| Coronavirus truthers prey on the anxiety of the moment Posted: 16 Mar 2020 11:55 AM PDT  As the global coronavirus outbreak continues to shutter businesses and schools across America and upend the stock market, a number of commentators on the right have been busily floating conspiracy theories about what's behind the outbreak.
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| Nine-year-old Florida girl's remains found four years after she vanished Posted: 17 Mar 2020 11:14 AM PDT  A friend of Diana Alvarez's family made "admissions" that put him with her on the morning she went missing. He also told investigators that he had a sexual relationship with the girl.
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| Iran warns virus could kill 'millions' in Islamic Republic Posted: 17 Mar 2020 12:52 AM PDT  Iran issued its most dire warning yet Tuesday about the new coronavirus ravaging the country, suggesting "millions" could die in the Islamic Republic if people keep traveling and ignore health guidance. A state TV journalist who also is a medical doctor gave the warning only hours after hard-line Shiite faithful on Monday night pushed their way into the courtyards of two major shrines that were finally closed due to the virus. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a religious ruling prohibiting "unnecessary" travel.
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| Airlines are begging for a bailout, but they've used 96% of their cash on buybacks over the past 10 years. It highlights an ongoing controversy over how companies have been spending their money. Posted: 17 Mar 2020 03:35 PM PDT  Companies of all types have long been accused of using excess capital to enrich shareholders over all else.
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| 90 US cities and states suspend water shutoffs to tackle coronavirus pandemic Posted: 16 Mar 2020 02:00 AM PDT  But just one in five water departments have agreed to reconnect household currently without running water * Trump's testing failures pave way to disaster, experts say * Coronavirus outbreak – live updatesAlmost 90 cities and states across the US have suspended water shutoffs for residents unable to afford their bills, as local leaders scramble to tackle the complex public health threats posed by the coronavirus pandemic.There is no vaccine or treatment for coronavirus, also known as Covid-19. According to the World Health Organization, good hygiene, specifically frequent handwashing with soap, is crucial to prevent the virus spreading.The expanding list of public utilities ordering a moratorium on shutoffs means about 57 million Americans in cities including Cleveland, Memphis and San Diego will be protected from losing their water service during the pandemic.Seven states – Wisconsin, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Louisiana – have mandated a halt to shutoffs, according to data provided exclusively to the Guardian by Food & Water Watch (FWW), a not-for-profit organisation tracking the situation.A handful of private water companies, which supply about 15% of Americans, have suspended shutoffs.But just one in five water departments have explicitly agreed to reconnect households currently without running water. The rest have only committed to halting new shutoffs.As a result, potentially hundreds of thousands of impoverished Americans will remain without running water during one of the worst public health crises in modern history."Suspending water shutoffs is the right thing to do, but reconnecting every household in the country is essential during this emergency in which handwashing is a primary measure to stop the spread," said Michigan congresswoman Brenda Lawrence, who last year co-sponsored legislation to tackle America's water crisis."Clean, safe, affordable water is a basic human need … it is unacceptable and inhumane to shut off people's water because they can't afford the bill," Lawrence said.According to data collected by the New York Times, at least 2,800 people in 49 states, Puerto Rico and Washington DC had tested positive for Covid-19 by Sunday morning, with 59 confirmed deaths.The actual number of cases is almost certainly far higher given the country's struggle to provide proper screening – one of multiple potentially catastrophic failures being blamed on the Trump administration's haphazard handling of the pandemic.There is no national database tracking the number of US households without running water. But in 2016, one in every 20 households were disconnected by public water departments, leaving an estimated 15 million Americans without running water, according to research by FWW.The highest shutoffs rates were concentrated in southern or rural states including Louisiana, Arkansas, Florida and Oklahoma. The hardest-hit cities, such as New Orleans, Detroit and Jacksonville, have high poverty and unemployment rates and more people of color.Before the Covid-19 outbreak, only 10 US cities, among them New York, Flint and Baltimore, had banned water shutoffs.Mary Grant from FWW said: "We need an immediate outright nationwide ban on shutoffs, and must make sure that every household has running water in order to protect human health and our communities."It is unclear what proportion of the country's half a million homeless people currently have access to running water.Last week, Detroit became the first city to announce a moratorium. It included the state covering the $25 reconnection fee for homes without water, and a reduced monthly bill for these households during the coronavirus outbreak.According to figures from the Detroit water and sewerage department (DWSD), 3,600 occupied homes (or houses with water usage in the previous 12 months) have been disconnected since April 2019. Of these, a staggering 2,800 were still without running water when the coronavirus reconnection plan was announced.In its first couple of days of implementation, only 73 families were reconnected – partly because DWSD crews had to spend time installing meters in some homes, according to a city spokesman. Residents are being advised to flush the water pipes before drinking in order to reduce the risk of lead poisoning."The issue is broad, complex and bureaucratic but these numbers are unacceptable," said Lawrence.Reconnections should speed up this week as three extra plumbers have been hired and the call centre, where residents must register for help, is beefing up capacity.At least 141,000 Detroit households have been disconnected since 2014 as part of a widely condemned debt-collection programme, according to records obtained by Bridge, a news magazine.One study found a significant increase in skin and waterborne gastrointestinal diseases among hospital patients in Detroit who lived on a block where at least one neighbour had been disconnected. The city claims most shutoffs are done in unoccupied houses to prevent flooding and other damage."What's happening now … this has been our greatest fear," said Monica Lewis-Patrick, director of We the People of Detroit, a grassroots coalition and research collective."It's undeniable that access to clean water is for the public good. This is a critical moment for the whole nation."
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| There's reportedly 'a lot of pressure' on Biden to pick Warren as running mate Posted: 17 Mar 2020 02:50 PM PDT  One thing is clear about former Vice President Joe Biden's potential running mate: he's going to pick a woman. But there are several candidates for the job that present intriguing arguments for his campaign advisers, Politico reports.Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), for example is an oft-touted name, as she would appeal to African American voters, who have carried Biden's campaign into the driver's seat. Plus, the two get along well, despite clashing in earlier debates when Harris was still campaigning herself.Another former contender, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), could make sense because she could help reel in the sought-after Rust Belt votes that are likely to be so crucial in the November election.But there's also Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) It's no secret Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) both desperately want Warren's endorsement, but it may be somewhat of a surprise to hear that Biden's team is facing "a lot of pressure" to add her to the ticket, an adviser said. Warren and Biden don't line up too precisely on policy — the former tends to veer more in the progressive lane — but Biden has made some overtures recently, including supporting her bankruptcy reform plan, so it's possible she's under legitimate consideration for the opening. Read more at Politico.More stories from theweek.com The conservatives who would sacrifice the elderly to save the economy Trump says he knew coronavirus was a 'pandemic long before it was called' one. Two weeks ago he called it a 'hoax.' The economy is crashing again. This time, let's bail out ordinary Americans.
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| Durham Probe Expected to Conclude in Summer, May Be Delayed by Coronavirus Outbreak Posted: 17 Mar 2020 05:47 AM PDT  U.S. Attorney John Durham, the head of a criminal probe into the origins of the Russiagate investigation, is expected to wrap up his investigation by the end of the summer.Durham's work could wrap up anywhere from July to September, and could be slowed by the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., Fox News reported Monday. Another source told Fox News last month that Durham has yet to interview former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) said last week that Durham's investigation "is due to be completed sometime this summer." Last month, Representative Doug Collins (R., Ga.) said that Durham will not be releasing a report, like former special counsel Robert Mueller, but will likely use indictments to signal his conclusion."When he's ready to charge people, he'll charge people," Collins told Fox News. "And that's when we'll know."Attorney General William Barr said in December that Durham "is looking at all the conduct both before and after the election.""He's not just looking at the FBI, he's looking at other agencies, and departments, and also private actors, so it's a much broader investigation," Barr stated. The comments came after Durham released a rare public statement to say his team did "not agree with" DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz's conclusions regarding the origins of the FBI's 2016 Russia probe.Part of Durham's focus is a 2017 intelligence community assessment that detailed Russian interference in the 2016 election, and stated that Vladimir Putin "ordered an influence campaign" that "aspired to help" Trump and discredit Clinton.Former National Security Agency director and retired Admiral Michael Rogers, who was the "lone exception" in giving moderate confidence to the IC's report — compared to the CIA and FBI's high confidence — reportedly "has cooperated voluntarily" with Durham's probe.
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| The 20 Best Gifts for Mom on Mother’s Day Posted: 17 Mar 2020 12:18 PM PDT |
| Trump says coronavirus pandemic could bring on a recession Posted: 16 Mar 2020 02:49 PM PDT  Asked whether the country was heading for an economic recession, the president said "it may be," although he also said he expected the economy to recover quickly once the health emergency passes.
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| ‘No Words’: Seven Family Members Found Dead in Suspected Murder-Suicide Posted: 16 Mar 2020 01:54 PM PDT  A North Carolina man killed six of his family members over the weekend before turning the gun on himself, authorities said Monday.The Chatham County Sheriff's Office said Larry Don Ray, 66, fatally shot six relatives at multiple homes on the same property Sunday afternoon in Moncure.The six family members who died have been identified as Jeanie Ray, 67; Helen Mason, 93; Ellis Mansfield, 73; Lisa Mansfield, 54; John Paul Sanderford, 41; and Nicole Sanderford, 39. Two teenage sons who lost their parents in the shooting survived the slaying, the sheriff's office said. Authorities do not believe the event was random, but are still working to determine a motive behind the grisly incident that occurred in the unincorporated community about 30 minutes outside of Raleigh with a population of just over 700. Mom: Daughter and I Killed Our Family in Murder-Suicide Pact"Our hearts go out to the families and friends of the victims of this terrible tragedy," Chatham County Sheriff Mike Roberson said in a statement obtained by The Daily Beast. "To lose any family member is devastating, but to lose several at once to unexpected violence is unimaginable. There are no words to describe the sense of loss we feel as a community in the wake of this terrible event."Authorities said deputies responded to a call of "shots fired" shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. The seven people were found shot in multiple homes around the property. Roberson described the community as "quiet" and "close-knit, where violence is out of the norm." "In Chatham County, when one of us hurts, we all hurt, and we pull together," he said. "We can't undo what has happened, but we can surround this family and each other with love and support as we decide where to go from here."'Killing on Demand': German Crossbow Mystery May Be Murder-Suicide PactAccording to The News & Observer, several family members gathered Monday morning across the street from the scene."Right now, they're still in shock, and they don't want to talk to anybody," Mark Childress told the local paper, adding that he was there to support his brother and his brother's family. Childress told the outlet that his brother's son-in-law, mother-in-law, and daughter were among the victims in Sunday's slaying.The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is also assisting with the criminal probe.If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.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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| China urges U.S. to lift sanctions on Iran amid coronavirus outbreak Posted: 16 Mar 2020 12:27 PM PDT  China on Monday urged the United States to lift sanctions on Iran immediately during the Middle Eastern country's response to the coronavirus outbreak.
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| 'Virus at Iran's gates': How Tehran failed to stop outbreak Posted: 16 Mar 2020 11:11 PM PDT  Appearing before the cameras coughing and sweating profusely, the man leading Iran's response to the new coronavirus outbreak promised it was of no danger to his country. "Quarantines belong to the Stone Age," Iraj Harirchi insisted. Harirchi's story is a microcosm of what has happened in Iran amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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| 'We are at war': France's president just announced a 15-day lockdown, banning public gatherings and walks outdoors Posted: 16 Mar 2020 12:28 PM PDT  France's president, Emmanuel Macron, announced on Monday a 15-day lockdown prohibiting residents from leaving their homes unless absolutely necessary.
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| India Could be Next Virus Hotspot With an ‘Avalanche’ of Cases Posted: 17 Mar 2020 06:38 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- India could become the next global hotspot for virus cases, with experts warning containment measures that proved successful elsewhere in Asia may not work in the world's second-most populous country.The South Asian nation, which has so far reported 137 infections and three deaths, is trying to contain the virus by closing its borders, testing incoming travelers and contact tracing from those who tested positive. On Tuesday, the Indian Council of Medical Research announced it was ramping up the country's testing capacity to 8,000 samples a day from the current 500. Its director general Balram Bhargava maintained there was "no evidence" of the transmission of the virus in the community.But some experts in the nation of 1.3 billion people say that won't be enough to contain the spread. Other measures like widespread testing and social distancing may be infeasible in cities with a high population density and rickety health infrastructure.While growth in total numbers has been slow until now, "the number will be 10 times higher" by April 15, said Dr. T. Jacob John, the former head of the Indian Council for Medical Research's Centre for Advanced Research in Virology, a government-funded institution."They are not understanding that this is an avalanche," said John, who was also chairman of the Indian Government Expert Advisory Group on Polio Eradication and chief of the National HIV/AIDS Reference Centre at the Christian Medical College in Vellore. "As every week passes, the avalanche is growing bigger and bigger."Financial CapitalSo far India has been relatively unscathed by the virus compared with other countries in Asia. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the South Asian nation is doing it's best to fight the spread of the virus.A key concern in India is Maharashtra, the state with the highest urbanization in India and home to the financial capital Mumbai and benchmark stock exchange. It's reported the biggest spread of the infection with 39 cases. Its government has called for a virtual lockdown of cities on Monday -- shuttering all public places, putting off university exams and asking government offices and private companies to ensure at least half their staff work from home."Maharashtra is in the second stage at the moment," Rajesh Tope, Maharashtra's health minister told reporters in Mumbai. "But if we don't curtail or stop the infection from spreading this contagious disease we could slip to stage three and that would mean a spike in the number of infections," he said. "We have to contain this disease under any circumstances."Population DensityApart from its sheer size, India's other challenge is the density of its population: 420 people live on each square kilometer (about 0.4 of a square mile), compared with 148 per square kilometer in China. Its cities are crammed with slums and low-income housing clusters where the living conditions are tight.While South Korea was able to test even asymptomatic people, India's population "makes it extremely difficult," said Dr. K. Srinath Reddy, adjunct professor of epidemiology at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University and president of the New Delhi-based health think-tank Public Health Foundation of India."Social distancing is something often talked about but only works well for the urban middle class," he added. "It doesn't work well for the urban poor or the rural population where its extremely difficult both in terms of compactly packed houses, but also because many of them have to go to work in areas which are not necessarily suitable for social distancing."India on Tuesday announced that state-authorized private laboratories would be allowed to conduct tests. But the government has yet to release the list of authorized labs, according to Dr Lokesh Kumar Sharma, spokesman for the Indian Council of Medical Research said.Surging InfectionsThe pandemic, which has infected 174,000 worldwide, with deaths topping 7000, has a pattern of surging after an initial slower phase. This was seen in nations such as South Korea and Italy -- the worst-affected countries outside of mainland China.South Korea, which had a 2,000% jump in cases in a week last month, slowed the outbreak and deaths by testing hundreds of thousands of people in clinics and drive-through stations.More than 5,200 potential cases have been identified through contact-tracing and put under surveillance in India, the health ministry said late Monday. Last week it suspended most visas and decided on Friday to limit international traffic through land crossings.The country's response to the coronavirus spread is driven by the limitations of its public health system, Reddy said. India's health-care spending is among the lowest in the world -- just 3.7% of gross domestic product. That's left it with a patchwork of overcrowded public hospitals, and private ones that are unaffordable for many people."I have reservations about our capacities to deal with this," said Reddy. "Right now our responses are strategic to the extent that our resources permit."(Updates with number of cases and expansion of testing in second paragraph)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Democrats vote in Florida and more: What polls show for Biden, Sanders Posted: 17 Mar 2020 05:54 AM PDT  Amid the coronavirus pandemic, three states are casting ballots in what could be the Vermont senator's last chance to stop the former VP.
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| US Forces-Korea says combat approach to COVID-19 is working Posted: 17 Mar 2020 02:27 PM PDT  The Army's combat approach to attacking the virus is working, U.S. Forces-Korea leaders say.
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| Coronavirus: What are your rights if working from home? Posted: 17 Mar 2020 09:14 AM PDT  Self-isolation and home working are rising, but what are the pay and conditions rights of those urged to do it.
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| 'We have a responsibility': Fox News declares coronavirus a crisis in abrupt U-turn Posted: 17 Mar 2020 12:24 PM PDT  Hosts encourage viewers to practice social distancing after weeks of downplaying the pandemic as an attack on the presidentFox News, the rightwing channel that is a favorite of Donald Trump and conservatives across the US, spent the first weeks of the Covid-19 outbreak downplaying the threat of the virus.Hosts often claimed that those warning of the danger were "panic pushers", or engaged in "mass hysteria". Some on Fox News even claimed it was all an effort to try to bring down the president.But in recent days Fox News has performed an abrupt U-turn, and declared coronavirus a crisis.On Tuesday, the three hosts of Fox & Friends, Fox News' flagship morning program and a known favorite of Trump, co-hosted the show while practising social distancing, appearing on a split screen instead of their usual format of sitting together on a couch."We have a responsibility to slow down this virus and to think of other people during this time," Ainsley Earhardt told viewers. "So if you can keep your distance, and prevent someone from getting close to you that might be sick, you can save your family, you can save the elderly, and help our country as a nation."Three days earlier, Earnhardt struck a different tone, when she suggested people should take advantage of the crisis to take a trip."It's actually the safest time to fly," Earhardt had said. "Everyone I know that's flying right now, terminals are pretty much dead – ghost towns."In minimizing the threat, Earhardt and her colleagues had been echoing Trump's own response to coronavirus, which initially was to repeatedly downplay its impact. Yet one by one, Fox News hosts and personalities have fallen in line with doctors, health experts and science, in judging the coronavirus outbreak to be severe.On 10 March Sean Hannity, Fox News' most-watched host and a personal friend to Trump, accused the left of creating "hysteria". He attempted to downplay Covid-19 by comparing it to the flu, and also suggested the Democratic frontrunner, Joe Biden, was using it as an excuse to cancel rallies.Hannity's outlook had changed by last Friday."This virus is serious," Hannity said. "We've been telling you that from day one. We need to take the flu seriously. We need to take cancer seriously, this virus seriously. Of course, we all need to prepare accordingly."There are signs that the shift is supported, or mandated, by Fox News executives. On Friday, Trish Regan's show on Fox Business, which is owned by Fox News Media and echoes the conservative tone of the Fox News channel, was suspended after Regan offered a particularly strident avalanche of misinformation on air.As the graphic: "Coronavirus impeachment hoax" appeared on screen, Regan claimed Democrats had created "mass hysteria to encourage a market sell-off".Regan added: "Many in the liberal media [are] using [the] coronavirus to demonize and destroy the president."She also claimed the left was using "melodrama" in its response, and questioned why there was not the same response to Sars and Ebola, which she said were "far more deadly". While they did have a higher mortality rate, only 8,000 people contracted Sars and 33,500 Ebola. As of Monday, 167,000 people have contracted Covid-19, in at least 150 countries."Why the melodrama?" she asked. "I'll give you two words: Donald Trump."In a development that illustrates the strange times we find ourselves in, usually-controversial conservative host Tucker Carlson has been credited as one of the few Fox News personalities to treat the coronavirus seriously.Carlson, who in the past has demonized immigrants and described white supremacy as a hoax, criticized those making light of coronavirus more than a week ago, describing it as a "major event"."People you trust, people you probably voted for, have spent weeks minimizing what is clearly a very serious problem," Carlson told viewers on 9 March, at the same time other Fox News hosts, and Trump, were doing that very thing."It's just partisan politics, they say: 'Calm down. In the end, this is just like the flu and people die from that every year. Coronavirus will pass, and when it does, we will feel foolish for worrying about it.'"That's their position. But they're wrong."The median age of a prime-time Fox News viewer is 66, meaning many viewers fall into the most at-risk category for complications from the coronavirus.Carlson, who with Hannity makes up a cadre of Fox News hosts-cum-informal Trump advisers, reportedly took his concerns straight to the president earlier in March. Trump finally seemed to acknowledge the seriousness of the coronavirus on Monday, just as Fox News did the same. Whether the same sober tone lasts over the coming months remains to be seen.
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| Trump rates his coronavirus response a 10 Posted: 16 Mar 2020 01:39 PM PDT  President Trump on Monday rated his response to the growing coronavirus outbreak in the United States a 10.
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| Coronavirus: Texas man's execution postponed as LA releases 600 inmates to prevent infections Posted: 17 Mar 2020 07:04 AM PDT  A Texas death row inmate has had his execution postponed for 60 days by an appeals court that found that simply carrying out his sentence could itself risk spreading the coronavirus.The decision comes as the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it had released some 600 prisoners to help keep the virus from sweeping through its jails, and that it would limit the number of people arrested for minor offences.
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| White House warning to millennials: Stay out of the bars Posted: 17 Mar 2020 12:00 PM PDT  The scientific community's message to young Americans about the coronavirus got more pointed on Tuesday: Stay out of bars. Fauci said he too felt invulnerable when he was a young man, but he emphasized that young people need to help constrain the spread of the coronavirus by staying out of bars and restaurants.
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| French people ignored officials' warnings to isolate themselves because of the coronavirus. Now they need a form to leave the house. Posted: 17 Mar 2020 04:26 AM PDT  People in France must have a document justifying why they're outside, even just for a walk or to go to a shop, after they refused to stay indoors.
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| Little-known ex-governor nominated as Iraqi PM, Shi'ite groups object Posted: 17 Mar 2020 02:56 PM PDT  Iraq's president named little-known former regional governor Adnan al-Zurfi as prime minister-designate on Tuesday in another bid to overcome months of unrest and deadlock, but powerful Shi'ite blocs quickly lined up to reject his nomination. Zurfi now has 30 days to try and form a government which must then survive a vote of confidence in Iraq's deeply divided parliament. Lawmakers told Reuters that President Barham Salih had named Zurfi only after larger rival Shi'ite political parties failed to agree on one candidate.
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| Joe Biden’s Plan to Shut Down the Firearms Industry Posted: 17 Mar 2020 03:30 AM PDT  As Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders continue to trade blows over who is more equipped to supposedly deliver a knockout punch to the firearms industry, the former vice president has zeroed in on the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) — the law preventing frivolous lawsuits that seek to blame members of the firearms industry for the criminal misuse of legal, lawfully sold, non-defective firearms.Biden is swinging wide to do this, making wild and false claims. Before the debate in South Carolina, he told the state's gun manufacturers, "I'm coming for you, and I'm taking you down." He liked the tough talk enough that he reiterated from the debate stage, "And I want to tell you, if I'm elected . . . gun manufacturers, I'm going to take you on and I'm going to beat you."Biden's end goal is ultimately to repeal the 2005 PLCAA. This law, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and signed by President George W. Bush, ended the politically driven lawsuits aimed at bankrupting the firearms industry. Biden and Sanders want to revive the tactic as they pursue the White House, and they're using disproven and false claims to make their case.The PLCAA stopped a series of "public nuisance" lawsuits by activist mayors in big cities against firearms manufacturers over the crimes committed by individuals. That law doesn't grant immunity, but it prevents others from shifting the blame from criminals to a manufacturer. The firearms manufacturer is no more liable for the crime committed by an individual than Home Depot would be if someone committed murder with a hammer. The PLCAA does nothing more than defend an industry that has been targeted by a series of baseless, politically motivated lawsuits.Yet Biden still falsely claims that this gives firearms manufacturers blanket immunity. Both manufacturers and firearms retailers can be, and are, held responsible for harm caused by defective products, breach of contract, criminal misconduct, or other actions for which they are directly responsible, the same as any other product manufacturer.Jonathan Turley, the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University, underscored this when he wrote, in an op-ed for The Hill, "Product liability and tort actions against manufacturers have uniformly and correctly been rejected by the courts. Guns are lawful products, and holding companies liable for later misuse of such products is absurd. You might as well sue an axe manufacturer for the Lizzy Borden murders."Biden claims, as Hillary Clinton falsely tried to claim before him in 2016, that these protections are unique. In fact, manufacturers of medical devices, the airline industries, and even online service and content providers are protected from frivolous lawsuits when defamatory information is posted by others. Biden attacks the PLCAA knowing full well that individuals who commit crimes are responsible for them. His argument is just a façade for gun control that he can't achieve through legislation.The sad part is that Biden chose to attack an industry that has grown 171 percent since 2008 and currently employs more than 312,000 Americans from all walks of life in communities across the nation. He's coming after firearms manufacturers that paid $6.8 billion in total taxes and had a total economic impact of more than $52 billion.He's claiming that the men and women who work in the factories, those who produce the firearms not just for law-abiding Americans to exercise their rights but also for our U.S. Armed Forces and law-enforcement officials, are enemies of our society. He argues that he's the champion of the blue-collar worker, yet he wants to destroy a growing industry that provides over $15.7 billion in worker wages. He insists that he wants to restore America, but he mocks and denigrates the more than 100 million law-abiding Americans who own, carry, and use their guns frequently without incident.Biden and the Democrats who endorse him all know that the PLCAA doesn't offer firearms manufacturers unique protections. The law that prevents them from driving politically motivated lawsuits is rock solid. Biden's anger is reflective of his frustration that the courts won't allow him to bankrupt an industry to prove his political bias against Second Amendment freedoms.
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| The most 'chaotic classes' might not even be in the classroom. They'll be online. Posted: 16 Mar 2020 02:56 PM PDT  "You can't simply snap your fingers," one advocate said. "It takes planning and training, and we don't have time for that."
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| Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe 'so happy' for temporary release due to coronavirus Posted: 17 Mar 2020 09:49 AM PDT  Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe on Tuesday described being "so happy" after being temporarily released from the "hell" of Iranian prison she has been confined in for four years as part of emergency measures to curb the country's raging coronavirus epidemic. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian mother of one from north London who has been incarcerated since 2016 on charges of trying to overthrow the regime, was released on a two-week furlough from Tehran's Evin prison on Monday afternoon as authorities sought to clear crowded jails where the virus could spread. She is obliged to wear an electronic tag and her movements will be restricted to 300m from her parents' Tehran home, where she will spend the next fortnight. "I am so happy to be out. Even with the ankle tag, I am so happy. Being out is so much better than being in – if you knew what hell this place is. It is mental. Let us hope it will be the beginning of coming home," she said in a statement released by her family. "My thinking is that they want to keep me, but outside of prison until they sort out this thing. But to be honest, I just want to go home. I think they are showing a good gesture, as they are hoping to strike a deal. So they want to keep me out. If the deal won't happen, then they will drag me back in. But if it does, then they will let me go from here." Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary said: "While this is a welcome step, we urge the government now to release all UK dual nationals arbitrarily detained in Iran, and enable them to return to their families in the UK." It is unclear whether the move to grant furlough to Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe heralds a readiness to allow her to return home. Her family have previously been wary of offers of furlough in case it could be used by authorities as a tool to apply psychological pressure. The last time it was granted, for three days in in August 2018, she was subjected to harassing telephone calls from her interrogators and then denied a promised extension and returned to prison at short notice. Monday's decision followed months of back-and forth diplomacy and appears to be have been subject to weeks of internal debate inside the Iranian government.
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| Meghan McCain: Calling ‘B.S.’ on Trump Does Not ‘Politicize’ Coronavirus Posted: 16 Mar 2020 10:06 AM PDT  Meghan McCain really doesn't want to "politicize" the coronavirus. When President Donald Trump appointed Vice President Mike Pence to lead the containment effort a few weeks ago, she scolded The View audience for applauding the notion that Trump was setting up a "fall guy" for the inevitable catastrophe. "I don't know why anyone would clap about that because if crap goes wrong, it's going to be bad for all of us," she said, adding, "I do not like the politicizing of this." Last week, McCain accused "both sides" of politicizing the crisis, but as things continued to get worse, she said "the chickens have finally come home to roost" when it comes to Trump's mishandling of the pandemic. Now that the entire country is in a virtual lockdown, she has had it. Fox News Host Shuts Down Guests for Politicizing Biden's Coronavirus SpeechDuring a discussion about Trump's response on Monday's audience-free edition of The View, McCain came out swinging against the president. "The mixed messaging coming out of the White House right now is not only irresponsible, but it's downright dangerous," she said, pointing the finger in Republican Congressman Devin Nunes' direction as well after he contradicted medical experts on Sunday by saying now is "great time to go out and go to a local restaurant." "Lead by example! And we're not seeing a lot of profiles in courage coming out of the White House right now," she added. "It starts at the top, and if you have people saying Jared Kushner is in charge, sorry if I don't think that's going to handle everything well."And yet, despite what McCain's fellow conservatives on Fox News have been arguing, she made clear that she does not believe criticizing the administration's response is the same as "politicizing" the crisis. After ABC News Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton warned against "pointing the finger" at those who are trying to manage the fallout, McCain said, "I don't like the idea of politicizing it in the sense that it's all Republicans' fault or all Democrats' fault. But it's our job as citizens to call out B.S. when you see it." "And when you have people from the administration saying, we don't know if we have enough ventilators, we don't know if our hospitals can handle it," she continued, "it is more than fair to have righteous indignation as American citizens that I don't believe they are handling it as well as they should be."Trevor Noah to Trump: Stop Pretending No One's 'Gonna Die' From CoronavirusRead 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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| COVID-19 stay: Execution halted for man who killed family Posted: 16 Mar 2020 02:18 PM PDT  The outbreak of the novel coronavirus prompted the top Texas criminal appeals court on Monday to stay for 60 days the scheduled execution of a man condemned for killing his family. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rejected all grounds of John William Hummel's appeal but said it would postpone the scheduled Wednesday execution "in light of the current health crisis and the enormous resources needed to address the execution." Hummel, 44, was convicted in 2011 of capital murder in the December 2009 fatal stabbing of his pregnant wife, Joy Hummel, 45, and fatal bludgeoning of his father-in-law, Clyde Bedford, 57, with a baseball bat.
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| A New York Department of Correction employee has died from the coronavirus Posted: 16 Mar 2020 02:22 PM PDT  David Perez, who had preexisting health conditions, died Sunday, according to the New York Daily News.
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| Justice Department moves to drop charges against Russians indicted in the Mueller probe Posted: 16 Mar 2020 07:18 PM PDT  Notably, the DOJ decided to drop charges "in light of recent events and a change in ... the government's proof due to a classification determination."
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| Guatemala turns tables, blocking U.S. deportations because of coronavirus Posted: 17 Mar 2020 10:47 AM PDT  Guatemala, turning the tables on President Trump, halts deportation flights from the U.S. and closes its borders because of the coronavirus.
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| Joe Biden's pledge to name a woman as running mate fires speculation Posted: 16 Mar 2020 10:09 AM PDT  Stacey Abrams and Kamala Harris lead list of veep contenders but Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren not ruled outJoe Biden has long been expected to pick a woman or a minority figure – or someone who is both – as his pick for vice-president, should he win the Democratic nomination to face Donald Trump in November.During his debate with Bernie Sanders in Washington on Sunday, the former vice-president made it official. He would name a woman as his running mate, he said – and also put an African American woman on the supreme court."I'll pick a woman to be vice-president," Biden said. "There are a number of women who are qualified to be president tomorrow."The California senator Kamala Harris and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams are two names most commonly mentioned in Democratic circles.Harris ran against Biden in the primary and landed memorable blows on him in an early debate, but endorsed him after dropping out. Neither she nor Abrams has said they would turn down an offer to join a Biden ticket.However, Biden's comments during the debate, and those of senior campaign officials in a post-debate call with reporters, made it clear that the likes of the Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar and Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, also former rivals for the nomination, could also be selected. The hard criterion is that the pick will be a woman who both works well with Biden and balances the ticket."He has to balance out who he is," said Steve Phillips, a top party donor and the founder of Democracy in Color. "He's an old white man so logically he should have a young woman of color to balance the ticket out."He will have some strength with some of the white suburban voters but he's going to need turnout with young people, that was the cornerstone of the Obama-Biden ticket. So if there's one thing people are not about Joe Biden, it's enthusiastic. But if he has someone like a Stacey Abrams on his ticket, the level of enthusiasm there would just be dramatically different."Phillips said his organization and a number of others had been discussing sending a letter to Biden and Sanders, urging them to commit to a person of color.Biden advisers, as any advisers would with the nomination still to be won, are loth to go into more detail about their candidate's thinking. But in the post-debate call, Symone Sanders, a senior adviser, said: "He has said that the qualification for vice-president for him would be someone that is simpatico with him, as he would like to say."She added, unequivocally: "It will be a woman."Abrams has arguably been the most open about her willingness to join Biden on the ticket. She met with the former vice-president in the early days of the campaign, as his advisers floated the idea of naming a running mate early."Leader Abrams would be honored to be asked to join the ticket," Seth Bringman, a spokesman for Fair Fight, Abrams' voting rights group, said in a statement after Sunday's debate, referring to her former position in the Georgia state house."For now, she is focused on leading national efforts to stop voter suppression and ensure an accurate census."Biden's comments ignited a new level of speculation. On Monday, the Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer, who is seen as a rising star in the Democratic party, said she did not expect to join Biden in the general election.Biden endorsed Whitmer during her 2018 campaign and on Monday she said she would "help him vet and make sure he's got a great running mate"."It is not going to be me but I'm going to have a hand in helping him make sure that he has got a roundabout ticket that can win," Whitmer said.Picking a woman cuts out contenders including Cory Booker, a senator from New Jersey, and the former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg, both of whom mounted their own presidential campaigns.During Sunday's debate, Sanders was also asked about his thinking. The Vermont senator's path to the nomination is increasingly narrow but it has not closed entirely. After digressing, he said he was moving in the direction of picking a woman."In all likelihood, I will," Sanders said. "For me, it's not just nominating a woman, it is making sure that we have a progressive woman and there are progressive women out there. So my very strong tendency is to move in that direction."
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| 'Americans need cash now': Mnuchin outlines emergency funding amid virus Posted: 17 Mar 2020 10:08 AM PDT  Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Tuesday that the Trump administration recognizes that "Americans need cash now" as he discussed emergency funding amid the coronavirus crisis.
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| Uncooperative coronavirus patients: Man in Kentucky guarded by cops, woman gave false name in N.J. Posted: 17 Mar 2020 01:23 PM PDT  A woman in New Jersey and a man in Kentucky who reportedly tested positive for coronavirus presented challenges for local authorities this week.
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| Limbaugh Guest Host: San Francisco Ordering Coronavirus Lockdown Because It’s a ‘Big Gay Town’ Posted: 17 Mar 2020 12:13 PM PDT  Filling in for President Donald Trump's most recent Medal of Freedom honoree Rush Limbaugh on Tuesday, conservative radio host Mark Steyn claimed that the reason why San Francisco announced a "shelter-in-place" order to contain the coronavirus outbreak is because it's a "big gay town."On Monday, Northern California officials revealed that the nearly 7 million residents in the Bay Area would be required to remain in their homes as much as possible until April 7. "We know these measures will significantly disrupt people's day-to-day lives, but they are absolutely necessary," San Francisco Mayor London Breed said.Reacting to the news, Steyn told millions of Limbaugh listeners that the real reason why San Francisco was the first major city to take such measures is because of the city's large homosexual population."Why are they doing that?" Steyn asked, in comments first spotted by Media Matters. "Why is San Francisco the first to do that? Because they've got all the gay guys there.""It's a big gay town, San Francisco, and they're the ones with all the compromised immune systems from all the protease inhibitors and all the other stuff," he continued. "And they don't want all the gays dropping dead on the San Francisco mayor's watch. So that's why they've got all that sheltering in place there."The frequent Fox News guest went on to assert that if "there was a big gay apocalypse" then "Trump would get blamed for it," adding that liberal critics would claim it was due to the president's "homophobia" that San Franciscans died."So that's why they've all been ordered to stay home," Steyn concluded. "And it's not easy staying home."Steyn's inflammatory remarks come on the heels of Limbaugh's homophobic attacks on former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. Last month, just days after the president bestowed the nation's highest civilian award on the radio host, Limbaugh said "Mr. Man" Trump would "have fun" with "gay guy" Buttigieg kissing his husband in public. Steyn, meanwhile, had been somewhat praised earlier this week for taking the viral pandemic more seriously on-air than Limbaugh, who has repeatedly likened it to the "common cold." Filling in for Limbaugh on Monday, Steyn kicked off the program by delivering a "wake-up call" on the dangers of COVID-19 to Limbaugh's listeners.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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| US sued to stop deportation of 3 children to El Salvador Posted: 17 Mar 2020 09:39 AM PDT |
| 'People Are Dying Left and Right.' Inside Iran's Struggle to Contain Its Coronavirus Outbreak Posted: 17 Mar 2020 09:41 AM PDT  Iran's overwhelmed health system is already finding echoes around the world
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| Videos showing Miami Beach arrests of black spring breakers slammed as racist by NAACP Posted: 17 Mar 2020 03:36 PM PDT  "In these videos, black students are met with extremely aggressive policing from officers," said Ruban Roberts, president of the Miami-Dade chapter of the NAACP.
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| A homeless person in Silicon Valley died of the coronavirus Monday, the same day that a 3-week 'shelter in place' was ordered for the San Francisco Bay Area Posted: 17 Mar 2020 02:14 PM PDT  California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the death on Monday, the same day officials told Bay Area residents they should stay indoors until April 7.
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| Coronavirus: Israel enables emergency spy powers Posted: 17 Mar 2020 12:10 PM PDT  Israel allows security agencies to track the mobile-phone data of suspected cases.
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| Biden says he wants a female running mate. Who? Posted: 16 Mar 2020 04:28 PM PDT  Joe Biden says he'll name a woman as his running mate. A small handful of Democratic senators lead the list of the most likely candidates.
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| Cost of upgrading Arleigh Burke destroyers may not be worth it, says US Navy Posted: 17 Mar 2020 12:24 PM PDT  The U.S. Navy says upgrading the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers may not be worth the money, but the move has support in Congress.
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| Coronavirus justifies moving ex-Trump lawyer Cohen home from prison - letter Posted: 17 Mar 2020 12:20 PM PDT  Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer, risks catching coronavirus while serving his three-year prison sentence, justifying his release into home confinement, Cohen's attorney said on Tuesday. In a letter to U.S. District Judge William Pauley in Manhattan, Cohen's lawyer Roger Adler accused the Federal Bureau of Prisons of being "demonstrably incapable" of safeguarding inmates who live in close quarters and face an "enhanced risk" of catching coronavirus. Adler urged Pauley "to consider my client's exposure to the coronavirus," and act "thoughtfully and decisively" given the "absence of Presidential leadership" in protecting federal prisoners from COVID-19.
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| Venezuela seeks emergency $5 billion IMF loan to fight virus Posted: 17 Mar 2020 11:50 AM PDT  Venezuela said Tuesday it is seeking an emergency $5 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, appealing to an institution it has long vilified to cope with the fallout from the new coronavirus on its already collapsed oil economy. The request came in a letter to IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva signed by President Nicolás Maduro. Venezuela is believed to be the first country to try to tap the $50 billion in financing the IMF has available to help developing nations deal with the virus, and the appeal underscores the precarious state of the socialist government's finances.
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| These countries are doing the best and worst jobs fighting coronavirus Posted: 17 Mar 2020 12:15 PM PDT  Many nations are now taking strict measures to contain and mitigate the viral pandemic. Who's getting it right, or wrong?
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| Los Angeles releasing inmates, urging fewer arrests in coronavirus fight Posted: 16 Mar 2020 08:34 PM PDT  The inmate population has been decreased by more than 600, in part through early release of those with less than 30 days left on their sentences.
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