| President Trump's top scientist, once sidelined, now faces a coronavirus test Posted: 20 Mar 2020 10:54 AM PDT  As one of President Trump's top scientific advisers, Kelvin Droegemeier is a key figure in the fight to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
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| Army Corps of Engineers races to provide 10,000 hospital rooms for coronavirus response Posted: 20 Mar 2020 03:30 PM PDT  The Army Corps of Engineers is planning to create more than 10,000 ICU-type hospital rooms in hotels, dormitories and other available buildings in New York City over the next few weeks, its commander said Friday.
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| Why did coronavirus hit hard in Italy and Spain? Some blame a lack of social distancing — and a lot of social kissing. Posted: 20 Mar 2020 02:00 AM PDT  A seeming lack of urgency marks the coronavirus in Spain, where cases began climbing three weeks ago, and where concepts like social distancing didn't enter the discussion until this week.
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| Coronavirus: Has America ever been this humbled? Posted: 20 Mar 2020 11:41 AM PDT  The outbreak has exposed US weaknesses and shaken its bravado - but its entrepreneurial spirit gives hope.
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| Remains of missing Colorado boy, 11, found in Florida Posted: 20 Mar 2020 05:50 PM PDT  Investigators want to know if anyone saw suspect Leticia Staunch in the Panhandle in early February
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| Editorial: Don't be fooled. The coronavirus pandemic is deadly serious, and it's everyone's problem Posted: 20 Mar 2020 11:18 AM PDT  California's order might seem like a big deal. But what we don't know about this virus, which is a lot, means the risk of inaction is too high.
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| Khamenei lauds Iranians' 'dazzling' sacrifices to fight virus Posted: 19 Mar 2020 09:30 PM PDT  Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a speech on state television for the Persian New Year, praised Iranians for their "dazzling" sacrifices in fighting the coronavirus outbreak in the worst-hit country in the Middle East. Khamenei, Iran's highest authority, said it had been a tough year for Iranians who have endured U.S. sanctions, floods, and the coronavirus, which has killed more than 1,400 people in Iran and infected nearly 20,000. "These acts of sacrifice were made by medical groups, physicians, nurses, assistants, managers and the staff working in hospitals," said Khamenei, who looked healthy despite rumors he had been infected with the new coronavirus.
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| All Nine Supreme Court Justices Healthy, Spokeswoman Says Posted: 20 Mar 2020 11:12 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- All nine U.S. Supreme Court justices are healthy and took part in a private conference Friday, a spokeswoman said, as the court signaled it was trying to move ahead with its work despite the coronavirus outbreak.The justices didn't engage in their traditional practice of shaking hands before the regularly scheduled meeting, and "a number" of them participated by phone, court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said in an email. The pandemic has prompted the justices to postpone the two-week argument session that was set to start next week, but the court will issue orders and opinions online Monday morning, Arberg said. That marks a break from the traditional practice of announcing opinions from the bench.Two of the court's nine members are in their 80s -- Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who turned 87 on Sunday, and Justice Stephen Breyer, 81. Four others are 65 or older: Justice Clarence Thomas, 71; Justice Samuel Alito, 69; Justice Sonia Sotomayor, 65; and Chief Justice John Roberts, 65. Elderly people are at increased risk of dying should they contract the coronavirus, and Sotomayor's diabetes puts her at elevated risk as well. Following Guidance"Like all of us, the justices are following public health guidance," Arberg said.The court had been set to hear arguments in 11 cases during the weeks of March 23 and March 30. Those cases include an $8 billion copyright clash between Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Oracle Corp., set for argument March 24.The court was also planning March 31 arguments on President Donald Trump's challenge to subpoenas for his financial information issued by three House committees and a New York grand jury. Trump is trying to block his banks and accounting firm from turning over the records.In addition to the now-postponed March sitting, the court has one more two-week argument session on its calendar, currently set to start April 20. That session includes a case that could affect the 2020 presidential election, a fight over "faithless electors" who refuse to cast their Electoral College votes for the candidate who won their state's balloting.It's possible the court will hold back some of those cases for the nine-month term that starts in October. But the justices could also opt to change their argument procedures, possibly holding sessions by phone or even deciding some cases without hearing arguments.(Adds details about justices, cases starting in fourth 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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| Coronavirus bungling by White House is now 'too late to be fixed,' Obama's Ebola czar says Posted: 20 Mar 2020 06:52 AM PDT  Ron Klain, who was the Obama administration's Ebola response coordinator, said he expects that the shortage of tests in the United States will be one of the most enduring legacies of the crisis.
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| An infectious disease expert explains why herd immunity probably won't work in the fight against coronavirus Posted: 20 Mar 2020 02:59 PM PDT  The only safe way we'll achieve herd immunity against the coronavirus is with the help of a vaccine, which will be available in at least 18 months.
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| `Accept it': 3 states lock down 70 million against the virus Posted: 19 Mar 2020 11:52 PM PDT  Illinois and New York state joined California on Friday in ordering all residents to stay in their homes unless they have vital reasons to go out, restricting the movement of more than 70 million Americans in the most sweeping measures undertaken yet in the U.S. to contain the coronavirus. The states' governors acted in a bid to fend off the kind of onslaught that has caused the health system in southern Europe to buckle. The lockdowns encompass the three biggest cities in America — New York, Los Angeles and Chicago — as well as No. 8 San Diego and No. 14 San Francisco.
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| This Is What a Coronavirus Lockdown Means in Each State Posted: 20 Mar 2020 11:11 AM PDT  As the number of coronavirus cases continues to soar across the United States, state officials are racing to curtail the pandemic by taking extraordinary measures—including forcing millions of Americans to remain in their homes in the name of social distancing. Over the last week, restaurants, bars, and schools across the United States were shuttered, but several states have ordered lockdowns for their residents—similar to those in China and Italy—in a desperate effort to "flatten the curve." Here's a list of state lockdowns, and what they actually mean.NEW YORKNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a state-wide "stay at home" on Friday, warning New York state's 19 million residents that those who defy the expansive order could face civil fines. "When I talk about the most drastic action we can take, this is the most drastic action we can take," Cuomo said.The restrictions take effect Sunday night and stipulate: * All New Yorkers are ordered to work from home. * Employees in essential jobs and government personnel can continue to work. * Solitary walks and outdoor exercise is permitted but all team sports are banned. * Residents are allowed to go to the grocery store and run errands. * Restaurants and bars can still deliver to homes. * All non-essential businesses state-wide must close their premises. * Liquor and wine stores are classified as essential so can stay open, as can pharmacies, grocery stores, and restaurants and bars offering take out and delivery only. * Mass transit and roadways are not affected.CALIFORNIACalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a state-wide "stay at home" order on Thursday, stating that while "home isolation" is not his preference, it's necessary to stop the spread of the virus. The city of Los Angeles issued a similar citywide mandate.While Newson stated that California police will not be actively enforcing the order, the mandate states that failure to comply could result in "a misdemeanor punishable by a fine, imprisonment, or both.""This is not a permanent state, this is a moment in time," Newsom said. "We will look at these kinds of decisions as pivotal decisions."The order states: * Residents are allowed to run errands to the grocery store and pharmacy. * Walks outside are permitted while practicing social distancing. * Employees in essential jobs can continue to work outside the house. * All other Californians will work from home for the time being. * Restaurants can deliver to homes.ILLINOIS Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday ordered a state-wide "stay-at-home" order, saying that while he "didn't come to this decision lightly" he believes the aggressive action is necessary to contain the coronavirus spread after speaking with medical experts and mathematicians."For the vast majority of you already taking precautions, your lives will not change very much," Pritzker said."We don't know yet all the steps we're going to have to take to get this virus under control."The order, which will begin at 5 p.m. on Saturday and continue through April 7, states: * All residents must work from home, except for essential personnel. * Residents may go to the grocery store, pharmacy, and put gas in their cars. * Walks outside are allowed but must follow social distancing guidelines. * All non-essential businesses will be shut down. * Restaurants can still deliver to homes. * All roads will remain open. * Grocery stores, pharmacies, and gas stations still remain open.NEW JERSEYNew Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Saturday issued a statewide "stay-at-home" order and mandated all non-essential businesses to close."The order provides for certain exceptions, such as obtaining essential goods or services, seeking medical attention, visiting family or close friends, reporting to work, or engaging in outdoor activities," the governor said in a statement. The order will go into effect on Saturday at 9 p.m. It prohibits "all gatherings of individuals, such as parties, celebrations, or other social events."The exceptions to the order include: * Grocery stores, farmer's markets, other food suppliers, liquor stores. * Post offices, pet stores, gas stations, convenience stores. * Pharmacies and medical marijuana dispensaries. * Hardware and home improvement stores. * Banks and other financial institutions. * Laundromats, dry cleaning services.CONNECTICUT * Gatherings of more than 50 people are banned. * Bars and restaurants will only be opened for take-out and delivery. * All clubs, bars, movie theaters, nail salons, hair salons, and gyms to shutdown. * All indoor shopping malls, amusement parks, and bowling alleys are closed.LOUISIANA * Month-long ban on all bars, nightclubs, casinos, movie theaters, gyms, and health clubs. * Restaurants may be open, but only for take-out and delivery. * All public gatherings over 50 people are banned.MINNESOTA * All bars and restaurants are shut down, but take out and delivery is allowed. * All bars, nightclubs, casinos, movie theaters, gyms, community clubs to shut. * Grocery store workers are classified as emergency personnel, allowing them to access free state child care.NEW JERSEY * State-wide curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. * No gatherings larger than 50 people. * All bars and restaurants are shut down, but take out and delivery is allowed. * All bars, nightclubs, casinos, movie theaters, and gyms are shutdown. * All indoor shopping malls, amusement parks, and bowling alleys are shutdown.PENNSYLVANIA * All businesses not considered "life-sustaining" will be closed starting on Saturday. * Grocery stores, gas stations, banks, health care providers, and social assistance services still open. * Restaurants can only offer take-out, delivery, and drive-through services.WASHINGTON STATEWashington Gov. Jay Inslee ordered a statewide emergency shutdown on Sunday—the first state to force Americans indoors and the state with the most national deaths due to the coronavirus. The order states: * All restaurants and bars are shut down but can still provide takeout and delivery. * No gatherings over 50 people. * Grocery stores and pharmacies are exempt from the ban.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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| Coronavirus: Four members of New Jersey family die Posted: 21 Mar 2020 02:35 PM PDT  The death of Grace Fusco and three of her adult children is an "unbearable tragedy", relatives say.
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| Trump responds to question on coronavirus fears: 'I say that you're a terrible reporter' Posted: 20 Mar 2020 11:02 AM PDT  When a reporter asked President Trump "what do you say to Americans who are watching you right now who are scared?" he responded by saying "I say that you're a terrible reporter."
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| America's extreme neoliberal healthcare system is putting the country at risk Posted: 21 Mar 2020 03:32 AM PDT  Single-payer healthcare can't prevent a novel virus like Covid-19 but it could help us plan, coordinate and save lives * Coronavirus – latest updates * See all our coronavirus coverageAt the final debate of the Democratic presidential primary on Sunday, Senator Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden clashed on the coronavirus. Sanders contended the pandemic laid bare "the incredible weakness and dysfunctionality" of the US healthcare system, and called for single-payer reform. Biden countered that Italy's universal system had failed to protect the Mediterranean nation, and asserted that Covid-19 "has nothing to do with Bernie's Medicare for All". At first glance, the ex-vice-president seems right: of course single-payer can't close the door to a novel virus, any more than it can forestall a deadly earthquake or fend off a zombie apocalypse. Nonetheless, a national health program with unified financing and governance – basically the opposite of what we have in America today – is a powerful tool in a health crisis.The debate over Medicare for All in the age of Covid-19 is complicated by the fact that it is our public health agencies – and not the medical care system – that serve as our first line of defense against novel epidemics. In that regard, we've shot ourselves in the foot with a 12-gauge shotgun: year after year of underfunding of our federal, state and local public health agencies has left us ill-prepared for the Covid-19 challenge (as evidenced by the testing fiasco). How we finance medical care, however, is also critical. On the most basic level, containing the coronavirus will require those infected to seek medical care, so that they can be diagnosed and isolated. Fear of devastating ER or hospital bills, however, could keep some home – or at work. As a Taiwan government spokeswoman, lauding her country's single-payer system for its successful containment of Covid-19, told NBC News, "Taiwan's health insurance lets everyone not be afraid to go to the hospital. If you suspect you have coronavirus, you won't have to worry that you can't afford the hospital visit to get tested."On Wednesday, Trump signed into law a bill that would make Covid-19 testing – but not treatment – free. It's hence inadequate, given the predicted looming surge in hospitalizations from Covid-19 pneumonia. After all, 30 million Americans are uninsured – a number that will surely grow as the economy tanks and millions or tens of millions of Americans lose their jobs. Even more are underinsured, and for these individuals, co-pays and deductibles will only become more unaffordable as disposable income falls and savings dwindle. For both groups, medical bills for an intensive care unit (ICU) stay for Covid-19 could be devastating. People, of course, will also not stop having heart attacks, cancer or traffic accidents during this outbreak – on the contrary, medical needs are likely to rise in the face of a recession, as unemployment and misery takes its toll on the nation's health. Financial ruin from medical costs – whether it stems from Covid-19 pneumonia or the looming Covid-19 recession – is financial ruin all the same, and will compound the harm of the epidemic.But there's more to it than that. We need single-payer not only to protect us from healthcare costs, but to transform our healthcare infrastructure. In recent weeks, you may have heard that the US, despite our high healthcare spending, has fewer hospital beds per capita than many other wealthy nations. You may have also heard in recent years about an epidemic of hospital closures in poorly served rural areas, or the 2019 closure of a major academic safety-net hospital in Philadelphia. These hospitals closed not because they are unneeded, but because they are unprofitable. For the American hospital landscape is shaped by market forces, which largely determine where hospitals grow and where they wane.> Healthcare in America is uncoordinated – and ungovernedAt the same time, while our hospital bed supply is relatively low, our ICU bed supply per capita is among the highest in the world. Yet those beds aren't necessarily where they need to be: a 2010 study in the Journal of American Medical Association, for instance, found large regional disparities in the distribution of ICU beds; the researchers concluded that in the face of a major epidemic, some areas might have empty beds, while others would have too few. Again, this distribution, far too often, is driven by market logic – not health needs.Finally, healthcare in America is uncoordinated – and ungoverned. Since the epidemic's onset, hospital and city and state governments have waged "bidding wars" over crucial supplies and ventilators, the New York Times noted. It's every hospital for itself: some are resorting to pleas to the community for donations of masks; presumably, others are well-stocked – but who knows? "Respirators, ventilators, all of the equipment – try getting it yourselves," Trump suggested to state governors on Monday, quoted by the New York Times. This is not a healthcare system – it is atomized chaos. For again, in the American way of paying for healthcare, our hospitals (or increasingly, our multi-hospital systems) are silos, some rich and some poor, each fending for themselves, locked in market competition.This is neither necessary nor rational, leading both to excess and shortfalls, to generous overall health system funding yet care that remains unaffordable for many. A single-payer national health program would allow us to move past the market-driven status quo to remake this chaotic healthcare landscape of simultaneous healthcare plenty and poverty. It would, in short, allow us to begin to plan – not merely for this epidemic, but for the one that follows. * Adam Gaffney is an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and a pulmonary and critical care doctor at the Cambridge Health Alliance. He is President of the advocacy organization Physicians for a National Health Program. He blogs at theprogressivephysician.org
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| Nigeria to shut Lagos, Abuja international airports from Monday Posted: 21 Mar 2020 08:43 AM PDT |
| Dallas megachurch pastor Jeffress capitulates to coronavirus warnings, moves services online Posted: 20 Mar 2020 02:11 PM PDT  The pews will be empty this Sunday at First Baptist Dallas, the megachurch whose pastor, Robert Jeffress, is one of President Trump's most ardent supporters and a frequent guest on Fox News.
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| Sen. Lindsey Graham Says Government Could Underwrite ‘70 Percent’ of U.S. Payroll if Coronavirus Containment Continues Posted: 20 Mar 2020 12:20 PM PDT  Senator Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) on Friday warned that federal and state governments could be forced to support a large segment of the American workforce if measures designed to contain the Wuhan coronavirus remain in place."I talked with [Treasury Secretary Steve] Mnuchin this morning. Here's the challenge, and we've just got to tell the public the truth: we're going to be floating probably 70 percent of the nation's payroll," Graham told reporters on Capitol Hill. "The federal government in some form, working with the states and the private sector, but mostly the federal government is going to underwrite 70 percent of the payroll in this country if the containment policies continue to be this aggressive."Graham said the economic stimulus currently being hashed out by senators in conjunction with the White House will be much more expensive than originally thought."It's going to be a hell of a lot more than $1 trillion," Graham said. Other Republican and Democratic senators have privately agreed that the stimulus will exceed the $1 trillion mark, CNN reported on Friday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said the body would be ready to vote on the stimulus by Monday."We expect to have an agreement by the end of today," McConnell told CNN. "The game plan remains the same. We will be voting on a final package in the Senate on Monday."The Wuhan coronavirus pandemic has caused large swaths of the U.S. to implement closures of schools, theaters and other public venues, with New York and California ordering nonessential workers to stay at home and residents to remain home as much as possible. Jobless claims have surged by 281,000 since March 8, the highest rise since September 2017.
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| China, on virus PR offensive, sends masks and experts abroad Posted: 20 Mar 2020 10:03 PM PDT  As the fight against a new virus shifts to Europe and beyond, China is supplying millions of masks and other desperately needed items to struggling governments, hoping to build political ties and defuse criticism that it allowed the disease to spread early on. Serbia's president plans to be at the airport this weekend to welcome a shipment of medical supplies from his "brother and friend," Chinese leader Xi Jinping. China, said Czech Interior Minister Jan Hamacek, is "the only country capable of supplying Europe with such amounts."
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| Coronavirus: FAA briefly suspends all flights bound for NYC, Philadelphia airports Posted: 21 Mar 2020 12:02 PM PDT  The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a "ground stop" for all flights to New York City airports including John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark due to staffing issues related to Coronavirus.
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| Coronavirus: What could the West learn from Asia? Posted: 21 Mar 2020 08:31 AM PDT  Experts say the UK and US lost an opportunity to prepare for the outbreak - but that it's not too late.
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| Target is apologizing after selling coveted N95 masks to the public while health care workers across the country run out Posted: 21 Mar 2020 05:19 PM PDT  Washington state officials "stepped in" after learning that Target stores were selling the masks while health care workers are suffering shortages.
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| Democrats sound the alarm on Joe Biden's young voter problem Posted: 21 Mar 2020 01:15 PM PDT  The party's presidential front-runner is taking the vulnerability seriously. Some say it reminds them of Clinton in 2016, and won't be easy to overcome.
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| Sri Lanka imposes curfew as South Asia steps up coronavirus battle Posted: 20 Mar 2020 01:50 AM PDT  COLOMBO/RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (Reuters) - Sri Lanka imposed a nationwide weekend curfew on Friday as South Asian countries escalated efforts to check the spread of coronavirus across the densely populated region of 1.9 billion people. South Asia appears to have been less hard hit than elsewhere in the world but the rate of new infections in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka is accelerating with the total across South Asia passing 800. A police curfew took effect nationwide in Sri Lanka at 6 p.m. (1300 GMT) on Friday and will run until 6 a.m. on Monday, as authorities on the island acted to slow transmission of the virus, which has infected 70 people there.
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| Trump on China: ‘I just wish they could have told us earlier’ Posted: 21 Mar 2020 01:05 PM PDT  President Trump on Saturday said he wished that China would have notified the United States sooner about the coronavirus and its impact.
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| Fauci tempers Trump's optimism on chloroquine use for coronavirus Posted: 20 Mar 2020 11:10 AM PDT  President Trump and the leading scientific expert on infectious diseases on his coronavirus task force offered starkly different views Friday about whether Americans should feel hopeful that the antimalarial drug chloroquine could be used to stop the spread of COVID-19.
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| Israeli leader offers to step down next year in unity deal Posted: 21 Mar 2020 01:10 PM PDT  Israel's prime minister Saturday said he is ready to step down next year as part of a proposed power-sharing agreement with his chief rival meant to steer the country through the coronavirus crisis and end a year-long political deadlock. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made his proposal during a nationally televised interview, calling for the formation of a three-year "emergency" unity government with the rival Blue and White Party. Netanyahu told Channel 12 TV that he would remain as prime minister for the first year and a half, and allow Blue and White leader Benny Gantz to assume the post for a second year-and-a-half term in September 2021.
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| How do you do social distancing in a refugee camp? Posted: 20 Mar 2020 12:26 PM PDT |
| US airlines warn of 'draconian' steps if Congress fails to help Posted: 21 Mar 2020 02:14 PM PDT  The chief executives of the largest US airline companies asked Congress Saturday for urgent help avoiding widespread layoffs among the industry's 750,000 employees. "Unless worker payroll protection grants are passed immediately, many of us will be forced to take draconian measures such as furloughs," the CEOs said in a letter to leaders of both houses of Congress distributed by the Airlines for America trade group. Airlines for America represents American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines as well as shippers FedEx and UPS.
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| Is spring break over? Local Florida officials close beaches after gov refuses to. Posted: 20 Mar 2020 04:19 AM PDT  At the height of the spring break rush, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday he would not order the beaches closed.
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| 'Buy as much as possible' - Taiwan sees boon to panic buying Posted: 19 Mar 2020 08:25 PM PDT  People in Taiwan were told to buy as much as possible during the coronavirus outbreak, as the island's premier struck a distinctly different approach to panic buying by advising them there was plenty to go around and it would support the economy. While Taiwan has only reported 108 cases of the virus, large rises in recent days from people returning from overseas has prompted some people to rush to supermarkets to stock up, even as the government says there is no need to panic and it will punish hoarding and profiteering. Writing on his Facebook page late on Thursday in a post entitled "Buy as much as possible, there's plenty of goods", Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang said it was the ideal opportunity to buy more Taiwanese products in a boon for the economy.
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| Biden Running Mate? Party Leaders Favor Former Female Rivals Posted: 20 Mar 2020 05:13 AM PDT  WASHINGTON -- With former Vice President Joe Biden now holding an all but insurmountable lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders in the presidential primary contest, many Democrats have shifted their attention to a favorite quadrennial parlor game: the vice-presidential search.Biden has shown his hand in a big and unusual way for a front-runner, saying he would pick a woman as a running mate. That has opened the path for Democratic officials to start picking favorites -- from a socially safe distance.In discussions with The Times since Biden's big primary victories on Tuesday, 60 Democratic National Committee members and congressional and party leaders most frequently proposed three former rivals of Biden as his running mate -- Sen. Kamala Harris of California, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Next up was Stacey Abrams, a former state House leader whose defeat in 2018 Georgia governor's race remains disputed by many in the party.Other popular suggestions included Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Rep. Val Demings of Florida. The Democrats interviewed also proposed seven other women, including Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico.While de facto presidential nominees typically keep their list of potential running mates closely held, Biden has helped fuel speculation by eagerly rattling off names for months -- nearly all of them women. Even his wife, Jill, offered her take in a private fundraiser earlier this month, praising Klobuchar and criticizing Harris' debate stage attack on her husband last summer.Biden, at various points, has suggested he might choose Abrams, Klobuchar, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire or Sally Yates, the former assistant attorney general whom President Donald Trump fired three years ago.A female vice president would be historic: Only two women -- Rep. Geraldine Ferraro of New York in 1984 and Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska in 2008 -- have been nominated, and none have ever served in the White House. That barrier-breaking appeal could give Biden's candidacy a shot of energy, an acknowledgment of the role women have played in boosting the party during the Trump era.Prominent Democratic activists, officials and leaders have been vocal with their desires that the ticket include a woman, after the demise of the last major female candidate, Warren, who ended her campaign two weeks ago."I've been predicting a woman on the ticket since 2017 and demanding it since Warren dropped out," said Christine Pelosi, a DNC member from San Francisco and the daughter of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "It's really important to have the ability to lead America in the depression we will enter if we don't flatten the curve and find a cure. The best pick is the woman Joe or Bernie trusts the most to be president and commander-in-chief."Some of the party's most liberal members and supporters of Sanders suggested that choosing Warren, a fellow liberal, would help Biden appeal to the progressive and young voters who have backed the Vermont senator in the primary. Choosing a moderate like Klobuchar, they say, would dampen general election enthusiasm."Whoever ends up the nominee should pick Sen. Warren," said Tefere Gebre, a DNC member from Maryland who is executive vice president of the AFL-CIO. "I would be less enthusiastic if it's the senator from Minnesota."Yet, with the coronavirus upending every part of American society, including the presidential campaign, Biden may be forced to deviate from the standard playbook.Biden's running mate pick will be viewed through the lens of a public health and economic crisis, perhaps raising the stock of candidates who have more experience, or pushing him to consider someone from outside of government."You could imagine some highly successful person from a different walk of life being considered, and that could expand the list a lot," said John Podesta, who as Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman was involved in her vice-presidential search. "A college president or a medical professional, somebody who would send a pretty powerful signal that what you care about is strength, performance, a commitment to facts and sound decision-making."Biden's campaign said it was beginning to build a team to conduct a "vigorous vetting process." Some close to the campaign say the team is in the early stages of compiling a list of potential running mates and then will vet them. Beyond his own experience as Barack Obama's vice president, Biden has a deep bench of aides to consult. One of his closest advisers, Ron Klain, helped do vice-presidential vetting for Al Gore in 2000.Mitt Romney cut his campaign's list of about 80 potential running mates to 20 in early April 2012. By late July, the list had been narrowed to five men, after the one woman under serious consideration, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, declined the campaign's invitation to be vetted. (Romney eventually chose Rep. Paul Ryan).Donald Trump's 2016 vetting process was less streamlined, but among those he interviewed during his search was Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa.Clinton started with a list of 40 possible candidates, which was narrowed to nine who underwent a process of serious vetting, an interview and a campaign appearance with the candidate. While she considered a number of women to be vice president, only Warren advanced to the final stages of the process.For Biden, 77, a much younger woman could assuage concerns about his age and critiques about a primary process that started with the most diverse field in history and ended with two white men.Biden's campaign hopes the early announcement that he would select a woman will give his operation a shot of enthusiasm from voters, even as the presidential election heads into a deep freeze because of the coronavirus. On Thursday, his campaign sent a fundraising appeal asking supporters to "commit to standing with" Biden and his future female running mate.By announcing he will pick a woman, Biden is aiming to give his ticket a modern-day balance in a party focused on issues of racial and gender representation. Past nominees have chosen running mates who provided geographic diversity (Lloyd Bentsen in 1988) or offered the promise of winning a key state (Ryan, from Wisconsin, in 2012). Obama, just four years into his Senate term, chose Biden in 2008 to ease concerns about his own relative lack experience and help appeal to white working-class voters.Choosing Harris, 55, would not only provide not a gender balance but also would add a black woman to the ticket after black voters helped revive Biden's campaign in February. But as Jill Biden's recent criticism indicated, the memory of Harris' debate stage attack may hinder her chances."I have to tell you that I'm a little torn in terms of my choices," said Alma Gonzalez, a DNC member from Florida. "If it were me and if I was Joe Biden, I would say to Sen. Harris, 'Do you want to be on the Supreme Court or be my vice president?'"Presidential candidates rarely place public restrictions on their pick, preferring to keep options open so they can pivot their selection to suit the shifting dynamics of the campaign. Veterans of past vice-presidential searches said the most important elements have been how comfortable the nominees are with their would-be partners.And while past campaigns spent months vetting candidates and agonizing over running-mate strategy, there's very little academic research suggesting that the vice-presidential pick has a huge impact on winning the general election."The first and most important criteria is, can this person help you win in November and will they at least not hurt you in November," said Podesta.For Clinton, that meant ruling out candidates from states with Republican governors, like Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio. If she won, her team feared that Brown could be replaced in the Senate by a Republican and shift the balance of the chamber away from her future administration.Unlike any nominee since Gore, Biden has a unique view into the selection process, having gone through it himself. While Obama started with a list of 20 candidates, he faced pressure to select Clinton as his running mate and create a "unity ticket." After Obama rejected that idea, the choice came down to a "coin toss" between Biden and Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana. Biden was more energetic and enthusiastic in his interview, according to aides.In an interview earlier this month, Biden cited his close relationship with Obama as a model for his selection process, saying the president was able to trust him with key pieces of his agenda."For me, the most important thing in choosing a vice president is whether or not the person is simpatico with me in terms of where I want to take the country," he said. "It's really important that the next president is able to do what Barack was able to do with me."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
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| Sick parents with 102° fevers denied coronavirus test, as son begins vaccine trial Posted: 21 Mar 2020 05:12 PM PDT  As Pennsylvania parents stayed home with Coronavirus symptoms, their son participated in a test that could change the course of a global pandemic.
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| Coronavirus: Elon Musk 'child immunity' tweet will stay online Posted: 20 Mar 2020 09:07 AM PDT  The entrepreneur falsely claimed that children were "essentially immune" to the virus.
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| A Connecticut town set up a coronavirus testing site. Then neighbors complained. Posted: 20 Mar 2020 01:09 PM PDT  This is why we can't have nice things, or nice coronavirus testing sites.In a move much of the U.S. can only hope for, the town of Darien, Connecticut announced Friday it would be setting up a drive-through COVID-19 testing site at its town hall. But not four hours after the town shared the news, it canceled the testing site — and it seems complaining neighbors are to blame, local paper The Darien Times reports.The testing facility would've been Darien's only location for residents to be tested for the new coronavirus, as well as one of the first testing sites in the state and one of relatively few across the country. It was set to open Thursday but, as the New Haven Register noted, neighbors got pretty angry on The Darien Times' Facebook page. A woman who said she lived near the site commented that children live on the street and that town leaders hadn't told residents about the testing in advance, which somehow was supposed to convince government officials to cancel the whole thing.Officials didn't say exactly why the screenings were canceled, and later scheduled a drive-through testing site for next week at the town's high school — hopefully far, far away from the backyard of that complainer.More stories from theweek.com Government officials reportedly 'just couldn't get' Trump to do anything about coronavirus early on The small-government case for giving everyone a big check The FDA expedited the approval of a rapid coronavirus test
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| Netanyahu’s Assault on Virus Brings Claims of ‘Dictatorship’ Posted: 20 Mar 2020 04:36 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The coronavirus has raised concerns about the state of Israel's democracy as well as its public health, even as caretaker leader Benjamin Netanyahu wins plaudits for his assertive handling of the crisis.Things came to a head this week with back-to-back developments that set off alarm bells in a country that's been without a fully functioning government for more than a year. Three inconclusive elections have abridged legislative oversight, and critics say Netanyahu and his allies are using the virus as cover to skirt parliament and weaken the courts.Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein, a Netanyahu ally, shut down the newly sworn-in parliament this week before lawmakers could vote on proposals to replace him and put in motion parliamentary oversight of virus-related measures and other issues. While Edelstein planned to reopen the legislature on Monday, his move left the parliament's legal adviser aghast."The Knesset has been dealt the kiss of death," Eyal Yinon wrote in a memo that was broadcast on Channel 12. "This situation is uncharacteristic of any democratic country in the Western world that is suffering from corona no less than we."Israel's Internal Security Agency to Track Coronavirus PatientsJust a day earlier, detractors were in an uproar over the cabinet's decision to mobilize the Shin Bet domestic surveillance agency -- which reports directly to the prime minister -- to track possible coronavirus carriers, despite the infringement on people's privacy. And on Sunday, Netanyahu's handpicked justice minister put courts on emergency footing in the middle of the night, citing the coronavirus, leading to a two-month postponement of the start of the premier's graft trial."Netanyahu doesn't have a majority in the Knesset, so he closed it down. He was supposed to go on trial, so he closed the courts," Yair Lapid, a leader of the Blue and White bloc that's been assigned the uphill battle of forming a government after the March 2 election, wrote on his Facebook page."Are we a democracy only when it is comfortable, or are we determined to maintain our character and laws when things get difficult?" Lapid asked.The prime minister's office declined to comment on criticism of his conduct.The grassroots Movement for Quality Government petitioned the High Court to order Edelstein to convene the Knesset urgently to allow the seating of committees necessary to put parliamentary oversight in place. In a ruling late on Thursday, the court said the Shin Bet would no longer be able to use tracking technology developed to combat terrorism to monitor potential virus cases unless legislative supervision was in place by Tuesday.Virus Emergency May Prove a Lifeline for Israel's Netanyahu The criticism of Netanyahu is far from sweeping. He's been widely lauded for his handling of the coronavirus crisis, which he addressed early with travel restrictions that have been copied by other governments, and limitations on people's movements that carry potential penalties if violated by virus carriers. Still hoping to get a chance at forming a government if Blue and White fails, he's been a frequent presence on Israeli televisions screens in recent weeks, fashioning himself as a general facing down a deadly enemy and reminding his audience that foreign leaders have praised him.For his critics, though, Netanyahu is using the health crisis for cynical political purposes, including his call for the establishment of an emergency government under his leadership to shepherd the country through these difficult times.Historian and philosopher Yuval Noah Harari accused Netanyahu of putting in place "the first coronavirus dictatorship.""Netanyahu lost the elections," Harari wrote on Twitter. "So under pretext of fighting corona, he has closed the Israeli parliament, ordered people to stay in their homes, and is issuing whatever emergency decrees he wishes."In Italy, Spain and France, emergency decrees are issued by a government that the people elected, Harari added. "This is legitimate," he said. "In Israel emergency decrees are issued by someone who has no mandate from the people. This is a dictatorship."A motorcade of about 200 people waving Israeli flags dyed black pulled up to the parliament building Thursday protesting the "assault on democracy," only to be dispersed by police for violating Health Ministry rules that ban gatherings of more than 10. At least three people were arrested.Edelstein, on Army Radio, tried to restore calm, saying he would allow the vote on the committee's composition on Monday. "Next week I will bring it to the plenum," he promised.(Updates with court ruling on monitoring.)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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| Read the letter Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos just sent to employees about the coronavirus: 'Things are going to get worse before they get better' Posted: 21 Mar 2020 05:51 PM PDT  Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos sent a letter to employees addressing concerns about the coronavirus and outlining how the firm is protecting workers.
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| Italy's virus toll tops 4,000 after new one-day record Posted: 20 Mar 2020 01:02 PM PDT  Italy reported a record 627 new coronavirus deaths Friday and saw its world-topping toll surpass 4,000, despite government efforts to stem the pandemic's spread. "There are so many people walking around who have the virus and who are at risk of infecting others," Bassetti told Italy's AGI news agency. "The 40,000 cases we are talking about (in Italy) could actually be 100 times higher."
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| Brazil's Sao Paulo to get two-week coronavirus shutdown, Bolsonaro blasts 'hysteria' Posted: 21 Mar 2020 11:23 AM PDT  RIO DE JANEIRO/BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's largest state Sao Paulo will essentially shut down for two weeks to help fight the coronavirus, its governor said on Saturday, as President Jair Bolsonaro again claimed that "hysteria" over the outbreak could cause more harm than the virus itself. Sao Paulo state Governor Joao Doria said a statewide quarantine order would take effect on Tuesday and last through April 7. All but non-essential businesses and services, including bars and restaurants, will remain closed across the country's most populous state, which includes its financial hub, for the duration.
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| To Protect the Future, Hold China to Account Posted: 21 Mar 2020 01:54 PM PDT  In the winter of 2002–2003, the deadly SARS coronavirus exploded out of China's 'wet-blood' wildlife markets. SARS infected over 8,000 people worldwide and killed almost 800. Yet post-crisis, China laxly enforced bans on the offending markets, only to permit them to flourish soon thereafter. Today's COVID-19 is the deadly and avoidable legacy of China's recklessness.U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo has proclaimed that COVID-19 stems from just such Chinese 'wet-blood' markets. While Beijing has praised them as protein sources, their unsanitary practices have long been identified as "perfect viral melting pots" for zoonotic diseases -- diseases that jump from animals to man. In COVID-19's wake, China shut down cities and shuttered the offending Wuhan markets — for now.Today the world strains to curtail COVID-19, mourn losses, and salvage livelihoods. Tomorrow it must prevent a like recurrence and account for damage done. Tomorrow's tasks regrettably require forthrightly identifying and addressing Beijing's wrongful, unnecessary, and repeated misdeeds.As many, including Dr. Bill Karesh of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, have shown, readily affordable measures, including refrigeration and culturally sensitive regulation, could replace China's lax and dangerous wet-market practices. Yet Beijing persisted, even after SARS illustrated the international risks. That disturbing record proved a breeding ground for COVID-19 and may recur.Despite a vast treasury and a world-leading economy, the Chinese Communist leadership has neglected necessary reforms, spending lavishly instead to further hegemonic ambitions in Asia and beyond, as well as its hold on China.To expand her geo-political reach, China's Belt and Road Initiative throws money at infrastructure projects from South Asia to the North Atlantic and from the South China Sea to Palau. National Bureau of Asian Research currently estimates BRI to cost around $1-1.3 trillion (USD). Over the past decades, China's defense spending increased on average roughly 10 percent per year, a rate vastly exceeding any competitor. For a pittance of such expenditures, China could have avoided today's pandemic and helped prevent future ones.Internally, the CCP has spent millions viciously repressing multi-child families, Internet use, Muslim Uighurs, Hong Kong democrats, and the Dalai Lama's Tibet, to name a few. Food stalls would be child play.Who suffers from CCP leaders prioritizing international hegemony and party supremacy? The world.Sadly, after COVID-19 began to spread, China exacerbated its wrongful conduct: first covering it up; then hindering others' abilities to understand, halt, and mitigate the disease; and finally blaming its victims.In a recent interview, National Security adviser Robert O'Brien suggested that China's cover-up of the coronavirus outbreak delayed the global response by two months. Chinese authorities, he noted, actively suppressed doctors' warnings.Once word got out, China then barred health experts from China, where they had hoped to study the disease and its spread.These lost months were costly. All the while, unwitting travelers spread the virus. Lost weeks delayed gathering medical supplies, readying facilities, and developing countermeasures.Having unnecessarily caused and exacerbated a worldwide pandemic, untouchable Chinese officials added their next outrage — blaming America. Beijing shamelessly poses as both victim and savior, seeking disproportionate praise for sharing genome information, casualty data, and, relative to the harm, limited supplies.In any just and lawful setting, actors who recklessly pursue hazardous activities would be held accountable for foreseeable harm caused to others. It would not matter if the wrongdoers did not intend such harm; it would be enough that they knowingly persisted. Exacerbating harm by concealing it and retarding mitigation only increases such liability.Prevention and simple justice require that Beijing accept consequences facing any other wrongdoer — including an end to dangerous practices and extending at least partial compensation to those so grievously harmed outside China. International diplomacy, legislation, executive action or legal proceedings here and abroad should seek to ensure Beijing acts responsibly.Yes, China, too, has suffered from its irresponsible practices. Many Chinese have tragically died, and Beijing's guided economy has stumbled from Beijing's misguided choices.However, the free world groans under horrendous losses of Beijing's making. The unnecessary deaths will be staggering and financial losses crippling. According to assessments by the UN and others, this outbreak could cost the world between $1 to $2.7 trillion. As of mid-March, the U.S. stock market has dropped almost 30 percent from its mid-February high, wiping out nearly $3.7 trillion from the U.S. market alone. As families cower amid Lysol wipes, businesses reel from disrupted supply chains and operations. Recession looms, forcing states worldwide to introduce stimulus packages, with the U.S. debating a $1 trillion plan.Over the years, the self-appointed rulers of China have escaped not just domestic, but international liability for their wrongdoing. Over the years, their thefts of intellectual property, wrongful trade practices, ruthless domestic oppression, support of rogue regimes, proliferation of nuclear technology, and unlawful conduct in the South China Sea have been excused or effectively ignored. Certainly, China has never suffered setbacks commensurate with what it sought to gain.Why do Chinese leaders think they can get away with such wrongs? As President Trump warned Americans years ago, because they have. He added, shame on us for letting them do so.To his enormous credit, President Trump has said, "Enough." His administration has made great strides reversing the world's complacency toward Beijing's misdeeds. As the president and leaders like Senators Cotton and Rubio turn to bolstering U.S. defenses and preventing future devastation, American and world leaders alike should find ways to ensure that this time, China does more than temporarily close a market. Otherwise, the next 'wet-blood' pandemic awaits.
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| Why is the coronavirus so much more deadly for men than for women? Posted: 21 Mar 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Italy announced that coronavirus deaths of men outnumbered those of women by a factor of 2 to 1. That mirrors the experience of China. What gives?
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| Trump's quotes mapped onto a coronavirus graph shows president 'downplaying the threat' Posted: 20 Mar 2020 02:22 PM PDT  Donald Trump's optimistic and often misleading statements about his administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic stand in sharp contrast to the measures that first responders are seeing in hospitals across the US.While he's now under scrutiny for overplaying the assistance and relief that the federal government plans to make available, the president's early efforts to diminish the viral outbreak came as confirmed cases of Covid-19 continued to surge.
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| Take Yale's most popular class for free online during quarantine Posted: 20 Mar 2020 01:21 AM PDT  The course, "The Science of Well Being," may be especially helpful during the coronavirus pandemic.
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| Rep. Hakeem Jeffries: Trump is not committed to criminal justice Posted: 20 Mar 2020 06:57 AM PDT  The Brooklyn Democrat Hakeem Jeffries does not believe that President Trump is fully committed to criminal justice. "It's clear to me that President Trump is authentically committed to President Trump, and beyond that it's hard to tell," Jeffries, D-N.Y., told Yahoo News in a sit-down interview. Jeffries was one of the seven impeachment managers leading the impeachment trial against the president and questions how committed the White House is to reform.
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