| Trump says China lying about coronavirus numbers Posted: 15 Apr 2020 06:55 PM PDT  Chinese journalists investigating the outbreak have gone missing.
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| Can you tell a coronavirus cough from a regular cold? There could be an app for that. Posted: 15 Apr 2020 01:08 PM PDT  Everyone knows that one of the main presenting symptoms of COVID-19 is cough. But what kind of cough, exactly? The data will be secure, Karlin emphasizes, and the app will not run in the background or monitor other people nearby.
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| Hundreds of USPS workers have tested positive for the coronavirus, but it still may be safer to get postal mail than other types of packages Posted: 16 Apr 2020 10:27 AM PDT  The risk of contracting COVID-19 from a piece of mail is extremely low, according to experts. But plastic packaging may be riskier than paper mail.
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| North Korean Defector Wins Election in Posh South Korea District Posted: 16 Apr 2020 01:13 AM PDT |
| Kim Jong Un tribute absence sparks speculation Posted: 15 Apr 2020 08:02 PM PDT  The April 15 birthday of the North's founder is the most important celebration of the nuclear-armed country's annual political calendar, known as the Day of the Sun. The state KCNA news agency did not mention him in a Thursday report on senior officials visiting the Kumsusan Palace to pay the "highest tribute" to the two late leaders.
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| Coronavirus: Japan declares nationwide state of emergency Posted: 16 Apr 2020 06:55 AM PDT  Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been facing criticism for his response to the coronavirus outbreak.
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| 'Commander' of New Mexico group that detained migrants near border is sentenced Posted: 16 Apr 2020 02:16 PM PDT  Larry Mitchell Hopkins, 70, was arrested in 2019. He was a "commander" of a group accused of detaining migrants at the New Mexico-Mexico border.
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| What should Democrats do about the sexual assault allegation against Joe Biden? Posted: 15 Apr 2020 02:55 AM PDT  After the brief but intense drama of the early primaries, things have settled down quite quickly in the contest for the Democratic nomination for president. With former Vice President Joe Biden already the presumptive nominee, it should be a moment of well-earned healing and consolidation for the party. Yet instead it's one marked by anxiety about a sexual assault allegation that threatens to weaken Biden's general election prospects even before the campaign gets started.Biden's bid for the presidency wouldn't have been threatened by the kind of allegations originally brought forth by Tara Reade, a former staff assistant to Biden's Senate office in the early 1990s. Interviewed by The Associated Press last April about Biden's handsiness problem with numerous women down through the decades, she indicated only that Biden had rubbed her shoulders, neck, and hair. That's inappropriate and more than a little creepy by today's standards of professionalism but hardly unusual for a male politician of Biden's age.But then, during an interview on a podcast last month, Reade alleged far more: that back in 1993, Biden shoved her against a wall and penetrated her with his fingers. That's sexual assault. An allegation of that seriousness would have rocked a presidential campaign at any point in the past. But it's especially awkward and highly charged now — several years into the MeToo movement that has inspired countless women to speak up forthrightly against sexual abuse in the workplace. At least one predator has been sent to jail, while the careers and reputations of hundreds of men — from powerful politicians to prominent figures in media, entertainment, journalism, finance, sports, and other fields — have been adversely effected by MeToo allegations.Will Democrats now apply the same exacting and often unforgiving standards to the man who's locked down the party's presidential nomination?The problem is real. But it's not quite as bad as some appear to think.That certainly includes Republicans. They insist Democrats accepted the activist slogan and hashtag BelieveWomen and used it as a bludgeon against Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court confirmation hearings when psychology professor Christine Blasey Ford accused him of a drunken sexual assault at a high school party three decades in the past. Republicans claim that for Democrats to be consistent, they need to apply precisely the same standard to Reade and Biden: They must believe her without question, drag Biden through the mud, and presumably keep him off the Democratic ticket for his alleged behavior 27 years ago. Anything less would be a blatant double standard.It's pretty rich for Republicans to accuse Democrats of hypocrisy for failing to live up to standards that Republicans themselves show no sign of caring about when it comes to their own party and president. The term bad faith is far too mild to capture the chutzpah of people who carry water for the Trump White House 24/7 feigning outrage at others struggling to live up to moral principles and apply consistent standards. Yet the charge would nonetheless sting if it were true that leading Democrats cared less about accusations against a leading member of their own party than against a Republican Supreme Court nominee.Thankfully, the core of the problem isn't the application of the principle but the principle itself: BelieveWomen should never have been the standard for adjudicating such issues in the first place, in either a court of law or the court of public opinion.Yes, women accusing men of bad behavior have too often and easily been ignored or dismissed. That was wrong, and the proper response is to take allegations more seriously, applying less doubt and suspicion to them, along with less deference to the accused. But that's very different than denying the possibility of doubt altogether. To the extent that some activists, writers, and officeholders favored doing this at the time of Kavanaugh's confirmation battle, they were wrong and should admit it. Female accusers need to be heard, but to treat them as infallible and incapable of lying about or misremembering details decades in the past is to do the opposite. It is to pretend that women are inhumanly perfect and incorruptible.As I wrote at the time of the Kavanaugh hearings, we knew nothing for certain about what, if anything, happened between the nominee and Blasey Ford when they were in high school. I found the latter to be a credible witness. When paired with Kavanaugh's bizarre, unhinged, wildly defensive, and dishonest response to her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, I concluded that, on balance, the best option was for his nomination to be withdrawn and for the president to nominate an alternative conservative jurist to the high court in his place. But I never for a moment supposed that I knew for certain that Kavanaugh had done what Blasey Ford accused him of doing.Based on what we know at the moment, Reade's accusation against Biden is flimsier than Blasey Ford's. Democrats would be foolish to BelieveReade over the Biden campaign's blanket denial when her account of events from nearly three decades ago has changed so dramatically in just the past few weeks. As Michelle Goldberg recently pointed out in The New York Times, Reade also has a history of saying … peculiar things about Russia and Vladimir Putin that raise questions about her judgment. That doesn't mean that the events she now describes didn't happen. But in deciding whether to accept her account, we must make our own judgment about her credibility and trustworthiness — and as Cathy Young at Arc Digital has shown with care and skill, there is a lot of reason for doubt, and so ample reason for Democrats to treat her claims with skepticism.If another accuser emerges with more credible claims, or Reade presents additional compelling evidence of her own accusation, that could certainly change my view, just as it likely would that of many rank-and-file Democrats. In that case, Biden would be in serious trouble. (If it's going to happen, let's hope it does before he becomes the official nominee at the party's convention, which is now slated for August.)But short of such developments, the matter should be considered closed — and without too much agonizing about double standards. The standards that some Democrats have latched onto over the past three years have overcompensated for past errors. There's nothing shameful in recognizing a mistake and making a course correction. Now would be an excellent time to do precisely that.Want more essential commentary and analysis like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for The Week's "Today's best articles" newsletter here.More stories from theweek.com Michigan governor says protesters against stay-at-home order 'might have just created a need to lengthen it' Late night hosts deconstruct Trump's coronavirus 'buck-passing,' doubt its efficacy Why can't you go fishing during the pandemic?
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| Guatemala calls US 'Wuhan of Americas' in battle over deportees Posted: 15 Apr 2020 11:04 AM PDT  The country's health minister says deportation flights are driving up coronavirus cases after a flight had 75% test positive * Coronavirus – live US updates * Live global updates * See all our coronavirus coverageUS deportation flights to Guatemala are driving up the country's Covid-19 caseload, according to the country's health minister, who said that on one flight about 75% of the deportees tested positive for the virus.Hugo Monroy said that the United States had become the "Wuhan of the Americas" referring to the Chinese province where the pandemic began."We must not stigmatize, but I have to speak clearly. The arrival of deportees who have tested positive has really increased the number of [coronavirus] cases," he said on Tuesday."There are really flights where the deportees arrive … with fever – and they get on the planes that way," said Monroy on Tuesday. "We automatically evaluate them here and test them and many of them have come back positive."Later, the presidential spokesman, Carlos Sandoval, told reporters that Monroy was referring to a March flight on which "between 50% and 75% [of the passengers] during all their time in isolation and quarantine have come back positive".Before Tuesday, Guatemala had reported only three positive infections among deportees flown back by the United States.Joaquín Samayoa, spokesman for the foreign affairs ministry, confirmed a fourth positive case for a migrant who arrived on a flight on Monday. At least three of the migrants who arrived Monday were taken directly to a hospital for Covid-19 testing.It remained unclear why before Tuesday the government had only reported three deportees who tested positive and how many more would have been among the high percentage who tested positive onboard that March flight.Guatemala again began receiving deportation flights from the United States on Monday after a one-week pause prompted by three deportees testing positive for Covid-19.The Guatemalan government had asked the United States to not send more than 25 deportees per flight, to give them health examinations before departure and to certify that they were not infected.However, the flights resumed on Monday with 76 migrants onboard the first and 106 on the second. Guatemala's foreign ministry did not immediately clarify why the US had not complied with its requirements, but the flights came on the same day that the US state department announced that aid would continue to Guatemala and the other Northern Triangle countries.One of Monday's flights also included 16 unaccompanied minors, according to the Guatemalan Immigration Institute.Since January, the US has deported nearly 12,000 Guatemalans, including more than 1,200 children.
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| Citing coronavirus, Trump threatens to adjourn Congress to make recess appointments Posted: 15 Apr 2020 04:29 PM PDT  President Trump said Wednesday that he was considering taking the unprecedented step of adjourning both houses of Congress in order to make recess appointments to fill government posts, citing the emergency created by the coronavirus outbreak.
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| U.S. coronavirus deaths increase by record amount for second straight day: Reuters tally Posted: 15 Apr 2020 11:14 AM PDT  The United States recorded its first coronavirus fatality on Feb. 29. U.S. confirmed cases topped 635,000 in the United States and 2 million globally. Governors of about 20 states with few coronavirus cases believe they may be ready to start the process of reopening their economies by President Donald Trump's May 1 target date, a top U.S. health official said on Wednesday.
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| China tries to revive economy but consumer engine sputters Posted: 15 Apr 2020 06:42 PM PDT  China, where the coronavirus pandemic started in December, is cautiously trying to get back to business, but it's not easy when many millions of workers are wary of spending much or even going out. Millions of families were told to stay home under unprecedented controls that have been copied by the United States, Europe and India. The ruling Communist Party says the outbreak, which had killed more than 3,340 people among more than 82,341 confirmed cases as of Thursday, is under control.
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| Germany’s New Coronavirus Cases Decline for a Sixth Day Posted: 14 Apr 2020 10:47 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The number of new coronavirus cases in Germany fell for a sixth day on Wednesday ahead of talks between Chancellor Angela Merkel and regional premiers on a possible easing of restrictions on public life.There were 2,138 new infections, the lowest increase this month, bringing the total to 132,210, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. The number of deaths rose by 301, the second highest increase this month, putting Germany's death rate at 2.6%, with a total of 3,495 fatalities.Europe's leaders are sketching out strategies for reactivating economies battered by the virus, with Denmark ready to reopen primary schools and Merkel consulting later today with Germany's 16 state leaders on scaling back some curbs on activity.The chancellor will hold a conference call with the regional premiers at 2 p.m. local time and is expected to give a news conference at around 4 p.m.Officials are broadly cautious and have warned that hasty action could reverse the positive effects of three and a half weeks of social distancing. Germany has the fourth-highest number of cases worldwide and is eighth in fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins."It's clear that the danger is a long way from being averted," German Health Minister Jens Spahn said in a tweet late Tuesday. "A step-by-step return to normality is only possible if we continue to keep the outbreak under control."(Updates with expected time of Merkel's news conference in fourth paragraph)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Putin, Xi slam attempts to blame China for late virus response Posted: 16 Apr 2020 11:09 AM PDT  Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday rejected as counterproductive attempts to blame Beijing for delaying informing the world about the coronavirus, the Kremlin said. Putin and Xi spoke after US President Donald Trump's administration berated China for not sharing data more quickly. Washington is also investigating the origins of the coronavirus -- which has killed more than 140,000 people worldwide -- saying it doesn't rule out that the disease came from a laboratory researching bats in Wuhan, China.
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| Royal Caribbean suspends cruises through June 11; Carnival, Princess cruises cancel through June Posted: 16 Apr 2020 02:56 PM PDT  Royal Caribbean Cruises has extended its sailing suspension through June 11. The CDC extended a no-sail order that may dock ships through late July.
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| Nurses suspended for refusing to treat coronavirus patients unless they have N95 masks Posted: 16 Apr 2020 03:54 AM PDT  Nurses at a California hospital were suspended after they refused to enter the rooms of coronavirus patients unless they had N95 respirator masks.
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| Ivanka Trump skirted coronavirus guidelines to travel to N.J. for Passover Posted: 16 Apr 2020 08:34 AM PDT  The president's daughter has promoted staying at home during the pandemic.
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| India coronavirus: Tablighi Jamaat leader on manslaughter charge over Covid-19 Posted: 16 Apr 2020 07:50 AM PDT  The head of Tablighi Jamaat faces arrest after a gathering spawned Covid-19 clusters across India.
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| 'I had to go through it': Trump says he was a 'victim' of the COVID-19 test and referred to it as 'an operation' Posted: 16 Apr 2020 02:16 PM PDT  President Donald Trump described the test in detail, saying, "They go up your nose and hang a right at your eye."
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| Young Thais join 'Milk Tea Alliance' in online backlash that angers Beijing Posted: 15 Apr 2020 06:44 AM PDT  Young Thais have banded together to pillory the Chinese embassy in Bangkok over a feud with Thai celebrities, part of a growing online movement to show solidarity with Taiwan and Hong Kong that has annoyed Beijing. The movement, which calls itself the "Milk Tea Alliance" after a shared passion for sweet tea drinks, has triggered a wave of online criticism of China at a time when Beijing is trying to improve its image hurt by the coronavirus crisis. The movement burst into the public eye in Thailand in recent days, after Chinese internet users launched a campaign against a young Thai actor whose TV drama has been popular in China, and his Thai model girlfriend.
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| House Conservatives Who Attacked Dr. Fauci Should Know Better Posted: 15 Apr 2020 03:30 AM PDT  Congressmen Andy Biggs (R., Ariz.) and Ken Buck (R., Colo.) are so callous, they think -- I'm quoting them here -- "just 20,000 fatalities" from the coronavirus is no big deal.Now, it is atrocious of me to say such a thing. After all, it's not true. And I know it's not true. Yet, to intimate that it is true, I have plucked their words, written in a recent Washington Examiner op-ed, and quoted them completely out of context.Now, rest assured, I have done this only to make a point. In reality, I am quite confident that these two gentlemen believe every COVID-19 death is one death too many. I'm sure they are horrified by the thought of 20,000 fatalities in one place, over a short period of time. But if I were doing this for real, if I were distorting their statements for political reasons, with a motive to make you believe they just don't care, I'd be the worst kind of demagogue.Here's the problem: In their op-ed, Representatives Biggs and Buck did it for real . . . to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious-disease adviser on President Trump's coronavirus task force.The point of the Biggs/Buck op-ed was to portray Dr. Fauci as if he were a callous, bean-counting bureaucrat, devoid of human compassion for COVID-19 victims.Let me quote them at length, so you don't think I'm misrepresenting them:> Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recently said, "It's inconvenient from a societal standpoint, from an economic standpoint to go through this." It is interesting sometimes that a brief comment can reveal the heart and mind — and in this instance, a special degree of tone deafness.Of course, the word on which the lawmakers seize is "inconvenient."As we've all heard over the past month, Dr. Fauci has worked long hours through seven-day weeks trying to save American lives. He also has made countless statements in scores of interviews and White House Task Force press conferences. Consistently, he has been a model of empathy. Again and again, he has agonized over the excruciating choice that government officials have no choice but to make: The choice between the well-being of (a) those sick from, dying of, and vulnerable to a potentially lethal infectious disease, and (b) those whose financial, emotional, and physical well-being are being shattered by the shutdown. It has worn on him, like it would wear on any of us. Like it would wear on Andy Biggs and Ken Buck.Yet, in their op-ed, these congressmen risibly mined from Fauci's voluminous body of written and oral presentations a single invocation of the word "inconvenient" to describe the effects of social-distancing and business restrictions. It shows, they say, that the 79-year-old doctor, who has dedicated his life to healing, is insensitive to human suffering. "For Fauci," they harrumph, "is it merely a societal or economic inconvenience that about 17 million workers are unemployed because of the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic?"In the moment, was Fauci's use of "inconvenient" an understatement? Okay, sure, but c'mon. He clearly said it to conform to White House messaging: The restrictions are necessary even though there are significant costs; but the administration believes those costs will be temporary and does not want to alarm the country by suggesting that they are ruinous.Biggs and Buck need to man up.Fauci's job is public health, with a focus on infectious disease. It is to be expected that he is predisposed to emphasize the risks of a pandemic, from which over 20,000 Americans have died. If the congressmen believe that this is the wrong emphasis, and that the president is getting too much input from the doctors and not enough from economists, then their problem is with the president, not the doctors.Biggs and Buck posit, "The economic calamity lies largely with the origination of policies resulting from Fauci's recommendations." Really? Who, after hearing from the experts, adopted the policies? Is it now known as the Fauci administration?In their craven essay, the congressmen note recently revised models that forecast "just 20,000 fatalities in the [United Kingdom]." Of course, they are not really suggesting that "just 20,000 deaths" are trivial. "Just" was an unfortunate choice of words. Their point, plainly, was that 20,000 fatalities, while tragic, paled in comparison to the 510,000 deaths projected by an earlier model.In context, they were showing how much they care about lost lives. Wouldn't it be shameful to take them out of context and suggest otherwise? Wouldn't it be disgraceful to imply that, because they phrased something poorly in the heat of the moment, there is something lacking in their character? Especially when we know the opposite is the case?Wouldn't you agree, congressmen?
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| Chinese Ship Involved in Standoff Returns to Waters Off Vietnam Posted: 14 Apr 2020 09:11 PM PDT |
| Nicaragua's 74-year-old president finally been seen after disappearing from public for more than a month Posted: 15 Apr 2020 03:04 PM PDT  No one had seen Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega since March 12, causing rumors about his health to fly.
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| Mexico sees widespread noncompliance with business closures Posted: 15 Apr 2020 06:15 PM PDT  Mexico's coronavirus point-man said Wednesday there has been widespread non-compliance with orders for all non-essential businesses to close. Assistant Health Secretary Hugo López-Gatell said those firms that don't comply would be inspected, fined and possibly subject to criminal investigations for endangering the health of employees. While there have been widespread reports that border assembly plants known as maquiladoras had failed to close during the pandemic, López-Gatell cited only one border state — Baja California — as having a high level of non-compliance.
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| Defense chief says Navy captain who raised coronavirus concerns could return Posted: 16 Apr 2020 06:15 AM PDT  Capt. Brett Crozier was removed after a strongly worded letter to Navy leadership detailed his concerns about the spread of the coronavirus on the USS Roosevelt.
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| Immigrants living illegally in California to receive cash amid coronavirus Posted: 16 Apr 2020 04:23 AM PDT  California is giving cash payments to immigrants living in the country illegally who are being affected by the coronavirus.
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| Sen. Mitt Romney was the only GOP senator not invited on Trump's new coronavirus advisory group Posted: 16 Apr 2020 02:55 PM PDT  Sen. Mitt Romney was the only Republican senator not invited to serve on the president's new panel addressing ways to reopen the country.
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| China trial of Gilead's potential coronavirus treatment suspended Posted: 15 Apr 2020 08:04 AM PDT  Earlier, another trial in China testing the drug in those with severe COVID-19 was terminated because no eligible patients could be enrolled. China, where the outbreak is believed to have originated, has been able to control it through tough measures such as lockdowns. The study was conducted by researchers in China and the suspension was posted https://bit.ly/3bcnyv4 on Wednesday on clinicaltrials.gov, a database maintained by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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| Japan’s Abe Turns to More Drastic Virus Measures as Support Sags Posted: 16 Apr 2020 04:58 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to rush through more stringent measures to counter the coronavirus and its economic fallout, as the infection spreads and his support rate sags.Abe will expand an existing state of emergency in seven prefectures to cover the whole country, he told his virus task force Thursday. The period will last to May 6, Abe said, and is designed to limit people's movements during a peak travel period of several national holidays in late April and early May known as "Golden Week."Abe has also ordered changes to a planned extra budget to take into account calls for cash handouts of 100,000 yen ($930) per head, Kyodo News reported. Abe said the ruling parties were considering the idea positively, and that it would replace an existing plan to provide 300,000 yen to households whose income has fallen substantially because of the virus.The government had been expected to add only a handful of the country's 47 prefectures to the emergency declaration issued last week, according to previous local media reports.Abe's voter support has wavered in the three months since the first Covid-19 case was confirmed in Japan in January, with his responses sometimes seen as slow or inadequate. Media polls have shown voters thought his initial emergency declaration should have been made earlier and covered more of the country. His decision to send two cloth masks to every household amid a shortage of such items, has met with ridicule.A poll published by the Yomiuri on April 14 showed support for his cabinet fell 6 percentage points to 42%, in one of a series of surveys that show disapproval higher than approval.Japan has seen a surge of cases in the past week, with the total surpassing 8,000 by Wednesday. Some prefectures had already asked to be added to the declaration that covered Tokyo, Osaka, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Hyogo and Fukuoka.Japan has had the fewest confirmed cases of any Group of Seven leading democracy, but the recent jump has raised worries that it could see the same type of explosive surge that hit the U.S. and several European countries.An emergency declaration enables local officials to take measures such as ordering the cancellation of events, restricting use of facilities such as schools and movie theaters and appropriating land or buildings for use as temporary medical facilities. As with many laws in Japan, there are no penalties associated with breaching instructions, except in the case of concealing supplies after the government orders them to be handed over.Abe's coalition ally, Natsuo Yamaguchi of the Komeito party, earlier asked Abe to drop the proposal for 300,000 yen cash handouts in the budget for lower income households in favor of across-the-board payments of 100,000 yen for individuals.Making the sum smaller and removing eligibility criteria are expected to make the distribution of handouts faster.The extra budget is to fund parts of the nation's record 108.2 trillion yen ($1 trillion) economic stimulus package as Japan braces for the brunt of the pandemic. Economists forecast a double-digit contraction in the current quarter before a rebound in the following quarter.(Updates throughout with confirmation from Abe)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Receiving Government Benefits? Here’s What to Know About Your Stimulus Payment Posted: 16 Apr 2020 02:12 PM PDT  Most people receiving Social Security or disability will get their payments automatically
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| Gov. Andrew Cuomo just extended New York's stay-at-home order to May 15 Posted: 16 Apr 2020 09:19 AM PDT  Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday that New York's stay-at-home order would be extended to May 15.
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| Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists begin prisoner swap Posted: 16 Apr 2020 02:15 AM PDT  Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine began a prisoner exchange on Thursday, according to the Ukrainian president's office and separatists. The exchange comes as part of an agreement brokered last year at a summit of the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France. The aim is to take confidence-building steps that could lead to an end of the six-year war in eastern Ukraine, which has killed more than 14,000 people and aggravated tensions between Russia and the West.
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| Top US general says COVID-19 likely occurred naturally but is not certain Posted: 15 Apr 2020 07:30 AM PDT  Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley says evidence that COVID-19 originated in a Chinese lab is 'inconclusive'; Jennifer Griffin reports.
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| Poll: Trump's approval rating drops as coronavirus pandemic, economic crisis continue Posted: 16 Apr 2020 02:34 PM PDT  The change in Trump's approval since March is the sharpest drop Gallup has recorded since Trump took office.
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| Coronavirus clue? Most cases aboard U.S. aircraft carrier are symptom-free Posted: 16 Apr 2020 08:24 AM PDT  Sweeping testing of the entire crew of the coronavirus-stricken U.S. aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt may have revealed a clue about the pandemic: The majority of the positive cases so far are among sailors who are asymptomatic, officials say. The possibility that the coronavirus spreads in a mostly stealthy mode among a population of largely young, healthy people showing no symptoms could have major implications for U.S. policy-makers, who are considering how and when to reopen the economy. It also renews questions about the extent to which U.S. testing of just the people suspected of being infected is actually capturing the spread of the virus in the United States and around the world.
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| Sorry, AOC — Democrats Don’t Want Democratic Socialism Posted: 16 Apr 2020 12:43 PM PDT  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is demanding concessions from Joe Biden. It's a thought. Why haven't others hit on this strategy? Perhaps Walter Mondale should have used the results of the 1984 election to influence Ronald Reagan's agenda, and why didn't John McCain leverage his strong second-place finish in 2008 as to nudge the Obama administration? Come to think of it, maybe Thanos should get the Avengers to concede that half the people he killed must stay dead.Ocasio-Cortez is still new to this game, so she may not understand the basics of politics yet, but: You don't get to change stuff when you lose. Especially when you get trounced. The Social Democrat/Democratic Socialist agenda will have to wait for another election cycle. AOC's pick for the presidency not only lost, he got creamed. Bernie Sanders had every possible advantage going into March -- a string of primary victories, energetic supporters, excellent fund-raising, a perception that he was the favorite, and a lackluster opponent who picked through his sentences like a blind cripple trying to find his way across a minefield -- and then he disintegrated. Far from being the heroic standard-bearer for a bold new era in progressivism, Sanders was such a disastrous candidate he got nuked by a guy who barely has enough energy left to comb his fake hair.Undeterred by total humiliation, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez turned to Politico the other day to lay down the law for Joe Biden. Lowering Medicare's eligibility age to 60 is not "going to be enough for us," she said, warning that Biden's Democratic party is "going to have to pursue a much more ambitious health care policy." Or else what? Like Elizabeth Warren, like Bernie Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez has already said she's going to support Biden in November. Not that the votes of Ocasio-Cortez types figure to be dispositive in an election in which the swing votes everyone is looking to harvest are the ones in the white working class in the upper Midwest. Ocasio-Cortez also declared she wants concessions on climate-change policy, immigration, and Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico? She might as well state that Biden has to come through for Queens and Bronx voters if he knows what's good for him.Ocasio-Cortez's patent lack of enthusiasm for Biden is illustrative of a real problem, though. During the primary season, Biden's fundraising was atrocious and the enthusiasm level of his crowds ranged from tepid to somnolent. But charisma is non-transferable, as the last Democratic presidential candidate learned to her chagrin. Proximity to Bill Clinton for 45 years didn't make Hillary Clinton more appealing. Even if Biden does everything Ocasio-Cortez wants, she won't be able to transfer her youthful socialist zing to him. With or without AOC beating a drum for him, Biden is not going to excite marginal supporters and young folk the way Barack Obama did. As Biden gets confused about what office he's running for and puts out campaign videos that have the kind of audience draw of the average middle-school talent show, his campaign certainly needs all the defibrillation it can get. But the candidate has been around long enough to know that when you're in a general election, you pivot to the center. Maybe voters in Pennsylvania will forget Biden called for no new fracking, maybe he'll abandon that position as untenable in a COVID-wracked economy. What he seems unlikely to do is announce a major swing left on climate change. Biden's memory may not be as strong as it used to be, but he probably remembers as far back as last month, when extremist positions were proven unpopular even among Democratic primary voters. Biden is not about to turn into Bernie Sanders, not that he is even capable of turning himself into a mad prophet of socialism.As is typical of a generation that would rather file a formal HR complaint than inform a colleague she has a concern to discuss, Ocasio-Cortez hasn't even talked to Biden, fancying herself going over his head. "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Has Never Spoken to Joe Biden. Here's What She Would Say," ran a New York Times headline. And what is she saying? In essence, it's: "Embrace my defeated ideology and my personal unpopularity." Actual AOC remark: Biden "didn't win because of policy — I don't think he won because of his agenda, he won because of different factors. In state after state after state, Democratic voters support a progressive agenda."So the people want an agenda far to the left of what they actually voted for, in state after state? It's a shame that Democratic primary voters are holding the country back, but until AOC figures out a way to cut voters out of the equation, she'll just have to live with their choices. As for Biden, he's probably too dumb and too afraid of appearing out of touch with young folks to grasp that Ocasio-Cortez is teeing up a Sister Souljah moment for him. But simply ignoring one annoying and unpopular congresswoman is a perfectly valid option.
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| These European Countries Are Slowly Lifting Coronavirus Lockdowns. Here's What That Looks Like Posted: 16 Apr 2020 10:46 AM PDT  From France to Italy, here's how European countries are handling lifting coronavirus restrictions.
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| Brazil Negotiating With Maduro to Repatriate Staff in Venezuela Posted: 15 Apr 2020 09:31 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Brazil is negotiating with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to airlift diplomatic and military staff who are stranded after his government denied permission for a Brazilian Air Force cargo jet to land in Caracas, two people familiar with the matter said.The plane was scheduled to land in the Venezuelan capital on Friday to pick up diplomatic officials and their family members as part of Brazil's repatriation efforts during the coronavirus pandemic, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to discuss the subject publicly.But Venezuelan military officials on Wednesday told the Brazilian embassy a permit to land would no longer be provided, without providing a reason. More than 50 embassy and consular employees and their relatives now don't know if and how they will be able to leave the country, the people said.Brazil's foreign ministry said late Wednesday night it was following the case and insisted no citizen would be left behind, citing the more than 10,000 Brazilians who have so far been brought home in the wake of the pandemic. The international department of Brazil's justice ministry said it's aware of the situation.Calls requesting comment to Venezuela's Ministry of Communication and Information outside of regular business hours went unanswered.Brazil was on track to withdraw its personnel in Venezuela even before the pandemic. In February, Brazil decided to withdraw its diplomatic personnel from the country in another attempt to increase Maduro's isolation. But the move was set up as a gradual process in which diplomats and other employees used then-available commercial flights.Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a U.S. ally, recognizes opposition leader Juan Guaido as the legitimate leader of Venezuela and has provided Guaido's envoy in Brasilia full ambassador status. The U.S. campaign to try to oust Maduro with economic sanctions, diplomatic isolation and backing for Guaido has so far failed to dislodge the Venezuelan leader, who has remained solidly entrenched with the apparent support of his military.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Dr. Oz tells Sean Hannity reopening schools may be worth the cost in mortality Posted: 16 Apr 2020 10:14 AM PDT  Dr. Oz thinks it's about time we reconsider how much good social distancing is actually doing.Mehmet Oz, the talk show host known for his sometimes sub-par medical advice, made a Fox News appearance on Wednesday night to tell host Sean Hannity "we might be able to open" schools again "without getting into a lot of trouble." He then cited a study from medical journal The Lancet, saying "the opening of schools may only cost us 2 to 3 percent in terms of total mortality." "Any life is a life lost," Oz continued, but getting kids back in schools where they're "safe" and "fed ... might be a tradeoff some folks would consider."> DR OZ: "Schools are a very appetizing opportunity. I just saw a nice piece in The Lancet arguing the opening of schools may only cost us 2 to 3%, in terms of total mortality. Any, you know, any life is a life lost, but ... that might be a tradeoff some folks would consider." pic.twitter.com/aifMeKTsIv> > — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 16, 2020Oz made a similar argument on Thursday to Fox & Friends, saying it "really bothered" him that Boston University had already canceled its fall semester.The study in The Lancet maintains that "Recent modeling studies of COVID-19 predict that school closures alone would prevent only two to four percent of deaths, much less than other social distancing interventions." It does not explicitly argue for reopening schools immediately, though, and instead maintains "combinations of social distancing measures should be considered."More stories from theweek.com Why can't you go fishing during the pandemic? Airline conducts COVID-19 blood tests on passengers Lindsey Graham keeps breaking fundraising records. His Democratic challenger still outraised him.
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| Private labs say demand for COVID-19 tests is down and they can test more people who aren't as sick Posted: 15 Apr 2020 01:43 PM PDT  The labs say they can now test more people who aren't already hospitalized or in other high-priority categories.
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| IMF approves $1.4 billion in coronavirus aid to Pakistan Posted: 16 Apr 2020 04:18 PM PDT  The IMF on Thursday approved nearly $1.4 billion in emergency aid to Pakistan to help it weather the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. "While uncertainty remains high, the near-term economic impact of COVID-19 is expected to be significant, giving rise to large fiscal and external financing needs," the international lender said in a statement. Pakistan has recorded just over 100 deaths but experts have voiced fear that the country of 215 million people could see a rapid and devastating increase due to its shortage of medical infrastructure and crowded cities.
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| Coronavirus: Why is NYC reporting surge in virus deaths? Posted: 15 Apr 2020 06:31 PM PDT  New York is now reporting an additional 3,778 deaths presumed to be coronavirus-linked.
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| Ivanka Trump broke her own stay-at-home advice and traveled 200 miles from DC to a Trump resort in New Jersey to celebrate Passover Posted: 16 Apr 2020 03:27 AM PDT  Ivanka Trump traveled to the Trump golf resort in Bedminster while other Americans were canceling their Passover celebrations.
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| Mainland China reports new coronavirus cases drop to two-week low Posted: 16 Apr 2020 06:22 PM PDT  Mainland China reported on Friday that new confirmed cases of the coronavirus fell to a two-week low, as infections involving travellers arriving from abroad sharply fell. China recorded 26 new cases of the coronavirus in the mainland on Thursday, down from 46 cases a day earlier, according to the National Health Commission. Of the new cases on Thursday, 15 were imported infections, the lowest since March 17.
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| France urging top powers to endorse UN virus cease-fire call Posted: 15 Apr 2020 02:33 PM PDT  French President Emmanuel Macron says he hopes that "in the coming days" the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council can discuss and endorse U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' call for a cease-fire to all conflicts in the world in order to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. Macron, who has been pushing for more international cooperation in fighting the virus, said in an interview with French radio RFI broadcast on Wednesday that he is only waiting for agreement from Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold the 5-country video conference.
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| Air pollution has dropped by 30% in the Northeast, NASA says. Are coronavirus stay-at-home orders responsible? Posted: 15 Apr 2020 12:55 PM PDT  Cities such as Washington, Philadelphia and New York are seeing significant improvement in air quality as people stay home because of the coronavirus.
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