| Pompeo savaged by Democrats on Capitol Hill over coronavirus, Iran Posted: 28 Feb 2020 11:19 AM PST  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo faced intense criticism Friday from Democrats on Capitol Hill, who questioned him on the Trump administration's response to the growing coronavirus threat, as well as the persistent threat from foes like Iran.
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| Biden wins South Carolina primary: Live updates Posted: 29 Feb 2020 02:29 PM PST  Former Vice President Joe Biden won Saturday's Democratic primary in South Carolina, where voters delivered his struggling campaign a much-needed boost heading into Super Tuesday.
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| Pope tells scandal-marred Legion they still haven't reformed Posted: 29 Feb 2020 04:37 AM PST  Pope Francis told the Legion of Christ religious order Saturday it still has a long road of reform ahead, making clear that 10 years of Vatican-mandated rehabilitation hadn't purged it of the toxic influences of its pedophile founder. In a prepared speech, Francis told the Legion's new superiors a "very vast field" of work was needed to correct the Legion's problems and create a healthy order. "A change of mentality requires a lot of time to assimilate in individuals and in an institution, so it's a continual conversion," Francis said.
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| 40% of Americans don't think the US government is prepared to handle coronavirus Posted: 28 Feb 2020 10:22 AM PST  Only 7% of Americans said they felt the US government is "extremely prepared" for coronavirus, while 12% said "very prepared."
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| Why the Navy's New Lrasm Missile Would Be a Real Ship-Killer Posted: 28 Feb 2020 02:00 PM PST  A very good idea.
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| Dozens of Turkish soldiers killed in airstrike in Syria Posted: 28 Feb 2020 05:00 AM PST  At least 33 Turkish military personnel have been killed in an airstrike in Syria's Idlib province, in a dramatic escalation in the battle for control of the country's last opposition stronghold.
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| New coronavirus case confirmed at Tenerife hotel on lockdown Posted: 29 Feb 2020 08:45 AM PST  An Italian national staying at a hotel in Tenerife which has been placed on lockdown after four cases of the coronavirus were detected has tested positive for the virus, regional health authorities confirmed on Saturday. The Italian national, part of the same group as the four original cases at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel, has been in isolation in a hotel room since Feb. 24 and will be taken to hospital, the Canary Islands' regional health authorities said, adding the Italian was "in good state of health". It brings the total number of active cases in the Canary Islands to six - five in Tenerife and one in La Gomera.
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| Person in Washington State Is First in U.S. to Die From Coronavirus, Authorities Say Posted: 29 Feb 2020 10:16 AM PST  A middle-aged patient in Washington state became the first person to die from the 2019 novel coronavirus inside the United States, officials said on Saturday as they announced additional cases and declared a state of emergency there.At least 69 people on American soil have had confirmed cases of the novel 2019 coronavirus, which is believed to have originated in a large seafood and live animal market in Wuhan, China, where it killed thousands before spreading to dozens of other countries across the globe, with particularly severe outbreaks in Italy, South Korea, and Iran. One American also died in China earlier this month, the State Department said at the time.President Trump said in a press conference Saturday that the person who died in Washington state overnight was a "medically high-risk patient in her late 50s." However, Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Seattle and King County public health, later said it was actually a high-risk man in his 50s."It's a tough one, but a lot of progress has been made," Trump said, stressing that the risk to the general population remained low. "We're doing really well," he added, "under incredibly adverse circumstances... We're prepared.""I want to assure this family that they are in the hearts of every American," said Vice President Mike Pence, who was named this week as czar of the president's coronavirus task force despite a public-health track record that has come under harsh scrutiny. Pence called Trump's actions in response to the outbreak "unprecedented."Pence announced additional travel restrictions on Iran and specific regions in Italy and South Korea. Trump also said he was "very strongly" considering imposing restrictions on the U.S. border with Mexico.Pence added that the government had contracted the company 3M to make an extra 30 million face masks, on top of 40 million already available. "Let me be very clear: The average American does not need to go out and buy a mask," he said.Dr. Robert Redfield, director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said there was currently "no evidence" that the person who died had traveled recently to China or had any contact with someone who had. Which is to say this was the latest case of what experts call "community spread," or cases of unknown origin. The death came amid a surge in cases in Washington overnight. Officials announced three new cases—on top of one announced late Friday—including the first healthcare worker to test positive in the U.S., and also discussed the first possible outbreak in a longterm care nursing facility.Duchin said the facility in question was Life Care in Kirkland, Washington. One patient was a woman in her 70s, a resident in serious condition; another patient in the state was said to be a healthcare worker in her 40s who had no known travel outside the U.S. Duchin said the facility had 108 residents and 180 staff, and there were dozens of people in both groups who had experienced symptoms and would be tested.Italy Shows Just How Crazy Coronavirus Panic Can Get"I would like to say that while there is some spread in some communities, there is not national spread of COVID-19," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, said.Shortly after Duchin announced the outbreak at Life Care, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced he had declared a state of emergency, directing agencies to use all resources necessary to prepare for and respond to the outbreak. "This will allow us to get the resources we need," Inslee said. "This is a time to take common sense, proactive measures to ensure the health and safety of those who live in Washington state."Those updates on Saturday bring the total number of cases detected in the American public health system to 22 and the total in the U.S.—including repatriated people from Wuhan and the Diamond Princess cruise—to 69.U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said more cases were to be expected on American soil but that "any single death for us is a real tragedy."The reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe respiratory illness and death and can include symptoms like fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. Symptoms are believed to typically appear between two and 14 days after exposure. Authorities have worked to reassure Americans that the U.S. health system has the capacity to handle a surge of the deadly illness, which has previously had about a two percent fatality rate globally among confirmed cases.Over the course of several hours on Friday afternoon, officials in California, Washington state and Oregon all announced that residents with no known risk factors had tested positive. In Washington, officials said a high-school student who had been on campus just that morning had the virus. They did not say anything then about the now-deceased patient. In Oregon, a school employee had tested positive and may have exposed an untold number of elementary school staff and students.Coronavirus Spreads in Oregon, California, Washington. How Many Are Already Infected?A Washington state student fell sick Monday with fever, body aches, and a headache, and was seen at two clinics in Snohomish County. The teen felt better by Friday morning and returned to Jackson High School—only to be notified soon after that they tested positive, authorities said."The few students they were in contact with have been notified and will remain home for 14 days with symptom monitoring by the Snohomish Health District," the school district said in a letter to parents.The Food and Drug Administration on Saturday took new steps to expand testing of novel 2019 coronavirus in hospitals following complaints from labs that the previous requirements for in-house testing development were too onerous.Under the policy announced Saturday by the FDA's commissioner, Stephen Hahn, due to "critical public health needs" during this "dynamic and evolving situation," labs can begin using their own tests after validating them—but before the FDA has finished reviewing their request for emergency use authorization.In January, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern" and the HHS Secretary Azar declared a public health emergency for the United States to aid the nation's health system in responding to the outbreak. Cases have been confirmed in Oregon, Wisconsin, Illinois, Massachusetts, Texas, California, Arizona, and Washington state.Several major companies have begun to cancel conferences and travel plans within the U.S. over fears of an outbreak, which some have warned could have cascading effects on the travel industry and larger economy. Already, the U.S. stock market had its worst week since the 2008 financial crisis.The CDC has, in various statements, described its response to the virus so far as both "aggressive" and "unprecedented," even as experts have criticized the agency's ability to quickly provide working diagnostic tests to identify the illness. Both a potential vaccine and drug treatment option are expected to enter clinical trials in April and—if successful—translate to the public market within 12 to 18 months.Trump Identifies the Real Coronavirus Victim: His PresidencyMeanwhile, around the globe, the viral outbreak that began in Wuhan, China has now infected more than 85,000 people in 40 countries.Italy's Civil Protection Agency announced that it had a total of 1,128 cases on Saturday. South Korea—which has the largest outbreak outside of mainland China—confirmed more than 800 new cases overnight, as Iran saw a 205-case jump and France banned public gatherings of more than 5,000 people in an effort to slow the spread of its 73 cases on Saturday. Also on Saturday, Ecuador and Qatar confirmed their first cases of the virus.In North Korea, Kim Jong Un held a high-level meeting in which he ordered all-out efforts to fight the virus and threatened "serious consequences" if it "finds its way into our country."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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| New coronavirus cases in Northern California raise alarm Posted: 28 Feb 2020 11:14 AM PST  Three students at the University of California, Davis, are under observation for possible exposure to coronavirus.
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| Federal appeals court rules against Trump in two major immigration cases Posted: 28 Feb 2020 10:21 PM PST  A court once again blocked a Trump policy that requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico, but then it put the ruling on pause.
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| Daughter of alleged Mexican drug kingpin El Mencho arrested Posted: 27 Feb 2020 06:38 PM PST  El Mencho is allegedly the head of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion and is considered the "number one priority for DEA."
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| New Yahoo News/YouGov poll: Who is strongest against Trump? Must-win states and swing voters show Biden holds edge over Sanders Posted: 28 Feb 2020 09:16 AM PST  A new Yahoo News/YouGov poll suggests that Sanders could be a riskier nominee than his supporters are willing to admit.
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| Jaw-dropping photos show the scale of delivering food and medical supplies to the millions of people still under coronavirus lockdown in China Posted: 28 Feb 2020 11:17 PM PST  Hubei Province, which includes the city of Wuhan where the novel coronavirus first emerged, has been under quarantine for roughly a month.
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| Serbia passes law in response to missing babies scandal Posted: 29 Feb 2020 09:42 AM PST  Serbian lawmakers on Saturday approved a long-awaited law that aims to shed light on the fate of hundreds of children whose parents fear might have been stolen from birth clinics throughout the Balkan country. Two lawmakers abstained. The high number of absent lawmakers was unrelated to the bill, but an ongoing boycott of parliament sessions by opposition parties and other reasons.
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| Philippines, U.S. Seek New Military Deal After Duterte Exit Posted: 27 Feb 2020 10:19 PM PST |
| AOC takes down Ted Cruz over coronavirus comment: 'I’m surprised you’re asking about chromosomes given you don’t believe in evolution' Posted: 28 Feb 2020 11:16 AM PST  New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has delivered an online lesson to Republican Ted Cruz after he questioned her authority to comment on matters of science.In the aftermath of Donald Trump's decision to appoint vice president Mike Pence to spearhead the administration's response to the coronavirus, many have questioned the move.
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| Trump Didn’t Just Botch the Coronavirus Response. He Enabled Its Spread. Posted: 28 Feb 2020 02:29 AM PST  Even as China was announcing that its deaths from the novel coronavirus had surpassed its toll from SARS, President Donald Trump released a proposed budget for 2021 that slashed funding for our chief defender against epidemics by 18 percent.Within the overall proposed cuts detailed on Feb. 10 for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was a reduction in spending to guard against "emerging and zoonotic diseases" from $635,772,000 to $550,464,000. Zoonotic diseases are those that have crossed from animals to humans, as the novel coronavirus is believed to have done. The $85,308,000 proposed budget cut is less than the cost of 5 miles of border wall.The budget proposal would save the cost of another 2 miles of border wall by zeroing out a $40 million funding line for the Epidemic and Lab Capacity Program. The ELCP supports state labs that monitor health emergencies at the local level. A state lab in Texas confirmed the first case of Ebola in the U.S. in 2014. For the cost of less than 7 miles of border wall, the proposed budget would leave all of us less protected against a potential epidemic. The Trump administration made its priorities even more explicit when Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar discounted a suggestion that border wall funds could be diverted to fight the spread of the coronavirus. We might have had earlier warning of the outbreak, but previous budget cuts caused the CDC to end its global security program in China in 2017.In another failure of foresight two years ago, the White House eliminated the National Security Council's position for combating global health crises. The NSC's Senior Director for Global Health Security and Biothreats post was held by the highly regarded Rear Admiral Tim Ziemer—whose sudden departure in May of 2018 happened to coincide with a new Ebola outbreak in Africa.That outbreak proved to be no threat to America, so most of us quickly forgot about it. So what if there was no longer anybody on the security council to guard against such threats? And as long as the rich are getting their tax breaks and the stock market is booming, who cares if the CDC is being cut year after year?But fear of this new bug caused the stock market to tank this week. And worrisome news came on Wednesday even as Trump was insisting there is little cause to worry because of his bold, prescient leadership. California made the startling announcement that a resident of Solano County had tested positive for novel coronavirus without having traveled abroad or coming in contact with somebody known to be infected. The chronically underfunded public health system had needed four days to make the diagnosis, as the swab had to be sent to the CDC, which is hampered both by a shortage of tests and reliability problems with the ones it does have.Trump Spends 45 Minutes With 'Deep State' Play Actors Amid Coronavirus MayhemWe can only hope that the doctors were able to get as much information as they could from the patient before she was intubated. One near-certainty is that she got it from somebody who is still out there.Our Germophobe-in-Chief should consider that a president is as vulnerable as anybody else to a virus. President Woodrow Wilson was stricken while visiting France during the Spanish flu pandemic early in the last century. Wilson survived, but some historians believe he suffered lasting neurological damage that became apparent at the negotiating table, making for considerably less art to his dealing.Wilson could have just as easily caught the flu at the White House. And the present viral threat could arrive there as easily as any other place with a cough or a shaken hand.During Wednesday's press conference, Trump announced that he was putting Vice President Mike Pence in charge of responding to the threat.Nobody who is aware of Pence's role in enabling an HIV outbreak when he was governor of Indiana could have been rightly heartened by his new role. But one hopeful sign came when Pence enlisted the help of a physician scientist who has been leading the national fight against HIV. Dr. Deborah L. Birx will now direct the effort against novel coronavirus. She is held in nearly as high esteem as Rear Admiral Ziemer, but she is only now being put in place. Ziemer would have already been on the case had he not been pushed out. Other hopeful news came with word that state laboratories across the country are poised to start testing for novel coronavirus. That effort will initially require $25 million, which is all but sure to be allocated now that Trump is suddenly prepared to answer the threat with bigger than big bucksBut the time to hire a fire chief and fund firehouses is before a fire.And not even a thousand miles of border wall can keep out what may be already spreading amongst us.Donald Trump Takes Coronavirus So Seriously He Just Put Mike Pence in ChargeRead 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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| Pennsylvania man charged with kidnapping woman found dead in Nevada desert Posted: 28 Feb 2020 01:02 PM PST  The naked body of Jaime Rae Feden, 33, was discovered in Lincoln County, north of Las Vegas.
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| Coronavirus news: US records first death as patient dies in Washington state Posted: 28 Feb 2020 03:53 PM PST  Outbreak could leave one in 10 people in the UK in hospital Virus fears threatening to spark stockpiling and panic buying FAQ: Everything you need to know about coronavirus Fake news: 10 myths and conspiracies about the virus Subscribe to The Telegraph, free for 30 days Donald Trump reassured Americans that there was "no reason to panic" after the United States reported its first death from the coronavirus. Mr Trump said the victim in King County in Washington state was a "wonderful woman" in her late 50s who was "medically high risk". The president banned anyone who had visited Iran in the last 14 days from entering the US, and also advised Americans not to travel to affected areas of Italy and South Korea. Mr Trump said he was "very strongly" considering closing the US border with Mexico. He said the US had 43 million masks ready, and he would meet with the heads of pharmaceutical companies at the White House on Monday to discuss a possible vaccine. The president said: "Additional cases are likely but healthy individuals should be able to recover." Meanwhile back in Briton three more patients have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of UK cases to 23. Follow the latest here.
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| Donald Trump Jr. accuses Democrats of hoping coronavirus 'kills millions of people' Posted: 28 Feb 2020 09:35 AM PST  Amid growing fears of a coronavirus outbreak in the United States, Donald Trump Jr. on Friday accused Democrats of hoping that the disease kills millions of Americans to thwart his father's chances of reelection.
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| This Photo Might Be the Real Start of World War II Posted: 29 Feb 2020 06:45 AM PST  And it was in a nation that technically was neutral.
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| Billionaire Tom Steyer shakes up primary with slavery reparations plan Posted: 28 Feb 2020 01:01 PM PST  For centuries, South Carolina's Charleston was the largest port of entry for the transatlantic slave trade. Now, billionaire presidential candidate Tom Steyer is shaking up the state's Democratic primary by advocating slavery reparations for African-Americans.
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| Trump Team Testing ‘Off-the-Shelf’ Drugs to Cure Coronavirus Posted: 29 Feb 2020 12:28 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- The Trump administration is testing existing "off-the-shelf" drugs to combat the coronavirus, a cabinet official said Saturday.A national lab in Tennessee recently made "an important discovery" involving existing drugs, Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette said at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland."The scientists at our Oak Ridge National Laboratory were able to look at the protein strains and determine -- perhaps, it's still early -- that we can find some off-the-shelf drugs that can help us not only cure the disease but stop the spread of the infection," Brouillette said.Brouillette was responding to a question about what his agency is doing to help combat the virus, which has caused markets to plunge and killed nearly 3,000 people across the globe. In the U.S., where 22 cases have been reported, the virus has killed one person -- a woman from Washington state -- and more cases are likely, President Donald Trump said Saturday.In addition to the laboratory tests, Brouillette said he's harnessing the power of his agency's "super computers" as well as artificial intelligence capabilities to assist organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and the World Heath Organization to conduct modeling on the virus."We want to know how far is this going to spread and at what point might it peak," he said.To contact the reporter on this story: Ari Natter in Washington at anatter5@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Jon Morgan at jmorgan97@bloomberg.net, Matthew G. Miller, Virginia Van NattaFor 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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| Eight fighters with Lebanon's Hezbollah killed in Syria Posted: 29 Feb 2020 07:37 AM PST  Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group lost at least eight fighters in northwest Syria in skirmishes with insurgents and airstrikes by Turkey's air force, an opposition war monitor and the militant group said Saturday. The casualties followed the death of at least 33 Turkish soldiers earlier this week. The deaths marked the highest for the group in Syria in years as Hezbollah has pulled out many of its fighters from the neighboring country.
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| Man whose son was found encased in cement sentenced to 72 years in prison Posted: 29 Feb 2020 03:01 PM PST  A Colorado man whose seven-year-old son was repeatedly abused before being found encased in concrete in a Denver storage unit has been sentenced to 72 years in prison for the death.Leland Pankey received the sentence on Friday, with one count of child abuse landing him 48 years in prison and 24 years for tampering with the body.
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| Trump moves to calm virus fears after first death on US soil Posted: 29 Feb 2020 01:06 PM PST  President Donald Trump urged Americans not to panic over the novel coronavirus Saturday after the first death on US soil was confirmed, even as France ramped up its security measures by cancelling all mass gatherings. The virus has now hit 61 countries across the globe, prompting the World Health Organization to raise its risk assessment to its highest level. Its rapid spread beyond China's borders in the past week has caused stock markets to sink to their lowest levels since the 2008 global financial crisis over fears the disease could wreak havoc on the world economy.
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| Americans of all parties agree: Joe Biden is old, Michael Bloomberg is rich Posted: 28 Feb 2020 12:49 PM PST  Pollsters at The Associated Press and NORC gave the public a chance to describe presidential candidates in one word or short phrase. The results were... telling.Democrats described former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg as nearly equal parts "smart," "young," and "gay." Independents and Republicans were far more likely to describe him as "gay," as well as "inexperienced," and "centrist." Philanthropist Tom Steyer was more overwhelmingly described as "rich" by Democrats, while independents and Republicans opted for "inexperienced."While former Vice President Joe Biden scored some mentions of "good person" among Democrats, he mostly got "old." Independents and Republicans also mostly called him "old," followed by "corrupt" and "creepy."Democrats and independents similarly described Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as "old" at the highest rate, though Republicans went straight for "socialist," followed by "old," and "communist."> How poll respondents described 2020 candidates in one (or a few more) words. https://t.co/I53LZ1dSR1 pic.twitter.com/GbcahfoHCl> > — Philip Bump (@pbump) February 28, 2020Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is older than Biden and just months younger than Sanders, is universally regarded as "rich" (a fair assessment), and Republicans said he's "buying the election."Democrats were split in describing Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as "smart" and "strong," though independents and Republicans view her primarily as a "liar," as well as "crazy" and a "woman," which is hardly up for debate.While the Democratic candidates were generally regarded more positively by members of their own party, surveyed Republicans didn't come up with great words for President Trump. Most Republicans simply said "president," followed by "bumbling" and "jerk."The AP-NORC poll was conducted Feb. 12-16 via phone interviews with 1,074 adults. The margin of error is ±4.2 percentage points. View the full results at AP-NORC.More stories from theweek.com Stock markets are headed for a 40 percent plunge, says economist who predicted financial crisis Trump mocks Bloomberg's height, Biden's age in wild CPAC speech The growing viral threat
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| America's F-35 Can't Stand Against Russia's Su-57 Armed With Hypersonic Missiles Posted: 28 Feb 2020 04:07 AM PST  It's a capability America can't match.
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| El Salvador's president vetoes controversial war crimes law Posted: 28 Feb 2020 07:17 PM PST  El Salvador President Nayib Bukele on Friday vetoed a controversial law intended to allow the prosecution of crimes committed during the country's bloody civil war, arguing it was not in the interest of victims. Congress had narrowly approved the law on Wednesday but opponents criticize that it would allow judges to substantially reduce the sentences of perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Human rights organizations and families of victims had asked him to veto it.
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| At least two dozen US police departments have spread misinformation linking coronavirus to meth Posted: 29 Feb 2020 07:02 AM PST  "This attempt, although a long shot, still had some possibility behind it," one police department said in response to criticism.
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| Black Lives Matter activist Hawk Newsome on the current state of America Posted: 27 Feb 2020 07:33 PM PST  Newsome is chairman of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, and has spent his adult life advancing the cause of what he calls the "Second Civil Rights Movement."
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| Trump targeted Central American migrants. But now, violence and fear are driving more Mexicans to the US. Posted: 29 Feb 2020 02:31 PM PST  While the Trump administration has focused on curbing Central American migrants, more Mexicans than ever are trying to cross the US Southern border.
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| Crazy Custody Battle With Doomsday Mom’s Niece Airs Claims of Cults, Child-Stealing, and Attempted Murder Posted: 28 Feb 2020 01:30 PM PST  The investigation into the disappearance of doomsday mom Lori Vallow's children has exposed a bitter, mudslinging custody battle between her niece and the niece's ex-husband—with allegations of cult membership, child-stealing, and attempted murder.The fight is being waged between Melani Pawlowski and Brandon Boudreaux, an Arizona couple who were married with four children until things started to get very strange in the summer of 2019.That's when, according to Boudreaux, his wife began spending a lot of time with Vallow, her aunt, and joined what he called a doomsday cult. She suddenly demanded a divorce, blindsiding Boudreaux."I thought I had a happy marriage, so it was pretty overwhelming," Boudreaux told the Arizona Republic a few months ago.Things were about to get more overwhelming. On Oct. 2, Boudreaux was returning home when a 2018 Jeep Wrangler pulled up with a rifle with a silencer poking out of the window, he said. A bullet came whizzing at him and barely missed his head.Doomsday Mom Told Her Husband's Kids Their Dad Was Dead Via Text MessageAccording to Boudreaux and prosecutors, the car belonged to Charles Vallow, husband of Lori Vallow.There was no way Charles was at the wheel, however. He had been dead for months. In July, while estranged from Lori, he traveled from his home in Texas to hers in Arizona to see their adopted 7-year-old son, J.J., and stepdaughter Tylee, 17.Lori would later tell police that Charles became physical and her brother, Alex Cox, shot him dead in self-defense—although police are re-investigating his death in light of recent disturbing developments.After the shooting, Boudreaux said, he became fearful for his life and the safety of his children so he filed for custody. Pawlowski moved to Idaho, where Vallow had moved after her husband's death, and a judge granted Boudreaux temporary custody. He told the Republic he was in hiding with them in another state.About a month later, Vallow remarried—tying the knot with Chad Daybell, an author who penned apocalyptic novels for a Mormon audience. His wife of almost 30 years, Tammy, had suddenly died just weeks earlier and was buried without an autopsy (though her body has since been exhumed).Vallow's children were not at the wedding; according to police, they had vanished weeks earlier and when authorities showed up on the newlyweds' doorstep to check on Tylee and J.J.'s welfare, Lori lied about where they were.That set into motion the investigation that would eventually generate headlines around the world, drawing scrutiny to the deaths of Vallow and Daybell's previous spouses, raising questions about the fate of Tylee and J.J., and providing new ammunition for Boudreaux in his legal tussle with Pawlowski, who had also since remarried.Doomsday Writer Claimed Dead Wife Helped Him Find New OneA court filing by Boudreaux on Feb. 19, first reported by Fox 10, included a number of unsubstantiated allegations of nefarious behavior by Pawlowski: that she was involved in a cult where "adults and children alike have been being killed off like flies" and that she was involved in the Oct. 2 shooting."Brandon believed Melani, his wife at the time, had a million dollars of reasons to have him killed," the filing alleged in reference to a life insurance policy. He claimed that Vallow's brother, Cox, was the gunman; Cox has since died of unknown causes.In the court papers, Boudreaux also alleged that Pawlowski knows where Tylee and J.J. are and that she had ominously told her new husband, "Sometimes children are full of light and then just like that they go dark." Arizona police have said they were not able to corroborate the litany of lurid accusations—and Pawlowski fired back with a barrage of her own allegations in a statement from her attorneys."Sadly, and irresponsibly, much of the media has quoted Brandon Boudreaux's biased, vindictive, and fake accusations as truth and fact when they are his resentful, vengeful, and dishonest efforts to get full custody of Melani's children," attorney Garrett Smith said. "Brandon Boudreaux deceptively took Melani's children out of state and kept them unlawfully, Melani was the stable parent in her children's lives while Brandon Boudreaux traveled for weeks and was rarely home."The statement went on to level ugly charges about Boudreaux's behavior and his family, including criminal misconduct, while defending Pawlowski.The lawyers said Pawlowski does not know where Vallow's children are and told the FBI as much during three sit-downs. They added she had nothing to do with the Oct. 2 shooting, which they suggested was an "elaborate manipulation." Doomsday Mom of Missing Kids Arrested in Hawaii"Melani has never been associated with a cult," another attorney, Robert Jarvis, added. "Melani is a lifetime member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and her beliefs are consistent with the Church. Melani holds close to her belief in a loving God. She loves her children and respects life."In the middle of all this finger-pointing, the question of where Tylee and J.J. are remains unanswered.Police in Rexburg, Idaho, have said they believe the pair are in danger and that Vallow and Daybell have refused to cooperate with the investigation. A day after investigators asked Vallow and Daybell about the children, the couple left Idaho and eventually resurfaced in Hawaii.An Idaho judge ordered Vallow to return with the children, but she failed to show, and she was arrested on charges of child desertion, contempt of court, and promoting criminal behavior. That last count stems from an allegation that she asked a friend to lie for her and tell police that she had J.J.Initially held on $5 million bail, Vallow has since waived extradition and will soon return to Idaho to face the charges. Her attorneys say she plans to fight the allegation and did not comply with the court order only because she did not want them to end up in foster care. He did not, however, say where the children are.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| As India counts dead, brutality of Hindu-Muslim riot emerges Posted: 29 Feb 2020 12:01 AM PST  The wounded came in waves. As the Mustafabad neighborhood of India's capital was ravaged by communal riots for three days this week, the Al-Hind Hospital turned from a community clinic into a trauma ward. Doctors like M.A. Anwar were for the first time dealing with injuries such as gunshot wounds, crushed skulls and torn genitals.
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| A Washington man has died from coronavirus: What we know about the first death in the US Posted: 29 Feb 2020 03:08 PM PST  The first person in the U.S. to die after contracting the new coronavirus died in Washington state, health officials said Saturday.
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| Report: Michelle Obama petitioned to run as vice president to stop Bernie Sanders Posted: 28 Feb 2020 04:40 AM PST  Fearing the selection of Bernie Sanders as the Democrats' 2020 presidential nominee, a growing number of establishment party officials are reportedly considering Sherrod Brown as a late-entry "white knight" with Michelle Obama as a running mate.
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| Ireland Was Neutral in World War II, so Why Did the Nazis Attack It? Posted: 29 Feb 2020 01:00 PM PST  An interesting story.
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| Bloomberg in South Carolina: Not on the ballot and not liked - poll Posted: 29 Feb 2020 03:43 PM PST  Bloomberg, a billionaire who will appear on a primary ballot for the first time in next week's Super Tuesday contests in 14 states, stood out among all the Democratic contenders for earning the highest unfavorable opinion score in exit polls from Edison Research. The poll was conducted as voters cast ballots in the Democratic Party's fourth nominating contest so far to determine who will face Republican President Donald Trump in the November general election. Nearly seven in 10 South Carolina voters told Edison they held an unfavorable opinion of Bloomberg, Edison's exit poll results showed.
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| Air Transat kicked a family off a plane after their daughter started coughing, as airlines tighten measures against coronavirus Posted: 28 Feb 2020 05:14 AM PST  Two doctors told a family it was ok for their coughing baby to fly, but the pilot still removed them from the plane.
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| UC Santa Cruz fires 54 graduate students participating in months-long strike Posted: 28 Feb 2020 06:45 PM PST  Termination letters were sent to those students protesting for a cost-of-living adjustment amid California's housing crisisThe University of California, Santa Cruz, issued termination letters on Friday to 54 graduate students who have been waging a months-long strike for a cost-of-living-adjustment amid soaring rents.The firings came as graduate students at the University of California, Davis, and University of California, Santa Barbara, began their own cost-of-living strikes in solidarity. One of their demands is that all UC Santa Cruz graduate workers who participated in strike activities be restored to full employment status.The 54 UC Santa Cruz graduate students who received termination letters on Friday are just a fraction of the 233 graduate student instructors and teaching assistants who have refused to submit nearly 12,000 grades from the fall quarter since December.This month, the students' grading strike expanded, as teaching assistants refused all teaching duties and research assistants refused additional work. Some classes and office hours have been canceled because of the strike.The students are striking for a $1,412-a-month cost-of-living adjustment, which they say they desperately need amid a growing housing crisis in California. Most students are spending between 5o% and 70% of their $2,434-a-month salary on rent, some forced to live in substandard apartments with many roommates in order to stretch their dollars.Veronica Hamilton, a third-year graduate student studying psychology, is the union representative on campus and was copied on the termination letters that were emailed out on Friday. "The first person who was sent a letter is a single mother who spends almost all her income on rent on subsidized family student housing," Hamilton said."It's horrible," she continued. "We got to this point because they're digging their heels in the ground. We're in a crisis and they don't even want to have a conversation on how to address these issues."The graduate students are represented by United Auto Workers Local 2865, which negotiated a contract in 2018 that included a no-strike clause: meaning the current strike, known as a "wildcat strike", has been taken without the union's approval.The administration has cited this as a reason for not negotiating with the graduate students but, in response to the strike, offered two supplemental programs that will cost about $7m a year – one that will offer a yearly $2,500 need-based housing fellowship and another that offers doctoral students a five-year funding program – as well as two temporary housing assistance programs.The strikers say these programs would not be enough. Hamilton, for example, pays $1,800 a month to live 40 minutes away from campus in a small cabin she shares with her husband, who lost his job four months ago – $2,500 barely covers a month's rent, she said."The university is sympathetic to such challenges, particularly housing, and the related impacts on all our employees," said Andrew Gordon, a spokesman for Janet Napolitano, the University of California president, in a statement.However, the university has honored the contract it entered into with the union, "and we expect teaching assistants to do the same", he said."Teaching assistants who choose to withhold grades or refuse to teach are in violation of that contract," Gordon said, adding that such actions "unfairly impact undergraduate students while doing nothing to further the conversation on how to address the challenges of the rising cost of living, with which all students and employees across UC must contend".The strikers had expected more students to receive termination letters, and earlier – the executive vice-chancellor of UC Santa Cruz had set a deadline for last week."I think people were ready to be fired, but still surprised," said Jane Komori, a third-year graduate student studying the history of consciousness. "It's such a destructive action for the administration to take … Hundreds and hundreds of undergraduates won't be able to take certain classes."It's a serious issue for the quality of undergraduate education and the number of undergraduates that can be enrolled," she added.Nearly 500 graduate students have said they won't teach next quarter because of the firings, Hamilton said. Now with the strike spreading to other UC campuses, they are more ready than ever to keep on the picket line."I've heard from graduate students across the country," Hamilton said. "Everybody is sick of the situation that we're in. Graduate students of today are weighed down by the student debt crisis. Graduate students of today are more likely to be parents, more likely to come from working class backgrounds, from backgrounds of racialized capitalism. This is just the beginning."
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| Turkey raises migrant pressure on Europe over Syria conflict Posted: 29 Feb 2020 03:52 PM PST  Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday threatened to let thousands of refugees cross into Europe and warned Damascus would "pay a price" after dozens of Turkish troops were killed inside Syria. Around 13,000 migrants have gathered along the Turkish-Greek border, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said as several thousand migrants were in skirmishes with Greek police firing tear gas across the frontier. The escalating tensions between Turkey and Russia, who back opposing forces in the Syria conflict, after an air strike killed the Turkish troops sparked fears of a broader war and a new migration crisis for Europe.
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| Tom Steyer: Billionaire Democrat dances to ‘Back That Azz Up’ on stage with rapper in embarrassing rally stunt Posted: 29 Feb 2020 08:50 AM PST  Presidential hopeful and billionaire hedge fund manager Tom Steyer, 62, found an eye-catching way to end his final rally before the South Carolina primary -- twerking on stage with the rapper Juvenile.In an enthusiastic display of dad-dancing, the former hedge fund manager worked up a sweat dancing to Back That Azz Up.
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| White supremacist was out of prison 86 days when stabbed man to death Posted: 29 Feb 2020 02:08 PM PST |
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