| Trump disagrees with Redfield, Fauci on return of coronavirus next fall Posted: 22 Apr 2020 07:17 PM PDT  The coronavirus would be reduced to easily extinguished "embers" by the time next fall's influenza season strikes, President Trump said at Wednesday's briefing of the White House task force, even as his top health experts continued to offer a decidedly more guarded outlook.
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| Coronavirus: McConnell says he supports states using 'bankruptcy route' over federal assistance Posted: 22 Apr 2020 02:36 PM PDT  State governments hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic have pleaded for more federal assistance to help them provide essential services.
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| US blasts China at Southeast Asian meeting on coronavirus Posted: 23 Apr 2020 07:36 AM PDT  U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told his Southeast Asian counterparts on Thursday that China is taking advantage of the world's preoccupation with the coronavirus pandemic to push its territorial ambitions in the South China Sea. Pompeo made the accusation in a meeting via video to discuss the outbreak with the foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Beijing's expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea conflict with those of ASEAN members Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia, and are contested by Washington, which has an active naval presence in the Pacific.
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| Blood pressure drugs are in the crosshairs of coronavirus research Posted: 23 Apr 2020 10:09 AM PDT  A disproportionate number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, have high blood pressure. Theories about why the condition makes them more vulnerable — and what patients should do about it — have sparked a fierce debate among scientists over the impact of widely prescribed blood-pressure drugs.
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| Virus-hit Iran demands US be held to account for 'cruel' sanctions Posted: 23 Apr 2020 04:57 AM PDT  Iran called Thursday for the US to be held accountable for "cruel" sanctions that have hampered its efforts to fight a coronavirus outbreak that it said claimed another 90 lives. It accuses its arch enemy the United States of making the crisis worse through sanctions imposed unilaterally since Washington pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. The latest fatalities given by the health ministry for the past 24 hours took the overall death toll in Iran from the coronavirus to 5,481.
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| HHS chief Alex Azar chose a former labradoodle breeder with minimal public health experience to lead the department's coronavirus response Posted: 23 Apr 2020 04:10 AM PDT  Alex Azar picked Brian Harrison to lead the HHS day-to-day coronavirus response. Harrison previously spent six years as a labradoodle breeder.
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| 4 men confine woman in her home to rob her of stimulus check, police say Posted: 23 Apr 2020 04:12 PM PDT  The woman whose house was broken into told police the suspects were aware she had received her check and intended to rob her.
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| 30 Best Sides for Hamburgers Posted: 23 Apr 2020 02:40 PM PDT |
| Reopening after coronavirus is a 'much bigger' job than most Americans realize, Harvard study finds Posted: 22 Apr 2020 01:22 PM PDT  Despite President Trump's assurances that the U.S. is "winning" its war against the coronavirus, and moves by some governors to end stay-at-home measures, a new Harvard University study paints a stark picture of what will be required for the country to emerge from the pandemic.
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| Cuomo rips McConnell's 'blue state bailout' by noting 'your state is living on the money that we generate' Posted: 23 Apr 2020 12:03 PM PDT  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) says he doesn't think this is a time for politics. But seeing as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) ventured into that territory first, well, Cuomo has some things to say.McConnell drew bipartisan condemnation on Wednesday when he called federal funding for state and local governments "blue state bailouts," despite senators on both sides of the aisle asking for that funding. Cuomo took McConnell to task in a Thursday press conference, first laying out why he finds state and local government funding to be so important, and then decrying McConnell's "obsessive political bias and anger."> NY Gov. Cuomo calls out Sen. McConnell for his "Stopping blue state bailouts" comment, calling it "vicious," "ugly," "irresponsible and reckless"> > "If there was ever a time for humanity and decency … and a time to stop your obsessive political bias and anger, now is the time" pic.twitter.com/ubq0ohqTIq> > -- CBS News (@CBSNews) April 23, 2020Cuomo then brought up some cold hard numbers. While New York state contributes billions more dollars to the federal government than it gets in return, McConnell's state of Kentucky relies on billions of dollars of federal funding each year, prompting Cuomo to ask, "Sen. McConnell, who's getting bailed out here?" > WATCH: Cuomo criticizes McConnell's remarks on state virus aid:> > "NY puts in to that federal pot $116B more than we take out ... KY takes out $148B more than they put in.> > Sen. McConnell, who's getting bailed out here? It's your state that is living on the money that we generate" pic.twitter.com/0iaBisvju9> > -- NBC News (@NBCNews) April 23, 2020More stories from theweek.com Trump adviser suggests reopening economy by putting 'everybody in a space outfit' Scientist removed as director of federal agency working on coronavirus vaccine to file whistleblower complaint Trump is throwing Georgia under the bus
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| Governor: Antibody survey shows wide exposure to virus in NY Posted: 23 Apr 2020 08:22 AM PDT  More evidence is emerging that far more New Yorkers have had the coronavirus than the number confirmed by lab tests, officials said Thursday, offering insight that could help authorities decide how and how quickly to let people stop isolating from friends and return to work. Blood samples collected from about 3,000 people indicated that nearly 14% had developed antibodies to fight a coronavirus infection, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at his daily news briefing. In New York City, the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S., 21% of the people tested had antibodies.
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| Israeli forces kill Palestinian attacker near Jerusalem: police Posted: 21 Apr 2020 11:33 PM PDT |
| Coronavirus: Australia urges G20 action on wildlife wet markets Posted: 22 Apr 2020 09:32 PM PDT  It's thought the Coid-19 outbreak may have begun in a Chinese market that sold wildlife alongside food.
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| Fake text messages claiming the US military would enforce a country-wide lockdown went viral last month. They were spread by Chinese agents, according to a new report. Posted: 22 Apr 2020 07:05 AM PDT  US intelligence officials believe Chinese agents helped spread the misinformation in order to incite panic.
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| Missouri AG Claims Coronavirus Lawsuit Could Eventually Win ‘Tens of Billions of Dollars’ from Chinese Government Posted: 22 Apr 2020 12:12 PM PDT  Missouri attorney general Eric Schmitt on Wednesday told National Review that he believes the state's first-of-its-kind lawsuit against China could potentially bring massive compensation to Missourians who have suffered as a result of Beijing's mishandling of the coronavirus.The lawsuit "seeks recovery for the enormous loss of life, human suffering, and economic turmoil experienced by all Missourians" caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Several defendants are identified, including the CCP, China's health ministry, the governments of Hubei province and the city of Wuhan, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.The suit claims that these entities were negligent in attempting to contain the initial outbreak in Wuhan, and that they deceived the international community as to the prevalence of the outbreak. While the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 generally prevents Americans from suing foreign governments in U.S. courts, there are certain exemptions embodied in the legislation which are targeted in the lawsuit."Our claim, which I think people are starting to understand is a little bit different than what people might have thought it was, is that we believe those allegations fit squarely in an exception to the Federal Sovereign Immunities Act that would typically give immunity to other nations," Schmitt said in an interview with National Review."[This] is the commercial activities exception," Schmitt explained. "So, if you're operating a [negligent] virology lab, if you're hoarding PPE…you no longer have those protections. So we believe that those common law claims that we have fit squarely within that exception, which is why we think we'll ultimately be successful…to the tune of tens of billions of dollars." Those damages could be sought from Chinese entities within the U.S.There is precedent for using commercial activities exemption of the FSIA, such as in the 1992 Supreme Court case Republic of Argentina v. Weltover. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in his opinion that "Argentina's issuance of the Bonods [bonds] was a 'commercial activity' under the FSIA," and the bond payment in question was to be made in New York City. Because of this, the court ruled unanimously that Argentina could be sued in the U.S. for breach of contract on a bond payment.Senators Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) and Martha McSally (R., Ariz.) have also introduced legislation that would establish an immunity exemption "for a foreign state that discharges a biological weapon, and for other purposes," to enable Americans affected by the coronavirus to directly sue China. National Review contributor Andy McCarthy criticized that legislation, writing that paving the way for such lawsuits could backfire if China decided to retaliate against American investments abroad and to argue for stripping immunity from the U.S.Schmitt, however, sought to ease concerns that the Missouri lawsuit could have unintended consequences, saying it was his "obligation to seek the truth" on behalf of Missouri residents.The coronavirus pandemic "is something that we've not seen the likes of before, and if you look at how this all played out, in the suppression of information at a really critical time, there's just no other conclusion you can draw: the Chinese government is responsible for this," Schmitt said. "My duty, as the lawyer for six million Missourians, is to prosecute that case."The attorney general added, "I think as people take a look at the complaint, I wouldn't be surprised at all if other states follow suit."As of Wednesday the coronavirus had infected over 6,000 and killed 200 in Missouri, and the state has implemented economically-harmful social-distancing measures and business closures similar to those in effect in most of the U.S. Freshman Missouri senator Josh Hawley, a Republican, has taken a hard line on China's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, calling in March for an international investigation into the Chinese government's coverup of the outbreak.
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| Fact Check: Trump says the US coronavirus mortality rate is 'one of the lowest' in the world Posted: 23 Apr 2020 09:37 AM PDT  President Trump claims the U.S. has "one of the lowest" coronavirus mortality rates in the world. Here's what the numbers say.
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| Chinese Agents Spread Messages That Sowed Virus Panic in U.S., Officials Say Posted: 22 Apr 2020 05:22 AM PDT  WASHINGTON -- The alarming messages came fast and furious in mid-March, popping up on the cellphone screens and social media feeds of millions of Americans grappling with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.Spread the word, the messages said: The Trump administration was about to lock down the entire country."They will announce this as soon as they have troops in place to help prevent looters and rioters," warned one of the messages, which cited a source in the Department of Homeland Security. "He said he got the call last night and was told to pack and be prepared for the call today with his dispatch orders."The messages became so widespread over 48 hours that the White House's National Security Council issued an announcement via Twitter that they were "FAKE."Since that wave of panic, U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that Chinese operatives helped push the messages across platforms, according to six U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to publicly discuss intelligence matters. The amplification techniques are alarming to officials because the disinformation showed up as texts on many Americans' cellphones, a tactic that several of the officials said they had not seen before.That has spurred agencies to look at new ways in which China, Russia and other nations are using a range of platforms to spread disinformation during the pandemic, they said.The origin of the messages remains murky. U.S. officials declined to reveal details of the intelligence linking Chinese agents to the dissemination of the disinformation, citing the need to protect their sources and methods for monitoring Beijing's activities.The officials interviewed for this article work in six different agencies. They included both career civil servants and political appointees, and some have spent many years analyzing China. Their broader warnings about China's spread of disinformation are supported by recent findings from outside bipartisan research groups, including the Alliance for Securing Democracy and the Center for a New American Security, which is expected to release a report on the topic next month.Two U.S. officials stressed they did not believe Chinese operatives created the lockdown messages but rather amplified existing ones. Those efforts enabled the messages to catch the attention of enough people that they then spread on their own, with little need for further work by foreign agents. The messages appeared to gain significant traction on Facebook as they were also proliferating through texts, according to an analysis by The New York Times.U.S. officials said the operatives had adopted some of the techniques mastered by Russia-backed trolls, such as creating fake social media accounts to push messages to sympathetic Americans, who in turn unwittingly help spread them.The officials say the Chinese agents also appear to be using texts and encrypted messaging apps, including WhatsApp, as part of their campaigns. It is much harder for researchers and law enforcement officers to track disinformation spread through text messages and encrypted apps than on social media platforms.U.S. intelligence officers are also examining whether spies in China's diplomatic missions in the United States helped spread the fake lockdown messages, a senior U.S. official said. U.S. agencies have recently increased their scrutiny of Chinese diplomats and employees of state-run media organizations. In September, the State Department secretly expelled two employees of the Chinese Embassy in Washington suspected of spying.Other rival powers might have been involved in the dissemination, too. And Americans with prominent online or news media platforms unknowingly helped amplify the messages. Misinformation has proliferated during the pandemic -- in recent weeks, some pro-Trump news outlets have promoted anti-American conspiracy theories, including one that suggests the virus was created in a laboratory in the United States.U.S. officials said China, borrowing from Russia's strategies, has been trying to widen political divisions in the United States. As public dissent simmers over lockdown policies in several states, officials worry it will be easy for China and Russia to amplify the partisan disagreements."It is part of the playbook of spreading division," said Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, adding that private individuals have identified some social media bots that helped promote the recent lockdown protests that some fringe conservative groups have nurtured.The propaganda efforts go beyond text messages and social media posts directed at Americans. In China, top officials have issued directives to agencies to engage in a global disinformation campaign around the virus, the U.S. officials said.Some U.S. intelligence officers are especially concerned about disinformation aimed at Europeans that pro-China actors appear to have helped spread. The messages stress the idea of disunity among European nations during the crisis and praise China's "donation diplomacy," U.S. officials said. Left unmentioned are reports of Chinese companies delivering shoddy equipment and European leaders expressing skepticism over China's handling of its outbreak.President Donald Trump himself has shown little concern about China's actions. He has consistently praised the handling of the pandemic by Chinese leaders -- "Much respect!" he wrote on Twitter on March 27. Three days later, he dismissed worries over China's use of disinformation when asked about it on Fox News."They do it and we do it and we call them different things," he said. "Every country does it."Asked about the new accusations, the Chinese Foreign Ministry released a statement Tuesday that said, "The relevant statements are complete nonsense and not worth refuting."Zhao Lijian, a ministry spokesman, has separately rebutted persistent accusations by U.S. officials that China has supplied bad information and exhibited a broader lack of transparency during the pandemic."We urge the U.S. to stop political manipulation, get its own house in order and focus more on fighting the epidemic and boosting the economy," Zhao said at a news conference Friday.An Information WarThe United States and China are engaged in a titanic information war over the pandemic, one that has added a new dimension to their global rivalry.Trump and his aides are trying to put the spotlight on China as they face intense criticism over the federal government's widespread failures in responding to the pandemic, which has killed more than 40,000 Americans. President Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party are trying to shore up domestic and international support after earlier cover-ups that allowed the virus to spread.As diplomatic tensions rose and Beijing scrambled to control the narrative, the Chinese government last month expelled American journalists for three U.S. news organizations, including The New York Times.The extent to which the United States might be engaging in its own covert information warfare in China is not clear. While the CIA in recent decades has tried to support pro-democracy opposition figures in some countries, Chinese counterintelligence officers eviscerated the agency's network of informants in China about a decade ago, hurting its ability to conduct operations there.Chinese officials accuse Trump and his allies of overtly peddling malicious or bad information, pointing to the president's repeatedly calling the coronavirus a "Chinese virus" or the suggestion by some Republicans that the virus may have originated as a Chinese bioweapon, a theory that U.S. intelligence agencies have since ruled out. (Many Americans have criticized Trump's language as racist.)Republican strategists have decided that bashing China over the virus will shore up support for Trump and other conservative politicians before the November elections.Given the toxic information environment, foreign policy analysts are worried that the Trump administration may politicize intelligence work or make selective leaks to promote an anti-China narrative. Those concerns hover around the speculation over the origin of the virus. U.S. officials in the past have selectively passed intelligence to reporters to shape the domestic political landscape; the most notable instance was under President George W. Bush in the run-up to the Iraq War.But it has been clear for more than a month that the Chinese government is pushing disinformation and anti-American conspiracy theories related to the pandemic. Zhao, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, wrote on Twitter in March that the U.S. Army might have taken the virus to the Chinese city of Wuhan. That message was then amplified by the official Twitter accounts of Chinese embassies and consulates.The state-run China Global Television Network produced a video targeting viewers in the Middle East in which a presenter speaking Arabic asserted that "some new facts" indicated that the pandemic might have originated from American participants in a military sports competition in October in Wuhan. The network has an audience of millions, and the video has had more than 365,000 views on YouTube."What we've seen is the CCP mobilizing its global messaging apparatus, which includes state media as well as Chinese diplomats, to push out selected and localized versions of the same overarching false narratives," Lea Gabrielle, coordinator of the Global Engagement Center in the State Department, said in late March, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.Some analysts say it is core to China's new, aggressive "'Wolf Warrior' diplomacy," a term that refers to a patriotic Chinese military action film series.But Chinese diplomats and operators of official media accounts recently began moving away from overt disinformation, Gabrielle said. That dovetailed with a tentative truce Trump and Xi reached over publicly sniping about the virus.U.S. officials said Chinese agencies are most likely embracing covert propagation of disinformation in its place. Current and former U.S. officials have said they are seeing Chinese operatives adopt online strategies long used by Russian agents -- a phenomenon that also occurred during the Hong Kong protests last year. Some Chinese operatives have promoted disinformation that originated on Russia-aligned websites, they said.And the apparent aim of spreading the fake lockdown messages last month is consistent with a type of disinformation favored by Russian actors -- namely sowing chaos and undermining confidence among Americans in the U.S. government, the officials said."As Beijing and Moscow move to shape the global information environment both independently and jointly through a wide range of digital tools, they have established several diplomatic channels and forums through which they can exchange best practices," said Kristine Lee, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security who researches disinformation from China and Russia."I'd anticipate, as we have seen in recent months, that their mutual learning around these tools will migrate to increasingly cutting-edge capabilities that are difficult to detect but yield maximal payoff in eroding American influence and democratic institutions globally," she added.'There Is No National Lockdown'The amplification of the fake lockdown messages was a notable instance of China's use of covert disinformation messaging, U.S. officials said.A couple of versions of the message circulated widely, according to The Times analysis. The first instance tracked by The Times appeared March 13, as many state officials were enacting social distancing policies. This version said Trump was about to invoke the Stafford Act to shut down the country.The messages generally attributed their contents to a friend in a federal agency -- the Pentagon, the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the CIA and so on. Over days, hundreds of identical posts appeared on Facebook and the online message board 4chan, among other places, and spread through texts.Another version appeared March 15, The Times found. This one said Trump was about to deploy the National Guard, military units and emergency responders across the United States while imposing a one-week nationwide quarantine.That same day, the National Security Council announced on Twitter that the messages were fake."There is no national lockdown," it said, adding that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "has and will continue to post the latest guidance."Samantha Vinograd, who was a staff employee at the National Security Council during the Obama administration, replied to the council's tweet, recounting her experience with the disinformation."I received several texts from loved ones about content they received containing various rumors -- they were explicitly asked to share it with their networks," she wrote. "I advised them to do the opposite. Misinfo is not what we need right now -- from any source foreign or domestic."Since January, Americans have shared many other messages that included disinformation: that the virus originated in an Army laboratory at Fort Detrick in Maryland, that it can be killed with garlic water, vitamin C or colloidal silver, that it thrives on ibuprofen. Often the posts are attributed to an unnamed source in the U.S. government or an institution such as Johns Hopkins University or Stanford University.As the messages have sown confusion, it has been difficult to trace their true origins or pin down all the ways in which they have been amplified.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
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| Chinese investors flummoxed by India's new foreign investment rules Posted: 23 Apr 2020 05:15 AM PDT  India's plan to screen foreign direct investments from neighbouring countries has Chinese firms concerned that such scrutiny will affect their projects and delay deals in one of Asia's most lucrative investment markets. The tougher rules were not a surprise, as other countries are also on guard against fire sales of corporate assets during the coronavirus outbreak, but that they apply to investments from countries that share a land border with India raised eyebrows. Unlike neighbouring Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan, China has major investments in India.
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| Turkey in ‘Losing Battle’ Over Lira After Surprise Rate Cut Posted: 22 Apr 2020 11:10 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Turkey lowered interest rates more than forecast by most economists, forcing state banks to defend the lira to keep it from breaching a key threshold against the dollar.Government-owned lenders sold at least $600 million to support the Turkish currency after the rate decision, according to two traders with knowledge of the matter. The Monetary Policy Committee on Wednesday reduced its benchmark for an eighth time in less than a year, lowering it to 8.75% from 9.75%. Only two of 28 economists in a Bloomberg poll correctly predicted the move, with the rest seeing a smaller cut or a hold.The central bank has looked past the lira's steep depreciation in 2020, focusing on spurring credit to mitigate the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak. The lira has weakened nearly 15% against the U.S. currency since the beginning of the year and is edging closer to the psychologically important 7-per-dollar mark. It briefly breached that level and slipped as much as 0.3% after the rate announcement, before paring losses. It traded at 6.9779 per dollar as of 8:40 a.m. in Istanbul on Thursday."The Turkish central bank has been fighting like crazy to keep the dollar-lira pair below 7, which often seems like a losing battle," said Brad Bechtel, global head of foreign exchange at Jefferies LLC in New York. "They continue to fight but the market continues to push against them and it feels only a matter of time before they are forced to capitulate."The easing cycle is leaving the lira exposed to a global selloff, with Turkey's inflation-adjusted rates now among the lowest in the world. Undaunted by the currency's slide, Governor Murat Uysal is pushing real borrowing costs further below zero after last month's emergency cut of a full percentage point. Meanwhile, the country's international reserves are running low because of state lenders' interventions to prop up the lira.Turkey's state banks don't comment on interventions in the foreign-exchange market. In January, Uysal said they have been carrying out transactions in line with regulatory limits and may continue to be active in the currency market.The MPC said in its statement that risks to its year-end inflation forecasts are "on the downside" after declines in commodity prices and despite the lira's depreciation.The rate cut reflected the central bank's "aim to support growth as much as possible," Goldman Sachs Group Inc. economists Murat Unur and Clemens Grafe said in a report. "We see risks of emergency hikes to fend off further lira depreciation."Turkish inflation in March slowed for the first time since October, reaching an annual 11.9%, as the drop in oil prices offset some of the increases that a depreciating lira would have caused.Declines in commodity prices and domestic demand amid the global pandemic are putting downward pressure on inflation, Uysal said on Sunday. The central bank may update its year-end inflation projection -- currently at 8.2% -- when it issues its next quarterly report on April 30.Economic activity has suffered due to the measures taken to check the contagion. Exports dropped almost 18% in March from a year earlier and a gauge of confidence among Turkish manufacturers fell by the most since the 2008 global financial crisis.The weighted-average cost of central bank funding is already below the benchmark at around 9%.The central bank's net reserves -- which strip out liabilities including local lenders' reserve requirements -- fell to $26.3 billion in the week through April 10. Of that, $25.9 billion was borrowed through short-term swaps, the bulk of which had a maturity of one month or less, according to the latest data through the end of February."Yet another substantial rate cut is a clear indication that the priority is to support the economy that faces the prospect of a recession," said Piotr Matys, a strategist at Rabobank in London. "But it also implies that the lira is even less attractive, which means that the central bank may have to spend even more on FX interventions."(Updates lira's performance in third paragraph, economist comment in eighth)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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| Human rights groups are pleading with Mexico's top health official to pressure the release of detained migrants at risk of contracting COVID-19 Posted: 22 Apr 2020 08:13 PM PDT  The majority of Mexico's detained migrant population cannot be repatriated due to COVID-19 travel restrictions in Honduras and El Salvador.
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| Can plastic face shields prevent the spread of coronavirus? Posted: 22 Apr 2020 02:09 PM PDT  Experts are split on whether plastic face shields typically worn by health care professionals should be worn in everyday life.
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| Guatemalan wrongly deported amid coronavirus crisis is reunited with family in U.S. Posted: 23 Apr 2020 10:50 AM PDT  "I am very happy," Gilmer Barrios said. "It had been almost a month since I saw my wife, and I am going to see my children in a little while."
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| AOC Only Democrat to Vote Against $484 Billion Coronavirus Relief Package Posted: 23 Apr 2020 04:03 PM PDT  The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the $484 billion coronavirus relief package to replenish the depleted small business loan program, with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) being the only Democrat in both the House or Senate to oppose the bill.The House passed the bill, which includes $310 billion for the government's phase-three Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), by a 388-5 margin — sending it to President Trump's desk after the Senate passed the bill on Tuesday. Four House Republicans — Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ken Buck of Colorado, Jody Hice of Georgia, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky — along with former Republican Justin Amash (I., Mich.) joined Ocasio-Cortez in voting against the bill.Speaking to CNN's Manu Raju, Ocasio-Cortez explained that her problem with the bill was "giving Republicans what they want.""McConnell is already talking about the deficit the moment we talk about getting people relief," she said. ". . . That to me is a signal that Republicans are done."> She added: "If they don't want the next stimulus, what leverage do we have to pass" further relief?> > -- Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 23, 2020 The new funding includes $60 billion — $50 billion in loans and $10 billion in grants — for companies with less than $50 billion in total assets, with $30 billion of that for firms with less than $10 billion. The bill also includes $75 billion in additional funding for hospitals and health care providers, and $25 billion to help fund the nationwide effort to expand coronavirus testing.Republicans and Democrats have sparred over the draining of SBA funding, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) saying Wednesday that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) "delayed the bill," but admitted that Democrats did reject a simple reauthorization proposed by Republicans."Democrats should never have made the Paycheck Protection Program lapse. The House must follow the Senate's lead and vote today to re-open it," McConnell tweeted ahead of the House vote Thursday.Ocasio-Cortez drew criticism earlier this week for tweeting, and then deleting, praise over the U.S. oil market reaching negative territory for the first time ever. Over four million Americans applied for unemployment last week, according to data released Thursday, bringing the number of coronavirus jobless claims to over 26 million since last month.
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| Trump mega donor and former EU ambassador Gordon Sondland got a PPP loan Posted: 23 Apr 2020 02:14 PM PDT  Small business owners have had a lot of trouble securing loans to help them weather the coronavirus crisis. Gordon Sondland's business didn't.Sondland is the founder of Provenance Hotels, a chain of high-end joints that secured a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program, which will distribute more than $300 billion. But he's probably better known as the former U.S. ambassador to the European Union who played a major role in President Trump's impeachment — and who got his job after making a $1 million donation to Trump's inaugural committee.Provenance Hotels laid off around 1,000 employees, and said it hopes to use the loan to hire them back. Sondland didn't work for the company for the past few years while in the White House, but he'll become its chair again in May after Provenance's president stepped down amid the financial panic. Sondland's wife Katherine Durant remained Provenance's CEO during the ex-ambassador's time in office.The funding for small business loans doled out under the federal COVID-19 relief package ran dry within days of its passage. It has since been revealed that huge national chains, including some with valuations over $100 million, managed to secure loans while far smaller businesses never made it through the long lines to apply.More stories from theweek.com Cuomo rips McConnell's 'blue state bailout' by noting 'your state is living on the money that we generate' Trump adviser suggests reopening economy by putting 'everybody in a space outfit' Scientist removed as director of federal agency working on coronavirus vaccine to file whistleblower complaint
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| China suspends consular visits to detained Canadian pair over coronavirus Posted: 23 Apr 2020 10:15 AM PDT  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday, on the 500th day of China's controversial detention of two Canadians, that consular visits had been blocked due to a coronavirus lockdown of prisons. "We have been working extremely diligently on the issue of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who have been detained for 500 days in China," Trudeau told a daily briefing. Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, speaking during a video event hosted by the Montreal International Relations Council (CORIM), described the detention as "500 days too many."
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| AP Explains: What Virgin Australia's bankruptcy move means Posted: 22 Apr 2020 09:09 PM PDT  Virgin Australia has become the world's largest airline to seek bankruptcy protection in the weeks since the coronavirus shutdown created a debt crisis. Virgin Australia owed 5 billion Australian dollars ($3.2 billion) and hadn't posted a profit in seven years when the pandemic virtually grounded the aviation industry. Singapore Institute of Technology economist Volodymyr Bilotkach, author of "Economics of Airlines," says small-to-medium European airlines with small cash reserves are similarly vulnerable.
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| 'Something's going wrong': UK virus response under fire Posted: 21 Apr 2020 10:46 PM PDT  The British government came under sustained pressure over its coronavirus response on Wednesday when members of parliament got their first major opportunity in a month to hold it to account. With the latest hospital death toll from the virus rising to 18,100 in the United Kingdom and persistent reports of a lack of protective equipment for staff in hospitals and care homes, stand-in leader Dominic Raab faced a barrage of tough questions. "Something's going wrong," new opposition leader Keir Starmer said during the weekly Prime Minister's Questions session, where Raab was deputising for Boris Johnson who is recovering from COVID-19 at his country residence.
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| A New Wave of Anti-Muslim Anger Threatens India’s Virus Fight Posted: 23 Apr 2020 02:00 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The newspaper advertisement placed last week by a cancer hospital in India's most populous state didn't mince words: any Muslim patients seeking treatment must prove they didn't have Covid-19.The privately owned Valentis Cancer Hospital in Uttar Pradesh state apologized a day later "for hurting religious sentiments." But the message written in black and white crystallized for many the increased hostility against India's Muslim minority as coronavirus infections surge across the country.Attacks on Muslims, including farmers driven out of villages and others beaten by angry mobs, have been reported across the country -- from rural hamlets to the cities of New Delhi and Mumbai, prompted by a lethal mix of WhatsApp messages accusing them of deliberately spreading the virus. Hashtags like "corona jihad" and "corona terror" have been trending on social media, prompting a backlash from Gulf states where millions of Indians work.The rising discrimination threatens to hurt India's status in Muslim-majority countries and inflame longstanding religious tensions in the Hindu-dominated nation of 1.3 billion people. Divisions already began to harden last year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government passed a citizenship bill discriminating against Muslims, sparking nationwide protests in recent months that have left scores dead.What's worse, the upswing in discrimination against Muslims now threatens to complicate India's fight against Covid-19. On Thursday, the country reported 21,797 infections and 681 deaths.Frightened MuslimsIn India's business capital Mumbai, where the sprawling Dharavi slum has become the country's worst-hit virus hotspot, authorities say Muslims are afraid to self-report."There is a lot fear in the Muslim community and they are not telling us facts," said Kiran Dighavkar, an assistant commissioner at the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, the main civic authority for the city. "The hate towards the community seems to have increased because other people feel they are spreading the virus. Because of this it has become unsafe for our staff to visit some areas and we have to take police with us."At another hotspot in Noida, a suburb on the outskirts of the capital New Delhi, authorities were taking to social media to flag fake news and rumors."It takes a lot of time," said Ankur Agarwal, a police officer in Noida. "We have to monitor the social media, we need to build our intelligence as compared to totally focusing on Covid operations and ensuring the lockdown."Modi so far hasn't commented directly on the simmering sectarian tensions, but said in a tweet earlier this month that "Covid-19 does not see race, religion, color, caste, language or borders before striking."One of his cabinet members, Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, said Tuesday that authorities were working to protect the safety and well-being all citizens. "India is heaven for minorities and Muslims," Naqvi said at a briefing. "Their social, religious and economic rights are secured in India more than any other country."'Deep Concern'Yet the world is expressing alarm. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which has in the past criticized India's treatment of its minorities, on April 14 raised concerns about the "continued scapegoating and attacks on Muslims in India due to false rumors over the spread of coronavirus, often accompanied by dangerous rhetoric by politicians."The 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which calls itself "the collective voice of the Muslim world," expressed "deep concern" on Sunday over "rising anti-Muslim sentiments" in India.In the United Arab Emirates some of the more viciously worded posts by Indian migrants prompted some to get fired from their jobs, and also drew the attention of a member of the ruling family. Last week Princess Hend Al Qassimi responded to a now-deleted tweet, saying "your ridicule will not go unnoticed." India's ambassador to the UAE condemned the hate speech.Although Gulf states are condemning the anti-Muslim sentiment in India, falling oil prices and a downturn in the global economy will limit any deeper rift, according to Harsh Pant, professor of international relations at Kings College, London."India retains leverage vis-a-vis these countries as it is one of the largest importers of oil," he said. "Gulf countries are impacted not only by the coronavirus but also by the decline in oil demand."Religious GatheringThe new wave of rumors and anger directed against India's 200 million Muslims started in the last week of March when details began to emerge of thousands, including visitors from Indonesia and Malaysia, gathering at the headquarters of the Tabligh-e-Jamaat -- a conservative Muslim sect -- in the crowded lanes of Delhi's Nizamuddin area.Hundreds of members tested positive for the virus after authorities evacuated the building. Cases sprouted across the nation as many left Delhi and traveled back to their homes. Some 25,000 members and their contacts were traced and quarantined across more than a dozen Indian states.For more than a week, the federal government listed the infections connected to the Muslim gathering separately at their daily media briefings, which fanned the flames further. On April 8, the health ministry issued a statement asking that no community be targeted, but it did little to rein in the anger.Mohammed Shamim and his family were among those targeted. The vitriol built steadily after he began driving minivans full of fresh fruit and vegetables far into the villages of Uttar Pradesh when India announced a strict nationwide lockdown on March 25. Hindu villagers began to heckle them and asked others not to do business with them."Then more people began harassing us saying, 'you Muslims are spreading this illness, we don't want you people coming to this village." he said. 'People who had bought vegetables from us were told to return them."While India has seen a continued marginalization of its Muslim minority since Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party swept to power in 2014, over the past year it's accelerated and become more violent. In the last week of February, before the country began to see a steady uptick in Covid-19 cases, three days of anti-Muslim violence in a part of the Indian capital left more than 50 people dead.Now Shamim and his family are too frightened to go back into the villages."Things are bad enough with this virus," he said over the telephone. "We don't want anything bad to happen to us."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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| Months after coronavirus diagnosis, some Wuhan patients test positive again Posted: 22 Apr 2020 03:51 AM PDT  Some of the first patients to suffer from COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, are still bearing the consequences of the disease.
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| House approves a nearly $500 billion coronavirus relief bill. Here's what's in it Posted: 23 Apr 2020 04:11 PM PDT  The Paycheck Protection Program is the focus of the $484 billion bill, but other programs will get funding under the coronavirus measure.
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| Members of congress advocate for coronavirus relief on behalf of those who have contracted the virus Posted: 23 Apr 2020 12:18 PM PDT  During a speech on the House floor, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., dedicated a coronavirus relief bill to her sister, who she said is "dying in a hospital" of COVID-19. Later Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., advocated for the passage of the legislation on behalf of a 5-year-old who died from the coronavirus.
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| After months of norovirus outbreaks at sea, a smoothie is implicated Posted: 23 Apr 2020 10:21 AM PDT  CDC investigators finally traced the norovirus - not coronavirus - illnesses last year back to a smoothie made with frozen raspberries.
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| Revolutionary Guard Chief Orders Navy to ‘Destroy Any American Terrorist Forces’ That Threaten Iranian Vessels Posted: 23 Apr 2020 07:15 AM PDT  The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Thursday that Iran will destroy U.S. warships that threaten Iranian security in the Persian Gulf, a day after President Trump issued a similar threat regarding Iranian ships that "harass" U.S. vessels."I have ordered our naval forces to destroy any American terrorist force in the Persian Gulf that threatens security of Iran's military or non-military ships," Major General Hossein Salami told state TV. "Security of the Persian Gulf is part of Iran's strategic priorities.""I am telling the Americans that we are absolutely determined and serious in defending our national security, our water borders, our shipping safety, and our security forces, and we will respond decisively to any sabotage," the commander-in-chief added. "Americans have experienced our power in the past and must learn from it."A day earlier, on Wednesday, Trump wrote in a tweet that he has "instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea."Pentagon officials later said that they would apply the president's order although it did not indicate a change in the rules of engagement.The U.S. military said last week that eleven Iranian Revolutionary Guard ships made multiple "dangerous and harassing approaches" at U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships in the Gulf area.Tensions have run high between Tehran and the U.S. since May, 2018, when Trump pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear deal, which was also signed by the U.K., France, Germany, China, and Russia. The nuclear agreement gave Iran billions of dollars in relief from sanctions in exchange for a promise to curb its nuclear program.Relations reached a fever pitch in early January, when Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad. The attack sparked immediate international worries about how Iran would retaliate.U.S. officials said they believed Soleimani had been plotting "imminent attacks" on U.S. facilities in the surrounding region that could have killed hundreds of Americans, though multiple reports citing senior diplomatic and military officials have contradicted the claim that an imminent threat had emerged in the days before the airstrike.
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| Cuomo Slams Protesters: ‘Get a Job as an Essential Worker’ Posted: 22 Apr 2020 10:26 AM PDT  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that while local officials may "feel political pressure" to lift shelter-in-place restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic, he refuses to open up his virus-stricken state until steps are in place to avoid a second wave of the disease."I get the pressure, but we can't make a bad decision. Frankly, this is no time to act stupidly. Period. I don't know how else to say it," Cuomo said at a press conference in Albany, adding that the decision to reopen New York's economy should be based on "facts" and not "political pressure." "I'm not going to have the political obituary of this era be, well, they acted imprudently."Cuomo's warning came as protesters gathered at New York's state capitol to demonstrate against the stay-at-home order in place until at least May 15. The demonstration follows several protests in defiance of social-distancing guidelines that have erupted nationwide against public health orders to stay at home and close down non-essential businesses.Cuomo Praises Trump Target on His Way to Oval Office MeetingHe added that while residents may be feeling "cabin fever," reopening the state prematurely—and without the coordination of neighboring states—would set back any progress the Empire State has seen in flattening the curve of the virus. Addressing the protesters outside the capitol, Cuomo said, "The illness is death. What's worse than that? This isn't just about you... It's about we." He half-jokingly added that if New Yorkers are so desperate to work amid the virus, they should "go get a job as an essential worker."To date, 15,302 residents have died and 258,589 more have been infected by the coronavirus across the state, Cuomo said. Despite those devastating numbers, the daily death toll across the state has dramatically decreased, with 474 deaths overnight, indicating a "gentle decline." The rate of hospitalizations and ICU admissions have also decreased. As officials across the nation are shifting their attention to reopening states' economies after COVID-19, Cuomo said that diagnostic testing continues to be critical in determining when, and how, individuals will return to work. Cuomo said that New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut will launch a "nation-leading contact-tracing program," that will track down residents who may have been exposed or infected, and then trace those they may have been in contact with to contain the spread. Cuomo: It's Time to Start 'Reimagining' What Life Will Be in New York After COVID-19 Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg volunteered to help the state develop a testing-tracing-isolation program along with Johns Hopkins University and Vital Strategies, Cuomo said.Mayor Bill de Blasio also announced New York City's initiative to help the state "test and trace" the virus, saying that city officials are striving to have widespread testing available in every community. Those who test positive will then be given care "right away," and if they're unable to isolate properly, they will be placed in hotel rooms across the five boroughs. "We'll get you the help you need. The whole idea is to help you to isolate to get well, to have the support you need, and of course, get tested again to know when you're done with the disease so you can go back to your regular life," de Blasio said. Cuomo on Wednesday also spoke about his "productive" meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House."To me, a productive visit means we spoke the truth. We spoke facts. We made decisions, and we have a plan going forward. And that was accomplished yesterday. And I feel good about it personally," Cuomo said.'Clearly Spoiling for a Fight': Cuomo Says Pandemic Is More Important Than Trump FeudDuring the meeting, Cuomo said Trump committed to helping the state double its diagnostic and antibody testing to 40,00 tests a day."By the way, these are people in the White House who, politically, don't like me. You know, that's the fact, right? You see the president's tweets. He's often tweeted very unkind things about me and my brother," Cuomo said. "We've had conflicts back and forth. But we sat with him. We sat with his team. And that was put aside. Because who really cares how I feel or how he feels? Who cares? Get the job done."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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| Delta warns of need to 'resize' after big loss on virus shutdowns Posted: 22 Apr 2020 01:39 PM PDT  Delta Air Lines will need to "resize" the company in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, executives said Wednesday, as they sketched out a picture of airline industry recovery that is expected to be slow and choppy. The message from Chief Executive Ed Bastian was grim. Delta lost $534 million in the first quarter, compared with profits of $730 million in the same period a year ago.
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| Germany sees future need to learn lessons of corona outbreak Posted: 22 Apr 2020 05:08 AM PDT  German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke to her Australian counterpart on Tuesday about the coronavirus pandemic, her spokesman said on Wednesday, adding that establishing facts about the outbreak would help to learn lessons for the future. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has sought support for an international investigation into the origins and spread of the coronavirus pandemic and the response of the World Health Organization (WHO). "At an appropriate time, it will be necessary to analyse every phase of the pandemic," German government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters.
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| India Opens Bridge in Himalayas Setting Stage for China Face-Off Posted: 23 Apr 2020 02:40 AM PDT |
| 'What's wrong with you Mexico?' Health workers attacked amid Covid-19 fears Posted: 23 Apr 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Doctors and nurses have been assaulted, thrown off buses and barred from their homes, accused of spreading coronavirusJovanna was walking home after a morning of hospital consultations when she heard a shout behind her. As she turned to look, she felt something wet in her face. Within seconds, her vision went cloudy and she smelled bleach."They picked me out because I was wearing scrubs," said the ear, nose and throat doctor from the Mexican city of Guadalajara, as she described the attack which left her with conjunctivitis and burns on her skin. "I didn't see anything – I don't know who it was, but I know they attacked another doctor on the same day."In most of the world, medical staff have been lauded as heroes for their response to the coronavirus pandemic. But in Mexico, the growing number of Covid-19 cases has brought with it a wave of violence against nurses and doctors who have wrongly been accused of spreading the disease.At least 21 medical workers have been attacked in 12 states across the country, according to Fabiana Zepeda, the head of nursing for the Mexican Social Security Institute.Her voice breaking with emotion, Zepeda told reporters this week that many health workers had started to change out of their uniforms when they travelled to and from work, to avoid being targeted."I have worn my nurse's uniform for 27 years with great pride – as do doctors. But today we are taking off our uniforms because we don't want to be injured," she said.So far, Mexico has seen 9,501 confirmed coronavirus cases, and 857 deaths, but health officials admit that the true infection level is at least eight times higher as the country has limited testing capacity.On Tuesday, the health undersecretary Hugo López-Gatell who has led Mexico's response to the pandemic, announced that the virus had reached the stage of rapid spread, and warned that "a large number of infections and hospitalisations" were imminent.The country's president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, drew criticism for initially downplaying the need for social distancing measures, and doctors and nurses have held protests and strikes over the lack of personnel and safety equipment.Meanwhile, health workers have themselves been stigmatised and blamed for spreading the disease.On social media, health workers have been targeted by trolls, but doctors and nurses have also been barred from their homes, denied service in restaurants and supermarkets, forced out of buses and metro carriages – and even attacked in the streets.Sandra, a nurse in the city of San Luis Potosí described in a Facebook post how she was attacked by a woman and her two children as she left a coffee shop on her way to the hospital."She hit me in the face, and I had no choice but to defend myself. We ended up on the pavement, me trying to defend myself because I was proudly wearing my white uniform. I fractured two fingers on my right hand," she wrote."What's wrong with you, Mexico? We're just trying to go to work. I care for you – but you don't care for me. No more attacks on health workers!"Some health workers have been forced from their homes.After an eight-hour shift attending to suspected coronavirus patients at the hospital in the northern tourist resort of San Francisco, Melody found that the road into her home village had been blockaded.Angry residents had closed the village, Lo de Marcos, to tourists and health workers. Melody was eventually allowed in under police escort – but only to collect her belongings and leave the village."It was really painful. I was scared for my safety – and I even ended up wondering if I really was spreading the virus. Now I'm staying with colleagues from the hospital because I have nowhere else to go. It's not fair," she said.Zepeda, the chief nurse, called on Mexicans to remember the sacrifices that medical workers are making in their response to the epidemic. So far 150 health workers have contracted Covid-19 and six have died. "We beg those people who have attacked doctors and nurses to reconsider," she said. "We could end up saving your lives."
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| US university tracking virus' spread warns of layoffs, cuts Posted: 22 Apr 2020 06:10 AM PDT  Johns Hopkins University, whose researchers have been at the forefront of the global response to the new coronavirus, is expecting to cut salaries and furlough and lay off employees because of multimillion-dollar losses arising from the pandemic, its president has announced. The private university has played a globally prominent role in tracking and modeling the spread of the virus. University President Ronald Daniels wrote in a letter posted online Tuesday that the private research university in Baltimore expects to lose more than $100 million by the end of June and as much as $375 million during the coming fiscal year.
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| Home of 'person of interest' searched in Kristin Smart's 1996 disappearance Posted: 23 Apr 2020 06:42 AM PDT  Smart, 19, vanished in May 1996 while returning to her dorm at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.
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| Detroit Dems to Censure State Lawmaker Who Thanked Trump for Touting Chloroquine Posted: 23 Apr 2020 12:39 PM PDT  A Detroit, Mich., branch of the Democratic Party plans to censure state representative Karen Whitsett (D., Detroit) after she met with President Trump earlier this month and praised him for recommending the anti-viral drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for coronavirus.Whitsett contracted coronavirus in March and has since recovered. The freshman lawmaker credited hydroxychloroquine, a medication touted by Trump and other U.S. officials as a possible therapeutic for coronavirus, with saving her life."Thank you for everything that you have done," Whitsett told Trump and Vice President Mike Pence at the White House on April 14. "I did not know that saying thank you had a political line…I thought just saying thank you meant 'thank you.'"The potential benefits of hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus patients have not yet been confirmed by medical studies, however state governors including New York's Andrew Cuomo have allowed doctors to use the medication if they choose.However, Detroit's 13th Congressional District Democratic Party plans to censure Whitsett and withhold any future endorsements of the lawmaker for breaking protocol by meeting the president. Whitsett also has a history of statements and actions that have bucked the party apparatus, sometimes making negative statements about the party and Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer."At the end of the day, we have political systems," 13th District chairman Jonathan Kinloch said. "We have political parties, and political parties exist for a reason…[representatives] belong to the members and precinct delegates of the Democratic Party."The 13th District summoned Whitsett for a screening of possible State House candidates in the district on Sunday, but Whitsett refused to attend."I don't have time for politics," Whitsett said. "That's ridiculous, during a pandemic, that they think I have time for a screening…I have people that need me." The lawmaker said she has been handing out food and cleaning supplies to people in her district since her recovery.
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| Marines' Top General Opens Up About Decision to Ban Confederate Flag Displays Posted: 23 Apr 2020 10:49 AM PDT  Commandant Gen. David Berger issued a letter to explain his reasons for banning public displays of Confederate paraphernalia.
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| California had its deadliest day Wednesday, even as COVID-19 cases start to stabilize Posted: 23 Apr 2020 02:54 PM PDT  The governor also announced new programs to help Californians with the financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 crisis.
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