| A massive stockpile of 39 million N95 masks is being sold to American hospitals — around 27 million more than the US government's emergency stockpile Posted: 26 Mar 2020 02:58 PM PDT  The Service Employees International Union said in a statement, circulating on Twitter, that it's selling 39 million masks to hospitals around the country.
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| Tehran says missing former U.S. agent left Iran years ago Posted: 26 Mar 2020 01:54 AM PDT  Tehran said on Thursday that a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran 13 years ago had left the country a long time ago, despite his family saying a day earlier that he had died in Iranian custody. Robert Levinson went missing on Iran's Kish Island in the Gulf in March 2007. The case is another irritant in the already hostile relationship between Washington and Tehran.
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| Why are so few Germans dying from the coronavirus? Experts wonder Posted: 25 Mar 2020 09:06 AM PDT  "I would be happy if we can come back in two months' time and still be able to talk about what Germany did right," one expert said.
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| Most Americans will get coronavirus stimulus check in April. Here's how the program works. Posted: 25 Mar 2020 11:19 PM PDT  The Senate unanimously passed a massive $2.2 trillion coronavirus emergency rescue package late Wednesday, and among its many tools to bolster the economy amid the COIVD-19 pandemic is $290 billion set aside for direct payments to most Americans. Assuming the House passes the bill, expected to happen Friday, and President Trump signs it, most Americans will get a one-time payment of about $1,200 sometime in April, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says.The payments will be based on tax returns from 2019 or 2018. Generally speaking, individuals with an adjusted gross income up to $75,000 will get $1,200 checks, or $2,400 for couples earning up to $150,000. Couples and "head of household" single parents will also get $500 per child. The checks taper off up to $99,000 in income per individual and $198,000 for joint filers with no children. The Washington Post has a calculator for estimating how much money your check should contain. Kiplinger also has a helpful stimulus calculator. About 125 million people, or 83 percent of tax filers, will get checks, says Kyle Pomerleau at the American Enterprise Institute. "The main people excluded from receiving a payment are: the wealthy, nonresident aliens (i.e. foreigners who do not hold a green card), and 'dependents' who can be claimed on someone else's tax return.," the Post reports.Many Americans won't actually get a paper check. The first people to get funds from the program will be those who have direct deposit information on file with the Internal Revenue Service from 2019 returns, filed this year, or 2018 returns. If the IRS does not have your direct deposit information, it will send a check to the mailing address it has on file. "People who don't pay taxes, such as those with very low incomes, may be hard to reach the way the program is designed," Politico notes."The last time the U.S. government did anything like this, back in 2008," the Post reports, "the payments went out in batches and it took about eight weeks for the final people to receive their checks."More stories from theweek.com Elton John to host 'Living Room Concert for America' with stars performing from home Watch Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis thank health care workers fighting coronavirus What Trump's coronavirus briefings are really about
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| After Putin's Big Fail, Russia Braces for COVID-19 Onslaught Posted: 26 Mar 2020 03:18 AM PDT  Only days after the Kremlin assured the Russians that the coronavirus pandemic was under control, Moscow's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin told Russian President Vladimir Putin that "the momentum is high and a serious situation is unfolding." Contrary to the previously reported low rate of infection, "the real number of those who are sick is significantly higher," Sobyanin said. He added that the number of tests conducted to date has been extremely low "and no one on earth knows the real picture."Russia Swore It Whipped the Virus, and Fox and CNN Bought ItOn Wednesday, officially released statistics listed 658 coronavirus infections and no deaths. To date, there have been at least 3 known deaths of coronavirus patients in Russia, but they are being attributed to other causes and thereby deceptively omitted from government reports. The official bulletin about the coronavirus, released by Russia's federal agency Rospotrebnadzor on March 24, states that more than 112,074 people remain under medical supervision.Concerned Russian doctors sounded the alarm that potential coronavirus cases are being ascribed to pneumonia and seasonal flu without testing. For example, the city of St. Petersburg experienced a sharp jump of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus cases. During just one week in March, 63,000 SARS cases and 406 cases of pneumonia have been recorded, according to Interfax. The city's administration emphasized that the incidence of SARS is at the epidemiological threshold. The Interfax news report did not point out that the official name of the novel coronavirus is SARS-CoV-2.In light of the Kremlin's pandemic propensity for lying, the public disregarded initial claims that the government successfully curtailed the spread of the coronavirus. Panic buying ensued, leading to the rising prices of sugar, buckwheat, produce and other food items.As the coronavirus curve keeps on climbing, President Putin is on a mission to demonstrate his leadership. He postponed a nationwide vote on pending constitutional changes, which are meant to secure his lifelong presidency. The voting may take place later in the year and possibly be conducted by mail. The decision is being left solely to Putin.Putin Worries Coronavirus Could Screw Up His Constitutional 'Coronation'In a televised address to the nation Wednesday, Putin announced a sweeping array of measures, which he said were designed to prevent "what is happening today in many Western countries, both in Europe and overseas" from becoming Russia's future. Starting on March 28, Russians are getting one week of paid leave to stay home, in an attempt to "flatten the curve" of the pandemic. With exception of the Russians trying to return from abroad, Russia stopped all international flights.Russian pundits and medical experts described the fight against the coronavirus pandemic as a rehearsal for biological warfare. Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian army to carry out drills designed to increase its readiness to fight the novel coronavirus. The drills will include specialist medical units and nuclear, biological and chemical protection troops. Discussions are underway as to the potential cancellation of the Victory Day parade in May of this year, but final determination will be made depending on the efforts to curtail the spread of the coronavirus. There is a possibility the parade, commemorating the surrender of the Nazis in WWII, may be held without spectators. U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien is currently set to attend the event, in lieu of Donald J. Trump. Kremlin-controlled state TV shows are taking unprecedented measures to protect some of their most cherished assets: the hosts, whose full-throated support of Vladimir Putin is especially important during these challenging times. Popular Russian info-talk show 60 Minutes is now filming its segments without audiences. After the host Olga Skabeeva could be heard coughing during a commercial break, she was separated from her husband and co-host Evgeny Popov. The married couple are now hosting 60 Minutes separately, on different days. Likewise, they are staying apart during the off-work hours, because even if one of them falls ill, the show must go on.Speaking of performance art, Vladimir Putin embarked on a visit to Moscow's hospital for monitoring suspected coronavirus patients. Unlike U.S. President Donald J. Trump, who frequently claims that the threat of coronavirus is widely overblown, Vladimir Putin is an old Chekist who believes in science, facts and bio-warfare. Taking no chances, Putin donned a hazmat suit and visited only one patient— Dmitry Garkavi, who is a doctor and a social media influencer. The drop-in was not particularly risky, since Garkavi was hospitalized with pneumonia, and tested negative for coronavirus—twice. In his social media posts, Garkavi remarked that he communicated with Vladimir Putin for all of "10-15 seconds." After the brief exchange, Putin observed other patients through the glass of the hospital's control room, was helped out of his outfit and promptly left the building. The hazmat suit sported by the Russian leader was distinctly different than the protective attire worn by hospital workers. It was purchased for the Russian president by his staff especially for his hospital visit. Putin's yellow jumpsuit is now in high demand, but is completely sold out at the store where it was bought.Vladimir Putin's coronavirus photo op promptly made the rounds on Russian state television. During his show, The Evening with Vladimir Soloviev, the host beamed with pride when he pointed out: "Out of all of the world leaders, only [China'a President] Xi Jinping and [Russian President] Vladimir Putin went to visit the sick." For contrast, Soloviev introduced a clip of the U.S. President Donald J. Trump rapidly moving away from the White House's coronavirus task force response coordinator, Dr Deborah Birx, as soon as she mentioned her low grade fever.In spite of Russia's own issues with coronavirus testing, widespread shortages of medical equipment and protective medical gear, the Kremlin is posturing by offering to help other countries in fighting the coronavirus pandemic. Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov offered to help Washington in the fight against the outbreak of the novel coronavirus and complained about "rude" American media trying to switch the focus to other countries (like Russia).State TV host Vladimir Soloviev pompously predicted: "I have a feeling that we will end up saving humanity—again, like we've done more than once," an apparent reference to Russia's sacrifices defeating the Nazis in World War II. Russian state media are framing the failure by the Trump administration to offer help to its European allies in their fight against the deadly pandemic as the defeat of the United States, the end of NATO, and the virtual nonexistence of transatlantic unity. Russian experts believe that the outcome of the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic will change the entire balance of power in the world. Russian state media outlet Vesti described the course chosen by the administration of the U.S. President Donald J. Trump as "indecisive," "poorly coordinated" and hesitant to implement the tough measures recommended by the experts in curtailing the deadly pandemic.Vesti argued that "coronavirus will determine the winner in the rivalry between China and the United States." But the stakes are much higher. Kremlin-controlled media believe that on a larger scale, "the success or failure of the United States will form a global view of the effectiveness of democracy compared to autocracy. This, in turn, will affect America's global position, its ability to attract vacillating allies into its orbit from China's sphere of influence, and possibly determine the global geopolitical leader for years to come."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 response coordinator questions report that had predicted 2.2 million deaths in the U.S. from the pandemic Posted: 26 Mar 2020 04:21 PM PDT  At a press briefing, Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, questioned a report that had predicted 2.2 million people in the United States would die due to the coronavirus.
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| Japan, spared mass outbreak so far, now sees 'national crisis' after Tokyo surge Posted: 25 Mar 2020 07:45 PM PDT  Japan, so far spared the mass spread of coronavirus that has hit Europe and North America, took urgent new steps on Thursday to respond to what Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described as a "national crisis" following a surge of cases in Tokyo. With 47 new cases reported in the capital, Abe banned entry from 21 European countries and Iran, and set up a new crisis task force - a preliminary step toward declaring a state of emergency, although his government said none was planned. "In order to overcome what can be described as a national crisis, it is necessary for the state, local governments, medical community, and the people to act as one and press ahead with measures against coronavirus infections," Abe said at a task force meeting.
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| Fox News owners, executives have taken the COVID-19 pandemic discordantly seriously since January Posted: 25 Mar 2020 04:26 AM PDT  Fox News chairman Rupert Murdoch was supposed to celebrate his 89th birthday on March 11 with a lavish party at his California estate. But on March 8, with the COVID-19 coronavirus spreading, "the Murdoch family called off a planned party out of concern for the patriarch's health," Ben Smith reports at The New York Times. Lachlan Murdoch, the 48-year-old son nominally in charge of Fox News, "knew the virus was coming" by January, because "he'd been getting regular updates from the family's political allies and journalists in his father's native Australia," Smith reported.But "if you were watching some of the commentators on Fox News and Fox Business in the first 10 days of March, you wouldn't have been too worried about the coronavirus," Smith notes: "It would be no worse than the flu, and the real story was the 'coronavirus impeachment scam.'" Two things changed the network's prime-time downplaying of the pandemic — Fox Business host Trish Regan took things too far, and President Trump started warning about the coronavirus publicly on March 11. The Washington Post rounded up some before-and-after commentary:Smith described a "glaring" gap between how seriously "the elite, globally minded family owners of Fox" took the COVID-19 pandemic and the big shrugs from "many of their nominal stars." But Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott also responded quickly and decisively inside the network's Manhattan headquarters starting in late February, as the apostate Republican Lincoln Project highlighted in its own rebuke of the conservative pro-Trump media's coronavirus coverage.On Tuesday, with a sixth Fox News staffer testing positive for COVID-19, Scott noted in an internal memo that "the vast majority of our workforce is now telecommuting" and ordered a halt to all in-studio bookings and contributor appearances. Smith asked Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Public Health Institute, if he believed people will die because of Fox's coverage in those critical two weeks, and he said yes, this "very specific type of misinformation" has been "very harmful." A Fox News spokeswoman accused the Times of "politicizing this serious threat" by "cherry-picking" clips from "our opinion programs."More stories from theweek.com What Trump's coronavirus briefings are really about Elton John to host 'Living Room Concert for America' with stars performing from home Trump campaign issues cease-and-desist letters over ad highlighting Trump's coronavirus response
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| Coronavirus: NHS uses tech giants to plan crisis response Posted: 26 Mar 2020 06:29 PM PDT  Amazon and Microsoft are among those helping with a dashboard to model where ventilators should go.
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| New antibody tests can detect whether people have had the coronavirus after they recover, but scientists still aren't sure whether people can get reinfected Posted: 26 Mar 2020 04:33 PM PDT  People who've had COVID-19 likely develop immunity, but it's not clear how long it lasts or whether it weakens over time.
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| Factbox: Germany's anti-coronavirus stimulus package Posted: 25 Mar 2020 06:56 AM PDT |
| Trump encourages cruise lines that want stimulus money to register in US Posted: 26 Mar 2020 04:29 PM PDT  US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he approved of American cruise lines incorporating themselves domestically if they want to access loans from a massive stimulus package. The US Senate on Wednesday approved a $2.2 trillion spending bill that sets aside $500 billion for large corporations, but stipulates that money can only be given to firms "created or organized in the United States." Major US-headquartered cruise lines are registered in countries with more lenient tax, labor and safety laws like Liberia, where Royal Caribbean is incorporated, and Panama, where Carnival is registered.
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| AP PHOTOS: Virus accentuates isolation of Spain's homeless Posted: 25 Mar 2020 12:26 AM PDT  While Spanish authorities tell the public that staying home is the best way to beat the coronavirus pandemic, some people are staying out because home has come to mean the streets of Madrid and Barcelona. Spain, which ranks fourth worldwide among the countries with the most virus cases, is under a government-imposed lockdown that has closed stores, emptied office buildings and left cities largely deserted, day and night. In typically bustling Barcelona, figures with boxes and blankets, mattresses or tents, punctuate the eerie emptiness.
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| North Korea Seeks International Help for Virus Testing, FT Says Posted: 25 Mar 2020 06:23 PM PDT |
| An award-winning teacher with 12 years of experience explains why she isn’t homeschooling her kids during the coronavirus pandemic Posted: 25 Mar 2020 12:31 PM PDT  A middle school educator said she's not homeschooling her kids while schools are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic because it's too stressful.
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| New York governor calls stimulus bill "reckless" Posted: 25 Mar 2020 10:33 PM PDT  "The congressional action, in my opinion, simply failed to address the governmental need," Cuomo said.
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| Cases in Italy's Lombardy rise by some 2,500 on Thursday, data 'not good': official Posted: 26 Mar 2020 06:08 AM PDT  The number of coronavirus cases in the in the northern region of Lombardy, which includes Italy's financial capital Milan, increased by some 2,500 on Thursday, regional governor Attilio Fontana said. The number of cases in the region, which has borne the brunt of Italy's contagion, increased by some 1,643 to roughly 32,346 on Wednesday.
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| At first, I was unsure if lockdowns are a good idea. But now I'm convinced we'll come through for the better. Posted: 25 Mar 2020 11:59 AM PDT  Opinion | The lockdowns in place to control the coronavirus pandemic are tough on the economy, but necessary to control the disease.
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| Islamic State Claims Bold Raid on Strategic Mozambique Town Posted: 25 Mar 2020 12:06 AM PDT |
| China cuts international flights, bars foreign residents Posted: 26 Mar 2020 05:06 PM PDT  China will drastically cut its international flight routes and bar entry to returning foreigners based in the country to stem the spread of the coronavirus, authorities said Thursday. Foreigners living in China with valid visas and resident permits will be blocked from returning to the country after midnight Saturday, the foreign ministry said in a statement. "The suspension is a temporary measure that China is compelled to take in light of the outbreak situation," it added.
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| US couple, adopted daughter, caught in India virus lockdown Posted: 26 Mar 2020 03:23 PM PDT  A Georgia couple who traveled to India to adopt a child have had to delay bringing their new daughter back to the United States after Indian authorities locked down the country because of the coronavirus. India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on Tuesday announced a three-week lockdown in the country of 1.3 billion people, meaning that citizens and visitors alike may only leave their homes or hotels for food, medicine or other essential needs. The order is meant to keep the virus from surging and overwhelming an already strained health care system, but it has also left Mike and Whitney Saville of Auburn, Georgia, with little hope of getting back home with their daughter Grace anytime soon.
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| Trump makes thinly veiled attack at AOC during coronavirus briefing after she suggests stimulus bill overly favours corporations Posted: 26 Mar 2020 02:41 PM PDT  Donald Trump took a veiled jab at New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, beloved by the far left, calling her a "little grandstander" over her threats to delay passage of a coronavirus economic aid package.Ms Ocasio-Cortez, known colloquially as "AOC," has complained that she is concerned the bipartisan measure, which cleared the Senate on a 96-0 vote, is too friendly to large corporations. She wants more provisions to help workers and those who have lost their jobs due to the super bug outbreak.
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| 9 escape from S. Dakota jail where there was a positive coronavirus test Posted: 24 Mar 2020 11:44 PM PDT  Four of the women have been captured since breaking out of the minimum-security unit of the Pierre Community Work Center.
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| For many Indians, the biggest concern isn't coronavirus. It's hunger Posted: 26 Mar 2020 11:31 AM PDT  A three-week lockdown affecting 1.3 billion people has unleashed chaos as stranded migrant workers sleep in streets and police beat curfew-breakers.
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| South Africa Bans Outdoor Exercise for Lockdown, Minister Says Posted: 25 Mar 2020 09:17 AM PDT |
| Biden: ‘I think we’ve had enough debates’ Posted: 25 Mar 2020 12:13 PM PDT  When former Vice President Joe Biden was asked if he believes there should be more Democratic primary debates, he said he believes that there have been enough.
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| Whoopi Goldberg Confronts Newt Gingrich for Suggesting Nurses Will Abandon Coronavirus Patients Posted: 26 Mar 2020 10:21 AM PDT  Newt Gingrich joined The View live from Rome on Thursday morning where he has been quarantined for weeks with his wife, U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Calista Gingrich. And yet despite living in the horror that could be America's near future, the former Republican Speaker of the House had only mild criticism for the way President Donald Trump has handled the coronavirus crisis. Gingrich acknowledged that the president and his task force should probably be "social distancing" during their daily press briefings. And he threw some cold water on Trump's promise to get the economy up and running again by Easter. "I think the president's direction is right, but probably the speed won't happen as fast as he wants it to," he said diplomatically. But the most contentious part of the interview came when co-host Sunny Hostin asked Gingrich to weigh in on the $2 trillion stimulus package passed by the Senate Wednesday night. Joe Biden Blasts Trump on 'The View': We Can't Just 'Let People Die'"Several Republican senators are worried unemployment benefits will be so enticing that people will stop working," Hostin said. "Senator Graham even implied that the benefits would incentivize well-trained nurses to stay home and collect a check." She was citing a joint statement from Senators Lindsey Graham, Ben Sasse, and Tim Scott that read, "If the federal government accidentally incentivizes layoffs, we risk life-threatening shortages in sectors where doctors, nurses, and pharmacists are trying to care for the sick, and where growers and grocers, truckers and cooks are trying to get food to families' tables." "Do you share their concern?" Hostin asked."Sure, as a practical matter you have to," Gingrich replied. "As I understand it, there's one part of this where you can actually make more money not working. That's not a very good incentive." Of course, the unemployment relief in the stimulus package would only benefit workers who are laid off due to the economic crisis—not doctors and nurses who are needed more than ever in this moment. As he continued talking, Whoopi Goldberg could be heard off-screen saying, "That's so disrespectful!" She added later, "Lindsey Graham should be ashamed of himself." "It just seems to me the suggestion that nurses who are on the front line are not going to work and sacrifice the way that they have because they're going to be making a few hundred dollars more is ludicrous," Hostin told Gingrich, "but that's just my opinion." "It's insulting! It's insulting!" Goldberg added. She repeated, "Lindsey Graham should be ashamed of himself to say something like that in the middle of all of this." Fox News Host Martha MacCallum Nails Kellyanne Conway for Rewriting Trump's Coronavirus HistoryRead 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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| U.S. playing dangerous game, China says, after warship sails through Taiwan Strait Posted: 25 Mar 2020 05:43 PM PDT |
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