| Trump reignites Bloomberg feud, says billionaire is on 'a very dark and lonely path' Posted: 01 Mar 2020 07:32 AM PST  "The real politicians ate them up and spit them out!" he said of billionaires Mike Bloomberg and Tom Steyer.
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| Why isn't there a male birth control pill? Posted: 29 Feb 2020 09:34 AM PST  No male birth control product has made it to market, but over the past year, there has been promising early progress on new treatments — including a pill, a gel that's rubbed onto the skin and an injection that acts as a nonsurgical vasectomy — that could finally bring the first male contraceptive to the public. If that happens, research suggests a "male pill" could drastically reduce unplanned pregnancies, especially in developing countries.
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| 'They are starting to get more and more desperate': Greta Thunberg responds to a Canadian oil company accused of creating a vulgar cartoon depicting her in a non-consensual sex act Posted: 01 Mar 2020 06:57 AM PST  X-Site Energy Services has denied creating the vulgar sticker that shows 17-year-old Thunberg engaged in a non-consensual sexual act.
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| Need a New Roof? These Are the 6 Most Popular Materials Posted: 01 Mar 2020 09:00 AM PST |
| Embattled Chris Matthews Left Out of MSNBC’s S.C. Primary Coverage Posted: 29 Feb 2020 05:39 PM PST  A day after he was accused of sexual harassment by a journalist, MSNBC decided to keep host Chris Matthews off its airwaves during coverage of the South Carolina primary results.Matthews is normally a fixture of election night coverage, which made his absence on Saturday all the more notable. His disappearing act came as MSNBC faced calls from a feminist organization to fire him because of sexism and sexual misconduct allegations—after raised eyebrows over other on-air remarks.A week ago, Matthews likened Sen Bernie Sanders' (I-VT) victory in the Nevada caucuses to France falling to the Nazis in World War II. He apologized to Sanders—who is Jewish and whose family lost members in the Holocaust—but quickly shoved his foot in his mouth again.Laura Bassett Accuses MSNBC Host Chris Matthews of Sexually Harassing Her in 2016After Tuesday's Democratic debate, Matthews pressed Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) about why she confronted former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg about accusations of sexist behavior in his past, including an allegation he told a pregnant employee to "kill it.""Why would he lie?" Matthews said of Bloomberg's denial. "Because just to protect himself?"Then, on Friday, columnist Laura Bassett wrote in a GQ article that Matthews harassed her in 2016, looking her over while she was getting her makeup done for an appearance and remarking, "Why haven't I fallen in love with you yet?"'Senator Sanders, I'm Sorry': Chris Matthews Apologizes for Nazi AnalogyBassett said Matthews continued to comment on her appearance, at one point telling the makeup artist, "Make sure you wipe this off her face after the show. We don't make her up so some guy at a bar can look at her like this."It was reported in late 2017 that NBC had paid separation compensation to a producer who accused Matthews of sexually harassing her. The network claimed at the time that the host had been "formally reprimanded" over the incident.On Friday night, Matthews had another cringe-worthy moment. While covering President Donald Trump's South Carolina rally, he mistook South Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Jaime Harrison with footage of another black politician, Tim Scott (R-S.C.).MSNBC did not immediately return a request for comment.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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| Coronavirus: Mike Pence admits US could see more deaths, after Trump calls crisis a ‘hoax’ Posted: 01 Mar 2020 06:21 AM PST  Mike Pence has admitted that the United States could see more deaths from the coronavirus.Speaking on CNN's State of the Union the vice-president, who has been put in charge of administration efforts to protect Americans from the deadly virus, acknowledged there could be more "sad news", but insisted the risk to most people was still low.
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| 'Are we in Greece?': Migrants seize their chance in Europe quest Posted: 29 Feb 2020 10:25 AM PST  Some attempt to cut through a barbed wire fence while others hunt for wood and rocks to throw at police. The thousands of migrants at the Kastanies border town between Turkey and Greece are desperate to reach Europe and furious with Greeks who "won't open the gates". Hundreds of Greek soldiers and armed police have fired tear gas in an attempt to hold back what they fear could become a flood of people trying to cross the border.
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| Warren comes out swinging after South Carolina drubbing Posted: 29 Feb 2020 07:17 PM PST  She hits all her rivals, including Bernie Sanders, who she said "fails to get things done."
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| Billionaire activist Tom Steyer ends his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination Posted: 01 Mar 2020 12:10 PM PST  Steyer used his personal fortune to fund much of his campaign, but that wealth made him a target of other candidates and never helped him win a state.
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| Police find 25-year-old alligator in basement of Ohio home Posted: 01 Mar 2020 09:24 AM PST  Ohio investigators made a scaly new friend this week when they learned an American alligator was being held in the basement of a Groveport, Ohio, home.
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| Nike closed its worldwide headquarters in Oregon for deep-cleaning after the 1st US coronavirus death Posted: 01 Mar 2020 09:46 AM PST  "While we have no information indicating any exposure to Nike employees, out of an abundance of caution, we are conducting a deep cleaning of campus."
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| Waste of Time: Trump Wants to Cut Taxes to Battle the Coronavirus. Posted: 29 Feb 2020 06:21 PM PST  Simply put, coronavirus's impact on the economy is both a consumer confidence issue, as well as a supply-chain and labour-supply issue, which cannot be fixed by any policy.
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| Iraqi prime minister candidate Allawi quits as vacuum looms Posted: 01 Mar 2020 05:51 AM PST  Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi withdrew his candidacy for the post on Sunday, accusing political parties of obstructing him, deepening a domestic crisis and threatening an unprecedented power vacuum. Allawi's appointment was meant to ease a crisis as the Shi'ite-led country faces a mass protest movement that broke out in October and brought down Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi. President Barham Salih will begin consultations to choose a new candidate for a new prime minister within 15 days, the state news agency said.
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| Pentagon looks to China in wake of Taliban peace deal Posted: 01 Mar 2020 03:26 PM PST  The Trump administration's peace deal with the Taliban opens the door for an initial American troop withdrawal that Defense Secretary Mark Esper sees as a step toward the broader goal of preparing for potential future war with China.
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| Super Tuesday polls: Bernie's edge, Biden's bounce and Bloomberg's debut Posted: 01 Mar 2020 10:49 AM PST  Sanders is poised to rebound from a distant second-place finish in South Carolina, according to surveys released over the weekend.
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| Dominican Republic, France report Caribbean virus cases Posted: 01 Mar 2020 08:52 AM PST  Health officials in the Dominican Republic and France on Sunday reported the first confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in the tourist-rich Caribbean, while British cruise ship passengers who had been trapped at sea due to virus fears were finally set to come home. Dominican Public Health Minister Rafael Sánchez Cárdenas said a 62-year-old Italian man had arrived in the country on Feb. 22 without showing symptoms. France, meanwhile, reported three cases on the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, the first in one of France's overseas territories.
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| Vatican opens archives on history's most controversial pope Posted: 29 Feb 2020 07:26 PM PST  The Vatican unseals the archives of history's most contentious popes on Monday, potentially shedding light on why Pius XII stayed silent during the extermination of six million Jews in the Holocaust. Award-winning German religious historian Hubert Wolf will be in Rome on Monday, armed with six assistants and two years of funding to start exploring documents from the "private secretariat" of the late pope. Wolf, a specialist on the relationship of Pius XII with the Nazis, is anxious to discover the notes of the his 70 ambassadors -- the pontiff's eyes and ears during his time as head of the Catholic Church between 1939 and his death in 1958.
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| Former youth pastor accused of revenge plot over sexual assault case Posted: 01 Mar 2020 02:55 PM PST  He is alleged to have tried to hire a prison inmate to kill a senior church official and a judge involved in his 2017 conviction in Pennsylvania.
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| The stock market erased $6 trillion in wealth last week over coronavirus fears — but 3 charts show why it won't immediately impact most Americans Posted: 01 Mar 2020 05:41 AM PST  Most Americans don't own stock, and those that do skew wealthier. And under half of families have retirement accounts like a 401(k).
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| Could This Be the Navy's New Super Bomber? (Wait, What?) Posted: 29 Feb 2020 02:00 PM PST  While bombers could certainly contribute to searches for adversary shipping, quite likely potential targets will more often be relayed to them by other maritime surveillance assets.
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| Mike Pence calls Donald Trump Jr.'s inflammatory coronavirus comments an 'understandable' response Posted: 01 Mar 2020 10:46 AM PST  When pushed by CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence didn't directly refute some inflammatory comments about the coronavirus previously made by Donald Trump Jr.Trump Jr. said Friday that Democrats seemingly "hope" the virus comes to the United States and "kills millions of people" so they could bring down President Trump. Tapper played the clip for Pence and asked him if he believed anyone -- Democrat or Republican -- actively wanted the virus to spread and harm Americans. Pence, who is charge of the American response to the coronavirus, didn't outright agree with Trump Jr., but he did say there was some harsh rhetoric being tossed around, and he thinks the younger Trump was mainly arguing that the outbreak shouldn't be politicized."Responding to the kind of things that have been hurled is understandable," Pence said, before adding that he was setting politics aside to "work the problem." > On CNN, Mike Pence not only refused to disagree with Donald Trump Jr's assertion that Democrats are rooting for coronavirus to kill millions of people to hurt Trump -- but Pence even characterized Don Jr's sentiment as "understandable" pic.twitter.com/KwD624XGkq> > -- Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 1, 2020More stories from theweek.com A coronavirus recession would likely end Trump's presidency Confidence seems to be waning for candidates other than Biden and Sanders after South Carolina If democratic socialism is so bad, why is Norway so great?
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| Australia's first coronavirus death confirmed as former Diamond Cruise passenger Posted: 29 Feb 2020 06:42 PM PST  A former passenger on the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined off Japan for coronavirus died in a hospital in Perth early on Sunday, a health official said, becoming Australia's first death from the virus. "Our condolences are with his family and unfortunately he's the first death we've had from coronavirus in Australia," Andrew Robertson, the chief health officer of Western Australia state, told journalists. The man's widow also caught the virus, but is in stable condition, the health official said.
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| Europe Risks New Migration Meltdown as Erdogan Opens Floodgates Posted: 01 Mar 2020 12:21 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Europe risks a repeat of a migration crisis that five years ago tested its political limits and physical borders as increasing numbers of refugees gather anew on its doorstep.The rapidly evolving emergency came after Turkey signaled it won't stand in the way of people using its territory to escape Syria and other war-ravaged countries, as thousands of desperate asylum seekers flocked toward the Greek border and security forces deployed tear gas to hold them back.Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said more than 76,000 refugees have left the country through Edirne province, which is bordering both Greece and Bulgaria, as of 9:55 a.m. on Sunday, according to state-run Anadolu agency. It wasn't clear if all refugees crossed into Europe or some were stuck in no-man's land.With more expected to arrive, the prospect of a bloody showdown looms in a continent already gripped by fear and travel restrictions over the spread of the coronavirus, which is morphing into a pandemic and defies national frontiers.The situation began to spiral when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked for European Union support after Turkey suffered its biggest single-day military casualties in decades in Syria. The EU is in a bind: it opposes Turkey's campaign in Idlib province to support the last major rebel holdout against Syrian forces.Memories of the 2015 refugee crisis linger. At best, the EU hinted it can speed up aid to Turkey to stop another exodus.That prompted Erdogan to proclaim that his country can no longer accommodate people fleeing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime. "What did we do yesterday? We opened the doors," he said Saturday. The flow of migrants "may reach about 25,000-30,000 today. We will not close the doors hereafter."The stakes for neighboring Greece are escalating exponentially. The government plans to build more ring-fenced refugee camps despite widespread protests from local communities, and even as existing facilities have drawn universal condemnation for their inhumane conditions.On a political and economic level, another wave of migration could derail a delicate recovery not only for Europe's most indebted state — but for the entire region. Anti-immigration populist politicians, from Italy to Germany, are poised to seize the opportunity to go on the attack.Italy's Matteo Salvini, leader of the anti-migrant League, said in a Facebook video on Saturday that he would not accept Turkey letting refugees into the EU. "Now the Turks say everyone's free, everyone can go, we were joking," Salvini said. "No, we're willing to be kind, but not to be treated like idiots."How Committed?On Friday, the EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, said he'd received reassurances that Turkey "remains committed" to a 2016 deal under which Ankara stemmed the flow of migrants toward Europe in exchange for financial assistance. That now seems entirely up for debate. Erdogan's spokesman said Ankara would "loosen" its stance on refugees if Idlib falls to Assad's forces.The humanitarian crisis would get worse unless the Syrian government stops attacks, Erdogan told French President Emmanuel Macron in a phone call late Saturday, according to a readout from his office.Erdogan urged the EU and the international community to share the burden of refugees and said Turkey would like to see NATO clearly show its solidarity in practice.The current financial arrangement with Turkey helped stem Europe's biggest refugee wave since World War II. It stopped displaced Syrians from entering the EU via Greece after the flow of people unleashed a wave of populism that had long-lasting consequences, not least the U.K. referendum to leave the EU that climaxed with one of the bloc's biggest contributors acrimoniously exiting.Rift ReopensThe tension is palpable. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who was in government with a far-right party in the past, took to Twitter to say there must be no repeat of 2015 -- or he will be forced to take unilateral action to protect Austria's borders.Germany, meanwhile, finds itself in a leadership vacuum. Angela Merkel, who took a bold stand in 2015 to welcome refugees, is in her twilight years and her governing party is in the throes of a fierce battle over who will take over — a centrist like herself or someone more conservative who will accommodate the growing anti-immigration sentiment.Merkel's diminished stature also highlights the EU's failure to tackle regional crises, from the wars in Syria and Libya, to engagement with Turkey's unpredictable leader.Border CrossingsAmid the political paralysis, Greece took steps to prevent more than 4,000 illegal border crossings and arrested 66 people.Turkey continues to carry out retaliatory strikes on Syrian soldiers. Its forces have killed 2,100 Syrian troops this year and there's no sign that Erdogan plans to scale back. How Turkey manages its relationship with Russia, the other key player in Syria, remains to be seen. Western powers have faded into the background.Russia has denied involvement in the attack on Turkish troops. Turkish officials, for their part, have criticized Moscow for not doing more to rein in Assad. Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin may meet next week after the two men talked on Friday. The conversation was tense."I told Putin: 'What are you doing there? If you're going to build a base, build it but get out of our way'," Erdogan said of the call in his speech.(Updates with higher number of refugees leaving Turkey in third paragraph)\--With assistance from Constantine Courcoulas, Jonathan Stearns, Sotiris Nikas, Boris Groendahl, John Follain and Richard Bravo.To contact the reporters on this story: Cagan Koc in Istanbul at ckoc2@bloomberg.net;Selcan Hacaoglu in Ankara at shacaoglu@bloomberg.net;Nikos Chrysoloras in Brussels at nchrysoloras@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Onur Ant at oant@bloomberg.net, Flavia Krause-Jackson, Paul AbelskyFor 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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| Jimmy Carter: Buttigieg "doesn't know what he's going to do" after South Carolina Posted: 01 Mar 2020 10:51 AM PST  Buttigieg said South Carolina was a "convincing" victory for former Vice President Joe Biden.
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| Coronavirus Spreads in Oregon, California, Washington. How Many Are Already Infected? Posted: 28 Feb 2020 07:13 PM PST  It's spreading.Over the course of several hours on Friday, officials in three states announced that residents with no known risk factors, such as travel to global hot spots, had tested positive for the new coronavirus.In each case, health authorities believe the patient contracted the illness from someone locally—an anticipated but still alarming scenario that sets the stage for an explosion in diagnoses.It began with a news conference in Santa Clara County, California, where officials said an older woman went to her doctor with symptoms of COVID-19, as the disease caused by the virus is officially known, and subsequently tested positive.Hours later, Oregon officials called a press conference with even more concerning news: A school employee had tested positive and may have exposed an untold number of elementary school staff and students.That briefing was barely over when authorities in Washington state assembled to reveal that a high-school student who had been on campus just that morning also had the virus.U.S. Navy Coronavirus Quarantine Could Get UglyEach announcement raised crucial questions: How did the patient contract the virus; did the person who infected them spread it to others who have not been identified yet; and did they also pass it on before they were diagnosed?Health investigators in all three states are now scrambling to trace the movements of the patients and identify and inform their close contacts in a feverish attempt to stop the virus from spreading out of control like it has some places abroad.In Oregon and in Washington, the schools linked to the patients were shut down as officials tried to forestall panic."We've been expecting this and we are prepared for it," Patrick Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority, told reporters.Hundreds of Americans have been in quarantine after returning from coronavirus hot spots such as China or cruise ships in the Pacific, but because they are isolated, they represent little risk to the general population.The real concern is those who have been moving freely in the community while infected, before they know they have COVID-19, potentially spreading the virus to anyone who has prolonged contact within 6 feet."Passing someone on the street or in the store isn't going to put them at risk," Dr. Jennifer Vines said at the Oregon news conference.The Oregon school employee, who lives in Washington County and works in Clackamas County, fell ill on Feb. 19 and sought care at Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center.On Friday afternoon, a public health lab in Hillsboro—which had just been certified to perform coronavirus testing—reported the worker was positive for COVID-19.The diagnosis has been labeled presumptive, which means the results still have to be confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, but local authorities are proceeding as if it's a bona fide case.The worker is still in the hospital, in isolation, though officials declined to provide their condition, citing privacy concerns. They also would not specify the patient's age, their gender, or their job title.They said only that the worker had spent time at Forest Hills Elementary School, and the Lake Oswego School District announced the school would be closed until March 4.Health officials have been monitoring dozens of Oregon residents who have traveled in coronavirus-hit countries like China since the outbreak began. But the school worker doesn't fall into that category."This is a case of community spread of the disease," Allen said, adding, "We don't know how this person became infected."Coronavirus Testing In the U.S. Is Somehow Looking Worse by the DayA second Oregon resident with symptoms is being tested, but that person has no known connection to the school worker—which means there is at least one other person in the state who has the novel coronavirus but has not been identified. "The case count may very well tick up," Vines said.The Washington 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."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 student has a sibling at Gateway Middle School who is not symptomatic, but out of an abundance of caution, is being tested and will remain out of school in quarantine until tests results are back."The high school will be closed on Monday to give workers extra time to clean the premises. And the clinics the teen visited were notified so health workers and other patients there can be monitored.The new California patient is a 65-year-old woman with pre-existing medical problems. She went to the doctor, who asked for coronavirus testing on Wednesday. It came back positive on Friday.Like the Oregon and Washington patients—and like another California resident diagnosed on Wednesday in Solano County—the woman had not traveled and had no known contact with anyone known to have COVID-19.While health officials in all three states stressed that most people who get coronavirus will have mild symptoms and an easy recovery, they also said that Friday's developments are just the beginning.As more state labs are approved to carry out testing, the number of people diagnosed is sure to climb."I understand this may be concerning to hear, but this is what we have been preparing for," said Dr. Sara Cody, health officer for Santa Clara County. "Now we need to start taking additional actions to slow down the spread of the disease."COVID-19, which originated in an animal market in Wuhan, China, is now on every continent except Antarctica. The World Health Organization has not yet declared it a global pandemic but on Friday upgraded the risk of it spreading to the highest level.President Donald Trump this week created a task force, headed by Vice President Mike Pence, to address the spread in the U.S., though he has also claimed that his political enemies are hyping up fears to damage him in an election year.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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| Attacks on Indian journalists highlight growing intolerance Posted: 01 Mar 2020 03:58 AM PST  Reporting in India has never been without its risks, but journalists say attacks on the media during last week's deadly communal riots between Hindus and Muslims in New Delhi show the situation is deteriorating. One reporter was shot and survived, another had his teeth knocked out, and many more said Hindu mobs demanded proof of religion and tried to keep them from documenting vandalism and violence that included people attacking one another with axes, swords, metal pipes and guns. Authorities have yet to provide an official account of what sparked the 72-hour clash that left 42 people dead and hundreds wounded, though tensions between Hindus and Muslims have been building for months over a new citizenship law.
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| South Korea wages 'all-out responses' to virus with 586 new cases Posted: 01 Mar 2020 12:19 AM PST  South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Sunday the government was waging "all-out responses" to contain the novel coronavirus as the country added 586 more cases, taking the total to 3,736. South Korea has the largest national total in the world outside China, after it saw a rapid surge in the number of coronavirus cases in recent days. "The government is now waging all-out responses after raising the crisis alert to the highest level," Moon said at an Independence Movement Day ceremony, scaled down due to the outbreak.
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| Billionaire Tom Steyer drops out of presidential race Posted: 29 Feb 2020 07:07 PM PST  Billionaire Tom Steyer dropped out of presidential race on Saturday night.
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| Trump seeks to quell fear as first U.S. coronavirus death is reported Posted: 29 Feb 2020 12:14 PM PST  President Trump sought to ease rising fears about the coronavirus epidemic on a day when the first U.S. death from COVID-19 was reported and more cases were reported on the West Coast.
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| Why Don't We Celebrate the Doughboys As the 'Greatest Generation'? Posted: 01 Mar 2020 08:13 AM PST  World War I was just as important as World War II.
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| Sanders defends attacks on Israel’s Netanyahu Posted: 01 Mar 2020 08:29 AM PST  Israel's ambassador suggested Sanders is "an ignorant fool."
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| Malaysia and India aim to repair soured ties that hit palm trade Posted: 01 Mar 2020 08:47 AM PST  Malaysia and India will work on improving ties that soured under former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and badly affected palm oil trade between the countries, officials from both nations said on Sunday. India is the world's biggest palm oil importer but its purchases from Malaysia, the second-biggest palm exporter behind Indonesia, dropped drastically in recent months after attacks on India's policies by Mahathir.
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| Several young doctors in China have died of the coronavirus. Medical workers are far more vulnerable to infection than the general population. Posted: 29 Feb 2020 05:03 AM PST  Older people are the most likely to die from the coronavirus. But overworked, under-protected healthcare workers are at risk, too.
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| Britain's health service not for sale in US free-trade talks Posted: 01 Mar 2020 12:08 PM PST  Any free-trade deal with the United States must protect Britain's cherished National Health Service, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government declared Sunday as it published an outline of its negotiating objectives for the transatlantic deal. The British government estimates its economy will get a 3.4 billion-pound ($4.3 billion) boost and trade between the close allies will increase by 15.3 billion pounds ($19.6 billion) if trade barriers between the United Kingdom and the United States are removed. Among objectives outlined Sunday were a clear statement saying that British negotiators would protect the state-funded National Health Service.
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| Police clash with French islanders fearing coronavirus among tourists Posted: 01 Mar 2020 11:32 AM PST  Saint-Denis de la Reunion (AFP) - Police used tear gas on protesting residents of France's Indian Ocean territory Reunion Island on Sunday who tried to block passengers of a cruise ship turned away from nearby Madagascar for fear there may be people infected with the coronavirus on board. The incident came just hours after clashes between police and protesters near the airport in Martinique, another French overseas territory, demanding strict control of any new arrivals as panic over the outbreak spreads.
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| South Carolina primary results in full – county by county Posted: 29 Feb 2020 12:00 PM PST  Get the results in the crucial early voting state * South Carolina Democrats vote as Biden looks for win to boost flagging campaign * Help us cover the critical issues of 2020. Consider making a contributionSouth Carolina is the first state in the deep south to cast its vote in the primary race, where African American voters form a majority of the electorate. Democrats and Republicans will be voting, but because Donald Trump faces no serious opposition, all eyes will be on the Democratic contest.default What is a primary?The primaries and caucuses are a series of contests, in all 50 US states plus Washington DC and US territories, by which the party selects its presidential nominee. Most US states hold primary elections, in which voters go to a polling place, mail in their ballots or otherwise vote remotely. A handful of states hold caucuses – complicated, hours-long meetings, which continue until one candidate emerges as victor. And the process is different for Democrats and Republicans. Why is the South Carolina primary important?The goal for the candidates is to amass a majority of pledged delegates whose job it is to nominate the candidate at the party's convention. In all states, delegates are awarded proportionally among top winners.To become the Democratic presidential nominee, the candidate must secure 1,991 pledged delegates before the Democratic Party's convention in Wisconsin in July. If there is no outright majority then so-called super delegates, unpledged senior party members, could decide who secures the presidential nomination.There are 54 delegates in play in South Carolina. Only 101 so far allotted after the first three primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. South Carolina serves as a launchpad for the vital Super Tuesday election in just three days time, when 16 states and territories will vote and over 1,300 delegates, around a third of the total in the entire election, will be up for grabs. Sanders so far leads the pack with 45 delegates. He is followed by former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg on 26, while Biden lags behind with 15. Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren holds 8 with Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar on 7.
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| Pete Buttigieg to Drop Out of Presidential Race Posted: 01 Mar 2020 05:01 PM PST  Former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg has decided to drop out of the presidential race, according to campaign aides.The decision comes after a poor showing in the South Carolina primary, in which Buttigieg won just over 8 percent of the vote. Former vice president Joe Biden won the popular vote in every county in the state, after getting an endorsement from South Carolina kingmaker, Representative James Clyburn. Buttigieg received the support of just 3 percent of black voters in the state, raising doubts as to whether he could build a broad coalition in the Democratic presidential race.Buttigieg cancelled a rally in Dallas, Texas, scheduled for Sunday night and announced he was returning instead to South Bend."So a little bit of news for you about our flight," Buttigieg said in comments reported by the New York Times. "We're making a change in our travel plans and traveling to South Bend rather than to Texas. We're going to be making an announcement there about the future of the campaign, and we are looking forward to sharing with our supporters and with the country where we're going from here."Buttigieg emerged as the winner of the Iowa Caucuses after inching past Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) as final results were tallied. However, the former mayor's campaign failed to gain traction in subsequent states, and polling averages at RealClearPolitics showed Buttigieg at most in third place among Super Tuesday states.Billionaire businessman Tom Steyer dropped out of the race on Saturday night. With the addition of Buttigieg, the remaining candidates are Sanders, Biden, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.
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| Cameroon's Biya agrees probe needed into village attack: France Posted: 01 Mar 2020 01:25 PM PST  Cameroon President Paul Biya agreed on Sunday with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, that an impartial probe was needed after gunmen killed 22 people in a village at the heart of a separatist insurgency last month, the French presidency said. The two leaders spoke by phone about the Feb. 14 attack in a village in western Cameroon, where gunmen in military uniforms and masks shot women and children and burned others in their homes. "They agreed an impartial probe was needed in reaction to the violence committed against civilians in the village of Ngarbuh in the northwestern province," the French presidency said in a statement.
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| Anthony Fauci, who the Trump administration barred from speaking freely, is a public-health hero. The disease expert guided the US through AIDS, Zika, and Ebola. Posted: 28 Feb 2020 08:41 PM PST  Fauci has been a US health official since 1984, advising six presidents. Trump's administration barred him from speaking publicly without approval.
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| Coronavirus: who is most at risk of dying? Posted: 29 Feb 2020 05:27 PM PST  The World Health Organization raised its global risk assessment to its top level Friday, with the global health crisis edging closer to a pandemic. Among those infected with the virus, older adults with preexisting heart conditions or hypertension face a sharply higher risk, according to preliminary statistics, including from a study covering more than 72,000 patients in China. Among a subset of 44,700 infections confirmed through lab tests as of mid-February, more than 80 percent were at least 60 years old, with half over 70, said the study, that was published in the official China CDC Weekly.
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| Lady Gaga’s father won’t pay restaurant rent, citing homelessness as issue for business Posted: 01 Mar 2020 03:44 PM PST  Lady Gaga's father is refusing to pay $260,000 in rent and fees for his restaurant at New York City's Grand Central Terminal, saying the homeless population is hurting his business.
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| As riots engulf India's capital, two friends cross religious divide to document violence Posted: 01 Mar 2020 01:00 AM PST  At least 30 people were killed and more than 200 injured in sectarian riots engulfing the Indian capital.
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| Oklahoma college recruiter fired after lining up high school students by skin color, hair texture Posted: 01 Mar 2020 01:32 PM PST |
