thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-10--Barack And Michelle Obama Mark Mother's Day With Messages Of Gratitude

Former President Barack Obama and wife Michelle Obama marked a pandemic-era Mother ’ s Day on Sunday with messages of gratitude for moms everywhere .
Barack Obama honored his wife in his social media post .
“ Even if you can ’ t give the moms in your life a hug today , I hope you can give them an extra thank you today , ” he tweeted Sunday morning alongside a picture of him hugging his wife .
“ Thank you and Happy Mother ’ s Day to the woman who makes it all possible.
” Even if you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your life a hug today , I hope you can give them an extra thank you today .
Thank you and Happy Mother ’ s Day to the woman who makes it all possible .
Love you , @ michelleobama .
pic.twitter.com/E9ebxaSBpy — Barack Obama ( @ BarackObama ) May 10 , 2020 Michelle Obama used the opportunity to acknowledge that many families may be apart during the pandemic .
She thanked mothers who are working “ tirelessly ” to get their families , communities and workplaces through these challenging times .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separated from your families today , whether due to physical distancing or because your loved ones are essential workers , sacrificing this time to keep the rest of us safe , ” she wrote .
While most people would be unable to get out of the house and spend the day with their moms , Obama said she would instead reach out to mother figures in her life who “ may need a little extra love today.
” The former first couple has kept busy during the outbreak , with the release of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” on Netflix earlier this month and a number of virtual speaking engagements about navigating the impact of the outbreak .
In May , Michelle Obama said she , Barack and their daughters Malia , 21 , and Sasha , 18 , were appreciating family time while isolating at home together .
In the midst of a tweetstorm covering a range topics ― including criticizing Obama , former Vice President Joe Biden and the media , and celebrating the reopening of the country and a Trump golf course ― President Donald Trump also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweet : First Lady Melania Trump marked the occasion with a recorded video thanking “ all of the caring , selfless and devoted moms of America.
” Although she did not mention the pandemic , she celebrated the role of mothers in their families and in society .
She invited Americans to take time to celebrate and thank their moms for their “ wisdom , love & commitment to their children & families.
” On this Mother ’ s Day , let ’ s recognize all the mothers , grandmothers & motherly figures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to their children & families .
Take time today to thank a mother & let her know how much you appreciate her !
Happy # MothersDay !
pic.twitter.com/5VS7UAYSfh — Melania Trump ( @ FLOTUS ) May 10 , 2020

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Former President Barack Obama and wife Michelle Obama marked a pandemic-era Mother’s Day on Sunday with messages of gratitude for moms everywhere.
Barack Obama honored his wife in his social media post. “Even if you can’t give the moms in your life a hug today, I hope you can give them an extra thank you today,” he tweeted Sunday morning alongside a picture of him hugging his wife. “Thank you and Happy Mother’s Day to the woman who makes it all possible.”
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Even if you can’t give the moms in your life a hug today, I hope you can give them an extra thank you today. Thank you and Happy Mother’s Day to the woman who makes it all possible. Love you, @michelleobama. pic.twitter.com/E9ebxaSBpy — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 10, 2020
Michelle Obama used the opportunity to acknowledge that many families may be apart during the pandemic. She thanked mothers who are working “tirelessly” to get their families, communities and workplaces through these challenging times.
“And I know many of you are separated from your families today, whether due to physical distancing or because your loved ones are essential workers, sacrificing this time to keep the rest of us safe,” she wrote.
While most people would be unable to get out of the house and spend the day with their moms, Obama said she would instead reach out to mother figures in her life who “may need a little extra love today.”
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The former first couple has kept busy during the outbreak, with the release of Michelle Obama’s memoir “Becoming” on Netflix earlier this month and a number of virtual speaking engagements about navigating the impact of the outbreak.
In May, Michelle Obama said she, Barack and their daughters Malia, 21, and Sasha, 18, were appreciating family time while isolating at home together.
In the midst of a tweetstorm covering a range topics ― including criticizing Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden and the media, and celebrating the reopening of the country and a Trump golf course ― President Donald Trump also marked Mother’s Day with a tweet:
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2020
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First Lady Melania Trump marked the occasion with a recorded video thanking “all of the caring, selfless and devoted moms of America.”
Although she did not mention the pandemic, she celebrated the role of mothers in their families and in society. She invited Americans to take time to celebrate and thank their moms for their “wisdom, love & commitment to their children & families.”
On this Mother’s Day, let’s recognize all the mothers, grandmothers & motherly figures for their wisdom, love & commitment to their children & families. Take time today to thank a mother & let her know how much you appreciate her! Happy #MothersDay! pic.twitter.com/5VS7UAYSfh — Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) May 10, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-11--Andrew Cuomo's Mom Makes Special Mother's Day Appearance During Daily Briefing

New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo ( D ) made Mother ’ s Day special for his mom despite being unable to see her in person due to social distancing .
The governor of the state hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic took a moment during his daily briefing on Sunday to celebrate his mother Matilda Cuomo , whom he invited to appear via video conference .
“ Today is about love and showing love and expressing it and appreciation for our mothers , ” Cuomo said , explaining that due to his high risk of exposure to the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in person .
His daughters Michaela , who was present , and Cara and Mariah who dialed in , also wished a happy Mother ’ s Day to their grandmother .
“ Happy Mother ’ s Day to you , Mom .
I miss you .
I love you so so much , ” the governor said .
“ I wish I could be with you but I can ’ t be , but I can ’ t be because I love you.
” Cuomo couldn ’ t let his mother sign off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was “ the favorite , ” which he ’ d also joked about on Twitter : Happy # MothersDay to my mother Matilda .
While I can ’ t be with you , it is great to see you .
You have always been pure love .
And to all moms : Whether separated by distance or staying home together , we love and appreciate you .
pic.twitter.com/ofWAst3YQO — Andrew Cuomo ( @ NYGovCuomo ) May 10 , 2020 Matilda Cuomo was married to former New York Gov .
Mario Cuomo and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Andrew Cuomo and CNN anchor Chris Cuomo , who overcame a coronavirus infection after testing positive in late March .
The two prominent New York brothers have kept up a playful sibling rivalry in the past few months , amusing viewers with their banter during interviews on Chris Cuomo ’ s show “ Cuomo Prime Time .
”

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) made Mother’s Day special for his mom despite being unable to see her in person due to social distancing.
The governor of the state hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic took a moment during his daily briefing on Sunday to celebrate his mother Matilda Cuomo, whom he invited to appear via video conference.
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“Today is about love and showing love and expressing it and appreciation for our mothers,” Cuomo said, explaining that due to his high risk of exposure to the virus, he could not see his mother in person. His daughters Michaela, who was present, and Cara and Mariah who dialed in, also wished a happy Mother’s Day to their grandmother.
“Happy Mother’s Day to you, Mom. I miss you. I love you so so much,” the governor said. “I wish I could be with you but I can’t be, but I can’t be because I love you.”
Cuomo couldn’t let his mother sign off without dropping at least one quip that he was “the favorite,” which he’d also joked about on Twitter:
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.
Love this photo of you with your favorite son, and @ChrisCuomo... pic.twitter.com/I85ZS2oxbx — Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) May 10, 2020
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Happy #MothersDay to my mother Matilda.
While I can’t be with you, it is great to see you. You have always been pure love.
And to all moms: Whether separated by distance or staying home together, we love and appreciate you. pic.twitter.com/ofWAst3YQO — Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) May 10, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-11--Sen. Lamar Alexander Self-Isolating After Aide Tests Positive For Coronavirus

Sen. Lamar Alexander ( R-Tenn. ) will self-quarantine at his home in Tennessee for 14 days after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 .
He ’ s the latest lawmaker impacted as coronavirus reaches into the strongholds of power throughout Washington D.C. “ Senator Alexander has no symptoms and tested negative for COVID-19 on Thursday afternoon , ” Alexander ’ s chief of staff said in a statement on Sunday .
“ After discussing this with the Senate ’ s attending physician , Senator Alexander , out of an abundance of caution , has decided not to return to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alexander was in the Capitol last week and attended a GOP meeting , although he regularly wore a mask in line with health guidelines .
He will still chair a Senate health committee hearing with several members of the Trump administration and White House coronavirus task force this week via videoconference .
Sen. Lamar Alexander , R-Tenn. , wears a plaid face mask before a Senate Health , Education , Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on new coronavirus tests on May 7 , 2020 .
The announcement reflected growing concern throughout Capitol Hill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been exposed to coronavirus , which continues to spread in the U.S. and around the world .
A valet frequently in close contact with President Donald Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Thursday and an aide to Vice President Mike Pence tested positive for the virus on Friday .
Both men were being tested daily for coronavirus as were every staff member that had close contact with them .
“ The president ’ s physician and White House operations continue to work closely to ensure every precaution is taken to keep the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House complex safe and healthy at all times , ” White House spokesman Judd Deere told USA Today .
A number of other administration officials have entered self-isolation in recent days , including the directors of the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s top infectious disease expert , also said he would enter a “ modified quarantine ” after coming into contact with a staffer who tested positive .
Several other senators have been forced to self-isolate after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sen. Rand Paul ( R-Ky. ) has been confirmed to have the illness .
To date , more than 1.3 million people have been infected with coronavirus in the United States and more than 80,000 have died .

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Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) will self-quarantine at his home in Tennessee for 14 days after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. He’s the latest lawmaker impacted as coronavirus reaches into the strongholds of Washington power.
“Senator Alexander has no symptoms and tested negative for COVID-19 on Thursday afternoon,” Alexander’s chief of staff said in a statement on Sunday. “After discussing this with the Senate’s attending physician, Senator Alexander, out of an abundance of caution, has decided not to return to Washington D.C., and will self-quarantine.”
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Alexander was in the Capitol last week and attended a GOP meeting, although he regularly wore a mask in line with health guidelines. He remains scheduled to chair a Senate health committee hearing with several members of the Trump administration and White House coronavirus task force this week via videoconference.
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., wears a plaid face mask before a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on new coronavirus tests on May 7, 2020. ASSOCIATED PRESS
The announcement reflected growing concern throughout Capitol Hill that members of the government may have been exposed to coronavirus, which continues to spread in the U.S. and around the world. A valet frequently in close contact with President Donald Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Thursday, and an aide to Vice President Mike Pence tested positive for the virus on Friday. Both men were being tested daily, as was every staff member that had close contact with them.
“The president’s physician and White House operations continue to work closely to ensure every precaution is taken to keep the president, first family and the entire White House complex safe and healthy at all times,” White House spokesman Judd Deere told USA Today.
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A number of other administration officials have entered self-isolation in recent days, including the directors of the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, also said he would enter a “modified quarantine” after coming into contact with a staffer who tested positive.
Several other senators have been forced to self-isolate after exposure to the virus, although only Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has been confirmed to have the illness.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-11--The Futile Search For A Magic Number That Says It’s Safe To Reopen

So far , 31 states have announced plans to allow businesses to reopen and social life to begin to resume .
Though they differ in specifics , each state ’ s strategy is based on quantitative metrics intended to demonstrate that the coronavirus is under control .
In Illinois , Gov .
J.B. Pritzker wants more than 80 % of COVID-19 tests to come back negative .
In New York , Gov .
Andrew Cuomo will allow cities to begin their phased reopening plans when they have fewer than five deaths per day , 30 % of ICU beds free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents .
The stakes could not be higher .
With stores shut down and budget forecasts cratering , local officials have every reason to paint a rosy picture of the virus ’ s status in their jurisdictions .
States , for their part , have little capacity to double-check the methodologies and assumptions behind the figures local jurisdictions report .
If they reopen too soon , it will be weeks before case counts catch up and they realize their mistake — and far too late to keep hospitals from getting overwhelmed .
Flattening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beginning What these numerical targets leave out , however , is that the procedures of COVID-19 testing are nearly as important as their quantity .
One issue is how long it takes ; many patients are still waiting more than a week to receive results .
Access is a problem , too .
In much of the country , patients need a referral from their doctor to get a test or have to visit a drive-through testing site .
Both of these barriers restrict access to low-income Americans and skew the picture of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that until daily testing rates dramatically increase , states need to deploy tests strategically .
This means carrying out testing at three levels .
First , individual : Everyone with COVID-19 symptoms should be able to confirm their condition .
Second , hot spots : If a handful of positive cases appear in the same apartment building or workplace , everyone else at the site should be tested immediately .
And third , predictive : High-risk sites , such as nursing homes , churches and meatpacking plants , should be tested on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients report symptoms .
“ Interviewing someone and figuring out how many people you have to follow up with isn ’ t easy , ” Lee said .
“ First you have to determine the number of days in which they might have been contagious .
Then you have to help them re-create each of those days .
What happens if someone says , ‘ I remember I talked to a guy with a yellow hat in the market ?
’ Most people can ’ t even tell you what they ate yesterday @ @

The three months since the first American case of COVID-19 was reported have been a never-ending parade of grim statistics: death counts, fatality rates, the steady climb of cases reported and cities locked down.
Starting this week, Americans got a glimpse of a more optimistic set of figures: what it will take for the economy to return to normal.
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So far, 31 states have announced plans to allow businesses to reopen and social life to begin to resume. Though they differ in specifics, each state’s strategy is based on quantitative metrics intended to demonstrate that the coronavirus is under control. In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants more than 80% of COVID-19 tests to come back negative. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo will allow cities to begin their phased reopening plans when they have fewer than five deaths per day, 30% of ICU beds free and 30 contact tracers for every 100,000 residents.
These guidelines will take on critical importance as America enters the next stage of the pandemic. City and county officials will use “readiness criteria” to request permission from governors to reopen their economies.
Texas, for example, already allows restaurants, movie theaters and shopping malls to operate as long as they limit customers to 25% of their capacity. Once individual counties reach fewer than five COVID-19 cases, they will be allowed to double the number of customers allowed inside at one time.
All of these metrics, however, have severe shortcomings that could mask the status of the pandemic and encourage future outbreaks. Some states’ plans include vague indicators, like Pennsylvania’s goal of having “enough” coronavirus tests and “robust” contact tracing. Others use measurements that leave out vulnerable groups, such as nursing home residents, prisoners and racial minorities. Though most states have specified thresholds for lifting their stay-at-home orders, few have announced which data points would make them reverse their decisions and reimpose quarantines.
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“Single metrics don’t capture the complexity of the problem,” said Bruce Y. Lee, a professor of health policy and management at the City University of New York School of Public Health.
How many people will die this summer, before Election Day? What proportion of the deaths will be among African-Americans, Latinos, other people of color? This is getting awfully close to genocide by default. What else do you call mass death by public policy? #COVID19 #coronavirus — Gregg Gonsalves (@gregggonsalves) May 6, 2020
Reopening the economy will require a sophisticated infrastructure to identify new infections and isolate patients who test positive. Even as death rates begin to fall and hospitals increase their treatment capacity, cities still lack basic information regarding who is still being infected with COVID-19 and how. Health care workers are exhausted, the federal government is indifferent and the supply chain for coronavirus tests and personal protective equipment remains fragile.
“The numbers don’t tell you what the system really looks like,” Lee said. “I don’t know of a single state that’s ready to reopen.”
The stakes could not be higher. With stores shut down and budget forecasts cratering, local officials have every reason to paint a rosy picture of the virus’s status in their jurisdictions. States, for their part, have little capacity to double-check the methodologies and assumptions behind the figures local jurisdictions report. If they reopen too soon, it will be weeks before case counts catch up and they realize their mistake — and far too late to keep hospitals from getting overwhelmed.
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Howard P. Forman, a public health professor at Yale, said states may be relying on generic statistics about their outbreaks rather than doing the work of truly understanding the risks of ending their quarantines.
“There’s smart reopening and dumb reopening,” Forman said. “We’re all in favor of returning to normal, but it has to be done in a way where we’re monitoring what’s happening and going about it slowly.”
Some states have already started to allow restaurants to reopen. Jason Kempin via Getty Images
Flattening The Curve: The End Of The Beginning
The first step toward reopening the economy is demonstrating that the initial wave of the pandemic is over. According to the White House’s “Opening Up America Again” guidelines, states should demonstrate a 14-day decline in COVID-19 cases and deaths. Numerous state plans also propose at least two weeks of declining hospitalization rates.
But Elizabeth Carlton, an epidemiologist at the University of Colorado Denver, said case numbers and hospitalization rates don’t always represent what is happening right now in terms of infections.
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“If someone gets infected today, they won’t have symptoms for up to five days, then it might take a few more to get a test, then a few more to get their results,” Carlton said. “They may not show up in the hospitalization data for even longer, and the mortality data longer still.”
All disease surveillance systems are imperfect, Carlton said, and COVID-19 is no different. But states still have a wide variation in the quality of their data, and lawmakers may not know what percentage of COVID-19 carriers without symptoms or who have mild symptoms are being captured in the statistics.
“If you look at the last seven days and you see mortality going down, proceed with caution because it may just indicate missing data,” she said.
COVID-19 data is unusually spiky. In Maryland, hospitalizations went from 132 to 192, then down to 142 again in just five days. Numbers can also mask the true extent of the virus in low-income populations, where many are less likely to seek care. Last week, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) said he would disregard a day of increased cases as long as his state demonstrated an “overall trend” of declining caseloads.
“Testing alone does almost nothing.” - Howard Forman, Yale public health professor
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States have also announced indicators to measure whether their health care systems are ready to handle isolated outbreaks. Washington Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, for example, has said hospitals should be less than 80% full for at least a week. Maryland has already reached its goal of adding 6,000 “surge beds” statewide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention even has a calculator for hospitals to determine how much protective equipment they should keep on hand.
But these numerical measures fail to capture the complexities of preparing for months or years in which COVID-19 could reemerge at any time. Lee pointed out that “available bed” statistics don’t include critical context regarding whether beds are in single rooms, shared rooms or hospital corridors. Statewide statistics also lack information on regional variation.
“It’s been proven over and over again that there’s great inequities in health care access in this country,” Lee said. “Some places may be flush with beds while others weren’t able to serve their communities even before the pandemic. We still don’t have reliable information about whether people can actually access care.”
It’s also not clear how long hospitals are obligated to maintain their spare capacity. On Wednesday, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health professor Caitlin Rivers noted that hospitals are now beginning to perform nonessential procedures at the same time that states are considering lifting their stay-at-home orders. Over time, as health care facilities convert their expanded intensive-care capacity back to routine care, they may not be prepared for outbreaks.
Statistical indicators on equipment and staff numbers have the same problems. Even if hospitals are able to obtain weeks’ worth of gowns and gloves, the equipment supply chain continues to be characterized by interruptions, kludges and outright graft. There is no guarantee that equipment will remain available if the virus surges back in several states at once.
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“When I talk to people in government right now, every day it’s a different problem,” Forman said. “Something in the supply chain is always breaking down and creating a bottleneck. Until we deal with the larger deficiencies in coordination, leadership and program management, we can’t say we’re ready to handle outbreaks.”
Nurses, doctors and testing labs continue to report shortages of critical supplies. Miami Herald via Getty Images
Testing: Quality Over Quantity
Nearly every state with a reopening plan has listed a goal for the number of tests that should be performed per day. In California, it’s 25,000; in Illinois, 10,000. Florida’s “Re-Open Florida Task Force” report suggests reaching the target of 30,000 per day by May 15 and 40,000 by June 15. Public health institutions have taken a similarly quantitative approach, with suggestions for nationwide daily tests ranging from a modest 750,000 to a stratospheric 300 million.
What these numerical targets leave out, however, is that the procedures of COVID-19 testing are nearly as important as their quantity. One issue is how long it takes; many patients are still waiting more than a week to receive results. Access is a problem, too. In much of the country, patients need a referral from their doctor to get a test or have to visit a drive-through testing site. Both of these barriers restrict access to low-income Americans and skew the picture of where the virus is spreading.
Forman said that until daily testing rates dramatically increase, states need to deploy tests strategically. This means carrying out testing at three levels. First, individual: Everyone with COVID-19 symptoms should be able to confirm their condition. Second, hot spots: If a handful of positive cases appear in the same apartment building or workplace, everyone else at the site should be tested immediately. And third, predictive: High-risk sites, such as nursing homes, churches and meatpacking plants, should be tested on a regular basis to catch cases before patients report symptoms.
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“You have to do all three,” Forman said. “If you’re only testing people with symptoms, you’re missing all the asymptomatic spreaders.”
A strategic testing regime will also require policy support. Without paid sick leave, people who don’t show symptoms may decide to keep working even after testing positive. Without quarantine locations, patients may stay at home and end up infecting their families, who could then spread the virus to schools or workplaces.
“Testing alone does almost nothing,” Forman said. “It might allow you to get treatment earlier, but telling someone that they’re sick after they’ve already infected their families and friends and people on the subway doesn’t achieve anything.”
So far, none of these support systems is in place. America still has no national plan to increase testing capacity or address the ongoing delays in delivering results. The federal government hasn’t produced any guidance for states on how to distribute tests to maximize their usefulness. Without these crucial supports, Forman said, raw numbers of daily tests only provide a fraction of the information lawmakers need to determine if the virus is under control.
American cities still lack spaces for vulnerable groups to safely quarantine. David McNew via Getty Images
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Contact Tracing: Help Wanted
The final prerequisite to reopening the American economy is finding and isolating carriers of COVID-19.
Here, too, lawmakers have announced ambitious numerical targets. On April 22, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said that he was launching a surveillance program called “COVID Link” and hiring 1,000 contact tracers. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced a partnership with the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of California, San Francisco, to train 20,000 “disease detectives.”
But just as with case rates and testing regimes, these quantitative metrics fail to capture critical qualitative considerations. Lee pointed out that contact tracing is a skilled position for which few Americans have any training or experience.
“Interviewing someone and figuring out how many people you have to follow up with isn’t easy,” Lee said. “First you have to determine the number of days in which they might have been contagious. Then you have to help them re-create each of those days. What happens if someone says, ‘I remember I talked to a guy with a yellow hat in the market?’ Most people can’t even tell you what they ate yesterday.”
Building a contact-tracing army requires not just people but also coordination and support at every level. This includes IT systems for tracers to share information, and location tracking and text message notifications. Federal agencies may also have to provide dormitories or military barracks to quarantine contacts after they’re identified.
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Early hiring efforts indicate that contact-tracing positions will be relatively poorly paid ($17 per hour in Seattle; $57,000 per year in New York City). The states coordinating them are already facing unprecedented budget crises and a nationwide shortfall of 250,000 public health workers. Addressing these challenges won’t just require thousands of new employees; it will take an unprecedented mobilization of skills, training and technology.
“We know that data is helpful, but it’s just one piece of a bigger puzzle.” - Isaac Bogoch, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute epidemiologist
Even if all that happens, contact tracing itself has limitations. At the height of the South Korean outbreak, officials in Daegu, the city with the largest cluster of cases, said the virus was spreading so quickly that contact tracing had become “meaningless” — by the time their tracing teams identified one COVID-19 carrier, it had already been passed to two others.
Countries with successful contact tracing efforts have databases that link COVID-19 information to a unified national health care system, a stark contrast with America’s fragmented private approach. Other contact-tracing superstars, such as Iceland and New Zealand, are islands: The majority of their new cases come from international travelers, making them easier to track than America’s diffuse epidemic.
There is also the question of enforcement. In China, COVID-19 carriers were monitored for compliance with lockdown orders and punished if they lied about their international travels. Even if Americans were comfortable with such a system (a big if), it would take thousands of staff and sophisticated technology to enforce quarantines.
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All of these factors indicate that the country is far from ready to reopen its economy. This week, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation roughly doubled its estimates of the coronavirus death toll, from 72,000 to 134,000, partly to account for states’ hasty reopening plans. On Monday, Columbia University researchers warned governors that reopening could cause “exponential growth” in cases and deaths.
“We know that data is helpful, but it’s just one piece of a bigger puzzle,” said Isaac Bogoch, an epidemiologist at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute. Reopening safely, he said, will depend on a range of capabilities that are difficult to capture in simple, boiled-down numerical metrics.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-11--Anti-War Groups Demand Foreign Policy Promises From Joe Biden

The demands , laid out in a Monday letter to the campaign , ask Biden to part not only with many of the policies of President Donald Trump , but also break with some aspects of former President Barack Obama ’ s approach to global affairs and that of many other Democrats .
“ It is time to end our endless wars and adopt a new approach to international relations , one in which the U.S. abides by international law , encourages others to do the same , and utilizes our military solely for the defense of the people of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Biden “ could energize a large bloc of voters by incorporating the positions in this letter into a comprehensive plan to reorient our foreign policy from one of conflict to one based on cooperation , ” said Erik Sperling , executive director of the left-leaning nonprofit Just Foreign Policy .
“ He could engender trust by bringing in additional advisers who have a consistent track record of promoting restraint and ensure that a diversity of views are represented on his foreign policy team.
” Specifically , Demand Progress , Just Foreign Policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ express “ support ” for 10 policy ideas that range from requiring congressional authorization for the use of military force and cutting $ 200 billion from the annual defense budget to leveraging U.S. aid to Israel to get the U.S. ally to end its occupation of Palestinian territories .
If he wants to be successful in November and wants to galvanize and energize the grassroots , then we need to get better clarity and stronger commitments from Vice President Biden on many of these progressive foreign policy issues that the left cares about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demands are more ambitious than others .
Biden is likely to be more amenable to overturning the Trump administration ’ s travel ban from a group of mostly Muslim nations than he is to embrace an annual admission of 125,000 refugees ― a figure far higher than the Obama administration was willing to entertain .
And while Biden has already said he would try to revive the Iran nuclear deal , he has been supportive of “ broad-based sanctions ” on countries that the letter asks him to disavow .
It is also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the letter ’ s assessment that the Obama administration ’ s deposal of the Libyan government in 2011 is an example of the failure of “ regime change ” policies .
Biden , a former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee , has a history of hawkish foreign policy stances that even Obama , under whom he served , lacked .
He notably voted for the Iraq War in 2002 and the post-9/11 explosion in domestic surveillance .
At the same time , inside the Obama administration , he argued against escalating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) dropped out of the race in early April , some of the same left-wing organizations participating in the Monday letter called on Biden to adopt bolder stances on , among other things , climate change , income inequality , health care and immigration .
Their only foreign-policy demand was the repeal of the 2001 and 2002 laws that have been used as the legal basis for countless terrorism-related military interventions across the globe , and congressional authorization for all future interventions .
The Biden campaign evidently sees winning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whom he performed poorly in the primary as an important part of its plan to win in November .
To that end , he has moved to assuage progressive concerns on domestic policy .
He has adopted a plan to eliminate student debt for public-college students from families making less than $ 125,000 a year , and to lower the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60 .
“ If he wants to be successful in November and wants to galvanize and energize the grassroots , then we need to get better clarity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on many of these progressive foreign policy issues that the left cares about , ” said Yasmine Taeb , senior policy counsel for Demand Progress .
Nudging Biden to the left on foreign policy , an area where presidents have enormous discretion , is likely to be a tougher sell precisely because the political benefits are less obvious .
The United States ’ behavior abroad is a topic that generally elicits less attention and resources on the U.S. left , to say nothing of the American public .
Domestic debates over health care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential primary .
And Trump ’ s decision to kill Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani in January prompted only qualified condemnations from most of the Democratic field of candidates to succeed Trump .
The sheer diversity of names on Monday ’ s foreign-policy letter is designed to demonstrate that there is a major constituency for a less interventionist , more lawful U.S. policy abroad that protects civil liberties at home .
In addition to featuring the usual players like Win Without War and CODEPINK , the letter boasts an array of faith-based organizations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Greenpeace U.S. and Indivisible that are typically more associated with domestic causes .

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A coalition of 51 anti-war groups called on former Vice President Joe Biden to adopt a “principled foreign policy” that prioritizes diplomacy, human rights and the rebuilding of international relationships and institutions.
The demands, laid out in a Monday letter to the campaign, ask Biden to part not only with many of the policies of President Donald Trump, but also break with some aspects of former President Barack Obama’s approach to global affairs and that of many other Democrats.
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“It is time to end our endless wars and adopt a new approach to international relations, one in which the U.S. abides by international law, encourages others to do the same, and utilizes our military solely for the defense of the people of our country,” the groups state.
Given the non-partisan status and varied ideological leanings of many of the letter’s signatories, the coalition also sent the missive to Trump.
The letter, which the civil libertarian group Demand Progress spearheaded, is nonetheless primarily directed at Biden. It represents the most robust effort to date by the Democratic Party’s progressive base to influence the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s foreign policy.
Former Vice President Joe Biden has shifted his domestic policy positions closer to those of the activist left. Now progressive groups want foreign policy promises too. MANDEL NGAN/Getty Images
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Biden “could energize a large bloc of voters by incorporating the positions in this letter into a comprehensive plan to reorient our foreign policy from one of conflict to one based on cooperation,” said Erik Sperling, executive director of the left-leaning nonprofit Just Foreign Policy. “He could engender trust by bringing in additional advisers who have a consistent track record of promoting restraint and ensure that a diversity of views are represented on his foreign policy team.”
Specifically, Demand Progress, Just Foreign Policy and their allies are asking Biden to express “support” for 10 policy ideas that range from requiring congressional authorization for the use of military force and cutting $200 billion from the annual defense budget to leveraging U.S. aid to Israel to get the U.S. ally to end its occupation of Palestinian territories.
“If he wants to be successful in November and wants to galvanize and energize the grassroots, then we need to get better clarity and stronger commitments from Vice President Biden on many of these progressive foreign policy issues that the left cares about.” - Yasmine Taeb, Demand Progress
Some of the letter’s demands are more ambitious than others. Biden has not only promised to overturn the Trump administration’s travel ban from a group of mostly Muslim nations, he is already calling for raising the number of refugees admitted to the country to 125,000 ― exactly what the letter asks of him. It’s a higher figure than the Obama administration was willing to entertain.
But while Biden has already said he would try to revive the Iran nuclear deal, he has been supportive of “broad-based sanctions” on countries that the letter asks him to disavow. And though Biden reiterates his opposition to Israeli settlement expansion in a recently released “agenda for Muslim-American communities,” he has called the idea of leveraging U.S. aid to shape the Israeli government’s policies “outrageous.”
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Biden, a former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has a history of hawkish foreign policy stances that even Obama, under whom he served, lacked. He notably voted for the Iraq War in 2002 and the post-9/11 explosion in domestic surveillance. At the same time, inside the Obama administration, he argued against escalating U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and the administration’s deposal of the Libyan government in 2011.
The letter is part of a broader campaign by activist groups on the left to make their mark on a Democrat they almost uniformly did not support in the primary.
After Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) dropped out of the race in early April, some of the same left-wing organizations participating in the Monday letter called on Biden to adopt bolder stances on, among other things, climate change, income inequality, health care and immigration. Their only foreign-policy demand was the repeal of the 2001 and 2002 laws that have been used as the legal basis for countless terrorism-related military interventions across the globe, and the requirement of congressional authorization for all future interventions.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was the most antiwar candidate in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. That agenda has an uncertain future after his withdrawal. MANDEL NGAN/Getty Images
The Biden campaign evidently sees winning over younger, more liberal voters among whom he performed poorly in the primary as an important part of its plan to win in November. To that end, he has moved to assuage progressive concerns on domestic policy. He has adopted a plan to eliminate student debt for public-college students from families making less than $125,000 a year, and to lower the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60.
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“If he wants to be successful in November and wants to galvanize and energize the grassroots, then we need to get better clarity and stronger commitments from Vice President Biden on many of these progressive foreign policy issues that the left cares about,” said Yasmine Taeb, senior policy counsel for Demand Progress.
Nudging Biden to the left on foreign policy, an area where presidents have enormous discretion, is likely to be a tougher sell precisely because the political benefits are less obvious. The United States’ behavior abroad is a topic that generally elicits less attention and resources on the U.S. left, to say nothing of the American public. Domestic debates over health care and campaign-finance corruption largely dominated the Democratic presidential primary. And Trump’s decision to kill Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani in January prompted only qualified condemnations from most of the Democratic field of candidates to succeed Trump.
The sheer diversity of names on Monday’s foreign-policy letter is designed to demonstrate that there is a major constituency for a less interventionist, more lawful U.S. policy abroad that protects civil liberties at home. In addition to featuring the usual players like Win Without War and CODEPINK, the letter boasts an array of faith-based organizations, as well as progressive movement groups like Greenpeace U.S. and Indivisible that are typically more associated with domestic causes.
The letter even features the support of the cross-ideological Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, which enjoys the backing of both liberal billionaire George Soros and conservative billionaire Charles Koch. The institute’s executive vice president, Trita Parsi, said that the COVID-19 outbreak showed that the U.S. needs to adjust its national-security policy toward environmental threats.
“Our excessive focus on foreign military threats ― real and imagined ― have left us naked and vulnerable for the real challenges of this century: pandemics and climate chaos,” he said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-11--Trump Storms Out Of Coronavirus Briefing After Female Reporters Challenge Him

In the final moments of his briefing , Trump took a question from CBS News reporter Weijia Jiang , who asked him why he so often claimed the U.S. was “ doing far better than any other country when it comes to testing ” and framed it as a “ global competition ” when so many Americans are still dying , she said .
“ Well , they ’ re losing their lives everywhere in the world .
And maybe that ’ s a question you should ask China , ” Trump told Jiang , who is of Asian descent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Don ’ t ask me .
Ask China that question , OK ?
When you ask them that question , you may get a very unusual answer.
” Trump then called on another female reporter , CNN ’ s Kaitlan Collins , who paused to let Jiang ask a follow-up question : “ Why are you saying that to me specifically ?
” Trump fired back at Jiang that she was asking a “ nasty question.
” Then , seemingly punishing Collins for yielding time to Jiang , Trump refused to let Collins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ someone else .
“ Next , please , ” Trump said , speaking over Collins as she tried to ask him her question .
But before actually moving on to the next reporter , Trump abruptly ended the briefing and walked off stage .
This is the latest in a string of tense moments between Trump and the reporters who ask him questions at his coronavirus briefings .
He has notably often directed his anger at the female reporters in the room , especially those who are women of color .
Jiang has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s frustration before .
In early April , he got angry with her line of questioning and charged at her : “ It ’ s such a basic , simple question , and you try to make it sound so bad .
You ought to be ashamed of yourself , ” Trump said , calling her tone “ very nasty .
”

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President Donald Trump abruptly ended his coronavirus press briefing on Monday after getting visibly angry with two female reporters.
In the final moments of his briefing, Trump took a question from CBS News reporter Weijia Jiang, who asked him why he so often claimed the U.S. was “doing far better than any other country when it comes to testing” and framed it as a “global competition” when so many Americans are still dying, she said.
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“Well, they’re losing their lives everywhere in the world. And maybe that’s a question you should ask China,” Trump told Jiang, who is of Asian descent and was born in China. “Don’t ask me. Ask China that question, OK? When you ask them that question, you may get a very unusual answer.”
Trump then called on another female reporter, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, who paused to let Jiang ask a follow-up question: “Why are you saying that to me specifically?”
Trump fired back at Jiang that she was asking a “nasty question.” Then, seemingly punishing Collins for yielding time to Jiang, Trump refused to let Collins get her question in and called on someone else.
“Next, please,” Trump said, speaking over Collins as she tried to ask him her question. But before actually moving on to the next reporter, Trump abruptly ended the briefing and walked off stage.
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This is the latest in a string of tense moments between Trump and the reporters who ask him questions at his coronavirus briefings. He has notably often directed his anger at the female reporters in the room, especially those who are women of color.
Jiang has been on the receiving end of Trump’s frustration before. In early April, he got angry with her line of questioning and charged at her: “It’s such a basic, simple question, and you try to make it sound so bad. You ought to be ashamed of yourself,” Trump said, calling her tone “very nasty.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-11--White House Directs West Wing Staff To Wear Masks

WASHINGTON ( Reuters ) - The White House has directed staff working in the West Wing , where the daily operations of President Donald Trump ’ s administration are carried out , to wear masks at all times in the building , except when they are at their own desks , a senior administration official confirmed on Monday .
ABC News first reported that a new memo directed everyone who enters the wing to cover their faces .
With Trump ’ s valet and Vice President Mike Pence ’ s press secretary both testing positive for the deadly coronavirus last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House to take further steps in protecting the health of country ’ s 73-year-old president .
Trump has been resistant to wearing a mask himself and has not put one on in public , though he said he tried some on backstage during a visit to a mask factory in Arizona last week .
The president is in the age group that is considered high risk for complications with the coronavirus , which has killed tens of thousands of people in the United States alone and ravaged countries and economies worldwide .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was stepping up precautions for people who are around Trump and Pence , both of whom have resumed travel outside of Washington .
The two men are being tested for the virus daily and close associates are receiving tests on a daily basis as well .
“ In addition to social distancing , daily temperature checks and symptom histories , hand sanitizer , and regular deep cleaning of all work spaces , every staff member in close proximity to the president and vice president is being tested daily for COVID-19 as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Judd Deere said in a statement .
After Pence ’ s spokeswoman , Katie Miller , tested positive for the virus last week , Trump was asked whether people in the West Wing would begin to wear masks .
He responded that people already were doing so , but he and his guests that day had not donned masks , and staff in the West Wing were not wearing them either .

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House has directed staff working in the West Wing, where the daily operations of President Donald Trump’s administration are carried out, to wear masks at all times in the building, except when they are at their own desks, a senior administration official confirmed on Monday.
ABC News first reported that a new memo directed everyone who enters the wing to cover their faces. With Trump’s valet and Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary both testing positive for the deadly coronavirus last week, pressure is growing for the White House to take further steps in protecting the health of country’s 73-year-old president.
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Trump has been resistant to wearing a mask himself and has not put one on in public, though he said he tried some on backstage during a visit to a mask factory in Arizona last week.
The president is in the age group that is considered high risk for complications with the coronavirus, which has killed tens of thousands of people in the United States alone and ravaged countries and economies worldwide.
This May 10, 2020 photo shows the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ASSOCIATED PRESS
The White House said last week it was stepping up precautions for people who are around Trump and Pence, both of whom have resumed travel outside of Washington. The two men are being tested for the virus daily and close associates are receiving tests on a daily basis as well.
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“In addition to social distancing, daily temperature checks and symptom histories, hand sanitizer, and regular deep cleaning of all work spaces, every staff member in close proximity to the president and vice president is being tested daily for COVID-19 as well as any guests,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-11--White House Reporter's Cockroach Photo Causes Twitter Users To Bug Out

A lowly cockroach living in the White House has become Twitter ’ s newest hero after a correspondent posted its @ @ @ @ @ White House correspondent Brian Karem posted the photo on Monday and noted the roach was @ @ @ @ @ Karem did not identify the cockroach by name , but it managed to inspire Twitter @ @ @ @ @ snark .
Did you score an interview with this new cabinet member ?
— Ya @ @ @ @ @ AliciLee ) May 11 , 2020 Some people wondered which White House staffer it might @ @ @ @ @ something was in the works .
Although Karem just had the single roach sighting , @ @ @ @ @ of relatives nearby .
In 2017 , it was revealed that the White House , @ @ @ @ @ has had a serious vermin problem including at least four cockroach infestations in that year @ @

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A lowly cockroach living in the White House has become Twitter’s newest hero after a correspondent posted its photo on social media.
White House correspondent Brian Karem posted the photo on Monday and noted the roach was quite large in size.
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NOW: few reporters but a nice big cockroach at the WH. @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/hazUo2FWav — Brian J. Karem (@BrianKarem) May 11, 2020
Karem did not identify the cockroach by name, but it managed to inspire Twitter users to new heights of snark.
The Trump White House in a nutshell. — Megan Sutherland (@megansuthe) May 11, 2020
Did you score an interview with this new cabinet member? — Ya know, whatever (@AliciLee) May 11, 2020
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Maybe it’s a listening device bug. 😂 — Jackie Gontarek (@jackiegontarek) May 11, 2020
I’ll vote for it — Danny Deraney (@DannyDeraney) May 11, 2020
Some people wondered which White House staffer it might be.
I thought it was Stephen Miller... — D. Lowther (@dlowther715) May 11, 2020
Sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s Betsy DeVos. — William Tecumseh Sherman Every Day (@TecumsehDay) May 11, 2020
Don Junior has entered the chat — Trumpy Trumpy (parody) (@outofcontroljb) May 11, 2020
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Next chief of staff — Peter the Curve Flattener (@arrogantz) May 11, 2020
Not a cockroach - he's the latest District Court nominee, visiting the White House to pledge his loyalty. — paul takakjian (@ptakakjian) May 11, 2020
One person sensed something was in the works.
How long before soemone creates @/WHCockroach? — Commander Awareness (@CommanderBliss) May 11, 2020
Although Karem just had the single roach sighting, the creature likely has lots of relatives nearby.
In 2017, it was revealed that the White House, like many old buildings, has had a serious vermin problem including at least four cockroach infestations in that year alone.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-11--Trump Lambasts '60 Minutes' After Episode About His COVID-19 Conspiracy Mongering

In the episode , eminent virologist Peter Daszak — who ’ d raised the alarm about a possible pandemic as far back as 2003 — said the National Institutes of Health had recently canceled a grant to his EcoHealth Alliance , though the organization ’ s work is very relevant to the ongoing outbreak , which scientists think originated in bats .
“ 60 Minutes ” asserted that the organization — which has been receiving NIH funding since at least 2002 — had been singled out because of “ pandemic politics.
” For 15 years , EcoHealth Alliance has worked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Virology to catalog bat-borne illnesses , “ 60 Minutes ” said .
Such research has been and remains critical to the understanding of diseases like COVID-19 .
But in recent weeks , the Wuhan Institute , which is located in the same city where the new coronavirus was first reported , has come under scrutiny from Trump and some of his allies who ’ ve claimed ― without evidence or scientific backing ― that COVID-19 was potentially engineered at the institute or elsewhere in China and either accidentally or purposefully unleashed on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( R-Fla. ) , a vocal defender of Trump , suggested last month that the virus could have been made at the Wuhan Institute , which he erroneously said had received a ” $ 3.7 million grant ” from the NIH .
That grant , as “ 60 Minutes ” noted , had in fact been given to EcoHealth Alliance and not to the institute .
According to Daszak , the nonprofit has spent about $ 100,000 annually to collaborate with Wuhan researchers ― a collaboration that he said is essential to helping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one currently ravaging the globe .
“ If we want to know anything about the next pandemic we need to be working in China , ” Daszak told USA Today .
“ In peoples ’ imaginations there might be this image of one person in a lab in China who drops a petri dish and that somehow leads to a massive outbreak , ” Daszak continued .
“ It ’ s just not like that .
Every year there are millions of people going in bat caves and hunting and eating wildlife .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ being exposed to bat viruses every day .
It only takes one of these people to go to a city , cough and spread a virus .
The aim of our work is to directly benefit U.S. national security and public health .
If we don ’ t do this we are going to be on the front line again when the next virus hits.
” CBS News and “ 60 Minutes ” are “ doing everything within their power , which is far less today than it was in the past , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic that was inflicted on the USA and the rest of the World .
I guess they want to do business in China !
” the president wrote .
.
@ CBS and their show , @ 60Minutes , are doing everything within their power , which is far less today than it was in the past , to defend China and the horrible Virus pandemic that was inflicted on the USA and the rest of the World .
I guess they want to do business in China !
— Donald J. Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 “ This politicization of science is really damaging , ” he said .
“ You know , the conspiracy theories out there have essentially closed down communication between scientists in China and scientists in the U.S. We need that communication in an outbreak to learn from them how they control it so we can control it better .
It ’ s sad to say , but it will probably cost lives .
”

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President Donald Trump on Sunday lambasted CBS News and its flagship “60 Minutes” program for “doing everything within their power … to defend China” after an episode that explored his coronavirus conspiracy mongering.
The “60 Minutes” segment reported that Trump’s administration had defunded — for political reasons — a nonprofit engaged in potentially lifesaving research about bat-borne coronaviruses, including the one causing the COVID-19 pandemic.
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In the episode, eminent virologist Peter Daszak — who’d raised the alarm about a possible pandemic as far back as 2003 — said the National Institutes of Health had recently canceled a grant to his EcoHealth Alliance, though the organization’s work is very relevant to the ongoing outbreak, which scientists think originated in bats.
“The conspiracy theories out there have essentially closed down communication between scientists in China and scientists in the U.S… It will probably cost lives,” says a scientist about allegations that have ended research designed to stop pandemics. https://t.co/8eL9zqzVeF pic.twitter.com/ECnF0Zn3ms — 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) May 10, 2020
NIH confirmed to USA Today that it axed EcoHealth Alliance’s grant last month, but would not elaborate on the reason.
“60 Minutes” asserted that the organization — which has been receiving NIH funding since at least 2002 — had been singled out because of “pandemic politics.”
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For 15 years, EcoHealth Alliance has worked with the internationally renowned Wuhan Institute of Virology to catalog bat-borne illnesses, “60 Minutes” said. Such research has been and remains critical to the understanding of diseases like COVID-19.
But in recent weeks, the Wuhan Institute, which is located in the same city where the new coronavirus was first reported, has come under scrutiny from Trump and some of his allies who’ve claimed ― without evidence or scientific backing ― that COVID-19 was potentially engineered at the institute or elsewhere in China and either accidentally or purposefully unleashed on the world.
“I think [China] made a horrible mistake and they didn’t want to admit it,” Trump said last week. Many scientists have stressed that there’s no evidence COVID-19 was manmade.
“There is zero evidence that this virus came out of a lab in China,” says scientist Peter Daszak about the origins of coronavirus. He says the Wuhan lab doesn’t even have, in its inventory, the virus that causes COVID-19. https://t.co/tPIdWp9Edl pic.twitter.com/t0q6g857Rz — 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) May 10, 2020
Still, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), a vocal defender of Trump, suggested last month that the virus could have been made at the Wuhan Institute, which he erroneously said had received a ”$3.7 million grant” from the NIH.
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That grant, as “60 Minutes” noted, had in fact been given to EcoHealth Alliance and not to the institute. According to Daszak, the nonprofit has spent about $100,000 annually to collaborate with Wuhan researchers ― a collaboration that he said is essential to helping the U.S. prepare for pandemics like the one currently ravaging the globe.
“If we want to know anything about the next pandemic we need to be working in China,” Daszak told USA Today.
“In peoples’ imaginations there might be this image of one person in a lab in China who drops a petri dish and that somehow leads to a massive outbreak,” Daszak continued. “It’s just not like that. Every year there are millions of people going in bat caves and hunting and eating wildlife. It happens every day. They are being exposed to bat viruses every day. It only takes one of these people to go to a city, cough and spread a virus. The aim of our work is to directly benefit U.S. national security and public health. If we don’t do this we are going to be on the front line again when the next virus hits.”
Trump appeared to respond to the “60 Minutes” episode in a tweet on Sunday.
CBS News and “60 Minutes” are “doing everything within their power, which is far less today than it was in the past, to defend China and the horrible Virus pandemic that was inflicted on the USA and the rest of the World. I guess they want to do business in China!” the president wrote.
.@CBS and their show, @60Minutes, are doing everything within their power, which is far less today than it was in the past, to defend China and the horrible Virus pandemic that was inflicted on the USA and the rest of the World. I guess they want to do business in China! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2020
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Daszak told “60 Minutes” that conspiracy mongering by Trump and his allies has been a major obstacle in the world’s fight against COVID-19.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-11--While Trump Urges States To Reopen, White House Adopts New COVID-19 Precautions

The White House has enacted a slew of new precautions amid an outbreak of COVID-19 among West Wing staff .
White House spokesman Judd Deere said Sunday that President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence , as well as every staff member in close contact with them , will now be tested daily for the coronavirus , USA Today reported .
Work areas in the White House will also undergo regular deep cleaning and social distancing guidelines will be enforced .
News of the enhanced cautionary measures comes after at least two administration aides ― Katie Miller , Pence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s personal valets ― tested positive for COVID-19 .
Three influential members of the White House coronavirus task force — Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s top infectious disease expert ; Dr. Robert Redfield , director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ; and Dr. Stephen Hahn , the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration — also revealed over the weekend that they would partially quarantine themselves after coming into contact with an infected staff member .
`` Like other members of the White House staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mask while at work .
On Thursday she was seen on television talking without a mask within a few feet of several reporters , all of whom were wearing one .
`` https : //t.co/DdlrgDRVkB — Rachel Maddow MSNBC ( @ maddow ) May 11 , 2020 Senior White House officials believe the coronavirus has already spread “ rapidly through the warren of cramped offices ” in the West Wing , The New York Times reported Sunday .
White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told CBS ’ “ Face the Nation ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work.
” “ I think that I ’ d be a lot safer if I was sitting at home than I would be going to the West Wing , ” he said , adding : “ I think that I ’ d be a lot safer if I was sitting at home than I would be going to the West Wing .
But , you know , it ’ s the time when people have to step up and serve their country.
” WATCH : `` It is scary to go to work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hassett tells @ margbrennan .
This week a White House staffer and an aide to @ VP Pence tested positive for # coronavirushttps : //t.co/meIIhwUVYj See more of Hassett 's interview on @ facethenation at 10:30 EST pic.twitter.com/5uZ6S9RwmL — Face The Nation ( @ FaceTheNation ) May 10 , 2020 Even Trump , who refuses to wear a mask or follow his own government ’ s guidelines on social distancing , has been unnerved by the recent infections in the West Wing .
A senior administration official told the paper that the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who is among those who serve him food , had not been wearing a mask.
” White House Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow , who was not wearing a mask , briefs masked reporters outside the White House on May 8 , 2020 .
Outwardly , however , Trump has downplayed the risks posed to the country by the coronavirus ― and has encouraged governors to reopen their states ’ economies as soon as possible .
During a visit last week to an Arizona factory where face masks are made , Trump ― @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said “ we have to get our country open , and we have to get it open soon .
”

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The White House has enacted a slew of new precautions amid an outbreak of COVID-19 among West Wing staff.
White House spokesman Judd Deere said Sunday that President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, as well as every staff member in close contact with them, will now be tested daily for the coronavirus, USA Today reported. Work areas in the White House will also undergo regular deep cleaning and social distancing guidelines will be enforced.
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News of the enhanced cautionary measures comes after at least two administration aides ― Katie Miller, Pence’s spokesperson, and one of Trump’s personal valets ― tested positive for COVID-19.
Three influential members of the White House coronavirus task force — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert; Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and Dr. Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration — also revealed over the weekend that they would partially quarantine themselves after coming into contact with an infected staff member.
"Like other members of the White House staff, Ms. Miller did not regularly wear a mask while at work. On Thursday she was seen on television talking without a mask within a few feet of several reporters, all of whom were wearing one."https://t.co/DdlrgDRVkB — Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) May 11, 2020
Senior White House officials believe the coronavirus has already spread “rapidly through the warren of cramped offices” in the West Wing, The New York Times reported Sunday.
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White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told CBS’ “Face the Nation” that it was “scary to go work.”
“I think that I’d be a lot safer if I was sitting at home than I would be going to the West Wing,” he said, adding: “I think that I’d be a lot safer if I was sitting at home than I would be going to the West Wing. But, you know, it’s the time when people have to step up and serve their country.”
WATCH: "It is scary to go to work," @WhiteHouse Economic adviser Kevin Hassett tells @margbrennan. This week a White House staffer and an aide to @VP Pence tested positive for #coronavirushttps://t.co/meIIhwUVYj
See more of Hassett's interview on @facethenation at 10:30 EST pic.twitter.com/5uZ6S9RwmL — Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) May 10, 2020
Even Trump, who refuses to wear a mask or follow his own government’s guidelines on social distancing, has been unnerved by the recent infections in the West Wing.
A senior administration official told the paper that the president was “spooked that his valet, who is among those who serve him food, had not been wearing a mask.”
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White House Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow, who was not wearing a mask, briefs masked reporters outside the White House on May 8, 2020. Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
Outwardly, however, Trump has downplayed the risks posed to the country by the coronavirus ― and has encouraged governors to reopen their states’ economies as soon as possible.
During a visit last week to an Arizona factory where face masks are made, Trump ― who was not wearing a mask ― said “we have to get our country open, and we have to get it open soon.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-11--ICE Changes Course, Declines To Deport COVID-Positive Haitians [UPDATE]

UPDATE : 7 p.m. — In the face of growing opposition in Haiti to deportations from the U.S. , Immigration and Customs Enforcement appears to have changed its mind at the last minute about deporting Haitians who say they recently tested positive for the coronavirus at Pine Prairie , a Louisiana immigrant detention center .
Passengers on the scheduled ICE deportation flight , which arrived at around 1 p.m. Monday in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince , did not include any of the five people listed on the flight manifest who had recently tested positive for COVID-19 at Pine Prairie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the Miami Herald .
Moreover , while there were originally 100 passengers listed on the flight manifest , just 50 people were actually deported Monday , according to these government sources .
PREVIOUSLY : The U.S. plans to deport Haitians on Monday who say they have tested positive for COVID-19 ― a move that would put both fellow airline passengers and people in their homeland at risk .
A manifest for the scheduled deportation flight , obtained by HuffPost , shows 100 passengers .
Two of those listed , Stephane Etienne and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they have tested positive for the coronavirus , and three others listed on the manifest also have tested positive , according to U.S.-based human rights group the Institute for Justice and Democracy In Haiti .
The Miami Herald reported on the case on Friday .
These removals of COVID-positive detainees would align with the Trump administration ’ s deportation priorities , but not with pleas from foreign governments to stop deporting people with the virus during the pandemic .
In the past , some Haitian deportees have tested positive once they ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Haitian official told HuffPost in April that further removals was “ putting an additional burden on all of our fragile systems.
” The latest planned removals show that Immigration and Customs Enforcement may be deporting people it knows for certain are COVID-19-positive ― a move that can spread the virus and strain the health care system in other countries .
Etienne and Calice , the two Haitian men who said they tested positive for COVID-19 , were in “ total lockdown ” inside Pine Prairie Immigration and Customs Enforcement Processing Center in Louisiana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isolated from the detainee general population in a special area for those who test positive for the virus .
Etienne ’ s coronavirus tests have twice come back positive , he said .
Calice , who said he hasn ’ t been allowed to go outside in more than a month , tested positive on April 26 .
They said they were surprised to learn that they , along with three dormmates who also tested positive , were scheduled to be deported to Haiti on Monday .
Both men are fighting their deportation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obtain a stay of removal , which should , at least in principle , temporarily block ICE from deporting him .
Etienne , who also is objecting through legal channels , said he was born in the U.S. and does not have any national identification in Haiti .
However , they said three of their dormmates were suddenly removed from the dorm Sunday morning and transported to the ICE Alexandria Staging Facility , where many detainees are housed the night before they are deported .
The Institute for Justice and Democracy In Haiti @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Alexandria , and their names are listed on the flight manifest .
HuffPost was unable to reach the individuals .
One of the detainees set for removal tested positive for the coronavirus “ many times , ” said Steve Forester , the human rights group ’ s immigration policy coordinator .
All have tested positive for the virus at least once since April 16 .
One of the men moved to Alexandria for likely deportation had been complaining about an ache in the whole lower part of his body , said Etienne @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to physically help the man walk Sunday morning because he was in so much pain .
“ When he was leaving , his leg was aching , ” Calice said .
“ You know like when you have a fever ?
” Because the dormmate spoke limited English , Calice said he sometimes translated for the medical staff at Pine Prairie .
The day before the transfer , Calice recalled , “ I told the nurse he doesn ’ t feel good at all , he can ’ t stand up .
”

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UPDATE: 7 p.m. — In the face of growing opposition in Haiti to deportations from the U.S., Immigration and Customs Enforcement appears to have changed its mind at the last minute about deporting Haitians who say they recently tested positive for the coronavirus at Pine Prairie, a Louisiana immigrant detention center.
Passengers on the scheduled ICE deportation flight, which arrived at around 1 p.m. Monday in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, did not include any of the five people listed on the flight manifest who had recently tested positive for COVID-19 at Pine Prairie, according to Haitian government sources cited by the Miami Herald. Moreover, while there were originally 100 passengers listed on the flight manifest, just 50 people were actually deported Monday, according to these government sources.
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A panel comprising leading scientists in Haiti recommended Sunday that the Haitian government halt all deportations during the pandemic.
PREVIOUSLY: The U.S. plans to deport Haitians on Monday who say they have tested positive for COVID-19 ― a move that would put both fellow airline passengers and people in their homeland at risk.
A manifest for the scheduled deportation flight, obtained by HuffPost, shows 100 passengers. Two of those listed, Stephane Etienne and Mackendy Calice, confirmed to HuffPost that they have tested positive for the coronavirus, and three others listed on the manifest also have tested positive, according to U.S.-based human rights group the Institute for Justice and Democracy In Haiti. The Miami Herald reported on the case on Friday.
These removals of COVID-positive detainees would align with the Trump administration’s deportation priorities, but not with pleas from foreign governments to stop deporting people with the virus during the pandemic. In the past, some Haitian deportees have tested positive once they’ve been returned to the country. A Haitian official told HuffPost in April that further removals was “putting an additional burden on all of our fragile systems.”
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The latest planned removals show that Immigration and Customs Enforcement may be deporting people it knows for certain are COVID-19-positive ― a move that can spread the virus and strain the health care system in other countries.
ICE did not respond to a request for comment on the removals.
Etienne and Calice, the two Haitian men who said they tested positive for COVID-19, were in “total lockdown” inside Pine Prairie Immigration and Customs Enforcement Processing Center in Louisiana, Calice said. They’re isolated from the detainee general population in a special area for those who test positive for the virus. Etienne’s coronavirus tests have twice come back positive, he said. Calice, who said he hasn’t been allowed to go outside in more than a month, tested positive on April 26.
They said they were surprised to learn that they, along with three dormmates who also tested positive, were scheduled to be deported to Haiti on Monday.
Agents working for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement prepare to board detainees onto a flight in February. David Ryder/Getty Images
Etienne and Calice heard about the deportation flight, which was first reported by Jake Johnston of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, from Etienne’s wife.
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“ICE, they don’t let you know anything,” Etienne said.
Both men are fighting their deportation. Calice said he has managed to obtain a stay of removal, which should, at least in principle, temporarily block ICE from deporting him. Etienne, who also is objecting through legal channels, said he was born in the U.S. and does not have any national identification in Haiti.
When HuffPost spoke to the two men on Sunday afternoon, they were hopeful that ICE might reconsider.
However, they said three of their dormmates were suddenly removed from the dorm Sunday morning and transported to the ICE Alexandria Staging Facility, where many detainees are housed the night before they are deported.
The Institute for Justice and Democracy In Haiti confirmed that the three dormmates were moved to Alexandria, and their names are listed on the flight manifest. HuffPost was unable to reach the individuals.
One of the detainees set for removal tested positive for the coronavirus “many times,” said Steve Forester, the human rights group’s immigration policy coordinator. All have tested positive for the virus at least once since April 16.
One of the men moved to Alexandria for likely deportation had been complaining about an ache in the whole lower part of his body, said Etienne and Calice.
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Calice said he had to physically help the man walk Sunday morning because he was in so much pain. “When he was leaving, his leg was aching,” Calice said. “You know like when you have a fever?”
Because the dormmate spoke limited English, Calice said he sometimes translated for the medical staff at Pine Prairie. The day before the transfer, Calice recalled, “I told the nurse he doesn’t feel good at all, he can’t stand up.”
“I was actually there when he got tested,” said Calice. “They tested him in front of me about four times.”
Calice and Etienne said their dormmate told them the results of his sixth coronavirus test, which he received on Saturday.
“He just basically said, I’m positive,” Etienne said. “I got six positives.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-11--Navajo Nation Now Has More Known COVID-19 Cases Per Capita Than Any State

Navajo Nation marked a grim milestone on Sunday , recording more coronavirus cases per capita on its reservation than any of the 50 U.S. states .
At least 3,122 cases have been reported on Navajo Nation ― the largest and most populous American Indian reservation in the U.S .
According to 2010 census data , about 173,776 people ( including both Navajo and non-Navajo ) live on the reservation .
This means the reservation ’ s rate of infection is roughly 1,798 per 100,000 people .
By comparison , the states with the most known cases ― New York , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,751 cases per 100,000 people , 1,560 cases and 1,129 cases , respectively .
There have been at least 100 virus-linked deaths on Navajo Nation .
Four U.S. states have more deaths per capita than the reservation : New York , New Jersey , Connecticut and Massachusetts .
The number of confirmed cases on Navajo Nation has nearly doubled in just two weeks , from 1,716 reported on April 26 .
The relatively high rate of testing being done on the reservation may help explain the record rate of known infections .
Navajo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been conducted on the reservation , or about 10,452 per 100,000 people .
New York state reported over the weekend that 1.2 million people have been tested , or 6,081 per 100,000 people .
As of Sunday , about 40 U.S. counties had higher rates of infection than Navajo Nation .
Trousdale , Tennessee , where an outbreak has infected hundreds of inmates and staffers at a private prison , has by far the highest number of cases per capita , with 14,175 cases per 100,000 people .
On April 23 , medical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Navajo Nation reservation prepare to practice with a new intubation shield to use when intubating patients .
Experts have warned that Indigenous populations are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 , given their high rates of diabetes , heart disease and other underlying conditions .
What ’ s more , an estimated 40 % of homes in Navajo Nation are without running water , making essential hygiene practices during a pandemic extremely challenging .
“ It ’ s no secret that in Indian Country , we have one in five that have diabetes and they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if they were to catch this virus , they are highly likely to have complications from the coronavirus , ” Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez told HuffPost in an interview late last month .
What ’ s more , many homes on Navajo Nation contain multiple generations of families , making it difficult to curb the contagion , he said .
“ When someone gets sick , it is hard for them to self-quarantine or isolate because of the shortage of housing here on the Navajo Nation , ” Nez said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including water.
” More than five weeks after President Donald Trump signed into law the CARES Act , which designated $ 8 billion to tribal governments to assist in their responses to the coronavirus , the Navajo Nation announced it was set to receive $ 600 million of the funds .
During a news conference Thursday , Navajo officials outlined their plans for the money , which includes funding for health care and educational needs as well as improving water , power and telecommunications infrastructure .
“ We ’ re learning a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nez said in a statement Thursday .
“ This is a prime opportunity to plant the seeds that will help our Navajo people for many years to come .
”

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Navajo Nation marked a grim milestone on Sunday, recording more coronavirus cases per capita on its reservation than any of the 50 U.S. states.
At least 3,122 cases have been reported on Navajo Nation ― the largest and most populous American Indian reservation in the U.S. According to 2010 census data, about 173,776 people (including both Navajo and non-Navajo) live on the reservation. This means the reservation’s rate of infection is roughly 1,798 per 100,000 people.
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By comparison, the states with the most known cases ― New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts ― have reported 1,751 cases per 100,000 people, 1,560 cases and 1,129 cases, respectively.
Using another figure, the Total Resident Service Area Indian Population, or TRSAIP, which is used by the U.S. government to allocate federal funds, the Navajo Nation known infection rate as of Sunday was about 1,691 per 100,000 people. That would put the Navajo Nation second, after New York state, in coronavirus infections. Navajo Nation’s TRSAIP is 184,630, according to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
There have been at least 100 virus-linked deaths on Navajo Nation. Four U.S. states have more deaths per capita than the reservation: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The number of confirmed cases on Navajo Nation has nearly doubled in just two weeks, from 1,716 reported on April 26.
The relatively high rate of testing being done on the reservation may help explain the record rate of known infections.
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Navajo Nation on Sunday reported 18,153 tests had been conducted on the reservation, or about 10,452 per 100,000 people. New York state reported over the weekend that 1.2 million people have been tested, or 6,081 per 100,000 people.
As of Sunday, about 40 U.S. counties had higher rates of infection than Navajo Nation. Trousdale, Tennessee, where an outbreak has infected hundreds of inmates and staffers at a private prison, has by far the highest number of cases per capita, with 14,175 cases per 100,000 people.
On April 23, medical workers at Kayenta Health Center on the Navajo Nation reservation prepare to practice with a new intubation shield to use when intubating patients. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Experts have warned that Indigenous populations are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, given their high rates of diabetes, heart disease and other underlying conditions. What’s more, an estimated 40% of homes in Navajo Nation are without running water, making essential hygiene practices during a pandemic extremely challenging.
“It’s no secret that in Indian Country, we have one in five that have diabetes and they’re in that vulnerable category so if they were to catch this virus, they are highly likely to have complications from the coronavirus,” Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez told HuffPost in an interview late last month.
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What’s more, many homes on Navajo Nation contain multiple generations of families, making it difficult to curb the contagion, he said.
“When someone gets sick, it is hard for them to self-quarantine or isolate because of the shortage of housing here on the Navajo Nation,” Nez said. “Those are federal obligations to provide infrastructure, including water.”
More than five weeks after President Donald Trump signed into law the CARES Act, which designated $8 billion to tribal governments to assist in their responses to the coronavirus, the Navajo Nation announced it was set to receive $600 million of the funds.
During a news conference Thursday, Navajo officials outlined their plans for the money, which includes funding for health care and educational needs as well as improving water, power and telecommunications infrastructure.
“We’re learning a lot from this current pandemic,” Nez said in a statement Thursday. “This is a prime opportunity to plant the seeds that will help our Navajo people for many years to come.”