| Full coverage: Biden wins big on Super Tuesday II Posted: 10 Mar 2020 03:50 PM PDT  Former Vice President Joe Biden is projected to win primaries in Michigan, Mississippi and Missouri, solidifying his lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders in the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
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| Norwegian F-35 stealth fighters sent out for the first time to intercept Russian sub hunter aircraft Posted: 10 Mar 2020 10:38 AM PDT  Norway scrambled F-35 stealth fighters over the weekend to intercept a pair of Russian Tu-142 anti-submarine warfare aircraft off its coast.
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| House Speaker Pelosi to unveil coronavirus aid package for workers Posted: 11 Mar 2020 01:32 PM PDT  Speaker Nancy Pelosi is moving swiftly toward House passage of a coronavirus aid package possibly this week as Congress rebuffs President Trump's proposed payroll tax break and focuses instead on sick pay and other resources to more immediately help workers hit by the crisis.
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| Intercepted Russian reconnaissance aircraft were watching US submarines during ICEX Posted: 11 Mar 2020 02:40 PM PDT  O'Shaughnessy said the Russian aircraft loitered about 2,500 feet above a camp that was established for the submarine exercise. He said the Russian aircraft "loitered" with an F-22 and and F-18 on their wing.
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| Trump snubs Jeff Sessions, backs Tommy Tuberville in Alabama Senate runoff Posted: 10 Mar 2020 07:47 PM PDT  The president endorsed the former Auburn head coach over his onetime attorney general in the runoff election set for the end of the month.
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| Why Did the USS Thresher Sink? Finally, the Navy Is Being Forced to Tell Us Posted: 10 Mar 2020 01:35 PM PDT  The submarine mysteriously went down in 1963, killing everyone on board. Thanks to a lawsuit, we're about to learn why.
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| Pakistan fighter jet crashes in capital during parade rehearsal Posted: 11 Mar 2020 04:31 AM PDT  A Pakistani F-16 fighter jet crashed in Islamabad Wednesday, killing the pilot, during a rehearsal for a national day military parade, officials said. Footage on social media showed a plume of smoke billowing into the sky after the plane hit the ground having apparently attempted a loop. A Pakistani Air Force spokesman said the pilot, Wing Commander Nauman Akram, died in the crash.
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| MSNBC Contributor Dr. Jason Johnson Out at The Root After Misogynistic Anti-Bernie Screed Posted: 10 Mar 2020 03:34 PM PDT  Weeks after being benched by MSNBC after making misogynistic comments about Bernie Sanders supporters, Dr. Jason Johnson is out at digital outlet The Root, The Daily Beast has confirmed.The political commentator appears to have removed the affiliation from his Twitter bio, and his contact information no longer appears on The Root's authors page. Sources at The Root confirmed that he is no longer employed by the site.Johnson, who served as politics editor of the influential African-American-focused news and culture website owned by G/O Media, drew widespread outrage last month after claiming "racist white liberals" support Sanders, who has done "nothing for intersectionality." "I don't care how many people from the island of misfit black girls you throw out there to defend you," he added in the Feb. 21 appearance on SiriusXM's The Karen Hunter Show.His comments, particularly those about black women who support Sanders, resulted in calls for his firing as a paid contributor for MSNBC, where he had become a fixture of Democratic primary analysis. "I hope we can have political disputes without engaging in open racism and sexism," Sanders' national press secretary Briahna Joy Gray tweeted about Johnson. "This misogynoir is disappointing, but not surprising from [him]."In a statement on Twitter, the political commentator apologized, saying his comments were "harmful and unnecessary."Several days later, The Daily Beast reported that MSNBC had quietly benched Johnson. After making nearly 40 on-air appearances in the first two months of 2020, including post-game coverage of the several Democratic primary debates and votes, the Morgan State University professor was nowhere to be found during MSNBC's coverage of the Nevada caucuses. He has yet to return to MSNBC's air.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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| Italy is in a nationwide lockdown over the coronavirus. Here are the rules all 60 million citizens now have to follow. Posted: 10 Mar 2020 05:01 AM PDT  The nationwide lockdown began Tuesday. Citizens now need police permission to travel, and businesses can open only if customers stay 3 feet apart.
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| U.S. arrests more than 250 tied to Mexican drug cartel Posted: 11 Mar 2020 12:36 PM PDT |
| India suspends tourist visas over coronavirus Posted: 11 Mar 2020 12:11 PM PDT  India on Wednesday suspended all tourist visas until April 15 and said it would quarantine travellers arriving from seven virus-hit countries in an attempt to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, the government said in a statement. The visa suspension begins March 13 at 1200 GMT at the port of departure, the statement read. Diplomatic visas and visas for international organizations, employment and projects however are exempt.
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| Trump Tells GOP He Wants Payroll Tax Waived Through Election Posted: 10 Mar 2020 01:15 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump told Republican senators on Tuesday that he wants a payroll tax holiday through the November election so that taxes don't go back up before voters decide whether to return him to office, according to three people familiar with the president's remarks.Trump spoke to the Republicans at their weekly conference lunch at the Capitol as his administration prepares a package of economic measures to combat the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak. But the administration does not have a particularly detailed plan, several Republicans said including John Thune of South Dakota."Until we have a little bit more of an idea of what it is exactly they're asking for, it's hard to react quite yet," Thune said.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said after a meeting with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin she called "pleasant" that she and the White House would "exchange further information.""We know more needs to be done," she said. She said Democrats have prepared legislation but they're seeking budget estimates and the advice of legislative counsel and declined to provide a timeline to advance it.Trump said Monday that he would announce "substantial" economic measures in a Tuesday news conference to combat the virus, a statement that dismayed some of his aides because details of such a plan are still under discussion. Democrats have expressed reluctance about a tax cut to address the economic impact of coronavirus and several Republican senators also held back from endorsing the idea before Trump's visit to the capitol."What we are doing has to be related to the coronavirus," Pelosi said.Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the government should focus on guaranteeing paid sick leave for workers who are infected and extending unemployment insurance for people put out of work.Trump also pitched Republican senators on economic relief for the travel and hospitality industries, which have been hard-hit by coronavirus-related cancellations, said Senator Lindsey Graham.Graham, a South Carolina Republican, said reaction to the idea of waiving payroll taxes was "mixed."Most of the payroll tax funds Social Security, with employees and employers each paying 6.2% on wages up to $137,700. Another 1.45% is paid to fund Medicare.The cost of a payroll tax cut or holiday would depend on how much of the tax is rolled back and for how long. A 2 percentage point cut for employees, as President Barack Obama signed at the end of 2010, would cost $150 billion in government revenue over a year and $300 billion if the employer portion also was cut."The payroll tax, as a general stimulus -- I've got to think about that," Graham said.Graham said that his colleagues John Hoeven of North Dakota and James Lankford of Oklahoma suggested a federal bailout for the shale drilling industry, which is under sudden stress due to an oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia.Thune said the shale issue was "one of many" that came up during the meeting. "I don't know at this point if that will be in any final package," he said.After the meeting, the Republicans were largely in agreement that some sort of economic stimulus is necessary."Our economy is going to take a hit," said Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican. "You don't have to be a senior at Cal Tech to figure that out. The world economy's going to take a hit. It won't be a permanent hit. But we don't know how much."Kennedy defended the Federal Reserve, which the president has harshly criticized this week even after the central bank issued an emergency half-point cut in interest rates to stave off a coronavirus-related slowdown."I do not think just cutting interest rates is going to do it," Kennedy said. "I don't think doing this on the monetary side will succeed. We're going to have to do it on the fiscal side as well."Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said that a payroll tax holiday should be paid for because it would otherwise weaken Social Security. Payroll deductions finance the trust funds that support both the retirement program and Medicare, the health program for the elderly and disabled.Senator John Cornyn described coronavirus as presenting a potential "economic 9/11" to the country, a day after he expressed skepticism about passing stimulus measures. Cornyn said that Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming suggested an infrastructure bill to Trump and the president was receptive.If lawmakers "don't get ahead of it you're going to see unemployment rise," Cornyn said, justifying a payroll tax cut.(Updates with Thune and Pelosi remarks. An earlier version of this story corrected the spelling of Senator John Barrasso's name.)\--With assistance from Erik Wasson, Daniel Flatley and Ari Natter.To contact the reporter on this story: Jennifer Jacobs in Washington at jjacobs68@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Justin Blum, Kevin WhitelawFor 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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| Get the Look of Dakota Johnson's Cozy L.A. Home Posted: 11 Mar 2020 05:00 AM PDT |
| ‘It is likely that people you know will die’: Coronavirus could be like 1918 flu pandemic, warns ex-CDC expert Posted: 10 Mar 2020 06:20 AM PDT  The coronavirus crisis could be as serious and deadly as the 1918 flu pandemic which killed up to 50m people around the world, a former CDC infectious disease specialist has warned.As health experts from Milan to Wuhan scrambled to try and stop the spread of Covid-19, which has now infected more than 108,000 people and killed 3,800, an epidemiologist in Washington state has warned that "people you know" will likely die.
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| Sanders Will Remain in Race, Declares Victory in ‘Ideological Debate’ But Admits He’s Losing ‘Debate over Electability’ Posted: 11 Mar 2020 10:46 AM PDT  Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) on Wednesday announced he is staying in the presidential race, in his first public remarks since losing the majority of Mini Tuesday primaries to former Vice President Joe Biden."On Sunday, I very much look forward to the debate in Arizona with my friend, Joe Biden," Sanders said at a press conference in his hometown of Burlington."While our campaign has won the ideological debate, we are losing the debate over electability," Sanders asserted. The Vermont senator also said he was winning the "generational debate," as he performs consistently better among young voters while Biden relies on older voters for support.Currently, Biden holds 857 delegates to Sanders's 709. The next set of Democratic primaries, scheduled for March 17, will be held in Ohio, Arizona, Illinois, and Florida. Polls currently show Biden gaining support from Latinos, an important Sanders constituency, in Arizona, while a majority of Florida Latinos support Biden.Earlier on Wednesday, Biden campaign communications director Kate Bedingfield reached out to Sanders supporters."Our message is, we're building a movement to defeat Trump and we would love to have you," Bedingfield told Fox News. "I think that there is a lot more that unites us than divides us.On Tuesday Sanders lost the Missouri, Mississippi, Idaho and Michigan primaries to Biden. Sanders captured North Dakota and is posied to win Washington as well, though not by the wide margin his campaign initially expected. In 2016 Sanders had bested Hillary Clinton in Michigan in an upset primary race, but Biden managed to increase voter turnout and won every county in the state.Sanders's strong support from people under the age of 40 as well as among Latinos helped drive his earlier victories in California and Nevada. Meanwhile, Biden rode a wave of support from moderate and African American voters to victories in both Mini Tuesday and Super Tuesday primaries.
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| The US is struggling to test more people for the coronavirus. Now it's facing a shortage of the materials used to run those tests. Posted: 11 Mar 2020 12:50 PM PDT  Italy, South Korea, and China are "way ahead of us on testing," one US health-system CEO told Business Insider.
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| Police: Remains identified as missing Tennessee girl Posted: 11 Mar 2020 04:55 PM PDT  Remains found last week in Tennessee were positively identified as those of a 15-month-old girl missing for weeks, police said Wednesday. The remains found Friday are those of Evelyn Mae Boswell, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Leslie Earhart said in a video message posted on Twitter. The remains were found in Sullivan County on property belonging to a family member, the bureau had said earlier.
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| A plane made an unscheduled landing after one person's sneeze caused a major disruption on board Posted: 11 Mar 2020 10:31 AM PDT  As coronavirus fears run high, a United flight was diverted when passengers became disruptive when another person sneezed.
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| Texas GOP Rep. Louie Gohmert, exposed to the coronavirus, is back in Congress, leading public tours Posted: 09 Mar 2020 08:53 PM PDT  Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), like several of his colleagues, was informed he was exposed to the novel coronavirus at the Conservative Political Action Conference in late February. Unlike his colleagues, Gohmert declined to self-quarantine, saying Monday that a doctor from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cleared him to return to Washington. So he did.> >@replouiegohmert, who interacted with COVID positive person at CPAC last week, is leading this large group of schoolkids around the Capitol right now pic.twitter.com/zTzd7IOQIq> > — Mike DeBonis (@mikedebonis) March 10, 2020> This is an enormous group, well over 100 kids pic.twitter.com/BxQx944Rhu> > — Mike DeBonis (@mikedebonis) March 10, 2020Gohmert did not say which CDC doctor called him on Sunday, but on Monday, the CDC advised Americans that "the novel coronavirus is capable of spreading easily and sustainably from person to person," and as it spreads to throughout the country, "it's likely many will become sick but most people likely will have mild illness."> As the outbreak continues, many people in the United States will at some point in time, either this year or next, be exposed to COVID19; it's likely many will become sick but most people likely will have mild illness. https://t.co/SlDrVXXfCz> > — CDC (@CDCgov) March 9, 2020President Trump, who may also have been exposed to the virus, has not indicated any curtailing of his public engagements.More stories from theweek.com Trump's former pandemic adviser: 'We are 10 days from our hospitals getting creamed' Biden is still riding support from older and African American voters to victory, exit polls show Andrew Yang says Bernie Sanders was his 'inspiration,' but 'the math' has him endorsing Joe Biden
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| Trump's radical plan to waive payroll tax would punch hole in Social Security, Medicare budgets Posted: 11 Mar 2020 12:35 PM PDT  President Donald Trump has picked his favourite weapon to fight the economic fallout from the coronavirus - an elimination of the "payroll tax" on workers' gross earnings that is used to fund national retirement programs. Trump advisers on the White House economic team and Republican lawmakers are pushing for more targeted stimulus. Trump told Republican senators in a meeting Tuesday he would like to waive the payroll tax entirely through the end of the year, or even permanently suspend it, one attendee told Reuters.
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| 7-Eleven Owner Arrested After Selling 'Dangerous' Homemade Sanitizer Posted: 11 Mar 2020 08:00 AM PDT  Children allegedly suffered burns after using the "spray sanitizer"
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| Analyst who predicted 2008 global financial crash warns another one is on the way — and not just because of coronavirus Posted: 10 Mar 2020 04:11 PM PDT  An analyst who predicted the 2008 global financial crisis has warned that another crash is on the way, and this time it will be much worse.Jesse Colombo, an economic forecaster and columnist who identified a housing and credit bubble in the US prior to the 2008 crash, says a number of new bubbles in markets around the world are set to burst.
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| China slams US for warship sail-by in disputed waters Posted: 11 Mar 2020 03:43 AM PDT  Beijing on Wednesday accused the United States of a "provocative" act by sending a warship into disputed territorial waters in the South China Sea. The Paracel Islands are a chain of disputed islands and reefs in the South China Sea, claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam. "Under the guise of 'freedom of navigation', the US has repeatedly flexed its muscles, been provocative and stirred up trouble in the South China Sea," PLA Southern Theatre Command spokesman Colonel Li Huamin said.
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| Biden Seizes Bernie Battleground, Closes In On Trump Showdown Posted: 10 Mar 2020 05:17 PM PDT  A 2016 win in Michigan helped save Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-VT) presidential campaign. Now the state may prove to be his undoing. Michigan Democratic primary voters sided with former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday, giving the former vice president a major win in the Midwest and dealing a devastating blow to Sanders' chances of wrestling back control of the nomination fight. Sanders' narrow victory over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Michigan's 2016 primary battle proved to be a major upset for the Vermont senator. His inability to win the state this time around could be the nail in the coffin for his campaign, coming as the Associated Press called Mississippi and Missouri for Biden earlier on Tuesday evening. Though not delegate heavy, Biden's victory in Idaho late Tuesday night only added to a strong night for the Democratic frontrunner. The Missouri victory was also a tough blow for Sanders, who nearly won the state during his 2016 primary campaign, losing to Clinton by just .25 percent once the votes were tallied. And before the night had ended, top officials in the Democratic Party were already making the case that the primary had ended for all intents and purposes."We have been studiously neutral for 15 months and were preparing for a Sanders nomination just 10 days ago but we should just call this what it is," said Guy Cecil, head of the party's largest super PAC, Priorities USA. "We don't have time, money, or energy to spare."Bernie Sanders Feels Joe Biden Is 'Up to the Task' of the 'Rigors' of Being PresidentDespite Biden's strong night, Sanders and his supporters were able to claim a late breaking victory in North Dakota.Tuesday's set of primaries, six in total, comes at a tense time across the United States. Fears about the novel coronavirus and concerns about its impact was the backdrop for a day where Michigan, Missouri, Idaho, North Dakota, Washington, and Mississippi all cast ballots. Both Biden and Sanders canceled campaign events scheduled to be held in Ohio Tuesday night hours after the governor called a state of emergency relating to the virus. Sanders didn't speak at all on Tuesday night while Biden calmly addressed a crowd in Philadelphia—home of his campaign headquarters—saying that while there was a way to go "it looks like we're going to have another good night."The last minute logistics deprived the frontrunner of an audience proportional to his Tuesday night victory. As Biden drew closer to the Democratic nomination, he had no packed hall of fans or even a stage. Instead, he walked out to a dais on a flag-strewn balcony with cameras, a dais, and a small ring of supporters. "And I want to thank Bernie Sanders and his supporters for their tireless energy and their passion," Biden said. "We share a common goal and together we'll defeat Donald Trump. We'll defeat him together."For Sanders, in particular, it's a tough time to be off the trail. His electoral stock has fallen at the expense of Biden's rise. Before South Carolina, Sanders had established himself as the Democratic frontrunner, powered by success in Iowa and clear victories in the New Hampshire and Nevada contests. But South Carolina, where Sanders had hoped to recover from a blowout loss in the 2016 cycle, overwhelmingly sided with Biden and soon two of Biden's rivals—first former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg and then Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)—dropped out of the race and, within days, endorsed the former VP. On Sunday, former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-TX), who dropped out of the presidential race months ago, joined Biden and Klobuchar at a rally in his home state of Texas to also endorse Biden ahead of the crucial Super Tuesday contest. Whether it was the show of unity or the momentum from South Carolina or some combination of the two, Biden exceeded expectations on Super Tuesday, beating Sanders in ten of the 14 contests, including surprise victories in Minnesota and Texas. Biden came into Tuesday night's contests with 670 delegates, according to The Associated Press, while Sanders had won 574. The groundswell of support and the wave of endorsements allowed the Biden campaign to deploy the younger generation of elected officials on the trail. Klobuchar boosted Biden at events last weekend. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), who endorsed Biden on Sunday, campaigned alongside him in Detroit on Monday night and was joined by fellow newfound Biden supporter Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ). Few endorsements have gone Sanders way since Super Tuesday, though Jesse Jackson announced his support for the Vermont Independent on Sunday and the Working Families Party also came to Sanders aid with an endorsement Monday morning. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) drew some Sanders supporters ire by not dropping out before Super Tuesday, and then further irking them by not endorsing Sanders once she formally ended her campaign last week. Sanders now faces a crucial week ahead. A Democratic debate, albeit one without a live audience, is scheduled for Sunday night in Phoenix. Then Ohio, Florida, Illinois, and Arizona will all vote on March 17. During his 2016 run, Sanders did not win any of those states. The newly widened delegate gap also puts Biden in a delicate spot: with his frontrunner status solidified, he's likely to face questions centered around the general election he has in store for President Donald Trump. The president has made it a personal priority to attack Biden, usually on personal fronts. And after his success in Michigan, the state Trump unexpectedly won over Clinton four years ago, he's likely to ramp up efforts. —With reporting by Sam Stein, Hanna Trudo and Adam Rawnsley Younger Dems Don't Much Like Uncle Joe. Here's How He Changes That.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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| Police: Woman won't explain why she threw son from 4th floor Posted: 10 Mar 2020 08:45 AM PDT  Itayvia Lloyd, 33, was being held Tuesday in the Ramsey County jail on probable charges of aggravated assault, malicious punishment of a child and assault of a police officer. Formal charges could be filed Tuesday. Officers found the boy on the ground in the building's courtyard with significant injuries, according to police spokesman Steve Linders.
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| There's another cruise ship being kept at sea pending COVID-19 testing Posted: 10 Mar 2020 03:09 PM PDT  Thousands of passengers on an additional Princess Cruises ship are being kept on board while crew members get tested for COVID-19.
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| An Australian family accidentally ordered $3,264 worth of toilet paper when they bought 48 boxes instead of 48 rolls Posted: 10 Mar 2020 12:07 PM PDT  Haidee Janetzki of Australia, decided to resell the 2,304 rolls of toilet paper as people panic buy the product during the coronavirus outbreak.
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| South Korea reports jump in coronavirus cases after call center outbreak Posted: 10 Mar 2020 06:25 PM PDT  South Korea reported a jump in new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, reversing 11 days of slowing infections, as authorities tested hundreds of staff at a Seoul call center where the disease broke out this week. Another 242 new cases were reported, compared with 35 a day earlier, bringing the total to 7,755 in Asia's worst outbreak outside mainland China, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said. The daily tally of new cases in South Korea peaked at 909 on Feb. 29, as authorities tested about 200,000 followers of a fringe Christian church at the center of the nation's epidemic.
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| Two US troops, 1 coalition member killed, as more than 15 rockets slam Iraqi base Posted: 11 Mar 2020 04:12 PM PDT  OIR has confirmed whether there were any casualties or wounded as a result of the rocket attack.
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| Coronavirus news: Washington preparing for 64,000 cases as Massachusetts becomes latest to declare state of emergency Posted: 10 Mar 2020 01:09 PM PDT  With more than 900 reported cases and a task force created by Donald Trump to prepare the nation, coronavirus fears have begun to grip the United States as schools cancel classes and officials have urged elderly people to avoid large crowds. Coronavirus concerns have also prompted several members of US Congress to self quarantine after coming into contact with people who were infected, and some politicians have begun to indicate they believe the Capitol building should be shut off to visitors until the growing outbreak has been contained.So far, 30 people have been killed by the virus, including at least 24 in Washington, two in California and another two in Florida. Eight people have so-far recovered from the virus, which has sparked a rare national lock down in Italy. The rapid increase of coronavirus cases in the US and across the world encouraged one expert to compare the numbers to Italy, which has seen more than 9,100 cases. The expert anticipates America's epidemic could look like Italy's in nine to 14 days. The spread of the coronavirus got worse in Italy on Tuesday, with the state revealing the death toll has risen by 168 people in just 24 hours. It made for the largest single day jump and 631 people have died from the virus to date.
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| Don’t Let the Chinese Government Escape Blame for Coronavirus’s Initial Spread Posted: 10 Mar 2020 03:30 AM PDT  From almost the very beginning of the COVID-19/coronavirus crisis in January and early February, it's often been asked whether it might be the "Chinese Chernobyl." Could the crisis expose the weakness of the mix of oppression, information control, and social disgust that underpin the Chinese Communist regime and trigger its collapse? Others have suggested that it might instead be "president Xi Jinping's Tiananmen," meaning he will use all the tools at his disposal to tighten down and prevent, well . . . a Chinese Chernobyl.It is too soon to know what may happen. But it's not too soon for attempts to whitewash the timeline and Chinese-government actions in the earliest moments of the crisis. Indeed, even now, the level of public anxiety about both the virus and what the Chinese government is doing and saying about it remain high.It is helpful to review the current status and the timeline that got us here. On Monday, February 24, the World Health Organization determined that reported cases of COVID-19/coronavirus had peaked. At the time, there were about 76,000 reported cases in China, and about 1,800 cases elsewhere in the world. In the United States, there were 14 reported cases. As of March 7, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and state and local public health reporting suggest the number is more than 300 cases, a twenty-fold increase. Globally, there are more than 100,000 cases, with more than 350 deaths in Italy alone.The world has barely begun to reckon with what the Chinese government claims to have gotten under control. It's true that forced quarantining and other extreme measures in China played a critical role. The World Health Organization report of its February mission to China praises the PRC for its response: "The response structures in China were rapidly put in place according to existing emergency plans and aligned from the top to the bottom. This was replicated at the four levels of government (national, provincial, prefecture and county/district)." The leader of the World Health Organization mission to China in February, Canadian epidemiologist Dr. Bruce Aylward, encouraged the world to "access the expertise of China," adding that "if I had COVID-19, I'd want to be treated in China."But the WHO report and subsequent reporting about what the world can learn from China represents a real-time cleansing of the actual record, a record that includes intentional obfuscation and failure to respond in the early stages of the crisis. This includes the government's early attempts to stifle communication about the virus, the censorship of doctors and others on social media as cases were being observed in late December, and the continuing suppression of information on social media across the country about how the government, from President Xi Jinping to local administrators, continues to mislead the public and the rest of the world.On March 3, researchers at the University of Toronto Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy published "Censured Contagion," a report that meticulously documents a timeline and body of facts that paint quite a different picture than the WHO report, and placing WHO's accolades for China's "response structures" that were "rapidly put in place" in doubt. The WHO report concludes that the beginning of the epidemic was December 30, 2019, with the collection of samples from a pneumonia patient in Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital. Data provided in graphics in the report show essentially zero cases before that date.Yet the Munk School researchers found that censorship of certain keywords in social media had already begun by then. They highlight social-media reports during the prior week by doctors reporting an unknown pathogen, linking it to the Wuhan seafood market. By December 31, social-media channels, including WeChat, were already censoring the terms "Wuhan seafood market" and "unknown Wuhan pneumonia."As careful as the recent Munk School report is, its essential elements were available to WHO researchers before they made their February 16-24 trip and wrote their report praising the PRC response. On February 1, the Washington Post published a story excoriating Beijing's early handling of the outbreak. The story includes anecdotes consistent with the Munk School analysis, such as how the Wuhan Public Security Bureau on New Year's Day had begun detaining people for "spreading 'rumours' about Wuhan hospitals receiving SARS-like cases." The government-controlled Xinhua News Agency, the Post reported, called on those online to "jointly build a harmonious, clear and bright cyberspace."WHO and its director-general, the Ethiopian politician Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, have received criticism for their own response to the crisis. Michael Collins at the Council on Foreign Relations labeled it a joint "dereliction of duty" in a searing blog post in late February. Collins correctly concludes that WHO "laundered" the PRC record, damaging its own credibility by doing so.The most galling result of that image-burnishing is the ubiquity of coverage -- and repetition by third parties who don't care to find out the truth -- to the effect that the world should actually thank the PRC for its strong reaction, because it bought the world the necessary time to prepare for the challenge. Science magazine online, the publication of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, posed the question this week: "Can China's COVID-19 strategy work elsewhere?" This is just one example.This reflects what we already know about the Chinese government. It is developing into a modern state, one whose public-health system has significantly advanced from its ordeal with the SARS epidemic just 20 years ago. Per capita wealth is up more than 300 percent, and the Chinese share of the global GDP has more than doubled, from about 7 percent to more than 16 percent over the same period.Alongside that growth and progress, though, China under President Xi is ever more repressive. It uses some of the most sophisticated technology in the world simply to control its population. That includes Internet censorship, social-media monitoring and tracking of ordinary citizens, and the mass detention of Muslims and other minorities.But Chinese government face-saving is not stopping at the Chinese border. It is also attempting to control the narrative through state-controlled media, and through their willing partners in the West, including WHO. Government propagandists published a compendium of state-news agency articles, official government statements, and other documents in a book called A Battle Against Epidemic: China Combatting COVID-19 in 2020. The publication faced immediate scorn in social media within the country.Fortunately, despite the well-documented censorship of social media, citizen journalism continues. A popular meme shows Dr. Li Wenliang, the Wuhan ophthalmologist whose social media questioned the "Wuhan pneumonia" in late December and who eventually died from the virus, with barbed wire where his facemask should be. Several citizen journalists have gone missing, including in Shandong province, where there have been reports including in the Epoch Times that significant underreporting of COVID-19 by official statistics continues despite the WHO declaration that the caseload has peaked.In times of duress, the most innate qualities of countries tend to predominate. That's what we've seen with the PRC. We can recognize the intensity of China's public-health response. But we should acknowledge and condemn the methods by which the world was kept in the dark for too long, and the means by which Beijing continues to interrupt the flow of information. We should not be thanking Beijing for its actions. Instead, we need honesty and the pursuit of the truth to defeat this challenge. And we must acknowledge that the Chinese government's actions early on almost certainly led to the global crisis we're facing.
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| Former Bloomberg campaign staffers are reportedly being offered the chance to keep their work iPhones and laptops as a type of severance — but they'll have to pay taxes on them if they do Posted: 10 Mar 2020 08:12 AM PDT  The devices are reportedly worth $1,400 to $1,700, and the former staffers will have to pay taxes if they keep them.
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| US cracks down on Mexico 'New Generation' cartel Posted: 11 Mar 2020 02:07 PM PDT  US authorities announced Wednesday that they had arrested 750 people involved with the powerful Mexican methamphetamine cartel Jalisco New Generation, denting one of the world's "most dangerous" trafficking organizations. The Drug Enforcement Administration said 250 were arrested around the United States early Wednesday, taking the total to 750 during the crackdown. The Justice Department also unveiled fresh indictments of the cartel's head Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as El Mencho, and his son and daughter, who are both already in US custody.
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| Some people 70+ should be barred from boarding cruise ships, industry proposal says Posted: 11 Mar 2020 12:38 PM PDT  CLIA, the leading organization of the cruise industry, submitted a plan to Vice President Michael Pence proposing enhanced measures across the industry.
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| Late night hosts are increasingly convinced Trump is part of the coronavirus problem Posted: 10 Mar 2020 01:56 AM PDT  "There are now over 600 cases of coronavirus in the United States," Stephen Colbert said on Monday's Late Show. Italy has shut down entirely, and "Wall Street S&Peed its pants." with the Dow suffering its "largest single point drop in history.""This is the first crisis of Trump's presidency that he did not cause himself, and he is shanking it," Colbert said. "Trump spent the weekend golfing" and continues to post callous tweets, "but when he hunkers down focuses on the problem, that's when he really sucks." He recapped Trump's trip Friday to the CDC, shaking his head at Trump's assertion he surprises doctors with his deep understanding of the virus, crediting his "natural ability" to his "super genius" Uncle John. "Epidemiology is not genetic!" Colbert said. "Knowledge does not get passed down in the family -- that's why, no matter how much we all know it now, future generations are going to have to learn for themselves that you're an idiot."Yeah, "I'm not sure that Trump has 'a natural ability' for science, especially considering he thinks scientific knowledge can be passed down through his uncle," Trevor Noah marveled at The Daily Show. And really, "Trump can't afford to be uninformed about corona -- not just because he's president, but because as an older man who's not in great shape and spends his time touching strangers, he's definitely at risk.""The president publicly seems determined to keep shaking hands," but reportedly, he's "privately terrified about getting the virus" and "thinks journalists will purposefully contract coronavirus to give it to him on Air Force One," Jimmy Kimmel said on Kimmel Live. "That doesn't seem paranoid at all." People are canceling major events, "selling off stocks, and buying up toilet paper," and freakily, "Costco is pulling their free samples," he said. "Trump needs to send Mike Pence to Costco to figure this out, right now!""We are now seeing what it's like when a lifelong scam artist is in charge of responding to a public health crisis," Seth Meyers said at Late Night. Trump told CDC experts he's getting his coronavirus information from Fox News, "public health officials are worried about making him angry by telling the truth," and "Trump appointees keep going out of their way to compliment him."Conan O'Brien had a a PSA about fighting misinformation.At The Late Show, the coronavirus took a victory lap. More stories from theweek.com Trump's former pandemic adviser: 'We are 10 days from our hospitals getting creamed' After finding piles of portraits in an abandoned studio, man finds a way to get them to rightful families A Seattle lab uncovered Washington's coronavirus outbreak only after defying federal regulators
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| Gunfire, burning vehicles in Mexican city; officials deny gang leader held Posted: 10 Mar 2020 09:27 PM PDT  Gunmen blocked roads with burning vehicles and exchanged fire with security forces in a central Mexican city on Tuesday, while security officials denied that a wanted gang leader had been captured. The brazen skirmishes in the city of Celaya in Guanajuato state sparked rumors on social media that security forces had closed in on Jose "El Marro" Yepez, the head of the Santa Rosa de Lima criminal cartel, and possibly arrested him. The cartel is believed to be behind the massive theft of gasoline from illegal taps on pipelines belonging to national oil company Pemex, a criminal racket that had grown significantly in recent years.
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| Animal control director resigns over killing of injured dog Posted: 11 Mar 2020 08:24 AM PDT |
| Coronavirus: Fox presenter claims criticism of Trump’s handling of outbreak is ‘impeachment all over again’ Posted: 10 Mar 2020 09:18 AM PDT  Fox Business host Trish Regan has claimed that criticism of Donald Trump over Covid-19 is an attempt to impeach the president.Ms Regan, who hosts "Trish Regan Primetime" on Fox Business started her show on Monday night by attacking those criticising Trump's handling over the pandemic.
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| Iran Doesn’t Understand ‘Maximum Pressure’ Posted: 10 Mar 2020 03:30 AM PDT  Iran has misjudged not only the toxic effects of the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" sanctions on the regime but also the entire psychology of U.S. policy toward Iran. The result is that Iranian unemployment is soaring, its gross domestic product is tanking, inflation is raging, oil prices are crashing, and its friends are fewer than ever — and for the first time in 40 years, the regime believes that it must do something quite radical before it implodes.2020 is not 1979, not 1983, not 1986, not 2004–2007, and not 2011 -- all years when Iran variously pressured the U.S. by taking hostages, killing American personnel in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, threatening oil disruptions, and planning to kill the Saudi ambassador in Washington, D.C. Now things are redefined for a variety of reasons, most of them apparently still underappreciated by the theocratic Iranian elite.1) As the world's largest oil and natural-gas producer, the U.S. is not vulnerable to cutoffs of oil from the Middle East. It, of course, cares about global free passage through the Straits of Hormuz, but not as much as do major importers such as Europe and exporters such as China.Americans today certainly would not go to war if oil-dependent nations did not themselves first confront Iran over any threatened denial of access through the straits. That said, most Americans would not wish their sons and daughters to die to keep Chinese trade -- or even Europe's oil imports -- safe.As far as the old Middle East "tensions" spiking oil prices and thereby harming consumers in the U.S. are concerned, such theoretical crises now offer a wash to America: Higher gas prices would also mean that the value of ascending U.S. daily oil production would increase by hundreds of millions of dollars every week, because consumers mostly pay fellow Americans for increased gas costs at the pump.Yet in truth, world oil prices are crashing because of new producers on the market and panic over global economic slowdown from the coronavirus panic. Nor can Iran threaten Israel with fuel cutoffs, given Israeli self-sufficiency in natural gas and, increasingly, oil production. The Arab world, Russia, and the U.S. — that is, countries responsible for over 60 percent of world's daily oil output — either like having Iranian oil off the market or don't seem to care. In sum, Iran is pumping less oil at lower prices than at any time in recent memory.2) Iran has not figured out Trump. He is not beholden to the bipartisan foreign-policy establishment — as his critics lament. He has no beltway "wise men" envoys who float between Republican and Democratic administrations and advise caution and split-the-difference mediation.Trump is instead sui generis, unpredictable, and he does not seem to worry much whether the New York Times or the Council on Foreign Relations dubs him "reckless" or "unpredictable" or even "dangerous." He is not likely to relent and end sanctions unilaterally, as past presidents did in the cases of Iran and North Korea.Thus, Trump does not obsess over Iran any more than he does over the Palestinians. By that, I mean, he levels sanctions or cuts aid, and then moves on. Ginned-up crowds chanting "Death to America" have been stale Tehranian fare for 40 years and have zero effect on the Trump administration. Being hated by seventh-century-style imams is only to Trump's advantage — to the extent he or anyone else even notices anymore.After 40 years of Iranian psychodramas and "Death to America" monotony (coupled with the desire of many Iranians to visit or reside in the U.S.), the world in general doesn't much worry about Iran's self-created mess. Most nations neither fear Iran nor collude with it. It is a pariah state, analogous to Venezuela or North Korea. And now it is a broke and weak one to boot. Only Russia and China claim it as a client, needy though it is. John Kerry's sin was not just that he appeased the Iranian theocracy, but that he gave them any attention at all.So far Trump has mostly done what he said he would, not just at home but concerning some of the most controversial foreign-policy issues of our age: He has moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, cut off most U.S. aid to the Palestinians, exited the Paris climate accord and the Iran deal, and confronted China in an existential stand-off over trade.This record suggests that when Trump says he has a theoretical list of targets — no doubt, power plants, military bases, and nuclear facilities — that U.S. drones, missiles, or air strikes will target in response should Iran revert to form and once again begin killing Americans through terrorist appendages and with the same old, same old denial of culpability, Trump might, in fact, very well strike. Any such retaliation would inflict billions of dollars in damage to Iran, but without a great risk of losing American service personal or inflicting civilian collateral damage. Iran is the subtext for a Middle East that is becoming less and less important to America.Our Middle East interests have shrunk to two concerns: No Middle East nations should use oil revenues to go nuclear, and terrorists should not have sacrosanct badlands from which to launch attacks on the U.S. Both agendas can be advanced mostly by air power, without large bases or the use of ground troops.3) There is no longer just an Islamic–Western binary. The ancient Shiite–Sunni tensions have intensified because of Iran's quest for a nuclear weapon, which the Gulf kingdoms and moderate Arab regimes believe would be aimed at them, inevitably ending in a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.As a result, in polls of Arab public opinion, Israel is seen in the Sunni world as a neutral power or perhaps even a useful third-party resource rather than an existential enemy — on the principle that the enemy of my enemy is sort of my anti-Iranian friend.In other words, Iran is no longer opposed by just the U.S and the West and Israel. Now almost all the Sunni Muslim world also opposes Iran, in a way not so true in the past three decades. Tehran's attack on the Saudi oil refinery reminds the region that Iran is an opportunistic predator, in the sense that it prefers attacking vulnerable Muslim antagonists rather than Israel, which would have replied disproportionately.In sum, Iran is reaching North Korean status, becoming a regional and international pariah, found useful only by terrorists, China and Russia, and outlaw governments such as Pyongyang's. And now it lacks even such a patron as nuclear China (which props up North Korea), and it has alienated both Turkey and Egypt and become an albatross around the neck of the Palestinians.4) Maximum-pressure strategies are in truth reactive. Our policy forces Iran to be the aggressor, ostensibly. Or least it allows them to make their own decisions about their own future. American ground troops are no longer nearby and vulnerable in any great number in Iraq, as they were in 2005 and 2006 when Iran targeted them with shaped charges. The U.S. is not bogged down by a raging war in Iraq. It is not mired in a post-2008 recession.There is no American embassy in Tehran. The U.S. has no desire for preemptory invasion or even nation-building through coup attempts. Hezbollah and Hamas are running out of money and are at a nadir in terms of global empathy to their causes.Each day that passes in the U.S.–Iranian standoff is of no expense to the U.S. It is not conducting a costly 1962-like blockade (as we then did in Cuba) in patrolling Iran's ports. There are no American jets tasked with a grueling twelve years of enforcement of U.N.-mandated no-fly zones, as we maintained over Iraq during the Clinton and Bush administrations. Marines are not circling offshore waiting to invade Tehran. No one is advocating another Libyan misadventure.The American public does not like the Iranian government and does not listen when it claims that sanctions are hurting "the Iranian people," to whom theocrats have so serially lied about the coronavirus and the downed Ukrainian jet liner, and whom it so callously has butchered in the street.The apartheid South African government cried similarly that sanctions hurt poor blacks. Perhaps they did — in the short term. But most of the victims were willing to endure hardship for the long-term weakening or collapse of the regime that was the source of their discontent. The U.S. has never waged a war against the Iranian people. If anything, the prior six presidents went out of their way to distinguish Iranians from the theocracy that hijacked their government — all in the vain hope that a grassroots revolution might overthrow the supreme leader.Indeed, official American policy has long been that the millions of protesters in the Iranian streets chanting anti-American slogans are not the majority of the population, that the reason for 40 years of Iranian autocracy was not that the Iranian people liked their anti-American government, and that parlor trashing of America by dissident Iranian intellectuals in the West was over tactics, not the strategy of opposing the theocracy. All that may or may not be true, but again it has been America's de facto bipartisan policy.U.S. banks and Treasury officials are steadily, stealthily, and without much attention ratcheting up the pressure — on the premise that the U.S. economy and military have never been stronger, making it iffy for neutrals to buck American sanctions.Under maximum pressure, the theocracy grows more desperate each day. We can see that in the regime's recent murdering of 1,500 protesters, the lying and loss of fides about the downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet, the inability to tell the truth about the COVID-19 outbreaks, and the anemic turnout in regional elections. In the case of the coronavirus, Iran reminds us that a duplicitous authoritarian government is a force multiplier of plague, given its innate distrust of the people, its paranoid misallotment of resources, and its counterproductive scapegoating of foreign powers for its own incompetence.Iran at some point, sooner rather than later, will either have to concede and return to the Iran deal, giving up concessions such as inclusion of missiles and terrorists, allowing true snap spot inspections, and agreeing to never go nuclear.Or it can brag that it is the new Albania or Maoist China, having forged a completely autonomous Islamic economy, free at last from the corrupting tentacle of the despised U.S., Inc.Or it can again, on spec, turn to its now money-hungry terrorist surrogates to kill Americans, with the hope that Donald J. Trump was bluffing when he promised to do billions of dollars of damage to Iranian infrastructure if terrorists began killing Americans.In truth, Iran cannot afford either to escalate (and risk crippling air strikes) or back down (and experience loss of face and prestige throughout the Islamic and terrorist worlds). Nor can it continue with the status quo of sanctions and falling oil prices (and thus slowly return to a pre-modern economy). The regime will not liberalize, but it will lose its national infrastructure and wealth if it starts killing Americans. Iran certainly cannot create a self-sufficient economy.In short, never in our long, checkered 40-year shared history with Iran has the U.S. been relatively stronger and Iran abjectly weaker.The ball is in Iran's court, and the American attitude seems to be "do your worst, and we will do our best in response" — and that reality is a self-made lose-lose dilemma for the theocracy. For the first time in 40 years, there is at least some hope for the Iranian people that the end of their tragic nightmare is on the horizon.
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| 'Never let your heart turn black': Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez suggests Joe Biden could beat Bernie Sanders but urges supporters not lose hope Posted: 10 Mar 2020 08:43 PM PDT  "There's a lot of savior-ism in politics, like 'Who's next?' and 'Who's gonna save us?' And the answer is you."
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| The Kremlin says President Trump will not be in Moscow for Victory Day Posted: 10 Mar 2020 10:41 AM PDT  President Trump will not be going to Moscow for Victory Day celebrations on May 9, the Kremlin said Tuesday.
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| Supreme Court greenlights "Remain in Mexico" policy Posted: 11 Mar 2020 12:42 AM PDT  A federal appeals court had found the policy illegal, saying migrants subjected to it "risk substantial harm" and "even death."
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