thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--Donald Trump’s Lies, Misogyny And Loyalty Problems On Full Display In New Attack Ads

The anti-Donald Trump attack ads are coming thick and fast on social media from organizations on both sides of the @ @ @ @ @ Lincoln Project , progressive PAC MeidasTouch and bestselling writer Don Winslow each targeted the president @ @ @ @ @ videos , all posted in the 24 hours prior to Tuesday morning , quickly racked @ @ @ @ @ social media .
The Lincoln Project , co-founded by conservative attorney George Conway , questioned @ @ @ @ @ s inner circle with this spot on Tuesday : The same GOP group explained with @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s record on job losses will go down in history , for all @ @ @ @ @ progressive MeidasTouch , meanwhile , made the # TrumpHasNoCredibility hashtag trend on Twitter with this @ @ @ @ @ Winslow , author of “ The Cartel , ” highlighted Trump ’ s history of @ @ @ @ @ behavior with his latest effort : Important conversations are happening now .
Add your voice @ @ @ @ @

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The anti-Donald Trump attack ads are coming thick and fast on social media from organizations on both sides of the aisle.
Conservative group The Lincoln Project, progressive PAC MeidasTouch and bestselling writer Don Winslow each targeted the president with new supercuts.
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The videos, all posted in the 24 hours prior to Tuesday morning, quickly racked up millions of views on social media.
The Lincoln Project, co-founded by conservative attorney George Conway, questioned the loyalty of Trump’s inner circle with this spot on Tuesday:
The same GOP group explained with this ad on Monday why Trump’s record on job losses will go down in history, for all the wrong reasons:
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The progressive MeidasTouch, meanwhile, made the #TrumpHasNoCredibility hashtag trend on Twitter with this critical montage:
And Don Winslow, author of “The Cartel,” highlighted Trump’s history of sexist and misogynistic comments and behavior with his latest effort:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--Jimmy John's Workers Make Noose Out of Dough, Stage Mock Lynching

“ We have zero tolerance for racism or discrimination in any form , ” Jimmy John ’ s said in @ @ @ @ @ before .
The video clip wound up on Snapchat with a banner-like Happy Fourth of @ @ @ @ @ reported .

“We have zero tolerance for racism or discrimination in any form,” Jimmy John’s said in a statement posted the day before.
The video clip wound up on Snapchat with a banner-like Happy Fourth of July filter, the Ledger-Enquirer reported.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--World's Longest-Surviving Conjoined Twin Brothers Dead At 68

DAYTON , Ohio ( AP ) — The world ’ s longest-surviving conjoined twins died July 4 at the age of 68 .
Ronnie and Donnie Galyon , of Beavercreek , Ohio , were born joined at the abdomen Oct. 28 , 1951 .
In 2014 , the brothers earned the distinction of being the world ’ s oldest set of conjoined twins shortly before their 63rd birthday .
Siamese twins Ronnie and Donnie Galyon pose in their cowboy suits on their third birthday .
WHIO reported that the two died in hospice care in Dayton , their brother Jim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their deaths were due to natural causes .
Starting as children , the brothers appeared in carnivals and circuses as a sideshow attraction .
Jim Gaylon told Mlive that their income supported their family for years .
TLC aired a documentary about the men in 2010 .
The brothers retired from entertaining in 1991 and lived alone until 2010 when health problems prompted them to move in with family members .
The Dayton community raised funds and helped renovate their new home to allow the brothers to navigate in a custom wheelchair , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conversations are happening now .
Add your voice !
Join HuffPost Today !

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DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — The world’s longest-surviving conjoined twins died July 4 at the age of 68.
Ronnie and Donnie Galyon, of Beavercreek, Ohio, were born joined at the abdomen Oct. 28, 1951. In 2014, the brothers earned the distinction of being the world’s oldest set of conjoined twins shortly before their 63rd birthday.
Siamese twins Ronnie and Donnie Galyon pose in their cowboy suits on their third birthday. Bettmann via Getty Images
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WHIO reported that the two died in hospice care in Dayton, their brother Jim said. The Montgomery County coroner said their deaths were due to natural causes.
Starting as children, the brothers appeared in carnivals and circuses as a sideshow attraction. Jim Gaylon told Mlive that their income supported their family for years.
TLC aired a documentary about the men in 2010.
The brothers retired from entertaining in 1991 and lived alone until 2010 when health problems prompted them to move in with family members.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--Anderson Cooper Blasts Trump's 'Inflammatory, Racist' Diversions From COVID-19

Anderson Cooper did not mince words Monday as he rattled off Donald Trump ’ s most recent racist outbursts and called out the president ’ s inflammatory rhetoric as an attempt to divert attention from the resurgence of coronavirus around the country .
“ If divisive , inflammatory racist words could kill the coronavirus , then the president of the United States would be headed to Stockholm right now to pick up his Nobel prize in medicine , ” the CNN host said .
“ He ’ s trying to persuade the country that the virus is simply vanishing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he ’ s trying to divert people ’ s attention elsewhere to smearing a Black NASCAR driver , supporting the Confederate flag and statues of traitors , ” he added .
“ If divisive , inflammatory racist words could kill the coronavirus , then the President of the United States would be headed to Stockholm right now to pick up his Nobel prize in medicine.
” - @ AndersonCooper calls Trump ’ s remarks a “ diversion ” from the surge in coronavirus cases .
pic.twitter.com/EF8WvzAVum — Anderson Cooper 360° ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump launched a baseless attack on Bubba Wallace , NASCAR ’ s only Black driver , over an incident last month when a noose was found by a crew member in his garage .
An FBI investigation determined Wallace was not the victim of a hate crime ; the rope had been there since last year .
However , despite there being no evidence that the incident was anything more than a misunderstanding , Trump accused Wallace of participating in a “ hoax ” and demanded he apologize to NASCAR drivers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s decision to ban the Confederate flag .
At a packed Fourth of July event at Mount Rushmore , Trump blasted protesters who have torn down and defaced Confederate statues , claiming “ this left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution.
” On Monday , Trump also criticized two sports teams that were reviewing names that have long been deemed offensive to Native Americans .
All the while , record-setting spikes in coronavirus cases were recorded around the country .
At least 40 states are now battling rising infections and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as hospitalization numbers surge again .
“ Instead of working around the clock on this , visiting hospitals , rallying the troops , rallying the public to wear masks , fight complacency , care for elderly and the sick , this president is simply declaring victory , declaring COVID 99 % harmless .
Instead of talking about the virus and doing things about it , he ’ s spending his time trying to distract now with racist and jingoistic talk , ” Cooper said .
“ He ’ s just leaning full into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He ’ s just letting us see it more clearly now than ever before .
”

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Anderson Cooper did not mince words Monday as he rattled off Donald Trump’s most recent racist outbursts and called out the president’s inflammatory rhetoric as an attempt to divert attention from the resurgence of coronavirus around the country.
“If divisive, inflammatory racist words could kill the coronavirus, then the president of the United States would be headed to Stockholm right now to pick up his Nobel prize in medicine,” the CNN host said.
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“He’s trying to persuade the country that the virus is simply vanishing, or if that won’t work, he’s trying to divert people’s attention elsewhere to smearing a Black NASCAR driver, supporting the Confederate flag and statues of traitors,” he added.
“If divisive, inflammatory racist words could kill the coronavirus, then the President of the United States would be headed to Stockholm right now to pick up his Nobel prize in medicine.” - @AndersonCooper calls Trump’s remarks a “diversion” from the surge in coronavirus cases. pic.twitter.com/EF8WvzAVum — Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) July 7, 2020
Earlier, Trump launched a baseless attack on Bubba Wallace, NASCAR’s only Black driver, over an incident last month when a noose was found by a crew member in his garage. An FBI investigation determined Wallace was not the victim of a hate crime; the rope had been there since last year.
However, despite there being no evidence that the incident was anything more than a misunderstanding, Trump accused Wallace of participating in a “hoax” and demanded he apologize to NASCAR drivers and officials. Trump also criticized NASCAR’s decision to ban the Confederate flag.
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At a packed Fourth of July event at Mount Rushmore, Trump blasted protesters who have torn down and defaced Confederate statues, claiming “this left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution.”
On Monday, Trump also criticized two sports teams that were reviewing names that have long been deemed offensive to Native Americans.
All the while, record-setting spikes in coronavirus cases were recorded around the country. At least 40 states are now battling rising infections and public health experts warn of more deaths as hospitalization numbers surge again.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--Trump Promises To Pressure Governors To Reopen Schools In Fall

President Donald Trump vowed to pressure states and local governments to open schools in the fall , despite the recent surge in coronavirus cases nationwide .
At a White House roundtable to discuss fall plans for public schools , Trump claimed , without proof , that some schools were staying closed for political reasons .
“ They think it ’ s going to be good for them politically , so they keep the schools closed , ” Trump said of local leaders .
“ No way .
We ’ re very much going to put pressure on governors and everybody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We want to reopen the schools , ” Trump said .
“ Everybody wants it .
The moms want it , the dads want it , the kids want it .
It ’ s time to do it.
” One day earlier , Dr. Anthony Fauci , the top infectious disease expert in the U.S. , warned that the U.S. was experiencing a “ serious situation ” in a resurgence of coronavirus infections across the U.S .
The rise of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations came as states began relaxing regulations that kept businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread of the disease .
Over the Fourth of July weekend , Florida had the most coronavirus cases reported in a single day at 11,458 .
Despite the surge , Florida ’ s education commissioner , Richard Corcoran , issued an emergency order requiring public schools to begin in-person instruction in the upcoming academic year .
Georgia also hit a single-day state record last week , receiving nearly 3,500 additional reports of COVID-19 cases within a 24-hour period .
Initially , the University System of Georgia , which includes 26 schools , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wear protective masks when school resumes .
However , after facing backlash from some students and faculty , the university system changed its guidelines and “ strongly ” encouraged students to wear masks , the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported .
Lily Eskelsen García , president of the National Education Association , a prominent education union , decried Trump ’ s promise to pressure local leaders to open schools and called for safer measures in an interview with The Associated Press .
“ Trump has proven to be incapable of grasping that people are dying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already died , ” García told the AP .
“ Educators want nothing more than to be back in classrooms and on college campuses with our students , but we must do it in a way that keeps students , educators and communities safe .
”

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President Donald Trump vowed to pressure states and local governments to open schools in the fall, despite the recent surge in coronavirus cases nationwide.
At a White House roundtable to discuss fall plans for public schools, Trump claimed, without proof, that some schools were staying closed for political reasons.
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“They think it’s going to be good for them politically, so they keep the schools closed,” Trump said of local leaders. “No way. We’re very much going to put pressure on governors and everybody else to open the schools.”
The president also claimed that “everybody” wanted schools to open in-person classes for the fall.
“We want to reopen the schools,” Trump said. “Everybody wants it. The moms want it, the dads want it, the kids want it. It’s time to do it.”
One day earlier, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the U.S., warned that the U.S. was experiencing a “serious situation” in a resurgence of coronavirus infections across the U.S.
The rise of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations came as states began relaxing regulations that kept businesses and gathering places closed to prevent the spread of the disease.
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Over the Fourth of July weekend, Florida had the most coronavirus cases reported in a single day at 11,458. Despite the surge, Florida’s education commissioner, Richard Corcoran, issued an emergency order requiring public schools to begin in-person instruction in the upcoming academic year.
Georgia also hit a single-day state record last week, receiving nearly 3,500 additional reports of COVID-19 cases within a 24-hour period. Initially, the University System of Georgia, which includes 26 schools, said it wouldn’t require students to wear protective masks when school resumes.
However, after facing backlash from some students and faculty, the university system changed its guidelines and “strongly” encouraged students to wear masks, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Lily Eskelsen García, president of the National Education Association, a prominent education union, decried Trump’s promise to pressure local leaders to open schools and called for safer measures in an interview with The Associated Press.
“Trump has proven to be incapable of grasping that people are dying — that more than 130,000 Americans have already died,” García told the AP. “Educators want nothing more than to be back in classrooms and on college campuses with our students, but we must do it in a way that keeps students, educators and communities safe.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--Personal Protective Gear For Medical Workers Fighting Coronavirus Runs Low — Again

The personal protective gear that was in dangerously short supply during the early weeks of the coronavirus crisis in the U.S. is running low again as the virus resumes its rapid spread and the number of hospitalized patients climbs .
A national nursing union is concerned that gear has to be reused .
A doctors association warns that physicians ’ offices are closed because they can not get masks and other supplies .
And Democratic members of Congress are pushing the Trump administration to devise a national strategy to acquire and distribute gear in anticipation of the crisis worsening into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ five months into this and there are still shortages of gowns , hair covers , shoe covers , masks , N95 masks , ” said Deborah Burger , president of National Nurses United , who cited results from a survey of the union ’ s members .
“ They ’ re being doled out , and we ’ re still being told to reuse them.
” When the crisis first exploded in March and April in hot spots such as New York City , the situation was so desperate that nurses turned plastic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lack of equipment forced states and hospitals to compete against each other , the federal government and other countries in desperate , expensive bidding wars .
In general , supplies of protective gear are more robust now , and many states and major hospital chains say they are in better shape .
But medical professionals and some lawmakers have cast doubt on those improvements as shortages begin to reappear .
Speaking about protective equipment on the call , U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Tuesday that it ’ s important @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a way to stretch the stocks and avoid shortages .
Dr. Aisha Terry said that she has good access to PPE as an associate professor of emergency medicine at George Washington University in Washington , but some non-academic and rural health facilities have much less .
“ I think overall , production , distribution and access has improved , ” Terry said .
“ But the fear is that we will become complacent ” and allow supplies to dwindle in some places .
Rep. Carolyn Maloney , a New York Democrat , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a congressional committee hearing that raised concerns about looming problems in the supply chain .
Her report was based on interviews with unnamed employees at medical supply companies , one of whom warned that raw material for gowns is not available at any price in the amounts needed , leading to an “ unsustainable ” situation .
Rear Adm. John Polowczyk , who is in charge of coronavirus-related supplies for the White House , told Congress last week that more than than one-fourth of the states have less than a 30-day supply .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ agencies in charge of the coronavirus response , would not break down which states have enough gear to last beyond 30 days and which do not .
It referred those questions to individual states .
In June , the government started replenishing its once-depleted stockpile with the goal of building up a two-month supply .
As of June 10 , FEMA had distributed or directed private companies to distribute more than 74 million N95 masks and 66 million pairs of gloves , along with other gear .
The agency said it changed its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hot spots .
Although all U.S. states and territories have received some protective gear from FEMA , an Associated Press analysis of the agency ’ s own data found that the amounts varied widely when measured by population and the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases .
The AP analysis found that low-population , mostly rural states received the largest FEMA allocations per confirmed case .
As of mid-June , for example , Montana had received 1,125 items of protective gear per case , compared with 32 items per case in Massachusetts , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Iowa and Nebraska , all of which have seen a surge in confirmed infections , received among the lowest amounts of protective gear from FEMA per case , according to the AP analysis .
Many states say the federal supplies make up a small part of their stockpiles after they spent millions of dollars to acquire equipment on their own .
FEMA told the AP that its initial distributions were made on a per-capita basis , but also said the agency has tried to accommodate individual requests from the states .
Concerns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In New Hampshire , an association representing nursing homes said most items sent by FEMA in early June were unusable , including child-size gloves , surgical masks with ear loops that broke when stretched and isolation gowns with no arm openings .
The group had a 200 % increase in requests during the last two weeks of June from medical providers in Texas , a state with a big surge in confirmed virus cases .
State officials there have said their supplies are adequate .
“ We anticipated that we would need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ someone else stepped in and solved this problem , ” said Dr. Megan Ranney , an emergency physician at Rhode Island Hospital who was among the group ’ s founders .
“ Here we are , still getting hundreds of thousands of requests a week .
”

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The personal protective gear that was in dangerously short supply during the early weeks of the coronavirus crisis in the U.S. is running low again as the virus resumes its rapid spread and the number of hospitalized patients climbs.
A national nursing union is concerned that gear has to be reused. A doctors association warns that physicians’ offices are closed because they cannot get masks and other supplies. And Democratic members of Congress are pushing the Trump administration to devise a national strategy to acquire and distribute gear in anticipation of the crisis worsening into the fall.
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“We’re five months into this and there are still shortages of gowns, hair covers, shoe covers, masks, N95 masks,” said Deborah Burger, president of National Nurses United, who cited results from a survey of the union’s members. “They’re being doled out, and we’re still being told to reuse them.”
When the crisis first exploded in March and April in hot spots such as New York City, the situation was so desperate that nurses turned plastic garbage bags into protective gowns. The lack of equipment forced states and hospitals to compete against each other, the federal government and other countries in desperate, expensive bidding wars.
In general, supplies of protective gear are more robust now, and many states and major hospital chains say they are in better shape. But medical professionals and some lawmakers have cast doubt on those improvements as shortages begin to reappear.
Speaking about protective equipment on the call, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Tuesday that it’s important for gear to be reused and repurposed as a way to stretch the stocks and avoid shortages.
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Dr. Aisha Terry said that she has good access to PPE as an associate professor of emergency medicine at George Washington University in Washington, but some non-academic and rural health facilities have much less.
“I think overall, production, distribution and access has improved,” Terry said. “But the fear is that we will become complacent” and allow supplies to dwindle in some places.
The American Medical Association wrote to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress calling for a coordinated national strategy to buy and allocate gear.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat, released a memo last week ahead of a congressional committee hearing that raised concerns about looming problems in the supply chain. Her report was based on interviews with unnamed employees at medical supply companies, one of whom warned that raw material for gowns is not available at any price in the amounts needed, leading to an “unsustainable” situation.
Rear Adm. John Polowczyk, who is in charge of coronavirus-related supplies for the White House, told Congress last week that more than than one-fourth of the states have less than a 30-day supply.
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“It would seem like in less than 30 days, we’re going to have a real crisis,” said Rep. Bill Foster, an Illinois Democrat.
FEMA, one of the main federal agencies in charge of the coronavirus response, would not break down which states have enough gear to last beyond 30 days and which do not. It referred those questions to individual states. In June, the government started replenishing its once-depleted stockpile with the goal of building up a two-month supply.
As of June 10, FEMA had distributed or directed private companies to distribute more than 74 million N95 masks and 66 million pairs of gloves, along with other gear. The agency said it changed its distribution method to send more equipment to hot spots.
Although all U.S. states and territories have received some protective gear from FEMA, an Associated Press analysis of the agency’s own data found that the amounts varied widely when measured by population and the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.
The AP analysis found that low-population, mostly rural states received the largest FEMA allocations per confirmed case. As of mid-June, for example, Montana had received 1,125 items of protective gear per case, compared with 32 items per case in Massachusetts, an early hot spot. States including California, Iowa and Nebraska, all of which have seen a surge in confirmed infections, received among the lowest amounts of protective gear from FEMA per case, according to the AP analysis.
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Many states say the federal supplies make up a small part of their stockpiles after they spent millions of dollars to acquire equipment on their own. FEMA told the AP that its initial distributions were made on a per-capita basis, but also said the agency has tried to accommodate individual requests from the states.
Concerns extend beyond the amount of gear. In New Hampshire, an association representing nursing homes said most items sent by FEMA in early June were unusable, including child-size gloves, surgical masks with ear loops that broke when stretched and isolation gowns with no arm openings.
A nonprofit group called #GetUsPPE was established in March by physicians to help distribute donated protective gear.
The group had a 200% increase in requests during the last two weeks of June from medical providers in Texas, a state with a big surge in confirmed virus cases. State officials there have said their supplies are adequate.
“We anticipated that we would need to be around for a few weeks until someone else stepped in and solved this problem,” said Dr. Megan Ranney, an emergency physician at Rhode Island Hospital who was among the group’s founders. “Here we are, still getting hundreds of thousands of requests a week.”
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Fassett, a data journalist based in Santa Cruz, California, is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered topics.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--6 Dead, 1,500 Infected As Coronavirus Ravages California's San Quentin Prison

Half a dozen inmates have died and more than 1,300 inmates have been infected by the coronavirus at San Quentin State Prison in Northern California , as advocates urge Gov .
Gavin Newsom to release more prisoners .
In late May , San Quentin prison had zero confirmed cases of the virus among its around 4,000 inmates .
But after more than 120 prisoners were transferred in from another facility in Chino — 25 of whom later tested positive for COVID-19 — an outbreak began that has grown to devastating proportions in recent weeks .
As of Tuesday , 1,369 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staffers had tested positive , adding up to more than 1,500 infected with the virus , per the state ’ s tracking tool .
Only 13 inmates with active cases have been released so far .
On Monday , the Democratic governor said that his administration has been working on the issue “ every single day for the last three weeks ” and that it was a “ top priority.
” His plan is to bring the prison ’ s population down to about 3,000 inmates over the “ next few weeks ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases , Newsom said .
It was not clear if all of the inmates to be removed to reduce San Quentin ’ s population would be released from prison entirely or if some would be transferred to other facilities .
The governor ’ s office and the state ’ s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation did not immediately respond to HuffPost ’ s request for further comment .
Juan Moreno Haines , a journalist incarcerated in San Quentin who said he ’ s tested positive for COVID-19 , told The Appeal last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others in cells ― a practice that ignores social distancing recommendations .
Haines wrote in The Appeal in late June that prisoners were “ reluctant to report when they ’ re sick ” out of fear of being sent into the “ punishing conditions ” of solitary confinement .
On Tuesday , state legislators and other officials , including San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin ( D ) and state Sen. Scott Wiener ( D ) , called for Newsom to release “ medically vulnerable ” and aging inmates from San Quentin , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low risk to public safety.
” They also urged the governor to “ dramatically reduce ” prison populations across the state to less than half of current capacity .
The state prison system has released 3,500 incarcerated people through “ expedited ” parole processes since March , per the corrections department .
At San Quentin , the department has said it is taking measures to reduce the spread of the coronavirus , including having staffers ’ temperatures checked before entering and reducing the number of people in common areas .
California overall has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in recent weeks , with more than 277,000 confirmed cases and more than 6,000 dead as of Monday .
The state has hit a seven-day average of 7,800 new cases per day , and hospitalization rates have increased by 50 % over the last two weeks , per the governor .
After being one of the earliest states to shut down businesses and direct residents to shelter in place , California began reopening in May .
But it has since had to walk back reopenings in several areas as new cases ballooned .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with more than 2.9 million confirmed cases and over 131,000 dead from COVID-19 so far .
Some of the country ’ s worst outbreaks have been in congregant settings like nursing homes , meatpacking plants , Amazon warehouses and other prisons nationwide .
“ The virus is here and it ’ s getting worse by the day , ” Charles Lawrence , then an inmate at Pendleton state prison in Indiana , wrote in a letter in mid-April , later shared with HuffPost .
“ It ’ s only a matter of time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over two weeks later , Lawrence died from the coronavirus .

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Half a dozen inmates have died and more than 1,300 inmates have been infected by the coronavirus at San Quentin State Prison in Northern California, as advocates urge Gov. Gavin Newsom to release more prisoners.
In late May, San Quentin prison had zero confirmed cases of the virus among its around 4,000 inmates. But after more than 120 prisoners were transferred in from another facility in Chino — 25 of whom later tested positive for COVID-19 — an outbreak began that has grown to devastating proportions in recent weeks. As of Tuesday, 1,369 people incarcerated at San Quentin and 184 staffers had tested positive, adding up to more than 1,500 infected with the virus, per the state’s tracking tool. Only 13 inmates with active cases have been released so far.
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Prisoners advocates and state politicians have been calling for Newsom to release more inmates in response to the crisis.
On Monday, the Democratic governor said that his administration has been working on the issue “every single day for the last three weeks” and that it was a “top priority.” His plan is to bring the prison’s population down to about 3,000 inmates over the “next few weeks” and he was “individually” reviewing cases, Newsom said.
It was not clear if all of the inmates to be removed to reduce San Quentin’s population would be released from prison entirely or if some would be transferred to other facilities. The governor’s office and the state’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for further comment.
Last week, 20 inmates at San Quentin went on a hunger strike to protest its inhumane conditions, including dirty, cramped cells, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Juan Moreno Haines, a journalist incarcerated in San Quentin who said he’s tested positive for COVID-19, told The Appeal last week that people were still locked up with others in cells ― a practice that ignores social distancing recommendations. Haines wrote in The Appeal in late June that prisoners were “reluctant to report when they’re sick” out of fear of being sent into the “punishing conditions” of solitary confinement.
Prisoners at San Quentin State Prison in California have gone on a hunger strike to protest a lack of electircal power, dirty cells, and other inhumane conditions during COVID-19. “The staff are literally waiting for us to fall out.” https://t.co/iDUGOoQCbD — The Appeal (@theappeal) July 7, 2020
On Tuesday, state legislators and other officials, including San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin (D) and state Sen. Scott Wiener (D), called for Newsom to release “medically vulnerable” and aging inmates from San Quentin, as well as those “deemed a low risk to public safety.” They also urged the governor to “dramatically reduce” prison populations across the state to less than half of current capacity.
Throughout California’s prisons, there have been over 5,000 confirmed coronavirus cases so far, and 29 inmates have died.
The state prison system has released 3,500 incarcerated people through “expedited” parole processes since March, per the corrections department. At San Quentin, the department has said it is taking measures to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, including having staffers’ temperatures checked before entering and reducing the number of people in common areas.
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California overall has seen a steady increase in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, with more than 277,000 confirmed cases and more than 6,000 dead as of Monday. The state has hit a seven-day average of 7,800 new cases per day, and hospitalization rates have increased by 50% over the last two weeks, per the governor.
After being one of the earliest states to shut down businesses and direct residents to shelter in place, California began reopening in May. But it has since had to walk back reopenings in several areas as new cases ballooned.
The U.S. continues to lead the world with more than 2.9 million confirmed cases and over 131,000 dead from COVID-19 so far. Some of the country’s worst outbreaks have been in congregant settings like nursing homes, meatpacking plants, Amazon warehouses and other prisons nationwide.
“The virus is here and it’s getting worse by the day,” Charles Lawrence, then an inmate at Pendleton state prison in Indiana, wrote in a letter in mid-April, later shared with HuffPost. “It’s only a matter of time before it claims a life.” Just over two weeks later, Lawrence died from the coronavirus.
“Protect human beings behind bars,” Lawrence’s wife, Sanya, told HuffPost last week. “Their lives matter, too.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--Experimental Drug Treatment May Have Rid Man Of HIV, Doctors Say

VCG via Getty Images If a Brazilian man ’ s case is confirmed , it would be the first time HIV has been eliminated in an adult without a bone marrow or stem cell transplant .
“ These are exciting findings but they ’ re very preliminary , ” said Dr. Monica Gandhi , an AIDS specialist at the University of California , San Francisco .
“ This has happened to one person , and one person only , ” and it didn ’ t succeed in four others given the same treatment , she said .
The case was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also disclosed an important prevention advance : A shot of an experimental medicine every two months worked better than daily Truvada pills to help keep uninfected gay men from catching HIV from an infected sex partner .
Hundreds of thousands of people take these “ pre-exposure prevention ” pills now and the shot could give a new option , almost like a temporary vaccine .
If the Brazil man ’ s case is confirmed , it would be the first time HIV has been eliminated in an adult without a bone marrow or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to see whether his remission lasts and for the intense drug combination that he received to undergo more testing .
“ I ’ m very moved because it ’ s something that millions of people want , ” said the 35-year-old man , whose spoke to The Associated Press on condition that his name not be published .
“ It ’ s a gift of life , a second chance to live.
” He and the Berlin patient , Timothy Ray Brown , had donors with a gene that confers natural immunity to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medically risky and impractical to attempt on a large scale , so doctors have been trying other approaches .
It ’ s hard to eliminate HIV because it establishes an early “ reservoir ” of blood cells where it lies dormant and can ’ t be attacked by medicines or the immune system .
Infections can be controlled with drugs , but as soon as patients stop taking them , the dormant virus activates and renews the disease .
“ We are trying to wake up the virus ” and boost the immune @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once it ’ s flushed out of hiding , Diaz explained .
The Brazil man had been taking a standard three-drug combo to suppress his virus .
In September 2015 , Diaz added two newer ones to intensify his treatment — dolutegravir and maraviroc — plus nicotinamide , a form of vitamin B3 that may help expose dormant virus .
After nearly a year , the patient went back to the standard three drugs for two more years , then stopped all HIV medicines in March 2019 .
The virus has been undetectable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then .
The antibody results are “ the most fascinating part of this story , ” said Deeks .
“ These are solid scientists ” and “ the team may have come up with something that helps , ” but it ’ s going to take verification of these results and much more testing to know , he said .
In particular , doctors will want to see proof from blood tests that the patient truly had stopped his HIV medicines .
Diaz said all HIV patients in Brazil get their medicines from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ verified the man had stopped .
The treatment did not succeed in four others treated the same way , or in any of the others in the 30-person study testing related approaches .
The study was stopped early , in May , when the shot seemed at least as effective as the pills .
Final results now show the shot works better — there were 13 new infections among those who got it versus 39 among those taking Truvada , said the study leader , Dr. Raphael Landovitz of the University of California @ @ @ @

If a Brazilian man’s case is confirmed, it would be the first time HIV has been eliminated in an adult without a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. VCG via Getty Images
A Brazilian man infected with the AIDS virus has shown no sign of it for more than a year since he stopped HIV medicines after an intense experimental drug therapy aimed at purging hidden, dormant virus from his body, doctors reported Tuesday.
The case needs independent verification and it’s way too soon to speculate about a possible cure, scientists cautioned.
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“These are exciting findings but they’re very preliminary,” said Dr. Monica Gandhi, an AIDS specialist at the University of California, San Francisco. “This has happened to one person, and one person only,” and it didn’t succeed in four others given the same treatment, she said.
Another UCSF specialist, Dr. Steven Deeks, said: “This is not a cure,” just an interesting case that merits more study.
The case was described at an AIDS conference where researchers also disclosed an important prevention advance: A shot of an experimental medicine every two months worked better than daily Truvada pills to help keep uninfected gay men from catching HIV from an infected sex partner. Hundreds of thousands of people take these “pre-exposure prevention” pills now and the shot could give a new option, almost like a temporary vaccine.
If the Brazil man’s case is confirmed, it would be the first time HIV has been eliminated in an adult without a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. Independent experts want to see whether his remission lasts and for the intense drug combination that he received to undergo more testing.
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“I’m very moved because it’s something that millions of people want,” said the 35-year-old man, whose spoke to The Associated Press on condition that his name not be published. “It’s a gift of life, a second chance to live.”
Transplants are how two other men, nicknamed the Berlin and London patients for where they were treated, were cured previously.
“I’m the living proof it’s possible to be cured,” Adam Castillejo, the London patient, said in a news conference at the AIDS meeting, which is being held online because of the coronavirus pandemic.
He and the Berlin patient, Timothy Ray Brown, had donors with a gene that confers natural immunity to HIV infection. Such transplants are too medically risky and impractical to attempt on a large scale, so doctors have been trying other approaches.
It’s hard to eliminate HIV because it establishes an early “reservoir” of blood cells where it lies dormant and can’t be attacked by medicines or the immune system. Infections can be controlled with drugs, but as soon as patients stop taking them, the dormant virus activates and renews the disease.
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Dr. Ricardo Diaz of the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil led a study testing strong and new drug combinations to try to purge this reservoir.
“We are trying to wake up the virus” and boost the immune system’s ability to eliminate it once it’s flushed out of hiding, Diaz explained. The Brazil man had been taking a standard three-drug combo to suppress his virus. In September 2015, Diaz added two newer ones to intensify his treatment — dolutegravir and maraviroc — plus nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3 that may help expose dormant virus.
After nearly a year, the patient went back to the standard three drugs for two more years, then stopped all HIV medicines in March 2019. The virus has been undetectable in many blood and tissue samples since then.
“We can’t search the entire body, but by the best evidence, we do not have infected cells,” Diaz said.
The most convincing evidence: Tests show the man has lost nearly all HIV antibodies — substances the immune system makes when fighting the virus.
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Eager for independent verification, the patient said he went to a counseling center for an anonymous HIV test in February. It was negative.
“He made a picture of the results” and sent a photo of them, Diaz said.
The antibody results are “the most fascinating part of this story,” said Deeks. “These are solid scientists” and “the team may have come up with something that helps,” but it’s going to take verification of these results and much more testing to know, he said.
In particular, doctors will want to see proof from blood tests that the patient truly had stopped his HIV medicines. Diaz said all HIV patients in Brazil get their medicines from a government health program and that he verified the man had stopped.
“I think it’s very promising. This patient might be cured,” but it will take more time to know, Diaz said.
The treatment did not succeed in four others treated the same way, or in any of the others in the 30-person study testing related approaches.
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Diaz said he has approval for a new study in 60 patients, sponsored by government grants in Brazil and by ViiV Healthcare, the British company that makes maraviroc.
Dr. Anton Pozniak, head of the AIDS conference and an HIV specialist at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, said more time is needed to see if the virus rebounds.
“I’m waiting. I’m a skeptic about all of this ... until a couple of years go by,” he said.
The separate study on prevention involved nearly 4,600 people in North and South America, Asia, and Africa. It tested shots of ViiV’s experimental drug cabotegravir against daily pills of Truvada, the Gilead Sciences drug already approved for preventing HIV infection.
The study was stopped early, in May, when the shot seemed at least as effective as the pills. Final results now show the shot works better — there were 13 new infections among those who got it versus 39 among those taking Truvada, said the study leader, Dr. Raphael Landovitz of the University of California, Los Angeles.
“People can stay protected without having taken a pill every day,” he said. “You get a shot and you don’t have to do anything for two months. That’s incredibly powerful.”
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The results “could revolutionize prevention for HIV worldwide” and give a new option for people who don’t want to take a daily pill, Gandhi said.
ViiV has said it will seek U.S. approval for cabotegravir; its eventual price is unknown. Truvada costs $1,600 to $1,800 a month, but what patients pay out of pocket depends on insurance and other factors. With either drug, people are still urged to use condoms to prevent other sexually spread diseases.
___
Marilynn Marchione can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--J.K. Rowling Compares Gender Confirmation Treatment To 'Gay Conversion' Therapy

“ We are watching a new kind of conversion therapy for young gay people , ” the author tweeted on Sunday , referring to hormone prescriptions for youths questioning their gender identity as the “ new anti-depressants.
” “ The suggestion that anyone would subject a child togender-changing treatment to avoid them growing up gay orlesbian is a slander on all the caring parents , ” said ChristineBurns , an advocate who has campaigned for trans rights since the1990s .
“ The notion is so far down the fantasy rabbit hole that it ’ s impossible to address in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lie that relies on a mountain of lies .
The scandal is that these lies go unchallenged , ” Burns told the Thomson Reuters Foundation .
Rowling , whose “ Harry Potter ” series has sold more than 500million books , waded into the debate over whether trans rights encroach on those of other women with a June tweet over a headline about “ people who menstruate.
” ″ ‘ People who menstruate.
’ I ’ m sure there used to be a word for those people .
Someone help me out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Rowling tweeted .
The author , who has also penned the popular Cormoran Strike detective series under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith , followed the tweet with a 3,600-word essay , in which she disclosed she had been a victim of domestic abuse and sexual assault .
In response to Rowling ’ s latest comments , model and trans activist Munroe Bergdorf said the writer was “ dangerous ” and a “ threat to LGBT people.
” “ J.K .
Rowling is not a scientist .
She is not a doctor .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She is not a supporter of our community , ” Bergdorf said on Twitter .
“ She is a billionaire , cisgender , heterosexual , white woman who has decided that she knows what is best for us and our bodies .
This is not her fight.
” Scott Leibowitz , child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Nationwide Children ’ s Hospital in Columbus Ohio , said Rowling ’ s comments sent a worrying message to trans youth , many of whom would have come into contact with the author through her books @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanting acceptance from family members , a statement like this can give skeptical parents a reason to reject this aspect of them , thinking they will ‘ grow out of it , ’ because a famous person said so , ” Leibowitz said .

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LONDON, July 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling angered the trans community on Monday for comparing hormone treatment for people seeking to transition gender to gay conversion therapy, fueling a row over transgender rights.
“We are watching a new kind of conversion therapy for young gay people,” the author tweeted on Sunday, referring to hormone prescriptions for youths questioning their gender identity as the “new anti-depressants.”
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Her comment sparked a furious reaction from trans rights campaigners, who have criticized Rowling’s remarks on transgender issues repeatedly in recent weeks.
“The suggestion that anyone would subject a child togender-changing treatment to avoid them growing up gay orlesbian is a slander on all the caring parents,” said ChristineBurns, an advocate who has campaigned for trans rights since the1990s.
“The notion is so far down the fantasy rabbit hole that it’s impossible to address in a sentence or two. It’s a lie that relies on a mountain of lies. The scandal is that these lies go unchallenged,” Burns told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Rowling’s public relations manager said on Monday that shewould not be commenting further.
Rowling, whose “Harry Potter” series has sold more than 500million books, waded into the debate over whether trans rights encroach on those of other women with a June tweet over a headline about “people who menstruate.”
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″‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?“Rowling tweeted.
The author, who has also penned the popular Cormoran Strike detective series under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, followed the tweet with a 3,600-word essay, in which she disclosed she had been a victim of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
In response to Rowling’s latest comments, model and trans activist Munroe Bergdorf said the writer was “dangerous” and a “threat to LGBT people.”
“J.K. Rowling is not a scientist. She is not a doctor. She is not an expert on gender. She is not a supporter of our community,” Bergdorf said on Twitter.
“She is a billionaire, cisgender, heterosexual, white woman who has decided that she knows what is best for us and our bodies. This is not her fight.”
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Scott Leibowitz, child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus Ohio, said Rowling’s comments sent a worrying message to trans youth, many of whom would have come into contact with the author through her books.
“For a trans young person wanting acceptance from family members, a statement like this can give skeptical parents a reason to reject this aspect of them, thinking they will ‘grow out of it,’ because a famous person said so,” Leibowitz said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro Tests Positive For Coronavirus

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for the coronavirus after spending months flouting public health guidelines and dismissing the threat posed by a pandemic that has killed more than half a million people worldwide .
Bolsonaro , 65 , said Monday that he had been tested for the virus and that an exam had showed his lungs were “ clean.
” Bolsonaro told reporters Tuesday that his test came back positive , CNN Brazil reported .
The far-right leader began showing some symptoms of the coronavirus over the weekend , according to Brazilian news reports .
His positive test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Fourth of July lunch celebration with Todd Chapman , the United States ambassador to Brazil , in Brasilia .
After announcing his positive result on Tuesday , Bolsonaro removed his mask while backing away from reporters and told them , “ There is no need to panic.
” Bolsonaro , who claimed he had already taken the controversial drug hydroxychloroquine as part of his treatment , also said he would self-isolate .
The Brazilian president has long been dismissive of the virus , even as hundreds of thousands of people in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called COVID-19 a “ little flu , ” urged local governors to lift lockdown orders and continued to step out in public without any major precautions , including venturing into crowds without a face covering and shaking hands with the public .
“ We are sorry for all the dead , but that ’ s everyone ’ s destiny , ” he said last month as cases rose dramatically .
Bolsonaro was tested for the virus at least three times in March after meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump , and all those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judge ordered Bolsonaro to wear a mask in public last month after he attended a spate of political rallies without one , even as cases surged throughout the country .
At the time , the judge said no one was “ above the law ” and that the president had a “ clear intent to break the rules.
” More than 1.6 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Brazil , and at least 65,000 people have died there .
Only the U.S. has had more cases and more deaths .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus cases from the Health Ministry ’ s website , claiming without evidence that the figures had been inflated by local officials .
The country ’ s Supreme Court ordered the data to be restored days later amid claims that Bolsonaro ’ s government had attempted to mask how severe the outbreak had grown in the country .
The government ’ s efforts to interfere with coronavirus data came even as positive tests spread through the top echelons of the Brazilian government .
In March , Bolsonaro ’ s top press secretary and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested positive for COVID-19 after traveling to Florida to meet with Trump at Mar-A-Lago .
Since the coronavirus outbreak hit Brazil , Bolsonaro has fired one health minister and seen another resign amid disputes over social distancing measures and the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat the virus .
He has also battled with state governors who have advocated a more forceful approach to the virus as it hammers the country .
In March , Bolsonaro dismissed concerns about catching COVID-19 himself by saying that his “ history as an athlete ” would allow @ @ @ @ @ @

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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for the coronavirus after spending months flouting public health guidelines and dismissing the threat posed by a pandemic that has killed more than half a million people worldwide.
Bolsonaro, 65, said Monday that he had been tested for the virus and that an exam had showed his lungs were “clean.” Bolsonaro told reporters Tuesday that his test came back positive, CNN Brazil reported.
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The far-right leader began showing some symptoms of the coronavirus over the weekend, according to Brazilian news reports. His positive test result comes just days after he attended a Fourth of July lunch celebration with Todd Chapman, the United States ambassador to Brazil, in Brasilia.
After announcing his positive result on Tuesday, Bolsonaro removed his mask while backing away from reporters and told them, “There is no need to panic.” Bolsonaro, who claimed he had already taken the controversial drug hydroxychloroquine as part of his treatment, also said he would self-isolate.
The Brazilian president has long been dismissive of the virus, even as hundreds of thousands of people in his country have tested positive. He has called COVID-19 a “little flu,” urged local governors to lift lockdown orders and continued to step out in public without any major precautions, including venturing into crowds without a face covering and shaking hands with the public.
“We are sorry for all the dead, but that’s everyone’s destiny,” he said last month as cases rose dramatically.
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Bolsonaro was tested for the virus at least three times in March after meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, and all those tests came back negative.
A Brazilian judge ordered Bolsonaro to wear a mask in public last month after he attended a spate of political rallies without one, even as cases surged throughout the country. At the time, the judge said no one was “above the law” and that the president had a “clear intent to break the rules.”
More than 1.6 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Brazil, and at least 65,000 people have died there. Only the U.S. has had more cases and more deaths.
In June, Brazil removed detailed numbers on coronavirus cases from the Health Ministry’s website, claiming without evidence that the figures had been inflated by local officials. The country’s Supreme Court ordered the data to be restored days later amid claims that Bolsonaro’s government had attempted to mask how severe the outbreak had grown in the country.
The government’s efforts to interfere with coronavirus data came even as positive tests spread through the top echelons of the Brazilian government. In March, Bolsonaro’s top press secretary and nearly two dozen other Brazilian government officials tested positive for COVID-19 after traveling to Florida to meet with Trump at Mar-A-Lago.
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Since the coronavirus outbreak hit Brazil, Bolsonaro has fired one health minister and seen another resign amid disputes over social distancing measures and the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat the virus. He has also battled with state governors who have advocated a more forceful approach to the virus as it hammers the country.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--Evangelical Megachurch With Close Ties To Trump Approved for Millions In Pandemic Aid

WASHINGTON , July 6 ( Reuters ) - A Dallas megachurch whose pastor has been a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump was approved for a forgivable loan worth $ 2 million to $ 5 million , according to long-awaited government data released on Monday .
Vice President Mike Pence spoke at a rally last month at the First Baptist Church of Dallas , whose pastor , Robert Jeffress , has been on Trump ’ s evangelical advisory board .
It was among the tens of thousands of religious organizations that received a total of $ 7.3 billion in pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The list of religious organizations approved for about 88,400 small business loans also included Joyce Meyer Ministries Inc , a Missouri church which in 2007-2011 was investigated by the Senate over its finances .
That church was approved for $ 5 million to $ 10 million - the largest sum an individual entity could apply for .
Neither organization immediately responded to requests for comment on the loans .
Joyce Meyer fully cooperated with the Senate investigation and agreed to join the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability .
Monday ’ s data released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Business Administration ( SBA ) named borrowers that were approved for loans of $ 150,000 or more under the $ 660 Paycheck Protection Program .
The data showed religious organizations accounting for more than 1 million of the 51.1 million jobs protected by the high profile program .
The list of named religious organizations was heavily skewed toward Christian denominations , according to a Reuters analysis .
Critics of the program ’ s rules , though , say it is unconstitutional for religious groups to receive taxpayer funds because America ’ s founders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freedom for all , envisaged a strict separation between church and state .
“ Going back to the founding of our country , one of the major principles is that no one should be forced to be taxed to propagate the religious ideas of another person , ” said AlisonGill , vice president of legal and policy at religious equality watchdog American Atheists .
Catholic Bishop Gerald Barnes of San Bernardino speaks at a 2006 news conference .
A spokesman said its entities received about $ 8.5 million which were used to pay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the other 19 religious organizations to be approved for between $ 5 million and $ 10 million was Oklahoma-based Life.Church Operations LLC .
Its pastor Bobby Gruenewald said in response to Reuters questions that he was grateful that churches were able to qualify for the loans , but did not say how much his church got or whether it will seek loan forgiveness .
Also in the $ 5 million- $ 10 million bracket were the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino , California , which has publicly acknowledged its role in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Creek Community Church Inc. in Illinois .
In 2018 , the Chicago Tribune , citing court records , reported that Willow Creek paid $ 3.25 million to settle lawsuits alleging a church volunteer sexually abused children .
Willow Creek did not respond immediately to request for comment .
A spokesman for San Bernardino diocese said its entities received about $ 8.5 million which were used to pay staff wages and utility costs , and that the diocese expects to seek loan forgiveness .

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WASHINGTON, July 6 (Reuters) - A Dallas megachurch whose pastor has been a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump was approved for a forgivable loan worth $2 million to $5 million, according to long-awaited government data released on Monday.
Vice President Mike Pence spoke at a rally last month at the First Baptist Church of Dallas, whose pastor, Robert Jeffress, has been on Trump’s evangelical advisory board.
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It was among the tens of thousands of religious organizations that received a total of $7.3 billion in pandemic aid from the Small Business Administration.
The list of religious organizations approved for about 88,400 small business loans also included Joyce Meyer Ministries Inc, a Missouri church which in 2007-2011 was investigated by the Senate over its finances. That church was approved for $5 million to $10 million - the largest sum an individual entity could apply for.
A choir sings at First Baptist Church Dallas during a Celebrate Freedom Rally that featured a speech from Vice President Mike Pence, on Sunday, June 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Neither organization immediately responded to requests for comment on the loans. Joyce Meyer fully cooperated with the Senate investigation and agreed to join the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
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Monday’s data released by the U.S. Treasury Department and Small Business Administration (SBA) named borrowers that were approved for loans of $150,000 or more under the $660 Paycheck Protection Program.
The data showed religious organizations accounting for more than 1 million of the 51.1 million jobs protected by the high profile program. The list of named religious organizations was heavily skewed toward Christian denominations, according to a Reuters analysis.
Launched on April 3, the Paycheck Protection Program allows small businesses, non-profits and individuals hurt by thepandemic to apply for a forgivable government-backed loan.
Critics of the program’s rules, though, say it is unconstitutional for religious groups to receive taxpayer funds because America’s founders, in a bid to preserve religious freedom for all, envisaged a strict separation between church and state.
“Going back to the founding of our country, one of the major principles is that no one should be forced to be taxed to propagate the religious ideas of another person,” said AlisonGill, vice president of legal and policy at religious equality watchdog American Atheists.
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Catholic Bishop Gerald Barnes of San Bernardino speaks at a 2006 news conference. A spokesman said its entities received about $8.5 million which were used to pay staff wages and utility costs. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
Among the other 19 religious organizations to be approved for between $5 million and $10 million was Oklahoma-based Life.Church Operations LLC. Its pastor Bobby Gruenewald said in response to Reuters questions that he was grateful that churches were able to qualify for the loans, but did not say how much his church got or whether it will seek loan forgiveness.
Also in the $5 million-$10 million bracket were the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino, California, which has publicly acknowledged its role in a decades-old sexual abuse scandal, and Willow Creek Community Church Inc. in Illinois. In 2018, the Chicago Tribune, citing court records, reported that Willow Creek paid $3.25 million to settle lawsuits alleging a church volunteer sexually abused children. Willow Creek did not respond immediately to request for comment.
A spokesman for San Bernardino diocese said its entities received about $8.5 million which were used to pay staff wages and utility costs, and that the diocese expects to seek loan forgiveness.
(Reporting by Chris Prentice; Additional reporting by Koh GuiQing and Brad Heath; Editing by Michelle Price, Tom Lasseter and Gerry Doyle)


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-06--COVID-19 Live Updates: States Still Struggle To Administer Coronavirus Tests

HuffPost reporters around the world are tracking the pandemic and its effects .
Read the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic below .
( To see the latest updates , you may need to refresh the page .
All times are Eastern .
For earlier updates on the pandemic , go here . )
Months Into Pandemic , Several States Continue To Struggle Administering Coronavirus Tests — 7/07/20 , 1:07 p.m .
ET Several months since the first coronavirus case was diagnosed in the U.S. , multiple states are still having trouble administering coronavirus tests to all who want them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the virus .
In numerous states seeing spikes in cases and hospitalizations — including Arizona and Texas — some people have reported waiting in miles-long lines for hours to receive drive-thru testing .
Just weeks after Donald Trump told attendees at a rally he asked officials in his administration to “ slow the testing down , ” the faltering testing systems in Arizona and Texas , as well as in Louisiana and Florida , demonstrates the wide gap between Americans ’ lived experiences and the White House ’ s lax approach to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in particular , several people wanting to get tested have reported using up their gas tanks spending hours in drive-thru lines .
In Florida , a test site spokesman recently said the state is “ asking people to have plenty of gas and make sure the air conditioning is working and make sure your windows can fully open and close because if not , they can ’ t perform a test on you.
” On Sunday , Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said the Federal Emergency Management Agency told her they ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with testing after she requested help administering tests in her city , which leads the country in the number of new coronavirus cases per capita .
“ We ’ ve asked FEMA if they could come and do community-based testing here , ” Gallego said .
“ We were told they ’ re moving away from that , which feels like they ’ re declaring victory while we ’ re still in crisis mode.
” Brazil ’ s Bolsonaro Tests Positive For Coronavirus — 7/07/20 , 11:30 a.m .
ET Brazil President Jair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after spending months flouting public health guidelines and dismissing the threat posed by a pandemic that has killed more than half a million people worldwide .
Bolsonaro , 65 , said Monday that he had been tested for the virus and that an exam had showed his lungs were “ clean.
” Bolsonaro told reporters Tuesday that his test results came back positive , CNN Brazil reported .
The Brazilian president has long been dismissive of the virus even as hundreds of thousands of people in his country have tested positive .
Bolsonaro @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus in March after meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump , and all those tests came back negative .
More than 1.6 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Brazil , and at least 65,000 people have died there .
Only the U.S. has more cases and more deaths .
Thousands of residents in nine public housing towers in Melbourne , Australia , say they are struggling to obtain food and other support from the government after being placed on “ hard lockdown.
” Under the hastily imposed restrictions , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the buildings ’ 3,000 residents , many from low-income , immigrant communities , have been banned from leaving their homes for any reason .
The draconian measures were put in place on Saturday when more than 500 armed police officers surrounded the towers in Australia ’ s second largest city , after a number of residents tested positive for the coronavirus .
After largely bringing the coronavirus pandemic under control , the virus has surged back in Australia in recent days , forcing authorities to reimpose a six-week stay-at-home order in Melbourne and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Victoria .
On Tuesday , 199 new cases were reported nationally , the biggest one-day rise since early April .
Victoria was responsible for 191 of those cases — many of them in Melbourne .
The state line between New South Wales and Victoria is due to close at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday for the first time in 100 years .
Spanish Antibody Study Casts Doubt Over Herd Immunity — 7/7/20 , 6:30 a.m .
ET Results from a nationwide antibody study show just 5.2 % of Spain ’ s population has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Monday .
The study , which tested nearly 70,000 people across Spain three times over the past three months , found the virus ’ prevalence had not altered significantly since preliminary results were published in May .
The results show that so-called herd immunity is unlikely even in hardest-hit countries , with 70 % to 90 % of a population needing to be immune from an illness .
The study also suggested that immunity to the virus can be short-lived , with 14 % of participants who tested positive for antibodies in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last stage .
“ Immunity can be incomplete , it can be transitory , it can last for just a short time and then disappear , ” said Dr. Raquel Yotti , director of Spain ’ s Carlos III Health Institute , which co-led the study .
HuffPost Spain reported ( in Spanish ) that the loss of antibodies was more frequent in people who had not had any symptoms .
The data also showed that among healthcare workers the prevalence rate of antibodies was 10 % .
Spain has gradually lifted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has fallen , however the regions of Galicia and Catalonia imposed local lockdowns over the weekend , isolating some 270,000 people after small-scale outbreaks were detected .
As COVID-19 Cases Surge , Fauci Says U.S. Is Still ‘ Knee-Deep ’ In First Wave — 7/6/20 , 10:00 p.m. Dr. Anthony Fauci , the top infectious disease expert in the U.S. , said Monday that the country is in a “ serious situation ” that needs immediate attention as the coronavirus surges in certain parts of the country .
During a live interview streamed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. is “ still knee-deep in the first wave ” of the COVID-19 pandemic .
“ I would say this would not be considered a wave .
It was a surge , or resurgence of infections superimposed upon a baseline ... that really never got down to where we wanted to go , ” Fauci told National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins .
“ If you look at the graphs from Europe — Europe , the European Union as an entity , it went up , and then came down to baseline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went up , never came down to baseline , and now we ’ re surging back up .
So it ’ s a serious situation that we have to address immediately.
” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced Monday that she had tested positive for COVID-19 .
“ COVID-19 has literally hit home , ” she tweeted Monday evening .
“ I have had NO symptoms and have tested positive.
” Her infection comes at a time when Georgia is experiencing an increase in coronavirus cases across the state .
Last week , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases reported in a single day , hitting more than 3,000 cases within a 24-hour period between July 1 and July 2 .
Fulton County , which includes Atlanta , has reported more than 8,800 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic .
West Virginia Gov .
Jim Justice ( R ) said Monday that he planned to sign an executive order requiring everyone over the age of 9 to wear a mask indoors when social distancing is not possible .
He said the order would go into effect at midnight .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ now exceed 3 % .
“ If we don ’ t do this and do this now , we ’ re going to be in a world of hurt , ” he said .
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez on Monday reversed course and signed an emergency order closing restaurants ( except for takeout and delivery ) , ballrooms , banquet facilities , party venues , gyms and short-term rentals .
For now , Giménez is leaving outdoor activities untouched .
But he vowed to close beaches and pools “ if we see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health rules , ” including wearing masks and maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet from other people .
“ We are still tracking the spike in the number of cases involving 18- to 34-year-olds that began in mid-June , ” Giménez said , “ which the County ’ s medical experts say was caused by a number of factors , including young people going to congested places — indoors and outside — without taking precautions such as wearing masks and practicing social distancing.
” The order goes into effect Wednesday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ As UK Pubs Reopen After 15 Weeks — 7/06/20 , 7:50 a.m .
ET Most people who went out on so-called Super Saturday as coronavirus restrictions were eased in England “ acted responsibly , ” the U.K. health secretary has said .
Matt Hancock said most people were “ doing the right thing ” as pubs , restaurants , cafes and other venues reopened for the first time in three months , marking a major milestone in Britain ’ s efforts to restart the economy .
But it came after the chairman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ crystal clear ” that drunk people are unable to follow the 1 meter-plus social distancing rules amid images of streets packed with drinkers in Soho , London .
Many establishments chose to remain closed Saturday , and those that did open offered customers a very different pub experience , with staff decked out in gloves and face masks , plastic screens installed above bars and tables spaced at least one meter apart .
Some pubs required patrons to book tables in advance and order drinks via a smartphone app , in order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with staff .
The death toll in Britain from confirmed COVID-19 cases rose by 22 to 44,220 on Sunday , the third-highest in the world .
Australia Closes Key State Border For First Time In 100 Years — 7/06/20 , 7:05 a.m .
ET The border between Australia ’ s two most populous states will close from Tuesday for an indefinite period after a fresh spike in coronavirus cases .
The decision marks the first time the border between Victoria and New South Wales has been shut in 100 years , with officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 1919 during the Spanish flu pandemic .
The number of COVID-19 cases in the Victorian capital Melbourne has surged in recent days , prompting authorities to enforce strict social distancing orders in 30 suburbs and put nine public housing towers into lockdown .
Victoria reported 127 new COVID-19 infections overnight , its biggest one-day spike since the pandemic began .
It also reported one death , the first nationally in more than two weeks , taking the country ’ s total tally to 105 .
Egypt Arrests Doctors , Journalists Who Criticize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7/6/2020 , 6 a.m .
ET At least 10 doctors and six journalists have been arrested over criticism of the Egyptian government ’ s handling of the outbreak since the coronavirus first hit Egypt in February , the Associated Press reports .
Other health workers say they have been told to keep quiet or face punishment .
President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has described critics of the government ’ s handling of the crisis as “ enemies of the state.
” As of Monday , Egypt has recorded 76,253 infections , including 3,343 deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arab world .
Scientists Will Urge WHO To Take Airborne Spread Of Virus More Seriously — 7/6/2020 , 3:40 a.m .
ET A group of 239 scientists plans to urge the World Health Organization to more seriously consider the threat that the novel coronavirus may be spread by microscopic particles in the air , The New York Times reported this weekend .
In an open letter set to be published later this week , the international coalition will warn of growing evidence that tiny aerosols can linger in the air indoors and result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the virus spreads mainly through larger respiratory droplets or contact and has primarily urged people to wash their hands and socially distance to prevent infection .
If airborne transmissions present a significant threat , it could dramatically impact safety guidelines , meaning people could need to wear masks inside areas with poor ventilation among other measures .
At Least 121 University Of Washington Students Test Positive In ‘ Greek Row ’ Outbreak — 7/6/2020 , 3:30 a.m .
ET Seattle ’ s University of Washington said this weekend at least 121 students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ college have tested positive for the coronavirus in what officials described as a “ Greek Row outbreak.
” The surge in cases near the university was first announced on June 30 .
Residents of at least 15 of the school ’ s 25 fraternity houses have tested positive and the system houses about 1,000 students .
The houses are independent organizations and are not run by the school .
The University of Washington plans to reopen by the end of September using a hybrid model of teaching , but the outbreak reflects the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic continues to surge around the nation .
New Jersey Governor Calls For Nationwide Mask Requirement — 7/5/20 , 2:47 p , m .
ET New Jersey Gov .
Phil Murphy ( D ) suggested that a nationwide mask requirement be enacted as people emerge from their homes during the summer months .
“ It ’ s become almost not even debatable , ” Murphy told NBC ’ s “ Meet the Press ” on Sunday .
“ If you ’ re leaving your house , put on a mask .
I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requirement.
” New Jersey is in its second stage of reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic .
In June , the state began allowing restaurants to resume outdoor dining and stores to open again .
In July , casinos were allowed to open , and gyms were allowed to operate with outdoor spaces or by appointments indoors .
All people are required to wear masks when shopping indoors .
“ This thing is lethal .
New Jersey ’ s paid an enormous price , ” Murphy said of the coronavirus outbreak in the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We can not go through hell again .
We need a national strategy right now , and masking has to be at the core of that.
” The governor reported 303 new coronavirus cases in the state and 25 additional deaths .
So far , New Jersey has seen 173,033 cases since the start of the pandemic .
For more on the pandemic , go here .

HuffPost reporters around the world are tracking the pandemic and its effects.
Read the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic below. (To see the latest updates, you may need to refresh the page. All times are Eastern. For earlier updates on the pandemic, go here.)
Boris Johnson Accused Of ‘Trumpian’ Response To UK Care Home Row — 7/08/20, 7:45 a.m.
A charity boss who went viral for his attack on U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s “cowardly” criticism of care homes has hit out at Downing Street’s “Trumpian” response and refusal to apologize.
Mark Adams, who oversees a workforce of 6,500 staff helping people with dementia and learning difficulties, spoke out after Johnson’s spokesman tried to suggest the prime minister was not apportioning blame when he said, “Too many care homes didn’t really follow the procedures in the way that they could have.”
The row, which has dominated British politics this week, has seen Johnson blasted for a string of government failures in the pandemic. Adams told HuffPost UK that the government’s move to clarify Johnson’s remarks felt like an attempt to “bluff” his way through the controversy.
He added that Johnson response echoed Donald Trump’s denial of statements he himself had made, which were easily provable. “I think we’ve had numerous examples of kind of Trumpian revisions of history. I mean it’s normally been other ministers standing up at [the] five o’clock [government press conference] patting themselves on the back for a job well done,” he said.
The U.K. death toll stands at 44,391, the third-highest in the world. Read more
— Paul Waugh
Millions Of Australians Head Back In Back Into Lockdown Amid Melbourne Outbreak — 7/08/2020, 7:30 a.m.
Five million Australians face a heavy police clampdown from midnight on Wednesday to contain a flare-up of coronavirus cases, with checkpoints to be set up around Melbourne to ensure people stay at home.
Police said they would conduct random checks of vehicles on major roads surrounding the country’s second-most populous city, creating a “ring of steel” as partial lockdowns are reinstated for six weeks to stem a surge in infections.
Melburnians will be allowed to leave home only for essential business for the next six weeks. Cafes, bars, restaurants and gyms will shut again.
The renewed lockdown follows the closure of the country’s busiest border, between Victoria and Australia’s most populous state New South Wales, on Tuesday night.
Melbourne is the capital of Victoria state, which reported 134 new infections on Wednesday, down from the previous day’s record 191 but well over the low single-digit daily increases elsewhere in the country.
Nationwide, Australia has reported about 9,000 COVID-19 cases and 106 deaths from the virus.
— Reuters
6 Dead, 1,500 Infected As Virus Ravages California’s San Quentin Prison — 7/8/2020, 4:50 a.m.
As of Tuesday, 1,369 people incarcerated at California’s San Quentin Prison and 184 staffers had tested positive for the coronavirus, and six inmates have died, per the state’s tracking tool, in an outbreak that has grown devastating in recent weeks.
Advocates have urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to release more prisoners in response. Last week, 20 inmates went on hunger strike to protest its inhumane conditions including dirty, cramped cells.
There have been more than 5,000 coronavirus cases among California’s prison system and 29 inmates have died. Read more
— Sarah Ruiz-Grossman
Trump Promises To Pressure Governors To Reopen Schools In Fall – 7/07/20, 10:00 p.m.
President Donald Trump vowed to pressure states and local governments to open schools in the fall, despite the recent surge in coronavirus cases nationwide. At a White House roundtable to discuss fall plans for public schools, Trump claimed, without proof, that some schools were staying closed for political reasons.
“They think it’s going to be good for them politically, so they keep the schools closed,” Trump said of local leaders. “No way. We’re very much going to put pressure on governors and everybody else to open the schools.”
The president also claimed that “everybody” wanted schools to open in-person classes for the fall.
“We want to reopen the schools,” Trump said. “Everybody wants it. The moms want it, the dads want it, the kids want it. It’s time to do it.”
Lily Eskelsen García, president of the National Education Association, a prominent education union, decried Trump’s promise to pressure local leaders to open schools and called for safer measures in an interview with The Associated Press.
“Trump has proven to be incapable of grasping that people are dying — that more than 130,000 Americans have already died,” García told the AP. “Educators want nothing more than to be back in classrooms and on college campuses with our students, but we must do it in a way that keeps students, educators and communities safe.”
– Carla Russo
Months Into Pandemic, Several States Continue To Struggle Administering Coronavirus Tests — 7/07/20, 1:07 p.m. ET
Several months since the first coronavirus case was diagnosed in the U.S., multiple states are still having trouble administering coronavirus tests to all who want them, kneecapping efforts to slow the spread of the virus. In numerous states seeing spikes in cases and hospitalizations — including Arizona and Texas — some people have reported waiting in miles-long lines for hours to receive drive-thru testing.
Just weeks after Donald Trump told attendees at a rally he asked officials in his administration to “slow the testing down,” the faltering testing systems in Arizona and Texas, as well as in Louisiana and Florida, demonstrates the wide gap between Americans’ lived experiences and the White House’s lax approach to the pandemic.
In Arizona and Texas, in particular, several people wanting to get tested have reported using up their gas tanks spending hours in drive-thru lines. In Florida, a test site spokesman recently said the state is “asking people to have plenty of gas and make sure the air conditioning is working and make sure your windows can fully open and close because if not, they can’t perform a test on you.”
On Sunday, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said the Federal Emergency Management Agency told her they’ve “moved away” from assisting communities with testing after she requested help administering tests in her city, which leads the country in the number of new coronavirus cases per capita.
“We’ve asked FEMA if they could come and do community-based testing here,” Gallego said. “We were told they’re moving away from that, which feels like they’re declaring victory while we’re still in crisis mode.”
— Ja’han Jones
Brazil’s Bolsonaro Tests Positive For Coronavirus — 7/07/20, 11:30 a.m. ET
Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for the coronavirus after spending months flouting public health guidelines and dismissing the threat posed by a pandemic that has killed more than half a million people worldwide.
Bolsonaro, 65, said Monday that he had been tested for the virus and that an exam had showed his lungs were “clean.” Bolsonaro told reporters Tuesday that his test results came back positive, CNN Brazil reported.
The Brazilian president has long been dismissive of the virus even as hundreds of thousands of people in his country have tested positive.
Bolsonaro was tested at least three times for the virus in March after meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, and all those tests came back negative. More than 1.6 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Brazil, and at least 65,000 people have died there. Only the U.S. has more cases and more deaths.
— Nick Visser
Quarantined Melbourne Tower Block Residents Demand Relief — 7/07/20, 11:10 a.m. ET
Thousands of residents in nine public housing towers in Melbourne, Australia, say they are struggling to obtain food and other support from the government after being placed on “hard lockdown.”
Under the hastily imposed restrictions, the harshest in the country so far, the buildings’ 3,000 residents, many from low-income, immigrant communities, have been banned from leaving their homes for any reason.
The draconian measures were put in place on Saturday when more than 500 armed police officers surrounded the towers in Australia’s second largest city, after a number of residents tested positive for the coronavirus.
After largely bringing the coronavirus pandemic under control, the virus has surged back in Australia in recent days, forcing authorities to reimpose a six-week stay-at-home order in Melbourne and one regional area in the state of Victoria.
On Tuesday, 199 new cases were reported nationally, the biggest one-day rise since early April. Victoria was responsible for 191 of those cases — many of them in Melbourne.
The state line between New South Wales and Victoria is due to close at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday for the first time in 100 years.
— James Martin
Spanish Antibody Study Casts Doubt Over Herd Immunity — 7/7/20, 6:30 a.m. ET
Results from a nationwide antibody study show just 5.2% of Spain’s population has been exposed to the coronavirus, health officials said Monday.
The study, which tested nearly 70,000 people across Spain three times over the past three months, found the virus’ prevalence had not altered significantly since preliminary results were published in May.
The results show that so-called herd immunity is unlikely even in hardest-hit countries, with 70% to 90% of a population needing to be immune from an illness.
The study also suggested that immunity to the virus can be short-lived, with 14% of participants who tested positive for antibodies in the first stage subsequently testing negative in the last stage.
“Immunity can be incomplete, it can be transitory, it can last for just a short time and then disappear,” said Dr. Raquel Yotti, director of Spain’s Carlos III Health Institute, which co-led the study.
HuffPost Spain reported (in Spanish) that the loss of antibodies was more frequent in people who had not had any symptoms. The data also showed that among healthcare workers the prevalence rate of antibodies was 10%.
Spain has gradually lifted restrictions from May as the death rate has fallen, however the regions of Galicia and Catalonia imposed local lockdowns over the weekend, isolating some 270,000 people after small-scale outbreaks were detected.
— James Martin
As COVID-19 Cases Surge, Fauci Says U.S. Is Still ‘Knee-Deep’ In First Wave — 7/6/20, 10:00 p.m.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the U.S., said Monday that the country is in a “serious situation” that needs immediate attention as the coronavirus surges in certain parts of the country.
During a live interview streamed on Facebook, Fauci noted that the U.S. is “still knee-deep in the first wave” of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I would say this would not be considered a wave. It was a surge, or resurgence of infections superimposed upon a baseline ... that really never got down to where we wanted to go,” Fauci told National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins.
“If you look at the graphs from Europe — Europe, the European Union as an entity, it went up, and then came down to baseline,” he added.
“We went up, never came down to baseline, and now we’re surging back up. So it’s a serious situation that we have to address immediately.”
— Carla Russo
Atlanta Mayor Tests Positive For Coronavirus After July 4th Weekend ― 7/6/20, 7:15 p.m.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced Monday that she had tested positive for COVID-19. “COVID-19 has literally hit home,” she tweeted Monday evening. “I have had NO symptoms and have tested positive.”
Her infection comes at a time when Georgia is experiencing an increase in coronavirus cases across the state. Last week, Georgia had its highest number of COVID-19 cases reported in a single day, hitting more than 3,000 cases within a 24-hour period between July 1 and July 2.
Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, has reported more than 8,800 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.
— Carla Russo
West Virginia To Require Face Coverings Indoors ― 7/6/20, 1:05 p.m. ET
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) said Monday that he planned to sign an executive order requiring everyone over the age of 9 to wear a mask indoors when social distancing is not possible. He said the order would go into effect at midnight.
Justice said positive cases in the state now exceed 3%.
“If we don’t do this and do this now, we’re going to be in a world of hurt,” he said.
— Paige Lavender
Miami-Dade County Rolls Back Business Openings Amid COVID-19 Surge ― 7/6/20, 11:30 a.m. ET
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez on Monday reversed course and signed an emergency order closing restaurants (except for takeout and delivery), ballrooms, banquet facilities, party venues, gyms and short-term rentals.
For now, Giménez is leaving outdoor activities untouched. But he vowed to close beaches and pools “if we see crowding and people not following the public health rules,” including wearing masks and maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet from other people.
“We are still tracking the spike in the number of cases involving 18- to 34-year-olds that began in mid-June,” Giménez said, “which the County’s medical experts say was caused by a number of factors, including young people going to congested places — indoors and outside — without taking precautions such as wearing masks and practicing social distancing.”
The order goes into effect Wednesday.
― Ryan Grenoble
Vast Majority ‘Do The Right Thing’ As UK Pubs Reopen After 15 Weeks — 7/06/20, 7:50 a.m. ET
Most people who went out on so-called Super Saturday as coronavirus restrictions were eased in England “acted responsibly,” the U.K. health secretary has said.
Matt Hancock said most people were “doing the right thing” as pubs, restaurants, cafes and other venues reopened for the first time in three months, marking a major milestone in Britain’s efforts to restart the economy.
But it came after the chairman of the Police Federation said it was “crystal clear” that drunk people are unable to follow the 1 meter-plus social distancing rules amid images of streets packed with drinkers in Soho, London.
Many establishments chose to remain closed Saturday, and those that did open offered customers a very different pub experience, with staff decked out in gloves and face masks, plastic screens installed above bars and tables spaced at least one meter apart.
Some pubs required patrons to book tables in advance and order drinks via a smartphone app, in order to control crowds and reduce face-to-face contact with staff.
The death toll in Britain from confirmed COVID-19 cases rose by 22 to 44,220 on Sunday, the third-highest in the world.
Read more here.
— James Martin
Australia Closes Key State Border For First Time In 100 Years — 7/06/20, 7:05 a.m. ET
The border between Australia’s two most populous states will close from Tuesday for an indefinite period after a fresh spike in coronavirus cases.
The decision marks the first time the border between Victoria and New South Wales has been shut in 100 years, with officials last blocking movement between the two states in 1919 during the Spanish flu pandemic.
The number of COVID-19 cases in the Victorian capital Melbourne has surged in recent days, prompting authorities to enforce strict social distancing orders in 30 suburbs and put nine public housing towers into lockdown.
Victoria reported 127 new COVID-19 infections overnight, its biggest one-day spike since the pandemic began. It also reported one death, the first nationally in more than two weeks, taking the country’s total tally to 105.
Read more here.
— James Martin
Egypt Arrests Doctors, Journalists Who Criticize President’s Handling Of Outbreak — 7/6/2020, 6 a.m. ET
At least 10 doctors and six journalists have been arrested over criticism of the Egyptian government’s handling of the outbreak since the coronavirus first hit Egypt in February, the Associated Press reports. Other health workers say they have been told to keep quiet or face punishment.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has described critics of the government’s handling of the crisis as “enemies of the state.” As of Monday, Egypt has recorded 76,253 infections, including 3,343 deaths — the highest death toll in the Arab world.
Read more here.
— Liza Hearon
Scientists Will Urge WHO To Take Airborne Spread Of Virus More Seriously — 7/6/2020, 3:40 a.m. ET
A group of 239 scientists plans to urge the World Health Organization to more seriously consider the threat that the novel coronavirus may be spread by microscopic particles in the air, The New York Times reported this weekend.
In an open letter set to be published later this week, the international coalition will warn of growing evidence that tiny aerosols can linger in the air indoors and result in new infections. WHO has maintained that the virus spreads mainly through larger respiratory droplets or contact and has primarily urged people to wash their hands and socially distance to prevent infection.
If airborne transmissions present a significant threat, it could dramatically impact safety guidelines, meaning people could need to wear masks inside areas with poor ventilation among other measures.
— Nick Visser
At Least 121 University Of Washington Students Test Positive In ‘Greek Row’ Outbreak — 7/6/2020, 3:30 a.m. ET
Seattle’s University of Washington said this weekend at least 121 students that live in fraternity houses near the college have tested positive for the coronavirus in what officials described as a “Greek Row outbreak.”
The surge in cases near the university was first announced on June 30. Residents of at least 15 of the school’s 25 fraternity houses have tested positive and the system houses about 1,000 students. The houses are independent organizations and are not run by the school.
The University of Washington plans to reopen by the end of September using a hybrid model of teaching, but the outbreak reflects the difficulty some schools may have as the pandemic continues to surge around the nation.
— Nick Visser
New Jersey Governor Calls For Nationwide Mask Requirement — 7/5/20, 2:47 p,m. ET
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) suggested that a nationwide mask requirement be enacted as people emerge from their homes during the summer months.
“It’s become almost not even debatable,” Murphy told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “If you’re leaving your house, put on a mask. I think it ought to be a national ... requirement.”
New Jersey is in its second stage of reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June, the state began allowing restaurants to resume outdoor dining and stores to open again. In July, casinos were allowed to open, and gyms were allowed to operate with outdoor spaces or by appointments indoors. All people are required to wear masks when shopping indoors.
“This thing is lethal. New Jersey’s paid an enormous price,” Murphy said of the coronavirus outbreak in the state. “We went through hell. We cannot go through hell again. We need a national strategy right now, and masking has to be at the core of that.”
The governor reported 303 new coronavirus cases in the state and 25 additional deaths. So far, New Jersey has seen 173,033 cases since the start of the pandemic.
— Carla Russo
For more on the pandemic, go here.