Sen. Kamala Harris enjoyed a lighthearted moment in the rain but conservative columnist Peggy Noonan has derided it as "embarrassing." When Harris, the vice-presidential Democratic candidate, was on the campaign trail last week in Jacksonville, Florida she glided her Chuck Taylor's in rhythm to Mary J. Blige's "Work That" during a downpour. Harris dancing along with an umbrella quickly went viral.
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| German embassy in Bangkok becomes flashpoint as demonstrators pressure Berlin on Thai king's legal status Posted: 26 Oct 2020 07:41 AM PDT  The German embassy in Bangkok became a new focal point of Thailand's months-long pro-democracy rallies on Monday as thousands marched on the building to petition Berlin to investigate the Thai king's use of his powers while residing in Bavaria. Since 2007, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who ascended to the throne in 2016, has spent long periods of time in southern Germany. But his extended presence on German soil has become a diplomatic headache for Berlin during Thailand's nationwide rallies, where some protest leaders have made bold demands for the monarchy to be reformed – long a taboo subject in the Southeast Asian nation because of strict lese majeste laws. In Germany, Heiko Maas, the foreign minister warned the king against using the country as a base to conduct Thai politics. "We are monitoring this long-term," Mr Maas said. "It will have immediate consequences if there are things that we assess to be illegal." His comments came as the embassy's premises in central Bangkok turned into a potential flashpoint between rival protest groups on Monday.
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| Republicans mock Hillary Clinton after Amy Coney Barrett confirmed to Supreme Court Posted: 27 Oct 2020 04:08 AM PDT  Confirmation will strip millions of Americans of affordable health care, says former secretary of state
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| Seattle woman still missing three weeks after traveling to Dallas, Texas Posted: 26 Oct 2020 04:18 PM PDT  Marisela Botello, 23, was last seen leaving her ex-boyfriend's house in Dallas, Texas on October 4, 2020. She took a Lyft alone to the entertainment district Deep Ellum. Her family said security video reportedly shows her leaving the Select Start bar at 1 a.m. with an unknown man. Her cell phone and debit card haven't been used since that night and her other belongings were left behind at her ex-boyfriend's house where she had been visiting from Seattle for the weekend. She missed her flig
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| Vietnam evacuating low-lying areas as strong typhoon nears Posted: 26 Oct 2020 09:39 PM PDT  Vietnam scrambled Tuesday to evacuate more than a million people in its central lowlands as a strong typhoon approached while some regions are still dealing with the aftermath of recent killer floods, state media said. Typhoon Molave is forecast to slam into Vietnam's south central coast with sustained winds of up to 135 kilometers (84 miles) per hour on Wednesday morning, according to the official Vietnam News Agency. The typhoon left at least 3 people dead and 13 missing and displaced more than 120,000 villagers in the Philippines before blowing toward Vietnam.
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| Broward driving school charged $400, gave students test answers so they’d pass, state says Posted: 26 Oct 2020 03:42 PM PDT  A Broward driving school can no longer administer driver's license exams after the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles found it was giving students answers so they'd pass the test.
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| Turkey calls for France boycott as Islamic world backlash grows Posted: 26 Oct 2020 06:35 PM PDT  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday joined calls for a boycott of French goods, ramping up a standoff between France and Muslim countries over Islam and freedom of speech.
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| Viral photo sparks concerns about Indonesia's 'Jurassic Park' Posted: 27 Oct 2020 08:52 AM PDT  The viral image has raised questions about the conservation impact on the animal native to Indonesia.
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| NASA used a Boeing 747 rigged with a massive telescope to discover water on the moon — take a look at SOFIA Posted: 26 Oct 2020 09:00 AM PDT  The former Pan Am Boeing 747SP that took NASA over 10 years to retrofit for space exploration made the finding that will aid humanity's lunar return.
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| Yahoo News/YouGov poll: Despite questions about the 'laptop from hell,' most Americans think the Trumps are more 'corrupt' than the Bidens Posted: 27 Oct 2020 05:53 AM PDT  President Trump has intensified his accusations of wrongdoing by Joe Biden, based on emails supposedly found on a laptop formerly owned by Biden's son Hunter. But a plurality of voters aren't buying it — and a majority believe Trump and his family are more "corrupt" than the Bidens.
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| Fox News COVID Infection Sends Election Plans Into ‘Chaos’ Posted: 26 Oct 2020 02:57 PM PDT  Fox News has been planning its election night coverage for weeks, prepping staff and on-air talent for the biggest news night of the year. But now Fox faces uncertainty after the network's president and many of its key on-air stars may have been exposed to COVID-19."Everyone is in a panic about election night," said one current Fox News staffer.On Sunday, The New York Times reported that top Fox News executives and talent will quarantine and get tested after flying on a network-chartered flight from Nashville to New York—following Thursday night's presidential debate—with a staffer who later tested positive for the coronavirus. Passengers included network president Jay Wallace and on-air political hosts and analysts like Bret Baier, Martha MacCallum, Dana Perino, and Juan Williams. (A Fox News spokesperson would not confirm the Times story or the exposure, citing employee confidentiality.)All four of those stars were expected to play key in-studio roles for Fox's election-night coverage. But now it's unclear how the network plans to proceed with its top talent potentially unable to gather in the same room."I believe it will put election night-plans into chaos," another current Fox staffer told The Daily Beast under condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. "It will be like starting from scratch... It's not good for anyone." The employee added: "It's insane that there's a possibility the anchors will have to host the biggest night of 2020 from their homes.""We have multiple contingency plans in place and always have back-up plans for all kinds of scenarios, even without a pandemic," a Fox News spokesperson told The Daily Beast. In a Monday internal memo obtained by The Daily Beast, Wallace and CEO Suzanne Scott acknowledged that some staffers had tested positive for COVID-19, and said that the network would reduce staff in buildings and implement "enhanced testing procedures." The executives said that the network will further pare down its in-person election night coverage, and that "only those employees who are critical to that night's production will be permitted to work from [Fox's Midtown Manhattan headquarters]."Fox News Host Wonders When Masks Got 'Political.' He Should Watch His Own Network.The plane debacle isn't the only reminder of the danger of the pandemic for the network's employees in recent days. Last week, an internal memo was sent to Fox News staffers noting that web video producer Rob Brown, who had been with the network since 1999, had died. While the memo did not specify a cause of death, several sources, including a family member, confirmed to The Daily Beast that Brown—who had not been in the office since March—died from coronavirus complications."Rob was a wonderful employee and a bright light to those of us who were blessed to have worked alongside him," a Fox News spokesperson said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family."The news of last week's debate-night flight exposure has alarmed Fox News staff, many of whom have felt relatively safe because of the network's fairly robust testing protocols and skeleton in-person staffing at the Washington and New York City offices.Still, some employees were not surprised by the exposure of leadership and talent, noting how Fox execs have sent large groups of staffers to travel for the debates—even when the network had no primary role in the events."Last week in Nashville, [NBC reporter Kristen] Welker was the moderator. But NBC had almost no footprint. ABC had almost no footprint," one source familiar with the situation told The Daily Beast. "But [Fox News] had a huge, huge footprint? Why is that?" (In addition to Wallace, MacCallum, Baier, Williams, and Perino, the network separately flew in pundits Karl Rove, Katie Pavlich, and Donna Brazile.)Williams and Perino, who co-host late-afternoon talk show The Five, both showed up at the offices on Friday after the flight in which they were potentially exposed to the virus, raising alarms among staffers after the Times report, per network insiders. And several of the show's unabashedly pro-Trump hosts, Greg Gutfeld and Jesse Watters, meanwhile, have taken an ambivalent stance towards large-scale anti-coronavirus measures like a national mask mandate, which experts say could save tens of thousands of lives."They think mask-wearers are punks," the source said of Watters and Gutfeld, noting how the pair have repeatedly echoed Trump's dismissive suggestions that we are "turning the corner" on the pandemic that has now killed more than 225,000 people in the United States, with no end in sight. A recent Instagram post from The Five's official account shows Watters standing in the greenroom without a mask.In light of their colleagues' at-times cavalier attitude towards the coronavirus—both on- and off-air—some Fox staffers have begun to re-examine in-office behavior and expressed concerns that some colleagues aren't taking the crisis seriously enough."In the elevators, everyone's good about masks," one source said. "But in the offices, nope."Since the pandemic began, the network has been operating with a skeleton crew from its hubs in New York City and Washington, D.C., and have taken some precautions to ensure that staff are tested. Some network talent take regular weekly saliva tests facilitated by the network, and the traveling cohort to major events including debates and conventions receive rapid tests. Fox News also installed plexiglass in the control rooms between seats and the building is routinely sanitized.Still, some employees have been hesitant about returning back to in-studio programming amid the pandemic, including Williams himself. The Five returned to the studio in recent weeks and has featured the hosts sitting in socially-distant high chairs. Prior to the pandemic, the set featured all five hosts crammed together around a small table.While on-air talent is subject to the network's rigorous testing protocols, they appear to be sending a message to viewers that social-distancing isn't that important. Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, for instance, were seated nearly shoulder-to-shoulder throughout Thursday evening's coverage of the presidential debate. Both Bret & Martha were tested by the Commission on Presidential Debates before entering the debate hall which is why they sat without being distance. Baier, meanwhile, further noted on Monday that he has since tested negative.Thursday's debate coverage wasn't the only time that lack of social distancing was noticed on-air. Following the first presidential debate last month in Cleveland, Ohio, pro-Trump Fox News host Sean Hannity interviewed presidential son Donald Trump, Jr.—who refused to follow mask-wearing requirements during the debate—inside the debate hall as the two sat right next to each other. (They even joked about being so close together without masks.) Fox News commentator Donna Brazile, who also traveled to Nashville, was in Salt Lake City for the vice-presidential debate and was within arm's length of anchor Bill Hemmer on set.> No social distancing happening on the Fox News set this morning. pic.twitter.com/EPhZNHtgN0> > — Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) October 7, 2020Besides the network sending big teams to cover these political events, Fox News stars have also individually placed themselves in harm's way.For instance, Laura Ingraham and Pete Hegseth—both Trump loyalists and informal presidential advisers—were present at the Rose Garden ceremony last month announcing Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination that turned into a super-spreader event. This even resulted in one especially awkward on-air moment, in which Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner mistakenly believed that Hegesth had confessed to testing positive for the coronavirus.—Lachlan Cartwright contributed reporting. Diana Falzone was an on-camera reporter for Fox News from 2012 to 2018. In May 2017, she filed a gender discrimination and disability lawsuit against the network and settled, and left the company in March 2018. She was represented by attorney Nancy Erika Smith.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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| Teacher's elevator death blamed on human error Posted: 26 Oct 2020 03:27 AM PDT  Officers found 38-year-old Carrie O'Connor in the elevator on September 14.
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| 60,000 in Southern California to evacuate after wildfire spreads Posted: 26 Oct 2020 01:57 PM PDT  A fast-moving wildfire forced evacuation orders for 60,000 people in Southern California on Monday as powerful winds across the state prompted power to be cut to hundreds of thousands to prevent utility equipment from sparking new blaze
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| Coronavirus in the U.S. is spreading like 'wildfire,' epidemiologist says Posted: 26 Oct 2020 04:56 PM PDT  "The U.S. is now seeing a pretty widespread transmission across the board," said William Hanage, an associate professor of epidemiology.
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| Here’s why Miami shark researchers are concerned about a potential COVID-19 vaccine Posted: 27 Oct 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Science's steady march to find a vaccine capable of ending the coronavirus pandemic may come at the expense of another species: sharks.
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| 'Rescued from this evil': 179 arrested, 45 missing children recovered in Ohio's 'Operation Autumn Hope' Posted: 27 Oct 2020 10:38 AM PDT  An operation involving more than 50 law enforcement offices and other agencies led to 179 arrests and the recovery of 45 missing children in Ohio.
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| Erdogan doubles down in backlash against Macron's Islam comments Posted: 25 Oct 2020 02:09 PM PDT  The backlash against President Emmanuel Macron's comments on Islam intensified Sunday, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again urging him to have "mental checks" and protests in Muslim-majority nations.
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| These key psychological differences can determine whether you're liberal or conservative Posted: 27 Oct 2020 09:51 AM PDT  Scientists have studied the brains of conservatives and liberals and found startling differences in how they process information and see the world.
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| Are polls of the presidential race reliable this time? Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:05 PM PDT  President Trump's surprise victory in 2016 has made voters wary of trusting polls of this year's race. Will 2020 polls prove more accurate than they were four years ago?
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| How the name 'Karen' became a stand-in for problematic white women and a hugely popular meme Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:43 PM PDT  The "Karen" meme depicting women who ask to "speak to the manager" has become nearly ubiquitous online. Here is the meme's history and origin.
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| Fort Sill Just Became the First Training Base to Get the New Army Greens Uniform Posted: 26 Oct 2020 04:26 PM PDT |
| If America had any sense, we would be locking down again now Posted: 27 Oct 2020 02:50 AM PDT  Call it what you like — the third wave, the third crest of the first wave, or wave 1(c), but the coronavirus pandemic is once again completely out of control in the United States. Friday, October 23 set a new one-day record with over 85,000 confirmed COVID-19 infections, and the seven-day trend of new cases is accelerating upwards. Most of the Midwest and half of Appalachia are seeing explosive spread, while even formerly successful states like Massachusetts are losing their grip. Multiple states are being forced to open field hospitals or ration care.It is extremely aggravating to remember, but it remains the case that we could at least keep a lid on this thing, and save tens if not hundreds of thousands of lives, by following the same pandemic control strategies experts have been advocating since March. None of that will happen at the federal level until January at the earliest, but individuals, state, and local governments can at least take partial steps to limit the damage.All we need is the same four-part strategy that has been obvious since March. First, the places that are fully in the grips of exponential spread should reimpose a severe lockdown — and I mean the real thing, where people are prohibited from leaving their homes without a pass, which has never happened anywhere in the country. This is the only way to throttle a truly out-of-control outbreak. Second, we build up test-trace-isolate systems where they don't currently exist, or need work (which is most of the country). Third, everyone wears masks when in public and in close proximity to others at all times (ideally N95s or surgical style, but at least a cloth covering). These are probably not strictly necessary when running or biking outside, but they should be mandatory at any public space indoors like a grocery store — as new research demonstrates, they protect other people and the wearers. If you wear a (proper) mask you are less likely to get COVID, and more likely to have a mild case if you do.Finally, the government should keep everyone financially whole with an indefinite economic rescue package. Prevent bars, restaurants, nightclubs, airlines, and other businesses dependent on in-person activities from going bankrupt with subsidies, and protect individuals with super-unemployment, $1,200 checks, and so forth. Just put the in-person economy on ice until the virus is under control, or until there is an effective vaccine that has been delivered everywhere.It's unclear exactly why cases are accelerating now, but probably the weather has a lot to do with it. Contrary to my expectations (at least so far), several wealthy countries in Western Europe that had previously contained the pandemic, like France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, have since lost control. Some are already resorting to a second lockdown. It seems that even in generally well-governed European states, governments were too lax in reopening the economy (especially indoor dining) and reluctant to impose new controls when infections started to rise. As we have seen over and over again, the slightest hesitation can lead to disaster. The virus spreads extremely fast, and contact tracing systems can easily be swamped if there are too many cases to manage, leaving only brute force lockdowns as a last resort, with all their significant drawbacks.As China has demonstrated several times, a hair-trigger aggressive response is far more effective than half-hearted half measures. Every time it has seen a flare-up of the virus, the state has stepped in with gargantuan mass-testing and isolation efforts — testing entire provinces in a matter of days, and throwing any positive cases in mandatory quarantine, as well as strict lockdowns if community spread gets started — to root out and squash the virus. It's a coercive approach, but it gets the bad part over as quickly as possible. As a result, its economy is recovering relatively quickly — while the U.S. and European countries remain in the doldrums, with much of their citizenry still voluntarily avoiding human contact for eight months and counting.Several democratic countries, like Taiwan, New Zealand, and Korea, have also managed to keep the virus contained without such draconian measures. Other European countries that remained cautious, like Norway and Finland, have seen only fairly small spikes so far.Of course, there is no chance whatsoever that any of this will be done in the United States at a federal level, or in most of the states, in the immediate future. President Donald "Superspreader" Trump is outright denying there is any new spike, while Vice President Pence is refusing to isolate despite being exposed, again, to a known COVID-positive person. "We are not going to control the pandemic," admitted White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows recently. It also appears there is little chance of getting another round of economic rescues through before the election, and none at all between then and January 20, if Biden wins.But we as American citizens can wear masks, and put on our coats to dine outside instead of risking indoor service. States and cities can, where possible, keep up their testing and tracing. Doing what we can to stop the pandemic around our deliberately broken government won't eradicate the virus, but it might still save many lives.More stories from theweek.com Republicans are on the verge of a spectacular upside-down achievement The very different emotional lives of Trump and Biden voters The 19 greatest and worst presidential campaign ads of the 2020 election
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| Hong Kong activist Tony Chung detained while trying to seek asylum at US consulate Posted: 27 Oct 2020 04:28 AM PDT  Hong Kong's new national security unit on Tuesday arrested three pro-democracy activists, including Tony Chung Hon-lam, a leading figure of a now-defunct political group that had called for independence. Mr Chung, 19, was near the US consulate where he reportedly intended to seek asylum when he was apprehended by police officers. Yannis Ho and William Chan, who were previously involved in the same group, Studentlocalism, were arrested in the afternoon. Hong Kong police said in a statement that the trio were arrested for inciting secession in breach of a sweeping national security law in posts made on Studentlocalism's social media accounts. "Most laws in the real world apply to the online world," police said. "If anyone breaks the law that person shall be held criminally responsible. The public should by no means defy the law." In late June, Studentlocalism halted operations in Hong Kong with plans to move overseas before the national security law came into effect. The law, which criminalises acts deemed by Chinese authorities as secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign collusion, was imposed by the ruling Communist Party to restore order in Hong Kong after months of mass pro-democracy protests. Four activists are believed to have entered the US consulate on Tuesday, reported the South China Morning Post, a newspaper in Hong Kong. The US embassy in China has not commented. Mr Chung and three others linked to Studentlocalism were first arrested in July and later released on bail.
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