| Trump chides Cuomo for seeking 'independence' in coronavirus response Posted: 14 Apr 2020 08:52 AM PDT  The president continued to assert his absolute in authority in reopening the country following the shutdown to slow the spread of coronavirus.
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| Intelligence officials weigh possibility coronavirus escaped from a Chinese lab Posted: 14 Apr 2020 12:49 PM PDT  Though the the U.S. intelligence community has long since dismissed the notion that the coronavirus is a synthesized bioweapon, it is still weighing the possibility that the pandemic might have been touched off by an accident at a research facility rather than an infection from a live-animal market.
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| Photos show nearly a dozen Iranian attack boats harassing US Navy and Coast Guard ships in 'dangerous' exchange Posted: 15 Apr 2020 02:30 PM PDT  The US Navy said 11 Iranian boats "conducted dangerous and harassing approaches," crossing the bows and sterns of the US ships repeatedly.
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| Florida inmate freed over COVID-19 fears killed man the next day, police say Posted: 14 Apr 2020 09:57 PM PDT  Edward Williams, 26, was released based on concerns over coronavirus but was eligible to be freed on bond.
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| Lagos unrest: The mystery of Nigeria's fake gangster attacks Posted: 15 Apr 2020 05:50 AM PDT  Residents of two Nigerian states, where there is a lockdown, panicked after fake reports of mass attacks.
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| To slow pandemic, Trump should release nonviolent immigrants from detention centers Posted: 15 Apr 2020 08:01 AM PDT  As the virus spreads in detention facilities, it will threaten not only immigrants but also attorneys, visitors, guards, maintenance staff and others.
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| Bolsonaro expected to fire defiant Brazilian health minister Posted: 15 Apr 2020 05:30 AM PDT  Brazilian health officials braced on Wednesday for President Jair Bolsonaro to fire his health minister over disagreements on how to handle the coronavirus outbreak, with at least one secretary offering his resignation in protest. In a defiant news conference, Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta acknowledged his differences with Bolsonaro and said he had discussed a search for his replacement with the presidential chief of staff. "The president has made clear that he would like a different position from the Health Ministry," Mandetta said in televised remarks.
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| Taiwan virus aid sparks calls to rename China Airlines Posted: 15 Apr 2020 02:58 AM PDT  Taiwan's aid shipments to countries battling the coronavirus have sparked a fierce debate on the island about whether it should rebrand its national carrier China Airlines. The self-ruled island has been held up as a model for tackling the virus with fewer than 400 confirmed cases despite its proximity to China. Much of that aid has been ferried on China Airlines jets, sparking some confusion on arrival -- and online -- over whether the largesse has come from Taiwan or China.
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| Iran parliament: Virus deaths nearly double reported figures Posted: 15 Apr 2020 06:09 AM PDT  The death toll in Iran from the coronavirus pandemic is likely nearly double the officially reported figures, due to undercounting and because not everyone with breathing problems has been tested for the virus, a parliament report said. Iranian health officials offered no comment on the report, which represents the highest-level charge yet from within the Islamic Republic's government of its figures being questionable, something long suspected by international experts. Iran on Wednesday put the death toll at 4,777, out of 76,389 confirmed cases of the virus — still making it the Mideast's worst outbreak by far.
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| Trump's candidate loses in Wisconsin, despite help from courts Posted: 14 Apr 2020 12:18 PM PDT  The president floated conspiracies of voter fraud after a progressive challenger knocked off a conservative incumbent in the race for a state Supreme Court seat.
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| Chris Cuomo: CNN show is not "worth my time" anymore Posted: 14 Apr 2020 11:13 AM PDT  "I don't like what I do professionally, I've decided," he said.
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| Newsom offers time line for lifting of stay-at-home orders in Calif. Posted: 14 Apr 2020 02:09 PM PDT  Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday provided a potential time line for when stay-at-home orders would be lifted in the state.
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| Wuhan ended its 76-day coronavirus lockdown last week — here's how Wuhan residents are reacting Posted: 14 Apr 2020 02:45 PM PDT  The people of Wuhan, China, have mixed feelings about the reopening of their city, which was put under lockdown in January.
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| Democrats take another step toward unity as Elizabeth Warren endorses Joe Biden Posted: 15 Apr 2020 06:10 AM PDT  Former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, on Twitter and in a video, endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president.
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| Vietnam to extend coronavirus lockdown in 12 provinces for seven days Posted: 15 Apr 2020 05:00 AM PDT  Vietnam will extend its coronavirus lockdown in 12 provinces, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, for seven days, although restrictions will be lifted in some areas outside of the Southeast Asian country's main cities, the government said on Wednesday. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc made the decision to extend the lockdown until April 22 at a meeting on Wednesday, the government said, adding that those 12 provinces were highly prone to the new coronavirus, which has infected 267 people in the country, but no deaths. "This is a difficult decision as there are opinions to support the extension of the social distancing measures, but there are also opinions calling for the lifting of the measures to revive economic activities," Phuc said in the statement.
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| Pelosi: Trump coronavirus missteps 'caused unnecessary death and economic disaster' Posted: 14 Apr 2020 04:56 PM PDT  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a letter in which she charged President Trump with missteps in handling the coronavirus pandemic that "caused unnecessary death and economic disaster" in the U.S.
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| US military chief: 'Weight of evidence' that Covid-19 did not originate in a lab Posted: 14 Apr 2020 01:33 PM PDT  * Chair of joints chiefs says 'natural' origin more likely * 2018 cable expressed concern about Wuhan laboratory * Coronavirus – latest US updates * Coronavirus – latest global updates * See all our coronavirus coverageThe Pentagon's top general has said that US intelligence has looked into the possibility that the coronavirus outbreak could have started in a Chinese laboratory, but that the "weight of evidence" so far pointed towards "natural" origins.The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Gen Mark Milley, was speaking on the day of a Washington Post report about state department cables in 2018 in which US diplomats raised safety concerns about the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) which was conducting studies of coronavirus from bats."During interactions with scientists at the WIV laboratory, they noted the new lab has a serious shortage of appropriately trained technicians and investigators needed to safely operate this high-containment laboratory," a cable dated 19 January 2018 said, according to the Post.The diplomats urged further US support for the laboratory to address the concerns, but no support was given, at a time when the Trump administration was cutting back on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outreach abroad.Beijing's official version of the start outbreak was the Covid-19 virus (Sars-CoV-2) was transmitted to humans from animals at Wuhan's wild animal markets, though some Chinese officials have circulated conspiracy theories suggesting it was engineered in a US bioweapons laboratory.The cables reported by the Washington Post have emerged at a time when the administration is seeking to focus blame for the pandemic on China and the World Health Organization. The Republican senator Tom Cotton has raised the possibility that the pandemic was a deliberate Chinese bioweapon attack, though he has argued natural transmission from animals to humans, or a lab accident, were more likely scenarios."There's a lot of rumour and speculation in a wide variety of media, blog sites, etc," Milley told reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday. "It should be no surprise to you that we've taken a keen interest in that, and we've had a lot of intelligence look at that. And I would just say at this point, it's inconclusive, although the weight of evidence seems to indicate natural. But we don't know for certain."Most scientists say that this coronavirus probably originated in bats but found its way to humans through an intermediary animal.There is no conclusive evidence that this happened at Wuhan's notorious "wet" markets where wild animals were sold for meat. Analysis of the first 41 Covid-19 patients in medical journal the Lancet found that 27 of them had direct exposure to the Wuhan market. But the same analysis found that the first known case did not.
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| Climate change: Blue skies pushed Greenland 'into the red' Posted: 15 Apr 2020 06:30 AM PDT  Cloud-free skies played a key role in one of the worst years for Greenland's ice sheet.
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| Missteps mar Puerto Rico's response to the coronavirus Posted: 15 Apr 2020 09:13 AM PDT  Puerto Rico officials say data that show COVID-19 cases on the island are much lower than in some U.S. states constitute proof they are containing the new coronavirus, but a series of missteps is raising concerns it could be more widespread than believed. Local officials, meanwhile, have favored televised discussions over press conferences in a situation that has angered many and drawn comparisons to Hurricane Maria. "We're basically operating blindly," said Mónica Feliú-Mójer, spokeswoman for CienciaPR, a nonprofit group of Puerto Rican scientists who are demanding widespread testing.
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| Court Rules Against Epstein Victims on Controversial Plea Deal Posted: 14 Apr 2020 11:27 AM PDT  A federal appeals court has denied relief to victims of Jeffrey Epstein under the Crime Victims' Rights Act, refusing their requests for remedies such as the release of FBI documents and a public hearing on Epstein's criminal case in Florida.The opinion comes as part of a 12-year legal battle between Courtney Wild, who was underage when Epstein sexually abused her, and the federal government. After Epstein secured a controversial plea deal in 2008, Wild was one of two "Jane Does" to sue the feds, alleging the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA) by keeping more than 30 victims in the dark about Epstein's non-prosecution agreement.In May of 2007, Epstein was facing a 53-page indictment for trafficking underage girls and could have spent life behind bars, if charged and convicted. But Epstein's lawyers secretly negotiated with federal prosecutors to scrap the drafted indictment, and the perverted financier pleaded guilty to lesser state charges instead. (Epstein served 13 months in a private wing of the Palm Beach County jail. The money-manager was permitted to spend 12 hours a day, six days a week, on "work release," and during that time, he continued to abuse young women.)On Tuesday, the appeals court ruled the CVRA does not apply to Wild's case because "the government never filed charges or otherwise commenced criminal proceedings against Epstein" and thus "the CVRA was never triggered."Jeffrey Epstein's Hollywood Pipeline Ran Straight to Harvey Weinstein"Despite our sympathy for Ms. Wild and others like her, who suffered unspeakable horror at Epstein's hands, only to be left in the dark—and, so it seems, affirmatively misled—by government lawyers, we find ourselves constrained to deny her petition," wrote the panel, which included judges Kevin C. Newsom, Gerald Bard Tjoflat and Frank M. Hull. (The decision was written by Newsom, with Tjoflat concurring. Judge Hull dissented.)"We hold that at least as matters currently stand—which is to say at least as the CVRA is currently written—rights under the Act do not attach until criminal proceedings have been initiated against a defendant, either by complaint, information, or indictment," the judges' decision continued."Because the government never filed charges or otherwise commenced criminal proceedings against Epstein, the CVRA was never triggered. It's not a result we like, but it's the result we think the law requires."Brad Edwards, a lawyer for the victims, told The Daily Beast he would request a hearing before the full Eleventh Circuit court to reconsider the panel's decision. "It is clear that even the majority detested the government's treatment of the victims but apparently felt there was a loophole in the CVRA that the prosecutors and Epstein successfully exploited," Edwards said in an email. "For all the reasons given in the 60-page dissenting opinion, we strongly disagree with today's ruling—which leaves victims like Ms. Wild without any remedy, even for victims like her who have been 'affirmatively misled' by federal prosecutors."In February of 2019, U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra ruled federal prosecutors in Miami violated the CVRA by secretly negotiating with Epstein's lawyers to downgrade his charges to state court. "Petitioners and the other victims should have been notified of the Government's intention to take that course of action before it bound itself under" a plea agreement, Marra wrote in his decision.But in September, Marra rejected victims' requests for remedies, which included voiding the plea deal's immunity provisions that protected Epstein and his alleged accomplices. The alleged co-conspirators, according to the agreement, include "Sarah Kellen, Adriana Ross, Lesley Groff, or Nadia Marcinkova." Wild petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to reverse Marra's decision and order the district court to grant victims "all appropriate remedies," including rolling back "the NPA's immunity provisions, holding a public hearing on the case, release of documents, and an award of attorneys' fees."The appeals court's decision suggests the CVRA doesn't apply to Epstein's victims at all.According to the federal law, crime victims have rights—which include the right to timely notice of any public court proceeding involving the crime; the right to be heard at any public proceeding in the district court involving pleas or sentencing; and the right to confer with the attorney for the government in the case."The interpretation of the CVRA that petitioner advances, and that the district court adopted, is not implausible; the CVRA could be read to apply pre-charge," the panel stated. "We conclude, though—reluctantly, especially given the mistreatment that petitioner seems to have suffered at the hands of federal prosecutors—that the Act is neither best nor most naturally read that way.""On balance, we conclude that the Act's terms—including the provisions on which petitioner relies—demonstrate that its protections apply only after the commencement of criminal proceedings."The panel majority adds, "Again, must prosecutors consult with victims before law-enforcement officers conduct a raid, seek a warrant, or conduct an interrogation? That seems exceedingly unlikely."In a dissenting opinion, Judge Hull said the panel majority "patently errs in holding, as a matter of law, that the crime victims of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators had no statutory rights whatsoever under the CVRA.""Instead, our Court should enforce the plain and unambiguous text of the CVRA and hold that the victims had two CVRA rights—the right to confer with the government's attorney and the right to be treated fairly—that were repeatedly violated by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Florida," Hull wrote.The dissenting judge warned that the majority's "pre-charge rule will deny victims' CVRA rights to confer and fairness in cases involving white-collar and other wealthy defendants who commonly engage in pre-charge plea negotiations.""Jeffrey Epstein's case illustrates my point," Hull added. Hull pushed back on the majority's claim that pre-charge CVRA rights would result in prosecutors having to consult with victims before authorities "conduct a raid, seek a warrant, or conduct an interrogation.""The Majority is more afraid of a future 'crime victim' potentially asking a 'readily identifiable' government 'attorney' to confer 'reasonably' with her pre-charge, than it is of secret pre-charge plea deals for wealthy defendants, even though it's now common practice for them to seek the best plea deal in advance of indictment," Hull continued. "The Majority's new blanket restriction eviscerates crime victims' CVRA rights and makes the Epstein case a poster-child for an entirely different justice system for crime victims of wealthy defendants."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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| Orban Allies’ Shares Are Winners of Hungary Power Grab Posted: 14 Apr 2020 08:00 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's decision to start ruling by decree indefinitely triggered European Union criticism and a currency sell-off in response to what was seen as a thinly-veiled power grab during the pandemic.But the prospect of Orban calling all the shots has done wonders for stocks owned by the premier's family and friends.Shares of Opus Global Nyrt., a conglomerate controlled by Orban's boyhood friend and closest business ally Lorinc Meszaros, surged 57% since parliament approved Orban's power play on March 30, versus a 5.7% gain in the benchmark BUX index. Real-estate group Appeninn Nyrt., co-owned by Meszaros and Orban's son-in-law, was runner-up with a 25% gain, followed by 4iG Nyrt., a technology group in which Meszaros also has a stake. All three rely heavily on state contracts.The day after assuming emergency powers, Orban's government filed a bill to classify for 10 years contracts relating to a $2 billion, Chinese-funded Budapest-Belgrade rail construction. An Opus unit based in Orban's home town has a 50% stake in the consortium running the project.The rail link was green-lighted despite earlier criticism about the project's viability and its cost, especially during the coronavirus crisis. The government estimates a deep recession this year due to the pandemic. The rail project's cost is equivalent to half of the budget funds the cabinet earmarked for its economic stimulus plan.While the details of the stimulus package are still hazy, Opus shares surged 20% on back-to-back trading days after Orban said he'd channel government funds to the sectors worst-hit by the pandemic, including tourism and construction -- areas in which Opus is active."The Meszaros Group is continuously monitoring government measures aimed at moderating the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the national economy," according to an emailed statement. "Management will decide after a comprehensive assessment what kind of assistance the group will accept."Hungary's opposition has long accused Meszaros -- who went from village gas-fitter to Hungary's richest person in the span of the past five years thanks largely to an avalanche of government contracts -- of being a front for Orban's personal business, an allegation the premier and Meszaros have rejected."I've never had a business relationship with the prime minister," Meszaros, 54, said in a written reply to questions last year, one of the rare instances when he's talked about his business. "Our relationship is private in nature. I've known Viktor Orban since my childhood."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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| Carnival's CEO said the company has enough money to make it through the rest of 2020 without bringing in any revenue Posted: 14 Apr 2020 03:16 PM PDT  Carnival has raised over $6 billion in debt and equity this year after drawing $3 billion from its credit lines.
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| China reports fewer coronavirus cases but local infections rise near Russian border Posted: 14 Apr 2020 05:43 PM PDT  China reported a decline in new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the mainland on Wednesday, but there was an increasing number of local transmissions in its far northeast bordering Russia. China had 46 new confirmed cases on Tuesday compared with 89 a day earlier, according to the National Health Commission. The 10 remaining cases were new locally transmitted infections, with the northeastern Heilongjiang province accounting for eight and the southern Guangdong province two.
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| Emergency room doctor, near death with coronavirus, saved after experimental treatment Posted: 13 Apr 2020 10:48 PM PDT  A Seattle emergency-room doctor contracted COVID-19 while treating patients infected by coronavirus. He owes his life to physicians who used an experimental treatment.
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| Virus hit 'like a bomb' as toll rises in Ecuador's business capital Posted: 14 Apr 2020 07:35 PM PDT  Ecuador's economic capital Guayaquil is reeling from the most aggressive outbreak of COVID-19 in Latin America after the pandemic hit the city "like a bomb," its mayor said. Cynthia Viteri has emerged from her own bout with the virus to battle the worst crisis the port city of nearly 3 million people has known in modern times. Mortuaries, funeral homes and hospital services are overwhelmed, and Viteri said the actual death toll from the virus is likely much higher than the official national figure of 369.
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| Evidence that coronavirus originated at Chinese lab is 'inconclusive,' top general says Posted: 14 Apr 2020 01:20 PM PDT  "We've had a lot of intelligence take a hard look at that," Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley told reporters Tuesday.
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| 3 California churches sue Gov. Gavin Newsom over coronavirus orders Posted: 14 Apr 2020 02:59 PM PDT  One pastor, Patrick Scales, said he believes he can have in-person services while also keeping congregants safe.
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| Germany Mulls Easing Curbs as Europe’s Virus Struggle Progresses Posted: 15 Apr 2020 12:15 AM PDT |
| Guatemala: US deportations driving up COVID-19 cases Posted: 14 Apr 2020 07:02 AM PDT  Guatemala's health minister said Tuesday that deportees from the United States were driving up the country's COVID-19 caseload, adding that on one flight some 75% of the deportees tested positive for the virus. Health Minister Hugo Monroy's comments were dramatically out of line with what the government had previously said about infected deportees. Later, presidential spokesman Carlos Sandoval told reporters that Monroy was referring to a March flight on which "between 50% and 75% (of the passengers) during all their time in isolation and quarantine have come back positive."
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| US officials were reportedly concerned that safety breaches at a Wuhan lab studying coronaviruses in bats could cause a pandemic Posted: 14 Apr 2020 07:48 AM PDT  Diplomatic cables obtained by The Washington Post raise more questions about the virus' origins and whether a top-level lab may have been involved.
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| Iran's Rouhani forecasts bumper wheat output, says food supplies secure Posted: 15 Apr 2020 05:33 AM PDT  Iran expects to produce 14 million tonnes of wheat by March 2021, President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday, adding that the coronavirus outbreak had not hit its farm sector and Iranians did not need to worry about food supplies. "Our forecast is some 3.5%-4% increase in agricultural products and we predict production of 14 million tonnes of wheat during this (Iranian) year," Rouhani said during a televised cabinet meeting. Rouhani said Iran's domestic grain production had been boosted by heavy rainfall that could cover its needs until the next Iranian year, which starts on March 21, 2021.
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| Joe Biden needs his Joe Biden. Here's a look at the women who could be on his vice presidential shortlist Posted: 15 Apr 2020 03:34 PM PDT  After Sen. Bernie Sanders' exit from the race, the former vice president will soon begin the process of selecting a running mate as the Democratic primary nears its end.
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| Nurse gives birth while sedated on a ventilator Posted: 15 Apr 2020 11:08 AM PDT  A nurse in Ohio just had a baby, but she won't know it until she's taken off a ventilator.The 27-year-old nurse has been hospitalised for more than two weeks while being treated for coronavirus. She first noticed her symptoms in late March and is currently sedated and on a ventilator according to WDTN News.
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| Hungry S.Africans clash with police over food aid in Cape Town Posted: 14 Apr 2020 05:18 PM PDT  South African police on Tuesday fired rubber bullets and teargas in clashes with Cape Town township residents protesting over access to food aid during a coronavirus lockdown. Hundreds of angry people fought running battles with the police, hurling rocks and setting up barricades on the streets with burning tyres in Mitchells Plain over undelivered food parcels.
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| Why it's suddenly more difficult to get a mortgage Posted: 14 Apr 2020 05:47 AM PDT  Some banks are now requiring a credit score of at least 700 and a 20 percent down payment.
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| Beijing Privately Warned Health Officials of A ‘Pandemic’ Six Days Before Xi Jinping’s Public Coronavirus Comments Posted: 15 Apr 2020 06:05 AM PDT  Documents reveal that Chinese President Xi Jinping waited six days to publicly warn about the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, after his top officials determined that the situation was "likely to develop into a major public health event."On January 20, Xi broke silence on the outbreak to warn it "must be taken seriously," with leading Chinese epidemiologist, Zhong Nanshan saying for the first time publicly that the virus was transmissible from person-to-person.That public warning came six days after a January 14 teleconference in which the head of China's National Health Commission, Ma Xiaowei, warned Xi and local health officials that a global pandemic was likely underway, according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. Some 3,000 Chinese people are believed to have been infected during the six-day delay."The epidemic situation is still severe and complex, the most severe challenge since SARS in 2003, and is likely to develop into a major public health event," Ma said, according to the memo.The call came a day after authorities in Thailand discovered the first case reported outside of China, which the memo cited as an indication that the situation had "changed significantly." It added that "clustered cases suggest that human-to-human transmission is possible.""With the coming of the Spring Festival, many people will be traveling, and the risk of transmission and spread is high," the memo reads. "All localities must prepare for and respond to a pandemic."Ma also urged officials to prioritize political considerations and social stability ahead of the long China's two biggest political meetings of the year in March.The same day as the teleconference, the World Health Organization stated that "preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in Wuhan, China." One day prior, on January 19, the National Health Commission said the virus was "still preventable and controllable."A timeline of China's slow response to the coronavirus reveals the failures of Beijing to slow the spread of the pandemic. While the Chinese government has reported approximately 82,000 cases, estimates have suggested the number is closer to 2.9 million.In December, party officials issued a gag order to labs in Wuhan after scientists realized the novel virus closely resembled SARS, ordering them to halt tests, destroy samples, and conceal the news.
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| Guatemala health chief says at least half of deportees from U.S. have coronavirus Posted: 14 Apr 2020 08:50 PM PDT  Guatemalan health minister says at least 50% of deportees
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| More than 150 people partied at an illegal San Francisco nightclub during the shelter-in-place order, and police just shut it down Posted: 14 Apr 2020 10:25 AM PDT  Video footage shows people coming and going in early April during the shelter-in-place order that directs nightclubs to close and people to stay home.
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| China, U.S. must cooperate amid coronavirus, top Chinese diplomat tells Pompeo Posted: 15 Apr 2020 08:18 AM PDT  It is crucial that China and the United States properly manage their relations amid the coronavirus pandemic, top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi told U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported. Yang told Pompeo in their telephone conversation he hoped the United States would meet China halfway, focus on cooperation and help to promote bilateral relations in line with the fundamental interests of their countries, according to CCTV.
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| Sen. Graham defends Trump's early action to combat COVID-19 against media attacks Posted: 14 Apr 2020 05:53 AM PDT  Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham joins 'Fox & Friends' after a contentious press conference between the president and the media on the White House response.
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| Trump Launched a Coronavirus Economic Council Without Telling Members They Were on It Posted: 15 Apr 2020 01:25 PM PDT  If an economic recovery task force is composed of members who didn't know they'd been placed on it, does it really exist? That's the question President Donald Trump confronts a day after he and his staff announced a lengthy list of business heavyweights, labor leaders, celebrities, informal Trump advisers, "thought leaders," and defense contractors who, they implied, would be working in conjunction with the president to nudge the country back to work in the face of a rising body count, a crashing economy, and public-health officials and governors' dire warnings.Trump proudly touted his "Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups" during a White House press briefing in the Rose Garden on Tuesday night. And yet, many of the listed names and companies did not learn of their new, supposed advisory roles until the president read their names on live TV, or until after the White House published the full list. Others said they hadn't even committed to working with the Trump administration on this, and only agreed to take a phone call from the White House to see if the effort was worthwhile or just for show.It turns out it was the latter. Kind of. Less than 24 hours later, it had become clear that industry groups were mainly being used as a sounding board, with some leaders even encouraging the president to not abandon public safety policy for the sake of an economic activity sugar rush. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that Trump was abandoning the idea of creating an in-house council of White House aides and advisers, though officials cautioned that such a proposal had never been formally announced. The chaos had all the hallmarks of a half-baked Trump administration idea: A flashy rollout, with almost no, even rudimentary, pre-planning or execution. 'Pray for Me': A Coronavirus Patient's Pleas for Help While IntubatedFor example, one of the White House's closest outside economic advisers says he wasn't given a heads up and only learned of his inclusion on the "Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups" list when friends started calling him to ask him if he'd heard what Trump had just said at his briefing. In fact, of the 20 The Daily Beast contacted, only two were able to definitively say they weren't caught off-guard by their inclusion, one of whom was the Shark Tank reality-TV star and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who had campaigned for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and once publicly denounced Trump as a "jagoff."Some of the "thought leaders" listed by Trump and the White House didn't even want the new council to be based in the West Wing to begin with. "I was sort of surprised at the shape [it had] taken," Stephen Moore, a Heritage Foundation economist who informally advises President Trump and his administration, said on Tuesday. "I have great respect for all the people in the White House, but what we'd been advising [the Trump administration] was an idea of a task force that was outside and independent of the White House, providing economic ideas in an advisory capacity."Art Laffer, another longtime conservative economist who has for years counseled Trump and administration brass, said in a brief interview on Wednesday morning that he was not informed ahead of time that he'd been assigned this advisory position. "I was not watching TV at the time," he said, of the Rose Garden briefing. "I found out about it [yesterday] when three to five friends started calling me to ask me about it."The Trump ally said he'd received no further guidance on the matter, either "directly or indirectly" from the White House, except that he knew there was a White House conference call he was supposed to get on "today or tomorrow." (The Daily Beast informed Laffer that the call was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.) "I am very pleased to be named on the list, and any way I can be helpful [I will]," Laffer added.Trump Put 200 People On Recovery Panel—Just 20 Are Women And Seven Are BlackRichard Trumka, the president of the AFL-CIO, the biggest federation of American unions, was also namechecked by President Trump on Tuesday. The labor group hadn't gotten the memo, either.Tim Schlittner, AFL-CIO communications director, told The Daily Beast that "we'd first learned [about this] from the announcement in the Rose Garden last night." Schlittner said AFL-CIO staff also received "what appeared to be a mass email with instructions to RSVP" for a Wednesday conference call, hosted by Trump, with industry and labor organizations."There was no call from President Trump to President Trumka on this," he said. "President Trumka is calling in to see if this is a serious effort or not." Spokespeople and officials at various other groups and corporations also said that they were given no advance warning that their alleged participation was going to be publicly rolled out and, as such, took a more diplomatic approach to the White House on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters declined to comment when asked if Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa or the organization knew about his inclusion before the announcement.A spokesperson with the National Association of Home Builders said in an email "that everyone knew a list was being created, and we were hoping to be on it." "We didn't know for sure that we would be part of it until just before the president spoke yesterday on this," the spokesperson said. "It is not surprising though that we were included, as we have had a positive relationship with the Administration and work together regularly to ensure housing is at the forefront of the recovery."For whatever reason, it was Mark Cuban, the celebrity billionaire who got one of the clearest heads-up from the Trump administration that he'd be on the new group of advisers. On Tuesday evening, Cuban told The Daily Beast that he will be working with the "opening our country" council in an "advisory" role. "I'm absolutely looking forward to trying to help," he said, adding that the White House had recently reached out to him to ask if he'd take the position, to which he agreed. (Late last week, Cuban had appeared on Fox News, and the host Brian Kilmeade mentioned that President Trump could be watching, and therefore could likely contact Cuban to join the council.) Asked who he spoke to in the White House, Cuban said, "I didn't even get their name." While he didn't get a name, Cuban was just one of the lucky ones who appear to have enjoyed some advance warning. Rachel O'Grady, director of media relations for the Associated Builders and Contractors said in an email the organization "did receive the invitation before the press briefing."Despite the lack of advance warning, Trump spent much of his Wednesday talking to different sets of these "Economic Revival" groups, with multiple conference calls, each lasting for more than an hour. During a noon call that included tech and telecommunications giants, the president spoke with industry leaders such as Apple's Tim Cook and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, according to a source familiar with the conversations. The president and participants discussed coronavirus testing and options for "re-opening" the U.S. economy. A 2 p.m. discussion hosted by Trump featuring various "thought leaders" included Trump allies such as Laffer and Moore."President Trump, who has already brought together the private sector and federal government for unprecedented collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic, is beginning a dialogue with prominent and successful individuals across multiple industries with different backgrounds and skill sets for the monumental task of re-opening the American economy," White House spokesman Judd Deere wrote in a statement. "President Trump's policies built a booming economy and they will do so again."The council had been viewed in the West Wing as an explicit counterweight to the virus task force and Trump's top public-health officials, including doctors Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci, who have generally advocated a slower, less optimistic approach to how and when the country should return to a semblance of normalcy.The prospect of the new council—which is now, apparently, non-existent once more—had provoked consternation among officials working closely with the task force, who are concerned that their advice could be brushed aside by the president in favor of a hastier approach that they believe would result in a viral relapse."There are some of us who are confused about what the point of [the council] even is," said a U.S. official working with the task force. "What is the point of this if not to manufacture a rosier picture for the president to cite when he starts telling people it's okay to go back out… when it might not be?"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: Why lockdowns may not be the answer in Africa Posted: 14 Apr 2020 04:25 PM PDT  Communities in Africa must be consulted about lockdowns, argue Alex de Waal and Paul Richards.
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