| 3 Kansas teens were shot after a man thought he'd found the people responsible for stealing his Trump campaign lawn signs Posted: 02 Nov 2020 12:20 PM PST  A man believed his signs had been stolen from his property and approached people nearby who he believed were responsible, police told local news.
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| Biden Says Trump is ‘Terrified’ He’ll Lose Pennsylvania Posted: 01 Nov 2020 01:54 PM PST  In his penultimate trip before Election Day, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden accused President Donald Trump of being utterly fearful that he will lose one of the most important areas in the Midwest that he barely won four years ago."President Trump is terrified of what will happen in Pennsylvania," Biden said in Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon, adding that when voters get their "say" in the general election, "he doesn't stand a chance.""The American people will not be silenced," he added. "Over 90 million people have already voted. They've had enough."Joe Biden Bets It All On NostalgiaThe event was billed as a "Souls to the Polls" engagement effort, and Biden campaign officials have had experience with courting faith communities. The Daily Beast reported in September that they were planning new ways to reach religious voters during the pandemic, arguing that virtual events allowed for broader national engagement while social distancing.Appearing in person, the former vice president's speech was symbolic of the modern coronavirus campaign era: Individuals sat in their cars and honked to show enthusiasm for his closing message, this time tweaked for an ostensibly pious crowd."Thank you for your commitment to the greatest commandment 'love our neighbors as ourselves,'" said Biden, wearing a black windbreaker.Pennsylvania is a significant swing state for both party's nominees. Biden has two stops in the city lined up on Sunday, with more to come throughout the state on Monday, including in Pittsburgh. Several of his best surrogates will be scattered in other areas around the state.Aggregates from a variety of polling sources show Biden with a several-point lead over Trump ahead of Tuesday's election. A New York Times/Siena survey taken between Oct. 27 to Oct. 31 indicates that the former vice president is leading the current president by 6 points among likely voters, earning 49 percent and 43 percent, respectively with a 3 percent margin of error.As is customary at his events, Biden slammed Trump's time in the White House and called out some of Trump's decisions that he finds to be particularly egregious and personally offensive."It's almost criminal the way he has handled it," he said about the president's response to COVID-19.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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| Florida principal who refused to say Holocaust was a fact is fired a second time Posted: 02 Nov 2020 10:32 AM PST  The former Florida high school principal who made national headlines last year for refusing to say the Holocaust was a "factual, historical event" has been fired again, about a month after he was rehired.
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| Clip showing Biden naming the wrong state at a rally is fake Posted: 02 Nov 2020 04:26 AM PST  It's an awkward moment when a presidential candidate greets the audience at a rally and names the wrong state. Fortunately for Democratic nominee Joe Biden, that didn't happen to him this week, despite a widely shared video that appears to show him saying "Hello, Minnesota" to a crowd in Florida.
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| Results of South Dakota amendment to legalize marijuana for people over 21 Posted: 02 Nov 2020 08:14 AM PST  The amendment would legalize the "possession, use, transport, and distribution of marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia by people age 21 and older."
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| Fact check: No evidence Kamala Harris ever said 'looters are just feeding their hungry kids' Posted: 02 Nov 2020 03:05 PM PST  While Sen. Kamala Harris has previously repeatedly condemned looting, viral posts falsely claim she said "looters are just feeding their hungry kids."
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| Grizzly bear killed after "surprise" attack on father and son Posted: 02 Nov 2020 08:40 AM PST  The hunters "sustained significant injuries" before they shot and killed the bear, officials said.
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| The 10 Best Fall and Winter Purchases For Staying At Home Posted: 02 Nov 2020 03:16 PM PST |
| Huge whale's tail sculpture saves Dutch metro train from plummeting into water below Posted: 02 Nov 2020 04:20 AM PST  This really was a fluke. The driver of a metro train escaped injury when the front carriage rammed through the end of an elevated section of rails and was caught by a sculpture of a whale's tail near the Dutch port city of Rotterdam. The train was left perched upon one of two tail fins known as "flukes" several meters (yards) above the ground. It created such a stir locally that authorities urged sightseers to stay away, adding that coronavirus restrictions were in force.
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| Man douses girlfriend in accelerant and uses cigarette to light her on fire, cops say Posted: 02 Nov 2020 04:44 PM PST  A North Lauderdale man was in custody Monday evening after detectives say he doused his girlfriend in an accelerant and then used a cigarette to light her on fire, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.
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| Typhoon Goni, the most powerful storm of 2020, hit the Philippines and killed 20 people Posted: 02 Nov 2020 10:50 AM PST  At one point, Super Typhoon Goni had maximum sustained winds of 195 miles per hour. It has moved west of the Philippines.
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| Texas' factory of conservative legislation may be at risk Posted: 01 Nov 2020 08:12 AM PST  Win or lose in Texas on Tuesday, Republicans will still run plenty of America's state capitols. "But Texas means more," said Amy Hagstrom Miller, owner of the abortion provider Whole Woman's Health, who has taken lawsuits over new abortion restrictions in Texas to the U.S. Supreme Court. As a generation of GOP dominance in Texas wobbles heading into Election Day — the tight polls and record-shattering early turnout of 9 million voters are unlike anything seen here before — nowhere is the state's recent shift into a battleground more on display than in the fight for control of the state House of Representatives.
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| 3 of the men charged with plotting to kidnap Michigan's governor were regulars at 'boogaloo' events and anti-lockdown protests: Report Posted: 02 Nov 2020 08:43 AM PST  Adam Fox, Ty Garbin, and Daniel Harris were active anti-lockdown protesters, according to analysis of footage and image by The Washington Post.
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| Amazon is celebrating Alexa's birthday with a huge sale on Alexa devices Posted: 02 Nov 2020 10:02 AM PST  These Alexa devices are massively discounted right now as part of Amazon's Alexa birthday celebration—get the details.
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| U.S. Supreme Court lets inmate confined to filthy prison cells sue guards Posted: 02 Nov 2020 07:13 AM PST  The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed a Texas inmate to pursue his claim against prison officials that his civil rights were violated by being locked up in cells with extremely filthy conditions. The justices, in an unsigned opinion, set aside a lower court ruling that had found that prison officials were protected under a legal defense called qualified immunity from the claim in inmate Trent Taylor's lawsuit accusing them of violating the U.S. Constitution's Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas dissented from the decision.
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| After man saves girl from drowning, family shows appreciation by helping pay for his wedding Posted: 01 Nov 2020 10:24 PM PST  Samantha Whiting wanted to show her appreciation for the man who saved her daughter this summer when she was caught in a riptide, and although she only knew his first name and where he lived, Whiting was determined to track him down.The incident occurred in August, when Whiting and her 10-year-old daughter, Hayley, were at the beach in Monterey, California. Samantha went into the water to try to save her daughter, but was struggling. Bystander Kevin Cozzi heard their screams, and raced into the waves to help. He was able to get Hayley to safety, with some assistance from a lifeguard. "He saved us," Samantha told ABC30. "If it wasn't for him coming to grab her from me, there's no way we both would have made it."The Whitings only learned Kevin's first name and that he lived in Merced, California. They were visiting Monterey, and when they returned to their home in Texas, the family decided to find Cozzi so they could once again let him know how grateful they were for his help. "He's one of the biggest heroes I've ever met," Hayley said. Last week, Samantha made a post on the Facebook group Merced Neighborhood Watch, and within hours, she was talking to Cozzi.Cozzi and his fiancée had to postpone their wedding because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the Whitings decided to launch a GoFundMe to help them have the wedding of their dreams. Both Samantha and Hayley have been invited to the wedding, set for next fall, and look forward to once again thanking Cozzi in person. He is thankful for their fundraiser, but told ABC30, "That girl being saved was enough for me."More stories from theweek.com COVID-19 keeps proving everyone wrong Is this the year the New South turns blue? Democrats' first priority
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| Syrian refugee's joy at admission to Georgetown University goes viral Posted: 02 Nov 2020 07:42 AM PST  His shouts of joy echo from the mountains as the young Syrian refugee pumps his fists in the air on a roadside in Norway. "I made it into Georgetown!" Omar Alshogre exclaims in disbelief after hearing he has been accepted to study at the prestigious Washington DC University. The video lasts just nine seconds, shared to Mr Alshogre's Twitter page, but his joy is so contagious it has been viewed over 100,000 times in the past 24 hours. "Maybe because I'm happy and people need to see someone who is happy and laughing for a moment," Mr Alshogre says. by way of explanation.
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| ‘We Love What They Did’: Marco Rubio Praises Texas Trump Fan Caravan That Swarmed Biden Bus Posted: 02 Nov 2020 07:51 AM PST  Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has seemingly joined Donald Trump in endorsing vehicular intimidation of political rivals just days before the presidential election.Hours after President Trump defended a group of his supporters who were seen swarming a Biden campaign bus in Texas over the weekend, forcing the Democratic nominee to cancel a rally event, the Republican lawmaker also threw in his support of the harassment—and stressed "we love what they did."At a Sunday night rally for Trump's re-election campaign at Miami-Opa-Locka Executive Airport, Rubio brought up the video that shows a blockade of pro-Trump demonstrators ambushing a Biden-Harris campaign bus and allegedly attempting to force it off the road."I saw yesterday a video of these people in Texas," Rubio said to a large, mostly mask-less crowd. "Did you see it? All the cars on the road, we love what they did."> Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) at last night's rally on the Texas Trump caravan that menacingly surrounded Biden bus: > > "We love what they did, but here's the thing they don't know: We do that in Florida every day. I love seeing the boat parades ... We thank all the great patriots..." pic.twitter.com/kRaLcW60jn> > — The Recount (@therecount) November 2, 2020The Republican lawmaker then tried to justify the harassment that led to a rally cancellation in what has become a key battleground state ahead of Tuesday's presidential election. In several videos posted on Twitter, a group of cars—many adorned with Trump flags—are seen riding alongside and boxing in the Biden campaign bus as it was being driven from San Antonio to Austin. At one point in a video, a pickup truck can be seen colliding with an SUV that was driving behind the Biden campaign vehicle.Currently, polls showing the typically red stronghold now only marginally favoring the president."We do that in Florida every day," Rubio added. "I love seeing the boat parades... We thank all the great patriots."Biden Team Cancels Texas Event After Highway 'Ambush' by MAGA CavalryRubio's seeming support of the MAGA caravan comes amid national anxiety about voter intimidation—a tactic the Trump campaign has implicitly endorsed—particularly in swing states like Florida.The FBI on Sunday confirmed it was "aware of... and investigating" the Texas incident, prompting Trump to defend his supporters. Earlier, Trump tweeted a video of his supporters following the Biden campaign bus, adding, "I LOVE TEXAS!" Neither the former vice president nor his running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, was aboard the bus."In my opinion, these patriots did nothing wrong. Instead, the FBI & Justice should be investigating the terrorists, anarchists, and agitators of ANTIFA, who run around burning down our Democrat-run cities and hurting our people!" Trump said. (In a tweet Monday morning, the president suggested the news of the FBI investigation was "FALSE.")The MAGA road show's questionable support over the weekend also resulted in clogged freeways from New Jersey to Washington state to Arizona as Trump supporters intentionally blocked major highways.Trump also claimed his supporters were "protecting" the bus, stating at a Michigan campaign rally Sunday, "Did you see the way our people, they were, ya know, protecting this bus… because they're nice."On Sunday afternoon, Biden responded to the GOP voter intimidation while at an event in Pennsylvania: "Folks, that's not who we are," he said. "We are so much better than this. It's not who we are."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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| Cold air allergy nearly kills man stepping out of shower in Colorado, study says Posted: 02 Nov 2020 12:35 PM PST  The 34-year-old was rushed to the hospital after he collapsed on the bathroom floor
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| Illinois officers who fatally shot a Black teen left him to bleed out on the ground for 8 minutes without treatment, his mother alleges in a lawsuit Posted: 01 Nov 2020 02:47 PM PST  The lawsuit filed by Marcellis Stinnette's mother says Waukegan, Illinois officers involved in the fatal shooting of her son had "no probable cause."
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| Typhoon Goni: Philippines hit by year's most powerful storm Posted: 01 Nov 2020 11:38 AM PST  Goni weakens from a super typhoon but still brings "catastrophic" winds and torrential rain to Luzon.
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| Sanders Urges ‘Squad’ to ‘Make Sure Biden Becomes the Most Progressive President Since FDR’ Posted: 02 Nov 2020 12:01 PM PST  Senator Bernie Sanders said in an interview with Democratic congresswomen that progressives must work to ensure Joe Biden becomes the most progressive president in decades, emphasizing that "we are not giving up on our agenda.""We understand that electing Biden is not the end all, it is the beginning," Sanders said in an interview with the four freshman progressive congresswomen known as the "Squad," Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, and Ilhan Omar."Our first task, we've got to defeat the worst president in the modern history of this country and number two, we organize our people to make sure that Biden becomes the most progressive president since FDR," the independent senator from Vermont continued.> Some people ask what an old Jewish white guy has in common with young women of color like @AOC, @AyannaPressley, @IlhanMN and @RashidaTlaib.> > We understand each other. We come from working class backgrounds. And we're going to go forward together. pic.twitter.com/bANr9KbkmA> > -- Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) October 31, 2020Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, applauded the congresswomen and said that their work pushing for the Democratic Party to embrace more progressive policies is evident in the evolution of Biden's platform."I think as a result of the work that all of you have done, Biden's proposals in this campaign are a lot stronger than they were in the primary," Sanders said. "Do they go as far as we would want? No they don't."Sanders cited Biden's health care plan, saying that while Biden's proposals are a step in the right direction, the "only way" every individual will ultimately have access to quality, affordable health care is through Medicare for All.Sanders vowed that progressives in Congress would also continue to advance their agenda on criminal justice, immigration, and the multi-trillion dollar Green New Deal because "we're have got to be bolder than ever before in tackling climate change."He also took a shot at President Trump during the interview, saying that unlike the president, Biden "does not conceive of himself as a dictator."Sanders was the runner up in the last two Democratic presidential primaries, losing the nomination to Hillary Clinton in 2016 and again to Biden earlier this year. He is rumored to have expressed interest in the position of Secretary of Labor in a future Biden cabinet.
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| The quiet powerhouse fighting racism in one of America’s whitest states Posted: 02 Nov 2020 01:02 AM PST |
| Several injured and 1 dead after 'terror attack' in Vienna Posted: 02 Nov 2020 02:42 PM PST  An attack by multiple gunmen in Vienna, Austria left at least one person dead and several others wounded late Monday, officials said. One attacker was killed in what security officials were calling a "terror attack."
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| Trump: We'll send in lawyers if Pennsylvania election is unfair Posted: 02 Nov 2020 02:01 PM PST  Trump threatened legal action even though states never count all the votes by Election Day; absentee and military ballots are counted for days .
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| U.S. Supreme Court hands narrow win to Black Lives Matter activist over protest incident Posted: 02 Nov 2020 06:53 AM PST  The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday sided with Black Lives Matter activist DeRay McKesson in his ongoing effort to avoid a lawsuit filed by a police officer injured during a 2016 protest in Louisiana triggered by the police killing of a Black man. The justices threw out a lower court ruling that had allowed the lawsuit to proceed and said that more analysis was needed on whether Louisiana state law allows for such a claim. McKesson has argued that the rights of freedom of speech and assembly under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment should shield him from the lawsuit that accused him of negligence for leading the protest in Baton Rouge, but the court did not resolve that issue.
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| 3 dead after plane that took off in North Carolina crashed in New York, officials say Posted: 02 Nov 2020 10:42 AM PST  The wreckage was found hours after the aircraft went missing.
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| Results of California Proposition 22 on allowing Lyft and Uber drivers to be independent contractors Posted: 02 Nov 2020 08:19 AM PST  A recent study shows that over 70% of gig workers work more than 30 hours a week but do not receive most employee benefits.
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| UK cyber-threat agency confronts Covid-19 attacks Posted: 02 Nov 2020 05:16 PM PST  NCSC says more than a quarter of incidents it responded to over the past year were coronavirus-related.
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| America braces for election violence with shops boarded up and National Guard on standby Posted: 02 Nov 2020 01:11 PM PST  Cities across the United States were battening down the hatches as they prepared for potential riots in the wake of the election on Tuesday. With the country more bitterly divided than at any time since the Vietnam War in the 1970s it was feared a disputed result could set off nationwide clashes. In Washington businesses near the White House, including hotels, banks and restaurants, boarded up their windows, as did those in iconic New York locations including Times Square and Fifth Avenue. Alex Provenzano, who owns a nail salon two blocks from the White House, said it was "pretty scary," adding: "I hope for the best, but the people are very stressed out." Officials were removing bins and bicycle stands so they couldn't be used as projectiles. The secret service is to erect a "non-scalable" fence around the entire White House perimeter. A National Park Service spokesman said the fence was required due to the "unique security requirements with the upcoming presidential election" and the "need to quickly de-escalate potentially violent encounters". Students at George Washington University in the capital were told to hunker down. An email sent to students by the university said: "We suggest preparing for the Election Day period as you would for a hurricane or a snowstorm that would prevent you from going outside for several days to grab food or order takeout."
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| Buying a Gun Ahead of the Election Won't Make You More Powerful. Here's What Americans Should Do to Deal With Crisis Instead Posted: 02 Nov 2020 12:02 PM PST  The President of the United States has undermined confidence in the electoral system and refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power. The reality is that those guns are more likely to be used by us to commit suicide (in the U.S. nearly two-thirds of all gun deaths are due to suicide, and access to a gun triples the risk of death by suicide); to hurt the people we love when arguments get out of hand (more than half of women killed by an intimate partner are killed with a gun, and access to a gun makes it five times more likely a domestic abuser will kill his female victim); to kill our children (firearms are a leading cause of death for children and teens), or to be raised against the rare assailant only for us to miss or hit unintended targets.
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| Hong Kong in record meth bust as pandemic forces gangs to evolve Posted: 02 Nov 2020 12:37 AM PST  Hong Kong authorities announced a record seizure of over half a ton of methamphetamine on Monday, saying the coronavirus pandemic had led smugglers to riskier bulk shipments in place of traditional drug mules.
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| Trump lashes out after FBI announces investigation of Biden bus incident Posted: 02 Nov 2020 05:29 AM PST  "In my opinion, these patriots did nothing wrong," he said in a tweet about supporters who surrounded a Biden campaign bus in Texas.
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| Bail set at $2 million for Kyle Rittenhouse, the teen accused in fatal Kenosha shootings Posted: 02 Nov 2020 02:56 PM PST  Kyle Rittenhouse has been accused of killing two people during a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August.
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| Gray wolf found illegally shot and killed in Grand Teton National Park, officials say Posted: 02 Nov 2020 04:09 PM PST  "The illegal taking of wildlife is a violation and subject to a fine up to $5,000 and/or up to six months imprisonment."
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| China says will safeguard Chinese journalists' rights after U.S. visa rule Posted: 02 Nov 2020 12:01 AM PST  China's foreign ministry said on Monday it will take all necessary measures to protect Chinese journalists in response to the United States delaying visa renewals for Chinese reporters. China urges the United States to stop its "political crackdown" on Chinese journalists, ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a news briefing.
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| Republicans fight to keep control of the Senate Posted: 02 Nov 2020 06:21 AM PST  Democrats are determined to unseat several establishment Republicans who are clinging to their allegiance to the president.
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| 1st Air Force Pilot Reaches 1,000-Hour Milestone in F-35A Joint Strike Fighter Posted: 02 Nov 2020 08:36 AM PST |
| Mini November heat wave will send temps soaring Posted: 02 Nov 2020 09:31 AM PST  A major warmup is on the way for the Midwest and northeastern United States following a dose of winter weather that suppressed temperatures 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit below average on Monday. Forecasters say the pattern switch will soon allow temperatures to rebound by 30-40 degrees Fahrenheit from chilly early-week levels. Mother Nature is about to give anyone who is not yet ready for the onset of winter a little throwback to early fall in the form of a mini November heat wave. The upcoming pleasant weather pattern will allow people more time to rake leaves and prep homes and vehicles for winter - and even challenge a high-temperature record or two in places. On the other hand, winter lovers may need to put freshly-waxed skis off to the side for a couple more weeks. The recent blast of wintry weather can be blamed on the jet stream, according to AccuWeather meteorologists. A sharp southward dip in the jet stream allowed cold air to empty southward from Canada and spill across the Great Lakes and Northeast states in two waves from Friday through Monday. CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP Snow coats the leaves on a tree in the Public Garden, Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) That jet stream will begin to retreat over the Northeast on Election Day. By then, temperatures will already be on the rebound in the Midwest and parts of the central Appalachians. During the middle and latter part of this week, the jet stream will flatten out and take on a more west to east configuration across the northern tier of the nation. During early November, the jet is usually set up from west to east, but also hundreds of miles farther to the south than where it is positioned in October. "When the jet stream is forecast to be near the Canada border, big southward intrusions of cold air are unlikely and warmth is able to expand northward from the Southern states," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson. On Wednesday, highs are forecast to range from the middle 60s in Minneapolis and near 50 in Boston to the middle 60s in Chicago and Washington, D.C. The warmup will become even more significant across the Central and Eastern states by next weekend as the jet stream is projected to retreat even farther to the north. "The setup for the weekend will allow very warm air for early November to build over much of the Central and Eastern states and even into part of south-central and southeastern Canada," Anderson said. Afternoon temperatures may approach 70 in Chicago and Washington, D.C., and may climb well into the 60s in New York City and Boston on Saturday. Normal highs are in the mid-50s in Chicago and Boston, the low 60s in D.C., and the upper 50s in New York City during early November. The high temperature could even challenge the record daily high of 72 set back in 1874 in Minneapolis, where normal highs this time of year are around 50. The unusual warmth will arrive after Minneapolis residents experienced a taste of winter. The city picked up 9.3 inches of snowfall in late October, a month that normally brings just 0.6 of an inch. For the month of October, the city picked up 1,550% of normal snowfall. Temperatures will reach even higher across areas farther to the south. In the South Central and Southeastern states, highs in the 70s will be widespread with temperatures topping out near 80 degrees along the Gulf Coast. Atlanta's normal highs are in the upper 60s and New Orlean's average highs for early November are in the mid-70s. It is possible that colder air and perhaps a return to winterlike conditions may transpire later next weekend to the second week of November over parts of the Central states, but warmth may hold on for several more days in the East during the second week of November. Record high temperatures in the Northeast are generally in the 70s over the region with some records in the lower 80s around the Chesapeake Bay. It may be possible for some record highs to be challenged in the Northeast next week. As warmth congregates in the East next week, activity in the tropics may warrant some concern for part of the Southeastern states either due to Eta or a spinoff off Eta. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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| Czech Republic Goes Full Trump With COVID, Gets Crushed by Second Wave Posted: 02 Nov 2020 01:55 AM PST  PRAGUE—As COVID-19 ravaged Europe this past spring, the Czech Republic was, without a doubt, the poster child for how to successfully beat the virus. With its strict national mask mandate and early shutdown, it recorded a mere 300 deaths in the first wave even as its neighbors recorded tens of thousands of virus fatalities.Months later, it is now a case study in how to be recklessly cavalier toward the deadly disease.By the beginning of October, the virus struck back in full force and Czech authorities recorded the highest number of deaths per 100,000 in the entire world. In one week, this country of 10.6 million lost almost 700 people to COVID-19. Hospitalizations shot up from a few hundred in September to a staggering 7,200 in the second half of this month.'Urban Warfare' as Europe's Second Wave Spins Out of ControlThe Czech government is now scrambling. After officials ordered the re-closure of restaurants and schools on Oct. 14, they also decided to set up two field hospitals—in Prague and in Brno, the second largest town in the country—designed exclusively for potential COVID-19 patients with a capacity of 800 beds. Still, fearing it might not be enough, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš declared a nightly curfew that went into effect on Wednesday, and is mulling a second lockdown.The new wave of restrictions was met with concern, displeasure and anger. There have even been demonstrations in downtown Prague; in one case, the police had to disperse the crowd of a few hundred with tear gas. Police choppers hung high above in the sky monitoring the strife. Some in the crowd held signs like "Stop COVID Hoax" or "Masks=Muzzle."Otherwise the streets of the capital are largely deserted and quiet, including Wenceslas Square where the famous Velvet Revolution protests took place in 1989 which led to the fall of the Communist regime. On the first day before the curfew, the square was eerily empty.* * *The country didn't have to find itself in this alarming situation, epidemiologists say. Some warned the government for weeks and months on end. Instead, the officials declared early in the summer a premature victory and people dropped all precautions, feeling relieved and joyous.Evolutionary biologist Jaroslav Flegr didn't share the collective giddiness after the country managed to get the disease under control during the first wave in the spring. He knew that the virus was still lurking in society and would return with lethal force come autumn. Walking the streets of Prague during the summer, the biologist was in shock at what he was seeing. No one was wearing a mask, people swarmed popular beer gardens and disregarded social distancing, and many businesses didn't have hand sanitizers available anymore. There was even a massive feast on the famous Charles Bridge at the end of June where 2,000 people sat at long tables, munching on roasted geese, sandwiches and cakes. The guests made champagne toasts celebrating "the end of the virus."Flegr, who teaches epidemiology at Charles University (one of the oldest universities in the world), was certain that the seemingly virus-free Czech Republic would turn into a COVID-19 nightmare. So started to sound alarm bells in the form of blistering critiques delivered on his blog and Facebook page, and during television interviews and debates.But not many in the government heeded Flegr's warnings. He was widely dismissed and ignored. There was no appetite for going back to the spring's severe restrictions, which had caused substantial damage to the Czech economy, disrupted countless careers and halted a favorite pastime of many Czechs—beer drinking in the company of friends. One time, a member of the country's COVID Task Force walked out on Flegr during a televised debate, citing what he claimed were Flegr's tendencies to spook the population for no reason.Flegr's arguments about a COVID-19 resurgence were unpopular. They also turned out to be right. His predictions about skyrocketing infection rates, followed by rising hospitalizations and deaths, have proven accurate."The government says we will make it—but the harsh truth is that, in the short run, we won't," Flegr told me. "And it didn't have to be this way. So many people will die needlessly."One of the few government officials to heed Flegr, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Adam Vojtěch, was worried over the summer too. Vojtěch suggested in mid-August that Czechs should put their masks back on while in indoor spaces like stores, schools, restaurants and barbershops. But he was sharply rebuked by the Prime Minister Babiš. A month later Vojtěch was removed from office.* * *The Czech Republic was so successful at containing the first wave that it's led some to doubt the threat was ever real. Between March and May, the country recorded on average "only" 100 cases per day and the death toll reached just 300, a little above the level of seasonal flu casualties. (One mind-blowing number here: the country's positive rate among those tested fell to 0.5 percent in May. Now, we are at 32 percent—actually, yesterday it was 34 percent.)The Czech Republic was also one of the first countries to close its borders and shut the economy down back in March. The government mandated a two-and-half-month-long national mask-wearing rule. People complied and the country halted the spread of the virus, earning acclaim all across the European Union."The Czech Republic has become the victim of its own success but there was also a sudden lack of government coordination effort. It all fizzled out," states Ruth Tachezy, a molecular and tumor virologist at the prestigious research institute BIOCEV, located in the outskirts of Prague.Tachezy fears that people might not be willing to restrict their lives again given the fact that the country sailed through the first wave unscathed. She believes that many people now take disease as something benign and practically nonexistent."It is horrific to me that we had to find ourselves in the current situation so people would start behaving responsibly again. I hope they will, especially now when they see the rise in the death cases," she told me.* * *Inside the special COVID Unit in a hospital in the northern town of Litoměřice, the team of 12 doctors and nurses is visibly overstretched. Back in March they had just a dozen patients to take care of; now the unit is overflowing with sick people in desperate need for oxygen.Conditions have gotten so bad in recent days that two additional units had to be open to meet high demand. Currently there are 100 COVID-19 patients altogether in this unit, a steep increase from a few dozen the hospital treated over three months in the spring."Back then it was just a rehearsal for us. Now, it is a hundred times worse. In the spring most of the people could breathe on their own and spent a few days here. This time around they need oxygen and stay for weeks," says Iva Burešová, a nurse.One more thing has changed: there is no public display of solidarity with the first responders and health-care workers anymore like in the spring. No applause is resonating from balconies during these dark, anxious days."It feels like people have forgotten about us and those who claim that the virus is a hoax should come to our hospital to see it with their own eyes. Unfortunately, many don't believe that the virus is real. But people do die all around us these days," says nurse Burešová who has been transferred from the gynecology department to ease the workload at the COVID Unit.She is exhausted and also worried about what the next day might bring. The Czech Republic has a high rate of infected doctors, nurses and hospital attendants. According to the government figures, every 13th health-care worker has caught the virus."I am not that old but I do fear that my parents and my boyfriend can catch it from me in case I get it," says this 24-year-old nurse who has been assigned to the first floor filled with the most severe cases.Here all 20 patients are hooked up to oxygen, and some needed to be intubated. The unit is filled with a cacophony of sounds. Machine beeping, oxygen hissing, pressure gauges wheezing and then there is an occasional sharp sound of a cardiac monitor alerting the professionals dressed in protective gear that a patient is in crisis. In the last two weeks, seven people have died in this unit alone."It is often so sudden. In one moment, you talk to a patient, draw his blood and in another you have to try to resuscitate him and see him dying," notes Burešová who is worried that the worst is yet to come.* * *The Czech government is too late to the crisis, laments biologist Flegr, who is an outspoken critic of Babiš. The expert labels the government attitude under Babiš' leadership as self-congratulatory, reckless and politically motivated. Flegr believes Babiš projected a rosy picture on COVID-19 in order to win elections in the Senate and local legislatures held in early October. That's why he created a false impression that the virus was a thing of the past and would not come back, says Flegr. "If we are governed by an immoral leader in a critical situation," he notes, "it will come back to haunt us and could cause us tens of thousands of lives."Still, it is easy to find Czechs who are revolting against the new set of government measures. "I don't understand why strong and healthy people should be held captive in their houses. Our parents fought against the communist dictatorial government in the past and here we go again," fumes Lukáš Stockl, who works in marketing.Switzerland's Yodelers Created One of Europe's Worst COVID Hot SpotsHe has recently moved with his wife and two of their young children into an ancient Prague neighborhood on the left bank of the Vltava river that runs through the metropolis. Before COVID-19, he could never have afforded an apartment in this expensive area, which is mostly designed to attract rich tourists. But tourist traffic has stopped due to the pandemic, so some Czechs took advantage of the decline in the steep prices. Stockl found a new home with a stunning view of the Charles Bridge at a relatively inexpensive price.Contemplating the famous bridge shrouded in the fall mist from his bedroom window, Stockl ponders a tough ethical question: how far should society as a whole go to save just a fraction of its citizens? "Millions will suffer and their lives will be destroyed so a few could live?" he asks himself.But Flegr hotly disputes people like Stockl. "If you see someone drowning in a lake, what is your impulse? You go and save the man, right? But the reality is that people can't imagine seeing thousands drowning," argues the expert.Flegr is seen among his colleagues as flamboyant and combative—he has something of a reputation in the science world, and holds the satiric Ig Nobel Prize, awarded by Harvard for trivial achievements in scientific research (in Flegr's case, for a controversial study on the cat parasite toxoplasma gondii)—but most of his fellow researchers acknowledge that his once "outrageous" coronavirus prognosis was right on the money. While his relationship with some government and medical experts is acrimonious, others publicly regret his absence from the country's COVID-19 task force. "We should have listened to Flegr," said Vladimír Zaorálek, the Secretary for Educational and Art Affairs."I think that [Flegr] was right to scare people into action," asserts virologist Tachezy. "The government eased the restrictions too early and when the second wave came, they were asleep at the switch."The only way out now is lockdown," she concludes.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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