| Coronavirus truthers prey on the anxiety of the moment Posted: 16 Mar 2020 11:55 AM PDT  As the global coronavirus outbreak continues to shutter businesses and schools across America and upend the stock market, a number of commentators on the right have been busily floating conspiracy theories about what's behind the outbreak.
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| Nine-year-old Florida girl's remains found four years after she vanished Posted: 17 Mar 2020 11:14 AM PDT  A friend of Diana Alvarez's family made "admissions" that put him with her on the morning she went missing. He also told investigators that he had a sexual relationship with the girl.
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| Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is closing Canada's borders to anyone who isn't a citizen, a permanent resident, or a US citizen Posted: 16 Mar 2020 11:53 AM PDT  "I know that these measures are far-reaching. They are exceptional circumstances, calling for exceptional measures," Trudeau said.
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| 'Virus at Iran's gates': How Tehran failed to stop outbreak Posted: 16 Mar 2020 11:11 PM PDT  Appearing before the cameras coughing and sweating profusely, the man leading Iran's response to the new coronavirus outbreak promised it was of no danger to his country. "Quarantines belong to the Stone Age," Iraj Harirchi insisted. Harirchi's story is a microcosm of what has happened in Iran amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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| Mexico, former swine flu hub, tests nerves with coronavirus strategy Posted: 17 Mar 2020 04:02 PM PDT  Mexican officials are dragging their feet on border closures and coronavirus containment measures, in what critics call a high risk strategy driven by bad memories of a shutdown a decade ago that deepened the country's recession during the swine flu epidemic. The United States and neighbors in Latin America have suspended flights, banned public gatherings and closed schools. In Mexico City, however, tens of thousands of music fans rocked out to Guns and Roses at a festival at the weekend.
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| 90 US cities and states suspend water shutoffs to tackle coronavirus pandemic Posted: 16 Mar 2020 02:00 AM PDT  But just one in five water departments have agreed to reconnect household currently without running water * Trump's testing failures pave way to disaster, experts say * Coronavirus outbreak – live updatesAlmost 90 cities and states across the US have suspended water shutoffs for residents unable to afford their bills, as local leaders scramble to tackle the complex public health threats posed by the coronavirus pandemic.There is no vaccine or treatment for coronavirus, also known as Covid-19. According to the World Health Organization, good hygiene, specifically frequent handwashing with soap, is crucial to prevent the virus spreading.The expanding list of public utilities ordering a moratorium on shutoffs means about 57 million Americans in cities including Cleveland, Memphis and San Diego will be protected from losing their water service during the pandemic.Seven states – Wisconsin, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Louisiana – have mandated a halt to shutoffs, according to data provided exclusively to the Guardian by Food & Water Watch (FWW), a not-for-profit organisation tracking the situation.A handful of private water companies, which supply about 15% of Americans, have suspended shutoffs.But just one in five water departments have explicitly agreed to reconnect households currently without running water. The rest have only committed to halting new shutoffs.As a result, potentially hundreds of thousands of impoverished Americans will remain without running water during one of the worst public health crises in modern history."Suspending water shutoffs is the right thing to do, but reconnecting every household in the country is essential during this emergency in which handwashing is a primary measure to stop the spread," said Michigan congresswoman Brenda Lawrence, who last year co-sponsored legislation to tackle America's water crisis."Clean, safe, affordable water is a basic human need … it is unacceptable and inhumane to shut off people's water because they can't afford the bill," Lawrence said.According to data collected by the New York Times, at least 2,800 people in 49 states, Puerto Rico and Washington DC had tested positive for Covid-19 by Sunday morning, with 59 confirmed deaths.The actual number of cases is almost certainly far higher given the country's struggle to provide proper screening – one of multiple potentially catastrophic failures being blamed on the Trump administration's haphazard handling of the pandemic.There is no national database tracking the number of US households without running water. But in 2016, one in every 20 households were disconnected by public water departments, leaving an estimated 15 million Americans without running water, according to research by FWW.The highest shutoffs rates were concentrated in southern or rural states including Louisiana, Arkansas, Florida and Oklahoma. The hardest-hit cities, such as New Orleans, Detroit and Jacksonville, have high poverty and unemployment rates and more people of color.Before the Covid-19 outbreak, only 10 US cities, among them New York, Flint and Baltimore, had banned water shutoffs.Mary Grant from FWW said: "We need an immediate outright nationwide ban on shutoffs, and must make sure that every household has running water in order to protect human health and our communities."It is unclear what proportion of the country's half a million homeless people currently have access to running water.Last week, Detroit became the first city to announce a moratorium. It included the state covering the $25 reconnection fee for homes without water, and a reduced monthly bill for these households during the coronavirus outbreak.According to figures from the Detroit water and sewerage department (DWSD), 3,600 occupied homes (or houses with water usage in the previous 12 months) have been disconnected since April 2019. Of these, a staggering 2,800 were still without running water when the coronavirus reconnection plan was announced.In its first couple of days of implementation, only 73 families were reconnected – partly because DWSD crews had to spend time installing meters in some homes, according to a city spokesman. Residents are being advised to flush the water pipes before drinking in order to reduce the risk of lead poisoning."The issue is broad, complex and bureaucratic but these numbers are unacceptable," said Lawrence.Reconnections should speed up this week as three extra plumbers have been hired and the call centre, where residents must register for help, is beefing up capacity.At least 141,000 Detroit households have been disconnected since 2014 as part of a widely condemned debt-collection programme, according to records obtained by Bridge, a news magazine.One study found a significant increase in skin and waterborne gastrointestinal diseases among hospital patients in Detroit who lived on a block where at least one neighbour had been disconnected. The city claims most shutoffs are done in unoccupied houses to prevent flooding and other damage."What's happening now … this has been our greatest fear," said Monica Lewis-Patrick, director of We the People of Detroit, a grassroots coalition and research collective."It's undeniable that access to clean water is for the public good. This is a critical moment for the whole nation."
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| After head start on virus, Africa begins clampdown Posted: 17 Mar 2020 02:39 PM PDT  African countries have been among the last to be hit by the global coronavirus epidemic, but as cases rise, many nations are now taking strict measures to block the deadly illness. The first case in Africa was recorded in Egypt on February 14, and by early March there were only two more cases in Algeria and Nigeria. Since then, confirmed cases have spread steadily and in a little over a week, more than 20 new countries have been infected, bringing the total to 30 of 54 African nations with 450 known cases of the virus.
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| Durham Probe Expected to Conclude in Summer, May Be Delayed by Coronavirus Outbreak Posted: 17 Mar 2020 05:47 AM PDT  U.S. Attorney John Durham, the head of a criminal probe into the origins of the Russiagate investigation, is expected to wrap up his investigation by the end of the summer.Durham's work could wrap up anywhere from July to September, and could be slowed by the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., Fox News reported Monday. Another source told Fox News last month that Durham has yet to interview former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) said last week that Durham's investigation "is due to be completed sometime this summer." Last month, Representative Doug Collins (R., Ga.) said that Durham will not be releasing a report, like former special counsel Robert Mueller, but will likely use indictments to signal his conclusion."When he's ready to charge people, he'll charge people," Collins told Fox News. "And that's when we'll know."Attorney General William Barr said in December that Durham "is looking at all the conduct both before and after the election.""He's not just looking at the FBI, he's looking at other agencies, and departments, and also private actors, so it's a much broader investigation," Barr stated. The comments came after Durham released a rare public statement to say his team did "not agree with" DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz's conclusions regarding the origins of the FBI's 2016 Russia probe.Part of Durham's focus is a 2017 intelligence community assessment that detailed Russian interference in the 2016 election, and stated that Vladimir Putin "ordered an influence campaign" that "aspired to help" Trump and discredit Clinton.Former National Security Agency director and retired Admiral Michael Rogers, who was the "lone exception" in giving moderate confidence to the IC's report — compared to the CIA and FBI's high confidence — reportedly "has cooperated voluntarily" with Durham's probe.
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| Trump says coronavirus pandemic could bring on a recession Posted: 16 Mar 2020 02:49 PM PDT  Asked whether the country was heading for an economic recession, the president said "it may be," although he also said he expected the economy to recover quickly once the health emergency passes.
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| ‘Who is going to advise him to drop out?’: Bernie may not be ready for quick exit Posted: 17 Mar 2020 01:30 AM PDT  Many of the Vermont senator's aides and allies expect him to press onward — regardless of Tuesday's election results.
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| Justice Department moves to drop charges against Russians indicted in the Mueller probe Posted: 16 Mar 2020 07:18 PM PDT  Notably, the DOJ decided to drop charges "in light of recent events and a change in ... the government's proof due to a classification determination."
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| Mexico rejects El Salvador accusation it let coronavirus patients board plane Posted: 16 Mar 2020 03:30 PM PDT  Mexico rejected an accusation by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on Monday that it had allowed a dozen people with coronavirus to board a flight to San Salvador, saying medical staff had found no evidence of the virus on the travelers. Earlier, Bukele abruptly suspended all passenger flights to San Salvador after making his assertion on Twitter, describing Mexican authorities as "irresponsible." The Salvadoran president did not provide evidence for the claim, which Mexican Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell said turned out to be "totally false."
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| There's reportedly 'a lot of pressure' on Biden to pick Warren as running mate Posted: 17 Mar 2020 02:50 PM PDT  One thing is clear about former Vice President Joe Biden's potential running mate: he's going to pick a woman. But there are several candidates for the job that present intriguing arguments for his campaign advisers, Politico reports.Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), for example is an oft-touted name, as she would appeal to African American voters, who have carried Biden's campaign into the driver's seat. Plus, the two get along well, despite clashing in earlier debates when Harris was still campaigning herself.Another former contender, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), could make sense because she could help reel in the sought-after Rust Belt votes that are likely to be so crucial in the November election.But there's also Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) It's no secret Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) both desperately want Warren's endorsement, but it may be somewhat of a surprise to hear that Biden's team is facing "a lot of pressure" to add her to the ticket, an adviser said. Warren and Biden don't line up too precisely on policy — the former tends to veer more in the progressive lane — but Biden has made some overtures recently, including supporting her bankruptcy reform plan, so it's possible she's under legitimate consideration for the opening. Read more at Politico.More stories from theweek.com The conservatives who would sacrifice the elderly to save the economy Trump says he knew coronavirus was a 'pandemic long before it was called' one. Two weeks ago he called it a 'hoax.' The economy is crashing again. This time, let's bail out ordinary Americans.
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| 368 dead in 24 hours in Italy as Europe shuts down to slow the growing crisis Posted: 16 Mar 2020 11:34 AM PDT  "After the coronavirus, nothing will be as before," Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte tells the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
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| Orangetheory to LA Fitness: Fitness clubs nationwide close amid coronavirus pandemic Posted: 17 Mar 2020 10:22 AM PDT  The coronavirus pandemic closes fitness clubs across the nation, from SoulCycle and Orangetheory to Gold's Gym and Equinox Clubs.
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| Trump rates his coronavirus response a 10 Posted: 16 Mar 2020 01:39 PM PDT  President Trump on Monday rated his response to the growing coronavirus outbreak in the United States a 10.
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| Doctors map body's COVID-19 immune response: study Posted: 16 Mar 2020 05:13 PM PDT  Researchers in Australia said Tuesday they had mapped the body's immune response to the novel coronavirus, in a potential breakthrough in the fight against the global killer. A team of scientists were able to test blood samples from a patient who had contracted COVID-19 and was hospitalised with moderate symptoms. Authors of the study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, said it was the first time experts had mapped the body's general immune response to the new disease.
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| Trump angers Beijing with 'Chinese virus' tweet Posted: 17 Mar 2020 02:05 PM PDT  The US president used the term despite warnings to avoid stigmatising one region or group.
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| Trump mulls sending all who cross border illegally to Mexico Posted: 17 Mar 2020 05:05 PM PDT  The Trump administration is considering a plan to turn back all people who cross the border illegally from Mexico, two administration officials said Tuesday, using powers they say the president has during pandemics like the coronavirus outbreak to mount what would be one of the most aggressive attempts to curtail illegal immigration. The officials said the president has authority to take such action in a pandemic and that Mexico's efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus, along with Venezuela's, have been the weakest in North and South America. Mexico, which had no immediate comment on the U.S. proposal, has been slow to adopt public-distancing policies and cancel events, though that is starting to change.
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| New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio violates his own government's recommendations and hits the gym in Brooklyn amid the coronavirus shutdown Posted: 16 Mar 2020 09:32 AM PDT  "The mayor wanted to visit a place that keeps him grounded one last time," a spokesperson for the mayor said.
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| Former California congressman Hunter gets 11 months in corruption case Posted: 17 Mar 2020 02:44 PM PDT  Former U.S. Representative Duncan Hunter, who pleaded guilty to a charge of campaign finance fraud, was sentenced on Tuesday to 11 months in federal prison in a corruption case that ended the California Republican's once-promising political career. Hunter, 43, whose conviction set off a scramble within the Republican Party to succeed him while seemingly boosting Democrats' chances to gain his seat, was ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on May 29. Following completion of his 11-month term behind bars, Hunter is to remain under supervised release - the federal equivalent of probation - for three years, U.S. District Judge Thomas Whelan in San Diego ruled.
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| I'm an Italian mom under coronavirus lockdown. Here's what I wish I had done differently before things got bad. Posted: 17 Mar 2020 09:40 AM PDT  Katherine Wilson, a mom of two in Rome, said she wished Italians had listened to warnings about the coronavirus before the situation turned dire.
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| US Forces-Korea says combat approach to COVID-19 is working Posted: 17 Mar 2020 02:27 PM PDT  The Army's combat approach to attacking the virus is working, U.S. Forces-Korea leaders say.
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| Joe Biden’s Plan to Shut Down the Firearms Industry Posted: 17 Mar 2020 03:30 AM PDT  As Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders continue to trade blows over who is more equipped to supposedly deliver a knockout punch to the firearms industry, the former vice president has zeroed in on the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) — the law preventing frivolous lawsuits that seek to blame members of the firearms industry for the criminal misuse of legal, lawfully sold, non-defective firearms.Biden is swinging wide to do this, making wild and false claims. Before the debate in South Carolina, he told the state's gun manufacturers, "I'm coming for you, and I'm taking you down." He liked the tough talk enough that he reiterated from the debate stage, "And I want to tell you, if I'm elected . . . gun manufacturers, I'm going to take you on and I'm going to beat you."Biden's end goal is ultimately to repeal the 2005 PLCAA. This law, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and signed by President George W. Bush, ended the politically driven lawsuits aimed at bankrupting the firearms industry. Biden and Sanders want to revive the tactic as they pursue the White House, and they're using disproven and false claims to make their case.The PLCAA stopped a series of "public nuisance" lawsuits by activist mayors in big cities against firearms manufacturers over the crimes committed by individuals. That law doesn't grant immunity, but it prevents others from shifting the blame from criminals to a manufacturer. The firearms manufacturer is no more liable for the crime committed by an individual than Home Depot would be if someone committed murder with a hammer. The PLCAA does nothing more than defend an industry that has been targeted by a series of baseless, politically motivated lawsuits.Yet Biden still falsely claims that this gives firearms manufacturers blanket immunity. Both manufacturers and firearms retailers can be, and are, held responsible for harm caused by defective products, breach of contract, criminal misconduct, or other actions for which they are directly responsible, the same as any other product manufacturer.Jonathan Turley, the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University, underscored this when he wrote, in an op-ed for The Hill, "Product liability and tort actions against manufacturers have uniformly and correctly been rejected by the courts. Guns are lawful products, and holding companies liable for later misuse of such products is absurd. You might as well sue an axe manufacturer for the Lizzy Borden murders."Biden claims, as Hillary Clinton falsely tried to claim before him in 2016, that these protections are unique. In fact, manufacturers of medical devices, the airline industries, and even online service and content providers are protected from frivolous lawsuits when defamatory information is posted by others. Biden attacks the PLCAA knowing full well that individuals who commit crimes are responsible for them. His argument is just a façade for gun control that he can't achieve through legislation.The sad part is that Biden chose to attack an industry that has grown 171 percent since 2008 and currently employs more than 312,000 Americans from all walks of life in communities across the nation. He's coming after firearms manufacturers that paid $6.8 billion in total taxes and had a total economic impact of more than $52 billion.He's claiming that the men and women who work in the factories, those who produce the firearms not just for law-abiding Americans to exercise their rights but also for our U.S. Armed Forces and law-enforcement officials, are enemies of our society. He argues that he's the champion of the blue-collar worker, yet he wants to destroy a growing industry that provides over $15.7 billion in worker wages. He insists that he wants to restore America, but he mocks and denigrates the more than 100 million law-abiding Americans who own, carry, and use their guns frequently without incident.Biden and the Democrats who endorse him all know that the PLCAA doesn't offer firearms manufacturers unique protections. The law that prevents them from driving politically motivated lawsuits is rock solid. Biden's anger is reflective of his frustration that the courts won't allow him to bankrupt an industry to prove his political bias against Second Amendment freedoms.
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| China urges U.S. to lift sanctions on Iran amid coronavirus outbreak Posted: 16 Mar 2020 12:27 PM PDT  China on Monday urged the United States to lift sanctions on Iran immediately during the Middle Eastern country's response to the coronavirus outbreak.
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| Guatemala turns tables, blocking U.S. deportations because of coronavirus Posted: 17 Mar 2020 10:47 AM PDT  Guatemala, turning the tables on President Trump, halts deportation flights from the U.S. and closes its borders because of the coronavirus.
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| Limbaugh Guest Host: San Francisco Ordering Coronavirus Lockdown Because It’s a ‘Big Gay Town’ Posted: 17 Mar 2020 12:13 PM PDT  Filling in for President Donald Trump's most recent Medal of Freedom honoree Rush Limbaugh on Tuesday, conservative radio host Mark Steyn claimed that the reason why San Francisco announced a "shelter-in-place" order to contain the coronavirus outbreak is because it's a "big gay town."On Monday, Northern California officials revealed that the nearly 7 million residents in the Bay Area would be required to remain in their homes as much as possible until April 7. "We know these measures will significantly disrupt people's day-to-day lives, but they are absolutely necessary," San Francisco Mayor London Breed said.Reacting to the news, Steyn told millions of Limbaugh listeners that the real reason why San Francisco was the first major city to take such measures is because of the city's large homosexual population."Why are they doing that?" Steyn asked, in comments first spotted by Media Matters. "Why is San Francisco the first to do that? Because they've got all the gay guys there.""It's a big gay town, San Francisco, and they're the ones with all the compromised immune systems from all the protease inhibitors and all the other stuff," he continued. "And they don't want all the gays dropping dead on the San Francisco mayor's watch. So that's why they've got all that sheltering in place there."The frequent Fox News guest went on to assert that if "there was a big gay apocalypse" then "Trump would get blamed for it," adding that liberal critics would claim it was due to the president's "homophobia" that San Franciscans died."So that's why they've all been ordered to stay home," Steyn concluded. "And it's not easy staying home."Steyn's inflammatory remarks come on the heels of Limbaugh's homophobic attacks on former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. Last month, just days after the president bestowed the nation's highest civilian award on the radio host, Limbaugh said "Mr. Man" Trump would "have fun" with "gay guy" Buttigieg kissing his husband in public. Steyn, meanwhile, had been somewhat praised earlier this week for taking the viral pandemic more seriously on-air than Limbaugh, who has repeatedly likened it to the "common cold." Filling in for Limbaugh on Monday, Steyn kicked off the program by delivering a "wake-up call" on the dangers of COVID-19 to Limbaugh's listeners.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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| Australian researchers map immune response to coronavirus Posted: 16 Mar 2020 10:40 PM PDT  Australian researchers said on Tuesday they have mapped the immune responses from one of country's first coronavirus patients, findings the health minister said were an important step in developing a vaccine and treatment. The coronavirus has infected more than 168,000 people worldwide and killed at least 6,610, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). As scientists scramble to develop a vaccine, researchers at Australia's Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity said they had taken an important step in understanding the virus.
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| French people ignored officials' warnings to isolate themselves because of the coronavirus. Now they need a form to leave the house. Posted: 17 Mar 2020 04:26 AM PDT  People in France must have a document justifying why they're outside, even just for a walk or to go to a shop, after they refused to stay indoors.
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| Chronically ill and disabled influencers vulnerable to the coronavirus are spreading awareness of why social distancing is so important Posted: 17 Mar 2020 05:44 AM PDT  Keeping a safe distance, washing hands often, and staying in if you have any symptoms could save the life of someone more vulnerable.
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| De Blasio Tells New Yorkers to Prepare for Possible ‘Shelter in Place’ Order Within 48 hours Posted: 17 Mar 2020 12:36 PM PDT  New York City mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday said residents should prepare for a possible "shelter in place" order within the next 48 hours, following a similar order in San Francisco, due to the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.A shelter in place order, typically used in cases of natural disasters such as hurricanes, forbids residents from leaving home except to meet essential needs such as buying food."We are all deeply concerned…this is quite clear this is a fast growing crisis," de Blasio said at a press conference. "All New Yorkers, even though a decision has not been made by the city or the state, I think that all New Yorkers should be prepared right now for the possibility of a shelter-in-place order."The mayor said city residents would be informed of the order during the next two days, and has not yet been confirmed. A statement from Governor Andrew Cuomo's office also emphasized that the policy would require state approval."Any blanket quarantine or shelter in place policy would require State action and as the Governor has said, there is no consideration of that for any locality at this time," the statement read.De Blasio indicated that the crisis could last through the summer."In terms of the economic dislocation, I think it's fair to say we are going to quickly surpass anything we saw in the Great Recession and the only measure or the only comparison will be the Great Depression," de Blasio added.On Monday, de Blasio ordered the closure of New York City's public school system, the largest in the nation serving over 1 million students. School kitchens will remain open due to the high amount of students who rely on schools for daily meals. The city also closed all theaters and restaurants, with restaurants remaining open only for take-out services.Six counties in the San Francisco Bay area initiated their own "shelter in place" orders on Monday evening in order to fight the coronavirus outbreak.
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| Trump administration to ask Congress for $850 billion in coronavirus stimulus package Posted: 17 Mar 2020 07:19 AM PDT  The Trump administration is reportedly asking Congress for $850 billion in an economic stimulus package amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis, aiming for it to be passed this week.Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is set to outline the proposed package, which will "provide relief for small businesses and the airline industry and include a massive tax cut for wage-earners," in a meeting with Senate Republicans on Tuesday, The Associated Press reports. This next phase of the coronavirus response comes after the House of Representatives on Monday passed its revised emergency bill that will be considered by the Senate and includes a provision expanding paid sick leave.About $50 billion of the $850 billion the administration is seeking, The Washington Post reports, is expected to be directed toward the airline industry. The administration is reportedly looking for the stimulus package to be passed this week. Additionally, The New York Times reports that a "centerpiece of the proposal is the payroll tax cut that President Trump has been calling for."But Politico notes that the payroll tax cut "faces uncertain prospects in Congress." In fact, a day after some in Congress including Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) proposed sending every American adult $1,000 in response to the pandemic, Politico's Jake Sherman tweeted Tuesday, "I cannot believe I am writing this, but here it is: My reporting would indicate there's probably more bipartisan energy behind cutting $1,000 checks to people than enacting a payroll tax cut." More stories from theweek.com The conservatives who would sacrifice the elderly to save the economy Trump says he knew coronavirus was a 'pandemic long before it was called' one. Two weeks ago he called it a 'hoax.' The economy is crashing again. This time, let's bail out ordinary Americans.
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| Migrants waiting at US-Mexico border at risk of coronavirus, health experts warn Posted: 17 Mar 2020 11:39 AM PDT  Coronavirus fears are growing among nonprofits and attorneys who monitor migrants waiting in Mexico for court dates in the U.S.
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| Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe 'so happy' for temporary release due to coronavirus Posted: 17 Mar 2020 09:49 AM PDT  Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe on Tuesday described being "so happy" after being temporarily released from the "hell" of Iranian prison she has been confined in for four years as part of emergency measures to curb the country's raging coronavirus epidemic. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian mother of one from north London who has been incarcerated since 2016 on charges of trying to overthrow the regime, was released on a two-week furlough from Tehran's Evin prison on Monday afternoon as authorities sought to clear crowded jails where the virus could spread. She is obliged to wear an electronic tag and her movements will be restricted to 300m from her parents' Tehran home, where she will spend the next fortnight. "I am so happy to be out. Even with the ankle tag, I am so happy. Being out is so much better than being in – if you knew what hell this place is. It is mental. Let us hope it will be the beginning of coming home," she said in a statement released by her family. "My thinking is that they want to keep me, but outside of prison until they sort out this thing. But to be honest, I just want to go home. I think they are showing a good gesture, as they are hoping to strike a deal. So they want to keep me out. If the deal won't happen, then they will drag me back in. But if it does, then they will let me go from here." Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary said: "While this is a welcome step, we urge the government now to release all UK dual nationals arbitrarily detained in Iran, and enable them to return to their families in the UK." It is unclear whether the move to grant furlough to Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe heralds a readiness to allow her to return home. Her family have previously been wary of offers of furlough in case it could be used by authorities as a tool to apply psychological pressure. The last time it was granted, for three days in in August 2018, she was subjected to harassing telephone calls from her interrogators and then denied a promised extension and returned to prison at short notice. Monday's decision followed months of back-and forth diplomacy and appears to be have been subject to weeks of internal debate inside the Iranian government.
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| Special Report: 'All is well'. In Italy, triage and lies for virus patients Posted: 16 Mar 2020 01:14 PM PDT  At that time, doctors in the intensive care unit of Policlinico San Donato phone relatives of the unit's 25 critically-ill coronavirus patients, all of whom are sedated and have tubes down their throats to breathe, to update the families. Lunchtime used to be for visiting hours at this Milan hospital. When the doctors make the calls, they try not to give false hope: They know that one out of two patients in intensive care with the disease caused by the virus is likely to die.
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| 'Americans need cash now': Mnuchin outlines emergency funding amid virus Posted: 17 Mar 2020 10:08 AM PDT  Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Tuesday that the Trump administration recognizes that "Americans need cash now" as he discussed emergency funding amid the coronavirus crisis.
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| A 2nd Navy sailor on a US warship has tested positive for the coronavirus — this time aboard a destroyer Posted: 17 Mar 2020 02:41 PM PDT  Protecting Navy warships, tight spaces filled with military personnel, from the coronavirus poses a daunting challenge for the service.
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| Venezuela seeks emergency $5 billion IMF loan to fight virus Posted: 17 Mar 2020 11:50 AM PDT  Venezuela said Tuesday it is seeking an emergency $5 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, appealing to an institution it has long vilified to cope with the fallout from the new coronavirus on its already collapsed oil economy. The request came in a letter to IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva signed by President Nicolás Maduro. Venezuela is believed to be the first country to try to tap the $50 billion in financing the IMF has available to help developing nations deal with the virus, and the appeal underscores the precarious state of the socialist government's finances.
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| Joe Biden Just Sealed the Deal Posted: 15 Mar 2020 08:24 PM PDT  I get that the news out of the debate is that Joe Biden committed to picking a woman vice president. That's a big deal. But there were a couple non-news things that were important too.The first one is that Biden is not senile, does not have dementia, had no trouble in this debate uttering six or even seven sentences in a row that make sense, and handled himself fine. I suspect that any chance Bernie Sanders had to turn the tables in the way he was hoping ended in the first five minutes, by which time it was pretty clear that Biden was fully compos mentis and wasn't going to start quoting Jack Benny routines to drive home his point.This was really different from those early debates when he was ambushed from all sides. Then, he was verbally drowning half the time. Tonight, he was totally calm. He did maybe miss an opportunity to try to reach out to Sanders voters, but overall, he was in control of himself. It ought to make people feel more comfortable picturing him on a stage opposite Donald Trump.Biden: Virus Means It's Time for War, Not RevolutionBut he was also just personable. You know how people like me are always parsing the details, like hey, didn't he use a slightly different figure on that issue in a previous debate? Well, that kind of thing is way too wonky-weedsy. It wouldn't surprise me if Biden's most memorable tonight was that bit about 35 minutes in when Dana Bash asked about what they're doing personally to protect against the coronavirus, and Bernie Sanders talked about official, campaign-y things, but Biden made it personal and said "I'm taking all the precautions everyone else should be taking. I wash my hands God knows how many times a day. I carry with me, in my bag outside here, hand sanitizer. I don't know how many times a day I use that. I make sure I don't touch my face and so on. I'm taking all the precautions we're telling everybody else to take." He was just being a guy there, a person, a regular, um, Joe, in a way Sanders chooses never to do.So that was the first thing. The second was more substantive, and it was that Biden more or less managed to defend his much spottier record against Sanders' attacks.The three big issues here were Social Security, an old bankruptcy bill, and same-sex marriage. And I guess the Iraq war, that's always in there.On all these issues, Biden has real vulnerabilities. He did used to talk about certain small cuts to Social Security benefits (although a Politifact analysis rated Sanders' attacks on Biden as "mostly false"). On bankruptcy, well, he was a senator from Delaware. And Sanders was right that Biden did vote for the Defense of Marriage Act (a Clinton-era measure that said marriage was between a man and a woman) while he, Sanders, opposed it.But here's the thing about all that. Well, a) it's the past, and in our new state, it seems a little less relevant than before. Nobody thinks today's Joe Biden is going to cut Social Security. But the main thing is this:Biden and Sanders show us two models of senator-hood that are as opposite as they could be. Biden, from early on in his career, was a super-duper inside player. He got his fingers into all kinds of pies. He did stuff. Plus, he was elected from a state where he obviously had to accommodate himself to certain interests. If he didn't, those interests would have seen to getting rid of him after one term.Sanders has spent 30 years in Washington not really trying to do much of anything, reveling in his stance as the outsider. And he was elected from a state where he never faced any pressure to compromise on anything (he used to face one form of pressure, on guns, and he actually buckled on that until he was secure in his incumbency). Indeed, the vast majority of the pressure he faced, if it can even be called pressure, was to vote the orthodox lefty line on every issue (I don't doubt his votes were sincere). Whereas the vast majority of Democratic senators faced pressure to support the Iraq war, Vermonters might have thrown Sanders out if he'd voted for it.This enables him to sound pure today, and sounding pure is of great advantage in primary contests. It has helped him a great deal thus far. But it didn't work so well in this debate. He kept trying to press the point that his record was more consistent, but he was doing so in such a way that you could tell he was straining to convince viewers that it was important.Biden had OK answers on most of these things, and more than OK on same-sex marriage, when he said "I was the only major player" who backed same-sex marriage, which is basically true—remember how he endorsed it before the 2016 reelection, before Barack Obama did or wanted to. Biden could have put it more effectively: "Bernie, yes, you cast a good vote from your seat in the bleachers. But I did more than anybody to make same-sex marriage reality."They were very different kinds of senators. One kept his hands clean and assembled a faultless (from a left point of view) voting record. The other got his hands dirty. Democratic voters are making it very clear which model they prefer, and tonight seems not to have done anything to change that.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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