| St. Louis Gun Couple: The White House and Federal Government Are on Our Side Posted: 17 Jul 2020 06:58 PM PDT  The St. Louis couple that gained notoriety after pointing loaded firearms at Black Lives Matter protesters passing by their home last month joined a Trump campaign event late Friday to recount the terror they experienced on that fateful day when demonstrators encroached on their sidewalks. They noted that they'd since gotten "support from the White House on down."Speaking to Kim Guilfoyle, campaign adviser and partner to Donald Trump, Jr. in a campaign livestream, Mark McCloskey echoed President Trump in painting a picture of a complete breakdown of law and order."I thought that within seconds we'd be overrun, they'd be in the house, they'd be setting fires, they'd be killing us," he said of the protesters marching past on their way to Mayor Lyda Krewson's home last month.The couple has insisted that a horde of protesters broke into the gated community where they live and bum rushed their home en masse, though surveillance footage does not back up that claim. "It's a real warzone," Mark McCloskey said of his neighborhood.The incident is now the subject of investigation by local authorities, who have sought unspecified warrants while weighing possible charges against the couple. "We have nothing to apologize for. We did nothing wrong," Mark McCloskey told Guilfoyle. When asked if she would do it again, Patricia McCloskey answered, "Of course."Bizarrely, Guilfoyle repeatedly insisted, without evidence, that protesters were "trying to burn down your house" and that the McCloskey's were defending themselves against "potentially death," echoing President Trump's own baseless claim made in support of the gun-toting couple. McCloskey spoke of a burning 7-11 store earlier in the interview."Apparently people are allowed to just burn down other people's homes, shoot people, kill people," Guilfoyle said.After claiming they were "on their own" when protesters marched through, McCloskey played down the scrutiny he and his wife have faced from local authorities following the incident. Acknowledging that police had recently executed a search warrant at their home, Mark Mcloskey insisted "they didn't want to have to do it," and said officers were "very apologetic" as they came to confiscate the weapons the two brandished at demonstrators. "Quite frankly, on the second event, when they came back to get us, we then had support from the White House on down. We had cooperation from the federal government, the state government, the local police. The police chief himself came out and met with my private security," he said.Trump has publicly defended the couple and gone so far as to declare that he will be "getting involved" in the case. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner reportedly said earlier this week that Trump and Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson "came after her" for investigating the case. The couple also appeared to fully embrace the new role of gun-loving heroes foisted upon them by Guilfoyle, who called Patricia McCloskey "inspirational" for holding a loaded gun with her finger on the trigger that day, at times pointing it towards her husband. Asked what her message would be to other women, Patricia McCloskey said: "I think it's time that we not just stand behind the man that is going to have the gun." "Everybody's saying, 'Well I've never owned a gun before, but we've gotta do it now,'" Mark McCloskey said, adding that the seizure of the couple's weapons left them "defenseless." "So we're depending upon retained private security." 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: Florida sheriff releases footage of people flouting social distancing rules at large street party Posted: 19 Jul 2020 05:52 AM PDT  Police in Florida have released footage of a large street party which took place earlier this month, where attendees flouted social distancing guidance as coronavirus cases soared in the state.The Osceola County Sheriff's Office said it had broken up several parties at vacation rental homes in recent days, despite public health guidance in the state advising people to avoid large gatherings.
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| UAE's Amal spacecraft rockets toward Mars in Arab world 1st Posted: 19 Jul 2020 03:12 PM PDT  A United Arab Emirates spacecraft rocketed away Monday on a seven-month journey to Mars, kicking off the Arab world's first interplanetary mission. The liftoff of the Mars orbiter named Amal, or Hope, from Japan marked the start of a rush to fly to Earth's neighbor that includes attempts by China and the United States. The UAE said its Amal was functioning after launch as it heads toward Mars.
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| Chicago protesters' attempt to tear down Christopher Columbus statue ends in violent clash with police Posted: 18 Jul 2020 12:55 PM PDT  Protesters reportedly threw cans and fireworks at officers, and police responded by attacking protesters with batons and pepper spray.
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| Coronavirus: Zimbabwe arrests 100,000 for 'violations' of measures Posted: 19 Jul 2020 07:19 AM PDT  Police say people violated the measures but critics say the government is targeting the opposition.
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| Transcript: Colin Powell on "Face the Nation" Posted: 19 Jul 2020 08:12 AM PDT  The following is a transcript of an interview with Former Secretary of State Colin Powell that aired Sunday, July 19, 2020, on "Face the Nation."
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| Ten thousand march in Russian far east in support of detained governor Posted: 18 Jul 2020 04:45 AM PDT  At least 10,000 people marched in the Russian far eastern city of Khabarovsk on Saturday, demanding the release of a popular regional governor detained last week on suspicion of murder, in a second week of protests. Sergei Furgal, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, was the governor of the Khabarovsk region where he swept to power in 2018 after defeating a rival from the ruling United Russia party that backs President Vladimir Putin.
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| Insurance companies turned 'police regulators' have been quietly shaping America's cities Posted: 19 Jul 2020 03:15 AM PDT  Across the nation, insurers have had surprising success "policing the police," ending risky behavior, ousting chiefs, even closing troubled departments.
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| Short and to the point: five Fauci quotes to get you through the week Posted: 18 Jul 2020 11:00 PM PDT  The top public health expert has found a way around Trump's efforts to keep him off TV – and he's as winningly blunt as everAnthony Fauci, the top public health expert on the White House coronavirus taskforce, is determined to get his message out. Despite the White House reportedly blocking TV interviews, and political forces undercutting him from Donald Trump down, the doctor who has served six presidents spent this week speaking out online.Here are five highlights: 'We haven't even begun to see the end of it yet'On Monday, Fauci talked to Lloyd Minor, dean of medicine at Stanford University, in what was billed as a virtual fireside chat.Fauci added: "Look at the films on TV of people in some states going from shutdown to completely throwing caution to the wind … there are things you can do now: physical distancing, wearing a mask, avoiding crowds, washing hands. Those things, as simple as they are, can turn it around." 'I think you can trust me'On Tuesday, Fauci sat for a virtual forum staged by Georgetown University.He said: "Republican, Democrat, anybody else, we are all in this together. I believe for the most part you can trust respected medical authorities. I believe I'm one of them, so I think you can trust me … [and other experts] who have a track record of telling the truth." 'Stop this nonsense'On Wednesday, the Atlantic magazine interviewed Fauci about the administration's pandemic response, Donald Trump and White House aides seeking to undermine him, and his professional future."It is a bit bizarre," he said. "The divisiveness that's going on … We've got to own this, reset this and say, 'OK, let's stop this nonsense. We've got to do better."States and the federal government must be on the same page, Fauci said. "So, rather than these games people are playing, let's focus on that."He added: "I just want to do my job … and I'm going to keep doing it." 'You're propagating the pandemic'On Thursday, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg interviewed Fauci on his own platform. Again, the doctor lambasted state lawmakers rushing to reopen and young people crowding bars or staging parties without masks or social distancing."Time out," he said. "Look what's happened … there really is no reason that we're having 40,000, 50,000, 60,000 [new US cases a day], other than we are not doing something correctly."He also told revelers it's "not just you in a vacuum. You're propagating the pandemic". 'We need to get better control'On Friday, talking to the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation in Washington, Fauci said the US had been hit "very severely" by the coronavirus. Hospitalizations and deaths are rising. But, Fauci said, controlling Covid-19 and reopening the economy do not have to be mutually exclusive."We've got to have a delicate balance of carefully and prudently going towards normality and opening up at the same time that we contain and not allow these surges," he said."Staying shut down has economic, employment, health and other negative consequences that are significant [but] we need to get better control."
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| Syrians vote for new parliament amid war, economic turmoil Posted: 18 Jul 2020 07:46 PM PDT  Syrians go to the polls Sunday to elect a new parliament as the Damascus government grapples with international sanctions and a crumbling economy after retaking large parts of the war-torn country. More than 7,400 polling stations will open at 7.30am (0430 GMT) in government-held parts of Syria, including for the first time in former opposition strongholds. President Bashar al-Assad's Baath party and its allies are expected to take most of parliament's 250 seats in the third such polls to be held since the war started nine years ago.
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| UN agency: US-sought tanker 'hijacked' off UAE now in Iran Posted: 19 Jul 2020 12:16 AM PDT  A United Nations agency acknowledged Sunday that a U.S.-sought oil tanker "hijacked" off the coast of the United Arab Emirates after allegedly smuggling Iranian crude oil is back in Iranian waters. The International Labor Organization said that the MT Gulf Sky was hijacked July 5, citing its captain. "The vessel was taken to Iran," the ILO said.
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| Ohio governor who has refused to issue a statewide mask mandate warns the state 'could become Florida' Posted: 19 Jul 2020 01:06 PM PDT  DeWine on Sunday said Ohio is "now headed in the wrong direction, and frankly, I'm very, very concerned about that."
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| Atlanta mayor says Georgia governor's actions are "simply bizarre" Posted: 19 Jul 2020 09:47 AM PDT  "This blame game is most unusual," Bottoms said.
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| The city where George Floyd was killed has declared racism a public health emergency Posted: 18 Jul 2020 10:55 AM PDT  Minneapolis City Council approved a resolution Friday to help end racism and build "an active, anti-racist culture."
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| As the pandemic surges, Americans see travel horizons narrowing Posted: 19 Jul 2020 01:52 AM PDT  After months of working from home, stir-crazy Americans have finally reached the long, hot days of summer only to watch their vacation horizons dim, with travel options shrinking as the country's coronavirus cases soar. "All I've been doing this year is canceling trips," 61-year-old Keith Gibbons said with a sigh, a new reality that the government contractor called "very frustrating." Hawaii, for example, has ordered those arriving on the Pacific archipelago to self-quarantine for 14 days.
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| UK poised to suspend Hong Kong extradition treaty: British newspapers Posted: 19 Jul 2020 02:17 AM PDT  Britain will on Monday suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in a further escalation of its dispute with China over the introduction of a security law in the former colony, British newspapers reported. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who on Sunday accused China of "gross" human rights violations, will announce the suspension of the treaty in parliament, the Times and Daily Telegraph newspapers said, citing sources. Britain's foreign office declined to comment.
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| Trump says Confederate flag proud symbol of the South Posted: 19 Jul 2020 09:12 AM PDT  President Trump would not say the Confederate flag was an offensive symbol in an interview broadcast on Sunday, saying it is a point of pride for people who love the South.
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| President says he’s ‘saddened’ by John Lewis’ death after Barack Obama led heartfelt tributes for the civil rights hero Posted: 18 Jul 2020 09:38 AM PDT  Donald Trump said he was "saddened" to hear the news of Congressman John Lewis' death after the civil rights leader died on Friday. Earlier on Saturday, Congresswoman Karen Bass, the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, told the president he should not issue a statement so people could "mourn in peace".The president ordered earlier for the flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House and other public buildings for the remainder of the day.
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| Kuwait's ruler, 91, admitted to hospital for medical checkup Posted: 18 Jul 2020 02:50 AM PDT  Kuwait's 91-year-old ruler was admitted to the hospital Saturday for a medical checkup and the country's crown prince temporarily took some of his powers in his absence, the oil-rich nation's state-run news agency reported. Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah was in "good health," the KUNA news agency said, citing a statement from the country's royal court minister. A later statement said Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah had assumed some of Sheikh Sabah's powers temporarily, without explaining why that was necessary.
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| Amid school reopening uncertainty, affluent parents hire private tutors Posted: 19 Jul 2020 01:41 AM PDT  As the schooling dilemma continues to daunt millions of parents, some with the means to front the steep costs are hiring private educators and tutors.
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| A woman was shot eight times after asking man to stop lighting illegal fireworks, report says Posted: 19 Jul 2020 09:37 AM PDT  Shatavia Walls was shot in Brooklyn, New York days after the July 4 holiday when she asked a man to stop setting off fireworks, police sources said Saturday.
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| Fact check: Majority of Hallmark cards made in USA, a fraction made in China Posted: 19 Jul 2020 03:33 PM PDT  A Facebook post claims Hallmark greeting cards are made in China while American greeting cards are made in Ohio.
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| Racism in Cuba: banned by law, alive on the streets Posted: 18 Jul 2020 02:58 AM PDT  Six decades on from Cuba's proclamation of equality and despite three top government officials being black, the Caribbean island nation has made little headway on racism. "Racism in Cuba is very hypocritical ... No-one says they're racist, even if they are," researcher Tomas Fernandez, 79, an author of several books on the subject, told AFP. Cuba used to have an open problem with racism until the communist revolution of 1959.
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| Google's parent company is flying balloons with 'floating cell phone towers' across the ocean to bring internet to Kenya's Rift Valley Posted: 19 Jul 2020 05:56 AM PDT  Loon makes solar powered balloons that fly high up in the stratosphere and send internet access down to earth.
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| China to offer more financial support for flood-hit areas Posted: 18 Jul 2020 10:01 AM PDT  China's banking and insurance regulator on Saturday announced measures to further increase credit and lending support and insurance protection for areas that suffered from recent floods. The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) said in a statement that financial institutions in the flood-hit areas cannot blindly withdraw, delay or cut credit lines to the companies who have good development prospects but whose operations were suspended by the floods. The regulator also encouraged financial institutions to lower lending rates appropriately and improve their loan extension policy to help relevant companies to tide over difficulties.
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| Some ICUs in Florida have run out of beds Posted: 19 Jul 2020 03:53 PM PDT  The number of new coronavirus cases in Florida topped 10,000 for the fifth day in a row, with 12,523 reported on Sunday.
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| Portland protests: Oregon sues over 'unlawful detentions' Posted: 19 Jul 2020 09:55 AM PDT  The state attorney general accuses the federal government of violating citizens' rights in protests.
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| WHO reports record number of new coronavirus cases as death toll nears 600,000 Posted: 19 Jul 2020 05:40 AM PDT  United States, Brazil, South Africa and India, which has reached more than one million cases over the weekend, reported the biggest increases.
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| Editorial: L.A. Unified's new challenge: Getting students to show up for online classes Posted: 19 Jul 2020 05:00 AM PDT |
| Fact check: Yes, Biden botched stats on COVID-19 and gun deaths Posted: 19 Jul 2020 01:56 PM PDT  A social media post points out the Democratic presidential candidate incorrectly cited millions of deaths from COVID-19 and guns.
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| Los Angeles mayor says city is 'on the brink' of declaring another stay-at-home order Posted: 19 Jul 2020 11:58 AM PDT  Los Angeles County broke its record for a single day, with more than 4,500 new coronavirus cases on Thursday.
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| A Kentucky couple refused to sign self-quarantine papers after testing positive for coronavirus. Now they have to wear ankle monitors. Posted: 19 Jul 2020 12:34 PM PDT  The wife said that although the couple did not agree to signing the papers, they were not refusing to self-quarantine.
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| ‘Ugly face’: U.S. and China trade barbs in Myanmar as South China Sea rift deepens Posted: 19 Jul 2020 12:56 AM PDT  Responding to U.S. claims Beijing was undermining the sovereignty of its neighbors, the Chinese embassy said U.S. agencies abroad were doing "disgusting things" to contain China and had showed a "selfish, hypocritical, contemptible, and ugly face". The United States last week hardened its position on the South China Sea, saying it would back countries in the region that challenge Beijing's claim to about 90% of the strategic waterway.
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| Nuremberg Prosecutor’s Warning About Trump’s War on the Rule of Law Posted: 19 Jul 2020 02:03 AM PDT  Given the death toll from COVID-19 and the continuing public outcry over police brutality in the United States, it may have gone largely unnoticed that on June 11, President Trump issued an executive order targeting the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Hague-based war crimes tribunal that the United States has refused to join. The order, which has prompted harsh condemnation from the international justice community and other concerned stakeholders, comes on the heels of a recent ruling by the ICC authorizing an impartial investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity alleged to have been committed by the various parties to the conflict in Afghanistan. The order seeks to impose economic and U.S. travel sanctions on any foreign person "directly engaged in any effort by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute" personnel of the U.S. or our allies without prior consent of their respective governments.In announcing the sanctions, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo accused the ICC of being "highly politicized" and a "kangaroo court." He said that the ICC would have done well to "do the right thing and kill the investigation." Given that Pompeo was a director of the CIA when that agency is reported to have been complicit in the commission of war crimes committed by Afghan operatives, his views may perhaps come as no surprise.Bolton Threatens International Criminal Court With Sanctions if It Keeps Probing Alleged U.S. War CrimesAs the sole surviving prosecutor from the Nuremberg Trials, I believe a few words are in order about what the ICC is and what it is not. Contrary to the current administration's anti-ICC rhetoric, the court is neither unaccountable nor anti-American. It is a treaty-based organization whose statute has been ratified by 123 countries, including 27 of our 28 NATO allies.Significant safeguards and limitations have been built into the ICC's operating structure to assure that it does not become some sort of supra-national court run amok. Its judges and its prosecutor are elected for fixed terms by a governing assembly representing each of the court's 123 member states, and they, along with the deputy prosecutor, the registrar and the deputy registrar, may all be removed from office for improper conduct. It may hear cases related only to four specific crimes: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. Its jurisdiction is generally limited to crimes committed by the nationals or on the territory of the states that have signed up to the court or that have voluntarily agreed to its jurisdiction. It has no enforcement arm of its own and must, therefore, rely on the cooperation of policing personnel from countries around the world to enforce its arrest warrants. Without such support, the ICC is relatively powerless.The ICC recognizes the primacy of the national courts of all nations, including the United States. Its operating statute provides that countries which are willing and able to prosecute their own citizens may do so in their own domestic courts and that such rights supersede the jurisdiction of the ICC. It is only where national courts fail in their obligation to genuinely and impartially investigate their own nationals that the ICC may move forward in exercising its jurisdiction. It is a court of last resort designed to assure that otherwise voiceless victims of atrocity crimes may ultimately have their day in court, whether it be before national courts or before the ICC itself if necessary.Nations that uphold the law in their own courts need have no fear of ICC investigations. Having said this, countries with a record of pardoning war criminals who have been duly convicted by their own military courts of crimes as serious as the murder of unarmed detainees should be aware that such a pattern of conduct does little to enhance a country's reputation for genuinely upholding the rule of law.At Nuremberg, the United States and its allies tried Nazi leaders who dragged their nation into war to the tune of Deutschland Uber Alles. They considered themselves a law unto themselves, and it was their undoing. The Nuremberg Trials were intended not as victor's justice, but to help establish a rule of law to deter future international crimes, regardless of who the perpetrators might be. This point was clearly articulated by the American chief of counsel at the International Military Tribunal, Robert Jackson who, standing at the podium in Courtroom 600 in Nuremberg, emphasized that "while this law is first applied against German aggressors, the law includes, and if it is to serve a useful purpose it must condemn aggression by any other nations, including those which sit here now in judgment."It is true that the ICC has had its share of start-up woes, as did our own Supreme Court during its earliest decades. It is a relatively young institution that relies on the cooperation of countries around the world to bring perpetrators to justice. It is a challenging task, as not all countries make the cooperative effort that they should. But it is much too early to suggest that we should throw out the baby with the bathwater by condemning or by threatening the ICC. To do so is to repudiate Nuremberg and the rule of law for which so many around the world have sacrificed.There was a time when the United States was looked upon as a bastion of leadership and of hope. As a nation, we produced statesmen such as Elihu Root, who served as a U.S. attorney, Secretary of War, Secretary of State, U.S. senator, and the founding president of the American Society of International Law. In 1913 he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to establish an international court. Though he studied elsewhere, there has long been a special room at Harvard honoring him. It was established in 1939, shortly before I arrived there as a law student. Above the doorway are words that inspired me then and inspire me still: "Make us effective and useful for the advancement of the cause of Peace and Justice and Liberty in the World." Attacking the International Criminal Court for simply doing its job is most assuredly not the way to do that.Friday was International Criminal Justice Day, a day on which the world recognizes both the passage on July 17, 1998 of the Rome Statute treaty that established the ICC as well as the hard-fought achievements and ongoing efforts at the ICC and elsewhere to secure justice for victims of the world's gravest crimes. Having reflected on the importance of international criminal justice, we Americans today have some serious soul-searching to do and questions to answer. The rule of law is at peril, and so is our credibility and standing in the world. On behalf of the countless victims of atrocity crimes around the world who look to the United States for moral leadership and to the ICC for help in the fight against impunity, I respectfully urge President Trump to reconsider the matter and to rescind his recent executive order and its sanctions.Benjamin B. Ferencz, Harvard Law School class of 1943, was the Chief Prosecutor of the Einsatzgruppen case at the American-led subsequent proceedings at Nuremberg and has been a lifelong advocate for the establishment of a permanent international criminal court. He is now over 100 years old and wishes to thank his son, Donald, for assistance in preparing this appeal.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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| Hong Kong leader says coronavirus now spreading 'out of control' Posted: 19 Jul 2020 06:49 AM PDT  The deadly coronavirus is spreading out of control in Hong Kong with a record 100 new cases confirmed, the finance hub's leader said Sunday as she tightened social distancing measures to tackle the sudden surge in infections. The finance hub was one of the first places to be struck by the virus when it emerged from central China. On Sunday chief executive Carrie Lam said more than 500 infections had been confirmed in the last fortnight alone, nearly a third since the outbreak began.
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| 85 children under age 2 tested positive for coronavirus in 1 Texas county, as U.S. sets new record Posted: 18 Jul 2020 02:25 PM PDT  The Nueces County health director said 85 children under age 2 have tested positive, including 52 under 1 year old. "These babies have not even had their first birthdays yet," she said.
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| India coronavirus: 'Our neighbours made us Covid-19 pariahs' Posted: 19 Jul 2020 04:30 PM PDT  As the virus spreads across India, so do fear and stigma attached to the disease.
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| After intel briefings, Biden warns of election interference Posted: 18 Jul 2020 09:07 AM PDT  Joe Biden said on Friday that he has received intelligence briefings as he warned that Russia, China and other adversaries were attempting to undermine the upcoming November election.
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| Opinion: We're talking about reopening schools when the only option is to close them. Great Posted: 18 Jul 2020 03:00 AM PDT  A physician's letter advocating reopwning schools draws critical responses. Why weren't we having this discussion in March?
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| Poland to propose limits on foreign media soon, Kaczynski says Posted: 19 Jul 2020 10:50 AM PDT  Poland will seek to craft rules limiting the concentration of foreign-owned media outlets well before the ruling nationalists finish their term in power, Poland's de facto leader said on Sunday, with parliamentary elections expected in 2023. Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has long said foreign-owned media outlets have meddled in Poland's affairs and that Polish-owned media should have a stronger place.
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| Trump spent Friday evening mad online about a new tell-all book from his niece Mary Trump Posted: 17 Jul 2020 07:12 PM PDT  It is unclear how the president reconciles the claim that Mary Trump isn't telling the truth, and that she's saying things she promised not to reveal.
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| Texas Erases COVID Cases—and Fans Conspiracy Theory Flames Posted: 18 Jul 2020 02:16 AM PDT  HOUSTON–When health officials quietly removed nearly 3,500 COVID-19 cases from the official Texas total on Wednesday, it launched a deluge of conspiracy theories about inflated and unreliable data in the midst of a surging pandemic.The 3,484 removed cases were diagnosed using FDA-approved antigen tests. The FDA has said positive results from antigen tests are "highly accurate," and can be used to diagnose current COVID-19 infections. But state health officials pointed to the definition of a coronavirus case the CDC published in early April to explain why the cases were removed. "The case data on our website reflect confirmed cases, and cases identified by antigen testing are considered probable cases under the national case definition," said Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services. Under that definition, the CDC only considers cases "confirmed" if they are diagnosed using a molecular, often called PCR, test. Cases that are detected using antigen tests are classified as "probable." If someone is diagnosed with an antigen test, Texas will not count their case among the state total.The removed cases were from Bexar County, which includes San Antonio. The city's mayor said Thursday that San Antonio was one of three cities in Texas that tracks antigen tests—and that the tests help local health officials "see the full picture" of COVID-19 in the area."The state wants an apples-to-apples comparison with all cities in their reports, so they're removing antigen counts," said Mayor Ron Nirenberg. "It now means the State of Texas will not be counting thousands of FDA-approved positive COVID-19 tests in their reports. That's troubling—to say the least."Houston Outbreak Has Residents Begging to Be Locked DownThe FDA approved the first COVID-19 antigen test in May. When you see a picture of COVID-19, you typically see a white ball with a bunch of red spikes coming off of it. A molecular (PCR) test looks for the virus's genetic material in the white ball. An antigen test looks for proteins that make up the red spikes."Each category of diagnostic test has its own unique role in the fight against this virus," according to the FDA. "PCR tests can be incredibly accurate, but running the tests and analyzing the results can take time. One of the main advantages of an antigen test is the speed of the test, which can provide results in minutes."While some jumped to the conclusion that the state's removal was proof the record-high case numbers in the state were inflated and the whole virus scare overblown, it actually suggests the opposite. In a state that's already struggling to keep up with testing demands and rising hospitalizations, Texas runs the risk of undercounting cases—and undermining trust—by not recognizing positive antigen test results, experts said. Dr. Sarah Bezek, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said the most transparent way for the state to report cases would be to include data from each type of coronavirus test. "Just say, 'These are the number of positives from the PCR tests, these are the number of positives from the antigen tests, and these are the number of positives from the serological studies (antibody tests)," said Bezek, who works on the front line in Houston-area emergency departments. "That would be complete transparency of data."A positive antigen test result is reliable, Bezek argued. The two COVID-19 antigen tests the FDA has approved are very specific, meaning they can distinguish between COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses. The legit knock on antigen tests is that they are less sensitive than PCR tests, which means they return more false negatives. But Bezek pointed out that even PCR tests aren't 100 percent accurate, further hindering the ability of local health officials to conduct accurate contact tracing. Depending on how and when a PCR test is administered, it, too, can return a false negative."We have patients that are having negative test after negative test," Bezek said. "There's certain constellations of symptoms that, after you see enough patients with coronavirus, that when you see somebody who's testing negative you can say, 'Well, I'm pretty sure this is coronavirus.'"Those cases, she added, also aren't counted by the state. On Thursday, outrage over the case removals spread like wildfire online. But many of the responses weren't from people concerned about reduced disease surveillance. Instead, they were conspiracy theorists suggesting the removals somehow indicated the crisis was overblown. "It's all been a lie," one Twitter user said. "They locked us down and destroyed the economy on lies."Texas Sen. Ted Cruz got in on the action, sharing a misleading tweet suggesting that those 3,484 people whose cases were removed were never tested and that the San Antonio health department had made a mistake. Cruz added the comment, "Troubling."Local health officials were adamant that was not the case."Probable cases do not mean 'maybe' cases of COVID-19," said Colleen Bridger, interim director of San Antonio Metro Health. "Antigen tests are FDA-approved, and positive tests are highly accurate."Dr. Seema Yasmin, director of the Stanford Health Communication Initiative, said moving to erase the cases like Texas did was the "worst thing" they could've done in a climate where mistrust is soaring. "The last thing you need when you are seeing a surge is for people to suddenly think that the numbers are inaccurate and actually things aren't as tragic and as at-a-crisis-point as they really are," Yasmin said.Texas reported 10,256 new cases on Friday, and hit a new daily record for hospitalizations (10,632) and fatalities (174). According to the COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic, many states report confirmed and probable cases in their state totals. The CDC did not respond to a request for comment about whether they planned to issue an updated guidance regarding counting positive antigen tests as confirmed rather than probable.Because antigen tests return more false negatives than molecular (PCR) tests, there's a good argument to be made for keeping molecular and antigen testing data separate so researchers can best determine the positivity rates of each (how often tests come back positive). Joseph Petrosino, chairman of the department of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, believes the data sets should be kept separate for the purposes of epidemiological research. "You want to compare apples to apples," Petrosino said. "SARS-CoV-2 tracking started with counting positive PCR tests. If additional testing methods of different levels of sensitivity are added, it can hinder tracing efforts and epidemiological studies such as where the virus is spreading the fastest and what individuals are at greater risk."Yasmin agrees that, behind the scenes, it makes sense to keep the two data sets separated. But when it comes to informing the public about infections, the total number of positive cases–diagnosed by molecular and antigen tests–should be reported, she argued."We make decisions about our lives and whether kids will go back to school or whether we will go to the grocery store often based on community transmission," Yasmin said. "You need that transparency of data. When it comes to antigen tests, they're a good indicator of if somebody is a case or not." 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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