| Schumer calls on VA to explain use of unproven drug on vets Posted: 10 May 2020 06:15 AM PDT  The Senate's top Democrat on Sunday called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to explain why it allowed the use of an unproven drug on veterans for the coronavirus, saying patients may have been put at unnecessary risk. Sen. Charles Schumer of New York said the VA needs to provide Congress more information about a recent bulk order for $208,000 worth of hydroxychloroquine. President Donald Trump has heavily promoted the malaria drug, without evidence, as a treatment for COVID-19.
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| Pence would 'be happy' to see 'patriot' Michael Flynn in White House again Posted: 10 May 2020 08:58 AM PDT  Vice President Mike Pence seems ready for former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to come back to the White House after the Justice Department moved last week to drop its criminal case against him, Axios reports.Flynn was a major player in former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into 2016 Russian election interference. He pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to FBI agents about his conversations with former Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak, but the Justice Department on Thursday said the interview which contained Flynn's admission was "conducted without any legitimate investigative basis."There isn't any official indication that Flynn will find his way back to the White House, although Axios reports that some insiders wouldn't be surprised to see him on the campaign trail this year. Pence, at least, apparently wouldn't object to that. He described Flynn as "an American patriot" and said the Justice Department's decision "laid bare" what was "clearly prosecutorial abuse." > VP Mike Pence to AxiosOnHBO on the idea of Michael Flynn rejoining the administration: "I think General Michael Flynn is an American patriot...And for my part, I'd be happy to see Michael Flynn again."> > Watch the full episode Monday at 11pm ET/PT. pic.twitter.com/YkCTcRSUaT> > -- Axios (@axios) May 10, 2020More stories from theweek.com The dark decade ahead Trump angrily shuts down questions about coronavirus testing at press conference on coronavirus testing The making of a coronavirus conspiracy theory
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| China berates New Zealand over support for Taiwan at WHO Posted: 11 May 2020 02:35 AM PDT |
| South Dakota tribes defy governor and maintain checkpoints in coronavirus fight Posted: 11 May 2020 03:36 PM PDT  "We have every legal right to do what we're doing," said Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman Harold Frazier. "We're just doing preventative action."
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| Coronavirus: Mexican jailed gang leader Escamilla dies Posted: 11 May 2020 06:04 AM PDT  Mexican Moisés Escamilla was serving a sentence for crimes including the decapitation of 12 people.
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| Killing of rare river dolphins sparks poaching fears in Bangladesh lockdown Posted: 10 May 2020 08:37 AM PDT  The gutted carcass of a freshwater dolphin has been found in a river sanctuary in Bangladesh, officials said Sunday, sparking fears fishermen are taking advantage of the virus lockdown to poach the endangered creatures. Locals in the southeastern town of Raojan found the remains of the 62-inch (157-centimetre) long Ganges river dolphin on the banks of the Halda River, fishery department official Abdullah al Mamun told AFP. The dolphin is the second to be found dead in the same sanctuary since Bangladesh imposed its lockdown to tackle the coronavirus, said Manzoorul Kibria, coordinator of the Halda River Research Laboratory (HRRL).
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| Iran accidentally fires missile at its own military ship, killing 19 Posted: 11 May 2020 03:18 AM PDT  An Iranian ship fired a missile during a training exercise which accidentally struck another vessel, killing 19 sailors, state media reported.
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| Governor Cuomo: This Is Why You’re Wrong to ‘Reimagine Education’ After COVID-19 Posted: 11 May 2020 05:15 AM PDT  A counselor responds to Governor Cuomo's plans on "reimagining education" after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and why student mental health is at risk.
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| Trump tweets more than 100 times in one day as coronavirus death toll nears 80,000 Posted: 10 May 2020 12:50 PM PDT  Donald Trump sent more than 100 tweets and retweets on Sunday, most of which promoted unsubstantiated claims about the investigation into collusion between his campaign and Russia.
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| Gorsuch, likely key vote, seems to favor Oklahoma tribe Posted: 11 May 2020 09:23 AM PDT  Justice Neil Gorsuch appeared Monday to be a pivotal vote for the proposition that a large chunk of eastern Oklahoma remains an American Indian reservation, a question the Supreme Court failed to resolve a year ago. The justices heard arguments by phone in an appeal by a Native American man who claims state courts have no authority to try him for a crime committed on reservation land that belongs to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The reservation once encompassed 3 million acres (12,100 square kilometers), including most of Tulsa, the state's second-largest city.
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| South Korea scrambles to contain nightclub coronavirus outbreak Posted: 10 May 2020 08:28 PM PDT  South Korean officials scrambled on Monday to contain a new coronavirus outbreak, searching for thousands of people who may have been infected in a cluster of cases linked to nightclubs and bars in the capital Seoul. Officials reported 35 new cases as of midnight on Sunday, the second consecutive day of new cases of that magnitude and the highest numbers in more than a month. Twenty-nine of the new cases were linked to several Seoul nightclubs and bars, many of them catering to members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community.
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| Asia latest: China's ground zero reports new cases, virus pauses long-running cartoon Posted: 11 May 2020 03:51 AM PDT  China reported a new cluster of coronavirus cases in the city of Wuhan. Five new infections were confirmed in one district of Wuhan, the city believed to be ground zero for the global pandemic. Officials reported 35 new infections, taking the total to 10,909, after recording only single-digit increases for eight of the preceding 12 days.
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| California governor says community spread started at nail salon Posted: 10 May 2020 04:27 PM PDT  He said he couldn't provide more information because of health and privacy concerns.
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| Not Feeling the iPhone? Consider One of These Android Phones Instead Posted: 11 May 2020 09:00 AM PDT |
| Interpol issues red notice for US diplomat's wife charged with killing Harry Dunn Posted: 11 May 2020 08:49 AM PDT  Interpol have issued a red notice for the wife of a US diplomat charged with killing Harry Dunn, as police told his parents she was "wanted internationally". British prosecutors charged Anne Sacoolas with causing death by dangerous driving after a car crash that knocked the 19-year-old off his motorbike outside a US military base in Northamptonshire last year. It is alleged the 42-year-old suspect had been driving on the wrong side of the road before the crash. Ms Sacoolas is the wife of a US intelligence official based at RAF Croughton and claimed diplomatic immunity to allow her to return to America, sparking an international row. An extradition request submitted by the Home Office was rejected by the US secretary of state Mike Pompeo in January. In a significant escalation of Britain's stance on the issue, it emerged on Monday that Interpol had issued a request to police forces worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest Ms Sacoolas if she crossed their borders. Number 10 said the refusal by the US to extradite Ms Sacoolas, who was charged in December, amounted to a "denial of justice". Red notices are issued by the international policing organisation - of which both the UK and US are members - at the request of a member country. They are distinct, however, from an international arrest warrant and Interpol cannot compel police in any country to arrest someone who is the subject of a red notice. In an email sent by Northamptonshire Police, the 19-year-old's parents were told the suspect is "wanted internationally" and "should she leave the USA the wanted circulations should be enacted". Reacting to the development, Harry Dunn's mother Charlotte Charles said: "It's been a terrible time for us. "We are utterly bereft and heartbroken and miss our Harry every minute of every single day. "This is important news that (our spokesman) has just passed on to us and we are in pieces. "I just want to urge Mrs Sacoolas to come back to the UK and do the right thing. Face justice and maybe then our two families can come together after the tragedy and build a bridge." A spokeswoman for the US state Department last reiterated its position on April 30, saying that, at the time of the accident and for the duration of her time in the UK, the driver had immunity from criminal jurisdiction. Mr Dunn's parents had separately written to Donald Trump, the US President, asking him to review the decision to block the extradition request. News of the Interpol notice came just hours after the head of the armed forces told the grieving family that he will make representations to his US colleagues about setting up a meeting after claims of "near misses" involving American military staff. General Sir Nick Carter penned a letter to Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn promising to raise the matter - saying "I am very supportive of positive engagement between you and the US base commander". His parents had issued a plea to arrange a meeting with the base following claims of "three near misses" involving their staff since the teenager's death.
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| Coronavirus cases are rising in Germany again just days after it relaxed its national lockdown Posted: 10 May 2020 07:27 AM PDT  Germany could be forced to bring back its coronavirus lockdown just days after shops and schools were allowed to re-open.
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| More checks? A payroll tax cut? Trump and Congress split on next coronavirus relief plan Posted: 11 May 2020 01:37 PM PDT  Another round of relief checks? A payroll tax cut? Republicans and Democrats have pitched a number of ideas for the next coronavirus relief package.
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| Pandemic modelers expect loosening restrictions to lead to coronavirus case increase in coming weeks Posted: 10 May 2020 10:26 AM PDT  As some states in the U.S. begin to reopen parts of their economies, scientists are anticipating a growth in coronavirus cases in those areas over the next few weeks.The University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation Director Christopher Murray told CBS' Margaret Brennan on Sunday that his model, which the White House has favored during the pandemic, anticipates a jump in cases in states where his team noticed a large increase in mobility among the population in recent days.> NEWS: @IHME_UW's Director Christopher Murray thinks there will be a big increase in coronavirus cases over the next ten days in places like Georgia where restrictions have been loosened and residents have become more mobile. pic.twitter.com/r0H0MER1Dz> > — Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) May 10, 2020Dr. Jeffrey Shaman, a professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University who has also created a pandemic model, similarly expects loosening restrictions to lead to an increase in transmission, though he thinks the data won't really show up until later in the month.> WATCH: Dr. Jeffrey Shaman says "we are going to see a growth in cases" over the next couple of weeks due to loosening restrictions. MTP @JeffreyShaman: "Any changes we do to social distancing ... we are not going to realize until we are already in some period of growth." pic.twitter.com/6NcfTnwjYg> > — Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) May 10, 2020Shaman did include some caveats, however, noting that models aren't really making predictions themselves. Instead, they're testing out a range of outcomes. There's really no telling, he said, how exactly rolling back lockdown measures will affect people's actual behavior, so there's a chance the worst case scenario won't come to fruition.More stories from theweek.com The dark decade ahead Trump angrily shuts down questions about coronavirus testing at press conference on coronavirus testing The making of a coronavirus conspiracy theory
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| More than 90% of Tokyo hospital beds for COVID-19 patients filled: government Posted: 10 May 2020 08:59 AM PDT  More than 90 percent of hospital beds secured for COVID-19 patients in Tokyo have already been occupied, the Japanese Health Ministry said on Sunday, underscoring the pressing need to curb the further spread of the new coronavirus. The Tokyo Metropolitan government aims to boost the number of beds for COVID-19 patients to 4,000 eventually. About 5,000 people in Tokyo were confirmed to have been infected with the virus, representing nearly one-third of Japan's total infections of around 16,000, according to public broadcaster NHK.
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| Surfer killed in shark attack was passionate about the sport Posted: 10 May 2020 09:22 AM PDT  A 26-year-old man killed in a shark attack off a Northern California beach was an avid surfer who customized surfboards for a living. The Santa Cruz County coroner's office identified the victim of Saturday's attack as Ben Kelly. Kelly was surfing near Manresa State Beach on the northern end of Monterey Bay Saturday afternoon when he was attacked by a shark of unknown species, California State Parks said in a statement.
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| Armed 'mob' allegedly tried to enter black family's North Carolina home; white deputy charged Posted: 10 May 2020 08:27 AM PDT  Among the people demanding to enter the home was a person carrying an assault weapon and another with a shotgun, according to local reports.
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| Texas Salon Owner Admits to ‘The View’ She Received PPP Funds Before Court Date Posted: 11 May 2020 10:10 AM PDT  Shelley Luther, the Texas hair salon owner who received national attention for defying orders to keep her shop temporarily closed during the coronavirus pandemic, admitted on Monday morning that she had received $18,000 in stimulus funds days before her fateful court appearance.Luther became a conservative hero when she was briefly jailed last week following her refusal to apologize to a Texas judge after she was found guilty of civil and criminal contempt for violating a temporary restraining order by keeping her shop open despite stay-at-home orders. Sentenced to seven days in jail and a $7,000 fine, Luther was quickly freed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and her fine was paid by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.Appearing on the popular ABC talk show The View, Luther was confronted on her previous claims that she violated the state's shelter-in-place orders because she and her shop's stylists were facing financial hardships."You applied for small business loans and unemployment, and you did receive some aid from the government," co-host Sunny Hostin noted. "You received $18,000 from the government.""So I understand why people feel so strongly about going back to work because they feel that the government isn't doing its job and taking care of people, but in this instance, two days before you went to court, the money went into your account," Hostin added. "So I'm troubled by that."Luther replied that she could understand why the View host "would be troubled" before claiming that she didn't know what to do with the money she applied for and received through the Paycheck Protection Program."What happened was I already had the court date, and I already had been open the entire time," the salon owner asserted. "There was $18,000 dropped in my bank account with no notice of what it was. So I get no instructions."Saying that she thinks the money is from "one of the loans," Luther went on to claim that she doesn't "know how I'm supposed to spend it," adding that she is aware that there are a number of regulations and guidelines that come with the funds."I didn't want to put myself in deeper debt by spending it the wrong way, you know, and also having to close the salon," Luther said. "So until I got further instruction on that, I didn't want to spend it.""And giving me $18,000 to spend when my stylists aren't actual employees of mine, they're actually subleasing," she concluded. "So I wasn't sure if I was even able to give them any of that money as employees because I don't pay them."Besides the widespread adulation she received from the right over her defiance of stay-at-home orders, which included praise from President Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) flying in for a haircut at her salon, Luther was also the beneficiary of a GoFundMe campaign that raised more than $500,000 on her behalf.Texas Monthly, however, recently reported that the crowdfunding effort for Luther, which labeled her an "American hero," was actually created back on April 23, one day before she reopened her salon. The campaign organizer wrote that they "researched her and her cause" and decided that "we would approach her and offer to support her as our first patriot cause."Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| North Korea outbreak fear as Chinese border city locked down Posted: 11 May 2020 02:02 AM PDT  China has enforced a lockdown on a city bordering North Korea, raising suspicions about a coronavirus outbreak in the isolated country. Residential compounds have been closed and transportation shut down in Shulan, a city of 700,000 in the north-eastern province of Jilin, state broadcaster China Central Television reported on Sunday. Students who already had returned to school, were sent back home again to study, and the city's threat level has been raised from medium to high risk. As of Saturday, Jilin province had reported a total of 105 locally transmitted Covid-19 cases and 19 imported ones. There were 11 new coronavirus cases in Shulan on Saturday, local health authorities said. North Korea closed its borders in January when Covid-19 first began to take hold in China, and has consistently stated that nobody inside the country has been infected.
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| South Korea and China report new coronavirus cases after easing lockdown measures Posted: 10 May 2020 08:40 PM PDT  South Korea and China have reported fresh surges in coronavirus cases in the wake of both countries easing their lockdown measures. "The nation is at risk," Park Won-soon, the mayor of the South Korean capital, Seoul, said on Monday, warning that the next few days will be "critical" in preventing the spread of a virus from a cluster of cases linked to several of the city's nightclubs and bars. A total of 86 new infections have been reported so far in the new outbreak as officials race to track down thousands of others who may have come into contact with a 29-year-old man who visited the venues before testing positive for Covid-19. The scare will ring alarm bells for other governments eager to loosen lockdown restrictions. South Korea has won global praise for successfully controlling the virus with its efficient "test, track, treat" strategy, reducing new infections to a daily trickle of single digit figures. The sudden spike in cases has raised fears of a second coronavirus wave. The authorities have tested more than 2,450 people who went to the night spots in the Itaewon neighbourhood, but officials are still trying to track about 3,000 more with the help of phone records and credit card data.
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| Trump says US will pass 10 million coronavirus tests this week, states will receive $11 billion Posted: 11 May 2020 04:14 PM PDT  "This week the United States will pass 10 million tests conducted, nearly double the number of any other country," Trump said.
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| Dr. Anthony Fauci says there's 'virtually no chance' that COVID-19 will be eradicated Posted: 11 May 2020 11:19 AM PDT  "With the travel, the global travel, every single day, there's no chance we're going to be virus-free," Fauci told NBC Sports' Peter King.
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| This Home Beautifully Blends Traditional and Modern Japanese Architecture Posted: 11 May 2020 04:01 PM PDT |
| Pandemics have 2 endings, says historians Posted: 11 May 2020 10:29 AM PDT  When will the COVID-19 pandemic end? And how? According to historians, pandemics typically have two types of endings: the medical, which occurs when the incidence and death rates plummet, and the social, when the epidemic of fear about the disease wanes.
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| Violence Against Asian Americans Is on the Rise—But It’s Part of a Long History Posted: 11 May 2020 02:13 PM PDT  A new docuseries on PBS calls attention to how Asian Americans have often been violently scapegoated for larger societal issues
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| Australia's biggest state to ease coronavirus lockdown from May 15 Posted: 09 May 2020 07:27 PM PDT  Australia's most populous state, home to Sydney, will allow restaurants, playgrounds and outdoor pools to reopen on Friday as extensive testing has shown the spread of the coronavirus has slowed sharply, New South Wales state's premier said on Sunday. The state has been worst hit by the coronavirus in Australia, with about 45% of the country's confirmed cases and deaths. From May 15, New South Wales will allow cafes and restaurants to seat 10 patrons at a time, permit outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people, and visits of up to five people to a household.
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| Guaidó advisers quit following bungled Venezuela raid Posted: 11 May 2020 10:36 AM PDT  Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó said Monday that two U.S.-based political advisers have resigned in the fallout from a failed incursion into the Caribbean nation led by a former-Green Beret aimed at capturing President Nicolás Maduro. Guaido said he accepted the resignations of Juan José Rendon and Sergio Vergara, who had signed an agreement for a mission to arrest Maduro with U.S. military veteran Jordan Goudreau. While that deal fell apart, Goudreau has taken responsibility for going ahead with a failed attack launched May 3 on a beach outside the capital, Caracas.
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| Coronavirus: Wuhan in first virus cluster since end of lockdown Posted: 11 May 2020 03:29 AM PDT  As China continues easing restrictions, new virus clusters in Wuhan and elsewhere have emerged.
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| UK Brexit negotiators to tell EU that fisheries cannot be part of free trade agreement Posted: 11 May 2020 06:34 AM PDT  British Brexit negotiators will tell the European Union that a new fisheries agreement cannot be part of a free trade deal with Brussels during divisive talks that risk derailing the delicate negotiations this week. The UK will rebuff EU demands that the fisheries agreement, which both sides pledged to do their best to seal by July, be subject to the same governance mechanism that would police and enforce commitments in the free trade agreement. The British position sets David Frost, the UK's top Brexit official, on a collision course with Michel Barnier as three days of talks over continued access to British waters for the EU fleet begin on Tuesday. British officials have submitted a legal negotiating text setting out its vision for a Norway style fishing agreement with catch limits agreed on an annual basis. Michel Barnier accused the UK of wasting time after the last round of talks ended in bad-tempered frustration. "Our position on fish is reasonable and straightforward. We want a separate fisheries framework agreement which reflects our rights under international law and which provides for access and sharing opportunities based on the scientific principle of zonal attachment, with sustainability at its core," a UK official said. The Norway-style agreement risks infuriating Mr Barnier, The EU negotiator has warned Brussels will not agree a free trade deal without a fisheries agreement. Mr Barnier is also adamant that any fishing agreement cannot be renegotiated every year and must be for the long-term. Annual negotiations on fish alone would give the UK more leverage in talks than it would have in the trade negotiations. France has called for the fisheries agreement to last for up to 25 years. The EU has demanded continued reciprocal access to UK waters under "existing conditions". UK sources close to the negotiations reject that as simply continuing the Common Fisheries Policy. The CFP is based on historic catch shares that date back to the 1970s and 1980s, which disadvantage British fishermen. More fish are now in UK waters because of climate change and zonal attachment more accurately represents that than the historic catch system. The British insistence that the legal text not be shared with EU member states has angered ambassadors, as have warnings from London that the UK could walk away from the talks in July, unless the EU caves on its demands. EU ambassadors instructed Mr Barnier to hold firm at a meeting in Brussels last week. UK officials believe that the EU is in breach of the Political Declaration, the non-binding aspirational document that sets out the terms of the negotiations, which is an accusation regularly levelled at the British by Brussels. "The Political Declaration clearly sets out that an agreement on fish should be in force by July - just over two months away," a UK spokesman said. "Yet the EU continues to push for one single overarching agreement, despite that clearly being at odds with the Political Declaration, which envisages a separate agreement on fisheries." EU sources said that the Political Declaration was clear the fisheries deal would be part of an overarching economic partnership. British negotiators are pinning their hopes on the EU's national leaders, such as Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron, to intervene in the deadlocked talks in June and break the impasse. EU diplomats warned that no such political intervention would be forthcoming. A high level meeting is planned for June by both sides where progress towards the agreement, which must be finished by the end of the year unless the transition period is extended, will be evaluated. Downing Street insists that the transition period will not be extended under any circumstances, despite the coronavirus pandemic slowing negotiations and forcing them online. Failure to reach a deal in time will mean the UK and EU trading on far less advantageous WTO terms and, according to the Withdrawal Agreement, an extension of up to two years can only be asked for until July.
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| Pence says he would welcome Flynn's return: Axios report Posted: 10 May 2020 12:40 PM PDT  Vice President Pence on Sunday said he would welcome Michael Flynn's return to the Trump administration after the U.S. Justice Department's controversial move to drop criminal charges against President Trump's former national security adviser.
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| The malaria pill hydroxycholoroquine failed to help coronavirus patients in 2 big studies Posted: 11 May 2020 02:14 PM PDT  Two observational studies looking at thousands of hospitalized New Yorkers found that the drug's use wasn't associated with lower death rates.
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| Tickets for reopening day at Shanghai Disney Resort sell out; video shows visitors what to expect Posted: 09 May 2020 06:30 PM PDT  Tickets for Monday's reopening of China's Shanghai Disney Resort are sold out. Visitors will need to undergo temperature screenings and wear masks.
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| Shanghai Disneyland reopens after three-month coronavirus closure Posted: 11 May 2020 01:27 AM PDT  Shanghai Disneyland reopened on Monday following a more than three-month coronavirus shutdown as China moves nearer to normality and Walt Disney Co. seeks to plug the flow of red ink caused by the pandemic. The theme park in China's most populous city is the first of the entertainment conglomerate's six main Disney resorts around the world to reopen, but does so under the shadow of the coronavirus. Disney said there would be increased frequency of sanitisation and disinfection, and the park will limit or suspend performances that often include interaction between visitors and characters such as Mickey Mouse.
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| Fox News Hosts: Americans Need ‘Military Mindset’ to ‘Reopen Right Now’ Posted: 11 May 2020 08:59 AM PDT  A few days after Fox News host Pete Hegseth called on "healthy people" to muster up the "courage" to go get infected with coronavirus in order to achieve "herd immunity," Hegseth agreed with Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade on Monday that Americans need to take on a "military mindset" and enter public spaces.Promoting his latest military-themed special on Fox Nation, the network's online streaming service, Hegseth was asked by the Fox & Friends crew if there was a similarity between military combat and the current pandemic that has killed roughly 80,000 Americans."I was going to say, all of you guys in the special, you're used to fighting an enemy who you can see coming at you, but this is so different because it's invisible," co-host Steve Doocy noted.After Hegseth said that his "Modern Warriors" special shows the need for people to "have some courage to be out and get open and be responsible," Kilmeade explicitly asked if the American public could learn a lesson from soldiers in terms of confronting the disease as states rush to reopen businesses."About 78,000 are dead, we understand how many got the virus and will. I get it," Kilmeade stated. "But at the same time, can you get the military mindset with the masses of, take on the enemy because we have no choice—sitting on the sideline will destroy the country. How do you get the military mindset for the everyday American?"Hegseth, an informal adviser of President Donald Trump who was once under consideration to run the VA administration, responded that the "military mindset is a patriotic mindset.""It's what forged and founded this country," he continued. "It is courage. We can be responsible, we can follow guidelines—while also reopening. We have to reopen, guys, right now, even in some of the more difficult places, or the livelihoods of people is going to crush more folks, or as many—I'm not talking in a statistical sense—as the actual virus itself."Hegseth's remarks come on the heels of him calling for healthy Americans to embrace the "American spirit" and help open back up the economy by willingly going out in public and risking infection."Now that we are learning more, herd immunity is our friend," he declared last week. "Healthy people getting out there—they are going to have to have some courage!"The vast majority of the public, meanwhile, still believe it is too soon for the nation to be reopened, feeling it will result in a higher death toll. Current models now project a sharp upturn in deaths after taking into account the relaxation of social distancing guidelines and increased mobility.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| U.S. tells Iran to send plane so Washington can deport 11 Iranian nationals Posted: 11 May 2020 12:57 PM PDT |
| Pakistani police say armed men damage church in land dispute Posted: 11 May 2020 02:23 AM PDT |
| Yazidi girl returns home to Iraq after years of IS captivity Posted: 10 May 2020 01:22 PM PDT  A Yazidi girl abducted by the Islamic State group returned to Iraq Sunday to be reunited with her family after the coronavirus lockdown in Syria delayed her homecoming, a community member said. Layla Eido, 17, was among dozens of women and girls from Iraq's minority Yazidi community who were abducted by IS from their ancestral home of Sinjar in 2014. The women were enslaved, systematically raped, or married off by force to jihadists, but for Eido the nightmare came to an end when the jihadist group's so-called "caliphate" collapsed last year.
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| Trump's attacks on Biden risk blowing back on him Posted: 10 May 2020 03:20 AM PDT  Analysis: The president's campaign is bashing his Democratic rival on issues where he is equally or more vulnerable, from defending China to sexual assault to nepotism to gaffes.
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| New York City recorded 24,000 more deaths than normal over 2 months this spring. About 5,000 of those are still a mystery. Posted: 11 May 2020 02:05 PM PDT  Some of the unexplained deaths could still be attributed to the coronavirus, but public-health experts say we may never know for sure.
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| Supreme Court could impact abortion access in 15 states: study Posted: 11 May 2020 02:29 PM PDT  A new study shared exclusively with CBS News shows abortion access could be heavily restricted in more than a dozen states depending on the Supreme Court's decision in June Medical Services v. Russo.
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| Hackers interrupted a virtual graduation ceremony with racial slurs and a swastika during student blessing Posted: 10 May 2020 01:45 PM PDT  The Oklahoma City University said its ceremony was being held over Zoom when it was interrupted by a show of "racism, bigotry, and anti-Semitism"
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| ‘You can’t recover from death’: Argentina’s Covid-19 response the opposite of Brazil’s Posted: 10 May 2020 02:00 AM PDT  Argentina closed swiftly, while Brazil downplayed the crisis. The difference is reflected in their pandemic figures When Alberto Fernández took office as Argentina's president in December, his inauguration was boycotted by Brazil's hard-right leader, who dismissed Fernández and his vice-president, the two-time former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, as "leftwing bandits".For Jair Bolsonaro, Argentina's new Peronist government represented a throwback to the "pink tide" of Latin American leaders which coincided with Fernández de Kirchner's time in office from 2007 to 2015. "Argentina is starting to head in the direction of Venezuela," Bolsonaro predicted.Five months on, it is Brazil that is heading in the direction of a humanitarian emergency, amid a devastating coronavirus outbreak propelled by Bolsonaro's dismissive attitude towards the pandemic.The Brazilian president has downplayed the crisis as media "hysteria" and repeatedly rejected his own government's social distancing recommendations, even as the death toll has soared.In contrast, Argentina swiftly imposed a national lockdown, and appears to have successfully flattened the curve of contagion."You can recover from a drop in the GDP," Fernández has said about his decision to implement an early lockdown. "But you can't recover from death."With only 5,611 cases and 293 deaths so far, against Brazil's nearly 136,000 cases and over 9,100 deaths, even diehard Bolsonaro supporters are now looking towards their southern neighbour with an envious eye.The mayor of the crisis-stricken Brazilian city of Manaus, Arthur Virgílio, looked on in horror as Fernández and his deputy swept into power in December. "[They represent] everything that we deplore so much in the world today," the 74-year-old rightwinger told the Guardian. Now, Virgílio is looking towards Argentina in admiration. "Results are results," the mayor said, praising Fernández for taking "the only wise choice any country can take … which is determined social isolation". Fifty days into its tight lockdown, Argentina feels confident enough to start relaxing social distancing rules. "We have slowed the duplication period of cases to 25 days," the presidential cabinet chief, Santiago Cafiero, told the Guardian. "We've managed to flatten the curve, unlike other countries that didn't lock down in time."On Friday, Fernández announced the relaxation of lockdown measures in most of Argentina except the densely populated Buenos Aires metropolitan area, where 86% of cases are concentrated.In the rest of the country, a number of industrial and commercial activities will be reopened but public transport will only be available for essential workers and firms will have to provide private transport for their own employees. "The duplication period is much faster in the city of Buenos Aires: only 18.8 days," admitted Cafiero – compared to an average of 25.1 days in the rest of the country.The rate of spread is even higher in the city's large "villas" or slums, where it is estimated more than 250,000 people live. The worst affected is Villa 31 where some 45,000 people inhabit makeshift homes with deficient water services.Cases there jumped from just a handful to 219 when the "villa" was left without water for some 10 days by a water plant failure that was only resolved in recent days. "What's happening in Villa 31 is a tragedy," said Ofelia Fernández, (no relation of the president), the city's youngest legislator at 20 years old. "When a whole family is crammed in a single room, no amount of hand-washing will slow the spread. There's no way to foresee a happy ending for Villa 31." All commercial activity, with the exception of grocery stores, pharmacies and supermarkets, has been frozen since 20 March, but the city could see a gradual relaxation of the lockdown starting Monday, when Argentina will enter a new phase. Fernández is expected to announce the resumption of activities for some industries such as motor car and clothing factories starting Monday. But bars and restaurants will remain closed, except for deliveries and takeaways, as will schools, universities and entertainment venues. The tight coordination between the central government, governors and mayors in Argentina over lockdown measures stands in sharp contrast to the battles and confrontations in Brazil where Bolsonaro sacked his health minister and clashed with regional governors.But the differences between the two country's experiences of the pandemic are not just down to the contrasting personalities of their presidents, said the Argentinian academic Andrés Malamud, a senior research fellow at the University of Lisbon.Bolsonaro split with the party that brought him to power, whereas Fernández is a product of one of Latin America's most enduring and powerful national movements."Fernández can rely on Argentina's disciplined Peronist party, which has historically been on the side of the most disenfranchised, so informal workers, who make up 49% of the workforce, trust Fernández to provide solutions. Bolsonaro instead is an independent with no party to fall back on. Argentina's governors are also dependent on the fiscal largesse of the federal government, so they fell in line quickly with the nationwide lockdown," said Malamud. Argentina still faces many challenges, chiefly economic: inflation is still around a yearly 50% and the renegotiation of the country's sizable foreign debt is a race against the clock, with the possibility of a technical default soon if a current round of negotiations are not successful. With the country's finances obviously on his mind, Fernández on Thursday tweeted a picture of himself confirming via teleconference a $1.8bn loan from the Inter-American Development Bank. For now at least, the president has said he plans to keep prioritizing saving lives over reviving the economy."I'd rather a factory was empty because its workers are in quarantine, and not because they're ill or dead," Fernández said.
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