| Yahoo News/YouGov coronavirus poll: Most Americans reject anti-lockdown protests Posted: 20 Apr 2020 05:42 AM PDT  The total number of protesters may be small. But the public's dismissive attitude toward them reflects a deeper sentiment: Americans strongly disagree with those who claim the country is ready to reopen for business.
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| Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps says its handheld device can detect coronavirus, scientists scoff Posted: 20 Apr 2020 11:09 AM PDT  Iranian scientists have rejected the claim and other government officials have distanced themselves.
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| Missouri lawsuit alleges China caused coronavirus pandemic Posted: 21 Apr 2020 10:27 AM PDT  The state of Missouri filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Chinese government over the coronavirus, alleging that nation's officials are to blame for the global pandemic. The lawsuit, filed in federal court by the state's top lawyer, alleges Chinese officials are "responsible for the enormous death, suffering, and economic losses they inflicted on the world, including Missourians." Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt in a written statement said the Chinese government lied about the dangers of the virus and didn't do enough to slow its spread.
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| Ocasio-Cortez deletes tweet celebrating crash in oil prices Posted: 21 Apr 2020 08:54 AM PDT  "You absolutely love to see it," she wrote
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| Poisonings linked to cleaning supplies spike in US during pandemic Posted: 20 Apr 2020 01:50 PM PDT  Calls to US poison centers have risen 20 percent this year because of exposure to bleach and other disinfectants, health authorities said Monday, linking the surge to COVID-19 cleaning recommendations. From January to March 2020, poison centers received 45,550 calls about dangerous exposure to cleaning chemicals, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a report, up from 37,822 the year before. Exposure to bleaches, non-alcoholic disinfectants and hand sanitizers all saw sharp rises, with the main route being inhalation.
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| The IMF says governments should consider new wealth taxes to raise cash from the rich as coronavirus slams the global economy Posted: 21 Apr 2020 01:03 PM PDT  In recent years, the IMF has shifted its focus from tax cuts and recommended policies aimed at reducing income inequality.
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| Alexis Martin: Governor commutes sentence of sex trafficking survivor supported by Kim Kardashian West Posted: 21 Apr 2020 07:52 AM PDT  The governor of Ohio has commuted the sentence of a woman previously imprisoned in relation to the fatal shooting of the man who allegedly forced her into sex work.Governor Mike DeWine announced on Friday that he had granted seven commutation requests and denied 84.
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| Merkel Warns Germany Shouldn’t Move Too Quickly With Easing Posted: 20 Apr 2020 07:58 AM PDT |
| Saudi executions a record last year Posted: 20 Apr 2020 05:03 PM PDT  "The death penalty is another violation which has gone in line with that trend of a real deterioration in civil and political rights," said a rights advocate.
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| Asia virus latest: Virgin Australia collapses; oil rebounds Posted: 21 Apr 2020 01:14 AM PDT  Cash-strapped Virgin Australia collapsed Tuesday, making it the largest carrier to buckle under the strain of the coronavirus pandemic, which has ravaged the global airline industry. In an announcement to the Australian Stock Exchange, Virgin said it planned to keep operating flights despite handing over the keys to administrators. Chief executive Carrie Lam said social distancing measures and some business restrictions would continue for another two weeks until at least May 7.
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| Mortgage payments paused or reduced for 3 million U.S. households, survey suggests Posted: 20 Apr 2020 01:12 PM PDT  Some 3 million U.S. households have won at least a measure of relief on mortgage payments as efforts to squelch the coronavirus pandemic throw millions out of work and stretch household balance sheets, a survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association showed on Monday. About 5.95% of mortgage loans were in forbearance during the survey week of April 6-12, up from 3.74% a week earlier and from just 0.25% the week of March 2, the industry lobbying group said on Monday. Congress did not include any such relief in its recent $2.3 trillion stimulus package, though some top Democrats have called for it and Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan has said he is open-minded about potentially coming to the sector's aid.
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| An artist visualized what your smartphone can 'see' using Bluetooth — and it shows one of the biggest challenges faced by coronavirus tracking technology Posted: 21 Apr 2020 09:37 AM PDT  Apple and Google are working on COVID-19 tracking tech that will use Bluetooth to warn people when they've been exposed to someone with the virus.
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| AOC deletes tweet saying she ‘loved’ to see US oil prices at record-low after being accused of cheering job losses Posted: 21 Apr 2020 06:29 AM PDT  Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has deleted a tweet that celebrated the crash of the oil market which said: "You absolutely love to see it."As the price of US oil dropped to minus $37 a barrel on Monday, the Democrat had said on Twitter that the crash was an opportunity to 'save the planet'.
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| Vietnam protests China's expansion in disputed waters Posted: 20 Apr 2020 10:43 AM PDT  Vietnam protested on Sunday at China saying it had established two administrative units on islands in the South China Sea, in Beijing's latest move to demonstrate its assertiveness in the disputed waters.
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| Trump Opens Coronavirus Briefing by Taking Shots at Republican Governor Posted: 20 Apr 2020 03:12 PM PDT  President Donald Trump kicked off his Monday coronavirus task force briefing by criticizing one of the leading Republican governors during the coronavirus pandemic.At the start of the briefing, the president said the nation's governors had been given "a list of the names, addresses, and phone numbers of the labs where they can find additional testing capacity within their states." "Hundreds and hundreds of labs are ready, willing, and able," he insisted. "Some of the governors, like as an example the governor from Maryland, didn't really understand the list. He didn't understand too much about what was going on, so now I think he'll be able to do that. It's pretty simple." Georgia Governor Allows Gyms, Salons, and Bowling Alleys to Reopen Friday as Coronavirus Cases ClimbLarry Hogan, the Republican governor of Maryland, has emerged as one of the more hands-on state leaders during the pandemic. Hogan was mentioned frequently as a possible GOP primary challenger to Trump before publicly abandoning the idea in June. The president's relationship with the nation's governors has been tense during the coronavirus pandemic, as some have not been shy about their issues with the federal government's response. During an appearance on CNN soon after Trump's early briefing attack, Hogan said he didn't "want to get into criticizing back and forth," noting that Trump "was not on the call." Hogan guessed that what Trump may have been talking about was a list that was sent out to governors "of all of the different lab facilities in their states." He said "most of the governors already knew where the lab facilities were in their states."While the list was appreciated, Hogan said, a large number on the Maryland list were federal facilities. "They were either federal health facilities that we've been desperately trying to get help from or military installations, none of which were state owned labs or facilities where we could actually do any testing," Hogan said. "But I'm not sure what the president's referring to. I have a pretty good understanding of what's going on, and I appreciated the information that was provided by his team, but he wasn't there for, I'm not sure what he was trying to say." Trump has made a point of criticizing Democratic governors, even calling on three Democratic states to be "liberated" on Twitter Friday. He continued to antagonize them early during Monday's briefing. States have to look at "their complete inventory of available capacity," Trump said, before lashing out at Gov. J. B. Pritzker of Illinois. "Some states have far more capacity than they actually understand, and it is a complex subject, but some of the governors didn't understand it," Trump said. "The governor as an example, Pritzker from Illinois did not understand his capacity. Not simply ask the federal government to provide unlimited support. You have to take the support where you have it, but we are there to stand with the governors and to help the governors and that's what we're doing." Trump became defensive again on the topic of ventilators and testing—which have become flash point issues during the public-health crisis—suggesting ventilators were a national talking point simply because people wanted to attack him."Remember it was all ventilators," Trump said. "And the reason it was all ventilators, they said there's no way he'll ever be able to catch this one. And not only did we catch it, we are now the king of ventilators all over the world." During the press conference, Dr. Deborah Birx, the coronavirus task force response coordinator, was also asked about South Carolina, where, according to the Columbia, S.C. newspaper The State, certain non-essential retail outlets can soon reopen. "Shouldn't they not be reopening stores today?" a reporter asked Birx.Birx seemed to throw shade on South Carolina's Republican leader, Gov. Henry McMaster, saying they have asked the nation's governors to follow the guidance provided by the federal government. "But each of the governors can decide for themselves whether they've reached specific guidelines in specific areas," she conceded. Hogan was further scorned by Trump before the briefing was over. The Maryland Republican's office said Monday the state will get "500,000 COVID-19 tests from South Korea's LabGenomic." "I don't know what the governor of Maryland is doing in South Korea, but there is excess capacity every day," said Brett Giroir, the assistant secretary for Health at HHS. Vice President Mike Pence then said he "wouldn't begrudge him or his health officials for ordering tests." But moments later, Trump said the governor could have called Pence and "could have saved a lot of money." "No, I don't think he needed to go to South Korea," Trump insisted. "I think he needed to get a little knowledge. Would have been helpful."The briefing went off the rails before it ended. At one point, the president answered a reporter's question by saying "a lot of people love Trump." "Lot of people love me, you see them all the time, right?" Trump said. "I guess I'm here for a reason. To the best of my knowledge I won, and I think we're going to win again. I think we're going to win in a landslide." Not long after, he returned to attacking the press, saying he thinks the media "foments a lot of anger," and complained about times where he's asked a "tremendously hostile question." "And then I'll answer in a hostile way, which is appropriate, otherwise you look foolish," Trump said. "Otherwise it looks like, just walk off the stage and bow your head. I can't do that. I just can't do that." 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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| Kentucky lawmaker who ran for governor faces assault charge Posted: 21 Apr 2020 07:30 AM PDT  A Republican lawmaker who ran for Kentucky governor last year was arrested Tuesday after a woman accused him of choking her with an ethernet cable and trying to "hog tie" her during a domestic dispute. State Rep. Robert Goforth was arrested by the Laurel County sheriff's office on charges of strangulation, fourth-degree assault and terroristic threatening, Sheriff John Root said. Goforth, 44, was released after posting bond pending an initial court hearing set for Wednesday.
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| Three Florida newborns abandoned at same apartment complex are siblings, DNA shows Posted: 21 Apr 2020 12:04 PM PDT  The babies, born and abandoned in 2016, 2017 and 2019, have the same mother and father, Orlando police said.
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| China to ease entry ban on foreigners with South Korea 'fast track' Posted: 21 Apr 2020 04:59 AM PDT  China has reached an agreement with South Korea to set up a "fast track" for businesspeople to travel between the countries as Beijing looks to ease an entry ban on foreigners imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus. With the deadly disease spreading globally, China last month blocked almost all foreigners from entering as authorities fretted over cases being imported from abroad. Beijing is also in talks with other countries including Singapore to set up a similar channel to stabilise economic cooperation and ensure supply chains run smoothly, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a press briefing Tuesday.
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| Moscow opens coronavirus hospital it built in one month as cases jump Posted: 21 Apr 2020 09:14 AM PDT  A new Moscow hospital built in just over a month began admitting patients infected with the new coronavirus on Tuesday to help the Russian capital cope with a growing number of cases that have stretched its medical infrastructure. Russia has so far reported more than 50,000 cases and just over 450 coronavirus-related deaths. Moscow, a city of more than 12.5 million, has been the area worst hit by the outbreak, recording 29,433 cases and 233 deaths.
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| Don't Expect Boris Johnson to Be the Same Prime Minister Posted: 20 Apr 2020 11:34 PM PDT  (Bloomberg Opinion) -- In his absence, Boris Johnson's British government has mainly followed the lockdown strategy that was determined before the prime minister was infected with Covid-19. Many are hoping that he will soon return to work and change course; that he'll celebrate signs of a flattening infection curve and reopen Britain for business. It's unlikely to work out that way.It's true that you almost expect Johnson to bound up to the cameras and change the narrative. His modus operandi throughout his career has been Tiggerish enthusiasm. The politician who banished the "gloomsters and doomsters" on Brexit and championed the three-word campaign slogan ("Take Back Control" and "Get Brexit Done") might well have been expected, before his illness struck, to make "Lift the Lockdown" his mantra.Even if Johnson looks and sounds much the same when he returns to full-time work, the experience of serious illness and a forced leave of absence as thousands died must have affected his sense of mission. Johnson had often used the country's National Health Service as a prop when building his case for Brexit and his election campaign (leaving Europe, he argued speciously, would free money to spend on health care). Will he not now do more to support an underfunded, overstretched and ill-equipped service that he credits with saving his life?There will certainly be no immediate rush to relax the lockdown strictures. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who has deputized for Johnson, has already extended the measures by another three weeks. Still, as other nations begin to loosen controls, the clamor will grow louder in Britain too.Last week Raab announced five tests that would determine the timing for a reopening of the U.K. The first three are fairly straightforward: The government must be confident that the NHS can provide sufficient care across the country; there must be a sustained fall in the daily death rate; and there needs to be evidence that the infection rate is decreasing.The fourth test — confidence that the supply of testing and personal protective equipment for medical workers can meet demand — is more vague. The U.K. is increasing testing, finally, but it's a long way from the kind of regimes put in place in east Asian countries that quickly suppressed the spread of the virus, including contact tracing. Germany is well ahead on this too. PPE shortages, one of the unnecessary tragedies of this outbreak, persist, as the British Medical Association and doctors repeatedly note. And yet Raab's fourth target doesn't specify what levels of testing and PPE need to be delivered.Even if the government fixes these problems, the fifth test is that there can be no risk of a second peak in infections from relaxing the lockdown. While Johnson is a political gambler who favors the bold stroke, he surely wouldn't open the sluice gates and let a new wave of infections wash away the stability built through social distancing and curtailed activity. Indeed, Bloomberg News reported Monday that in Johnson's conversations with cabinet members, he emphasized caution. Updated models based on more recent infection data will offer some basis for judgment, but a guarantee against a serious second wave of Covid-19 will require a vaccine or widespread testing and contact tracing. Neither are certainties, suggesting that social distancing measures of some sort will be around for a while.A report released Monday by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change argues that since a total lockdown isn't sustainable, the government should use hard metrics for its five tests and phase in some liberalization. For example, it could specify that if there were fewer than 500 new daily cases, testing capacity had expanded to more than 100,000 people per day, and contact tracing was widespread, then conditions could be set for a return to the workplace for individuals not in a high-risk category and for schools to reopen. It's not a bad suggestion, but where to put the thresholds and how to manage the complexities of restrictions are ultimately political decisions for Johnson and his cabinet.The pressure is on to find some way to ease up. The Office for Budget Responsibility estimates a massive drop in national income during the second quarter if the lockdown persists through June. Unemployment is expected to rise by 2 million to 10% from historic lows. That blow might be temporary, but the longer the economic shutdown lasts, the greater the risk of lasting damage.There's also the impact on the business sectors that Johnson most wanted to "level up" — to help working-class communities — with new investment and infrastructure spending. The Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates that a third of employees in the lowest-earning part of the income distribution chart are in sectors that have been mostly or completely shut down.If, as some have argued, restrictions are lifted by age group, there are questions about how that would be enforced. Johnson has set himself a unifying mission to keep the support of the ex-Labour Party voters who delivered him a handsome election victory. He'll have to find ways to restart the economy that don't ignore or further worsen inequalities. It's hard to imagine Johnson releasing wealthier parts of the country from lockdown while poorer areas languish under restrictions. But some phasing will be necessary.These decisions will have a profound impact, not only on the fight against the coronavirus but on the economic recovery and on how politics is redefined through this crisis. And they come amidst growing scrutiny of Johnson's early handling of the outbreak. The government has spent much of the past two days trying to rebut a Sunday Times investigation of how it did too little too late.Johnson's mistakes will be subject to a proper inquiry in time. His challenge when he returns will be to avoid compounding them.This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.Therese Raphael writes editorials on European politics and economics for Bloomberg Opinion. She was editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal Europe.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinionSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| The White House appears to have silenced the surgeon general for his remarks on racial disparities in the coronavirus outbreak, as data shows black communities are hardest hit Posted: 21 Apr 2020 04:57 AM PDT  Health officials told Politico that Surgeon General Jerome Adams was one of the few to be talking about the impact on minority communities.
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| AOC Praises Crash of U.S. Oil Market: ‘You Absolutely Love to See It’ Posted: 20 Apr 2020 03:35 PM PDT  Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) tweeted "you absolutely love to see it," as the U.S. oil market reached negative territory for the first time ever, potentially putting hundreds of American oil companies out of business."This along with record low interest rates means it's the right time for a worker-led, mass investment in green infrastructure to save our planet. *cough*," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.> She deleted this tweet: pic.twitter.com/PrGYpuR3Sz> > -- Adam Baldwin (@AdamBaldwin) April 20, 2020 She then deleted the tweet and rephrased it, saying "it's the right time to create millions of jobs transitioning to renewable and clean energy. A key opportunity.> This snapshot is being acknowledged as a turning point in the climate movement.> > Fossil fuels are in long-term structural decline. This along w/ low interest rates means it's the right time to create millions of jobs transitioning to renewable and clean energy. A key opportunity. https://t.co/UqT8DI5u2I> > -- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 20, 2020Oil prices went negative on Monday for the first time in history, dropping over 100 percent on the day to hit -$37.63 a barrel. While the June delivery of U.S. crude oil is currently trading above $20 a barrel, experts have warned the low prices could put hundreds of U.S. companies out of business."$30 is already quite bad, but once you get to $20 or even $10, it's a complete nightmare," Artem Abramov, the head of shale research at Rystad Energy, told CNN Business. Rystad estimated that 533 US oil exploration and production companies will file for bankruptcy by the end of 2021 in a $20 oil market, while the number would double to over 1,100 in a $10 market.Ocasio-Cortez, who introduced a bill to ban fracking nationwide in February, proposed the "Green New Deal" last year to transition the U.S. entirely to "net-zero" carbon emissions within ten years, a piece of legislation that fell flat among Senate Democrats after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) decided to allow a allow a vote.
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| Landlords on the pandemic: 'Everyone has an impression of us as rich and greedy' Posted: 20 Apr 2020 09:41 AM PDT  Many renters can't afford to pay – and some are threatening rent strikes. But some landlords say they're being unfairly punished * Coronavirus – live US updates * Live global updates * See all our coronavirus coverageThe coronavirus pandemic has brought mass unemployment . To prevent a spate of homelessness, governors across the US have promised moratoriums on evictions, and mortgage forgiveness for those who can't keep up with their payments. But many renters say the protections do not go far enough, and some are threatening rent strikes.Ricardo Reis, who owns 16 properties in Michigan, says there is a stigma against landlords, which means people are less empathetic about their needs during such times."Everyone has an impression of us as being rich and greedy. A lot of tenants will be thinking, how can they ask [us to pay] during this time? But in reality, there are costs involved," says Reis.Those costs include property taxes, insurance, maintenance and mortgage payments. Although homeowners will be provided with mortgage relief during the pandemic, many renters are wondering why they should still pay rent. But plenty aren't aware that commercial property owners – landlords, in other words – are not entitled to this benefit. Furthermore, forbearance programs only defer mortgage payments, rather than completely forgiving the cost."They are seeing this as an opportunity, as opposed to asking for help and relief … to inflict damage on the landlord as some sort of a class warfare," says Jay Martin, the executive director of the community housing improvement project (Chip) in New York.Many landlords say this class-warfare view – the moneyed landlord versus the renter – is misguided. Reis, who also manages properties on behalf of a property management company, says that renters are used to a faceless landlord and don't realize that on the other side is a family looking to pay the mortgage."Tenants have a misconception that landlords make a lot of money, because they think what they pay goes straight into the landlord's pocket," says Reis. In his state,he says most make less than what is presumed."In Michigan, landlords make around $200 to $300 per month for each property, after expenses are accounted for."He adds that the risk landlords take on is high: they take the loan , risk foreclosure if they can't pay the mortgage, and could potentially lose everything. "It's an extremely risky position. And as they say, with risk comes a little bit of reward … and in this case that's dependent on their tenant making their payment on time."Reis believes most tenants won't pay rent if they don't have to, and so criticizes the government for leaving landlords with that risk by offering eviction moratoriums."The state is trying to put it on landlords to house individuals for free," he says. Reis says the government "should instead bolster social housing if they believe that people should live rent-free".He says understands people might look at his 16 homes as a lot. But he says: "For a true real estate investor, it's not a lot. My wife is a school teacher."Greg Margulies, a landlord in LA, is not worried about rent strikes. He says most people understand the consequences of not paying rent.> What could be more greedy than withholding rent that you have the ability to pay?> > Jay Martin"They'll only band together for a very short time – until the first eviction paper comes [through]. Then I think it will hit home," said Margulies. He owns four properties in LA and still has a mortgage on each of them, and he says his property taxes on each building costs him between $500-$1,000 per property.While eviction moratoriums prevent them from being evicted now, in the long term, landlords still have the upper hand: "I can't imagine most landlords are going to look favorably on renters who band together like that. I expect they will get their leases non-renewed, even if they don't get evicted."Margulies empathizes with the fact that there are currently millions out of work. He stresses that most landlords want to work with tenants, to keep them in their properties, not to work against them – he has allowed one tenant who could only pay partial rent, and another who has had to defer payment.But that sympathy can only go so far, he says. "At the same time, [they] still get to stay in the unit: you have a safe place to sleep, you're away from the virus."It's unfortunate you're not working, but that should have nothing to do with paying for what you used. You still have to pay for gas, you still have to pay for groceries."Asked what message he would give to renters thinking of striking, Margulies advises them to keep in contact with their landlord. "We are not blind to what's going on in the world – we see that the world has been turned upside down. We are willing to work with tenants, but if you ignore the landlord, thinking it's going to go away, it's not."But Reis warns that reforms such as moratoriums or rent caps, which are intended to help the tenant, will always ending up costing them as landlords cut corners to seek to make costs back."Moratoriums sound great right now, but come fall [we will have to start changing] how we screen tenants," he says. "It's opened up our eyes, we realize there is just not enough security if the government can freeze rents or put a moratorium in place and just leave us stranded."Martin says it is the behavior of renters rather than landlords that should concern people at the moment."What could be more greedy than withholding rent that you have the ability to pay? [You will] damage the entire housing market, push it towards collapse. To me, it's incredibly short-sighted."
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| President Trump’s Re-election Strategy Is to Convince America He’s the Man to Fix All This. Will It Work? Posted: 20 Apr 2020 04:18 PM PDT  Trump is trying to shift blame for the coronavirus crisis, hoping Americans will still view him as the best candidate to lead the comeback
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| Canada shooting: Virtual vigil for victims due to Covid-19 Posted: 20 Apr 2020 10:26 PM PDT  A policewoman and two frontline coronavirus workers were among the 18 victims who died.
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| 9 Homes For Sale With Beautiful Workout Facilities Posted: 21 Apr 2020 02:36 PM PDT |
| China detects African swine fever in another pig truck Posted: 21 Apr 2020 04:14 AM PDT  China's agriculture ministry said on Tuesday it had detected the deadly African swine fever virus in pigs transported to the southwestern province of Sichuan, the latest in a dozen such cases in the last two months. China has been battling African swine fever since August 2018, after the disease spread rapidly throughout the world's top pork producer, killing millions of pigs and sending pork prices soaring. "The government has easier access to pig transport trucks than having to rely on farmers' willingness to report outbreaks," said Dirk Pfeiffer, professor of veterinary epidemiology at City University of Hong Kong.
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| Coronavirus outbreak at migrant shelter in Mexico linked to U.S. deportee Posted: 20 Apr 2020 08:01 PM PDT  At least 14 other migrants at the shelter were infected in a scenario long feared by Mexican health authorities.
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| Sweden has nearly 10 times the number of COVID-19-related deaths than its Nordic neighbors. Here's where it went wrong. Posted: 20 Apr 2020 02:04 PM PDT  Sweden, which has yet to order any lockdown amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, has seen 14,777 COVID-19 cases and 1,580 deaths from the virus.
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| Delaware medical supplier says FEMA seized 400,000 N95 masks, now he's out millions of dollars Posted: 21 Apr 2020 12:05 PM PDT  A Delaware importer says the Federal Emergency Management Agency seized a shipment of N95 masks two weeks ago – charges FEMA denies.
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| No deal yet: Ocasio-Cortez, House progressives criticize interim coronavirus bill Posted: 20 Apr 2020 12:27 PM PDT  "As the person who's representing the most impacted district in the country, my constituents are upset," said Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
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| Louisiana pastor Tony Spell, who defied stay-at-home orders to hold in-person church services, turned himself in to police after driving a bus toward a protester Posted: 21 Apr 2020 11:07 AM PDT  Tony Spell, of Life Tabernacle Church in Louisiana, turned himself in to police and was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
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| Saudi says closely monitoring oil markets, ready to act Posted: 21 Apr 2020 07:19 AM PDT  OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia said Tuesday it was closely monitoring oil markets and stood ready to take further measures after crude prices plunged to historic lows. "The kingdom continues to closely monitor the situation in the oil markets and is prepared to take any additional measures in cooperation with OPEC+ and other producers," the cabinet said in a statement cited by the official Saudi Press Agency. It said cabinet reiterated that the kingdom is constantly working to achieve stability in the oil market, reaffirming a commitment along with Russia to implement agreed output cuts over the next two years.
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| China turns on the charm and angers Trump as it eyes a global opportunity in coronavirus crisis Posted: 20 Apr 2020 05:17 AM PDT  A new "red scare" is developing in the U.S. While Beijing is busy with a global propaganda crusade following the spread of the coronavirus from China to around the world, foreign policy hawks in Washington are seething. Donald Trump lashes out at Beijing's response to the crisis at daily press conferences amid growing reports of anti-Chinese sentiment among Americans. As a scholar of international affairs and former policy advisor to the German Embassy in Beijing, it is clear to me that China is turning the crisis into an opportunity. It is touting its role in the world and praising its governmental system and enormous countrywide surveillance network for successfully battling the coronavirus. Yet, this is the nature of international relationships. The U.S. or any other great power would be tempted to do the same. China is exploiting the situation while the U.S. and the Western world are occupied with their own problems and have little time for anything else. Trading insultsDuring most of Trump's years in office, relations between China and the U.S. have been tense. Much of this has centered on the huge American trade deficit with China which Trump strongly criticized even before he became president.In the 2016 election campaign, Trump accused Beijing of "raping" the U.S. and talked about "the greatest theft [of American jobs] in the history of the world." While referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a good friend, Trump has accused China of intellectual property theft, unfair trade practices and lack of market access for U.S. companies. In late 2018, the U.S. president unleashed a painful trade war with sharply escalating tariffs, but it did little to resolve Trump's grievances. Neither the U.S. nor China could win this harmful conflict and a provisional trade deal was signed on Jan. 15, 2020. The truce lasted exactly two weeks. On Jan. 31, Trump announced a travel ban on visitors from China. Conspiracy theoriesIn his many remarks on the crisis since, Trump has not hesitated to resort to language criticized as xenophobic and anti-Chinese, such as referring to the coronavirus as the "Wuhan virus" or "Chinese virus." Meanwhile, the administration has done little to discourage a conspiracy theory that has the virus originating from a Chinese research laboratory near Wuhan and not from a live animal market in the city – which most scientists believe. On April 15, Trump said the U.S. was investigating the lab claim and ratcheted up the rhetoric further a few days later by suggesting that China would face consequences if it was "knowingly responsible" for the pandemic. Meanwhile Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said China needs to "come clean" over the emergence of the virus and how it spread. Certainly there are many questions that need to be answered over the true extent of the disease in China – on April 17 Beijing revised the number of fatalities in Wuhan up by 50% – but the rhetoric from the White House may be contributing to anti-Chinese sentiment directed not at the government in Beijing, but at people in China and of Chinese descent. On the ground in U.S. cities and towns, Asian Americans are reporting being subjected to verbal and even physical abuse. Tit-for-tat measuresThe Chinese government isn't blameless when it comes to conspiracy theories. With the likely nod of Beijing's all-powerful seven-member Standing Committee of the Politbureau, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian speculated wildly on Twitter that it might well have been the U.S. army which brought the virus to Wuhan.There have also been plenty of reports that foreigners, in particular Africans who live in China, have faced severe discrimination and abuse since the coronavirus crisis broke. They are unfairly accused of having imported the virus to China.Meanwhile, both Washington and Beijing have put in place tit-for-tat restrictions on each others' media outlets, severely limiting the number of journalists who are allowed to work in their respective countries.It accompanied growing reports in the western media about China's slow initial response to the virus and the silencing of the late Dr. Li Wenliang and other doctors who had attempted to alert Chinese authorities about the looming pandemic as early as December 2019. Saving faceDespite a sluggish start which contributed to the initial spread of the virus, China has since trumpeted the success of its policy of locking down entire cities and provinces. The country has now been able to open up for business again.Beijing is also praising itself as a benign global hero by donating and selling huge amounts of much-needed face masks, ventilators and other protective gear to countries round the world, including the U.S. In so doing, China is subtly using the opportunity to expand its global influence, not least its soft power appeal. Beijing has embarked on a global "charm offensive."While this may be regrettable from a Western perspective, would any other big country behave differently? If the roles were reversed, I believe the U.S. would also be tempted to exploit its position for political advantage. It seems this is the instinctive reaction of any great power. But there is no reason for panic about this. Without doubt, relations between China and many of the countries it is helping have become closer. But they still need to be cemented in the long run – this may or may not happen. Ruling the world?China, like many great powers, has a track record of not following through with its promises of financial help. Just ask the countries who have signed up to Beijing's huge and creative Belt and Road initiative that seeks to pump Chinese money into infrastructure projects around the world, or the 17+1 China-Central Eastern Europe initiative linking China with governments in central and eastern Europe, including many EU countries. There is much disappointment about broken or semi-fulfilled financial promises and agreements.And some of the face masks and other gear donated to European countries have proven faulty or of inferior quality.For the time being, the world should be pleased that China is able and willing to help out with much needed equipment as well as doctors and nurses to help fight the coronavirus crisis in the U.S. and elsewhere. It does not mean that once the crisis is over, China will be able to run the world. In fact, the U.S. should build on Beijing and Washington's haphazard and sporadic cooperation during the current crisis to improve relations with China in a more lasting way. [You're smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation's authors and editors. You can get our highlights each weekend.]
Este artículo se vuelve a publicar de The Conversation, un medio digital sin fines de lucro dedicado a la diseminación de la experticia académica. Lee mas:
Klaus W. Larres does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
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