| Trump plan 'historic', peace deals crucial: Israel foreign minister Posted: 18 May 2020 10:50 AM PDT  Israel's new foreign minister said Monday that US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace proposal offered an "historic opportunity" but that regional peace deals must be maintained during its implementation. Gabi Ashkenazi, who became the Jewish state's top diplomat when a new unity government was sworn in on Sunday, made the comments at a transition ceremony in Jerusalem. "The plan will be promoted responsibly and in coordination with the United States, while maintaining peace agreements and the strategic interests of Israel," Ashkenazi said according to a copy of his remarks seen by AFP.
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| FBI: US naval base attack 'motivated by al-Qaeda' Posted: 18 May 2020 06:08 PM PDT  The Saudi Air Force officer who killed three Americans in Florida spoke to the terror group in Yemen.
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| U.S. Supreme Court heaps more damages on Sudan in embassy bombing cases Posted: 18 May 2020 07:21 AM PDT  The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a legal setback to Sudan on Monday, ruling that the African nation cannot avoid punitive damages in lawsuits accusing it of complicity in the 1998 al Qaeda bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people. Siding with hundreds of people hurt and relatives of people killed in the bombings, the justices ruled 8-0 to throw out a lower court's 2017 decision that had freed Sudan from punitive damages awarded in the litigation in addition to about $6 billion in compensatory damages. Justice Brett Kavanaugh did not participate in the case.
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| Health secretary: No spike in coronavirus in places reopening Posted: 17 May 2020 10:43 AM PDT  Authorities are not seeing spikes in coronavirus cases in places that are reopening but are seeing increases in some areas that remain closed, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said on Sunday.
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| 31 Best Low-Light Indoor Plants and How to Care for Them Posted: 18 May 2020 07:50 AM PDT |
| Fired scientist Rick Bright says the US coronavirus response has been 'chaotic' and lacks a clear strategy Posted: 17 May 2020 10:09 PM PDT  "I am frustrated at a lack of leadership," Bright told "60 Minutes, adding that the US does not yet have a national strategy to respond to COVID-19.
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| In Michael Flynn case, Judge Sullivan's gross overreach turns justice into mob rule Posted: 18 May 2020 02:28 PM PDT  The case against Micheal Flynn is abusive and should be dismissed, as the Justice Department requests. But Judge Emmet Sullivan has other ideas.
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| 5 Iran tankers sailing to Venezuela amid US pressure tactics Posted: 17 May 2020 10:14 AM PDT  Five Iranian tankers likely carrying at least $45.5 million worth of gasoline and similar products are now sailing to Venezuela, part of a wider deal between the two U.S.-sanctioned nations amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington. The tankers' voyage came after Venezuela's socialist leader Nicolás Maduro already turned to Iran for help in flying in chemicals needed at an aging refinery amid a gasoline shortage, a symptom of the wider economic and political chaos gripping Latin America's one-time largest oil producer. For Iran, the tankers represent a way to bring money into its cash-starved Shiite theocracy and put its own pressure on the U.S., which under President Donald Trump has pursued maximalist campaigns against both nations.
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| Thousands of French schools reopened. A coronavirus resurgence shut some of them down again. Posted: 18 May 2020 10:33 AM PDT  What's happening in France's schools is calling into question whether kids can return just yet.About 40,000 preschools and primary schools in parts of France hit less hard by COVID-19 reopened last week, while another 150,000 junior high students return to class on Monday. But while class sizes were capped at 15 students and only about a third of the country's students went back, some schools saw a "worrying" flareup of new coronavirus cases and had to quickly shut down again, The Associated Press reports.A total of 70 new COVID-19 cases linked to schools were reported since they'd reopened, French Education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer said Monday. Affected schools, including seven in northern France, were quickly closed again. The coronavirus' incubation period can be upwards of two weeks, so those 70 people were probably infected before they went back to school, Blanquer said.Blanquer didn't say whether those infected were students or teachers. Some people — President Trump included — have suggested opening up schools would be less problematic than other businesses because young people generally haven't gotten as sick from COVID-19. But children's potential to spread coronavirus, as shown in France, coupled with the inflammatory Kawasaki disease spreading among young people and thought to be connected to COVID-19, call into question whether that's safe and possible. Read more at The Associated Press.More stories from theweek.com Trump is hemorrhaging older voters, polls show J.C. Penney to close 242 stores McConnell chooses Rubio to lead Senate Intelligence Committee amid Burr investigation
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| Xi defends China's virus response, offers vaccine when ready Posted: 18 May 2020 06:58 AM PDT  Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday Beijing has been "transparent" throughout the coronavirus crisis, and offered to share a vaccine as soon as one was available -- as well as $2 billion in aid. Governments including the US and Australia have called in recent weeks for an investigation into the origins of the virus, which has become a flashpoint in deteriorating tensions between Washington and Beijing. Both US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have accused China of a lack of transparency over the issue, and repeatedly pushed the theory that the virus leaked from a Chinese maximum-security laboratory.
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| Fox News Host Warns Viewers After Trump Says He’s Taking Hydroxychloroquine: ‘This. Will. Kill. You.’ Posted: 18 May 2020 02:51 PM PDT  Moments after President Donald Trump shockingly declared that he has been taking the controversial anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as preventive treatment for the coronavirus, Fox News host Neil Cavuto warned viewers that the drug could literally kill them."All right, that was stunning," Cavuto gasped after Trump's remarks concluded. "The President of the United States just acknowledged that he's taking hydroxychloroquine, a drug that is really meant to treat malaria and lupus. The president insisted that it has enormous benefits for patients either trying to prevent or already have COVID-19."The veteran Fox News anchor went on to note that while the president in the past has said "what have you got to lose" regarding taking the drug, several recent studies showed that vulnerable people do "have one thing to lose—their lives."Cavuto highlighted the results from clinical trials and extensive studies that revealed no noticeable efficacy in treating COVID-19, including a recent government-funded Veterans Affairs study that found more deaths associated with coronavirus patients who took the drug as a treatment."The VA study to which the president alluded wasn't a loaded political one, it was a test on patients there," Cavuto declared. "And those who took it in a vulnerable population including those with respiratory and other conditions, they died.""I want to stress again, If you are taking this as a preventative treatment to ward off the virus or in a worst-case scenario, you are dealing with the virus, and you are in this vulnerable population, it will kill you," the Fox host strongly stated. "I cannot stress that enough. This. Will. Kill. You."After pointing out that the Food and Drug Administration has warned against the use of the drug due to serious side effects such as "serious heart rhythm problems in patients with COVID-19," Cavuto brought on a doctor to discuss Trump's announcement, who said he was "very surprised" by Trump's revelation."As far as our treatment of COVID-19 patients, whether you are slightly ill or very ill, we have seen no effect whatsoever with this drug," St. Joseph University Hospital Chairman Dr. Bob Lahita said, expressing additional concerns about the potential for fatal arrhythmia.While Cavuto was issuing a dire warning to Fox News viewers about the drug, Fox News host Laura Ingraham has continued to promote the drug as a potential "game-changer" nightly, even as her other colleagues quietly stopped touting hydroxychloroquine in late April after several studies laid doubt as to its efficacy.Fox News Host Hits Trump for Attacking Chris Wallace: You're 'Not Entitled to Praise'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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| Burkina Faso unveils 'corrected' Thomas Sankara statue Posted: 18 May 2020 05:02 AM PDT  A new monument to the African nationalist hero is unveiled after parts of the original "melted".
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| The shortest flight route in the US is now a 29-mile American Airlines trip connecting two of Colorado's most wealthy resort towns Posted: 18 May 2020 10:15 AM PDT  American Airlines' 35-minute flight, spurred by funding conditions in the CARES Act, connects super-wealthy Colorado enclaves Vail and Aspen.
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| Marianne Williamson endorses Nancy Pelosi’s left-wing opponent Posted: 18 May 2020 06:26 AM PDT  Former Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson has endorsed Nancy Pelosi's congressional rival in this year's elections, arguing that the speaker of the House deserves a strong challenge from the left as the Democratic Party becomes estranged from progressive ideals.In a video posted on Instagram, Ms Williamson made clear that she respects Ms Pelosi's achievements, which she said "have really paved the way in profound ways for women such as myself" – but that she has become "very, very concerned with the corporatist direction of the party".
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| Australia welcomes virus inquiry but condemns China tariff Posted: 17 May 2020 11:59 PM PDT  Australia on Tuesday welcomed international support for an independent coronavirus pandemic investigation as China ratcheted up a bilateral trade rift by placing tariffs on Australian barley. The World Health Organization bowed to calls Monday from most of its member states to launch an independent probe into how it managed the international response to the coronavirus. The "comprehensive evaluation," sought by a coalition of African, European and other countries including Australia, is intended to review "lessons learned" from WHO's coordination of the global response to COVID-19, but would stop short of looking into contentious issues such as the origins of the respiratory virus.
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| Barr says FBI discovered 'significant ties' between Pensacola shooter and Al Qaeda Posted: 18 May 2020 09:04 AM PDT  Department of Justice officials announced Monday the FBI has obtained evidence linking the gunman who shot and killed three people and wounded eight at Pensacola, Florida's Naval Air Station last year to Al Qaeda.CNN and The New York Times on Monday reported that investigators discovered ties between the Pensacola shooting suspect, Mohammed Alshamrani, and Al Qaeda after breaking through his iPhones' encryption, and Attorney General William Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray subsequently confirmed the development in a news conference."The phones contained information previously unknown to us that definitively establishes Alshamrani's significant ties to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, not only before the attack, but before he even arrived in the United States," Barr said.The Department of Justice in January called the Pensacola shooting an "act of terrorism," saying that Alshamrani, a Royal Saudi Air Force member, was motivated by "jihadist ideology." On Monday, Wray said Alshamrani had been "connecting and associating with a number of dangerous" Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives and talked with AQAP in the months prior to the attack. Wray also called the shooting the "brutal culmination of years of planning and preparation by a longtime AQAP associate."The Justice Department previously asked Apple for help in decrypting the shooter's two iPhones, but Wray on Monday said that the FBI received "effectively no help from Apple" and that "unfortunately, the technique that we developed" to access the phones "is not a fix for our broader Apple problem" because of its "pretty limited application."More stories from theweek.com Trump is hemorrhaging older voters, polls show J.C. Penney to close 242 stores McConnell chooses Rubio to lead Senate Intelligence Committee amid Burr investigation
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| Huawei says 'survival' at stake after US chip restrictions Posted: 18 May 2020 03:32 AM PDT  Huawei on Monday assailed the latest US move to cut it off from semiconductor suppliers as a "pernicious" attack that will put the Chinese technology giant in "survival" mode and sow chaos in the global technology sector. The Commerce Department said on Friday it was tightening sanctions on Huawei -- seen by Washington as a security risk -- to include denying it access to semiconductor designs developed using US software and technology. "The decision was arbitrary and pernicious and threatens to undermine the entire (technology) industry worldwide," Huawei said in a statement.
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| Iran Warns U.S. Against Making Any Move Against Its Tankers Heading to Venezuela Posted: 18 May 2020 03:19 AM PDT  Iran's foreign ministry spokesman on Monday warned that the Islamic Republic will react if the United States government makes any move against its tankers heading to Venezuela.
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| Taiwan says it did not receive WHO meeting invite, issue off the table for now Posted: 17 May 2020 11:48 PM PDT  Despite strong efforts Taiwan did not get invited to this week's meeting of a key World Health Organization (WHO) body due to Chinese pressure, its foreign minister said on Monday, adding they had agreed to put the issue off until later this year. The decision drew prompt condemnation from the United States, which has been blaming China for covering up the early days of coronavirus outbreak and for refusing to share data about the virus with the rest of the world. Non-WHO member Taiwan had been lobbying to take part in a meeting later on Monday of WHO's decision-making body, the World Health Assembly, saying that to lock it out was to create a gap in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
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| Chinese vaccine would be ‘global public good,’ Xi says Posted: 18 May 2020 08:52 AM PDT |
| 'I cannot stress this enough, this will kill you': Fox News host Neil Cavuto was shocked by Trump's announcement that he's taking hydroxychloroquine to prevent coronavirus. Posted: 18 May 2020 02:21 PM PDT  "I only make this not to make a political point here, but a life-and-death point," Cavuto said. "Be very, very careful."
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| Jet doing flyover to salute frontline workers crashes, killing 1 Posted: 18 May 2020 03:00 PM PDT  Another person was seriously injured in the wreck, the Royal Canadian Air Force said.
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| Setback for Libya's Khalifa Haftar as Tripoli government captures strategic airbase Posted: 18 May 2020 08:14 AM PDT  Libya's internationally recognised government claimed a significant symbolic victory on Monday as its forces captured a strategic air-base from General Khalifa Khaftar's Libyan National Army. Osama Juweili, a senior commander with the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, said troops entered Watiya airbase, 80 miles southwest of the capital, early on Monday morning. GNA media posted pictures of what it said was a Russian-made Pantsir air defence system captured at the base. There was no immediate confirmation from the LNA, although a spokesman earlier said it had evacuated troops from the base after it came under intense bombardment. Watiya was a key foothold for Gen Haftar's forces, which are backed by the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Russia, in western Libya. Its fall marks his biggest setback since he sparked the current round of Libya's civil war by launching an assault on Tripoli in April 2019. It is the latest of a series of gains for the GNA since Turkey openly began supplying weapons and personnel to Tripoli at the beginning of the year. Turkish supplied drones pounded Watiya for weeks ahead of Monday's assault. Violence in Libya has escalated despite international pressure on both sides to pause the fighting to allow the country's doctors to deal with the Covid-19 epidemic. Libya has reported at least 65 cases of the virus, including three deaths. At least seven people were killed a university campus being used to house families displaced by fighting in Tripoli came under artillery fire on the weekend. Fayez Serraj, the GNA Prime Minister, said in a statement that the "victory does not constitute the end of the battle but brings us closer than any time before to the bigger victory, the liberation of all towns and regions and bases."
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| Iran stock market booms, but analysts fear a growing bubble Posted: 16 May 2020 10:22 PM PDT  Even as U.S. sanctions, unemployment, inflation and low oil prices batter the Iranian economy, there seems to be at least one refuge for investors. The Tehran Stock Exchange has seen gains of 225% in the last year, with sharp increases even as the country struggled with one of the first serious coronavirus outbreaks outside of China. Encouraged by a government eager to privatize state-owned firms, average people now have access to the market and can trade shares, earning returns they'd never see in a savings account or a certificate of deposit.
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| 70 cases of COVID-19 at French schools days after reopening Posted: 18 May 2020 12:14 PM PDT  The affected schools are being closed immediately.
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| Israel court convicts settler of Palestinian arson murders Posted: 18 May 2020 08:14 AM PDT  An Israeli court Monday found a Jewish settler guilty of three murders in an arson attack that killed a Palestinian toddler and his parents -- a verdict that did little to ease the bereaved family's pain. Amiram Ben-Uliel, 25, from the West Bank settlement of Shilo, was also convicted of two counts each of attempted murder and arson, along with conspiracy to commit a hate crime in the 2015 attack. Hours after the verdict, the Palestinian family devastated by the attack told AFP that justice was incomplete, having long insisted that there were several attackers.
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| Elizabeth Warren says her brother's death from coronavirus 'feels like something that didn't have to happen' Posted: 17 May 2020 08:13 AM PDT  Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) reflected on the death of her oldest brother, Donald Reed Herring, from the coronavirus in an interview excerpt published by The Atlantic.Herring, who was 86, died earlier this year after contracting COVID-19, which has killed nearly 89,000 people in the United States since February.Warren has been open about the affect her brother's death has had on her, placing a particular emphasis on the fact that she and her other siblings weren't able to be by his side — as is the case with so many people who have lost loved ones around the world — because of the infectious nature of the virus. "It's hard to process things things like this because everything is happening at a distance," she told The Atlantic. "And human beings — we're not set up for that. We're wired to be with each other."The senator also said her brother's death, which she said occurred after it seemed like he "rallied" and might come home soon, "just feels like something that didn't have to happen." Read the full excerpt at The Atlantic.More stories from theweek.com Trump is hemorrhaging older voters, polls show J.C. Penney to close 242 stores McConnell chooses Rubio to lead Senate Intelligence Committee amid Burr investigation
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| U.S. savages WHO as it promises pandemic review, but China pledges $2 billion Posted: 18 May 2020 01:56 AM PDT  The World Health Organization said on Monday an independent review of the global coronavirus response would begin as soon as possible and it received backing and a hefty pledge of funds from China, in the spotlight as the origin of the pandemic. Trump said later in Washington that the WHO, which he called a "puppet of China", had "done a very sad job" in its handling of the coronavirus and he would make a decision about U.S. funding to the body soon.
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| How greater diversity in the cockpit could help airlines avoid a looming pilot shortage Posted: 18 May 2020 05:15 AM PDT  Before the new coronavirus hit, the airline industry was bracing for a severe pilot shortage. But just as the pandemic has forced school closures across the country, it's also disrupting aviation training programs, which could mean even fewer pilots are trained to fly tomorrow's fleet of commercial aircraft.There are many reasons for the anticipated shortage, including increased regulation, growing demand for air travel and an aging workforce, coupled with a mandatory retirement age of 65. But there's one cause that also offers a solution: The industry has long struggled to recruit women, people of color and members of other marginalized groups.As a scholar of aviation education and policy, I believe a stronger focus on attracting a diverse workforce and embracing a more inclusive culture is pivotal to ensuring there are enough pilots as Americans return to the skies in record numbers after this crisis passes. Lack of diversityUpon entering the field of aviation in 2014, it took me about a year on the job before I fully grasped that I was, more often than not, the only woman in the room – and frequently the youngest to boot.Eventually, I had the opportunity to critically examine the systemic problems that have led to a lack of diversity in both the academic aviation world and the broader industry it reflects. I found that women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ community were significantly underrepresented, yet their mere presence was often used to symbolize progress in diversifying the industry. And little has changed.A review of the latest Civil Airmen Statistics indicates that a little over 4% of Airline Transport Certificate holders – the required certification to fly for a major carrier – are women. No major U.S. carrier hired a female pilot until 1973. The situation is even worse for African Americans, who were not hired to pilot a commercial airplane until the 1960s. Things changed only because of a six-year battle against Continental Airlines waged by Marlon Green, who filed a discrimination complaint against the carrier. In 1963, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in his favor, paving the way for the first black pilot, David Ellsworth Harris, whom American Airlines hired in 1964. Green would follow suit at Continental in 1965.But even today there are few African American pilots. Sociologists Louwanda Evans and Joe Feagin estimate that the number in 2012 was fewer than 700 – less than 1% of all commercial pilots. Fewer than 20 were black women. Pilot shortageI believe this lack of inclusion has contributed to the looming pilot shortage the industry has worried about for several years.Every few years, Boeing releases a report forecasting the number of professionals that the aviation industry will need in the coming years, from pilots and maintenance technicians to cabin crew. In its most recent report, Boeing estimates that North America is short 212,000 pilots through 2038.One of the problems is the field's high barrier for those who lack resources and support. The cost of a flight education at a traditional four-year institution can range from US$50,000 to upwards of $100,000, in addition to rising tuition fees.Another issue is a culture that isn't very inclusive.For an ongoing research project, I've been interviewing African American women in a variety of positions in the aviation industry about the challenges pursuing a successful career in the field. I've found that the lack of mentors, access to the industry, resources and "people who look like you" have all been barriers to entry and retention in the industry. There is also a perception problem, where women are not seen as authoritative enough for positions like captain of an aircraft.In a recent CNN article, aviation writer Kathryn Creedy put part of the blame on work rules that "haven't changed in 50 years." A sexist work environment is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit against Frontier Airlines, which is accused of discriminating against pregnant and breastfeeding women. Beyond tokenismIn the various months devoted to recognizing historically marginalized groups such as women, African Americans and LBGTQ people, the aviation industry joins the chorus of group that use the calendar to highlight historic diversity firsts.For example, you'll often see articles in February showcasing the "first African American pilot" or the "first all LGBTQ flight crew." Unfortunately, those firsts did not spark a significant change that led to real diversity in the cockpit, which continues to be dominated by white men. The problem with celebrating diverse talent only during the designated month is that this approach does not require the industry to reflect on why it needs diversity and inclusion policies in the first place. In her 2013 book, "Cabin Pressure: African-American Pilots, Flight Attendants, and Emotional Labor," sociologist Louwanda Evans writes about how mere representation can't paper over entrenched discrimination. And this problem, in turn, is contributing to the looming pilot shortage. The principles of justice and equity should be enough to convince carriers to make their policies and practices more equitable and inclusive to individuals who have not typically been drawn to the industry. But if they need more convincing, the clear economic imperative should do the job. [Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation's newsletter and get a digest of academic takes on today's news, every day.]This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.Read more: * How do you stay safe now that states are reopening? An expert explains how to assess risk when reconnecting with friends and family * Coronavirus murals: inside the world of pandemic-inspired street artShannon McLoughlin Morrison is affiliated with The Ohio State University, and has volunteered for the National Gay Pilots Association and Women in Aviation
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| A report circulating in Congress, which claims that China covered up a virus leak from a Wuhan lab, has been debunked Posted: 18 May 2020 04:03 AM PDT  The Sierra Nevada Corporation claimed a "hazardous event" occurred at the Wuhan Institute of Virology last year. The theory is popular but unverified.
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| Coronavirus: Trump taking unproven drug hydroxychloroquine Posted: 18 May 2020 06:38 PM PDT  The president says hydroxychloroquine is harmless, but regulators warn it may cause heart problems.
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| US Presses Forward with Afghan Withdrawal Plan Despite Spate of Horrific Attacks Posted: 18 May 2020 05:50 AM PDT  The U.S. still plans to draw down 8,600 troops in Afghanistan by July.
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| Taiwan: Won't press for World Health Assembly participation Posted: 18 May 2020 01:07 AM PDT |
| Republican apologizes for likening Covid-19 curbs to Nazis' persecution of Jews Posted: 18 May 2020 06:00 AM PDT  Alaska state representative Ben Carpenter told to 'Keep your Holocaust jokes to yourself' after objecting to virus screeningAntisemitic and Nazi-sympathizing comments made by a Republican state representative in Alaska, who likened Covid-19 safety measures at the state capitol to the treatment of Jewish people in Nazi Germany, brought widespread rebuke and, eventually, an apology. Alaska's legislature is due to return on Monday and representatives were told by email they would be asked to undergo screening as they entered the building. Those who are screened will be given a sticker to show completion. Those who refuse will not be given a sticker. In an emailed reply to the new measures that was obtained by the Alaska Landmine, Ben Carpenter, a Republican wrote: "If my sticker falls off, do I get a new one or do I get public shaming too? Are the stickers available as a yellow Star of David?"The reply drew instant rebuke from colleagues in the house."This is disgusting. Keep your Holocaust jokes to yourself," replied Grier Hopkins, a Democrat.Carpenter initially declined to apologize and in an interview with the Anchorage Daily News made remarks that appeared to show Nazi sympathies. "Can you or I – can we even say it is totally out of the realm of possibility that Covid-19 patients will be rounded up and taken somewhere?" he said."People want to say Hitler was a white supremacist. No. He was fearful of the Jewish nation, and that drove him into some unfathomable atrocities." On Sunday, facing a national backlash, Carpenter apologized in an op-ed for a local paper."I take my responsibility as the voice of the people who elected me very seriously," he wrote. "I also hold the Jewish people in the highest regard."I do not take myself so seriously that I cannot recognize that the words I wrote, and those attributed to me, do not adequately reflect the esteem I hold for either group of people. I hope to correct that error now."
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| SARS antibodies can block COVID-19 infection: study Posted: 18 May 2020 07:47 AM PDT  An antibody from a patient who recovered from SARS has been shown to block COVID-19 infection in a laboratory setting, researchers said Monday in another potential breakthrough in the search for coronavirus treatment. Scientists based in Switzerland and the United States previously isolated the antibodies from the patient in 2003, following the SARS outbreak that killed 774 people. The researchers identified eight antibodies that could bind to both COVID-19 and the infected cells.
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| Texas reports largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases Posted: 18 May 2020 06:56 AM PDT  More than 700 cases were reported Friday in the Amarillo region, where meatpacking plants have been targeted for increased testing.
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| Moldova accuses tycoon of involvement in $1 billion fraud Posted: 18 May 2020 08:20 AM PDT  Moldova's Prosecutor General said on Monday that one of the country's richest people, Vladimir Plahotniuc, had been charged with involvement in the theft of $1 billion from Moldovan banks in 2014-2015. Plahotniuc left Moldova for the United States last year after his Democratic Party lost power in an election. The scandal triggered street protests, the International Monetary Fund and the European Union froze aid, the leu currency plunged to record lows and inflation climbed into double digits.
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| Stacey Abrams moment: She shouldn't be Biden's VP, but she's changed the game for women Posted: 18 May 2020 02:00 AM PDT  Would we cast Stacey Abrams as Biden's vice president in a Netflix series? Not without a really good agent. In this case, she's doing the job herself.
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| Police in China, Dubai, and Italy are using these surveillance helmets to scan people for COVID-19 fever as they walk past and it may be our future normal Posted: 17 May 2020 01:19 AM PDT  Temperature-scanning $7,000 helmets can catch people running a fever. But experts are skeptical about how helpful temperature scanning will really be.
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| Canada Snowbirds show jet crashes Posted: 17 May 2020 03:40 PM PDT 
A jet from the Canadian air force's Snowbirds exhibition team crashed into a residential neighborhood in the city of Kamloops northeast of Vancouver on Sunday after the pilot ejected. The air force confirmed on Twitter that one of its Snowbirds had crashed, but gave no details. Local media reported at least one house was on fire in a neighborhood in Kamloops, a city with a population of more than 90,000. The crash was the second recent accident involving the Snowbirds. One of the team's jets fell into an unpopulated area last October before a show in Atlanta, after the pilot ejected.
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| Fired State Dept. watchdog was probing whether Pompeo made staffer walk dog, pick up laundry Posted: 18 May 2020 11:25 AM PDT  Congressional officials are trying to determine whether other investigations into Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were underway.
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| Magnitude 5 quake in southwestern China kills 4, injures 23 Posted: 18 May 2020 06:34 PM PDT |
| Martin Shkreli: 'Delusional' jailed 'pharma bro' denied early release from prison to find coronavirus cure Posted: 17 May 2020 07:37 AM PDT  A judge has rejected a request by disgraced pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli to be released from prison amid the coronavirus pandemic.Shkreli, known as the "Parma Bro", is serving a seven-year sentence after being convicted in 2017 for lying to investors about the performance of two hedge funds he was running, as well as defrauding investors in a drug company.
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| First coronavirus case detected in Ecuador Amazon tribe Posted: 17 May 2020 08:13 PM PDT  The first case of the novel coronavirus has been detected in one of Ecuador's indigenous Amazon tribes, the health ministry said Sunday. Waorani organizations -- speaking through the GO Alliance for Human Rights in Ecuador (DDHH) -- warned COVID-19's spread could be "catastrophic and highly lethal" for their community, which is vulnerable to diseases. The first case reported in the Waorani tribe is a "pregnant woman, 17 years old, who began to show symptoms on May 4," the ministry said in a statement.
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| Nursing homes' "original sin" may be making virus crisis worse Posted: 18 May 2020 09:29 AM PDT  Roughly one in 15 U.S. nursing homes was cited last year for failing to meet standards for "sufficient nursing staff."
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| China's Wuhan nearly doubles number of COVID-19 tests per day Posted: 17 May 2020 05:31 AM PDT  The city of Wuhan, where the new coronavirus outbreak originated in China, conducted 222,675 nucleic acid tests on May 16, the local health authority said on Sunday, nearly doubling from a day earlier. Wuhan kicked off a campaign on May 14 to look for asymptomatic carriers - people who are infected but show no outward sign of illness - after confirming last weekend its first cluster of COVID-19 infections since its release from a virtual lockdown on April 8. The number of tests carried out on May 16 in the city of 11 million residents was more than the 186,400 tests conducted on May 14-15, and was also the highest since the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission started publishing the data on Feb. 21.
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| Police say man attacked married couple with machete because he was angry over coronavirus shutdowns Posted: 18 May 2020 12:39 PM PDT  Kelvin Edwards is charged with two counts of attempted murder after police say he attacked fellow customers at a storage facility.
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