| Mitch McConnell could yet pay price for 'tone deaf' coronavirus response Posted: 04 May 2020 12:00 AM PDT  The Senate majority leader oversaw a huge handout to big business and drew bipartisan ire for suggesting struggling states should go bankrupt * Coronavirus – latest US updates * Coronavirus – latest global updates * See all our coronavirus coverageIt was, New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo observed, "one of the really dumb ideas of all time". Larry Hogan, his counterpart in Maryland, called it "complete nonsense". Congressman Pete King of New York said it was the work of the "Marie Antoinette of the Senate".It would be an understatement to say Mitch McConnell's suggestion that state and local governments should declare bankruptcy rather than seek more federal funding went down like a lead balloon. It was a rare instance of the Senate majority leader overplaying his hand.It also showed that Donald Trump is not the only figure embodying liberal nightmares in the time of coronavirus. When historians contemplate a death toll in the tens of thousands and an economy fallen off a cliff, they will pay close attention to the president's most important ally."I think Mitch McConnell is the guy to be watching and focusing on in terms of what's going on," said Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota. "His messaging around the coronavirus has been tone deaf."It's not just the fact that McConnell was remarkably brutal in pairing Americans into red and blue states at a time of national crisis – that is pretty shameless – but I think it was also politically inept because he's got his colleagues in tough races in blue states."McConnell's role in the pandemic drama has been criticised. On 12 March, just before Trump declared a national emergency, the senator flew back to Kentucky for a celebration for Justin Walker, a young rightwing judge nominated to America's second highest court. The ill-timed absence was noted. "WheresMitch?" trended on Twitter.With the economy in a tailspin, Senate Republicans came up with emergency funding. But it was skewed in favour of corporate executives and shareholders. Democrats refused it. A New York Times editorial was headlined: "The Coronavirus Bailout Stalled. And It's Mitch McConnell's Fault."Democrats forced concessions in a record $2.2tn bill that increased support to workers and reduced handouts to business, though these still amounted to what critics called a $500bn "corporate slush fund".Trump was earning global opprobrium for his bungling of the pandemic, but it was apparently too late for McConnell to untether himself from the president, even if he so desired. Instead, he blamed Democrats for impeaching Trump."[The coronavirus] came up while we were tied down in the impeachment trial," McConnell told the conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. "And I think it diverted the attention of the government because everything every day was all about impeachment."Opponents saw that as a feeble attempt to excuse the inexcusable.Moe Vela, a former senior adviser to Joe Biden, said: "Almost any good Mitch McConnell did by cooperating and collaborating on the legislative side is undone by his enabling of the president at a time when he could have been a real leader and called out the president on his lack of responsiveness and leadership."It's disappointing because he had the chance to redeem himself from all the negative and enabling and divisiveness of the past several years as the majority leader and he didn't take it.Vela, a board director of TransparentBusiness, added: "Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump are battling for who is the greatest hypocrite in our nation – it's like they're competing for the hypocrisy trophy. It's not about unity, it's not about bringing the American people together at a time of crisis. For McConnell and Trump, it's all about politics and power."Last week McConnell retreated from his much-derided position on "blue state bailouts" and bankruptcy, indicating he would consider funds in the next relief bill for state and local governments struggling to pay police and firefighters."There's no question all governors, regardless of party, would like to have more money, I'm open to discussing that," he said on Fox News Radio.But he sailed into fresh controversy by insisting that senators, unlike their counterparts in the House, return to work on Monday. Washington DC remains a virus hotspot. At least one senator, eight Capitol police officers and 11 workers have tested positive. Democrat Chris Van Hollen of Maryland warned that "without effective safeguards in place, Mitch McConnell is endangering the lives of the staff".Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, condemned McConnell for priorities that include confirming Walker and demanded oversight hearings into the White House's "dreadful response to this public health crisis".Schumer said: "The American people are demanding answers and solutions – Senator McConnell ought to focus the Senate's work on the crises caused by Covid-19, not rightwing judges or fulfilling his 'pre-existing partisan wishlist' of protecting big business from any harm done to the American people."Another confrontation is looming, over the next stimulus package. McConnell is insisting on protections for businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits as states reopen. Democrats warn workers' health could be jeopardised.Public Citizen, a corporate and government watchdog, tweeted: "McConnell is now refusing to pass ANY stimulus bill that doesn't include TOTAL LEGAL IMMUNITY for corporations that get people sick [with] the coronavirus. It's abhorrent. It's also totally impractical. How can we reopen the economy if companies have no incentive to keep us safe?"Trump and McConnell appear bound together. Should the president lose in November, he could bring down Senate Republicans – perhaps even McConnell in Kentucky. Challenger Amy McGrath, a fighter pilot, outraised McConnell in the first three months of this year.Defeat would be an ignominious end to a divisive career. Kurt Bardella, a former senior adviser for the House oversight committee, said: "History will not look back on Mitch McConnell kindly. He has been the most effective enabler of Donald Trump."Everything Trump has inflicted on the American people has been done with the blessing of McConnell. Through this entire coronavirus pandemic, McConnell has displayed he is a soulless person who is willing to let people suffer so he can continue to wield power."
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| A New York City police officer was filmed punching a bystander during arrests while enforcing social distancing measures Posted: 04 May 2020 10:03 AM PDT  An NYPD officer identified as Francisco Garcia was filmed violently punching a man named Donni Wright on Saturday.
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| Instead of bidding against each other, New York and six other states are pooling their purchasing power to buy ventilators, protective gear, and coronavirus tests Posted: 03 May 2020 10:56 AM PDT  New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island will work together to buy supplies "at a better price."
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| Ministers 'fully aware' China was covering up extent of coronavirus outbreak in early weeks of crisis Posted: 03 May 2020 09:33 AM PDT  Ministers were made "fully aware" by intelligence agencies that China had covered up the true scale of the coronavirus outbreak, it was claimed on Sunday night, raising questions over Britain's decision to delay the lockdown. The UK Government was told "not to believe Beijing's claims" from the outset and to treat information coming out of China with scepticism, The Telegraph understands. A senior former MI6 official said the intelligence agencies knew what was "really happening" in China and passed that information to ministers. Doubts are also being expressed over China's insistence that the outbreak began in a so-called "wet market" in Wuhan, where live animals were being sold. The spotlight is being turned on the nearby Wuhan Institute of Virology amid claims that lax biosecurity may have allowed the disease, being examined in the lab, to somehow escape. A Chinese television news report dating from two years ago shows scientists in the institute's "emerging viruses group" wearing only lab coats and latex gloves but no other form of protective personal equipment. The latest studies suggest the true number of people infected in China in the first wave, dating back to mid-February, was close to a quarter of a million – four times higher than the official figure. China has also since revised its death toll up by 50 per cent. Downing Street continued to use China's official figures in comparative graphs on the scale of the outbreak until just over a week ago, but then dropped the country from the charts over concerns about the accuracy of the data.
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| Germany starts to reopen, but arguments rage over pace Posted: 04 May 2020 05:01 AM PDT  Germany took a further step on the long road back to post-coronavirus normality on Monday, with museums and hairdressers reopening under strict conditions, churches opening their doors for worshippers, and more car factories resuming work. Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that reopening too swiftly risks triggering a second wave of infections, but many regions are already going alone. The reopening of some border crossings with France, which has scrapped quarantine requirements for EU citizens, lent further impetus to calls for accelerated reopening.
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| The Chinese government is worried global anti-China sentiment is at its highest since Tiananmen Square Posted: 04 May 2020 02:33 PM PDT  The mounting global backlash against China stemming from the country's handling the early days of the coronavirus pandemic has apparently registered with Beijing's political leaders, Reuters reports.An internal report drawn up by the China Institutes of Contemporary International found that anti-China sentiment around the world is at its highest point since 1989 following the Tiananmen Square student demonstrations, which Beijing cracked down on by declaring martial law and sending the military to occupy parts of the capital.The think tank's research was reportedly presented in early April to top Chinese Communist Party officials, including President Xi Jinping. Reuters' report is based off sources who have direct knowledge of the findings, though the news outlet has not seen the briefing itself. If reports of its contents are accurate, it would at least confirm Beijing is taking the backlash seriously, though Reuters notes it's unclear if those concerns will ultimately influence policy.The paper reportedly concluded the rising anti-China sentiment is in part a result of American efforts to undermine public confidence in Beijing amid the crisis. Relations between the two super powers are fragile at the moment, and the White House has been ramping up its criticism of China's coronavirus response, accusing the CCP of covering up information about the virus' severity and origin. Read more at Reuters.More stories from theweek.com How George W. Bush exposed Trump's biggest failure Trump was the disaster we should have seen coming Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is what real coronavirus leadership looks like
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| Nigerians cautious as coronavirus lockdown eased Posted: 04 May 2020 03:57 AM PDT  Businesses in key areas reopen but some are reluctant to return to work over health fears.
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| The Best Outdoor Patio Furniture for Every Budget Posted: 04 May 2020 03:04 PM PDT |
| Netanyahu lashes out at top court, threatens new elections Posted: 04 May 2020 12:23 AM PDT  Israel's prime minister urged the country's Supreme Court on Monday not to interfere in his efforts to build a coalition government, threatening that a decision against him could drag the country toward an unprecedented fourth straight election in just over a year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made his comments shortly after the court heard a second day of arguments in a series of legal challenges to the coalition deal. The court's rulings, expected by the end of the week, will dictate whether Israel breaks out of its prolonged political paralysis with Netanyahu and his former political rival Benny Gantz joining forces in government, or whether the country is plunged into another election.
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| Some in Tennessee could be without power for weeks after strong storms hit Posted: 04 May 2020 11:30 AM PDT  Nashville Electric said in a statement that some people could be without power for a week or two, as challenges related to coronavirus complicated crews' responses and more storms were expected.
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| A New York City landlord made a viral TikTok about taking her tenant's packages 'until they pay up' in rent Posted: 04 May 2020 12:26 PM PDT  The landlord said the video was a joke, but told Buzzfeed, "I wished I could do this to them because they were blatantly ignoring me."
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| Ten times more people may be immune to coronavirus in Germany than predicted Posted: 04 May 2020 08:55 AM PDT  Ten times more people than previously thought may have already acquired immunity to the coronavirus, according to a groundbreaking study in Germany. Scientists from the University of Bonn on Monday claimed their findings show that 1.8m people across Germany have already been infected with the virus. That is more than ten times as many as have tested positive so far, and would mean more than 1.6m may have been infected and recovered without knowing it. The findings are based on the first comprehensive study of the effects of the virus on a single community in Gangelt, the town at the epicentre of Germany's first major outbreak. As reported by the Telegraph, the study's initial findings last month suggested the fatality rate in Gangelt was much lower than previously thought, at just 0.37 per cent. The study's authors now believe this is the general fatality rate for the virus and that it can be used to extrapolate the total number of undetected infections from the death toll. "Because our research allows us to determine exactly how many individuals are infected, we can also determine the percentage of deaths among all those infected with great accuracy," Prof Hendrik Streeck, the study's leader, said as he announced the study's final findings on Monday. "The infection fatality rate is a property of the virus. It can to a degree be applied to all of Germany — corrected for demography, of course."
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| Police clash with migrant workers as India eases coronavirus curbs Posted: 04 May 2020 03:18 AM PDT |
| Justice Clarence Thomas was unusually chatty during the Supreme Court's historic livestream Posted: 04 May 2020 08:47 AM PDT  The Supreme Court's Monday arguments were out of the ordinary in more ways than one.Monday marked the first time the court had broadcast oral arguments live in its history. Justices and the lawyers for the case U.S. Patent and Trademark Office v. Booking.com dialed in to a conference line to debate whether Booking.com could trademark its name, some with more success than others.Justice Sonia Sotomayor had a brief bit of difficulty when Chief Justice John Roberts asked her to chime in with questions, seemingly forgetting to unmute herself before speaking.> Justice Sotomayor seemed to have had the call on mute. CJ Roberts: "Justice Sotomayor.....Justice Sotomayor?" After a pause, Sotomayor: "I'm sorry, chief." SCOTUS> > -- Josh "Wash Your Elbows" Gerstein (@joshgerstein) May 4, 2020Justice Stephen Breyer spoke right away when called on, but had a shoddy connection that made the first few seconds of his questioning unintelligible. But Justice Clarence Thomas had no trouble asking questions comparing Booking.com to a custom 1-800 nummber -- a fact made especially unusual given that he's famous for rarely speaking during arguments. It's been at least a year since Thomas asked a question during arguments, and before that, it had been three years since his voice was heard. > Justice Clarence Thomas asks a rare question during oral argument in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office v. https://t.co/bQ3pNASud2 B.V. oral argument.> > LISTEN to complete oral argument here: https://t.co/QSEIezBQKB SCOTUS pic.twitter.com/N9n3FO4hzB> > -- CSPAN (@cspan) May 4, 2020More stories from theweek.com How George W. Bush exposed Trump's biggest failure Trump was the disaster we should have seen coming Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is what real coronavirus leadership looks like
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| Off-duty Los Angeles police officer arrested, charged with attempted murder after camping trip shooting Posted: 03 May 2020 05:19 PM PDT |
| Trump news: White House pushes back on projection of 100,000 coronavirus deaths as president promotes murder conspiracy theory Posted: 04 May 2020 06:37 AM PDT  The White House has pushed back on a Trump administration projection from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention that would see the daily death toll increase to 3,000 per day by 1 June.The latest projection, first obtained by The New York Times, was confirmed as authentic, but the White House has denied the veracity of the report despite the CDC's role in its drafting.
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| The US Navy sent surface ships deep into the Arctic, and close to Russia, for the first time in over 30 years Posted: 04 May 2020 04:09 AM PDT  The Barents Sea is above northwest Russia, and the US-British operation there comes amid heightened tensions between NATO and Moscow.
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| A mother and daughter shared a hospital room, fighting coronavirus until the end Posted: 03 May 2020 02:00 AM PDT  A woman faces the "bittersweet blessing" of being hospitalized with their mother when they both fell ill with COVID-19.
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| Coronavirus: 'Missing link' species may never be found Posted: 04 May 2020 06:18 AM PDT  The "intermediate host" animal that passed the coronavirus from bats to humans may never be found, say scientists.
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| False bomb threat temporarily closes Anchorage airport to arrivals Posted: 02 May 2020 06:00 PM PDT |
| Former FDA commissioner says coronavirus antibody tests are returning tons of false positives Posted: 04 May 2020 07:14 AM PDT  Former Food and Drug Administration Scott Gottlieb said Monday that if he took a coronavirus antibody test to see if he had built up any protection against the virus, he'd receive his result and then take the test again two more times.Gottlieb, during an appearance on CNBC's Squawk Box, said people shouldn't "put any stock" in a single antibody result, because the current tests on the market are churning out a high rate of false positives, which could lead people who don't have immunity to think they're safe. If those people repeat the tests, though, their chances of getting an accurate result increase.> "I wouldn't put any stock in any single result," says @ScottGottliebMD on anti-body testing for COVID19. "Quite frankly if it was me I'd repeat it three times." pic.twitter.com/w429b3PEUg> > — Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) May 4, 2020Antibody tests aren't useless from Gottlieb's perspective, though. He believes they can help paint a clearer picture of the scale of the pandemic — that is, while they may not help dictate what an individual should do going forward, they can help scientists and doctors understand the larger trend. Gottlieb has said he believes the number of coronavirus cases in the United States is likely 10 to 20 times higher than what's been recorded, and that would likely include folks who have already recovered.He also said he's fairly confident antibodies do point to some immunity, meaning it's unlikely people would get re-infected, or, if they do, they probably would experience a mild case since the body is more experienced at fighting the virus. The question, of course, is how long that immunity lasts.More stories from theweek.com How George W. Bush exposed Trump's biggest failure Trump was the disaster we should have seen coming Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is what real coronavirus leadership looks like
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| Trump makes false statement, claims Biden offered him an apology Posted: 04 May 2020 03:45 AM PDT  President Trump falsely stated on Sunday that Joe Biden apologized for calling him xenophobic after he issued travel restrictions on China.
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| Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas asks rare questions during first telephone argument Posted: 04 May 2020 10:43 AM PDT  Clarence Thomas hasn't asked a question in Supreme Court arguments in over a year. Before that, his stretch of silence was three years.
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| Police: Woman wanted to get close to alligator before attack Posted: 04 May 2020 11:26 AM PDT |
| California eases Covid-19 restrictions, allowing some businesses to reopen Posted: 04 May 2020 04:48 PM PDT  Shops selling anything that a customer can purchase through curbside pickup will be able operate again, with modifications * Coronavirus – latest US updates * Coronavirus – latest global updates * See all our coronavirus coverageSome California retailers will be allowed to reopen their businesses starting on Friday, the state's governor, Gavin Newsom, said Monday.More than six weeks after the California governor issued a statewide stay-at-home order, shops selling books, clothing, sporting goods, flowers or anything else that a customer can purchase through curbside pickup will be able to open and operate again, if they implement certain modifications."We are entering into the next phase this week," Newsom said. "End of the week, with modifications, we will allow retail to start operating across the spectrum.""This is a very positive sign and it has only happened for one reason: the data says it can happen," he added.The easing in restrictions came after groups of protesters had gathered across the state in defiance of the lockdown last week. Demonstrations took place from the capital of Sacramento to San Francisco and San Diego. Large crowds turned out in Orange county's Huntington Beach, a recent flashpoint after the governor had ordered beaches there to close over the weekend.Newsom acknowledged that some California regions still will require stricter guidelines than the state guidelines in the weeks to come.The six Bay Area counties that led the charge in becoming the first to issue a stay-at-home order in the nation, for example, have experienced a much higher rate of infection than more rural areas of the state. Los Angeles has seen more than 26,000 cases.Last week, rural Yuba and Sutter counties, located north of Sacramento, issued a measure that defied the state's order and reopened businesses starting Monday. Modoc county, located on the Nevada border, was the first to begin pushing for a reopening. "Our rural lifestyle and the fact that many of our residents have been abiding by the guidelines has kept us at zero," said Tex Dowdy, the Modoc county sheriff, in a statement. "We are the perfect choice to pilot a reopening in the state."As of Monday, California was reporting 53,616 positive cases and 2,215 deaths. Newsom has been adamant that any modification to the stay-at-home order be based on science and the state meeting certain criteria such as having a capacity to meet a surge in healthcare, having enough personal protective equipment and having testing and trace contacting capacity.Newsom's announcement follows statewide demonstrations against the lockdown order. Nearly 3,000 protested at Huntington Beach in southern California after Newsom closed the beaches in Orange county following a weekend heatwave that packed the coastline.Thousands more still flocked to the beaches this past weekend, some in protest and some just for fun. In Carlsbad in San Diego county, where the red tide algae bloom is creating its annual blue bioluminescence at night, more than 1,000 people crowded along the coastline – even though the beaches were closed, said Bryan Hargett, a Carlsbad police lieutenant. Police stopped and reminded the nighttime beachgoers of the rules, and issued parking citations for those who didn't listen – around 20 to 30 total, Hargett said."We get it, we understand people probably want to get outside and enjoy the beaches and see this, but we're all trying to follow the rules and do the right thing to get us back to normal," he said.In Newport Beach, where seven miles of beaches are closed by state order, about 8,500 people still took to the shore on Saturday, and 4,500 on Sunday, said John Pope, a city spokesman. "It sounds like a big number, but it's a small fraction of what we would typically see on weekends when the beaches were still open," he said.The beachgoers came even as officials worked to abide by the governor's order, conducting sweeps during the busiest parts of the days and clearing people off the beaches, using announcements from the police helicopter, bullhorns, as well as talking directly to individuals."Some of them said they hadn't heard (about the beach closures) and in some cases, they were being deliberately defiant," Pope said. "Some said they were coming down to the beach to stage a protest."Pope said the city is "cautiously optimistic" that Newsom's announcement means there may soon be movement on the beaches. The city has filed a plan with the state on how to reopen the beaches safely, Pope said, and "we're confident we can manage the beaches effectively, maintain social distancing and minimize the public health risks".Newsom acknowledged the Orange county beach plan in his briefing on Monday, which he called an "outstanding plan" that he "enthusiastically embraced". "Those beaches will be reopened," he said."That's the spirit of the moment, the spirit of the time," Newsom said. "A sense of cooperation, recognizing the frustration that we all have and recognizing that we are all in this together and go a lot further together in that collaborative spirit."
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| Armed lockdown protestors who stormed Michigan Capitol represent ‘worst racism and awful parts’ of US history, governor says Posted: 04 May 2020 08:31 AM PDT  Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has criticised the stay-at-home protesters who stormed the state's Capitol on Thursday, saying they represent the "worst racism and awful parts" in US history.Her heated comments came when appearing on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday to discuss the coronavirus pandemic in Michigan and how some residents have responded to current stay-at-home measures.
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| Apple's much-hated butterfly keyboard may be finally gone for good Posted: 04 May 2020 07:34 AM PDT  The new 13-inch MacBook Pro is the last of Apple's notebooks to switch from the troubled butterfly keyboard to the new Magic Keyboard.
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| Uber ends Eats delivery in seven markets in strategic pullback Posted: 04 May 2020 06:43 AM PDT  Uber said Monday it would discontinue its Uber Eats restaurant delivery service in seven markets next month as part of a strategic shift for the ride-hailing service, which is struggling with a new economic landscape. Food delivery will end in the Czech Republic, Egypt, Honduras, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Uruguay by June 4, according to a regulatory filing. The changes do not affect Uber Rides operations in those countries.
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| Australia and New Zealand discuss possible trans-Tasman 'travel bubble' Posted: 03 May 2020 04:59 PM PDT  New Zealand and Australia are discussing the potential creation of a "travel bubble" between the two countries, even as Australia on Monday reported its highest number of coronavirus cases in two weeks. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she has accepted an invite from Australian Premier Scott Morrison to take part in a meeting of Australia's emergency coronavirus cabinet on Tuesday, stoking anticipation of a travel deal. The neighbouring countries have claimed success in substantially slowing the progress of the coronavirus epidemic to a level well below the United States, Britain and Europe.
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| Twins who got in to 5 Ivy League schools make their choice Posted: 04 May 2020 10:31 AM PDT  The Alexander sisters will be the first generation of their family to attend college.
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| Kazakh president strips predecessor's daughter of key role in aftermath of exposure of assets in the UK Posted: 04 May 2020 07:58 AM PDT  The multi-millionaire daughter of Kazakhstan's ex-president has been stripped of powers that would have put her first in line for the leadership of the oil-rich Central Asian nation. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the current president, gave no reason for Dariga Nazarbayeva's surprise dismissal as senate speaker, but the decision comes shortly after a high-profile London court battle that exposed details of her vast personal fortune. Ms Nazarbayeva was made senate speaker last year when her father Nursultan Nazarbayev stepped down after almost 30 years as president, handing over to his protege Mr Tokayev. The speaker automatically takes power if the president resigns or is incapacitated, leading to speculation that 56-year-old Ms Nazarbayeva was positioning to succeed her father. Mr Nazarbayev still holds outsize influence in the ex-Soviet state and took the title "Leader of the Nation" after leaving the presidency, while Kazakhstan's capital city Astana was renamed Nur-Sultan in his honour last year. Family members amassed huge fortunes over Mr Nazarbayev's decades in power, but journalists in Kazakhstan are forbidden by law from investigating this wealth. Details however came to light in a High Court battle in London in March, as Ms Nazarbayeva and her son sought to stop 'McMafia' laws being used to seize their £80-million property portfolio in the capital. The UK National Crime Agency had targeted three addresses it suspected were bought with the proceeds of crimes by Ms Nazarbayeva's late ex-husband. They included a 10-bedroom mansion in an area of Hampstead, north London, known as Billionaires' Row. The court overturned the Unexplained Wealth Orders - also known as 'McMafia' orders after the popular BBC drama - but the ruling brought attention to Ms Nazarbayeva's business empire, which spans the sugar, car, banking and media industries. Forbes magazine last estimated her wealth in 2013 at $595 million, and she was named in the Panama Papers as the owner of an offshore company in the British Virgin Islands. Ms Nazarbayeva is also an amateur opera singer who has performed on Kazakh television and at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Political decision-making in Kazakhstan is opaque and it is not clear whether Mr Nazarbayev played a role in his daughter's dismissal at the weekend, or whether she will be appointed to another position. President Tokayev thanked Ms Nazarbayeva for her "active and fruitful" service in a tweet. Mr Tokayev's deputy chief of staff Maulen Ashimbayev became senate speaker in a reshuffle on Monday.
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| AP Was There: National Guard kills 4 students at Kent State Posted: 03 May 2020 09:47 PM PDT  The Ohio National Guard opened fire on unarmed college students during a war protest at Kent State University on May 4, 1970. Four students were killed, and nine others were injured. Not all of those hurt or killed were involved in the demonstration, which opposed the U.S. bombing of neutral Cambodia during the Vietnam War.
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| For nearly two months, Italians rarely left their homes. Now they lead Europe's reopening. Posted: 04 May 2020 07:35 AM PDT  "A new page is beginning, and we will have to write it together with faith and responsibility," Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said.
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| Man, dog and five camels rescued from fall in Australian bush Posted: 03 May 2020 07:14 PM PDT  The convoy was pulled down a steep embankment in Australia after one of the camels slipped.
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| Google once considered acquiring Zoom because 'several thousand' employees preferred it to Google's own product Posted: 04 May 2020 09:31 AM PDT  Zoom was at one point so popular inside Google that employees weighed an acquisition of the videoconferencing company, a new report claims.
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| Italy baffled by unexplained surge in deaths during virus crisis Posted: 04 May 2020 11:09 AM PDT  Italy recorded almost 50 percent more fatalities in March than usual, according to new official data showing that the real coronavirus death toll could be far higher than the 29,000 reported. The data were released on the day Italy eased nine weeks of confinement. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte hopes a drop in infections and a gradual return to business can help the economy start recovering from what might be its worst downturn since the 1930s.
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| Coronavirus implodes family of three last month Posted: 04 May 2020 11:26 AM PDT  For most of her life, Maranda Lender, 32, has lived with her parents in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania. But the family-of-three configuration imploded last month. Her mother, Becky Lender, 61, died April 4. Her father, Brad Lender, 60, died three days later. Both had tested positive for the coronavirus.
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| Russia's ventilators: plentiful, but often old and sometimes broken Posted: 04 May 2020 10:53 AM PDT  As new cases of the coronavirus accelerate in Russia, by one measure it is relatively well placed to cope with the pandemic. Russia has around 27 ventilators per 100,000 citizens, according to the government, considerably more than the 18.8 per 100,000 in the United States, according to the John Hopkins University. Many ventilators in central regional or district hospitals, regarded as the core of the health system outside big cities, were made in the 1990s, data provided to Reuters by Headway Group, an analytics firm that tracks government tenders, show.
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| Trump national security official says U.S. not considering ‘punitive measures’ against China Posted: 04 May 2020 08:13 AM PDT |
| World leaders pledge billions for virus vaccine research Posted: 04 May 2020 02:00 AM PDT  World leaders, organizations and banks on Monday pledged 7.4 billion euros ($8 billion) for research to find a vaccine against the new coronavirus, but warned that it is just the start of an effort that must be sustained over time to beat the disease. The funds, pledged at a video-conference summit hosted by the European Union, fell marginally short of the 7.5 billion euros being sought, but more money could arrive in coming days. Despite the shortfall, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, the target being sought Monday to help find a vaccine, new treatments and better tests for the disease would only ever amount to a "down-payment" on the tools that will be needed to fight the virus.
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| Biden's top potential running mates bring unique strengths — and weaknesses Posted: 04 May 2020 05:57 AM PDT  First Read is your briefing from "Meet the Press" and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.
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| Justice Department sides with Virginia church in dispute over lockdown orders Posted: 04 May 2020 11:42 AM PDT  The Justice Department filed a statement of interest in support of Lighthouse Fellowship Church in Chincoteague Island, Virginia.
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| Australia and New Zealand are reportedly considering a 'travel bubble' between the two countries as they begin to lift lockdown measures Posted: 03 May 2020 11:57 PM PDT  New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said a travel agreement would offer "huge advantages" to both Australia and New Zealand.
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| True death toll of coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. could be 'one and a half times higher,' new research shows Posted: 03 May 2020 07:21 AM PDT  An analysis of federal data conducted by a research team led by the Yale School of Public Health found the United States recorded an estimated 37,100 excess deaths during the coronavirus pandemic throughout March and the first two weeks of April. That's nearly 13,500 more than are attributed to COVID-19 during that same period, The Washington Post reports.The country passed 64,000 coronavirus deaths Friday, but Dan Weinberger, a Yale professor of epidemiology who led the analysis, said his team's estimates indicate the true toll could be "in the range of one and a half times higher." The analysis is based on death certificates compiled by states and sent to the National Center for Health Statistics, which often takes weeks to count a death, leading to a backlog of fatalities that eventually add to the toll at a later date.While the estimates likely include deaths that were a direct result of unconfirmed COVID-19 cases, that's not necessarily the cause behind every excess fatality. Instead, people may have avoided going to hospitals when they otherwise would have for unrelated illnesses, or were unable to get proper treatment for other maladies because of overwhelmed health care systems. The one thing that Weinberg wants to make clear is that, either way, "people need to be aware that the data they're seeing on deaths is very incomplete." Read more at The Washington Post.More stories from theweek.com How George W. Bush exposed Trump's biggest failure Trump was the disaster we should have seen coming An EU-led coronavirus fundraiser fell short of its goal. The U.S.'s lack of participation didn't help.
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