| Russia's lockdown surveillance measures need regulating, rights groups say Posted: 23 Apr 2020 12:13 PM PDT  Expanding surveillance measures to police Russia's coronavirus lockdown, including the use of facial recognition technology and collection of personal data, need regulating to ensure they are temporary and proportionate, two rights groups said on Thursday. Moscow, the epicenter of Russia's outbreak, is in partial lockdown along with many of the country's regions and the authorities are using and developing a range of technologies to monitor and regulate residents' movements. Police say Moscow's 178,000 facial recognition cameras had caught 200 people breaking coronavirus lockdown restrictions by mid-March.
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| Meghan McCain asks if George and Kellyanne Conway's 'gross' feuding is their 'kink' Posted: 24 Apr 2020 10:32 AM PDT  Meghan McCain has criticised Kellyanne Conway's marriage, saying that she and her husband shouldn't disagree in public.Ms Conway is a counsellor to president Donald Trump and one of his most high-profile advisors, but her husband, George Conway III, an attorney, often publicly criticises the president.
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| Pelosi says Republicans reject science and governance Posted: 24 Apr 2020 10:09 AM PDT  In a press conference on Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized President Trump's suggestion that disinfectant could be used to treat the coronavirus, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's comments that bankruptcy could be an option for states and local governments trying to finance their response to the pandemic. Pelosi said it shows how "Republicans reject science and reject governance."
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| Stained sheets, pills but no clarity on Gillum hotel run-in Posted: 23 Apr 2020 11:26 AM PDT  Photos released by Miami Beach police show what a luxury hotel room looked like when officers found former Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum drunk and with two other men. Fire rescue crews and officers were called to the Miami Beach hotel March 13 for a suspected drug overdose. Police say Gillum and two other men were in the hotel room and Gillum was inebriated.
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| Coronavirus: China rejects call for probe into origins of disease Posted: 24 Apr 2020 12:59 PM PDT  Beijing's deputy ambassador to the UK tells the BBC the demands are politically motivated.
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| Kentucky lawyer arrested for allegedly threatening governor over lockdown Posted: 23 Apr 2020 05:38 AM PDT  Attorney James Gregory Troutman allegedly said on Facebook that he hopes Gov. Andy Beshear would see the same fate as a former governor, William Goebel, who was assassinated in 1900.
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| Passengers on a packed American Airlines flight to New York didn't wear masks, and flight attendants are calling for them to be required Posted: 24 Apr 2020 08:46 AM PDT  The airport enforced social distancing rules, but about half of the passengers on the full American Airlines flight did not wear masks.
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| AG Barr Assures Faith Leaders Administration Will Shield Them from Being ‘Singled Out’ By State, Local Lockdowns Posted: 24 Apr 2020 09:35 AM PDT  During a White House conference call with more than 500 faith leaders on Thursday, Attorney General William Barr assured the participating priests, rabbis, and ministers that the administration is on guard against overzealous state governments intent on "singling out" religious groups with punitive coronavirus lockdown measures.Barr, who spoke for roughly ten minutes, told the religious leaders that, while "Draconian measures" were initially necessary to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, the administration is now working to ensure that those measures are not extended unnecessarily, and will be particularly aggressive in combating efforts to apply them disproportionally to religious organizations."Standing up for liberty is one of our highest priorities, my highest priorities," Barr said, according to a transcript of his remarks provided to National Review by a participant on the call. When reached for comment, the Department of Justice confirmed the participant's description of the call.The attorney general cited his intervention in the case of a Mississippi church as an example of legal action the administration will take to shield religious groups from being targeted by overzealous state and local authorities.The Department of Justice filed a statement of interest last week in a lawsuit brought against the local police department by the Temple Baptist Church in Greenville, Miss. Church officials claim that police officers were dispatched to their April 8 drive-in service and began "knocking on car windows, demanding drivers' licenses and writing citations with $500 fines."The service was held one day after the city banned all drive-in events, in a move that seemed to violate the state's designation of religious services as "essential" so long as they complied with Center for Disease Control social distancing guidelines."So this was a case of singling out a religious community," Barr said.A number of other states, including North Carolina and Indiana, have joined Mississippi in deeming religious services "essential," provided they adhere to social distancing guidelines that are in some cases stricter than those applied to other essential businesses, such as grocery stores. Both states have limited the number of congregants to ten or fewer and in Indiana, the Eucharist must be "pre-packaged" if it is to be distributed at all.Barr told the faith leaders that he has been in close contact with state attorneys general in recent days in an effort to identify any state or local ordinances that place a "special burden" on religious groups, though it's not clear whether the aforementioned restrictions would qualify. After spending the first weeks of the crisis insisting on the importance of social distancing and praising governors for implementing stringent lockdown regimes, the administration began this week to shift its messaging to accommodate the growing sense of frustration among many Americans — particularly those who live in less densely populated areas — who feel they should not be subject to the same kind of comprehensive regulations that have been applied to the residents of major cities.Barr's comments to conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt earlier this week seemed to reflect that growing frustration."We're looking carefully at a number of these rules that are being put into place," Barr said. "And if we think one goes too far, we initially try to jawbone the governors into rolling them back or adjusting them. And if they're not and people bring lawsuits, we file statement of interest and side with the plaintiffs."During the Thursday call, Barr extended that line of thinking to religious groups, telling the participants that he believes they will soon be able to hold outdoor services — and even return to indoor worship in certain parts of the country that have not been hit as hard as the major cities. He did not, however, provide any specific timelines."It may be possible to be a bit more liberal about how many people can gather inside…we hope to see a loosening of the restrictions community by community and based on diminution of infection rate," he said.Surgeon general Jerome Adams, who took over the call after Barr finished up, echoed his predecessors' optimistic tone, saying he was "surprised at how well the American people did following guidelines.""It saved lives," he added.
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| New Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows Trump voters worry less about coronavirus — and take fewer precautions — than Clinton voters Posted: 23 Apr 2020 07:55 AM PDT  Voters who cast their ballots for Donald Trump in 2016 are more likely than voters who cast their ballots for Hillary Clinton to say that they have "cheated" on social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.
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| U.S. warship heads to port after coronavirus outbreak Posted: 24 Apr 2020 07:45 AM PDT  At least 18 sailors aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer have tested positive for the new coronavirus, U.S. officials said on Friday, dealing another blow to the military as it faces fallout over its handling of an outbreak on an aircraft carrier last month. The Navy confirmed a Reuters report on the outbreak aboard the Kidd, a destroyer that was on a counter-narcotics mission, and said the number of those infected with the virus on the vessel was expected to rise. A Navy spokesman said the Kidd was currently operating in the Pacific.
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| Fox News' Sean Hannity says Americans 'dying to get back to work,' but polls say otherwise Posted: 23 Apr 2020 11:05 AM PDT  Fox News host Sean Hannity said that Americans are "dying to get back to work" on both his talk radio and television shows on Wednesday, despite evidence pointing to the contrary.The comment was made while Mr Hannity was discussing pockets of anti-lockdown protests organised by far-right Facebook groups.
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| An alarming number of Americans believe a coronavirus vaccine exists and is being withheld Posted: 24 Apr 2020 06:39 AM PDT  Nearly a third of Americans believe that it is either "probably" or "definitely" true that a coronavirus vaccine exists and is being withheld, according to a new study by the Democracy Fund and the UCLA Nationscape Project, in partnership with USA Today. "To see about a third of people give that some level of, 'Yeah, that might be true,' that was pretty shocking to me," said Robert Griffin, the research director at the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group. "That's a pretty dark type of thought to be floating around the public."While there are as many as 150 different vaccines in various stages of development at this point, a COVID-19 vaccination will only be ready in 12 to 18 months "if we're really lucky," Seth Berkley, the head of the Gavi Vaccine Alliance, a global immunization partnership, told AFP on Friday. He added that "one of the challenges" of this particular pandemic is that "we don't know if we can make a vaccine … we have no proof of concept yet."Still, the Democracy Fund/UCLA Nationscape Project study found that many such unfounded beliefs have become widespread among the American electorate, including that some 44 percent of voters think it is probable that the virus was created in a lab, while another 48 percent think the U.S is "concealing" the true number of COVID-19 deaths, a belief that is held by more than half of Democrats."Not all of this is necessarily conspiracy-thinking," argued Griffin. "Some of it might just might purely be misunderstanding or things that people don't know yet, a lack of education."The survey was conducted as part of a large-scale survey of the American electorate, which will be ongoing through the 2020 election cycle. The latest results came from a sampling of 6,300 Americans between April 2 and 8, and has a margin of error of 2.2 percent. You can read more of the results here.More stories from theweek.com The president is unwell The Trump administration reportedly wants control over U.S. Postal Service in return for emergency loan Even Fox News wasn't convinced when Trump claimed his disinfectant injection comments were 'sarcasm'
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| Coronavirus chokes the drug trade — from Wuhan, through Mexico and onto U.S. streets Posted: 24 Apr 2020 03:00 AM PDT  The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted many industries, both legal and illicit. Production of fentanyl, which relies on chemical ingredients sourced mainly from Wuhan, China, has been particularly hard hit.
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| China Sends Team to North Korea to Advise on Kim, Reuters Says Posted: 24 Apr 2020 04:26 PM PDT |
| Michigan governor extends and eases stay-at-home order that drew protests Posted: 24 Apr 2020 12:06 PM PDT  The governor has come under fire from Trump and conservatives for strict measures to stop the spread of coronavirus.
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| 30 of Hubble's Best Photos for Its 30th Birthday Posted: 24 Apr 2020 09:28 AM PDT |
| Nova Scotia gunman's first victim was girlfriend, who survived Posted: 24 Apr 2020 09:32 AM PDT  Gabriel Wortman is believed to have killed 22 people over the span of 12 hours across Nova Scotia.
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| Iran Guards chief vows 'decisive response' after Trump threat Posted: 23 Apr 2020 09:21 AM PDT  Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief on Thursday warned the US of a "decisive response" after President Donald Trump said he ordered the US Navy to destroy Iranian boats that harass American ships in the Gulf. Iran and the United States have appeared to be on the brink of an all-out confrontation twice in the past year. Decades-old acrimony between the two sides worsened in 2018 when Trump unilaterally withdrew from a deal that gave Iran relief from sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.
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| Prominent Saudi rights activist dies in prison, sources say Posted: 24 Apr 2020 09:54 AM PDT |
| Jeff Bezos has returned to day-to-day management of Amazon after years of solely focusing on high-impact projects like Alexa Posted: 23 Apr 2020 02:47 AM PDT  Bezos had delegated many daily management tasks to deputies.
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| The U.S. has a quarter of the world's confirmed coronavirus deaths despite having less than 5 percent of its population Posted: 24 Apr 2020 06:51 AM PDT  Americans are disproportionately dying from COVID-19, at least according to current statistics.The U.S.'s coronavirus death toll surpassed 50,000 on Friday, with 15,000 of those deaths coming from New York state. That means the U.S. has been home to more than a quarter of the world's 192,000 deaths from COVID-19 despite the U.S. only making up about 4.25 percent of the world's population, writes The Washington Post's Greg Miller.It's important to note that it's hard to put a number on fatalities from a disease that has lacked widespread testing. U.S. municipalities have only recently started counting probable coronavirus deaths among their official tolls, while other countries haven't done the same. The New York Times recently estimated there are likely at least 25,000 additional deaths around the globe that can be attributed to COVID-19, whether those people died of the disease itself or because they didn't go to a hospital to receive medical care for another issue.China has also recently been updating its coronavirus death toll to include people who died at home or who likely died from the disease but were untested. A recent study also indicated the country's coronavirus case count could be four times what it reported.More stories from theweek.com The president is unwell The Trump administration reportedly wants control over U.S. Postal Service in return for emergency loan Even Fox News wasn't convinced when Trump claimed his disinfectant injection comments were 'sarcasm'
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| China buys crude as prices collapse, adding to stockpiles Posted: 22 Apr 2020 07:37 PM PDT  China, the world's biggest energy consumer, is building up stockpiles of crude oil as global prices plunge due to the coronavirus outbreak. The price collapse is battering state-owned oil producers and possibly disrupting official plans to develop the industry but is a boon to Chinese drivers and factories. It gives Beijing a chance to add to a strategic petroleum reserve that is meant to insulate the country against possible supply disruptions.
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| New York man and girlfriend quarantining in Mexico are shot and killed Posted: 24 Apr 2020 06:42 AM PDT  Police said at least 20 gunshots were fired at the couple's car as they were driving down a street in Juarez.
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| Turkey’s Covid-19 Recoveries Surpass New Cases for First Time Posted: 24 Apr 2020 10:54 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Turkey's daily recoveries surpassed new cases for the first time since the first coronavirus case was reported on March 10, suggesting that the outbreak in the country may be reaching a peak.In the last 24 hours, 3,246 people have been discharged from hospitals in Turkey, about 15% of the total number of people who have recovered, compared with 3,122 new coronavirus cases. Total cases are up 3.1% on a daily basis to 104,912 in all. Total fatalities now stand at 2,600 with the 109 new deaths reported.Turkey is targeting a gradual opening of its economy in late May, as Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said citizens must comply with restrictions during Ramadan. Erdogan's government has declared a lockdown on 31 cities, including Istanbul, the epicenter of outbreak in Turkey, during weekends and national holidays.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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| Coronavirus: US death toll passes 50,000 in world's deadliest outbreak Posted: 24 Apr 2020 02:37 PM PDT  A grim milestone is passed by the world's deadliest outbreak, although US mortality rate is comparatively low.
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| Yahoo News/YouGov poll: Trump voters more likely than Clinton voters to 'cheat' on social distancing Posted: 23 Apr 2020 06:37 AM PDT  Voters who cast their ballots for Donald Trump in 2016 are more likely than voters who cast their ballots for Hillary Clinton to say that they have "cheated" on social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic — and much less likely to say they will continue to obey their state's lockdown order as long as it's in effect.
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| Mystery of India's lower death rates seems to defy coronavirus trend Posted: 24 Apr 2020 12:43 AM PDT |
| 2 notoriously unstable regions of Russia could be sitting on a coronavirus outbreak far worse than they admit Posted: 24 Apr 2020 05:51 AM PDT  Russia's neighbours fear Russia's regions of Ingushetia and Chechnya could be concealing worse outbreaks than what the country is reporting.
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| 12 rangers among 17 killed in attack in DR Congo's Virunga park Posted: 24 Apr 2020 02:47 PM PDT  At least 17 people, including 12 rangers were killed on Friday in an attack in Virunga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the restive east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, an official said. It said that civilians were the apparent target of the attack. Virunga is a UNESCO-listed site which is spread over 7,800 square kilometres (3,000 square miles) over the borders of DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.
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| CDC: Frozen raspberries were culprit behind 2019 norovirus outbreak on multiple cruises Posted: 24 Apr 2020 02:52 PM PDT  Smoothies: Nutritious, delicious – and according to the CDC, the source of a norovirus outbreak that infected hundreds of cruise passengers in 2019.
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| Iraqi on genocide charges in Germany for IS killing of child Posted: 24 Apr 2020 07:03 AM PDT  An Iraqi man went on trial in Frankfurt on Friday for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, on allegations that as an Islamic State member he was part of an effort to exterminate the Yazidi religious minority, and killed a five-year-old girl he purchased as a slave by chaining her in the hot sun to die of thirst. Taha Al-J., 27, whose full last name wasn't given in line with German privacy laws, faces a possible life in prison if convicted of the charges, and others including murder for the death of the Yazidi girl and membership in a terrorist organization. Al-J.'s wife, a German convert to Islam identified only as 28-year-old Jennifer W., has been on trial separately in Munich since last April on charges of murder, war crimes and membership in a terrorist organization.
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| New York mother says flight from Miami was packed with people not wearing masks Posted: 24 Apr 2020 01:47 PM PDT  "It was a very strange situation having come from a whole month of being told stay six feet apart ... then having to be crammed on a plane," Angie Wong said.
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| High-Seas Energy Fight Off Malaysia Draws U.S., Chinese Warships Posted: 23 Apr 2020 03:58 AM PDT |
| Modelo's New Sweet-Spicy Beer Combines Mango Flavor and Chili Peppers Posted: 24 Apr 2020 08:35 AM PDT |
| Revolutionary Guard Chief Orders Navy to ‘Destroy Any American Terrorist Forces’ That Threaten Iranian Vessels Posted: 23 Apr 2020 07:15 AM PDT  The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Thursday that Iran will destroy U.S. warships that threaten Iranian security in the Persian Gulf, a day after President Trump issued a similar threat regarding Iranian ships that "harass" U.S. vessels."I have ordered our naval forces to destroy any American terrorist force in the Persian Gulf that threatens security of Iran's military or non-military ships," Major General Hossein Salami told state TV. "Security of the Persian Gulf is part of Iran's strategic priorities.""I am telling the Americans that we are absolutely determined and serious in defending our national security, our water borders, our shipping safety, and our security forces, and we will respond decisively to any sabotage," the commander-in-chief added. "Americans have experienced our power in the past and must learn from it."A day earlier, on Wednesday, Trump wrote in a tweet that he has "instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea."Pentagon officials later said that they would apply the president's order although it did not indicate a change in the rules of engagement.The U.S. military said last week that eleven Iranian Revolutionary Guard ships made multiple "dangerous and harassing approaches" at U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships in the Gulf area.Tensions have run high between Tehran and the U.S. since May, 2018, when Trump pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear deal, which was also signed by the U.K., France, Germany, China, and Russia. The nuclear agreement gave Iran billions of dollars in relief from sanctions in exchange for a promise to curb its nuclear program.Relations reached a fever pitch in early January, when Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad. The attack sparked immediate international worries about how Iran would retaliate.U.S. officials said they believed Soleimani had been plotting "imminent attacks" on U.S. facilities in the surrounding region that could have killed hundreds of Americans, though multiple reports citing senior diplomatic and military officials have contradicted the claim that an imminent threat had emerged in the days before the airstrike.
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| Italy's daily coronavirus death toll lowest since March 19, but new cases rise Posted: 24 Apr 2020 09:06 AM PDT  Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 420 on Friday, the smallest daily tally since March 19, the Civil Protection Agency said, but the number of new infections rose to 3,021 from 2,646 on Thursday. Friday's death toll was down from 464 the day before.
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| Singapore's richest man is getting $1 billion richer each month from selling ventilators Posted: 23 Apr 2020 08:59 PM PDT  Li Xiting is now worth $13.5 billion. Averaged out, his fortune has been increasing by about $37.7 million every 24 hours.
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| New Pentagon Study Spells Doom for Two Aircraft Carriers...and Maybe More Posted: 23 Apr 2020 07:35 AM PDT  The U.S. Navy would shrink from eleven carriers to nine—and the cuts may not stop there.
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| Tons of sanitizer: Retailer charged with hoarding, gouging Posted: 24 Apr 2020 10:55 AM PDT  Federal prosecutors charged a New York retailer Friday with hoarding tons of disposable masks, surgical gowns and hand sanitizer in a Long Island warehouse and selling the items at huge markups. Amardeep "Bobby" Singh, 45, was charged with violating the Defense Production Act of 1950 in what authorities described as the first such prosecution during the coronavirus pandemic. Singh is expected to surrender to authorities next week in the case around what is known as personal protective equipment, which has become a hot commodity during the outbreak.
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| California to reopen some beaches as governor urges physical distancing Posted: 24 Apr 2020 01:50 PM PDT  With a warm weekend ahead, Governor Gavin Newsom will allow use of some open spaces with restrictions * Coronavirus – live US updates * Live global updates * See all our coronavirus coverageCalifornia is reopening some beaches as the state heads into a hot weekend, with the governor urging residents to practice strict physical distancing if they go outside.While many Los Angeles area beaches remain closed to the public due to Covid-19, a handful will allow visitors in a limited capacity while adopting a wide range of restrictions, enforcement plans and recommendations.California ordered one of the earliest lockdowns in the country last month and has made some progress in slowing the spread of the virus. Gavin Newsom, the governor, said he did not want to have to report a surge in cases due to residents being irresponsible in the warm weather, with weekend temperatures expected to climb above 90F (32C) in some areas."People are prone to want to go to the beaches, parks, playgrounds and go on a hike," Newsom said in a news briefing on Thursday after announcing that California had suffered its deadliest day since the start of the outbreak. "If it is open, just abide by social distancing."The policies vary widely across regions. In Ventura county, north of LA, officials have relaxed beach closure rules, saying residents can now visit and walk on the sand or pier but should not sit down or fish.In San Clemente, Orange county, the local council voted to reopen the beach for recreational activity such as walking, running, swimming and surfing, but it also said residents should not bring a blanket and hang out. The city is attempting to limit access to local residents by keeping parking lots closed, and other Orange county officials have urged out-of-town residents not to visit the beaches and parks that remain open.In LA, popular beach and park spots remain largely closed, including the world-famous pier and boardwalk at Venice Beach.The question of beach closures has sparked intense debate across the US, which is likely to become more contentious if various lockdowns and restrictions continue into the summer. The reopening of the beaches in Florida last week led to backlash from some who feared early moves to ease restrictions could fuel a second wave of Covid-19.Some experts, however, have argued that governments should find ways to allow people to visit beaches while strongly encouraging distancing, mask-wearing and other safety measures. Getting outside can benefit people's health, and there are concerns that overly broad restrictions on public spaces could result in people gathering indoors, which would be more dangerous."Outdoor access has strongly proven links to mental health, emotional wellness, physical health," said Lucas Zucker, policy director for Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, an environmental justice group in California. "We certainly trust the expertise of public health officials. But like so many other social and economic disparities, access to open space was an issue of huge inequality before the crisis."Zucker was wary of rules that tried to limit beach access to residents of the municipalities on the coast, noting that the population of those cities, such as Santa Monica and Venice, is generally wealthier and less diverse.In southern California, the surfing community has also been divided on the beach rules, with an informal poll by the Surfer publication finding that many surfers believed they could practice safe social distancing while on the water and were opposed to restrictions."We're seeing surfers getting a kind of itch that they are not familiar with," said Todd Prodanovich, editor of Surfer, noting that there was no precedent for this kind of indefinite shutdown of so many beaches.But Prodanovich also said he had no interest in trying to protest against government orders: "Do I miss surfing? Yes. Do I think a lot of surfers could do this safely? Yes. Do I think it's so important for us to surf right now that public health officials should be accommodating us over whatever larger plan they have? No. We're just having fun in the ocean."
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| China to prosecute Belize national for Hong Kong 'interference' Posted: 23 Apr 2020 10:17 PM PDT  A Belize national detained in China will be prosecuted on charges of colluding with foreign forces in protest-wracked Hong Kong and funding "hostile elements in the United States", Chinese authorities confirmed Friday. It follows a roundup of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, which last year was rocked by months of massive demonstrations and clashes with police. Authorities in the southern city of Guangzhou told AFP that preliminary investigations into Lee Henley Huxiang -- for financing criminal activities against national security -- had been completed a day earlier.
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| Riots Erupt in Venezuela’s Countryside Over Food, Fuel Scarcity Posted: 24 Apr 2020 09:20 AM PDT |
| Mitch McConnell gets bipartisan blowback for pushing bankruptcy over federal aid for reeling states Posted: 23 Apr 2020 04:43 AM PDT  The House is expected to clear a $484 billion coronavirus relief package to replenish a small-business loan programs Thursday, sending it to President Trump's desk. Democrats won $100 billion for hospitals and national coronavirus testing in the legislation, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked a Democratic push to include $150 billion for states and local governments. The White House said those funds would be included in the next rescue bill, but McConnell pushed the "pause button" on more aid packages Tuesday, telling The Wall Street Journal he's now worried about the national debt.McConnell told conservative talk-show host Hugh Hewitt on Wednesday that governors "would love to have free money" but he would prefer hard-hit states be allowed "to use the bankruptcy route." States can't legally declare bankruptcy. In a press release, McConnell called relief funds for states "Blue State bailouts."Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) tweeted Tuesday afternoon that he's working with colleagues to provide "additional and more flexible" funding for states, adding: "The skyrocketing unemployment rate and subsequent decline in tax revenue has left local governments stretched to the limit." Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) called McConnell "the Marie Antoinette of the Senate" Wednesday night, arguing it's "shameful and indefensible" to urge "devastated" states to declare bankruptcy, adding it's not "'free money' to provide funds for cops, firefighters, and health care workers."House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) shrugged off McConnell's state funding comments Wednesday, telling Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. that "McConnell will do whatever the president wants," and Trump "needs this" for his re-election. "Look at the language of Mitch McConnell: 'I'm not bailing out blue states, they should go bankrupt,'" she added. "Really? Really? How insecure is he in his own race in Kentucky to have to resort to that pathetic language?" The House will take the lead on the next bill, Pelosi said, and McConnell can take it or make a better offer.More stories from theweek.com Trump reportedly comes into work as late as noon after a morning of 'rage viewing' TV Cuomo rips McConnell's 'blue state bailout' by noting 'your state is living on the money that we generate' The U.S. has a quarter of the world's confirmed coronavirus deaths despite having less than 5 percent of its population
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| Blood pressure drugs are in the crosshairs of coronavirus research Posted: 23 Apr 2020 10:09 AM PDT  A disproportionate number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, have high blood pressure. Theories about why the condition makes them more vulnerable — and what patients should do about it — have sparked a fierce debate among scientists over the impact of widely prescribed blood-pressure drugs.
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| World leaders launch plan to speed COVID-19 drugs, vaccine; U.S. stays away Posted: 24 Apr 2020 04:17 AM PDT  World leaders pledged on Friday to accelerate work on tests, drugs and vaccines against COVID-19 and to share them around the globe, but the United States did not take part in the launch of the World Health Organization (WHO) initiative. French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa were among those who joined a video conference to launch what the WHO billed as a "landmark collaboration" to fight the pandemic. The aim is to speed development of safe and effective drugs, tests and vaccines to prevent, diagnose and treat COVID-19, the lung disease caused be the novel coronavirus - and ensure equal access to treatments for rich and poor.
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| 'We need to listen to the experts': Climate activist Greta Thunberg says coronavirus has proven the dependence society has on scientific data Posted: 22 Apr 2020 10:31 PM PDT  Thunberg spoke with earth systems scientist Johan Rockström in a digital conversation to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.
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| Coronavirus vaccine may come sooner rather than later, Bill Gates says Posted: 24 Apr 2020 05:33 AM PDT  "Many countries decided that at the national level, they would orchestrate the testing," Gates said. "That hasn't happened in the United States."
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