Americans stranded at Pakistan airport after cruise ship was denied entry to multiple countries over coronavirus fears

A plane full of Americans and Canadians was stranded on a tarmac at an airport in Karachi, Pakistan, for several hours on Thursday after it was turned away from multiple countries due to fears of the coronavirus, according to a family member of two of the passengers. Kelly Chrjapin, whose parents were among those on the flight, said the plane contained more than 250 people, all of whom were American and Canadian nationals who had been traveling on the cruise ship MS Westerdam. One passenger from that boat tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month.

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  Coronavirus: US flew infected Americans home against CDC instructions, report says

  The Independent
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  Two Australian evacuees from Japan ship have coronavirus

  AFP

Bernie Sanders suggests Russia might be behind the 'ugly' online attacks from 'Bernie Bros'

Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via Associated Press Sen. Bernie Sanders, the 2020 Democratic frontrunner, suggested Russian President Vladimir Putin is behind "ugly" online attacks often attributed to Sanders' supporters. The Washington Post reported on Friday that the Russian government is attempting to interfere in the Democratic primary to aid Sanders. "Some of the ugly stuff on the internet attributed to our campaign may well not be coming from real supporters," he said.

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  Is Bernie Sanders responsible for his supporters' behavior? Is Trump?

  The Week
• 
  Intelligence officials reportedly told Sanders that Russia is attempting to aid his campaign

  The Week

Mother of missing Idaho children told police her friend had her son. The friend said she was asked to lie.

Lori Vallow, the Idaho mother of two missing children who has been charged with desertion, told police when they were looking for her son that he was staying with a friend of hers out of state. That friend told police she had been asked to lie and tell investigators that she had the boy, even though he hadn't been there for months. Police in Rexburg, Idaho, also said in a probable cause affidavit filed against Vallow that she has not been seen with her two children for months and essentially erased them from her life before moving to Hawaii with her new and fifth husband.

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  Mother of 2 children missing since September appears in court; bail set at $5 million

  USA TODAY
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  2 Idaho Kids Have Been Missing Since September. Their Mom Was Just Arrested in Hawaii

  Meredith Videos

Housing crisis: Berkeley law would put renters first

The mayor of Berkeley, California, proposed a new housing policy Thursday aimed at giving renters first dibs when a property goes up for sale, as the state battles a severe housing shortage and homelessness that Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared his top priority. Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin announced a proposed ordinance to give renters "the first refusal and right to purchase" when their apartment buildings or rented homes are put on the market. Berkeley's city council will vote on the idea later this month.

Democrat Warren, worried campaign will run out of cash, taps $3 million loan

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren raised more money than most of her Democratic presidential rivals in the weeks before the Iowa caucuses, but spent so heavily that her campaign took out a $3 million loan fearing she would run out of cash. Warren raised $10.4 million in contributions in January -- more than former Vice President Joe Biden's $9 million and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg's $6 million -- but ended the month with only $2.3 million in cash, according to disclosures filed on Thursday. All of the presidential hopefuls were required to submit financial disclosures on Thursday, public documents that offer insights into how they are managing their multi-million campaign operations.

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  Elizabeth Warren Comes Back Swinging — At Bloomberg

  Refinery29
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  Meghan McCain slams media for ignoring Elizabeth Warren's debate performance

  Yahoo Entertainment

Racist German Shooter Exposes the Global Network of Hate

Late Wednesday night in the central German city Hanau, a gunman that police have identified as 43-year-old Tobias Rathjen opened fire at two shisha bars. They're the kind of places favored by people who enjoy a laid-back atmosphere as they puff tobacco bubbling through water-filled hookahs, and on any given evening, many of those folks may be from Turkish, Kurdish, or North African backgrounds. They're quiet places for conversation and minding your own business.

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  Germany mass shooting: Gunman was eugenicist, manifesto shows

  The Independent
• 
  Eye Opener at 8: Gunman kills 9 in Germany shooting

  CBS News Videos

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s progressive PAC makes first round of endorsements

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced Friday her political action committee's first round of endorsements, which will include two progressive candidates challenging sitting Democratic members of Congress.

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  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Has a Plan to Transform the Democratic Party

  The National Interest
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  AOC launches plan to block non-progressive Democrats with all-female candidates: 'My ambition right now is to be a little less lonely in Congress'

  The Independent

Quadruple murderer executed in Tennessee

A quadruple murderer was put to death in Tennessee on Thursday despite lawyers asking the US Supreme Court for a stay of execution. Nicholas Sutton, 58, was found guilty of stabbing a fellow inmate to death in 1985. Sutton's lawyers in January asked the state's Republican governor, Bill Lee, to grant clemency, citing expressions of support for Sutton from prison officials.

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  Tennessee executes man convicted in four killings

  USA TODAY
• Tennessee executes convicted killer by electric chair

  Reuters

CDC is preparing for the 'likely' spread of coronavirus in the US, officials say

Health experts sounded the alarm Friday over the worldwide threat of the coronavirus, with officials warning of its "likely" community spread in the United States and the World Health Organization cautioning that "the window of opportunity is narrowing" for containing the outbreak worldwide. The COVID-19 coronavirus, which erupted in China in December, has killed 2,360 people and sickened 77,659 worldwide, the majority of cases in mainland China. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters Friday that U.S. health officials are preparing for the coronavirus to become a pandemic.

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  Chances of coronavirus spreading in U.S. ‘very possible: CDC

  ABC News Videos
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  Sacramento County reports first case of coronavirus

  KGO – San Francisco

Poll: Trump Expected to Double 2016 African American Support if He Draws Buttigieg Challenge

President Trump would double the support he received from African American voters in 2016 if he ends up facing former South Bend., Ind. mayor Pete Buttigieg in the upcoming election, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released Friday. Trump, who recorded eight percent of the African American vote against Hillary Clinton in 2016, hits 16 percent in the 2020 estimate against Buttigieg. Both men are tied with three percent of “enthusiastic” black voters — with Buttigieg having the lowest percentage of enthusiasm in the entire Democratic field.

A crowd in Ukraine threw bricks at buses carrying coronavirus evacuees from Wuhan to quarantine

REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko A crowd of Ukrainian protesters on Thursday attacked buses ferrying evacuees from Wuhan, China, to a quarantine hospital. The buses were transporting 45 Ukrainians and 27 foreign nationals through Novi Sanzhary in central Ukraine. Nobody on board has been confirmed to have the novel coronavirus.

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  With selfie, Ukrainian health minister joins coronavirus evacuees in quarantine

  Reuters
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  Coronavirus evacuees cause clashes in Ukraine

  Reuters Videos

Family of man killed by trooper seeking more than $10M

Relatives of a black Connecticut man killed by a state trooper are seeking more than $10 million in wrongful death damages from state and local police, according to legal notices filed Thursday. Lawyers for the family of Mubarak Soulemane, 19, asked the state claims commissioner for permission to sue the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection and top state police officials including Public Safety Commissioner James Rovella for $10 million. They also filed notice with the town of West Haven that they intend to sue the town and local police officials for an undisclosed amount of money.

8 Statement-Making Cabinets to Make Any Room

Looking to make a statement? It's an open-and-shut case. Today's new collectible cabinets delight and surprise Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

Watch Out! U.S. Army Tanks Could Collapse Polish Bridges On Their Way to Battle Russia

The U.S. Army and its closest allies have a problem. To deter Russia from attacking Poland and the Baltic States, the Army and its NATO allies should deploy heavy armored forces such as M-1 tanks, armored fighting vehicles and self-propelled artillery. RAND, a California think-tank with close ties to the U.S. military, in a February 2020 report underscored the importance of heavy ground forces.

China reports fall in new coronavirus cases but concerns grow over rising global spread

China reported a sharp decrease in new deaths and cases of the coronavirus on Saturday but a doubling of infections in South Korea and 10 new cases in Iran added to unease about its rapid spread and global reach. Mainland China had 397 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections on Friday, down from 889 a day earlier, but only 31 cases were outside of the virus epicenter of Hubei province, the lowest number since the National Health Commission started compiling nationwide data a month ago.

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  How the Coronavirus Impacted the Forex Market

  FX Empire
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  South Korea becomes newest front in shifting virus outbreak

  Associated Press

A 15-month-old last seen in December was reported missing only this week

A Tennessee sheriff said Friday he believes a 15-month-old girl — last seen in December but only reported missing this week — is still alive. Law enforcement agencies across the state were on the lookout for the toddler and a gray 2007 BMW, with Tennessee stickers, because "individuals traveling" in that vehicle "have information regarding Evelyn Boswell's whereabouts," the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said. The little girl's name was added to the state's database of missing children on Tuesday with a notation: "Evelyn was entered as a missing child on Tuesday February 18, 2020 but was reportedly last seen on December 26, 2019."

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  Why did it take months to issue an Amber Alert for missing Tennessee toddler Evelyn Boswell?

  USA TODAY
• 
  County sheriff says the mom of missing Tennessee toddler Evelyn Boswell hasn't been truthful with police

  INSIDER

A recurring Biden campaign story about being arrested in South Africa is full of inconsistencies

Former Vice President Joe Biden has a pretty good tale to share — but it may be a little tall. Biden, who is running for president, has been spicing up his recent campaign stump speeches with a story of how he was arrested while in South Africa trying to see Nelson Mandela, The New York Times reports. During recent campaign speeches, Biden says he "had the great honor" of meeting Mandela and "of being arrested with our U.N. ambassador on the streets of Soweto." As Miami Herald reporter Alex Daugherty points out, Soweto is a ways away from Robben Island, where Mandela's maximum security prison was located.

Fuel tanker explodes causing 'catastrophic' damage on Indianapolis interstate

A tanker carrying about 4,000 gallons of jet fuel overturned and exploded in Indianapolis, closing lanes and backing up traffic on two interstate highways. Authorities began receiving calls reporting an overturned semi and fire on the ramp from Interstate-465 southbound to I-70 eastbound on the city's east side just before 2 p.m., Indianapolis Fire Department Battalion Chief Rita Reith said. The fire caused "severe, catastrophic damage" to the surrounding area, Reith said, spreading nearly 500 feet and affecting both sides of the bridge.

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  Mom visits her 3-day-old baby in NICU, helps rescue man from tanker fire

  NBC News
• 
  Mother Delivers Her Own Baby in ER — Then Helps Save Man Whose Truck Caught on Fire Days Later

  People

Trump 'eats burned steak' and 'cheats at golf', new Bloomberg-funded billboard says

Presidential hopeful Mike Bloomberg is moving offline for his latest attacks against President Donald Trump. The former New York City mayor's campaign has begun hanging billboards in Phoenix and Las Vegas lampooning Mr Trump, according to CBS News. The billboards are located in high traffic areas near one of Mr Trump's hotel properties on the Vegas Strip and also along potential presidential motorcade routes.

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  Nevada: Trump backers rally as Dem caucus ahead

  USA TODAY
• 
  'High cheekbones' and wild insults: Memorable quotes from Trump's Vegas rally

  The Independent

More than 100 wild animals in China died from poisoning in a mass die-off seemingly triggered by coronavirus disinfectant

STR/AFP via Getty Images More than 100 wild animals were found dead in a Chinese megacity and tests show that they were poisoned by the disinfectant that's being used to combat the coronavirus. At least 17 species of animals, including wild boar, weasels, and blackbirds, were affected by the mass die-off. Nanchong Stray Animal Rescue claims that authorities are killing domesticated animals outright amid fears that they can spread the coronavirus.

Former national security adviser denounces the House's impeachment proceedings as 'grossly partisan'

Former national security adviser John Bolton on Wednesday denounced the House's impeachment proceedings against President Trump as ”grossly partisan” and said his testimony would not have changed Trump's acquittal in the Senate, as he continued to stay quiet on the details of a yet-to-be-released book.

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  Post impeachment, Ukraine wants back on Trump's radar

  CBS News
• 
  Susan Rice shamed John Bolton for sitting on his impeachment testimony. Bolton said it wouldn't have mattered.

  The Week

This Fighter Jet Is The Biggest Threat To Russia's Su-57 Stealth Fighter (Not the F-35)

Key point: The Su-35S was intended as an interim solution; as a modernized air superiority fighter to sustain the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) through the 2010's until the Su-57 fifth-generation stealth fighter enters serial production. “A unique machine, a deadly aerial fist,” is how the official television channel of the Russian Ministry of Defense introduced the Su-35S superiority fighter earlier this week. TV Zvezda's three-minute clip of a recent Su-35S training sortie over Syria provides close-up shots of the fighter jet being prepped for flight, taking off, cruising over the Syrian coast, and firing flares.

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  Can China's Military Really Track F-22 Stealth Fighters?

  The National Interest
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  This Stealth F-22 Fighter Flew Right Under Iran's Top Fighter (Undetected)

  The National Interest

World must act fast to contain coronavirus: WHO's Tedros

GENEVA/LONDON (Reuters) - The window of opportunity to contain wider international spread of the epidemic of the new coronavirus disease is closing, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday, after cases were reported in Iran and Lebanon. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, asked whether the outbreak is at a "tipping point" after new cases and deaths in Iran from COVID-19, and cases in Lebanon and Canada, said that he still believed the virus spread could be stopped. "Although the window of opportunity is narrowing to contain the outbreak, we still have a chance to contain it," he said.

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  Chances of coronavirus spreading in U.S. ‘very possible: CDC

  ABC News Videos
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  China's leaders say nation yet to turn corner in virus fight

  Associated Press