| Joe Biden makes virtual campaign trail debut after several days of public absence Posted: 23 Mar 2020 10:16 AM PDT  Former Vice President and Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden made his first video address after four days of cable news silence to address the coronavirus pandemic from his family home in Wilmington, Del.
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| A 39-year-old otherwise healthy New Orleans woman who showed signs of the novel coronavirus died alone in her kitchen awaiting test results Posted: 23 Mar 2020 03:20 PM PDT  "I don't want to be sick anymore," Natasha Ott, a 39-year-old social worker, texted days before her death. Her COVID-19 results are still unknown.
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| Iran leader refuses U.S. help, citing coronavirus conspiracy theory Posted: 22 Mar 2020 07:25 AM PDT  Iran's supreme leader refused U.S. assistance on Sunday to fight the new coronavirus, citing an unfounded conspiracy theory that the virus could be produced by America.
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| I am a doctor, a public health expert and a mother. This is what people ask me, and what I tell them. Posted: 22 Mar 2020 07:58 AM PDT  What does an expert in infectious disease get asked about coronavirus, and what does she answer?
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| Rand Paul becomes first senator known to test positive for coronavirus Posted: 22 Mar 2020 03:40 PM PDT  Paul's Twitter account said he "is feeling fine and is in quarantine."
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| Man sentenced to 25 years for trying to bomb Oklahoma bank Posted: 23 Mar 2020 11:43 AM PDT  An Oklahoma man was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison after being convicted of trying to blow up an Oklahoma City bank with a massive vehicle bomb, according to federal prosecutors. Jerry Drake Varnell, 26, of Sayre, was sentenced in federal court in Oklahoma City. Varnell was arrested in August 2017 after he tried to detonate what authorities said he believed was a half-ton (450-kilogram) bomb outside BancFirst in downtown Oklahoma City.
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| 3 workers at facilities housing migrant kids in U.S. custody test positive for coronavirus Posted: 23 Mar 2020 03:54 AM PDT  A dozen migrant children in U.S. custody have been tested for the virus. Five results came back negative and the rest are pending.
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| Biden to start considering running mates, consulted Obama Posted: 22 Mar 2020 04:06 PM PDT  Biden's vice presidential options will include at least six or seven women who will be subjected to background checks to ensure there will not "be any snafu," he told donors at a fundraising event held by telephone. "I have to start that vetting process relatively soon, meaning in a matter of weeks," he said. Biden said at a Democratic debate last week that he would pick a woman for the job, a qualification he reiterated on Sunday.
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| White House press corps confirms 'suspected case' of coronavirus in the briefing room Posted: 23 Mar 2020 02:10 PM PDT  A member of the White House press corps who has been in the briefing room several times with President Trump has come down with a suspected case of coronavirus.
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| A full coronavirus lockdown now looks 'inevitable' for the UK as the public continues to flock to public spaces despite a surge in COVID-19 deaths Posted: 23 Mar 2020 01:04 AM PDT  The UK seems headed for a full coronavirus lockdown as the British public continues to ignore social-distancing rules.
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| ‘People love cruising’: Carnival boss insists cruises will be more popular than ever after coronavirus Posted: 23 Mar 2020 08:27 AM PDT  The owner of the Diamond Princess, the giant vessel on which 706 passengers became infected with coronavirus, believes cruises will be more popular than ever when the pandemic ends.Arnold Donald, head of the parent company of Princess Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line, said his business expects coronavirus to last all year but believes a bright future is possible.
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| China’s Mask Mercantilism Posted: 23 Mar 2020 02:01 PM PDT  As the novel coronavirus continues its deadly march from Wuhan across the globe, Chinese Communists are attempting to turn the pandemic, which was largely caused by their own complacency and incompetence, into a propaganda victory by highlighting stories of China delivering supplies and expertise to the countries it infected. The American chatterati is starting to worry about China seizing global leadership, but it should calm down. The United States and its democratic allies are still providing for other countries in a way that China will not.China has learned a great deal in the past few years. After Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines in 2013, countries around the world sprang into action, sending food, money, and supplies to help. China joined in, initially offering . . . $200,000, a little more than half the $350,000 donation from the rock band Journey. After facing torrents of richly deserved scorn for its stinginess, the second-largest economy in world upped its ante to about $2 million, nearly matching the $2.7 million donation from geopolitical powerhouse Ikea.The main lesson the Chinese Communists seem to have drawn from the debacle is that the appearance of doing good is more important than actually doing it, and so far, media reactions are proving them right. In the past few weeks, the Chinese propaganda machine has gone into overdrive, praising China for buying time for the world to respond to the pandemic and for leading the global response to the coronavirus. Both claims are false, despite being widely bandied about in the media.China did not delay the disease's spread, New York Times op-eds to the contrary. Wuhan's officials destroyed evidence and harassed medical professionals who warned about the new virus. After president Xi Jinping took charge of China's response, he lied to World Health Organization officials and waited until after infected people reached Thailand, South Korea, and the United States before initiating lockdowns. For months, China obstructed not the disease, but rather the people trying to stop it.Chinese propagandists also claim that China is leading the way in responding to the crisis internationally, which is patently false. China's much-publicized gift of 1 million masks to Japan is a grand and magnificent gesture, albeit only one-third as grand as prior Japanese donations of nearly 3 million masks to China.The most remarkable case, however, is in Italy, where China's ostentatious delivery of supplies and doctors has caused much consternation among Americans who worry that the United States is losing its global leadership role. Media accounts often omitted that the supplies were bought and paid for by the Italians, when the most newsworthy element to the story is that China actually kept its commitment to deliver what it sold.Overall, China has returned to Europe about as much medical equipment as it received, taking credit for in effect receiving supplies from northern and central Europe and delivering them later to southern Europe -- but unlike the European donors, the Chinese aren't doing it for free. Chinese Communists are boasting about their magnanimity and are letting Germany and the European Union take the blame for shortages across Europe that are largely due to Chinese hoarding. This is not philanthropy; this is mercantilism.Despite headlines to the contrary, the United States is helping other countries even as it battles the infection at home. The administration's response may have been clumsy at times, but the U.S. is doing a lot of good: Congress has already passed, and President Trump has already signed, $1.3 billion in foreign aid to help other countries fight COVID-19, and the Asian Development Bank, whose biggest stakeholder is the United States, is helping developing countries with another $6.5 billion. This is but a part of the over $90 billion that the United States has spent on global health since 2009.Americans already lead the world in responding to global health crises because of some of their most foundational beliefs. Nearly 200 years ago, Alexis de Tocqueville marveled at how universally Americans believed in the "principle of interest rightly understood," explaining how "an enlightened regard for themselves constantly prompts them to assist each other." This principle makes Americans the most generous people in the world, giving $428 billion to charity in 2018, and it shapes how the American government responds to heath crises around the world, from the AIDS and Ebola epidemics to COVID-19 today.And they are not alone. Most of their democratic allies favor humanitarian aid over defense spending -- often to a fault -- but this preference makes them uniquely able and willing to help other countries respond to pandemics.The Chinese Communists will win some headlines during this crisis, but ultimately they will not overcome their power-hungry, mercantilist nature and advance their claim to global leadership. Americans give because of who they are, while Chinese Communists give to take more back later. The world will see -- and remember.
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| COVID-19 symptoms can be all or nothing: 'This virus just has the whole kit and caboodle' Posted: 23 Mar 2020 04:49 PM PDT  People who contract COVID-19 can experience a broad range of symptoms and have very different experiences with the disease.
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| Rand Paul says amid criticism that more Americans should be able to get tested for coronavirus Posted: 23 Mar 2020 11:14 AM PDT  "I believe we need more testing immediately, even among those without symptoms," Paul said.
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| North Carolina wins court piracy case over Blackbeard's ship Posted: 23 Mar 2020 08:11 AM PDT  The Supreme Court sided unanimously Monday with North Carolina in a copyright fight with a company that has documented the salvage of the pirate Blackbeard's ship off the state's coast. Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the court that the company's copyright infringement lawsuit, which she called "a modern form of piracy," could not go forward because the Constitution generally protects states from lawsuits in federal courts. The 21st century dispute arose over the Queen Anne's Revenge, which ran aground more than 300 years ago.
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| Trump calls to protect Asian Americans after virus uproar Posted: 23 Mar 2020 03:07 PM PDT  US President Donald Trump called Monday for protection of Asian Americans after charges that his use of the term "Chinese virus" had aggravated a backlash. "It is very important that we totally protect our Asian American community in the United States, and all around the world," Trump wrote on Twitter. Asian American activists have reported a spike in bias incidents since the epidemic erupted, including a woman who was followed and beaten on the New York subway.
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| U.S. FDA approves first rapid coronavirus test with 45 minutes detection time Posted: 21 Mar 2020 05:53 PM PDT  The test's developer, California-based molecular diagnostics company Cepheid, said on Saturday it had received an emergency use authorization from the FDA for the test, which will be used primarily in hospitals and emergency rooms. The FDA confirmed its approval in a separate statement. It said the company intends to roll out the availability of its testing by March 30.
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| US Surgeon General warns Americans to follow the coronavirus guidelines to stay home: 'This week it's going to get bad' Posted: 23 Mar 2020 10:02 AM PDT  Now is no time for leisurely social activity. To stem the pandemic, Americans must stay home, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams says.
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| South Africa: 'Our children are dying, but President Ramaphosa doesn't care' Posted: 22 Mar 2020 05:08 PM PDT  South Africa's leader Cyril Ramaphosa is accused of inaction over a spate of child murders.
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| Sen. Rand Paul, Who Opposed Coronavirus Relief Bill, Tests Positive Posted: 22 Mar 2020 05:42 PM PDT  Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who was the only senator to oppose a coronavirus relief package last month, announced Sunday that he has tested positive for the virus."He is feeling fine and is in quarantine," an announcement on his Twitter said. "He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events."It added, "He expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends and will continue to work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time."In addition to being the only senator to vote against an $8.3 billion emergency coronavirus package, Paul also was one of the eight senators who voted against paid sick leave in a stimulus bill that passed with an overwhelming 90-8 vote last week. "I think that the paid sick leave is an incentive for businesses to actually let go employees and will make unemployment worse," Paul, a physician who has a Kentucky-issued medical license, explained to Newsweek.CNN reported that Paul closed his Capitol Hill offices over a week ago and urged employees to work from home due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak. Two people who attended the annual Speed Art Museum ball in Kentucky with the senator on March 7 later tested positive for the virus, according to the Courier-Journal. But despite reportedly being tested roughly a week ago, Paul continued to interact with colleagues and even worked out at the Senate gym—and was swimming in the pool—on Sunday morning, shortly before he received his positive test results, Politico reported. Paul is the first senator to test positive for the novel coronavirus. Two other members of Congress, Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Ben McAdams (D-UT), have also gone public with positive test results.According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, is particularly dangerous for people with lung problems. In August 2019, Paul had part of his lung removed after an altercation with his neighbor Rene Boucher. The two had a long-running dispute over lawn care.Second Member of Congress Tests Positive for COVID-19On March 2, Paul appeared on Fox News and downplayed the global threat of the coronavirus. "While it is worldwide, I think there is room for optimism that this thing may plateau out in a few weeks and not be as bad it as it may have been portrayed," he said to host Neil Cavuto. "We've seen pockets of this around the world and even in Italy and Iran where we have it, but none of it is approaching what started in China."When asked about institutions taking larger measures to limit the spread of the virus, Paul was resistant to the idea. "I think closing down the Smithsonians would be way too premature and I wouldn't advise something like that."And when Cavuto asked Paul about making personal adjustments to avoid infection, the Senator was particularly defiant. "I mean, I fly all the time and I'm not cutting back on my flying... I was on a plane today," he said. "I could be wrong and this could be really bad in two or three weeks or a month, but I'm hoping it's not going to be. I'm not ready to buy all the toilet paper at Target."The senator's father, Dr. Ron Paul, a physician and a former Republican congressman from Texas, published an essay called "The Coronavirus Hoax" last week for the New River Valley News, a local outlet based in Virginia. "People should ask themselves whether this coronavirus 'pandemic' could be a big hoax, with the actual danger of the disease massively exaggerated by those who seek to profit—financially or politically—from the ensuing panic," the elder Paul wrote.As of Sunday afternoon, there are 30,000 COVID-19 cases in the U.S., and nearly 400 people have died.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get 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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| Germany Lines Up $370 Billion Borrowing Binge in Virus Fight Posted: 22 Mar 2020 09:18 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Germany may borrow as much as 350 billion euros ($370 billion) in an unprecedented financing push to cushion the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.Chancellor Angela Merkel's government will borrow 150 billion euros this year to finance measures to limit the impact of the outbreak. A rescue fund set up to buy stakes in companies and fund corporate loans could issue up to 200 billion euros in additional debt if needed, Deputy Finance Minister Joerg Kukies said in an interview with Bloomberg. The ultimate size of the rescue fund's borrowings depends on how many companies ask for government help."The extent of the federal government's actual borrowing under the rescue fund is currently not foreseeable, since this depends on the extent to which companies will make use of rescue funds," said Kukies. "It could also be significantly lower."The 150 billion euros in new debt is part of a supplementary budget that is expected to be approved Monday by Merkel's cabinet. It will be presented to the lower house on Wednesday in an emergency session and could move on to Germany's upper house on Friday.As the devastating implications of the pandemic become clear, Merkel's ruling coalition is abandoning a long-standing commitment to balanced budgets and using emergency powers to suspend rules restricting borrowing that are enshrined in the constitution. The economy could shrink by at least 5%, according to an estimate by the finance ministry.The effort to shore up Europe's largest economy includes measures such as direct assistance to companies and low-income earners as well as a rescue fund to bailout virus-hit businesses. A lockdown could further restrict activity.Merkel is speaking with state leaders on Sunday to hammer out a more coordinated approach to slow the spread of the virus, which as infected nearly 22,000 in the country, according to Bloomberg calculations.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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| A 12-year-old coronavirus patient 'fighting for her life' had no preexisting conditions, her family said Posted: 23 Mar 2020 07:07 AM PDT  Emma was diagnosed with pneumonia on March 15. On Saturday, she was hospitalized and put on a ventilator.
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| Former Bloomberg Field Organizer Sues Campaign Posted: 23 Mar 2020 11:26 AM PDT  A former field organizer for Mike Bloomberg's Democratic presidential campaign filed a class-action lawsuit against the campaign on Monday, claiming Bloomberg lured her and thousands of other employees into jobs they were falsely told would last until November.The lawsuit was filed in federal court in New York City by Donna Wood, who worked for the former New York City mayor's campaign in Miami and was laid off on Friday.Wood alleges in the suit that the Bloomberg campaign breached its contract with employees by laying them off eight months earlier than was promised and failing to pay them overtime. The campaign "deprived them of promised income and health care benefits, leaving them and their families potentially uninsured in the face of a global pandemic," the suit states."People are going from a pretty generous health care benefit to projected 20 to 30 percent unemployment," said Wood's attorney Sally Abrahamson.Bloomberg entered the 2020 race for the Democratic nomination in late November after other candidates had been on the campaign trail for months. The New York billionaire spent more than $900 million on his campaign, including $500 million for political ads, and offered generous pay and benefits to campaign workers.However, Bloomberg dropped out of the presidential race on March 4, a day after his disappointing finish in Super Tuesday primaries. Over the last several weeks, the Bloomberg campaign has fired campaign workers and invited all former staffers to apply to work for the Democratic National Committee, saying staffing for the DNC would draw "in part from our own incredibly experienced and talented organizing staff."Bloomberg also announced he will donate $18 million to the DNC instead of putting it towards a new super PAC to aid Democrats in securing the nomination. The former New York mayor had previously promised over the course of his campaign to offer his campaign resources to the eventual Democratic nominee.The campaign promised "employment through November 2020 with Team Bloomberg," according to talking points used when interviewing and hiring field organizers. However, contracts signed by the employees stated that employment was in fact at-will and could be terminated at any point and also that campaign staffers were "classified as exempt from the overtime provisions of federal and applicable state laws."
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| Italy sees second successive drop in virus deaths Posted: 23 Mar 2020 12:06 PM PDT  Italy on Monday reported a second successive drop in daily deaths and infections from a coronavirus that has nevertheless claimed more than 6,000 lives in a month. Italy's National Health Institute (ISS) chief Silvio Brusaferro was more guarded. Saturday's record toll was followed by a late-night address to the nation in which Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the additional closure of "non-essential" factories.
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| Biden urges Trump to apply Defense Production Act in response to coronavirus outbreak Posted: 23 Mar 2020 09:22 AM PDT  Former Vice President Joe Biden on Monday urged President Trump to implement the 1950 wartime measure in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
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| Coronavirus: Chuck Schumer faces critical test as US economic stimulus hangs in balance Posted: 23 Mar 2020 07:25 AM PDT  Whether or not the US economy sinks into a coronavirus-triggered recession comes down to Donald Trump and Chuck Schumer, the Senate's top Democrat who suddenly finds himself as the most powerful man in Washington.Whether or not Mr Schumer can strike a deal with the president, the man who mocks him as "Cryin' Chuck," and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, a former Democrat, will decide the fate of a $1.6 trillion economic stimulus package that as late as Saturday evening appeared on track for quick passage in both chambers before Mr Trump signed it into law.
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| Ohio governor and health director announce a 'stay at home' order for at least 2 weeks: 'This is a war on a silent enemy' Posted: 22 Mar 2020 12:20 PM PDT  The order only allows for grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies, police and fire stations, and hospitals to remain open.
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| COVID-19 damages retirement plans Posted: 23 Mar 2020 03:54 AM PDT  Everyday investors could have lost 30% or more during the coronavirus crash depending on how they've invested. It's hard to look at the numbers.
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| 'Enough is enough': Trudeau tells Canadians to stay home, major province clamps down Posted: 23 Mar 2020 09:58 AM PDT  OTTAWA/TORONTO (Reuters) - A clearly unhappy Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday said people defying advice to isolate themselves to fight a coronavirus outbreak should "go home and stay home" or face sanctions. The number of people diagnosed with the illness caused by the new coronavirus jumped to more than 2,000 from 1,430 on Sunday, and the death toll rose to 24 from 20, according to a tally of announcements from officials compiled by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Although Ottawa and the provinces have urged Canadians to stay at home, and in some cases put limits on gatherings, Trudeau said too many people were disregarding the advice.
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| 'Unconscionable': Latino, black student numbers at NYC elite public high schools stay low Posted: 23 Mar 2020 12:20 PM PDT  "It's not clear to me that those tests necessarily test ability as much as they test parents' income or sociological location," one education expert noted.
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| EU Governments Reach Breakthrough Over Balkans Expansion Plan Posted: 23 Mar 2020 03:59 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- European Union governments revived the membership hopes of North Macedonia and Albania by overcoming a French roadblock after months of deliberations, according to an EU official.Envoys of the 27-nation EU recommended that the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, take the necessary step to trigger accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania, the official said on the condition of anonymity.Clinched through several days of intensive behind-the-scenes exchanges while EU leaders grappled with the coronavirus pandemic, the diplomatic breakthrough on Monday in Brussels now goes to national governments for formal approval. Ministers are due to scrutinize the deal during a video conference on Tuesday.The EU wants to keep alive the prospect of North Macedonia and Albania joining to avoid political instability in a region still scarred by the wars in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. The bloc also wants to prevent a political vacuum that could play into the hands of Russia and China.Three other countries in the region have begun EU entry talks: Serbia in 2014, Montenegro in 2012 and Turkey in 2005.Last October, France blocked the EU's goal of starting membership negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania during the first half of 2020, insisting on tougher scrutiny to ensure their respect for the rule of law.To address the French concerns, the Brussels-based commission in February proposed changes to the way the EU vets aspiring members by giving more weight to "fundamentals," including the functioning of the judicial system and democratic institutions.The deal on Monday in the Belgian capital gives the commission the go-ahead to draw up a "negotiating framework" for North Macedonia and for Albania.The breakthrough came after the member-country diplomats scrapped the idea of fixing a June deadline for the commission to produce these documents, deciding instead on no specific timetable. The envoys also beefed up conditions for Albania before it can actually begin the entry talks.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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| Italy sees signs of hope in 651 new virus deaths Posted: 22 Mar 2020 01:19 PM PDT  Italian health officials voiced cautious hope Sunday after the coronavirus death toll edged down from the previous day's world record and the rate of infections slowed. The Mediterranean country's world-topping toll from its month-long crisis approached 5,500 and the number of COVID-19 infections neared 60,000. The number of new infections rose by a relatively modest 10.4 percent.
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| Rise in 'forced disappearance' preys on Brazil's young men of colour Posted: 22 Mar 2020 02:00 AM PDT  Carlos Eduardo Nascimento is the latest apparent victim of a trend aided by police impunity and Bolsonaro's rhetoric, activists sayCarlos Eduardo Nascimento was at a bar with friends in the city of Jundiaí, 50km from São Paulo, when the police arrived.The only black man in the group, Nascimento, 20, was handcuffed, bundled into a squad car and driven away.Nearly three months later, he hasn't been seen since.Desperate family members say they have been stonewalled by the authorities and – as coronavirus panic sweeps the country – his father Eduardo Nascimento, says he has given up hope of seeing his son alive again."We don't know where else to turn. If my son was from a rich family, he surely would have been found by now," said Nascimento, a security guard.Police investigators suspect a "forced disappearance". Three military police officers who were in the patrol that searched the group have been suspended from duty.Cases of poor young black men who are stopped by police and then show up dead or disappear completely are common in Brazil – and they are on the increase, according to human rights advocates."In almost all cases where the victim was last seen talking to police they are never seen alive again," said Ivanise Esperidião, founder of Mums of Sé, an organization working with disappeared people.São Paulo's public security secretariat has said "all the circumstances related to the case are being investigated".Nascimento's father alleges that the four other young men who were with Carlos Eduardo when he was taken away are scared to speak out for fear of violent police reprisals.Police impunity in the killings of poor, black or mixed-race victims is a notoriously longstanding problem in Brazil, the last country to abolish slavery."They disappear victims to make investigations even more difficult and to ensure impunity," said Ariel de Castro Alves, a member of São Paulo's human rights council.In a rare case in which police have been investigated over such incidents, 10 Rio de Janeiro police officers were charged with torture and murder in 2013, over the disappearance of bricklayer Amarildo de Souza who vanished after being stopped by police.But the case of Carlos Eduardo adds to growing fears about increasing police violence and abuse in Brazil under the far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro.State governors control security forces in Brazil, but experts express fear that officers, have felt emboldened by the president's rhetorical support for police violence.Last year, Rio de Janeiro state – governed by former Bolsonaro ally turned political rival Wilson Witzel – registered its highest number of police killings on record. Most of the victims were black or mixed race.São Paulo's rightwing governor, João Doria, won a narrow victory in 2018, promising tougher measures against crime. The following year, police in the city killed 716 people, up from 642 in 2018 according to data from the police ombudsman.
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| Coronavirus: Trump wants US open for business amid pandemic Posted: 23 Mar 2020 05:35 PM PDT  As conservative voices warn of damage to the economy, the president may be reassessing restrictions.
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| 'Absolutely irresponsible': Rand Paul's colleagues are calling him out after he reportedly went to the gym after testing for coronavirus Posted: 23 Mar 2020 07:59 AM PDT  Two of Paul's colleagues in the Senate criticized him after he reportedly refused to isolate himself after testing for the coronavirus.
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| Editorial: Climate change is just as real as COVID-19. Now's the last, best chance for our government to treat it that way Posted: 23 Mar 2020 03:00 AM PDT  President Trump and Congress should keep climate change in mind as they prepare economic aid packages for businesses and industries.
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| Dumped amid coronavirus, former Bloomberg campaign aides sue for pay and benefits Posted: 23 Mar 2020 01:14 PM PDT  Employees resigned from good jobs to take positions with Bloomberg's campaign, and they now face unemployment and the loss of their health insurance in the midst of the spreading virus, field organizers Alexis Sklair, Sterling Rettke and Nathaniel Brown said in their complaint, one of two proposed class action lawsuits potentially representing thousands of workers. "And they pledged to keep this promise regardless of whether Bloomberg won the Democratic nomination." Donna Wood, an organizer in Miami, said in a separate complaint that she was laid off last week despite promises of continued employment.
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| Fact check: Why is the 1918 influenza virus called 'Spanish flu'? Posted: 23 Mar 2020 09:01 AM PDT  On March 20, the Facebook page Unbelievable Facts shared a graphic on the origins of the 1918 flu pandemic's more common name, the "Spanish flu."
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| Malaysia Growth Seen as Low as 2% on ‘Triple Whammy’ of Woes Posted: 22 Mar 2020 07:39 PM PDT |
| COVID-19 pandemic 'accelerating': WHO chief Posted: 23 Mar 2020 11:37 AM PDT  The new coronavirus pandemic is clearly "accelerating", the World Health Organization warned Monday, but said it was still possible to change its trajectory by going on the attack. "The pandemic is accelerating," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual news conference. Joined by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Tedros compared the fight against COVID-19 to football tactics.
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| No bipartisan coronavirus bill yet, Pelosi warns Posted: 22 Mar 2020 10:30 AM PDT  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her fellow Democrats plan to introduce their own bill aimed at limiting the coronavirus outbreak's toll on the American economy even though she still hopes to agree upon a deal with Republicans.
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| Lindsey Graham Urges Trump Admin. to Maintain Stringent Social Distancing Guidelines Posted: 23 Mar 2020 09:05 AM PDT  Senator Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) on Monday pushed back on calls to ease some of the restrictions imposed during the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic after President Trump hinted that he's considering scaling back some restrictions."Doctors are saying that we should be doing more to contain now, not less," Graham told CNN. "There is no way for the economy to operate with hospitals overflowing. We can't have functioning economy with a widespread virus."Graham wrote on Twitter on Monday morning, "President Trump's best decision was stopping travel from China early on. I hope we will not undercut that decision by suggesting we back off aggressive containment policies within the United States."President Trump on Monday fueled speculation that he would try to ease Centers for Disease Control and Prevention measures recommending stringent social distancing until the end of March, retweeting a number of Twitter accounts suggesting that he reevaluate the measures this coming week."WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF," Trump wrote on Twitter on Sunday night. "AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!"The decision of when and how to ease lockdown and other quarantine measures is being considered on both sides of the political aisle. New York governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday told reporters he was considering how to restart sectors of the economy without contributing to a new outbreak of coronavirus."How do you re-start or transition to a restart of the economy, and how do you dovetail that with a public health strategy?" Cuomo said.
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| New charges filed stemming from murders of 2 found in river Posted: 23 Mar 2020 12:44 PM PDT |
