| Without supplying evidence, Trump says China has more coronavirus deaths than the U.S. Posted: 17 Apr 2020 05:56 PM PDT  President Trump claimed on Friday that China was minimizing the number of deaths it has suffered from the coronavirus, disputing figures that showed the United States had suffered more fatalities from the disease.
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| As COVID-19 deaths outpace funerals, New York’s public burial ground becomes a way-stop between the morgue and cemetery Posted: 18 Apr 2020 05:12 AM PDT  Occupying 131 acres in Long Island Sound, off the Bronx shore, Hart Island is the largest public burial ground in the United States. The process used to bury the unclaimed on Hart Island is not new. … There will be no mass burials on Hart Island.
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| A test of 200 people just outside Boston found that 32% had been exposed to the coronavirus, compared to an official rate of 2% Posted: 19 Apr 2020 07:47 AM PDT  The study was carried out last week on passersby in Chelsea, Massachusetts. It suggests that the outbreak there is more severe than previously known.
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| 4 family members battling coronavirus after Virginia bishop's death Posted: 18 Apr 2020 02:37 PM PDT  Bishop Gerald Glenn of New Deliverance Evangelistic Church died from the virus. Now his wife, two daughters and son-in-law are sick.
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| Over 200 people gathered in California to protest the state's stay-at-home order Posted: 18 Apr 2020 12:51 PM PDT  More than 200 protesters defied public health expert advice, ignoring social distancing guidelines to remain six feet apart and crowded without face masks.
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| Italian church-turned-morgue 'finally empty' of coffins Posted: 18 Apr 2020 11:13 AM PDT  A church in Bergamo that served as an overspill morgue at the height of Italy's coronavirus epidemic "is finally empty", the mayor said Saturday. Where dozens of coffins once stood, nothing but flowers are left to be seen in a photograph tweeted by mayor Giorgio Gori that symbolises the easing of a crisis that has killed over 23,000 people in Italy. Bergamo is in the wealthy northern region of Lombardy, which accounts for over half Italy's virus victims.
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| Turkey has most coronavirus cases outside Europe and U.S. Posted: 19 Apr 2020 09:58 AM PDT  Turkey's confirmed coronavirus cases have risen to 86,306, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Sunday, the highest total for any country outside Europe or the United States. An increase of 3,977 cases in the last 24 hours lifted Turkey's confirmed tally above that of China, where the novel coronavirus first emerged. Koca said 127 more people have died, taking the death toll to 2,017.
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| Longstanding issues put Native American communities at high COVID-19 risk Posted: 18 Apr 2020 10:49 AM PDT  With limited resources, tribal leaders are improvising ways to stop the virus' spread.
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| Trump ponders whether China let coronavirus get out of control 'deliberately' Posted: 19 Apr 2020 04:59 AM PDT  President Trump continued his criticism of China's handling of the initial novel COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, even going so far as to question whether Beijing let the virus get out of control "deliberately."During his daily White House briefing Saturday, Trump said if China was "knowingly responsible" for the novel COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic "there should be consequences." He suggested the Chinese government was likely "embarrassed" about the virus getting out of control, adding that the question now is whether it was a "mistake that got out of control" or deliberate in the first place. "There's a big difference between the two," he said.> "Our relationship with China was good until they did this."> > President Trump says that China may face consequences for the coronavirus "if they were knowingly responsible" pic.twitter.com/9gaWIyjF3c> > — Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) April 19, 2020The president also questioned the legitimacy of the coronavirus death toll reported by Beijing, whose officially data places China's fatalities per 100,000 people far below the figures in the United States and Europe. "Does anybody really believe these figures?" he asked. Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, agreed that the numbers were "unrealistic."While many people have raised concerns about Beijing's response to the virus and especially the legitimacy of China's case and death totals, Trump's own critics believe the White House is focusing heavily on China as a way to divert attention from its own missteps in responding to the pandemic. Read more at The Guardian and Reuters.More stories from theweek.com A parade that killed thousands? 5 brutally funny cartoons about Dr. Fauci's Trump troubles America's fake federalism
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| 'Delusional,' 'Absolutely false': Governors cry foul on Trump testing claims Posted: 19 Apr 2020 09:29 AM PDT  Experts have said testing would need to be at least doubled from current levels in order to allow for even a partial reopening of America's economy.
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| A bizarre conspiracy theory puts Bill Gates at the center of the coronavirus crisis — and major conservative pundits are circulating it Posted: 19 Apr 2020 12:21 PM PDT  From fringe conspiracy theorists to mainstream conservative pundits, this is how Bill Gates became the scapegoat for the coronavirus pandemic.
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| ‘A mistake is a mistake’: Trump on consequences for China following virus outbreak Posted: 18 Apr 2020 03:35 PM PDT  When asked if China should face consequences following the coronavirus outbreak that originated in the country and spread around the world, President Trump said that "a mistake is a mistake."
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| Iran’s Guard acknowledges encounter with US during a drill Posted: 19 Apr 2020 05:28 AM PDT  Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard acknowledged Sunday it had a tense encounter with U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf last week, but alleged without offering evidence that American forces sparked the incident. The incident Wednesday saw the U.S. Navy release video of small Iranian fast boats coming close to American warships as they operated in the northern Persian Gulf near Kuwait, with U.S. Army Apache helicopters. In the Guard's telling, its forces were conducting a drill and faced "the unprofessional and provocative actions of the United States and their indifference to warnings."
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| Adherence to social distancing spurs dip in projected U.S. coronavirus deaths Posted: 18 Apr 2020 12:40 AM PDT  Better-than-expected social distancing practices have led an influential research model to lower its projected U.S. coronavirus death toll by 12%, while predicting some states may be able to safely begin easing restrictions as early as May 4. The University of Washington's predictive model, regularly updated and often cited by state public health authorities and White House officials, projected on Friday that the virus will take 60,308 U.S. lives by Aug. 4, down from 68,841 deaths forecast earlier in the week. "We are seeing the numbers decline because some state and local governments, and, equally important, individuals around the country, have stepped up to protect their families, their neighbors, and friends and co-workers by reducing physical contact," said Christopher Murray, director of the university's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).
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| New York passes virus 'high point' as Trump, governors feud Posted: 19 Apr 2020 04:02 PM PDT  New York, the epicenter of America's coronavirus infections, appeared to have passed the peak of the outbreak on Sunday, as President Donald Trump clashed with state governors over ending lockdowns. New York has borne the brunt of the virus, which has killed more than 18,000 people in the state, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker. "We are past the high point, and all indications at this point is that we are on the descent," state governor Andrew Cuomo told a press conference.
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| Sheriff threatened to jail teen's family if she did not delete Instagram posts about coronavirus, lawsuit says Posted: 18 Apr 2020 02:22 PM PDT  The Marquette County sheriff maintained the girl did not have the right to make her Instagram posts, the lawsuit says.
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| Oklahoma City bombing: 25 years on and right wing extremists just as dangerous, with violence likely if Trump loses election, experts warn Posted: 18 Apr 2020 07:56 AM PDT  The threat from right wing extremism is as high now as it was at the time of the Oklahoma City bombing, experts say, and further violent attacks are likely – especially if Donald Trump fails to win reelection.A generation after 168 people were killed and more than 680 injured in a bomb attack on the Alfred P Murrah federal building – an incident that remains the US's deadliest domestic terror attack – the nation is once again experiencing a wave of right wing extremism.
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| Europe reaches grim milestone, surpasses 100,000 coronavirus deaths Posted: 19 Apr 2020 07:53 AM PDT  The continent has become the epicenter of the contagion.
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| A private island off the coast of Miami paid $30,000 for 1,800 coronavirus antibody tests while the rest of the US struggles to obtain any tests at all. Here's how America's richest ZIP code did it. Posted: 18 Apr 2020 08:07 AM PDT  To live on exclusive Fisher Island, residents pay a one-time fee of $250,000. The coronavirus is a whole different pandemic for the ultrarich.
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| North Korea is advancing its nuclear program, UN report says Posted: 19 Apr 2020 12:47 PM PDT  The 267-page U.N. report that provides surveillance photos and new evidence.
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| Column: This man masterminded my friend Daniel Pearl's abduction in 2002. He shouldn't be set free Posted: 19 Apr 2020 10:09 AM PDT  Pearl's beheading opened the door to more violence against journalists. Those who abducted him should remain in prison.
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| We are not prepared at all': Haiti, already impoverished, confronts a pandemic Posted: 18 Apr 2020 05:09 PM PDT  Haiti has barely 60 ventilators for 11 million people, and a limited number of doctors who can operate them.
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| Iran's Revolutionary Guards say have increased Gulf patrols Posted: 19 Apr 2020 04:49 AM PDT |
| Israel eases coronavirus restrictions Posted: 19 Apr 2020 02:30 AM PDT  Israel began easing movement restrictions on Sunday while pointedly avoiding announcing any exit from an ongoing lockdown to forestall the spread of coronavirus. A cabinet vote in the early hours of the morning approved several measures, including a reopening of high street shops, schools for children with special educational needs and a resumption of small scale prayer meetings, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said. In a televised address on Saturday, Netanyahu had outlined "a responsible and gradual" plan allowing the return of some workers to offices and industry.
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| Experimental virus drug remdesivir effective in monkeys : study Posted: 18 Apr 2020 01:35 AM PDT  The experimental antiviral drug remdesivir has proven effective against COVID-19 in a small experiment involving monkeys, US government scientists reported Friday. One group received the drug, which was developed by Gilead Sciences, and the other group did not. One of the six treated animals showed mild breathing difficulty, while all six of the untreated monkeys had rapid and difficult breathing.
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| ‘We need to be the Rosa Parks’: Trump ally plans Wisconsin protest of coronavirus restrictions Posted: 18 Apr 2020 08:56 AM PDT |
| Use One of These Grill Cleaners to Ensure a Food-Safe Cooking Space Posted: 18 Apr 2020 07:00 AM PDT |
| Storms hit South in prelude to tornado threat Posted: 19 Apr 2020 04:42 PM PDT  High winds, hail and heavy rain pounded parts of Alabama on Sunday.
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| Treasury secretary Mnuchin predicts US economy will rebound in months and not years: 'We are going to have terrific breakthroughs' Posted: 19 Apr 2020 08:15 AM PDT  Mnuchin said advances in testing and treatments for COVID-19 will play a key role in the economy's reopening.
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| Latinos disproportionately dying, losing jobs because of the coronavirus: 'Something has to change' Posted: 19 Apr 2020 10:55 AM PDT  Latinos are disproportionately suffering from the coronavirus because of a combination of factors, including working in low-paying front-line jobs.
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| Sea turtles are thriving now that people are stuck indoors Posted: 18 Apr 2020 04:32 PM PDT  Swimsuit season may be at a halt, but nesting season is in full swing.
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| Kim Jong Un's absence from event fuels speculation over health Posted: 18 Apr 2020 08:02 AM PDT  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's absence from an important anniversary event this week has fueled speculation over his potential health problems, analysts said on Friday.
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| 'Armed bandits' kill 47 in northwest Nigeria's Katsina state: police Posted: 19 Apr 2020 10:58 AM PDT |
| Iranian president says prisoner leave to be extended Posted: 19 Apr 2020 06:21 AM PDT  Iran will extend leave for prisoners for one more month, President Hassan Rouhani announced Sunday, after the country temporarily released 100,000 detainees to combat the spread of coronavirus. "Prisoners' leave was supposed to continue until the end of Farvardin (April 19)... it will be extended until the end of Ordibehesht (May 20)," Rouhani said during a televised meeting of the government's coronavirus taskforce, referring to two Iranian months. Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili did not directly confirm Rouhani's remarks but further leniency was anticipated.
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| Michigan residents sue governor over coronavirus pandemic orders Posted: 18 Apr 2020 12:48 PM PDT  Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer faces at least two federal lawsuits challenging her April 9 executive order to fight the coronavirus outbreak, including requirements that residents stay at home and that most businesses close.
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| Trump says Nancy Pelosi will be 'overthrown' in latest insult-laden tweet Posted: 19 Apr 2020 10:22 AM PDT  Some good vibes were floating around Sunday, with House Speaker (D-Calif.) Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressing optimism that the White House and Congress were closing in on an agreement on the next phase of funding amid the novel COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. There's no reason President Trump's latest tweet squashed any of that momentum, but it did kill the mood.Trump, who often clashes with Pelosi, angrily tweeted about the speaker Sunday afternoon after she appeared on Fox News Sunday to speak with host Chris Wallace. The president, making sure to express his displeasure with Wallace as well, called Pelosi an "inherently 'dumb' person" and suggested she will soon be "overthrown."> Nervous Nancy is an inherently "dumb" person. She wasted all of her time on the Impeachment Hoax. She will be overthrown, either by inside or out, just like her last time as "Speaker". Wallace & @FoxNews are on a bad path, watch! https://t.co/nkEj5YeRjb> > -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 19, 2020Earlier in the day, before Trump's latest insult, Pelosi told George Stephanopoulos on ABC's This Week that she doesn't pay much attention to Trump's tweets, anyway. > Speaker Nancy Pelosi responds as President Trump ramps up attacks against her: "Frankly, I don't pay that much attention to the president's tweets against me. As I've said, he's a poor leader. He's always trying to avoid responsibility." https://t.co/8MWudGIONC pic.twitter.com/haaGWAyDVw> > -- This Week (@ThisWeekABC) April 19, 2020More stories from theweek.com A parade that killed thousands? 5 brutally funny cartoons about Dr. Fauci's Trump troubles America's fake federalism
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| She's a doctor on the front lines of the coronavirus. At home, she has no running water. Posted: 19 Apr 2020 01:53 AM PDT  "You're saying 20 seconds of wash your hands with water," a Navajo doctor in Arizona said. "We do not have plumbing. And that's how I grew up."
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| Israelis accuse Netanyahu of endangering democracy Posted: 19 Apr 2020 11:45 AM PDT |
| A Connecticut man broke into a restaurant that was closed due to COVID-19 and spent four days eating, and drinking 70 bottles of liquor, police say Posted: 19 Apr 2020 06:41 AM PDT  New Haven police said a man was found asleep inside a closed restaurant after spending days stealing thousands of dollars worth of food and drinks.
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| Boko Haram suspects 'die of poison' in Chad jail Posted: 19 Apr 2020 02:55 AM PDT  The 44 men were taken into custody around Lake Chad during an offensive against Islamist militants.
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| ‘Very, Very Scary’: Officials Dumbfounded as Florida Beaches Reopen, 3 Days After Death Spike Posted: 18 Apr 2020 02:57 PM PDT  The state of Florida passed two milestones in the coronavirus pandemic this week: its deadliest day yet, and the reopening of several public beaches.Hundreds of people flocked to the newly opened beaches in northern Florida on Friday evening, just two weeks into Gov. Ron DeSantis' monthlong stay-at-home order began. The state is the first of several to start slowly reopening public spaces even as the novel coronavirus continues to spread.DeSantis announced Saturday that K-12 schools would remain closed for the rest of the school year, saying he did not want to force families who were uncomfortable with the idea to return to classrooms. Just a day earlier, however, he greenlit the reopening of some beaches, arguing that Floridians needed fresh air."I think people, they're gonna be responsible, they're gonna be safe, but they want to get back into a routine," he said Saturday.Duval and St. Johns Counties, as well as the city of Mexico Beach, opened their beaches Friday for "essential activities" like running, fishing and surfing. The beaches will run on limited hours in the morning and evening, and activities like sunbathing will still be prohibited. Police were seen manning the beaches on Friday and Saturday, asking residents to maintain social distancing and avoid large gatherings. "This can be the beginning of a pathway back to normal life," Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said in a video statement. "But please respect and follow the limitations."He added: "The data for Duval County is encouraging. For now, we need to stay the course and continue taking precautions."Despite the mayor's warnings, hundreds of people flocked to the beaches in Duval County Friday, some engaging group sports like volleyball or spikeball. Photos of the scene drew outcry on social media, spawning the hashtag FloridaMorons, as well as disdain from officials elsewhere in the state. "When a person doesn't believe in science, they do dumb things," Lake Worth Beach City Commissioner Omari Hardy tweeted. "When a person in power doesn't believe in science, they do dumb things that hurt the public. This move is so dumb that I had to make sure it wasn't fake news. You guys, it isn't fake news."Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who contracted coronavirus himself, called the reopening in Jacksonville "very concerning," adding that Florida was "not out of the woods yet" and the consequences of reopening too soon were "very, very scary." "When they talk about the curve flattening and the curve descending, we still have not seen a major descension, what we're seeing is more of a plateau in the state of Florida," he told MSNBC on Saturday. "And I'm concerned that if we're not careful that we could see another flare up."That state's deadliest day yet occurred Tuesday, when a reported 72 people died of the virus in 24 hours. The number of confirmed cases in the state was still increasing on Saturday, bringing the totals to 25,269 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 740 deaths. Nearly 3,500 people in the state have been hospitalized due to the virus, according to the Florida Department of Health. Along with announcing school closures Saturday, DeSantis said that a task force would also begin meeting daily next week to work on reopening businesses. He added that the state was considering opening four testing labs and was working with commercial labs to produce test results in 24 hours or less.Florida was not the only state moving toward a gradual reopening. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order this week allowing state parks to reopen Monday, though visitors would still be required to wear masks and stay six feet away from anyone not in their household. Abbott also said restrictions on elective medical procedures would be loosened Wednesday and retail stores could open for curbside pickup on Friday. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves also ordered state parks and beaches to reopen from next week, but some local authorities insisted the order allowed them to open immediately. Officials in Harrison County were spotted removing "beach closed" signs from the boardwalk as early as Friday afternoon.In Alabama, business owners were reportedly confused by a set of suggestions released by the Small Business Emergency Task Force this week, suggesting that everything from jewelry stores to waxing salons could reopen "immediately." The suggestions have yet to be adopted. Gov. Kay Ivery plans to announce which restrictions will be lifted by April 28. President Donald Trump has also been pushing for states to reopen, amid fears of a possible economic depression. The president initially suggested the country could be open for business by Easter, but walked that back after seeing apocalyptic scenes out of hospitals in New York City.The White House issued a three-step guide for governors to use when deciding to reopen, titled "Opening Up America Again." The plan suggests lifting lockdown orders as soon as a 14-day downward trajectory in cases of COVID-like symptoms and positive tests can be documented."America wants to be open and Americans want to be open," Trump said in a press conference Thursday. "A national shutdown is not a sustainable long-term solution."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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| U.S. says China should stop 'bullying behaviour' in South China Sea Posted: 18 Apr 2020 06:50 AM PDT |
| Tens of thousands defy Bangladesh lockdown for imam's funeral Posted: 17 Apr 2020 05:44 PM PDT  Tens of thousands of people defied a nationwide coronavirus lockdown in Bangladesh on Saturday to attend the funeral of a top Islamic preacher, even as authorities battle a surge in virus cases. Police had agreed with the family of Jubayer Ahmad Ansari, that only 50 people would attend the funeral in the eastern town of Sarail because of the risk of spreading the disease. Aide to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Shah Ali Farhad, also said more than 100,000 were present.
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| Questions mount over Christian group behind Central Park Covid-19 hospital Posted: 19 Apr 2020 04:00 AM PDT  Facility run by Trump ally Franklin Graham's organisation requires staff to sign statement opposing gay marriageWhen big white field hospital tents appeared in Central Park in late March, they became a potent symbol of the scale and severity of New York's coronavirus crisis.But just over two weeks since the opening of the 68-bed facility run by Franklin Graham's organisation Samaritan's Purse, questions are mounting over why the controversial religious leader viewed by many to be homophobic, Islamophobic and politically extreme was chosen to perform this vital role outside Mount Sinai hospital on Fifth Avenue, and who sanctioned it.Graham, a close ally whom Donald Trump praised in a recent briefing, has previously described Islam as "evil" and has described gay people as "the enemy". Coronavirus, he recently said, was a result of "the sin that's in the world".Samaritan's Purse – which has so far treated 130 coronavirus patients and has about 90 staff at the Central Park field hospital – requires all staff and volunteers to sign a "statement of faith".Statements in the document include "we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female" and "human life is sacred from conception to its natural end".The decision to allow the group to run such a key Covid-19 effort in the city has drawn protests from both activists and politicians."His hostility towards LGBTQ people does not comport, in my opinion, with his desire to provide assistance and relief to New Yorkers during this time of crisis," the New York state senator Brad Hoylman said. "That said, the federal government has put us in the unfortunate position of having to accept charity from bigots like Franklin Graham and at the very least I think it's government's responsibility to ensure that he follows the law."Hoylman has requested that the Mount Sinai hospital network ask Samaritan's Purse staff to sign a non-discrimination agreement acknowledging their understanding of New York's human rights law. But he still fears the organisation's presence in the city will cause "incalculable" damage."I do fear that we've given Franklin Graham a platform in one of the most famous pieces of public land in the country to spew his hatred of LGBTQ people, and unfortunately at the same time legitimise his homophobia," Hoylman said.On Easter Sunday, Graham – son of the late evangelist Billy Graham – gave an Easter message from outside the Central Park hospital, broadcast on Fox News with the charity logo on a banner in the background.Natalie James, a member of Reclaim Pride Coalition, which staged a protest outside the hospital on Tuesday, said: "Franklin Graham, their notoriously transphobic and homophobic leader of their organisation, had an Easter sermon right there in Central Park next to those tents, which I can only imagine was furthering their fundraising."Among those who spoke at the protest was Timothy Lunceford-Stevens, who said he was rejected as a volunteer by Samaritan's Purse because he did not want to sign the statement of faith. James said the protesters were not necessarily trying to shut down the hospital – acknowledging that help was needed – but that the group wanted Samaritan's Purse to drop the statement of faith, which they believe could be in violation of state and city human rights laws.A group of US lawmakers from New York – including the Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Adriano Espaillat and Jerry Nadler – wrote a public letter warning of their "concern about the policies governing Samaritan's Purse emergency field hospital in Central Park specifically, the implications for LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers with Covid-19".The letter, addressed to New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo; the New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio; and the Mount Sinai Health System CEO, Kenneth Davis, called for answers to a series of questions, including details of the process that granted the charity use of public land, any non-discriminatory agreements in place and funding.New York state approved the field hospital application. De Blasio has previously said that he found the organisation "troubling" but that Mount Sinai had assured him there would be no discrimination and that his office would be monitoring.Espaillat, whose district includes Mount Sinai hospital, said he believes the situation has come about because the city is in "crisis mode". He added: "Had it been any other time, this would have been a major scandal."Despite all the outrage, Graham, 67, told the Guardian in an interview on Thursday that he believed "the vast majority of New Yorkers are glad that we are there" and that the organisation would remain in Central Park for as long as it was needed.The preacher, who lives in Boone, North Carolina, added: "It's just a small handful of people who are opposed. And I find in life there's always somebody who's opposed to whatever you do and they're just naysayers who disagree with our difficult positions and take exception to that."Defending the statement of faith, he said: "We are an evangelical Christian organisation and we want to have people of like mind."He said "a handful" of qualified people had been turned away because they could not sign the statement of faith, which he said was non-negotiable. "If they agree with it they'll sign it, if they don't agree with it then they move on. That's just who we are and we're not going to change who we are."But he insisted that all patients were treated the same "regardless of their sexual orientation, their race or their religion, it doesn't matter".He also claimed he was not homophobic or Islamophobic, but added: "I certainly disagree with homosexuality and I believe the Bible's very clear about what it has to say about homosexuality, and that's my opinion and that's what I believe, but I'm not anti-gay."The charity is also working in Cremona, Italy, where it has another coronavirus field hospital, and Alaska, where it has airlifted medical supplies. If it were no longer needed in New York and another city requested the field hospital, Graham said, it would "certainly go to that city".Graham said the collaboration with Mount Sinai came about after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) found out Samaritan's Purse had a spare field hospital in a warehouse and asked if the group would be willing to go to New York. He said Mount Sinai had got in touch with the organisation and soon after it began considering different locations.He said Mount Sinai decided the tents should be in Central Park because of its "close proximity" to the hospital. He said the field hospital – including its equipment and staff – was entirely funded by private donations, adding: "We have no state, federal or city money."Fema did not respond to a request for comment. The New York state department of health spokesman, Jonah Bruno, said it had approved the application for Mount Sinai and Samaritan's Purse to erect the field hospital in the park on a "temporary basis, until the governor's emergency declaration is lifted".He added: "The department will fully enforce any and all applicable anti-discrimination laws and regulations against any healthcare provider operating in New York state."The New York City spokeswoman, Jane Meyer, said a member of staff from the mayor's office checked in with staff of Mount Sinai and Samaritan's Purse "every day to ensure things are running smoothly and they also visit the site in person". But Samaritan's Purse said they only came "on occasion".The Mount Sinai spokesman, Jason Kaplan, said: "While our organisations may have differences of opinions, when it comes to Covid-19 we are fully united: we will care for everyone and no patients or staff will be discriminated against. Mount Sinai and Samaritan's Purse are unified in our mission to provide the same world-class care to anyone and everyone who needs it. No questions asked. Any suggestion otherwise is incorrect."
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| If You’re Cooking as Much as We Are, You Need These Kitchen Essentials Posted: 19 Apr 2020 07:00 AM PDT |
| US reopening: What states are relaxing social distancing restrictions and moving away from lockdowns? Posted: 19 Apr 2020 11:24 AM PDT  Texas and Florida are among states instituting plans to reopen businesses and areas for the American public.
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| Hong Kong police arrest pro-democracy activists in biggest crackdown since protests began Posted: 18 Apr 2020 08:10 AM PDT  The novel COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic had led to relative calm when it came to Hong Kong's pro-democracy, anti-government protests in recent months, but the city's police arrested at least 15 pro-democracy activists Saturday in connection with the mass demonstrations that took place throughout last year.Media tycoon Jimmy Lai and former legislators Martin Lee, Albert Ho, Leung Kwok-hung, and Au Nok-Hin were among those arrested. Lee is reportedly considered the founding father of Hong Kong's democratic movement and helped write the city's Basic Law when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.Their supporters said the arrests were meant to squash dissent since they came after Beijing authorities complained about the democratic camp disrupting legislative proceedings, but Hong Kong's police chief denied that, The South China Morning Post reports.After Lee was released on bail later in the afternoon, he said he has no regrets about participating in the protests.Per Al Jazeera, the raids were the biggest crackdown on the movement since the anti-government protests began last June in light of a since-abandoned extradition bill. Read more at Al Jazeera and The South China Morning Post.More stories from theweek.com A parade that killed thousands? 5 brutally funny cartoons about Dr. Fauci's Trump troubles America's fake federalism
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| N.Y., N.J., Connecticut reopen marinas amid calls to kick-start economies Posted: 18 Apr 2020 05:59 PM PDT  Strict social distancing and sanitization protocol must be followed, the states' governors said.
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