- U.S.Yahoo News
Birx warns of coming coronavirus hot spots across the U.S.
Louisiana is poised to become the next epicenter of the coronavirus crisis, White House officials said Thursday, citing new data that shows that 26 percent of the tests for COVID-19 in that state in recent days have come back positive. The New York area remains a “very clear and important hot zone,” Dr. Deborah Birx said at Thursday's briefing of the White House coronavirus task force as she revealed testing statistics on specific states. “What we're seeing finally is testing improving,” said Birx, a renowned veteran of the HIV/AIDS fight who is now serving as the response coordinator for the coronavirus task force.
- WorldYahoo News
'Protective bubbles': How 2 Army generals stopped the spread of coronavirus among their soldiers
A 55-year-old infantry officer, Cloutier is formally the commander of U.S. Army Africa, but his headquarters' location in Vicenza makes him what the Defense Department calls the “senior responsible officer” for U.S. Army forces in Italy, meaning he has administrative control over all U.S. soldiers in the country, even though most of them belong to U.S. Army Europe, which is headquartered in Germany, for operational purposes. Cloutier is one of two generals that Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville have highlighted repeatedly in recent press conferences as examples of military leaders who have excelled in keeping their forces largely safe from the coronav...
- U.S.INSIDER
A California ER nurse told her family that if she gets COVID-19 she doesn't want a ventilator and to give it to someone else who needs it more
An emergency room nurse told Insider she wouldn't take a ventilator if she were to be infected with coronavirus and to save it for others who may need it more. An emergency room nurse working in Southern California told Insider, the pandemic had forced her to have some difficult conversations with her family. Paige, who asked to conceal her last name said while she's found it too difficult to have the conversation with her 86-year-old father, she's discussed how she wants her family to deal with her death if she were to be infected and die from the coronavirus with her sisters.
- U.S.Yahoo News
Coronavirus poses special risk to millions of Americans with diabetes
As the worsening coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across the country, millions of Americans living with diabetes face heightened risks from COVID-19. Around 30 million Americans have diabetes, mostly of the type II (previously called “adult-onset”) variety. A quarter of U.S. adults with diabetes are over 65, an age that has been shown to delineate increased COVID-19 mortality rates.
- U.S.Reuters
Airline refutes Mexican authority's account of spring break coronavirus outbreak
College students from Texas who tested positive for the novel coronavirus after spring break in Los Cabos traveled to the Mexican beach resort on Viva Aerobus, the airline said, and were there a week later than reported by the local tourist board. At least part of the Texas group stayed at the luxury Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos hotel, two people familiar with the arrangements told Reuters. So far 49 students among the group from University of Texas at Austin have tested positive for the coronavirus upon their return to the United States, according to the university.
U.S.AFPPolitics aside, US relies on China supplies to fight virus
US politicians have voiced fury over Beijing's handling of the coronavirus crisis but they face a harsh truth -- the United States desperately needs China's supplies. China before the crisis produced nearly half of the face masks imported into the United States -- which in normal times cost less than a dollar but have disappeared from shelves amid growing calls for ordinary Americans wear them when outside. As China appears to have contained its own outbreak of SARS-CoV-1, which has infected more than one million people worldwide since first emerging late last year in Wuhan, it is now the first resort for protective gear sought across the world.
- BusinessThe Week
The looming collapse of private health insurance
The week ending on March 21 had the greatest explosion of new unemployment claims in American history, with 3.3 million people filing for benefits — surpassing the previous weekly record by a factor of nearly five. A Federal Reserve economist estimated America could be seeing over 30 percent unemployment in a few months — more than the nadir of the Great Depression. Thanks to America's uniquely boneheaded insistence on tying health insurance to employment, a great many of these people also suddenly find themselves without health coverage — one of several ways the novel coronavirus pandemic is hammering the insurance system.
- WorldCBS News
U.S. warns Americans to leave Japan as COVID-19 cases rise fast
Tokyo — The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo has warned Americans of a "significant increase" in the number of coronavirus infections in Japan, and urged them to leave the country now unless they plan to stay indefinitely. "If U.S. citizens wish to return to the United States, they should make arrangements to do so now," the embassy said in a notice posted to its website, "unless they are prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite period." Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has called on the capital's 14 million residents to stay home this weekend, as she did last weekend.
- WorldNBC News
'Act as though it's going to be a lot longer': American in Wuhan warns U.S. over lockdowns
An American who spent more than two months locked down in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus epidemic first emerged, is urging people back home to prepare for a lengthy interruption to their lives. “Don't go into this thinking it's going to be over in a few weeks,” Benjamin Wilson told NBC News from his apartment in Wuhan where he and his family spent eight weeks in confinement. After initially experiencing problems getting evacuated back to the U.S., Wilson, 38, chose to stay in the city where he has lived for more than 16 years, with his Chinese wife, Li Qin, and seven-year-old daughter Jasmin as it went into lockdown in late January.
- U.S.USA TODAY
FISA court orders FBI to review if wiretaps are invalid after errors found during investigation
The secretive court that approves sensitive government surveillance requests said Friday that a lack of confidence in the accuracy of FBI surveillance requests "appears well founded," and ordered the bureau to show whether errors in documents supporting 29 wiretap requests may have rendered the surveillance invalid. The directive from Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Judge James Boasberg comes just days after an internal Justice Department review found new problems with the FBI's management of wiretap applications, concluding that the documents supporting the requests routinely contained errors or "inadequately supported facts." A DOJ inspector general's analysis of 29 surveillance requests from eight FBI field offices during the past five years concluded that "we do not have confidence" that the bureau followed standards to ensure their accuracy.
- PoliticsThe Independent
Coronavirus and Hunter Biden: Congressional investigators prepare for war over 2020 election
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage across the United States, it has, for the moment, brought the partisan investigations taking shape on Capitol Hill that could swing the balance of the 2020 election to a screeching halt. Absent a vote from his Senate Homeland Security Committee, Chairman Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, can't issue a subpoena for Hunter Biden or any of his former associates at Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings. In the House, Democratic chairmen and chairwomen can't call administration officials to testify before empty hearing rooms about the government's highly criticised response to the health crisis.
HealthYahoo News VideoBirx: 5 states could be among next coronavirus 'hot spots'
Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, listed several states that could be the next “hot spots” for large numbers of COVID-19 cases, based on how many positive cases they have now.
- LifestyleArchitectural Digest
27 Best Home Office Decor Ideas to Keep You in the Zone
Work from home and keep your sanity with these decor ideas that will help Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
- U.S.Reuters
Senators urge formal probe of Navy carrier commander's firing over coronavirus plea
A group of prominent Democratic senators formally requested on Friday that the Pentagon's independent Inspector General investigate the Navy's firing of the commander of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, who called for stronger measures to halt a coronavirus outbreak on board. Captain Brett Crozier was relieved of his command on Thursday after his scathing letter was leaked to the media. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland led the push and were joined by 15 other U.S. senators, including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Kamala Harris.
WorldAFPIsrael sends army to ultra-Orthodox city over coronavirus
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday gave the green light for soldiers to be deployed in a mostly ultra-Orthodox Jewish city considered the centre of Israel's novel coronavirus outbreak. "In light of the special situation in Bnei Brak following the restrictions due to the coronavirus, the IDF (army) will immediately present the necessary civil assistance to Bnei Brak municipality in fulfilling its responsibilities," Netanyahu's office said after talks with security and health officials. Authorities have enforced restrictions on access to Bnei Brak, a majority ultra-Orthodox city near Tel Aviv that is home to around 200,000 people.
- U.S.Business Insider
The family of a 34-year-old father in a 2-week coma with COVID-19 says a 'bureaucratic glitch' has kept him from accessing potentially life-saving treatment
Courtesy of the Goldsmith family Michael Goldsmith, a 34-year-old husband, dad, and IT professional in New Jersey, has been on a respirator and in a medically induced coma from COVID-19 for two weeks. His doctors first said he'd be able to try remdesivir, a drug the World Health Organization has called the "most promising" treatment for the disease, under a compassionate-use program. But the pharmaceutical company that makes remdesivir, Gilead, pulled back that program right before Goldsmith was sick enough to qualify.
- U.S.National Review
Republican Senator Calls on ‘Communist’ WHO Director to Resign
Senator Martha McSally on Thursday called on the director of the World Health Organization to step down, saying the organization covered up the extent of the spread of the coronavirus, which originated in China. The Arizona Republican called WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus a “communist” and accused him of helping China conceal its underreporting of coronavirus case numbers. “I've never trusted a communist,” McSally said in an interview with Fox Business.
- LifestyleBBC
Coronavirus: Chinese explorers start Everest climb amid pandemic
A group of Chinese mountaineers has begun an expedition on Everest while the site is closed to foreign climbers because of coronavirus. Only Chinese climbers are permitted this spring season because of the pandemic, operators told the BBC. The highest peak of the world stands on the border of China and Nepal and can be climbed from both sides.
- WorldThe Guardian
Mexico murder rate reaches new high as violence rages amid Covid-19 spread
Photograph: Sergio Maldonado/Reuters Mexico s homicide rate raced to a new record in March, as violence raged even as Covid-19 spread across the country and authorities urged the population to stay home and practise social distancing. Mexico registered 2,585 homicides in March – the highest monthly figure since records began in 1997 – putting 2020 on track to break last year's record total for murders. The surge in killings comes as federal and state officials put resources into containing the Covid-19 crisis and confront the prospect of an already sluggish economy falling even further – potentially deepening the misery for the more than 40% of the population living in poverty.
- PoliticsThe Independent
'Never say never': Mark Cuban considering 2020 presidential run
Billionaire Shark Tank investor and basketball team owner Mark Cuban hasn't ruled out running for president in 2020 after claiming that the coronavirus pandemic has created a "reset" that could open the field for his campaign. He said he "doubts" he would make a legitimate run this late in the race, with a Democratic field that has whittled down to former vice president Joe Biden and Vermont senator Bernie Sanders seeking the party's nomination to face Donald Trump in the general election, but "you never say never," he said, adding that it's doubtful he'll actually join the fray. "I'll keep an open mind, but I seriously doubt it," he told Axios on Friday.
PoliticsYahoo News Video3M pushes back at Trump over order to produce more face masks
Manufacturing giant 3M pushed back Friday against criticism from President Trump over production of face masks that are badly needed by American health care workers.
- PoliticsThe Week
The noble lie about masks and coronavirus should never have been told
Those of you of a certain age will doubtless remember a time when it was universally acknowledged that wearing masks would not protect you or anyone else from the coronavirus pandemic. By "certain age" here I mean all living Americans born on or before April 1, 2020, which according to my notes is when it became possible to express a contrary position in polite society. This was always nonsense.
- WorldReuters
Tokyo area sees daily coronavirus cases topping 100 for first time: NHK
Some 118 people were newly infected with the novel coronavirus in the Japanese capital of Tokyo, NHK public broadcaster reported on Saturday, citing metropolitan government officials. It marked the first time that daily confirmed cases exceeded 100 in the Tokyo area, bringing the number of confirmed cases there to 891, NHK said. Tokyo's metropolitan government has strongly urged people to stay at home at the weekend as the mega-city faces a rising number of cases and as speculation simmers that Japan may declare a state of emergency, leading to lockdown.
WorldAFPBolsonaro's disapproval rating rises amid virus havoc
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's disapproval rating has surged as the far-right leader has taken a vocal stance against coronavirus containment measures, two polls out Friday found. Bolsonaro, who has compared COVID-19 to a "bit of sniffles" and criticized the "hysteria" around it, has found himself increasingly isolated on the issue as the pandemic advances. Thirty-nine percent of Brazilians disapprove of his handling of the crisis, up six points from two weeks ago, polling firm Datafolha found.
- U.S.Business Insider
The IRS will reportedly begin issuing $1,200 stimulus payments on April 9, but some Americans could wait up to 5 months to receive their check
The IRS plans to begin sending out coronavirus stimulus payments as soon as April 9, according to an internal distribution plan obtained by The Washington Post. Electronic payments could be sent out next Thursday, the internal document said, but paper checks are set to be mailed out to Americans on a weekly rotation beginning later. About 145 million Americans can expect cash meant to support those who have been affected by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, with about 6.6 million people filing for unemployment last week alone.
