| #JustWearScrubs: GOP chairwoman tells anti-lockdown protesters to impersonate health care workers Posted: 27 Apr 2020 11:37 AM PDT  Dr. Kelli Ward, chairwoman of the Arizona Republican Party, is urging would-be demonstrators at rallies against social restrictions to wear personal protective equipment to punk the press.
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| Trump says he knows about Kim Jong Un's health 'but I can't talk about it now' Posted: 27 Apr 2020 04:43 PM PDT  President Trump was asked about the widespread speculation surrounding the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a White House news conference on coronavirus on Monday. Trump suggested he knew "exactly" how Kim is doing, but declined to reveal that information.
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| El Salvador gangs: 'No ray of sunlight for inmates' Posted: 28 Apr 2020 03:56 AM PDT  El Salvador, already criticised by rights groups, cracks down further on imprisoned gang members.
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| Andrew Cuomo wishes he had 'blown the bugle' on coronavirus earlier Posted: 28 Apr 2020 06:22 AM PDT  New York governor discussed US reactions to first news of the outbreak from China in interview with Axios on HBO * Coronavirus – live US updates * Live global updates * See all our coronavirus coverageNew York's governor, Andrew Cuomo, has said he wishes he had "blown the bugle" about Covid-19 earlier.According to figures from Johns Hopkins University, New York state has confirmed more than 290,000 coronavirus cases and approaching 23,000 deaths. Countries such as France, Italy and Spain have recorded more deaths but not by much, and New York City alone has the fifth-highest death total in the world, with the UK in fourth.Speaking to Axios on HBO, Cuomo discussed US reactions to the first news of the outbreak, from China in December."When we heard in December that China had a virus problem," he said, "and China said basically, 'It was under control, don't worry,' we should've worried."When China says, 'Don't worry, I have a fire in my backyard,' you don't hang up the phone and go back to sleep, right? You get out of your house and you walk two houses over to make sure I have the fire under control. Where was every other country walking out of their home to make sure China had it under control?"Cuomo added: "I wish someone stood up and blew the bugle. And if no one was going to blow the bugle, I would feel much better if I was a bugle blower last December and January … I would feel better sitting here today saying, 'I blew the bugle about Wuhan province in January.' I can't say that."Cuomo's handling of the outbreak has nonetheless met with widespread approval, even fueling talk of an unlikely presidential run – speculation he has consistently turned down.The governor has given daily media briefings widely praised and contrasted with those delivered by Donald Trump at the White House, and demonstrated a grip on governance of his state that has kept it on lockdown while he manages its often fractious relationship with the federal government.Still, questions are increasingly being asked about whether New York's heavy death toll might have been avoided.Cuomo first voiced fears the New York healthcare system would be overwhelmed but that has not turned out to be so."I don't think New Yorkers feel or Americans feel that government failed them here," Cuomo said. "I think they feel good about what government has done … their healthcare system did respond. This was not Italy, with all due respect … There were not people in hallways who didn't get healthcare treatment."Cuomo also said he thought the US would be better prepared for the next such public health crisis."This will change society," he said. "Society will not allow this to happen again. They will want to be more prepared. They will want to move more quickly. And government will follow that social instinct."Cuomo is now considering how to reopen the state economy, a process he has indicated will be done in stages.
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| Police: Palestinian stabs Israeli woman, is shot by witness Posted: 28 Apr 2020 04:44 AM PDT  A Palestinian teenager stabbed an Israeli woman on Tuesday before being shot and wounded by a bystander, Israeli police said. The attack came on Israel's Memorial Day, when the country mourns those killed in wars and militant attacks. Israelis usually mark the occasion by visiting the graves of loved ones, but military cemeteries are closed this year and small ceremonies are being held without attendees as part of efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
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| The Supreme Court has thrown out major gun rights case Posted: 27 Apr 2020 01:20 PM PDT  The Supreme Court sidestepped a major decision on gun rights Monday in a dispute over New York City's former ban on transporting guns.
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| China's new 'rule of law' in Hong Kong sets stage for new protests Posted: 28 Apr 2020 05:56 PM PDT  China's interpretation of the 'rule of law' governing Hong Kong is likely to further incite protesters following the arrest of activists.
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| Trump claims 'very good experts' told him the coronavirus 'would never affect' the US, despite multiple officials publicly warning of an impending outbreak Posted: 28 Apr 2020 02:31 PM PDT  It's unclear which experts he was referring to; public-health officials warned early on of a US outbreak that would severely disrupt daily life.
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| Tara Reade: What are the sex attack allegations against Joe Biden? Posted: 28 Apr 2020 03:10 PM PDT  A former aide to the presidential candidate finds support for her sexual assault claim against him.
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| Canceling a cruise due to coronavirus? Here’s a list of updated policies Posted: 28 Apr 2020 07:57 AM PDT  Following the COVID-19 outbreak, cruise lines like Disney, Norwegian and Viking are implementing strict travel restrictions to protect passengers and crew members.
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| Resettled Cambodian refugees still vulnerable to deportation Posted: 27 Apr 2020 01:21 PM PDT  As the U.S. commemorates the 45th anniversary of the refugee group's arrival, Southeast Asian American refugees still face hardships.
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| German doctors are nakedly protesting PPE shortages to show how vulnerable they are without protection Posted: 28 Apr 2020 03:59 PM PDT  One of the doctors, named Ruben Bernau, told a German magazine for doctors: "The nudity is a symbol of how vulnerable we are without protection."
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| North Korean media is reporting that Kim Jong Un is still alive based on a thank-you note sent to workers at a tourist zone Posted: 27 Apr 2020 08:34 AM PDT  Kim Jong Un's health has been in question since CNN reported on April 21 that a recent surgery left him in "grave danger."
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| Bill Gates Dismisses Chinese Coronavirus Coverup: ‘It’s Not Even Time for That Discussion’ Posted: 27 Apr 2020 07:16 AM PDT  Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates called allegations that China cost the world valuable time by covering up the origins of the Wuhan coronavirus a "distraction" in an interview Sunday, adding that "China did a lot of things right at the beginning."Speaking to CNN's Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, Gates pushed back on criticism of Beijing's initial response, saying "I don't think that's a timely thing, because it doesn't affect how we act today.""It's not time to talk about that, this is the time to take the great science we have, the fact that we're in this together, fix testing, treatments, and get that vaccine, and minimize the trillions of dollars and many things that you can't even dimensionalize in economic terms that are awful, about the situation that we're in," Gates stated. "So that's a distraction, I think there's a lot of incorrect and unfair things said, but it's not even time for that discussion."> The challenges of fighting Covid-19 in developing countries, how China and the WHO have handled this crisis, and what to make of wild coronavirus conspiracy theories. Pt. 3 of my GPS interview w/ @BillGates: pic.twitter.com/QJJuAR52SM> > -- Fareed Zakaria (@FareedZakaria) April 26, 2020A detailed timeline of Beijing's response to the virus's origins in Wuhan shows that the government gagged the spread of information about the virus for weeks after it had first been noticed, with health officials being warned privately of "a major public health event" nearly a week before the public was alerted to the threat.U.S. intelligence believes that China purposefully misled the global community on the extent of its coronavirus outbreak, with one study finding that the government could have prevented 95 percent of coronavirus infections if it had acted sooner to stem the initial outbreak. Last week, the head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention admitted to state media that the government "knew there must be human-to-human transmission" of the novel virus, despite his organization saying January 15 that "the risk of sustained human-to-human transmission is low."When asked about the World Health Organization's culpability on Sunday, Gates said "basically no," pushing back on President Trump's claim that the organization is "very China-centric.""In the retrospective, we'll see things the WHO could have done better, just like every actor in this whole picture, but the WHO has a strong connection with one country. That country is the United States," Gates stated. He went on to call the WHO a "phenomenal organization that we're more dependent on today, to drive things, than we ever have been."
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| Column: Why did Trump push disinfectant as a cure for the coronavirus? He listens to quacks Posted: 28 Apr 2020 02:30 PM PDT  Turns out a range of charlatans out there are peddling industrial bleach as a cure-all.
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| Coronavirus: What African countries are doing to help people to eat amid the lockdowns Posted: 28 Apr 2020 03:28 AM PDT  What African countries are doing to help people to eat amid the lockdowns.
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| U.S. coronavirus death toll exceeds Americans killed in Vietnam War as cases top 1 million Posted: 28 Apr 2020 03:17 AM PDT  U.S. cases have doubled in 18 days and make up one-third of all infections in the world, according to the tally. The actual number of cases is thought to be higher, with state public health officials cautioning that shortages of trained workers and materials have limited testing capacity. About 30% of the cases have occurred in New York state, the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, followed by New Jersey, Massachusetts, California and Pennsylvania.
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| Reversing course, House won't return to D.C. next week because of coronavirus threat Posted: 28 Apr 2020 10:40 AM PDT  "We made a judgment that we will not come back next week," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said in a phone call with reporters.
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| Prague mayor under protection after reports of Russian plot Posted: 27 Apr 2020 05:18 PM PDT  Prague's mayor said on Monday that he was under police protection, but stopped short of confirming Czech media reports that he had been targeted by Russia for removing a statue of a Soviet war hero. Zdenek Hrib clashed with Moscow earlier this month after he oversaw the removal of a controversial Cold War-era statue dedicated to Soviet general Ivan Konev, a move Russian diplomats called an "unfriendly" act of "vandalism by unhinged municipal representatives."
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| Turkey sends medical equipment to help US fight virus Posted: 28 Apr 2020 02:32 AM PDT  Turkey has dispatched a planeload of personal protective equipment to support the United States as it grapples with the coronavirus outbreak. A Turkish military cargo carrying the medical equipment took off from an air base near the capital Ankara on Tuesday, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. It was scheduled to land at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington later in the day.
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| US coronavirus models increase anticipated death toll to 74,000, the second increase in a week as states begin to lift stay-at-home orders Posted: 27 Apr 2020 08:16 PM PDT  "If it looks like you're overreacting, you're probably doing the right thing," Anthony Fauci told CBS.
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| Catholic Church angry after Italian government refuses to lift ban on religious services Posted: 27 Apr 2020 06:29 AM PDT  The Catholic Church in Italy is angry over the government's refusal to allow the faithful to attend religious services, as the country edges towards a cautious relaxation of coronavirus lockdown rules. Under a new decree announced on Sunday night by the prime minister, businesses, factories and building sites will be allowed to restart on May 4 and people will be allowed out of their homes to exercise. Public parks will be reopened and children will be allowed out for fresh air and exercise, Giuseppe Conte said. But the government said churches and cathedrals would remain closed to congregations because there remained a high risk of the virus being spread. Elderly people are particularly vulnerable to Covid-19 and make up a high proportion of Italy's dwindling churchgoers. "I understand that freedom of worship is a fundamental people's right," the prime minister said. "I understand your suffering. But we must continue discussing this further with the scientific committee." The Italian Bishops' Conference accused the government of "arbitrarily" compromising religious freedom. The decree also exposed divisions within the government, with some ministers calling for congregations to be allowed to return to churches. "So, we can safely visit a museum but we can't celebrate a religious service? This decision is incomprehensible. It must be changed," tweeted Elena Bonetti, the equal opportunities minister. Catholic leaders said the Church was working hard to alleviate the suffering of the poor and the marginalised during the coronavirus emergency. "It should be clear to all that the commitment to serving the poor, [which is] so significant in this emergency, stems from a faith that must be nourished at its source, especially the sacramental life", the bishops' conference said.
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| Bill De Blasio Appoints Wife as Co-Chair of Coronavirus Racial Inequality Task Force Posted: 27 Apr 2020 07:04 AM PDT  New York mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday announced that he would appoint First Lady Chirlane McCray as co-chair of a task force on coronavirus racial inequality.De Blasio will form the "Task Force on Racial Inclusion and Equity" as part of the city's plan to reopen businesses that have been closed during the pandemic. Many of New York's poorest zip codes have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus, with black and Hispanic patients dying at higher rates than white residents."The economic and racial disparities that have been made so clear by this crisis, we knew about them before," de Blasio, who was elected mayor six years ago, said at a press conference. "A powerful, painful exclamation point has been put on them by this crisis."McCray's appointment to the task force has raised eyebrows amid rumors that she is planning a run for the presidency of New York's Brooklyn borough."This is political. I wish de Blasio would stop doing this," City Councilman Robert Holden (D., Queens) told the New York Post. "Let her win the Brooklyn borough presidency on her own merits."McCray has presided over ThriveNYC, an initiative designed to improve the city's mental health care, which has spent over $1 billion since its founding in 2015. Between 2015 and 2018, the number of police complaints in the city involving mentally disturbed people rose 23 percent, and the number of mentally ill homeless individuals rose by over 2,000 over the same period.
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| China accuses U.S. of 'barefaced lies' about coronavirus response Posted: 28 Apr 2020 07:50 AM PDT  China thinks the U.S. should start looking at its own coronavirus response before taking the blame overseas.U.S. politicians, particularly Republicans, have repeatedly blamed China's government for an allegedly botched response to the COVID-19 crisis, with President Trump saying Monday he'd consider billing China for damages. Beijing responded Tuesday to accuse those politicians of "telling barefaced lies" in an attempt to "shirk their responsibility" for their own sub-par response."American politicians have repeatedly ignored the truth and have been telling barefaced lies," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Tuesday at a press briefing. "They have only one objective: shirk their responsibility for their own poor epidemic prevention and control measures, and divert public attention."A reporter on Monday told Trump "Germany sent a bill to China ... for the damages caused by the coronavirus," though the 130 billion euro charge was actually drawn up by a German newspaper. "We are looking at things," Trump responded, saying "we are talking about a lot more money than Germany's talking about."China had previously admitted to "shortcomings and deficiencies" in its coronavirus response, but that was months ago, before the disease had majorly spread in the U.S.More stories from theweek.com Scientists are perplexed by the low rate of coronavirus hospitalizations among smokers. Nicotine may hold the answer. COVID-19 has now killed more Americans than the Vietnam War How Democrats blew up MeToo
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| Possible link between COVID-19 and rare illness in children Posted: 28 Apr 2020 01:11 PM PDT  British doctors raised alarms about Kawasaki disease after a number of children diagnosed with COVID-19 died despite having no underlying health issues, according to a U.K. official.
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| Democrats dismiss McConnell's 'sad' new coronavirus offer Posted: 28 Apr 2020 07:28 AM PDT  Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi took aim at a key demand made by the GOP Senate leader ahead of negotiations on the next relief package.
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| North Korea's Kim 'alive and well': Seoul Posted: 26 Apr 2020 11:13 PM PDT  Conjecture over Kim has grown since his conspicuous no-show at April 15 celebrations for the birthday of his grandfather Kim Il Sung, the North's founder -- the most important day in the country's political calendar. "Our government position is firm," said Moon's special adviser on national security Moon Chung-in, in an interview with CNN on Sunday. "Kim Jong Un is alive and well."
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| if you're making a mask at home use a combination of two fabrics for better protection says study Posted: 27 Apr 2020 03:09 AM PDT  A new US study has found that if you're masking masks at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, then using a combination of two different fabrics and ensuring a good fit could offer the most effective protection. Carried out by researchers at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory, the new study set out to investigate which fabrics are best for filtering the tiny respiratory droplets that are released when a person coughs, sneezes, speaks or breathes and which are thought to spread COVID-19. The researchers looked at a variety of everyday fabrics easily found around the house including cotton, silk, flannel and polyester-spandex chiffon, which is a sheer, synthetic fabric often used for items such as evening gowns.
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| Farmers are destroying their own crops after the coronavirus ravaged the food market — and say USDA failed to help them get it to hungry Americans in time Posted: 27 Apr 2020 09:21 AM PDT  USDA has been accused of acting too late to buy up and redistribute the surplus farm food left after lockdown decimated food service industry demand.
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| Italy's tops 200,000 coronavirus cases, daily death toll rises Posted: 28 Apr 2020 09:07 AM PDT |
| Libya's Khalifa Haftar accused of coup d'etat as he puts eastern Libya under direct military rule Posted: 28 Apr 2020 06:23 AM PDT  Libya's renegade field marshal Khalifa Haftar was accused of carrying out a coup after he declared the agreement that created a post-Gaddafi government a "thing of the past" and said he was placing eastern parts of the country under direct military rule. In a televised address broadcast late on Monday night, Gen Haftar said his self-styled Libyan National Army was proud "proud to be mandated with the historic task" of leading Libya and would soon set about setting up state institutions to do so. "We announce our acceptance of the people's will and mandate and the end of the Skhirat Agreement," he said, referring to a 2015 United Nations-mediated deal that produced the unity government. He did not make clear what the announcement means for the nominally civilian parallel government that already operates the country's east. Gen Haftar's LNA controls most of eastern and southern Libya and critics say he is already a de facto military dictator of those areas. But his legitimacy has until now been underpinned by the House of Representatives, a parliament elected in 2014.
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| Trump again says coronavirus is "going to go away" Posted: 28 Apr 2020 06:53 PM PDT  The president on Tuesday said the deadly coronavirus is "going to go away," but the U.S. will be prepared in fall if it returns in another form.
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| Jewish history explains why some ultra-Orthodox communities defy coronavirus restrictions Posted: 27 Apr 2020 05:09 AM PDT  Most prominent rabbis around the world support government health regulations intended to curb the spread of coronavirus, even if it means closing places of study and worship. But some observant Jewish communities in the United States and Israel were slow to adopt social distancing. The leader of a strictly observant Jewish community in New York instructed his followers to continue collective study and prayer well into March, though COVID-19 had already killed thousands in the state. In Israel, residents of one observant Jewish neighborhood reacted with defiance – even violence – to the country's strict social distancing regulations.Outsiders are often outraged when religious communities defy government regulations meant to protect the general public. But the situation in strictly observant Jewish communities is more complicated than simply flouting the rules. As an anthropologist who studies religion, politics, identity and conflict in Israel and Palestine, my research helps explain why some religious groups might disobey public health guidelines. Who are Haredi Jews?Ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi Jewish communities, are a diverse population, with varying spiritual and cultural practices. But they all follow Halacha, loosely translated as Jewish law. As such, many do not share the same information sources that others take for granted. In accordance with the rulings of their rabbis, internet access, television broadcasts and certain cellphone functions are generally limited in strictly observant Jewish communities. Maintaining their closeness to God by distancing themselves from the secular world prevented many Haredim from seeing news reports of the virus spreading worldwide in February and March. Some Haredi leaders maintained that gathering to pray and study remained paramount. Studying the Hebrew scriptures, or Torah, is a commandment and a duty in Judaism. Haredi men generally gather to pray three times daily. Students at yeshivas, or Jewish seminaries, may spend 18 hours a day studying together. More than a way of life, prayer and study are the means for protecting life itself. According to Jewish sages, "One who engages in Torah study also protects the entire world." Indeed, "without Torah the world falls." The importance of engaging with the Torah explains why one prominent rabbi in Israel insisted even in March that "canceling Torah study is more dangerous than the coronavirus."Ultimately, the Israeli government intervened to enforce its coronavirus restrictions. On March 22, police were sent into Me'a She'arim, a Haredi neighborhood in Jerusalem, to end public gatherings, close synagogues and shutter schools. They were met with curses, slurs and thrown stones. Some Haredim even called the Israeli police "Nazis." Collective memoryWhile such responses might seem extreme to outsiders, they become clearer when considering Jewish history and the memories provoked by police intervention. Anthropological research demonstrates that people give meaning to their experiences in different ways. Our perception, imagination and actions are deeply embedded in the whole of our experiences. The past – whether individually experienced or collectively nourished by the community – gives meaning to the present. Henri Bergson, a French philosopher, used the term "duration" to explain how the past shifts to present itself in ways that appeal to current experiences in different ways for different people. In times of crisis like the coronavirus pandemic, this sense of duration becomes more acute. For some, hospital tents erected in public places evoke World War I. A Holocaust survivor recently told me the stay-at-home order brought back memories of her childhood years of confinement hiding from the Nazis. One New Orleans resident found that the "flood" of coronavirus deaths recalled Hurricane Katrina.Duration as personal memory is central to an individual's sense of self, but it arises in collective memories, too. Collective memory, including the stories we all tell ourselves and our children about our past, gives meaning and purpose to our collective selves. These stories recount struggles and triumphs and help define our moral community.Duration interacts with collective memory, and is key to the formation of group identity. History of persecutionThe historical persecution of Jews around the world is central to both secular and strictly observant Jews. However, how that memory works in contemporary circumstances is not predetermined. My research demonstrates that different aspects of the past inform collective meaning and actions differently. Unlike most Israelis – who see Jewish history as a justification for the state of Israel and understand the Israeli army and police as existing to protect them – some Israeli Haredim distrust the government and its functionaries. In fact, Haredi Jews, who make up about 10% of Israel's population, are foundationally opposed to Zionism, the political ideology of Jewish nationalism that led to the establishment of Israel in 1948. While Haredi Jews believe that God promised the land of Israel to the Jewish people, they are also certain that promise cannot be fulfilled by human intervention in God's work, such as the establishment of a nation state. They have previously clashed with the Israeli government and law enforcement over compulsory military service and other policies. Suspicion of policeSo when armed men in uniform entered their neighborhoods to close down synagogues and yeshivas, members of the Haredi community drew on their collective memories of soldiers and police wreaking havoc and destruction on Jewish communities in Tsarist Russia and later in Western Europe. Rather than feeling protected by the state, they were fearful and suspicious. Suspicion of the police is common in other communities historically mistreated by law enforcement. The collective memories of both black Americans and the Roma of Europe, for example, associate police with violence and danger. When facing a crisis like the coronavirus, many people rely primarily on science, technology and governments for protection. And the Haredim do not reject science or medicine.But for them, living the Torah life through daily study and prayer is the primary means by which all human life is maintained and preserved. When the political order interferes with their work, the consequences could be more disastrous than a pandemic. It could mean the end of Jewish life, if not of humanity itself. [You need to understand the coronavirus pandemic, and we can help. Read The Conversation's newsletter.]
Este artículo se vuelve a publicar de The Conversation, un medio digital sin fines de lucro dedicado a la diseminación de la experticia académica. Lee mas:
Joyce Dalsheim does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
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| Scientists are perplexed by the low rate of coronavirus hospitalizations among smokers. Nicotine may hold the answer. Posted: 28 Apr 2020 10:02 AM PDT  No experts are remotely advocating for people to take up smoking to prevent COVID-19, but some researchers have theorized nicotine may be playing some role in keeping the virus at bay, Vice reports. That's because there's a surprisingly low rate of smokers among coronavirus hospitalizations.In France, for example, 25 percent of the population smokes, but only 5.3 percent of coronavirus patients have been recorded as smokers, and studies have found low rates in China and New York City, as well.Greek cardiologist and tobacco harm-reduction specialist Konstantinos Farsalinos thinks nicotine (crucially, not tobacco) might be lessening the intensity of cytokine storms, an overreaction of the body's immune system which seems to be the cause of the most severe coronavirus symptoms. French researchers have a slightly altered theory that nicotine prevents the virus from entering cells (the difference lies in the type of receptors the virus latches onto), and they're hoping to test out nicotine patches on patients to see if they help fight off COVID-19. The French government suspended the online sale of patches to make sure people don't buy in bulk and try to treat themselves that way.The seemingly out-there theory has piqued the interest of scientists across the world, though many are urging caution. The lower rates could be a result of some other chemical in tobacco producing a protective effect, or it could be that the number of smokers is being underreported."Smokers who have developed chronic disease have likely quit because of their disease," Michael Siegel, a community health sciences professor at Boston University, said. "Many of the smokers who are continuing to smoke are doing so because they don't have disease yet. So this would be expected to skew the sample of hospitalized patients toward people who do not smoke." Read more at Vice.More stories from theweek.com COVID-19 has now killed more Americans than the Vietnam War How Democrats blew up MeToo Biggest mall owner in U.S. reportedly preparing to reopen 49 properties over the weekend
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| Southwest CEO: Travel won't resume until places like Disney World reopen Posted: 28 Apr 2020 12:51 PM PDT  Southwest is taking steps to make passengers feel travel is safe, like offering hand sanitizer and possibly requiring masks and health screenings.
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| Living in post-Nazi Dachau: painful childhood memories Posted: 27 Apr 2020 08:24 PM PDT  Jean Boehme still remembers the number of the Nazi concentration camp block where he lived as a child: 31C. Boehme, now 73, grew up on the site of Dachau, the concentration camp just outside Munich which was liberated 75 years ago on Wednesday. Although it remains a less well-known story of the Holocaust, Dachau was one of several Nazi camps which were repurposed after the war.
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| False belief poison cures virus kills over 700 in Iran Posted: 27 Apr 2020 09:24 AM PDT  The false belief that toxic methanol cures the coronavirus has seen over 700 people killed in Iran, an official said Monday. An adviser to the ministry, Hossein Hassanian, said that the difference in death tallies is because some alcohol poisoning victims died outside of hospital. Alcohol poisoning has skyrocketed by ten times over in Iran in the past year, according to a government report released earlier in April, amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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| The EU rewrote a report detailing China's coronavirus 'disinformation' campaign following pressure from Beijing Posted: 27 Apr 2020 06:26 AM PDT  References to a Chinese campaign of "global disinformation" about the coronavirus were removed before publication.
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| Mainland China reports 22 new coronavirus cases vs 6 a day earlier Posted: 28 Apr 2020 05:31 PM PDT  Mainland China reported 22 new coronavirus cases for April 28, up from 6 reported a day earlier, putting its total number of COVID-19 infections to date at 82,858. The National Health Commission said in a statement on Wednesday that the number of imported cases involving travellers from overseas rose to 21 on Tuesday from 3 a day earlier. New asymptomatic cases, involving patients infected with the virus but not showing symptoms, fell to 26 from 40 the previous day.
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| Steele Claims Clinton Lawyer Provided Tip about Trump Campaign Contacts with Russian Bank Posted: 28 Apr 2020 05:44 AM PDT  Christopher Steele admitted in a court hearing last month that his claims of secret communication between the 2016 Trump campaign and a Russian bank were based on a tip from a lawyer representing the DNC and Clinton campaign.Steele claimed in his infamous dossier that the founders of Alfa Bank had "illicit" ties to Vladimir Putin and acted as an undercover messaging channel between the Kremlin and the Trump Organization. He did not say where he had received the information. But under questioning from the lawyer of the bank owners, who sued him for defamation, Steele revealed that on July 29, 2016, he was told of the story by Perkins Coie lawyer and former DOJ official Michael Sussmann."I'm very clear is that the first person that ever mentioned the Trump server issue, Alfa server issue, was Mr. Sussmann," Steele told Hugh Tomlinson, a lawyer for the Alfa Bank owners, on March 17, according to a transcript of the deposition obtained by the Daily Caller.Steele then admitted that Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson asked him after the meeting to write up a memo that "was absolutely, definitely linked to the server issue." He then tasked his dossier source to do further investigating, and reported in the memo that the source met with a "top level Russian government official" who confirmed the allegations of coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia through Alfa Bank.It was revealed last week that Steele said in the same deposition that he had no records of any conversations with his primary sub-source, because they were "wiped in early January 2017." Steele was deposed as part of a defamation lawsuit brought by two Russian bankers who he accused in the dossier of making illegal payments to Vladimir Putin.Fusion GPS was hired by a Perkins Coie colleague of Sussmann, Marc Elias — general counsel for the Clinton campaign — in April 2016 to dig up dirt on the Trump campaign. In June 2016, Fusion GPS then turned to Steele, a former British intelligence officer, to investigate Trump's alleged ties to Russia.Steele also testified that he met with Elias in Washington D.C., on September 22, 2016, three days after providing the FBI Crossfire Hurricane investigation with six memos — but not the one on Alfa Bank — from his dossier.DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz's December report detailed how the FBI, which received the Alfa Bank memo in November 2016, "concluded by early February 2017 that there were no such links" between the bank and the Trump apparatus.
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| Trump pushes advisers to get U.S. troops out of Afghanistan, citing coronavirus Posted: 27 Apr 2020 08:00 AM PDT  Trump complains almost daily that U.S. troops are still in Afghanistan and are now vulnerable to the pandemic, officials said.
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| Italians in revolt over slow pace of lockdown easing as government takes cautious approach Posted: 28 Apr 2020 05:14 AM PDT  Italians are in revolt over the government's cautious lockdown exit strategy, with the mayor of Venice saying the World Heritage city is a "social bomb" ready to explode with anger and frustration. Italy has been under draconian restrictions since March 9 in Europe's longest coronavirus lockdown, and the strain is beginning to tell for millions of people as the nation's death tolls climbs above 27,000. The collapse of tourism has brought the lagoon city to its knees, said Luigi Brugnaro, a businessman who has been Venice's mayor for the last five years. "We're unfortunately facing a social bomb which is already primed. People are tired and angry and we are struggling to hold it together," he said.
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| Japan's beleaguered nurses face wave of aggressive "corona-bullying" Posted: 28 Apr 2020 06:56 AM PDT  Nurses have been refused daycare for their children and asked to keep away from other families on playgrounds amid wave of "corona-bullying."
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