| Pressure grows on Trump to invoke Defense Production Act for coronavirus response Posted: 17 Mar 2020 05:47 PM PDT  President Trump said Tuesday he was not prepared to invoke the authorities to allow the government to ensure that the private sector can ramp up production of emergency medical supplies, despite a growing chorus of voices urging him to do so.
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| Life under coronavirus lockdown in Italy: ‘Time goes so slowly’ Posted: 18 Mar 2020 09:52 AM PDT  "Time goes so slowly," says Rosa Di Maggio, 30. She's one of 60 million Italians currently on nationwide lockdown, under Italy's strict measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19.
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| One chart shows how South Korea got its coronavirus outbreak under control in less than a month Posted: 18 Mar 2020 11:43 AM PDT  South Korea seems to have curbed its coronavirus outbreak. The number of daily confirmed cases peaked on February 29 and has decreased ever since.
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| Hawley Calls for ‘Full, International Investigation’ into China’s Coronavirus Coverup Posted: 18 Mar 2020 08:22 AM PDT  Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) on Wednesday warned the Chinese Communist Party that it would have "to pay" for its attempts to coverup the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, and called for a "full, international investigation" to get to the bottom of the situation."There needs to be a full, international investigation of China Communist Party's actions that helped turn coronavirus COVID19 into a global pandemic," Hawley tweeted Wednesday morning.> There needs to be a full, international investigation of China Communist Party's actions that helped turn coronavirus COVID19 into a global pandemic - and China needs to be prepared to pay other countries for the havoc the CCP has unleashed https://t.co/u1Uo0H0PTj> > -- Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) March 18, 2020The freshman senator was referencing a story that Beijing has attempted to drown out with a propaganda campaign. China on Tuesday stripped press passes from reporters at the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Washington Post who were stationed in China and Hong Kong, its latest action to escape accountability and international censure over its handling the outbreak.In December, genomics laboratories in Wuhan sequenced coronavirus and discovered it closely resembled the deadly SARS virus which broke out in 2002-2003, but were subsequently gagged by authorities, who ordered them to turn over or destroy the samples.Hawley, a China hawk who slammed the regime for its crackdown on Hong Kong protestors in the fall, has been vocal in recent months as the coronavirus pandemic grew. He sent a letter in January to the heads of four government agencies to ask whether the Trump administration was considering any potential Chinese travel ban to prevent an American outbreak of the coronavirus — a move the White House made soon after.Last month, the senator introduced legislation to reorient medical supply chains and to reduce reliance on China for the manufacture of certain prescription drugs and other medical supplies.
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| Africa should 'prepare for the worst' with virus, WHO says Posted: 18 Mar 2020 07:15 AM PDT  Africa should "prepare for the worst" as the coronavirus begins to spread locally, the World Health Organization's director-general said Wednesday, while South Africa became the continent's new focus of concern as cases nearly doubled to 116 from two days before. South Africa's health minister, Zweli Mkhize, this week called that kind of rate "explosive" in the country with the most cases in sub-Saharan Africa. Fourteen of the latest cases were from local transmission — and six were in children under 10.
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| Ainsley Earhardt, Days After Urging Viewers to Fly, Now Says We Need to ‘Think of Others’ Posted: 17 Mar 2020 08:24 AM PDT  What a difference a few days makes.With the White House now advising Americans to avoid bars, restaurants, or any gathering of more than 10 in order to stem the spread of coronavirus, Fox & Friends began its Tuesday broadcast by demonstrating social distancing as the three hosts were seated in different parts of the room."To be responsible, to show social distancing, all three of us are apart—same studio, plenty of distance," co-host Brian Kilmeade noted at the top of the show.Co-host Steve Doocy, meanwhile, added that they were "doing exactly the same thing people all across America are trying to do, and that is stay away from each other because you don't want to get infected and you don't want to spread infection."Ainsley Earhardt, who was replaced on Monday's broadcast by Dr. Nicole Saphier, returned and reminded viewers they must take the pandemic very seriously."We have a responsibility to slow down this virus and to think of other people during this time," Earhardt declared. "And so if you can keep your distance and prevent someone from getting close to you that might be sick, you can save your family, you can save the elderly and help our country as a nation."Earhardt's sober plea for being cautious and to think of others came just days after she encouraged viewers to book a flight in the middle of a pandemic. "It's actually the safest time to fly," the Fox & Friends co-host said on Friday, adding at the time, "Everyone that I know that's flying right now, terminals are pretty much dead. Ghost towns."Earhardt now treating the viral outbreak with a newfound level of seriousness came after Jesse Watters admitted on Monday that he didn't take coronavirus "seriously" until after the weekend. Watters and others at the network, meanwhile, have dramatically shifted their tone towards the pandemic now that President Donald Trump has suddenly begun to take the virus more seriously himself.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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| Coronavirus surging in Southeast Asia, with new cases traced to religious gathering Posted: 17 Mar 2020 10:46 AM PDT  A weekend of prayer at a mosque complex outside Kuala Lumpur is linked to more than 400 coronavirus infections in six countries.
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| Iran's supreme leader to pardon 10,000 prisoners, including political ones Posted: 18 Mar 2020 01:40 PM PDT  Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will pardon 10,000 prisoners including political ones in honor of the Iranian new year on Friday, state TV reported. "Those who will be pardoned will not return to jail ... almost half of those security-related prisoners will be pardoned as well," judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili told state TV on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Esmaili said Iran had temporarily freed about 85,000 people from jail, including political prisoners, in response to the coronavirus epidemic.
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| Coronavirus: Southwest Airlines ending drink service on flights during COVID-19 outbreak Posted: 17 Mar 2020 04:48 PM PDT  The airline said it will only offer travelers unopened cans of water. Passengers may bring their own drinks. Snacks will still be served.
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| Italy reports 475 coronavirus deaths, the highest single-day death toll for any country since the outbreak began Posted: 18 Mar 2020 10:42 AM PDT  At the peak of its outbreak, China's highest single-day death toll was 150. Iran and Spain, both hit badly, have not recorded more than 200 in a day.
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| The Best Gifts Like a Smart Coffee Machine for Mom on Mother’s Day Posted: 17 Mar 2020 12:18 PM PDT |
| Editorial: Coronavirus makes jails and prisons potential death traps. That puts us all in danger Posted: 18 Mar 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Soap is restricted and hand sanitizer is contraband at correctional facilities. We need to stop admitting people accused of low-level crimes.
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| Israel parliament speaker shuts Knesset, enraging opposition Posted: 18 Mar 2020 09:21 AM PDT  Israel's Knesset speaker Wednesday abruptly adjourned all parliamentary meetings until next week, apparently a response to the new coronavirus, in a move that froze opposition efforts to discuss bills seeking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ouster. The decision drew angry accusations from Netanyahu's opponents that the embattled prime minister is using the coronavirus crisis to cement his hold on power. Netanyahu's rival vowed to challenge the parliamentary delay in the Supreme Court, while Israel's president warned the country's democratic system was being threatened.
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| The Only Question on South African Rate Cut Is ‘How Much?’ Posted: 18 Mar 2020 01:44 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The debate around South African interest rates has now moved from whether the central bank will cut on Thursday to by how much.Of 21 economists in a Bloomberg survey, 11 predict a 50 basis-point reduction, while the balance expect the rate to be lowered by 25 basis points. Forward-rate agreements show traders have switched from pricing in a less than 50% chance of a 25 basis-point cut three weeks ago to betting on a 100% chance that the central bank will cut by 50 basis points.With an economy that slumped into a recession even before the coronavirus intensified, South Africa's inflation-targeting central bank is facing calls to ease policy to support economic growth. The Reserve Bank has repeatedly said that monetary policy alone cannot help South Africa's economy and has a track record of being cautious when moving down -- the last time it cut at consecutive meetings was in 2010.In addition to the U.S. Federal Reserve cutting its main interest rate twice this month to near zero, emerging-market peers Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt eased by between 75 and 300 basis points this week.While Governor Lesetja Kganyago ruled out an emergency meeting in response to the virus after the Fed called such a gathering early in March, it is now urgent enough for a 50 basis-point cut, according to PwC economists Lullu Krugel and Christie Viljoen. Two interest rate cuts of 25 basis points each in March and May would suggest the bank is not in panic mode, according to PwC."Significant monetary policy easing -- combined with faster implementation of economic reforms, as indicated in the budget review 2020 -- is required to boost the South African economy," Krugel and Viljoen said in a note. "This could add 0.3 percentage points to economic growth over the next 12 months. And there is no risk to the inflation outlook from this suggested stimulus."Since Kganyago was appointed governor in November 2014, the MPC has made a 50 basis-point move only once, and that was an increase. The last 50 basis-point cut was in July 2012, when inflation was at 5%. That compares with 4.6% reported for February, which saw the rate above the midpoint of the central bank's 3% to 6% target band for the first time in 15 months.President Cyril Ramaphosa said the government is planning fiscal measures to support the economy, but with a budget deficit close to a 30-year high the scope to do so is limited.To effectively shore up the economy, a rate cut would have to come hand-in-hand with fiscal and health-care stimulus which could be achieved by re-prioritizing current spending plans, according to Reezwana Sumad, an analyst at Nedbank Group Ltd."The reasons for a cut wouldn't be grounded in fundamentals," she said. "It would probably be the Reserve Bank reacting to very volatile moves in the market to try and calm down the market."The risk of a downgrade to junk by Moody's Investors Service next week, which would trigger outflows and batter the rand even further, could keep the central bank from cutting more than 50 basis points, according to Mpho Molopyane, an economist at FirstRand Group Ltd.'s Rand Merchant Bank.It's also possible that the MPC could go back to having monthly meetings, like it did in 2009 during the global financial crisis, she said. That would give the panel scope to cut by 50 basis points this round and by 25 basis points each in April and May, she said.The rand weakened 1.1% to 16.8094 per dollar by 10:44 a.m. in Johannesburg on Wednesday. The currency has weakened more than 16% this year following declines in almost all emerging markets.What Bloomberg's Economist Says"An escalation of the virus outbreak and a drop in oil prices to record lows now gives the SARB scope to significantly revise its economic and inflation outlook, creating both the space and rationale for further cuts. However, the effectiveness of monetary policy and rand weakness will remain a valid concern."\--Boingotlo Gasealahwe, Africa economists-Click here to view the research(Updates with February inflation data in seventh paragraph)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Meet the Americans still going out and gathering in large groups Posted: 18 Mar 2020 01:30 PM PDT  TAOS, New Mexico/NEW YORK, (Reuters) - As people in San Francisco shelter in place and New York City was warned to prepare for a similar measure, some 40 people met in New Mexico for an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting on Wednesday amid White House pleas to avoid groups as the country battles coronavirus. Officials are telling Americans they must practice social distancing and avoid groups of more than 10 people to slow the spread of the pandemic.
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| Jalisco New Generation drug cartel spreads nationwide across Mexico Posted: 18 Mar 2020 07:31 AM PDT  A fast-rising criminal cartel in Mexico is expanding nationwide after beginning from the outskirts of Mexico City.
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| As the coronavirus spreads, Catholics are turning to online spiritual practices, from masses live-streamed from the Vatican to a $110 wearable 'eRosary' Posted: 18 Mar 2020 10:30 AM PDT  The Vatican has also started live-streaming the pope's daily mass "to be close to all those who are suffering from the current coronavirus epidemic."
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| Lazarus: The airlines want our cash? Give us more legroom in return Posted: 18 Mar 2020 05:00 AM PDT  President Trump, who fancies himself a master negotiator, is giving away the store to airlines and seeking little if anything in return.
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| Samoan chief guilty of slavery in New Zealand Posted: 17 Mar 2020 11:53 AM PDT  Joseph Auga Matamata lured victims with promises of a better life but beat them and kept their money.
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| The Best Board Games on Sale Now Posted: 17 Mar 2020 04:42 PM PDT |
| Senate coronavirus vote delayed after Rand Paul pushes doomed amendment Posted: 18 Mar 2020 09:03 AM PDT  Sen. Chuck Schumer called the Paul amendment "ridiculous" and "a colossal waste of time"
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| Farewell to the Pro-Life Democrats Posted: 18 Mar 2020 09:33 AM PDT  In Illinois last night, abortion-rights advocate Marie Newman unseated pro-life representative Dan Lipinski in the Democratic primary for the third congressional district. Based on ratings from anti-abortion groups, Lipinski was the last remaining stalwart pro-lifer among Democratic politicians in Congress.It is a symbolic end to an era that really ended a long time ago, a time when Democratic politicians could vote against taxpayer-funded abortion and in favor of abortion restrictions without being ousted from their seats, and when the party's leadership acknowledged and welcomed pro-life voters whose views on other issues aligned them with the party.With Lipinski's loss, there is no longer even the slightest bit of room for Democrats to give themselves cover on this issue, and they appear not to mind. The Democratic Party is, at the national level, filled with politicians who support abortion on demand, at any stage of pregnancy, for any reason, funded by the U.S. taxpayer.This is dramatically out of step with most Americans, only 13 percent of whom favor allowing elective abortion in the last three months of pregnancy and nearly three-quarters of whom would limit abortion to the first three months or to cases of rape or incest, or not permit it at all. It is also out of step with most Democrats, only 18 percent of whom would allow third-trimester abortion. A full 30 percent of Democrats call themselves pro-life.Instead of being accommodated or reassured, these Democrats are explicitly told by the politicians seeking to represent them that their views have no place in their own party — a curious election strategy.In 2017, Democratic leaders derided Bernie Sanders when he endorsed Heath Mello for mayor of Omaha, Neb., after abortion-advocacy groups dubbed Mello "anti-choice" for having backed a law requiring doctors to give women the option to view a fetal ultrasound prior to abortion (hardly a stringent anti-abortion law, though it is revealing that abortion supporters opposed it).A lot can change in three years. Last month, Sanders declared during a town hall that "being pro-choice is an essential part of being a Democrat." Former presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg made the same assessment in January, telling Kristen Day, director of the beleaguered Democrats for Life, that he would not budge an inch on the issue. (Day, for the record, did not ask Buttigieg to change his position on abortion but rather to "support more-moderate platform language . . . to ensure that the party of diversity, of inclusion really does include everybody." It took him several minutes to get around to saying, in essence, "Keep dreaming.")What, then, is a pro-life Democrat to do? And what happened to the party that used to feature men like Dan Lipinski and his pro-life Democratic father Bill, one or the other of whom has represented the third congressional district in Illinois since 1983?Here an anecdote might be helpful. In 1992, Pennsylvania's Democratic governor, Bob Casey Sr., was slated to speak at the party's national convention in New York City but in the end was not permitted to do so. Though Democrats have since contended that this was because he had not endorsed the presidential ticket, contemporaneous reporting shows that it was in fact because he intended to speak about his opposition to abortion, at a time when the party was beginning more uniformly to embrace abortion rights. It was Casey who went to the Supreme Court in 1992 to defend his state's regulations on abortion clinics, losing in the landmark case Planned Parenthood v. Casey that currently governs abortion jurisprudence.Today, Casey's son, Bob Casey Jr., serves as a Democratic senator from Pennsylvania, and in recent years has received a 100 percent score from NARAL Pro-Choice America for his voting record on abortion rights.The Democratic Party has been on this trajectory for a long time, driven in no small part by its desire for the financial backing and public-relations acclaim of powerful actors such as NARAL, Planned Parenthood, and the conglomerate of women's media groups that writer and former editor of Ladies' Home Journal Myrna Blyth christened the "Spin Sisters.""Reproductive rights is the issue that all women must care and agree about," Blyth wrote in her 2004 book Spin Sisters of these publications and their ability to drive public opinion. "To keep the support of the Spin Sisters, politicians may not stray even a hair from the Planned Parenthood position."Though the Democratic allegiance to unlimited legal abortion surely has something to do with the millions of campaign dollars that flow from abortion-advocacy groups, it has perhaps even more to do with the optics of the issue, with the fact that Planned Parenthood and its media allies could sound the death knell for a campaign by deeming a Democrat "anti-choice" for doing something as anodyne as supporting a woman's right to be offered the chance to view an ultrasound. (It was, for instance, primarily these groups that funded and championed Newman's campaign to unseat Lipinski.)State politics confirm this theory, where pro-life Democrats continue to reelect pro-life Democratic politicians who enact anti-abortion laws, out of reach of the national abortion-advocacy apparatus. In Louisiana, Democratic legislator Katrina Jackson sponsored a bill, currently facing a challenge at the Supreme Court, to extend existing safety measures to abortion clinics. That bill, along with a heartbeat bill banning abortion after six weeks' gestation, was signed into law by the state's Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards. In West Virginia earlier this month, Democratic lawmakers helped to pass a born-alive bill, requiring doctors to care for newborn infants who survive an abortion procedure.These proposals have no hope of passing Congress, where the consistent leftward shift of the Democratic Party has left pro-life liberals like Dan Lipinski, and all the voters who valued his leadership, without a home.
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| Israel slaps virus closure on Palestinian-ruled areas of West Bank Posted: 18 Mar 2020 09:33 AM PDT  Israel closed off Palestinian-administered areas of the occupied West Bank on Wednesday to limit the spread of the coronavirus, officials from both sides said. "From today, a closure has taken place in the West Bank," said Yotam Shefer, who heads the international department of COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories. Palestinian government spokesman Ibrahim Melhim said all Palestinians would be affected, though goods would still be allowed to pass.
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| Putin is being protected from coronavirus around the clock, says Kremlin Posted: 18 Mar 2020 05:17 AM PDT  Russian President Vladimir Putin is being protected from coronavirus around the clock, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, saying all Kremlin staff involved in his events schedule were undergoing mandatory testing for the virus. "Everything needed to protect the president from viruses and other illnesses is being done around the clock," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Peskov has previously declined to say whether Putin has been tested for coronavirus, but has said that the president's medical care is of an exceptionally high level.
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| A White Nationalist Has Rebranded Himself as Coronavirus Expert. And People Are Flocking to Him. Posted: 18 Mar 2020 01:47 AM PDT  At first glance, Maine resident Tom Kawcyznski seems like just another person talking about the coronavirus pandemic. His daily "Coronavirus Central" podcast has consistently been in the top 20 podcasts on the Apple charts for "Health & Fitness," and at one point earlier this month it hit the fifth spot in the category. But anxious listeners flocking to Kawcyznski's podcast for more information about the disease's spread may not be aware of his background. Before he rebranded himself as a coronavirus expert, Kawcyznski was a notorious white nationalist advocating for a nearly all-white monarchy in New England—with himself as its king. Kawcyznski's surprising reinvention and his success on podcast apps demonstrate the degrees to which concerned Americans are turning to anyone on the internet for coronavirus information, without much consideration of the source. As rumors about coronavirus and the government's response circulate via text message and hoax cures proliferate online, extremist figures like Kawcyznski have seen an opening of their own. "I think the coronavirus is creating a brand new world," Kawcyznski told The Daily Beast, when asked about his new role as a would-be coronavirus expert. Fox Host Trish Regan Goes on Batsh*t Rant Against 'Coronavirus Impeachment Scam'Kawcyznski advocates for the creation of the "Arboreal Kingdom of New Albion," a currently fictional, 95-percent white monarchy he imagines cobbling out of parts of Canada and New England after social collapse. The Southern Poverty Law Center lists his New Albion group as a white nationalist hate group. In 2018, Kawcyznski was fired from his job as the town manager of Jackman, Maine, after the discovery of his posts on fringe social network Gab. In the posts on his now-private account, Kawcyznski wrote that "the average black in America has less intellectual aptitude" and advised white supremacists on how to recast their message in more appealing terms. "I'm putting a happy face on AltRight thinking that brings normies in," Kawcyznski wrote in 2017.Now Kawcyznski has brought the same apocalyptic thinking that turned him into a figure on the racist right to worried coronavirus podcast listeners. He's built an entire coronavirus media empire in the space of two months, including a coronavirus prep book he's selling on Amazon that promises to help people prepare for the disease "on any budget." By publishing a hastily written book on Amazon about the coronavirus, Kawcyznski joined a flood of dubious experts self-publishing coronavirus books on the internet retail giant. In Kawcyznski's book, which he initially published under a pseudonym, he doesn't discuss his background in the white nationalist movement. He also promotes conspiracy theorists like frequent InfoWars guest Mike Adams as reliable sources of information on the disease and envisions a world of societal collapse brought on by the coronavirus, writing that "toilet paper will be more valuable than dollars."Kawcyznski's podcast has drawn more people to him since he started it in February, as cases started to appear in the United States. A Vulture review of coronavirus-related podcasts called the show a "spitting image of caricatures about crackpots and charlatans who vie for attention during crises." But it also noted that his podcast ranks highly in searches on podcast apps for "coronavirus."Kawcyznski claims his daily podcasts, which range from between an hour to two-and-a-half hours, each receive roughly 20,000 listens. It's impossible to independently verify podcast listenership. In his episodes, Kawcyznski positions himself as a sort of guru of the coronavirus era, urging in a Tuesday episode to "refocus your life around the virus." "Stop worrying about what comes after the virus so much, and worry about how you're going to survive it," Kawcyznski said in one. Kawcyznski has also used the coronavirus to gather a community of adherents around himself online. In a chat group on Telegram, an encrypted messaging app popular with extremist right-wing personalities, Coronavirus Central has amassed more than 1,400 members. Kawcyznski claims it's not fair to describe him as a white nationalist, even as he advocates for the creation of a majority-white splinter nation. But as recently as January, Kawcyznski went on a podcast hosted by Chris Cantwell, the neo-Nazi who became infamous in the 2017 Charlottesville "Unite the Right" white supremacist rally as the "crying Nazi." Kawcyznski presented Cantwell with a fictional flag for New Albion, describing it as a "blood flag"—a reference to a swastika flag used by Adolf Hitler."It's a sign of my respect to you," Kawcyznski said, as he handed Cantwell the flag.Later that month, Cantwell was arrested on federal interstate threat charges.Kawcyznski, who says he maxed out his credit cards in an attempt to prepare for the coronavirus, has positioned himself for a rebranding in the coronavirus era. In an apparent attempt to distance himself from his white nationalist comments, Kawcyznski said he doesn't "really get into politics" when discussing the coronavirus."I hope people take their opportunities to approach this world with open minds and open hearts," he said. Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| A homeless person in Silicon Valley died of the coronavirus Monday, the same day that a 3-week 'shelter in place' was ordered for the San Francisco Bay Area Posted: 17 Mar 2020 02:14 PM PDT  California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the death on Monday, the same day officials told Bay Area residents they should stay indoors until April 7.
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| Many pastors follow coronavirus rules but some defy them Posted: 18 Mar 2020 10:44 AM PDT  On the first Sunday after the coronavirus began upending American life, some religious institutions – including two churches whose pastors are close to President Donald Trump – held in-person services amid public health worries over the pandemic. Pastor Robert Jeffress, a stalwart evangelical ally of Trump, held services at his First Baptist megachurch this past Sunday in accordance with Dallas-area limits on gatherings of more than 500 people but said in an interview that this week, he would hold online-only worship. The Florida church where Paula White, Trump's personal pastor and a White House adviser on faith issues, invited congregants to in-person services this past Sunday will also shift to online-only status this week, according to a spokeswoman.
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| Commandant directs Marines on how to prepare for coronavirus Posted: 17 Mar 2020 10:59 PM PDT  The letter instructs commanders on the ground to make force preservation and risk mitigation decisions based on new information.
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| Police Are Using Drones to Yell at People for Being Outside Posted: 17 Mar 2020 02:48 PM PDT  It's a harsh—but necessary—way to enforce social distancing.
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| What coronavirus? Mexico's president touching people, holding rallies Posted: 17 Mar 2020 06:34 PM PDT  AMLO, as he is called, has been called "irresponsible" and a "source of contagion" as he defied guidelines on social distancing.
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| U.S. Imposes New Sanctions on Iran amid Coronavirus Damage, Seeks Release of Americans Posted: 18 Mar 2020 09:51 AM PDT  The U.S. imposed fresh sanctions on Iran on Wednesday and called on the state terror sponsor to release detained Americans after new rocket attacks were launched at U.S. forces in Iraq by what are believed to be Iran-backed forces.The State Department sanctioned nine entities based in South Africa, Hong Kong, and China as well as three Iranian individuals "who have engaged in activity that could enable the Iranian regime's violent behavior," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. The sanctioned entities and individuals were involved in "significant transactions" to trade in Islamic Republic's petrochemical industry, which the sanctions will target."The actions of these individuals and entities provide revenue to the regime that it may use to fund terror and other destabilizing activities, such as the recent rocket attacks on Iraqi and Coalition forces located at Camp Taji in Iraq," Pompeo said.Two U.S. troops and one coalition service member were killed last week in a rocket attack on a military base in Iraq. At least a dozen more people were injured at Camp Taji, about 17 miles north of Baghdad, after about 18 of up to 30 Russian Katyusha rockets were launched from northeast Baghdad and hit the base.Over the past year, the U.S. has accused Iran-backed forces such as Kataib Hezbollah of 13 similar attacks on military bases in Iraq that house U.S. and coalition troops. The Defense Department said it launched strikes against the Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah.Pompeo also said Iran is considering releasing several detained American citizens and urged the country to do so amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has hit Iran particularly hard.The U.S. will continue its campaign to squeeze the Iranian economy and limit Iran's ability to export oil, which Tehran claims has impaired its ability to contain the spread of the deadly respiratory illness.The coronavirus has hobbled Iran, infecting over 17,300 and killing more than 1,100, including high-ranking government officials.Earlier this month, Pompeo warned that Iranian government was attempting to cover up the scope of the toll the virus is taking on the population. Iran has so far refused U.S. offers of help to combat the virus, expressing suspicion that the U.S. is trying to break the spirits of Iranians over the epidemic.
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| Iran defends response as virus deaths surpass 1,000 Posted: 18 Mar 2020 08:45 AM PDT  Iran said its novel coronavirus death toll surpassed 1,000 on Wednesday as President Hassan Rouhani defended the response of his administration, which has yet to impose a lockdown. The COVID-19 outbreak in sanctions-hit Iran is one of the deadliest for any country outside China, where the disease originated. Rouhani's government reported another 147 deaths -- a record high for a single day in the month since it announced the emergence of the disease.
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| Rattled world 'at war' with coronavirus as deaths surge in Italy, France Posted: 18 Mar 2020 05:48 AM PDT  MADRID/BEIJING (Reuters) - Hundreds of millions of people faced a world turned upside down on Wednesday by unprecedented emergency measures against the coronavirus pandemic that is killing the old and vulnerable and threatening prolonged economic misery. "This is a once-in-a-hundred-year type event," said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, warning the crisis could last six months as his nation became the latest to restrict gatherings and overseas travel. The fast-spreading disease that jumped from animals to humans in China has now infected over 212,000 people and caused 8,700 deaths in 164 nations, triggering emergency lockdowns and injections of cash unseen since World War Two.
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| Biden says Sanders' supporters have 'shifted the fundamental conversation in this country' Posted: 17 Mar 2020 07:24 PM PDT  Former Vice President Joe Biden delivered a message on Tuesday night to supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), following his wins in the Florida and Illinois Democratic presidential primaries.Biden spoke from his home in Delaware, with the address streamed online. He first discussed the coronavirus pandemic, and said tackling it is "a national emergency akin to fighting a war. It's going to require leadership and cooperation from every level of government and it's going to require us to move thoughtfully and decisively to quickly address both the public health crisis as well as the economic crisis. It's going to require us to pay attention to the medical and scientific and health experts. It's going to require each of us to do our part."Americans, he said, are "up to this challenge" and are "moving quickly to adapt our routines to meet this challenge." Coronavirus is forcing the country to "put politics aside and work as Americans. The coronavirus doesn't care if you're a Democrat or Republican. It will not discriminate based on national origin, race, gender, or your ZIP code."Switching his attention to Tuesday's primaries, he thanked poll workers and said his wins show he's "building a broad coalition we need to win in November." He may not agree with Sanders on "tactics, but we share a common vision: for the need to provide affordable health care for all Americans, reducing income inequality that has risen so drastically, to tackling the existential threat of our time, climate change." He praised Sanders and his supporters for their "remarkable passion and tenacity" on these issues, and said they "shifted the fundamental conversation in this country."More stories from theweek.com Bernie Sanders is focused on the 'f---ing global crisis' CDC investigation reveals why coronavirus likely hit Seattle-area nursing homes so hard The U.S. is temporarily blocking all refugee admissions
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| Duncan Hunter, an early Trump supporter who vaped in a Congressional hearing, gets 11 months in prison Posted: 17 Mar 2020 10:53 AM PDT  The former California congressman pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations after a fall from grace forcing him out of his seat.
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| Warrant issued for Mexico's ex-head of investigations Posted: 18 Mar 2020 03:42 PM PDT  A Mexican judge issued an arrest warrant for the former head of investigations for the Attorney General's Office for alleged violations in the investigation of the case of 43 college students who disappeared in 2014, officials said Wednesday. Tomas Zerón and five other former officials face charges including torture, forced disappearance and judicial misconduct. Three have been arrested and three, including Zerón, are still at large.
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| Could the coronavirus actually be saving lives in some parts of the world because of reduced pollution? Posted: 17 Mar 2020 09:51 AM PDT  Is there any "good news" related to the coronavirus? Perhaps, in reduced pollution and carbon emissions – and in some places, lives saved.
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| Trump defends comments on China amid coronavirus outbreak Posted: 18 Mar 2020 10:30 AM PDT  During a White House press conference on Wednesday President Trump defended his comments on China amid the growing coronavirus outbreak in the United States.
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| National Security Council Ties China’s Expulsion of American Reporters to Coronavirus Outbreak Posted: 17 Mar 2020 02:52 PM PDT  The National Security Council on Wednesday slammed China's expulsion of all American reporters working for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post from the country."The Chinese Communist Party's decision to expel journalists from China and Hong Kong is yet another step toward depriving the Chinese people and the world of access to true information about China," read a statement from the NSC posted on Twitter. "The United States calls on China's leaders to refocus their efforts from expelling journalists and spreading disinformation to joining all nations in stopping the Wuhan coronavirus."China's foreign ministry said the expulsion of reporters was in response to the U.S.'s designation of five Chinese government-owened media outlets as foreign missions and its decision to place certain restrictions on those outlets' employees. It comes amid worries that the Chinese Communist Party may be attempting to hide the full extent of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.Chinese premier Xi Jinping is "terrified of a free and independent press because he doesn't want to be challenged when his government regularly spews insane propaganda," Senator Ben Sasse (R., Neb.) said in a statement on Wednesday. "Chairman Xi can expel all the real journalists he wants, but he can't change the fact that his coronavirus cover-up killed thousands of his own people and put the world at risk."Chinese medical authorities reportedly put a gag order on Wuhan labs that discovered the new coronavirus in December, and Wuhan government officials have reprimanded doctors who tried to warn friends and family of the virus. Meanwhile, Chinese propagandists have recently begun pushing a theory that the Wuhan coronavirus may have originated in the U.S.
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| IMF denies Venezuela emergency aid to help fight coronavirus Posted: 17 Mar 2020 08:39 PM PDT  The International Monetary Fund has rejected Venezuela's request for a $5 billion loan to help it cope with the coronavirus pandemic. Venezuela became the first country to request an emergency loan from the IMF on Tuesday and there are international concerns that its ravaged economy and public services will not cope with the spread of the virus. However, the IMF rebuffed the request, claiming a lack of certainty over the legitimacy of President Nicolas Maduro's government. "Unfortunately, the Fund is not in a position to consider this request," because there is "no clarity" on international recognition of the country's government, the Washington-based institution said. "As we have mentioned before, IMF engagement with member countries is predicated on official government recognition by the international community, as reflected in the IMF's membership. There is no clarity on recognition at this time," the statement said.
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| Mom accused of killing 9-month-old when she fell asleep with her kids Posted: 17 Mar 2020 09:28 AM PDT  Authorities found that Heather Hall had four types of drugs in her system after she fell asleep with her legs pinning her 9-month-old child face down on the bed.
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| At least 7 members of the same New Jersey family contracted COVID-19 at a family gathering. 2 of them died and 4 are in critical condition. Posted: 18 Mar 2020 07:27 AM PDT  "To imagine a week ago to get a phone call like this — if someone told me this story, I wouldn't believe it," a family member said.
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| 'I'm dealing with a f---ing global crisis': Bernie Sanders issues a scathing response when asked if he'll suspend his campaign Posted: 18 Mar 2020 02:51 PM PDT  Sen. Bernie Sanders did not hold back when asked if he would drop out of the 2020 race, saying, "I'm dealing with a f---ing global crisis."
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| Coronavirus justifies moving ex-Trump lawyer Cohen home from prison - letter Posted: 17 Mar 2020 12:20 PM PDT  Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer, risks catching coronavirus while serving his three-year prison sentence, justifying his release into home confinement, Cohen's attorney said on Tuesday. In a letter to U.S. District Judge William Pauley in Manhattan, Cohen's lawyer Roger Adler accused the Federal Bureau of Prisons of being "demonstrably incapable" of safeguarding inmates who live in close quarters and face an "enhanced risk" of catching coronavirus. Adler urged Pauley "to consider my client's exposure to the coronavirus," and act "thoughtfully and decisively" given the "absence of Presidential leadership" in protecting federal prisoners from COVID-19.
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