Faith leaders oppose bill aimed at changing vote-by-mail process in Florida

Pastors, lobbyists, and Florida Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried met at the Historic Capitol Steps Thursday to urge legislators to vote against the bill.

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    Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty, /Boris SV/GettySome would say coronaviruses are our mortal enemy. After all, tens of millions of Americans have contracted COVID-19 and hundreds of thousands have died. Similarly, tens of millions have lost their jobs and hundreds of thousands of businesses have closed. One estimate puts the total cost of the pandemic at $16 trillion, roughly equal to the nation’s total annual economic output.We have declared war on such foes in the past. President Lyndon Johnson did so on poverty in 1964, President Nixon did the same for cancer in 1971, and Federal Reserve Chair Paul Volcker declared war on inflation in 1979. In doing so, they implied that such scourges could be vanquished, recalling U.S. victories in the world wars.In some cases, we have in fact achieved what looks like total victory over infectious diseases. For example, smallpox once killed about 30 percent of the people it infected, a far higher rate than the 1-2 percent fatality rate of COVID-19. Centuries ago, smallpox decimated civilizations such as the Aztecs. Yet thanks to a worldwide vaccination program, the World Health Organization declared the disease eradicated in 1980.The U.S. Is Doing a Lousy Job of Tracking COVID VariantsIt is unlikely that we could achieve a similar feat with the coronavirus. For one thing, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, belongs to but one of at least four genuses of coronavirus, which contain dozens of species. Coronaviruses infect many wild species, such as birds, bats, and pigs, as well as domesticated dogs and cats. Smallpox virus, by contrast, naturally infects only humans.In fact, coronaviruses have been infecting human beings for thousands of years, at least. Four types of the virus produce generally mild disease resembling the common cold. It is only in the last 20 years that more dangerous human coronavirus infections have been identified, including MERS-CoV2 and the first SARS-CoV.Even as we struggle with the daily fear, sadness, loneliness, and exhaustion that COVID-19 has wrought, it is important for us to try to view the situation with a wide lens and, as much as we are able, take the long view. It is quite possible, perhaps even probable, that the relatively harmless forms of human coronavirus infection were once more deadly.While it doesn’t mean we should do nothing—we need to keep mask mandates in place, and continue to socially distance, and get vaccines into arms as quickly as possible—the problem with declaring war on COVID-19 is that coronaviruses are impossible to vanquish. They are too numerous, too widespread across the animal kingdom, and too protean. With time, we may design better anti-viral drugs or develop herd immunity through growing numbers of natural infections and vaccinations. Yet even when COVID-19 fades, coronaviruses are here to stay.And viruses are not entirely bad actors. For example, they have been major drivers of evolution. Viruses can transmit genetic material from one organism to another, and they induce changes in the functions of cells seeking to resist infection. We would not be here without them. Quite recently, researchers have engineered viruses that can kill different types of cancer cells.The same can be said for other types of infectious microbes, such as fungi and bacteria. Without fungi, human beings could not make bread and wine. And while some bacteria cause dreaded diseases such as bubonic plague, others are vital to health. Vitamin K, which is essential for normal blood clotting, is synthesized by normal intestinal bacteria.It is not just that individual fungi and bacteria are good. We need a whole array of such organisms to remain healthy. Medications such as antibiotics, which are used to treat harmful infections, can end up killing many forms of good bacteria too, with the result that the skin, the respiratory tract, or the gut is left open for colonization by bad actors.Biomedically speaking, the good neighbors among our microbial flora keep the bad neighbors at bay. This is one reason that the overuse of antibiotics and the routine use of antibacterial soaps cause more harm than good. In patients who have developed life-threatening C. difficile infections after antibiotic treatment, fecal transplants have been introduced as means of restoring bacterial balance.In short, a war on viruses, fungi, and bacteria would prove unwinnable, and many apparent victories might turn out to inflict as much harm on the victors as the vanquished. Some of these harms are foreseeable, but we still have a great deal to learn about the complex and delicate balances between microbes and human beings.Instead of picturing human beings in white hats and microbes in black hats, we need to think of ourselves as neighbors in the same biological neighborhood. Warfare and eradication are self-defeating metaphors that need to be replaced by visions of a better informed and prepared but ultimately more peaceful coexistence.Richard Gunderman, MD, Ph.D., Chancellor’s Professor of Radiology, Pediatrics, Medical Education, Philosophy, Liberal Arts, Philanthropy, and Medical Humanities and Health Studies at Indiana University, is the author of Contagion: Plagues, Pandemics and Cures from the Black Death to Covid-19 and Beyond.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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    Dismissed for decades by critics as a country bumpkin who loves silly carnival costumes, Bavarian leader Markus Soeder said on Sunday that he was willing to run as the conservative candidate for German chancellor, provided he had the bloc's full backing. Angela Merkel, who has clocked up four election victories and led Europe's biggest economy for 16 years, is not standing for a fifth term when Germany goes to the polls in September. This means the parliamentary bloc formed by her Christian Democrats (CDU) and their sister party, Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU), must decide on a candidate.

  • McConnell praises Biden's response to Myanmar coup

    Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a longtime advocate of democracy in Myanmar, told Politico Monday the Biden administration is "trying to do the right thing" in responding to the Myanmar military coup.What he's saying: "On the domestic front, I have not yet witnessed something that I’ve been happy about," McConnell said. "But in this area, I think their instincts are good. I think they’re trying to do the right thing."Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeBetween the lines: President Biden has consulted McConnell on the U.S.' response to the takeover in Myanmar, which has led police and military to kill over 700 people since February, Politico reports. The Republican senator, an ally to Myanmar's democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, called on the Biden administration to address the coup at the United Nations Security Council to ensure international attention.“Our ability to influence this from halfway around the world is limited,” he said. “But we do have tools.”"The lion share of the burden is on the State Department and the administration," he added. "But in any way that congressional action needs to be a part of this: Count me in."A former top State Department official who used to work with McConnell's staff told Politico McConnell has been "frustrated at times that, on both sides of the aisle, the White House and the State Department hasn't always come up with effective Burma policies."The big picture: The Biden administration has meted out a number of sanctions on Myanmar military officials in response, suspending trade engagement and imposing export controls.But the violence hasn't abated in Myanmar. On Saturday, security forces killed at least 82 pro-democracy protesters, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners monitoring group.Go deeper: UN envoy says "a bloodbath is imminent" in MyanmarMore from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

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  • The Latest: Matsuyama hopes to be pioneer for Japanese golf

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  • Police officer accused of pepper-spraying Black and Latino Army officer in Virginia fired

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  • Virginia police officer fired after violent stop of Black Army officer. Governor calls for state investigation.

    The town of Windsor, Virginia, said Sunday that one officer has been fired and another disciplined over an arrest in December that went viral on social media over the weekend. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) said earlier Sunday that video of the traffic stop, in which Army Lt. Caron Nazario was pepper-sprayed at gunpoint by two officers, "is disturbing and angered me," and he said he has directed the Virginia State Police to investigate the incident. Nazario, who is Black and Latino, is also suing the officers, Joe Gutierrez and Daniel Crocker, in federal court. Gutierrez and Crocker pulled Nazario over in Windsor on Dec. 5, 2020, because his brand new SUV did not have permanent license plates. At one point, Nazario, in his Army uniform, told the officers he was afraid to get out of the car, video from Nazario's cellphone and the officers' body cameras show. "Yeah, you should be," one of the officers responded. Gutierrez, who pepper-sprayed Nazario inside his car before arresting him, did not follow Windsor police procedures and was "terminated from his employment," the town of Windsor said in a statement. Nazario was released without charge. In a federal lawsuit filed April 2, Nazario argues excessive force by the officers violated his constitutional rights and says the officers threatened to end his military career if he spoke out about the arrest, The Washington Post reports. He is seeking at least $1 million in damages. Windsor, a town of about 2,600 about 30 miles west of Norfolk, "acknowledges the unfortunate events that transpired," and "department-wide requirements for additional training were implemented beginning in January and continue up to the present," Windsor officials said in a statement Sunday night. "The Town of Windsor prides itself in its small-town charm and the community-wide respect of its police department," the statement added. "Due to this, we are saddened for events like this to cast our community in a negative light." More stories from theweek.comTrump finally jumps the sharkYou should start a keyhole garden7 brutally funny cartoons about Mitch McConnell's corporate hypocrisy

  • U.S. distances itself from explosion at Iranian nuclear site

    The Biden administration says it had no role in the explosion on Sunday at an Iranian uranium enrichment facility. Iran has blamed Israel and vowed to take revenge.Why it matters: The administration is attempting to negotiate a return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, with a second round of indirect talks set to start on Wednesday. The timing of the incident, along with several recent Israeli strikes on Iranian ships, could make Biden's diplomatic challenge more difficult.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.What they're saying: "We have seen reports of an incident at the Natanz enrichment facility in Iran. The United States had no involvement, and we have nothing to add to speculation about the causes," a senior Biden administration official said.Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif blamed Israel for the explosion, which resulted in damage to centrifuges used to enrichment uranium. He said the incident would not affect the nuclear talks, but “we will take our revenge against the Zionists.”Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's atomic energy organization, denied a New York Times report that the explosion caused such severe damage that it will take 9 months to repair. Salehi said uranium enrichment continues and the damaged centrifuges will soon be replaced.Iranian media reported that the intelligence services were investigating the incident, and one arrest had already been made.Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met this morning in Jerusalem with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking alongside Austin, Netanyahu stressed that Iran was the gravest threat in the region and that Israel would never allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.Austin stressed the U.S. commitment to Israel's security but did not mention Iran. Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.

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  • The Virginia police officer who was filmed pepper-spraying a uniformed Black Army officer after holding him at gunpoint has been fired

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  • Matsuyama becomes first Japanese in Masters green jacket

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