| Roosevelt who? 2020 Democrats steer clear of talking history Posted: 09 Mar 2020 04:01 PM PDT  Modern politicians talk less and less about the traditions and legacy of their own political parties. Joe Biden's rise in the Democratic primary shows this might be a misjudgment.
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| Should daylight saving time be eliminated? Posted: 08 Mar 2020 08:22 AM PDT  A push to end the practice of changing clocks twice a year is gaining steam in parts of the U.S. Should daylight saving time be abolished nationwide?
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| Experts: Rapid testing helps explain few German virus deaths Posted: 09 Mar 2020 10:27 AM PDT  Germany has confirmed more than 1,100 cases of the new coronavirus but — so far — just two deaths, far fewer than other European countries with a similar number of reported infections. Experts said Monday that rapid testing as the outbreak unfolded meant Germany has probably diagnosed a much larger proportion of those who have been infected, including younger patients who are less likely to develop serious complications. "We in Germany were simply at the forefront in terms of diagnostics," said Christian Drosten, the director of the Institute for Virology at Berlin's Charite hospital.
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| An 88-year-old woman separated from her husband by coronavirus quarantine now talks to him through a nursing home window Posted: 08 Mar 2020 07:25 AM PDT  The Life Care Nursing Center in Washington is under quarantine. 14 people affiliated with the center have died with the new coronavirus.
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| Grand Princess cruise with coronavirus cases docks, unloads 23 people in California Posted: 09 Mar 2020 05:21 PM PDT  Princess Cruises' Grand Princess ship docked at noon PDT in Oakland, California, beginning what is likely to be a multi-day disembarkation process.
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| Trump cheers lower gas prices amid stock market plunge, downplays coronavirus fears again Posted: 09 Mar 2020 08:23 AM PDT  When it comes to the novel coronavirus, President Trump is ever the optimist.As the virus spreads throughout the U.S. and across the globe, stoking fears about physical and economic health (amplified by Monday's stock market plunge), Trump has maintained a mostly rosy outlook. He continued that Monday first by highlighting tumbling gas prices — spurred by Saudi Arabia's decision to slash oil exports by 10 percent over the weekend and crude oil falling more than 20 percent — which he said were "good for the consumer."> Good for the consumer, gasoline prices coming down!> > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 9, 2020A few minutes later he complained about the economic ramifications of COVID-19, arguing that the flu affects and kills a lot more people than the new virus, but nothing shuts down.> The president, in a series of tweets this morning, seems to be flailing about for a means to reassure a sliding Wall St https://t.co/JvRElh0SH3> > — Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) March 9, 2020Trump, for what it's worth, admitted he only recently learned people died from the flu. But he now seems to be running with the knowledge at full speed.More stories from theweek.com Trump retweets White House photo of him fiddling, says he doesn't know 'what this means' Washington nursing home with coronavirus outbreak reported shocking escalation from 'no symptoms to death' S&P 500 has 7th worst decline since World War II
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| Pakistan, northern India face renewed threat of flooding from rounds of showers, thunderstorms Posted: 09 Mar 2020 09:14 AM PDT  After flooding and landslides caused numerous deaths in Pakistan late last week, parts of the country are bracing for the arrival of another potent storm system.The storm will track from southern Iran into Pakistan through Tuesday before arriving in northern Pakistan on Wednesday.Showers and thunderstorms will spread from eastern Afghanistan into far northern India, including the states of Himachal, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh by Wednesday. Steadier and heavier rain is forecast for far eastern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan and into far northern India as the storm forces moisture into the meeting point of the Hindu Kush and Himalayan mountains.By Friday, the storm will begin to move east. Rain and storms will begin to gradually taper off across Pakistan, but they will spread east along the Himalayas into northeastern India and Bhutan.Through the second half of the week, isolated showers and thunderstorms are also expected to develop in parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal of eastern India.A couple of storms can drift into northwestern Bangladesh.CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APPRainfall totals up to 13-25 mm (0.5-1 inch) will be common across the region from this system, but totals can accumulate up to 25-50 mm (1-2 inches) in areas of heavier rain. An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 150 mm (6 inches) is possible in the mountains of Pakistan and far northern India.Localized flooding will be possible in areas of poor drainage and in any downpours that develop through the second half of the week. Northern Pakistan will face the greatest risk after torrential rain caused flooding late last week and into this past weekend.Flooding and landslides in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan were to blame for at least 17 deaths and officials in the province declared a weather emergency to help relocate residents displaced by the disaster, reported The Express Tribune.Colder air arriving with the storm will cause precipitation to fall as snow in higher elevations, but it could also pose a risk to those displaced in the mountainous areas of Pakistan.Flooding and chilly conditions will not be the only concerns as storms return to the area. Frequent lighting strikes will be dangerous for anyone caught outside during the unsettled period.Residents are reminded to head inside at the first rumble of thunder.Some of the wet weather may prove beneficial. Lengthy periods of rain could improve air quality across northern India where air pollution reaches dangerous levels during the drier season.Occasional showers and thunderstorms are forecast to continue into the weekend near the mountains of northern India and Nepal.Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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| Italy Prison in Flames in Coronavirus Lockdown Riot Among Cut-Off Inmates Posted: 09 Mar 2020 04:42 AM PDT  ROME—As least six inmates have died, and at least 50 others have escaped from an Italian prison in the southern region of Puglia on Monday amid extensive rioting in 27 prisons across the country after visitation rights were curtailed due to the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus. Italy Locks Down 16 Million People To Contain CoronavirusRiots broke out Sunday afternoon in half a dozen prisons after the Italian government enacted a draconian decree that has locked down 16 million people and curtailed movement across the entire country to try to contain the spread of COVID-19. By Monday, the riots had spread to nearly 30 detention facilities.The number of coronavirus cases in Italy reached 9,172 on Monday, the highest number outside of China. At least 463 people have died in Italy with the virus, the second highest number of fatalities after China. In Modena, now part of the extended outbreak red zone designated by the government, prisoners were able to take two guards hostage Sunday and steal keys before climbing a barrier fence to try to escape. They were eventually pushed back by riot police, but the prison had been so damaged that all inmates had to be moved to temporary facilities. In a prison in Pavia, inmates lit mattresses on fire, causing a wing of the facility to be evacuated Sunday. Flames coming from the prison could be seen more than a half-mile away.On Monday, prisoners were seen on top of the San Vittore Prison in Milan, at the heart of the outbreak. There, fires were burning in some areas after all visitation rights were banned after the city was put on lockdown Sunday. During morning recreational time, inmates charged guards and gained access to the roof.In Rome, where nearly 90 people have tested positive for the disease across the province, prisoners have been prohibited from congregating in open areas for recreation. In the Regina Coeli prison in central Rome, inmates could be heard yelling and banging objects in their cells on Monday. Prisoners in the city's Rebibbia prison also set that facility on fire on Monday afternoon, after which around 30 prisoners escaped. Helicopters were flying low over the city center, and sirens wailed for most of the afternoon as the inmates were apprehended. Most criminal trials that have not been suspended across the country will be held in closed courtrooms without prisoners present—out of fear of them contracting the virus in court and spreading it to other inmates. The murder trial involving American teens Finnegan Elder and Gabe Natale for the stabbing death of an Italian police officer last July was in session behind closed doors Monday, but the suspects were not allowed to leave the prison to attend the hearing. Italian prisons are severely overcrowded, with 61,230 inmates in detention centers meant to hold a capacity of no more than 50,950. Inmate-rights groups have complained that testing is not being conducted inside prisons across the country and that a lack of confirmed cases among the incarcerated is not reflective of the current situation. 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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| A GOP congressman's tweet about quarantining himself from the 'Wuhan coronavirus' sparks debate about racism surrounding the disease Posted: 09 Mar 2020 01:57 PM PDT  After Rep. Paul Gosar announced his self-quarantine from the "Wuhan coronavirus," people were torn about whether the term is inherently racist.
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| Report: Iran commander killed in Syria Posted: 09 Mar 2020 07:39 AM PDT  An official with Iran's Revolutionary Guard who took part in battles around war-torn Syria was killed near the Syrian capital, an Iranian semiofficial news agency and an opposition war monitor reported Saturday.
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| Nazi salutes, Molotov cocktails rock massive Mexico women's march Posted: 08 Mar 2020 11:38 PM PDT  A group of women outside Mexico City's main cathedral clashed on Sunday with men protesting abortion who made Nazi salutes, among scuffles that left dozens injured during a protest of tens of thousands of people on International Women's Day. The incidents reflected an undercurrent of anger throughout the day, in which the city government said 80,000 people marched through Mexico City's historic core to the public square fronting the cathedral and National Palace. Wearing green bandanas symbolizing support for abortion rights, at least a dozen women ripped down banners describing abortion as femicide and set them on fire.
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| A Look at the Complete Works of Antoni Gaudí Posted: 09 Mar 2020 02:02 PM PDT |
| Oil price war, Mecca ban are latest risks by Saudi prince Posted: 09 Mar 2020 05:26 AM PDT  Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is behind the kingdom's boldest and riskiest moves in decades, most recently shutting down Islam's holiest sites to pilgrims to stymie the spread of a new virus and the government's decision to slash oil prices in what analysts say has sparked a price war with major producer Russia. As his father's favored son, the 34-year-old prince oversees nearly every major aspect of the country's defense, economy, internal security, social reforms and foreign policy. The prince's headline-grabbing path to power has been paved with controversy, conflict and combat.
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| 'Every day is getting worse': Coronavirus patient sends stark warning to others about disease Posted: 09 Mar 2020 11:28 AM PDT  The first confirmed coronavirus patient in New Jersey has spoken out about his experience of contracting the virus.James Cai, a 32-year-old physician's assistant, who was the first patient to test positive for the virus in the state, spoke to CBS2's Hazel Sanchez about how rapidly he had fallen ill after contracting Covid-19.
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| Candidates who've dropped out of the presidential race are endorsing either Biden or Sanders. Here's whose side they're on and why. Posted: 08 Mar 2020 11:11 AM PDT  Kamala Harris on Sunday became the ninth former candidate to endorse former Vice President Joe Biden. Sanders has landed just two.
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| Prince Andrew won't voluntarily cooperate in Epstein inquiry, prosecutor says Posted: 09 Mar 2020 11:19 AM PDT  Despite public offer to help with investigation Andrew has 'completely shut the door', and New York attorney general is now considering other optionsPrince Andrew has "completely shut the door" on cooperating with US investigators in the Jeffrey Epstein case and they are now "considering" further options, a New York prosecutor said on Monday.Andrew was a friend of Epstein, the wealthy financier and convicted sex offender whose death in custody while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in New York last year was ruled a suicide.Andrew denies all claims of sexual misconduct relating to the Epstein case but has stepped back from public duties as a result of his connection to it.Speaking to reporters on Monday, the Manhattan US attorney Geoffrey Berman said: "Contrary to Prince Andrew's very public offer to cooperate with our investigation into Epstein's co-conspirators, an offer that was conveyed via press release, Prince Andrew has now completely shut the door on voluntary cooperation and our office is considering its options."In November, Andrew said he was "willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations if required".Berman made a similar claim in January, which former sex crimes prosecutors told the Guardian was most likely a move designed to win political support for the investigation.Buckingham Palace said then it would not comment and the matter was being dealt with by the prince's legal team. Contacted on Monday, a Palace spokeswoman said: "The issue is being dealt with by the Duke of York's legal team."Buckingham Palace has consistently refused to reveal any details of Andrew's legal team but the Duke has reportedly hired Clare Montgomery, a senior barrister at Matrix Chambers, whose clients have included Augusto Pinochet, Chile's former dictator, and Shrien Dewani, charged with and acquitted of murdering his wife in South Africa. She also prosecuted the Metropolitan police over the death of Jean Charles de Menezes, shot dead in a failed anti-terror operation.Andrew has been accused of having sex with a young woman provided by Epstein, a claim he categorically denies.In a December interview with the BBC, the accuser, Virginia Giuffre, now 35, called Andrew's denial "BS"."He knows what happened," she said. "I know what happened, and there's only one of us telling the truth, and I know that's me."The Guardian has reported that according to flight logs, Andrew was among nine people on Epstein's plane for a trip from the US Virgin Islands to Florida in February 1999.A lawsuit filed by the US territory's attorney general in January cites new evidence that Epstein "held captive underage girls" there as recently as 2018.Montgomery declined to comment to an inquiry from the Guardian. She is reportedly briefed by Gary Bloxsome, a criminal defence solicitor who has defended British troops against war crime allegations. It has been reported he was appointed directly by Andrew, though this has not been confirmed by the palace.
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| Why Is Alleged Quack Dr. Oz the Face of NBC’s ‘Coronavirus Crisis Team’? Posted: 09 Mar 2020 01:41 AM PDT  For the past week—as the global COVID-19 death toll surpassed 3,800, including at least 22 fatalities in the United States—NBC News has been promoting celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz as the most visible member of the Today show's so-called "Coronavirus Crisis Team."The 59-year-old Oz, an Oprah Winfrey protégé who registered the trademark "America's Doctor" as his self-awarded title, has been urging Today viewers to vigorously scrub their thumbs and fingertips as part of a 20-second hand-washing ritual to combat the spread of the pandemic, and on Friday, exhorted people over the age of 60—those at highest risk of succumbing to the disease—to stick close to home."If I was younger I would go ahead and travel, but if I was older, I wouldn't—and would avoid crowded places," Oz told Today co-host Craig Melvin, suggesting that senior citizens keep at an "arm's length" distance from strangers. "Why take a chance?"That is prudent counsel, to be sure. (Never mind that it directly contradicted Oz's recommendation to 88-year-old William Shatner—on Monday's episode of Access Daily—that the "apprehensive" Star Trek actor proceed with his plans for an international lecture tour: "He can go anywhere he wants. Do not make decisions based on fear… We've gotta live our lives.")The telegenic Oz might well be a talented thoracic surgeon—best known as the host of the popular syndicated daytime program The Dr. Oz Show—but he is hardly an ideal dispenser of medical advice for an increasingly anxious American public."He's just a quack," said physician and scientific researcher Henry I. Miller, one of Oz's more vocal critics in the medical community, but by no means unique in his condemnation of, among other transgressions, Oz's enthusiastic endorsements of phony weight-loss remedies, his bogus claims of dangerous levels of arsenic in children's apple juice, and his willingness to provide a platform to the debunked assertion that genetically modified food causes cancer."He's been dishonest and he has been dispensing misinformation to millions now for years," said Miller, who in 2015 led an unsuccessful campaign to pressure Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons to fire Oz from its faculty. "I wouldn't trust any of his observations, and don't see how he would have responsible and valid views on coronavirus."NBC News declined to comment on Oz's critics or his role on the Today show, where he is one of several paid physician-contributors—but surely the most famous and camera-savvy—who've been enlisted in recent days as on-air experts to address viewers' coronavirus concerns.In a statement to The Daily Beast, Oz responded: "There are lots of detractors in life who have trouble hearing the truth or engaging in difficult debates about multi-sided topics. I have spent my career with the belief that knowledge is power and I have never shied away from that mantra. We are in the midst of one of the biggest epidemics in recent time and my focus is on educating and calming a fearful public. That's what we all should be focused on right now."Oz and the 72-year-old Dr. Miller—a former Food and Drug Administration official and ex-academic fellow at Stanford University's conservative-leaning Hoover Institution—are longtime adversaries. On an April 2015 installment of The Dr. Oz Show, Oz countered Miller's headline-grabbing open letter to Columbia University demanding his dismissal by slamming Miller as a paid shill for the tobacco, pesticide, and genetically modified food industries. (Indeed, Miller was dropped as a columnist by Forbes magazine in 2017 after The New York Times reported that one of his 2015 bylined columns largely echoed a draft prepared by employees of Monsanto.)In addition, Oz noted that one of the letter's 10 physician co-signers, Dr. Gilbert Ross, was a convicted felon who served prison time for Medicaid fraud.Still, most of Oz's critics are not so easily attacked.Three Mayo Clinic scientists—Dr. Jon C. Tilburt, M.D., and PhDs Megan Allyse and Frederic W. Hafferty—pulled no punches in their February 2017 article in the AMA Journal of Ethics about the troubling questions raised by Oz's public influence."Should a physician be allowed to say anything—however inaccurate and potentially harmful—so long as that individual commands market share?" they wrote. "In a professional sector whose history and growth is marked by the sustained and rightful denouncement of quacks and quackery… an inability to define and fence the epistemic boundaries of scientific medicine from apparent quackery on such a visible scale becomes something akin to a full-scale identity crisis for medicine…"Dr. Oz certainly appears to be someone peddling unproven and ineffective remedies for personal gain… Yet, he remains immensely popular, prompting us to wonder, if we can't effectively sanction Dr. Oz, whom can we sanction?"Meanwhile, a May 2018 article by Rina Raphael, Fast Company magazine's health and technology writer, decried Donald Trump's appointment of Oz to the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition."The inclusion of Dr. Oz took many in the health industry by surprise, especially those who have been following the TV star's snake-oil antics over the last few years," Raphael wrote. "Oz has been repeatedly called out for his support of false, deceptive products and unproven medical practices, both from the medical community and consumer watchdog groups."His appointment clearly speaks in no way to his reputation as a trusted medical source, but rather to his celebrity status—and the ability to parlay that into multiple business opportunities. Perhaps that's what Trump, who has shown a preference for pundits over experts, finds appealing."More likely, Trump was simply rewarding Oz for letting the then-Republican presidential nominee and his daughter Ivanka onto the Sept. 15, 2016 installment of his syndicated show to tell whoppers, unchallenged, about his physical condition, especially the obvious sham that the obese candidate weighed only 236 pounds. Oz accepted at face value the conclusions of Trump's discredited doctor, Harold Bornstein, who declared that his patient "will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.""Talk about two snake-oil salesman!" then-Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill said at the time about Trump's appearance on Dr. Oz."I mean one of them says, 'Take a pill and you'll be thin'… from your lips to God's ear wouldn't we all love that? Not true. Not medically true. Not scientifically true. And Dr. Oz knows it," said McCaskill, who famously dressed Oz down for pushing diet scams during a 2014 Senate hearing.Trump, meanwhile, is "promising things that are totally not true. Lying every time he opens his mouth," McCaskill added. "So I think it's really a marriage made in heaven."Oz's legion of critics also includes, but isn't limited to, New Yorker science writer Michael Specter, the British Medical Journal, and Popular Science magazine.As of this writing, however, it seems highly doubtful that NBC News and the Today show will spend even a second, much less 20, washing their hands of Dr. Oz.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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| Wuhan Official Called for ‘Gratitude Education’ to Teach Citizens to Thank Xi Jinping for Coronavirus Response Posted: 09 Mar 2020 12:09 PM PDT  The top Communist Party official in Wuhan suggested Saturday that the government conduct "gratitude education" to teach citizens how to properly thank the party and general secretary Xi Jinping for the government's response to the coronavirus outbreak."The people of Wuhan are heroic people who understand gratitude," Wuhan party secretary Wang Zhonglin said in comments published by Changjiang Daily. "[We] must through various channels carry out gratitude education among the citizens of the whole city as well as cadres so that they thank the general secretary [Xi Jinping], thank the communist party, listen to the party's words, follow the party's way, and create strong positive energy."The comments were first reported on in English by the China Media Project, and were subsequently seen by The Guardian. China Media Project reported that the remarks drew strong backlash on social media and from Chinese journalists, and Changjiang Daily apparently removed the article from its website.Chinese authorities have faced unprecedented criticism from the country's citizens over its response to the coronavirus outbreak. On Thursday, quarantined Wuhan residents angrily shouted from their windows as Vice-premier Sun Chunlan, one of the highest-ranking officials in the government, visited a residential complex."It's fake, it's fake, everything is fake!" residents shouted. Video of the incident went viral, and was even shared by China state newspaper The Global Times.> "It's fake! It's fake!" shout residents of a community in COVID19 epicenter Wuhan in a viral video on China's social media. They have accused property management of cheating them by only appearing to provide promised necessities. Investigation is underway https://t.co/kzq4gbB4RM pic.twitter.com/0ujObfedR8> > -- Global Times (@globaltimesnews) March 6, 2020Wuhan residents have been quarantined at home for weeks now, relying on local government workers to provide basic necessities.China has confirmed over 80,000 cases of the coronavirus and reported 3,119 deaths from the illness.
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| Coronavirus live updates: US death toll hits 21; Grand Princess to dock Monday; Sen. Ted Cruz to self-quarantine Posted: 08 Mar 2020 08:59 PM PDT  The U.S. death toll climbed to 19 this weekend, but there was some good news for passengers and crew of a cruise ship hit by the new coronavirus.
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| Turkey issues new arrest warrant for jailed businessman Kavala Posted: 09 Mar 2020 02:01 PM PDT  A Turkish court issued a new arrest warrant on Monday against Turkish businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala, who was re-arrested last month after being acquitted in a separate trial, one of his lawyers told Reuters. Kavala had been cleared of charges related to nationwide protests in 2013, but was re-arrested the following day, accused of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order in a failed coup in 2016. On Monday, a second arrest warrant was issued in relation to the coup attempt, this time for espionage.
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| Thousands of people in Italy panicked and tried to flee its 16-million-person coronavirus quarantine after the plan leaked Posted: 09 Mar 2020 04:37 AM PDT  "Some of those who fled will be infected with the disease," said one virus expert — increasing the risk it will spread further.
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| Oil crash sparks 'Black Monday' meltdown on virus-hit markets Posted: 09 Mar 2020 02:35 PM PDT  World oil prices crashed Monday, fueling a vicious selloff on stock markets which were already buckling from the spreading coronavirus outbreak.
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| Trump feuds with airlines over coronavirus after White House asks for passenger information Posted: 09 Mar 2020 08:16 AM PDT  Requests by the Trump administration to the airline industry to collect more passenger information to help stem the spread of coronavirus have resulted in heightened tensions between the industry and the White House.The administration - at the urging of the Centers of Disease Control - has asked airlines to begin collecting data on travellers to help the government slow the spread of coronavirus. Airline industry officials claim they don't have the technology available to meet the government's requests, but the CDC is sceptical.
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| The Trump Administration Is Stalling an Intel Report That Warns the U.S. Isn’t Ready for a Global Pandemic Posted: 09 Mar 2020 01:57 PM PDT  An intelligence report postponed by President Trump's administration warns the U.S. is unprepared for a global pandemic, officials say.
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| James Biden’s health care ventures face a growing legal morass Posted: 09 Mar 2020 01:30 AM PDT  A mysterious FBI raid. New allegations from former executives. Questions are swirling about the business dealings of Joe Biden's brother.
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| Pentagon awards contracts to design mobile nuclear reactor Posted: 09 Mar 2020 10:42 AM PDT  The Department of Defense has two parallel nuclear reactor programs underway, one for domestic use, one for use abroad.
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| Chinese Propagandists Stoke Theory That Coronavirus Originated in U.S. Posted: 09 Mar 2020 12:17 PM PDT  Chinese state media are amplifying a conspiracy that the Wuhan coronavirus may have originated in the U.S.The media push may have begun in earnest on February 27 when Zhong Nanshan, a pulmonologist who has made major announcements on Chinese state media, said at a press conference: "The coronavirus first appeared in China but may not have originated in China." Other media outlets have repeated or implied the same message."If it's true that the virus originated in the United States, should China still apologize to the world?" read an article in College Daily, a WeChat account based in New York City popular with Chinese students studying abroad. On Saturday, China's ambassador to South Africa wrote on his Twitter account, "Although the epidemic first broke out in China, it did not necessarily mean that the virus is originated from China, let alone 'made in China.'""Go on WeChat, go on Weibo, look on Baidu search, and it's full of 'look at all the other countries getting sick,' or 'the virus came from the United States,' or all different levels of conspiracy theories," Xiao Qiang, founder of the China Digital Times and adjunct professor at the University of California at Berkeley's School of Information, told the Washington Post."It's more than just some disinformation or an official narrative," Xiao said. "It's an orchestrated, all-out campaign by the Chinese government through every channel at a level you rarely see. It's a counteroffensive."Dali Yang, professor of political science at Chicago University, said the media campaign was an attempt to draw citizens' attention away from China's response to the outbreak."The purpose is to lessen the focus on how China bungled its response," Yang said. "It's a kind of blame-shifting."
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| Delta ups the ante, announces no change fees for all flights through April amid coronavirus Posted: 09 Mar 2020 01:21 PM PDT  Delta and others previously relaxed change fee policies for new tickets. This covers all tickets for travel in March and April.
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| South Korea sees coronavirus 'stable phase' but 'too early to be optimistic' Posted: 08 Mar 2020 06:33 PM PDT  South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed guarded hope for the country's fight against the coronavirus on Monday, saying a downward trend in new infections could lead to a phase of stability, but he warned that it was too early to be optimistic. The numbers showed the rate of increase in new infections fell to its lowest level in 11 days in one of the most severely affected countries outside mainland China. Moon said South Korea can enter the "phase of stability" soon if it continues to reduce the number of new cases.
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| Cruz self-quarantines over coronavirus concerns Posted: 09 Mar 2020 05:15 AM PDT  Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is one of two members of Congress to self-isolate after having contact with a CPAC attendee who has since tested positive for the coronavirus.
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| Russia has been accused by the US of spreading conspiracy theories that coronavirus is a biological weapon created by the CIA, and now the UK has set up a unit to fight them Posted: 09 Mar 2020 04:45 AM PDT  Thousands of social-media accounts have been made to spread conspiracy theories that the novel coronavirus is a biological weapon created by the CIA.
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| The Muslim running for mayor in Christian Bavaria Posted: 07 Mar 2020 09:28 PM PST  With his neatly trimmed beard, sharp suit and broad smile, Ozan Iyibas looks like a typical politician out to win votes ahead of a municipal election in southern Germany's Bavaria region. "I don't see any contradiction in this choice," says the 37-year-old, sitting back in an armchair and clutching a mug of tea in the town of Neufahrn. While Iyibas won the local CSU's nomination unanimously, such support is not always a given in the region where party chief Markus Soeder in 2018 ordered crosses to be displayed at the entrances of all public buildings, as a way of honouring the region's "cultural heritage".
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| Fox Hosts Varney and Bartiromo Look to Joe Biden to Calm the Stock Market Posted: 09 Mar 2020 10:29 AM PDT  With the stock market experiencing record-setting drops on Monday morning that prompted trading to briefly halt, pro-Trump Fox Business Network hosts Stuart Varney and Maria Bartiromo turned their eyes to... uh... Joe Biden to boost the stocks.During Monday morning's broadcast of Fox Business Network's Varney & Co., the eponymous host wondered aloud whether the markets—plunging due to fear and uncertainty surrounding a coronavirus outbreak—could "see a bounce" in the next couple of days due to a likely Biden victory this week."I mean, Michigan primary, maybe I'm grasping at straws here," the Fox host added.Bartiromo, meanwhile, said she agreed with her colleague before finding a silver lining in the market volatility, noting that the historically low 10-year Treasury yield meant it was "time to take out a mortgage" and plummeting stock prices represented an "enormous buying opportunity." (Trump took to Twitter on Monday to boast that gas prices plummeting were "good for the consumer.")SNL Roasts Trump's Coronavirus Response: 'We're All Gonna Die'Varney, for his part, wanted to pivot the discussion back to politics and how the markets will react to democratic-socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) possibly losing handily in Tuesday's primaries to the former vice president."I think Bernie's gonna lose," Varney asserted. "I think Joe Biden, he's got the momentum and I think the market will like that. The very hint, if Bernie does well, I think the market has another problem on its hands.""Absolutely," Bartiromo responded. "You wanna see this market taken out even more than today, have a victory for Bernie Sanders. That will really kill any expectation of a comeback here."As the markets have reacted negatively over the past couple of weeks to the impact a likely coronavirus pandemic will have on the global economy, a number of Fox hosts have insisted that the possibility of Sanders becoming the Democratic presidential nominee has also spooked traders.Last month, when the market began its massive sell-off, Fox Business host Charles Payne blamed much of the losses on "the Bernie factor," claiming there was "absolutely no doubt" that Wall Street had taken Sanders' then-rise in the race "very seriously."Varney himself has recently said that a Sanders win would result in both the stock market and economy crashing. "I think I'm totally right," he told Fox & Friends earlier this month, adding that his prediction was "guaranteed." White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham Promises 'Healthy' Trump Will Be 'Just Fine'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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| Girl who lost sight due to flu regains vision Posted: 08 Mar 2020 08:49 PM PDT  "We put our daughter to bed and she never woke up the same," the girls' mother wrote in an update about her daughter's health.
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| Czech prime minister says China should replace its ambassador Posted: 09 Mar 2020 09:46 AM PDT  China should replace its ambassador in the Czech Republic after the Chinese embassy sent a threatening letter to Czech authorities, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said.
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| Grand Princess passengers prepare to disembark, quarantine; 'Don't get on a cruise,' health official advises Posted: 09 Mar 2020 03:04 AM PDT  Grand Princess passengers ready to disembark Monday, while health official Anthony Fauci urges, "Just don't get on a cruise ship" to protect elderly.
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| Transgender queen crowned in Thailand as coronavirus limits crowd Posted: 07 Mar 2020 06:12 PM PST  After temperature checks for contestants and with a smaller crowd than last year because of coronavirus fears, Mexico's Valentina Fluchaire was crowned in Thailand as winner of what is billed as the world's biggest transgender pageant on Saturday. Although Miss International Queen 2020 went ahead, unlike many events cancelled around the world since the coronavirus outbreak emerged in China, the crowd was markedly smaller than in previous years, with many empty seats. The contestants all had their temperatures taken with hand scanners before being allowed to go on stage in national costumes, swimsuits and glamorous evening gowns.
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| Destroyers left behind: US Navy cancels plans to extend service lives of its workhorse DDGs Posted: 09 Mar 2020 07:16 AM PDT  The Navy is killing a plan to add 10 years to the hull life of its Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
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| Italy's prime minister just placed the entire country on lockdown in a nationwide extension of its coronavirus restriction zone Posted: 09 Mar 2020 02:04 PM PDT  The number of coronavirus cases in Italy surpassed 9,000 on Monday, prompting the government to quarantine the whole country. Over 460 people are dead.
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| Police: Fight over parking spot led to deadly mall shooting Posted: 09 Mar 2020 12:22 AM PDT |
| 'I'm frightened there's not a sense of urgency': Most Americans don't approve of Trump's handling of coronavirus Posted: 09 Mar 2020 01:50 PM PDT  A slight majority of Americans disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling the coronavirus outbreak, and just under 40 per cent say his response would make them less likely to vote for his re-election.The survey, conducted last week by Public Policy Polling, found 51 per cent of Americans disapprove of the president's response to the virus, with 42 per cent saying they approve.
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| Hands off: 'No touch' virus policy for Philippines president Posted: 09 Mar 2020 04:31 AM PDT  Well-wishers will not be allowed to touch Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte under new measures announced Monday by his security detail, as the deadly coronavirus spreads in the country. At 74, Duterte is in a vulnerable age group for the virus, which has proven particularly harmful in older people with pre-existing conditions. "The PSG (Presidential Security Group) will implement a no-touch policy between the president and the public," group commander Jesus Durante said in a statement.
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| Bloomberg gives $2 million to register black voters in key states Posted: 08 Mar 2020 09:02 PM PDT  "I've always believed we need to make it easier for all citizens to register and vote, not harder," Bloomberg said.
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| World Must Move Fast to ‘Whatever It Takes’ Mode, El-Erian Says Posted: 09 Mar 2020 07:10 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Mohamed El-Erian said the world's policy makers will do all they can to keep the coronavirus from spurring a deeper economic slump, but he said it's worrisome that international policy coordination isn't as solid as it was in the past."I foresee a whatever-it-takes policy approach that is going to be both in central banks and government agencies," El-Erian, chief economic adviser at Allianz SE, said in a Bloomberg Radio interview Monday. A sudden economic halt "is particularly dangerous because it destroys both demand and supply, and that is what we are living through right now."Policy makers "have massive catch-up to play" as the scope of the challenge becomes clearer, said El-Erian, who's also a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He said he doesn't see direct parallels with the start of the crisis in 2008 because he isn't worried about banks and potential issues with the payments and settlements system. But he said another comparison is more worrying: the world's economic authorities so far aren't acting in concert as they have in the past."The extent of global policy coordination is much lower, and whether it's the coronavirus, whether the excessive reliance on liquidity, whether it is markets that have been mispriced for a long time, this is a global problem that requires collective action," he said.But the kind of action that Group of 20 leaders took during the global financial crisis, when they met in London to coordinate a response, will likely be harder now, El-Erian said. "The bad thing relative to 2008 is that we're not going to get a London Summit quickly." that will allow to put in an economic bottoming."'Do Not Buy'In a subsequent interview on Bloomberg Television as U.S. stocks plunged at the open in New York, El-Erian said it's too soon for investors to start buying again."Do not buy this dip, respect the technicals," he said. "This will sort itself out, but will not sort itself out before some further damage unfortunately. You should also not panic."It's time to stay on the sidelines and wait for technical factors to play out, as painful as it might be, he said. He added that there's been a turn in credit cycle as economic and earnings prospects have worsened and that the corporate bond market is likely to see an increase in defaults."You're going to get more of a freeze on new issuance, companies with vulnerable balance sheets -- meaning little cash, high maturing debt -- are going to have difficulty re-funding themselves," he said.(Updates to add comments from television interview under 'Do Not Buy' subheadline)\--With assistance from Jonathan Ferro, Tom Keene and Sarah Ponczek.To contact the reporters on this story: Max Reyes in Washington at mreyes125@bloomberg.net;Jeff Kearns in Washington at jkearns3@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Scott Lanman at slanman@bloomberg.net, Jeff KearnsFor 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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| 'Put it in God's hands': As coronavirus spreads, changes come for Catholics at Mass Posted: 08 Mar 2020 02:13 PM PDT  As the new coronavirus spreads around the United States, Catholic churches are changing practices during Mass. But most worshipers aren't too worried.
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| Iran temporarily releases 70,000 prisoners as coronavirus cases surge Posted: 09 Mar 2020 04:03 AM PDT  Iran has temporarily freed about 70,000 prisoners to combat the spread of the coronavirus in jails, the head of the judiciary said on Monday, as officials reported hundreds of new infections and dozens more deaths across the country. Iran has reported 595 new infections and 43 new deaths within the past 24 hours. Judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi announced the temporary release of prisoners as Iranian authorities seek to counter one of the worst national outbreaks outside China, where the new virus originated, and one of the highest death rates from the illness.
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| Army to conduct shoot-off for future indirect fires protection Posted: 09 Mar 2020 02:08 PM PDT  A shoot-off will determine the path for Army's enduring Indirect Fires Protection Capability beyond Iron Dome.
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| The Navy won't let recruits' families go to their graduation ceremony because of coronavirus fears Posted: 09 Mar 2020 12:34 PM PDT  Families of the recruits graduating in Great Lakes, Illinois, will be able to watch the ceremony on a Facebook livestream.
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| Remains of 'Baby Evelyn' Boswell are believed to have been found at relative's home Posted: 08 Mar 2020 12:04 PM PDT  The remains were found at a property owned by her mom's relative.
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