thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Asia Today: Singapore to reopen some businesses May 12

BANGKOK - Singapore will allow selected businesses to reopen on May 12 in a cautious rollback of a two-month partial lockdown despite rising coronavirus infections among foreign workers .
The city-state reported 447 new cases on Saturday to raise its total to 17,548 .
About 85 % of the confirmed infections are linked to foreign workers living in crowded dormitories .
The Health Ministry said the daily infections among Singaporeans have dropped by more than half to 12 in the past week .
Cases with unknown sources of infection have also fallen to an average of six a day .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ gradually to avoid a flareup of new infections .
Businesses including food manufacturing , food retail outlets , laundry services , barbers and pet supplies will be permitted to reopen on May 12 .
Home-based businesses can also reopen .
Small groups of students will be allowed back to school on May 19 .
A gradual reopening of the economy and work premises will be phased in , with strict health rules including a digital mobile app to speed up contact tracing , the health ministry said .
Other lockdown measures remain , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in their dorms until the lockdown ends June 1 .
In other developments around the Asia-Pacific region : — BACK TO WORK IN SRI LANKA : Sri Lanka ’ s government has asked both government and private sector workers to head back to work on May 11 , even though some parts of the country will still be under a 24-hour curfew .
The government said in a statement that organizations should strictly adhere to health guidelines issued by the government .
The island nation had been under a 24-hour curfew since March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daytime hours in more than two thirds of the country on Tuesday and Wednesday , but was reimposed on Thursday , leaving a 24-hour curfew in effect until Monday .
But the 24-hour curfew will still be in effect in four districts even after May 11 .
Sri Lanka has confirmed 690 coronavirus cases , including seven deaths .
— MALAYSIA MINISTER DEFENDS ARRESTS OF IMMIGRANTS : A Malaysian government minister has defended the government ’ s mass arrests of immigrants without valid documents in coronavirus hot spots .
Senior Minister Ismail Sabri @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several buildings under lockdown in Kuala Lumpur .
He said they all tested negative for the virus and were sent to detention camps for breaching immigration laws .
Rights groups have slammed the government for breaking its promise not to take action against migrants who come out for virus screening .
Ismail brushed off the criticism Saturday , saying authorities were acting within the law .
Malaysia has confirmed 6,176 virus cases , including and 103 deaths .
— 6 NEW CASES IN SOUTH KOREA : South Korea on Saturday reported six new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monthlong streak of daily increases of less than 100 , as infections continue to wane in the hardest-hit city of Daegu .
South Korea has confirmed 10,780 confirmed cases , including 250 deaths .
At least 1,081 cases have been linked to international arrivals , but those have also declined in recent weeks as the government strengthens border controls , such as enforcing 14-day quarantines on all overseas passengers .
— CHINA REPORTS 1 INFECTION : China , where the pandemic began in December , reported one new infection and no deaths in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The country has reported a total of 82,875 confirmed cases and 4,633 deaths .
The National Health Commission reported 43 people were released from hospitals Friday after being declared recovered , raising the total to 77,685 .
There were a total 557 people still hospitalized on the mainland .
Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at http : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak .


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--IS militants kill 10 in co-ordinated attack in Iraq

BAGHDAD - Islamic State militants killed at least 10 Iraqi militiamen in a co-ordinated assault overnight near the central city of Samarra , security officials said Saturday , adding to concerns the extremist group that once controlled large areas of the country is staging a comeback .
The military and the Popular Mobilization Forces , an umbrella group of mostly Shiite militias allied with the government , confirmed the attack in separate statements .
It was the deadliest of a series of attacks in recent weeks that come as authorities are grappling with a worsening economic crisis and trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victory over IS in December 2017 after a costly three-year campaign .
At its height , the group controlled around a third of Iraq and neighbouring Syria , which it governed in accordance with a harsh and violent interpretation of Islamic law .
In recent months , remnants of IS have exploited security gaps resulting from a territorial dispute between Iraq ’ s central government and the autonomous Kurdish region in the north , as well as the withdrawal of U.S. forces in a planned drawdown .
Last week a suicide bomber targeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Kirkuk , wounding at least three security forces in the first such attack in months .
The PMF said six of its fighters were killed by direct fire late Friday in the village of Mekeeshfa , south of Tikrit .
Another three fighters were killed by a roadside bomb as reinforcements were called in .
A 10th militiaman was shot dead in the nearby village of Tal al-Dahab .
The co-ordinated attack occurred around 60 miles ( 95 kilometres ) north of the capital , Baghdad .

Qassim Abdul-Zahra - The Associated Press

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thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Farmers markets scaling down with eye on safety due to virus

DETROIT - For a dozen years , Johnny Gyergyou has sold meat , poultry and eggs from his Berlin Township livestock farm at Eastern Market in Detroit .
Lately , he ’ s been staying home as fear of the COVID-19 virus has kept thousands of shoppers away from the popular venue northeast of downtown .
“ The crowds are small and there aren ’ t many vendors , ” said Gyergyou , adding that it ’ s just not cost-effective to haul the loads 33 miles to Detroit where they may or may not sell .
“ We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) at the farm .
It ’ s not Eastern Market sales by no means , but at least it ’ s helping us along here , ” said Gyergyou , 72 .
Farmers , growers and operators of open-air markets are heading into a busy time of the year as many states still are under stay-at-home orders for residents and non-essential businesses to slow the spread of the coronavirus which has killed more than 60,000 people in the United States and at least 230,000 worldwide .
Shoppers venturing out this year are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of hand sanitizer and face mask-wearing produce peddlers as they are to see bushels of corn , quarts of blueberries or flats of petunias .
Many venues have moved to drive-thru shopping , reduced days or hours , and fencing to control crowds .
At the farmers market near London , England ’ s , Primrose Hill neighbourhood , shopping is restricted to a few people at a time who are given gloves upon entering .
Vendors are spread out and work behind plastic shields .
Detroit ’ s Eastern Market is considering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be painted on floors as a reminder to social distance .
About a dozen vendors are participating in drive-thru shopping on Tuesdays at the market .
“ It ’ s my feeling after listening to people that they ’ re scared to go down to Detroit with it being a hotspot ( for the COVID-19 virus ) , ” said Gyergyou , hoping for a return to normalcy sooner than later .
“ I ’ m anxious to get back there.
” Detroit has topped 9,000 confirmed virus cases and more than 1,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Park , Kansas , outside of Kansas City , Missouri , has been relocated to the city ’ s convention centre where patrons drive past vendors who bring produce to their vehicles .
About 35 vendors participated on April 25 and vehicles were at the gate when the market opened at 8 a.m. About 700 drove through before a 2 p.m. closing , said Meg Ralph , a city spokeswoman .
Vermont officials are requiring all farmers markets to be held outdoors .
Entertainment , children activities and cooking demonstrations have been suspended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spaces .
The Bennington Farmers ’ Market was scheduled to reopen on Saturday as a pre-order drive-thru market .
In Montpelier , the Capital City Market was prepared for both pre-order pickups and in-person shoppers with no more than 10 people in the market at a time .
Vendors must be spaced 12 feet apart and wear face coverings and gloves .
Such precautions can take some of the joy out of outdoor shopping , but that ’ s the price of safety .
“ They won ’ t be able to talk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the kids , like they normally do , ” said Myra Gorman , market manager for the farmers market in Evanston , Illinois .
“ Some of them will share phone numbers so they can do that stuff later.
” The market is just north of Chicago and attracts as many as 7,000 people on a Saturday .
Thirty-five vendors will be set up and only 105 or so customers will be allowed inside at any one time .
Once inside , all the thumping , touching , smelling and grabbing of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pointing by mask-wearing customers to mask- and glove-wearing vendors .
No farmers have backed out , said Gorman , adding that “ this is their business , their livelihood.
” Todd Nichols couldn ’ t skip the market — even if he wanted to .
Nichols is an owner of Nichols Farm & Orchard in Marengo , Ill. About 90 % of his income is from farmers markets and restaurants .
Restaurant sales have fallen through the floor , he said .
“ Farmers markets are just too important not to go , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Collingswood , New Jersey , near Philadelphia , launched 20 years ago .
Absent from the 2020 edition scheduled to open Saturday will be live music and much of the colour that made it a festival-like destination .
In fact , like so many others trying to survive while waiting out the coronavirus , it will be a stripped-down “ farm-to-car ” market that has moved to a big parking lot .
Continuing the market provides normalcy for area residents and help for some now-struggling farmers , said Collingswood Mayor Jim Maley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know there was a pandemic going on , ” he said .
Don Babwin in Chicago ; Anna Johnson in London ; Lisa Rathke in Marshfield , Vermont ; Margaret Stafford in Liberty , Missouri ; and Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill , New Jersey , contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Iran rejects ‘baseless’ US comments on aid to Venezuela

TEHRAN , Iran - Iran on Saturday denounced recent U.S. allegations that it was providing covert aid to help Venezuela overcome gas shortages as “ baseless “ without directly addressing them .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week said “ multiple aircraft “ belonging to Iran ’ s Mahan Air had transferred ” unknown support ” to Venezuela ’ s government .
He called for a halt to the flights and for other countries to bar overflights by Mahan Air .
The Associated Press reported last month that Mahan Air was delivering key chemical components used for producing gasoline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the South American country , which is in the grip of a severe economic crisis .
Venezuela has been suffering from widespread gasoline shortages despite having the world ’ s largest oil reserves .
Both Iran and Venezuela are under heavy U.S. sanctions , and have had close relations for the last two decades .
Iran ’ s Foreign Ministry tweeted that the “ baseless comments were made in order to prepare the ground for mounting U.S. pressure on the Venezuelan government.
” Another statement said the U.S. intended to “ obstruct the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country ’ s refineries.
“ The statements did not directly address the allegations or elaborate on the nature of the co-operation between the two countries .
The Trump administration is pursuing a “ maximum pressure ” campaign aimed at ousting Venezuela ’ s socialist president , Nicolás Maduro , and considers opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the nation ’ s legitimate leader .
The U.S. and a coalition of nearly 60 nations say Maduro clings to power following a 2018 election that critics consider a sham because the most popular opposition politicians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration imposed heavy sanctions on Iran after withdrawing from Tehran ’ s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers .


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Russia, Pakistan virus cases spike as others ease controls

BEIJING - Russia and Pakistan reported their biggest one-day jumps in new coronavirus infections as some other countries and U.S. states where case numbers are stabilizing allowed businesses and public activities to reopen .
China , where the pandemic began in December , reported a single new infection Saturday , extending a steady decline in confirmed cases .
South Korea reported six new cases on Saturday , none of them in the hard-hit city of Daegu in the southeast .
Both countries are easing anti-virus controls and reviving economic activity .
Russia reported 7,933 new cases on Friday , raising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number is believed to be higher because not everyone is tested and Russian tests are reported to be only 70 % to 80 % accurate .
At least five Russian regions reported a surge of pneumonia cases .
In Moscow , which accounts for half of all virus cases , all respiratory infections are likely to be caused by the coronavirus , according to the public health agency .
Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday he tested positive and would temporarily stop running the Cabinet .
The construction minister and his deputy also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pakistan announced 1,297 new cases , raising the total in the country of 220 million people to 18,114 .
The increase coincides with increased testing .
The government said more than 9,000 were conducted in the previous 24 hours .
Prime Minister Imran Khan has set a goal of 20,000 per day .
Photos in newspapers showed large numbers of the faithful at Pakistani mosques and only some following social distancing rules .
Khan ’ s government said it might ease controls , but doctors have pleaded for stricter lockdowns , warning an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have only 3,000 intensive care beds nationwide .
Also Friday , the first drug shown to help fight the disease received emergency approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration .
In a study , remdesivir shortened patients ’ recovery time from 15 days to 11 on average and may have reduced deaths .
The virus has killed more than 230,000 people worldwide , including more than 64,000 in the United States and more than 20,000 each in Italy , Britain , France and Spain .
Health experts warn a second wave of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dramatically .
President Donald Trump said Friday he hopes the total number of U.S. deaths will be below 100,000 , which he acknowledged is a “ horrible number.
” Models released by the White House coronavirus task force on March 29 projected deaths of 100,000 to 240,000 Americans , assuming efforts such as social distancing and staying home as much as possible were in effect .
The task force director said the worst-case scenario was 1.5 million to 2.2 million U.S. deaths without those measures .
As the crisis stabilizes in some European @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easing the shutdown of businesses that plunged the global economy into its deepest slump since the 1930s and wiped out millions of jobs .
France , Spain , Germany and other governments plan to allow factories , offices , other businesses , churches and some other public facilities to reopen gradually and under strict controls .
China has lifted blanket restrictions that kept 800 million people at home but kept in place extensive fever-checks and other monitoring .
On Friday , the former imperial palace in the Chinese capital , Beijing , reopened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the number of daily visitors was limited to 5,000 , down from the usual 80,000 .
Photos on social media showed palace visitors wearing masks and being escorted by police .
The country ’ s ceremonial legislature is due to hold its annual session May 22 , postponed from March .
The government has yet to say whether the 3,000 or so delegates will come to Beijing or stay home and meet by videoconference .
Trump , who is running for reelection in the midst of a U.S. economic slump that has wiped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is pressing state governors to lift anti-disease controls despite warnings by some health experts that might lead to a spike in infections .
On Friday , more than a dozen U.S. states including Texas and South Carolina allowed restaurants , stores and other businesses to reopen in the biggest one-day push yet to revive their economies .
Other governors including Andrew Cuomo of New York , the hardest-hit American state , and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois say they won ’ t relax controls until conditions are safer .
Cuomo said Friday schools and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the rest of the academic year .
In much of Colorado , shops and hair salons reopened , though stay-at-home orders remained in place in and around the state ’ s biggest city , Denver .
Wyoming let barber shops , nail salons , gyms and day care centres reopen .
Hotels near South Carolina beaches opened and state parks unlocked their gates for the first time in more than a month .
In New Mexico , Gov .
Michelle Lujan Grisham sealed roads to nonessential traffic in the city of Gallup @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a surging outbreak .
In Texas , a 25-year-old man in Austin was charged with attempted assault after a city park ranger was pushed into a lake while asking visitors to stay at least 2 metres ( 6 feet ) apart .
Also Friday , a New York City nursing home reported 98 deaths of residents believed to have had the coronavirus .
Mayor Bill De Blasio called the toll horrifying .
The governor of Washington , where the first U.S. virus case was confirmed in January , extended a stay-at-home order through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Michigan said a similar order there is in effect through May 15 despite the state legislature ’ s refusal to extend her emergency declaration .
AP journalists around the world contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Misery of Italy’s migrants grows not from virus but lockdown

CASTEL VOLTURNO , Italy - They are known as “ the invisibles “ : Undocumented African migrants who , even before the coronavirus outbreak plunged Italy into crisis , barely scraped by as day labourers , prostitutes , freelance hairdressers and seasonal farm hands .
Locked down for two months in crumbling apartments in a mob-infiltrated town north of Naples , their hand-to-mouth existence has grown even more precarious with no work , no food and no hope .
Italy is preparing to reopen some business and industry on Monday in a preliminary easing of its virus shutdown .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invisibles ” of Castel Volturno will get back to work anytime soon , and no evidence that the government ’ s social nets will ease their misery .
“ I need help .
Help me .
For my children , for my husband , I need help , ” said a tearful Mary Sado Ofori , a Nigerian hairdresser and mother of three who has been holed up in her overcrowded apartment block .
She ran out of milk for her 6-month old , and is getting by on handouts from a friend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , medics , a priest , a cultural mediator and local city hall officials are trying to make sure “ the invisibles ” aren ’ t forgotten entirely , delivering groceries daily to their choked apartments and trying to provide health care .
But the need is outstripping the resources .
“ There is an emergency within the COVID emergency which is a social emergency , ” said Sergio Serraiano , who runs a health clinic in town .
“ We knew this was going to happen , and we were waiting for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ struck hardest in Italy ’ s prosperous industrial north , where the first homegrown case was registered Feb. 21 and where most of the infected and 27,000 dead were recorded .
The bulk of the government ’ s attention and response focused on reinforcing the health care system there to withstand the onslaught of tens of thousands of sick .
Castel Volturno is another world entirely , a 27-kilometre ( 17-mile ) strip of land running along the sea north of Naples that is controlled by the Camorra organized crime syndicate .
Here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID cases , and none among the migrants .
But Castel Volturno has other problems that the COVID crisis has exacerbated .
Known as the “ Terra dei Fuochi ” or land of fires , Castel Volturno and surrounding areas have unusually high cancer rates , blamed on the illegal dumping and burning of toxic waste that have polluted the air , sea and underground wells .
Here the mob runs drugs and waste disposal , and officials have warned the clans are primed to exploit the economic misery that the virus shutdowns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that “ the invisibles ” have settled over the years , many after crossing the Mediterranean from Libya in smugglers boats hoping for a better life .
No one knows their numbers for certain , but estimates run as high as 600,000 nationally .
In Castel Volturno , a city with an official population of around 26,000 , there are estimates of 10,000 to 20,000 .
The men get by on day jobs picking tomatoes , lemons or oranges , or in construction where they earn 25 euros ( US $ 28 ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bodies , or if they are lucky , work as freelance hairstylists or selling trinkets and cigarette lighters on the street .
In normal times , the men gather at 4 a.m. at the roundabouts that dot the Via Domiziana main drag , waiting for trucks to pick them up and take them to farms or construction sites .
But since the lockdown , even that illegal off-the-books system known as “ caporalato ” has ground to a halt .
The migrants , who already were living precariously without official residency or work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their rent or buy food .
“ We don ’ t have electricity .
We don ’ t have water .
We don ’ t have documents , ” said Jimmy Donko , a 43-year-old Ghanaian migrant who lives with 46 Nigerian and Ghanaian men in a dark , rundown house where filthy dishes fill the kitchen sink and old blankets serve as curtains over broken windows .
To bathe , wash and flush the toilet , he and his housemates walk 300 metres ( yards ) with buckets to a fountain and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apparent everywhere : With no electricity or refrigeration , food spoils quickly and is cooked immediately .
On a recent day , cooked fish and goat heads were left out on shelves .
Outside , chicken was being cooked on a makeshift stove made from old mattress springs .
A consortium of unions and non-profit organizations has called for a general amnesty to legalize undocumented migrants .
Government ministers have vowed to help even those in the black-market economy survive the emergency .
A proposed law would legalize migrant farm workers for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ given that Italy ’ s legal seasonal farm hands have been kept at home in Eastern Europe because of virus travel restrictions .
But no proposals have made it into law , and there is fierce opposition nationwide and in tiny Castel Volturno to any moves to legalize the African workforce currently here .
“ We are talking about 20,000 illegal migrants in a population of 26,000 inhabitants – that makes it almost equal one foreigner for one Italian , ” said Mayor Luigi Petrella , of the right-wing , anti-migrant Brothers of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to propose something like that.
” That said , city hall is working to feed the masses , teaming up with the local Centro Fernandes refugee centre to bring bags of food each day to the locked-down , out-of-work migrants .
The Rev .
Daniele Moschetti , a former missionary in Nairobi , Kenya , now delivers groceries to the poor in his homeland .
“ It was different when I was in Nairobi , ” he said , during a break in his grocery rounds .
“ There was poverty , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is something diabolical about all this , something evil in how all these people are treated .
”


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--County has highest rate of COVID-19 cases on West Coast

SPOKANE , Wash. - The highest rate of coronavirus cases of any county on the U.S. West Coast is Washington state ’ s Yakima County .
Health experts point to a large number of essential workers , a large number of cases in long-term care facilities and a large agricultural workforce living and working in close quarters as the causes .
The county has about 250,000 residents .
“ We just haven ’ t been as much down as the rest of the state because our workforce is going to work , ’ ’ said Lilian Bravo , a spokeswoman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Physically going to work every day is going to put you at a higher risk than others.
’ ’ As of Friday , Yakima County had 1,203 positive cases , a rate of 455 cases per 100,000 residents , the highest in the state .
Second was Franklin County at 326 cases per 100,000 .
The statewide average was 185 cases per 100,000 residents .
Yakima County , 140 miles ( 225 kilometres ) southeast of Seattle , also had a relatively high number of deaths from coronavirus with 47 .
Bravo said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about a third of cases and most of the deaths from COVID-19 in the county .
Bravo said the health district is involved with testing staff and residents at long-term care facilities .
State health officer Dr. Kathy Lofy said Washington Department of Health officials were sent to Yakima to help the long-term care facilities deal with the outbreaks .
“ I think what we ’ re seeing in some of these outbreaks , whether it ’ s a long-term care facility or a food processing plant , is that you get a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a lot of transmission , and then all these individuals go home and back to their own communities and infect others in their family and others in their community , ” Lofy said .
Meanwhile , nearly 73,000 of the 115,000 Yakima County jobs , or 63 % , are in essential industries such as agriculture , health care and wholesale trade , according to the Yakima County Development Association .
“ We ’ re not as shut down as some areas in the state , ” Bravo said .
The county @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the agriculture and food processing industries .
Many live and work in close quarters , which can spread the disease .
With the harvest season just getting underway , Bravo said the health district is wary that the infection rate will continue to grow , especially in housing for migrant workers that tends to be cramped .
The state recently issued new guidelines to protect agriculture workers against COVID-19 .
The new Department of Labor and Industry rules require growers and operators to have procedures for a suspected or confirmed case of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recommendations , and to have employees stay home if they are sick .
They are also required to ensure social distance and physical barriers between workers , to have hand-washing stations and to increase sanitation .
But two farmworker groups filed lawsuits in Skagit County Superior Court seeking tougher rules and immediate oversight .
Yakima-based advocacy group Latino Civic Alliance is demanding the state adopt enforceable standards to protect agricultural workers from exposure .
The organization noted 96 % of the state ’ s agricultural workers are Latinos , with many living below @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Despite the high number of cases , the health care system in Yakima County is not overwhelmed , Bravo said .
“ We do have the capacity to serve individuals , ’ ’ she said .
“ The community has done a great job.
’ ’ For most people , the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and cough , that clear up in two to three weeks .
But it can cause more severe illness , including pneumonia , for some people , especially older adults and @ @ @ @ @ @

Nicholas K. Geranios - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Houston helicopter crash kills police officer, injures another

A Houston police officer was killed and another critically injured after their helicopter crashed early Saturday as they were responding to a report of bodies in a bayou , the city ’ s police chief said .
The helicopter narrowly missed an apartment building , crashing around 2 a.m. in the complex between a pool house and a palm tree .
“ Had they crashed into the building itself , it would ’ ve been , without a doubt , fatal ” for residents of the complex , the chief , Art Acevedo , said at a news conference .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would not hit any residences , he said .
The complex , Biscayne Apartments , is part of a group of community apartment buildings that advertise affordable housing for families and people seeking a “ quiet and peaceful lifestyle.
” “ I don ’ t even know if he had time to broadcast the mayday , ” Acevedo said .
He added that the pilot was dealing “ with an emergency situation in a dark environment , in a night sky , in a heavily populated area.
” “ I promise you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could to avoid striking that apartment , ” he said .
A forensic unit investigating a homicide in the area saw the helicopter spiralling and then go down in the northern section of Houston .
Witnesses in the apartment complex waved down rescuers and showed them where the officers were trapped inside the mangled wreckage .
The helicopter was on its side and the two officers were pinned for an extended period , Acevedo said .
Officer Jason Knox was killed in the crash , the chief said on Twitter .
The injured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identified as Senior Officer Chase Cormier .
Cormier , 35 , who was sworn into the department in July 2006 , was “ very banged up ” and his injuries were “ significant , ” Acevedo said .
“ We ’ re hopeful he ’ s going to survive , but having said that , this is very traumatic , ” he said .
“ When you have trauma , it can turn very quickly.
” Acevedo said the police department was treating the crash as a homicide because an officer died .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a criminal standpoint , again , to make sure there was no criminal activity that led to this tragic incident , ” Acevedo said .
Knox , a tactical flight officer in the department ’ s air unit , was the son of a city council member , Michael Knox , who also served as an officer in the Houston Police Department .
Jason Knox , 35 , was married with two young children , Acevedo said .
Knox joined the police department in June 2012 .
He was fond of restoring old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1996 Caprice to drive in the city ’ s Thanksgiving Day parade in 2018 .
He told the Houston Chronicle that year that he was inspired by a visit to the Los Angeles Police Department Museum and its collection of vintage law enforcement vehicles .
“ Jason will be missed but we will carry him in our hearts and in our memories , ” Acevedo said on Twitter .
“ When knocked down this man always got back up.
” Officer Joe Gamaldi , president of the Houston Police Officers ’ Union , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and air division for a little more than a year .
He had been in the passenger seat Saturday , acting as “ eyes and ears ” in the helicopter .
He planned to train as a pilot at the end of the summer , Gamaldi said .
“ It was always his dream job to be in that unit , ” he said .
“ I think the only thing he loved almost as much as flying was restoring old police cars.
” The cause of the crash was unclear .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Safety Board are investigating .
It was also unclear Saturday if the report of bodies in the bayou was legitimate , Acevedo said , adding it was “ probably a bogus call.
” About an hour after the crash , officers responded to a report of a shooting near the scene and three people were arrested , Acevedo said .
The shooting was unconnected to the crash , he said .


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Amnesty reports chilling details of Egypt press crackdown

CAIRO - Journalism in Egypt has effectively become a crime over the past four years , as authorities clamp down on media outlets and muzzle dissent , Amnesty International said in a report released Sunday .
As the number of coronavirus infections in Egypt continues to rise , the government is strengthening its control over information , the London-based rights group said , instead of upholding transparency during the public health crisis .
“ The Egyptian authorities have made it very clear that anyone who challenges the official narrative will be severely punished , “ said Philip Luther , Amnesty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director .
Amnesty documented 37 cases of journalists detained in the government ’ s escalating crackdown on press freedoms , many charged with “ spreading false news ” or “ misusing social media ” under a broad 2015 counterterrorism law that has expanded the definition of terror to include all kinds of dissent .
An Egyptian press officer did not respond to multiple calls seeking comment , but authorities have previously denied rights violations and justified arrests on national security grounds .
Following general-turned-president Abdel Fattah el-Sissi ’ s rise to power in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ television programs and newspapers have taken the government position and steered clear of criticism , or else disappeared .
Many privately owned Egyptian news outlets have been quietly acquired by companies affiliated with the country ’ s intelligence service .
But even a pro-government voice hasn ’ t spared 12 journalists working for state-owned media outlets , who have landed in jail for expressing various private views on social media , the report said .
One of them is Atef Hasballah , editor-in-chief of the AlkararPress website .
When he challenged the Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his Facebook page last month , he was promptly bundled into a police van and detained on suspicion of “ joining a terrorist organization.
” Egypt ’ s public prosecutor warned in a recent statement that those who spread “ false news ” about the coronavirus may face up to five years imprisonment and steep fines .
At least 12 individuals have been caught up in the COVID-19-motivated crackdown so far , according to Amnesty .
Last month , authorities blocked a local news site that covered calls by activists to release political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Egypt ’ s crowded prisons .
Separately , Egypt expelled a correspondent for The Guardian newspaper over an article that indicated the coronavirus infection rate may be higher than officially reported .
The journalists interviewed by Amnesty reported increasingly direct state intervention in their coverage .
Many working for government-owned or aligned papers said they receive specific instructions via WhatsApp on what to report and to omit .
For instance , a directive on how to handle President Trump ’ s proposal to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict this year asked reporters not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of long-standing Arab policies , as Trump and el-Sissi have cultivated close ties .
Those who do not hew the official line , such as by praising prison conditions and smearing the state ’ s political opponents , “ lost their jobs , were interrogated or imprisoned , ” one journalist was quoted as saying .
“ I can not even imagine that someone could refuse to comply.
” Marking World Press Freedom Day , Amnesty urged Egyptian authorities to halt their censorship , harassment and intimidation of journalists — and to release @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their work.
“


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Beekeepers mobilize as ‘murder hornets’ reach North America

BLAINE , WASH.—In his decades of beekeeping , Ted McFall had never seen anything like it .
As he pulled his truck up to check on a group of hives near Custer , Washington , in November , he could spot from the window a mess of bee carcasses on the ground .
As he looked closer , he saw a pile of dead members of the colony in front of a hive and more carnage inside — thousands and thousands of bees with their heads torn from their bodies and no sign of a culprit .
“ I couldn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could have done that , ” McFall said .
Only later did he come to suspect that the killer was what some researchers simply call the “ murder hornet.
” With queens that can grow to 2 inches long , Asian giant hornets can use mandibles shaped like spiked shark fins to wipe out a honeybee hive in a matter of hours , decapitating the bees and flying away with the thoraxes to feed their young .
In Japan , the hornets kill up to 50 people a year .
Now , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the United States .
Scientists have since embarked on a full-scale hunt for the hornets , worried that the invaders could decimate bee populations in the United States and establish such a deep presence that all hope for eradication could be lost .
“ This is our window to keep it from establishing , ” said Chris Looney , an entomologist at the Washington State Department of Agriculture .
“ If we can ’ t do it in the next couple of years , it probably can ’ t be done.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Blaine , carrying clear jugs that had been made into makeshift traps .
He filled some with orange juice mixed with rice wine , others had kefir mixed with water , and a third batch was filled with some experimental lures — all with the hope of catching a queen .
If a hornet does get caught in a trap , Looney said , there are plans to possibly use radio-frequency identification tags to monitor where it goes — or simply attach a small streamer and then follow the hornet as it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bees would be unable to fly with a disruptive marker attached , that is not the case with the Asian giant hornet .
It is big enough to handle the extra load .


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--As warmer weather beckons, NYPD to enforce social distancing

NEW YORK - As warmer weather tempted New Yorkers to come out of quarantine , police dispatched 1,000 officers this weekend to enforce social distancing and a ban on congregating in public spaces .
Officers set out on foot , bicycles and cars to break up crowds and remind those enjoying the weather of public health restrictions requiring they keep 6 feet away from others .
“ I believe with the warm weather people will come outside , ” Gov .
Andrew Cuomo said Saturday .
“ You can ’ t stay indoors all the time .
People will come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go for a walk .
But respect the social distancing and wear a mask.
” Police Commissioner Dermot Shea issued a stern warning after a series of clashes this week between police officers and members of Orthodox Jewish communities over social distancing .
The New York City Police Department has made 60 arrests and issued 343 summonses related to social distancing since March 16 .
“ We will not tolerate it , ” Shea said after community members flooded the streets for funeral processions .
“ You are putting my cops ’ lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Enforcement has its limitations when it comes to social distancing , police concede , leaving it up to New Yorkers to play by the rules to help keep infections on the downturn .
“ You ’ ve got to get voluntary compliance , ” Benjamin Tucker , NYPD ’ s first deputy commissioner , ” said last month .
Most people are heeding officers ’ warnings to keep their distance in parks and around essential businesses like grocery stores , Shea said .
But a stark example of non-compliance came Thursday when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brooklyn ’ s Borough Park neighbourhood .
Video posted to social media showed officers in protective masks chasing a minivan and shouting at dozens of people marching behind the van to get out of the street and onto the sidewalk .
On April 18 , officers passed out summonses and made arrests at a Bronx parking lot and garage where they found a makeshift nightclub featuring a pool table and bar offering hard liquor and Corona beer , and at a closed Brooklyn barbershop where more than 50 people gathered for a party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days later officers broke up a “ 4/20 ” marijuana holiday celebration staged in the vacant third floor of a building in Manhattan ’ s Chelsea neighbourhood .
Dozens of people , some drawn by social media hype about the party , were given summonses for trespassing .
Here are other coronavirus developments in New York : Mount Sinai Hospital Health System said it ’ s shutting down the small field hospital it erected in Central Park through a partnership with a charity run by Christian evangelical preacher Franklin Graham .
Only eight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Saturday .
It plans to stop admitting new patients to the field hospital as of Monday .
Officials said it would take about two weeks to treat these last patients and then decontaminate and remove the tents .
“ While this crisis is far from over , this marks a significant turning point in the coronavirus outbreak in New York that gives us assurance that we are returning towards normalcy , ” the system said in a statement to The Associated Press .
“ We are grateful to have fought the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York City.
” Mount Sinai Health System partnered with the Graham ’ s charity Samaritan ’ s Purse to open the field hospital , treating 315 people infected with the coronavirus since April 1 .
The hospital had come under fire from some city officials and activists over Samaritan ’ s Purse ’ s practice of having volunteers and staff sign a statement of religious beliefs that included a rejection of same-sex marriage .
That practice didn ’ t apply to the Mt .
Sinai doctors staffing the field hospital .
City Council @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , called Friday for the hospital to be taken down because of its affiliation with Graham .
The virus killed 299 people in the state Friday , according to Cuomo .
That brings the state ’ s official death toll to more than 18,900 , a number that does not include 5,200 additional victims in New York City whose deaths were blamed on the virus on death certificates , but whose infections haven ’ t been confirmed by a lab test .
Another 831 people were hospitalized with the virus Friday , Cuomo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dropping but which he said remains disturbingly high .
The governor on Saturday toured a Metropolitan Transportation Authority maintenance facility in Queens , seeking to highlight the closure of New York City ’ s subway system from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. so trains and stations can be disinfected .
He described the cleaning as labour intensive , with workers wearing haz-mat suits .
“ This has never been done before , ” Cuomo said .
“ You have to go through the whole train with a misting device where they spray disinfectant @ @ @ @ @

Jim Mustian And Tom Hays - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Back in session: Senate risks a return but House stays away

WASHINGTON - Weighing the risks , the Senate will reopen on Monday as the coronavirus crisis rages and the House stays shuttered , an approach that leaves Congress as divided as the nation .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ’ s decision to convene 100 senators at the Capitol during a pandemic gives President Donald Trump the imagery he wants of America getting back to work , despite health worries and a lack of testing .
Yet , the Washington region remains under stay-at-home orders as a virus hot spot .
Gathering senators for the first time since March risks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , police officers and other workers who keep the lights on at the Capitol complex .
“ We will continue to stand together for the American people — even as we stand 6 feet apart , ” McConnell said ahead of the opening .
Trump himself offered Congress access to the instant virus test system used to screen visitors to the White House .
But in an extraordinary rebuff , McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement Saturday that they would “ respectfully decline “ the offer and instead direct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they can do the most good.
” For Senate Republicans , returning to session is an attempt to set the terms of debate as Democrats push for another pricey coronavirus relief bill .
Frustrated after Pelosi boosted Democratic priorities in earlier aid packages , an unprecedented $ 3 trillion in emergency spending , they are resisting more .
Republicans are counting on the country ’ s reopening and an economic rebound as their best hope to limit a new round of big spending on virus aid .
As the Senate gavels in and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Capitol physician ’ s advice , the Congress provides a snapshot of divided America struggling to confront the COVID-19 crisis .
Some states are reopening , others are staying closed and questions abound .
Senators face few new rules for operating in the pandemic beyond the recommendations that they wear masks — blue face coverings will be available for free — keep their distance and leave most staff at home .
Hand sanitizer is back in stock .
But public access will be limited , including at public hearings .
The Capitol itself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats complain they are returning to a noticeably light agenda , packed with confirmation hearings for Trump ’ s judicial and executive branch nominees , but with little emphasis on the pandemic and Great Depression-level economic collapse .
“ Democrats are going to fight like hell , ” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on a conference call with Latino leaders .
“ We ’ re going to make sure people have enough money to live and get back on their feet.
“ In making his snap decision to return , McConnell said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sidelines.
” He compared the senators to the essential work force of grocery clerks , truck drivers and others keeping Americans fed during the crisis .
But Capitol Hill erupted in the days after the attending physician , facing questions from top GOP officials , said the health office did not have the means to perform instant virus tests on returning lawmakers .
“ There is tremendous CoronaVirus testing capacity in Washington for the Senators returning to Capital Hill on Monday , ” Trump tweeted .
Ninety minutes later , Health Secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be sending three machines and 1,000 virus tests to Capitol Hill .
In the rare joint statement , the congressional leaders said Congress will use the existing protocols from the Capitol physician “ until these speedier technologies become more widely available.
” Hours later Trump tweeted a response that insulted Pelosi but didn ’ t mention McConnell : “ No reason to turn it down , except politics .
We have plenty of testing .
Maybe you need a new Doctor over there .
Crazy Nancy will use it as an excuse not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The haphazard approach — to testing , health guidelines and the broader reopening — is what Democrats say is inadequate in the Republican response to the crisis .
With more than 65,000 U.S. deaths due to the virus and 30 million Americans suddenly unemployed , Democratic senators say the focus needs to be singular — to ease this crisis and prevent a second wave of infections .
“ If we ’ re going to go back , let ’ s do something about COVID , ” Schumer said .
Instead , the agenda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nominees .
Among them is Justin Walker , a conservative , McConnell-backed pick to be a federal judge on the U.S. Courts of Appeal in the District of Columbia Circuit , which is seen as a stepping stone to the Supreme Court .
A nomination hearing also is scheduled for John Ratcliffe , the Texas Republican congressman who is Trump ’ s choice to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence .
Several committees will meet to debate issues related to the virus outbreak , including the nominee for a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hold a session on potential cures and the Commerce Committee a hearing on the airline industry .
Yet as much as the world has changed during the global pandemic , the Senate remains a place of traditions .
Republican senators still plan to sit down for their regular luncheons , though the physician ’ s social distancing guidance limits them to three to a table .
It was after one of their lunches in March that several senators went into self-quarantine because of their exposure to fellow GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who will meet for lunch over conference call , are assessing whether to appear in person for the committee hearings or dial in remotely .
The physician ’ s office sent guidelines late Friday encouraging Senate offices to minimize staff presence and reschedule any visitors who are visibly ill with “ shaking chills ” or “ vomiting.
” Politically , operating the Senate even in a diminished capacity aligns with Trump ’ s effort to return to a sense of normalcy .
It also draws a stark contrast with Pelosi ’ s House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has mocked House Democrats as enjoying a “ vacation.
” Republicans worry that support for Trump is drifting as he responds to the coronavirus , a drag on the GOP that threatens McConnell ’ s majority .
Confronting his own reelection in fall , McConnell is eager to show the Senate is working .
Drawing GOP senators back to Washington , McConnell can more directly involve them in the new round of deliberations .
“ I look forward to seeing my colleagues on Monday , “ he said in a statement .


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Maryland seeks probe of company that failed to deliver masks

BALTIMORE - Maryland officials are seeking an investigation into a politically connected company that contracted to provide the state with $ 12.5 million worth of personal protective equipment that never arrived .
The Wall Street Journal reported that the state signed a deal on April 1 with Blue Flame Medical LLC for 1.5 million N95 masks and 110 ventilators .
But the equipment never showed up and Maryland cancelled the contract .
Blue Flame Medical was founded in late March by Mike Gula , a former Republican Party fundraiser , with John Thomas , also a GOP consultant , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have determined that since it has been one month since the order was placed with no confirmation of shipment , we are in the process of cancelling the order and have referred this matter to the Attorney General , ” Nick Cavey , a spokesman for the state Department of General Services , said in a statement to The Baltimore Sun on Saturday .
A spokeswoman for Democratic Attorney General Brian Frosh confirmed receiving a referral about the contract , but declined to comment .
Republican Gov .
Larry Hogan ’ s office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Services .
Officials at Blue Flame sent a text to The Baltimore Sun on Saturday saying the contract wasn ’ t cancelled .
They promised to provide more details .
Gula told the Wall Street Journal that under the terms of the deal , the company has until June 30 to fulfil the order .
Hospitals around the country have scrambled to find suppliers as the demand for masks , gowns , gloves , ventilators and testing supplies has skyrocketed due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Hogan earned national acclaim and was criticized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ connections with South Korean officials to buy 500,000 coronavirus tests from a South Korean company .


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Court weighs in on applying mass gathering ban to churches

LOUISVILLE , Ky. - A federal appeals court on Saturday declined to block the Kentucky governor ’ s temporary ban on massing gatherings from applying to in-person religious services .
The three-judge panel did clear the way for Maryville Baptist Church to hold drive-in worship services while adhering to public health requirements .
That ’ s an alternative that Democratic Gov .
Andy Beshear has strongly encouraged throughout the coronavirus pandemic .
But the panel stopped short of applying its order to in-person worship services .
The ruling came soon after the church asked the 6th U.S .
Circuit Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beshear ’ s mass gathering ban from being enforced against religious services .
“ We realize that this falls short of everything the church has asked for and much of what it wants , “ ’ the Cincinnati-based appeals court panel said Saturday .
“ But that is all we are comfortable doing after the 24 hours the plaintiffs have given us with this case .
It urged a federal district judge to “ prioritize resolution “ of the church ’ s claims in its lawsuit .
Beshear recently announced that places of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once again hold in-person services starting May 20 .
It ’ s part of a broader plan to gradually reopen the state ’ s economy .
Exceptions to his shutdown order include trips to the grocery store , bank , pharmacy and hardware store .
In Saturday ’ s opinion , the judges took note of those “ secular exceptions.
” “ The breadth of the ban on religious services , together with a haven for numerous secular exceptions , should give pause to anyone who prizes religious freedom , ” the panel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s not always easy to decide what is Caesar ’ s and what is God ’ s — and that ’ s assuredly true in the context of a pandemic.
” The ruling supports what Beshear has said all along , according to his spokeswoman , Crystal Staley .
“ The governor has allowed and even encouraged hundreds of drive-in services across Kentucky , “ she said in a statement Saturday .
“ What the Sixth Circuit decided is that drive-in services are okay , but the governor ’ s order prohibiting in-person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been the governor ’ s exact policy since the beginning.
” Maryville Baptist Church ’ s attorneys — from the Liberty Counsel , a conservative Christian group — cited passages from the ruling in claiming a “ stellar victory.
“ The group claims Beshear ’ s order violates constitutional protections and Kentucky law .
“ The laws of the commonwealth and the Constitution are not suspended during a crisis or a pandemic , “ said Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver .
The appeals court panel said Beshear ’ s orders have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We don ’ t doubt the governor ’ s sincerity in trying to do his level best to lessen the spread of the virus or his authority to protect the commonwealth ’ s citizens , “ the panel said .
“ And we agree that no one , whether a person of faith or not , has a right ‘ to expose the community ... to communicable disease.
’ ” “ But restrictions inexplicably applied to one group and exempted from another do little to further these goals and do much to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Assuming all the same precautions are taken , the panel said : “ Why can someone safely walk down a grocery store aisle but not a pew ?
“ The church turned to the appeals court after a federal judge refused to stop Beshear ’ s order from applying to religious services .
U.S. District Judge David Hale said the governor ’ s order bans all mass gatherings and thus does not discriminate against religion .
Hale said he would set up additional hearings .
But attorneys for the Bullitt County church @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s consideration of the suit .
Maryville has defied Beshear ’ s order for houses of worship to not hold in-person services amid the COVID-19 outbreak .
At least 50 people attended its Easter service at the church , with more services held in the past few weeks .
In response , the governor said Kentucky State Police troopers would record license plates and place notices on the vehicles of attendees at the Easter service .
The notices told attendees they would have to self-quarantine .
For most people , the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as fever and cough that clear up within weeks .
For some , especially older adults and those with existing health problems , it can cause more severe illness , even death .
Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak .


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Reade: ‘I didn’t use sexual harassment’ in Biden complaint

WASHINGTON - Tara Reade , the former Senate staffer who alleges Joe Biden sexually assaulted her 27 years ago , says she filed a limited report with a congressional personnel office that did not explicitly accuse him of sexual assault or harassment .
“ I remember talking about him wanting me to serve drinks because he liked my legs and thought I was pretty and it made me uncomfortable , ” Reade said in an interview Friday with The Associated Press .
“ I know that I was too scared to write about the sexual assault.
” Reade said she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the main word I used — and I know I didn ’ t use sexual harassment — I used ‘ uncomfortable.
’ And I remember ‘ retaliation.
’ ” Reade described the report after the AP discovered additional transcripts and notes from its interviews with Reade last year in which she says she “ chickened out ” after going to the Senate personnel office .
The AP interviewed Reade in 2019 after she accused Biden of uncomfortable and inappropriate touching .
She did not raise allegations of sexual assault against Biden until this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee .
The existence of the Senate report has become a key element of the accusations against Biden , which he has flatly denied .
Reade says she doesn ’ t have a copy of the report , and Biden said Friday that he is not aware that any complaint against him exists .
He asked the Senate and the National Archives to search their records to try to locate a complaint from Reade .
But Reade is suggesting that even if the report surfaces , it would not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to detail them at the time .
According to a transcript of her 2019 interview with the AP , Reade said : “ They have this counselling office or something , and I think I walked in there once , but then I chickened out.
” She made a similar statement in a second interview with AP that same day , according to written notes from the interview .
On Friday , Reade said she was referring to having “ chickened out ” by not filing full harassment or assault allegations against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AP on Friday , Reade insisted she filed an “ intake form ” at the Senate personnel office , which included her contact information , the office she worked for and some broad details of her issues with Biden .
On Saturday , Reade told the AP there may have been a box to check on the form noting a sexual harassment complaint , but she couldn ’ t remember and wouldn ’ t know for sure until she saw the form .
Reade also said she cancelled a planned television interview with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security concerns .
Reade was one of eight women who came forward last year with allegations that Biden made them feel uncomfortable with inappropriate displays of affection .
Biden acknowledged the complaints and promised to be “ more mindful about respecting personal space in the future.
” During one of the April 2019 interviews with the AP , she said Biden rubbed her shoulders and neck and played with her hair .
She said she was asked by an aide in Biden ’ s Senate office to dress more conservatively and told “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She said of Biden : “ I wasn ’ t scared of him , that he was going to take me in a room or anything .
It wasn ’ t that kind of vibe.
” The AP reviewed notes of its 2019 interviews with Reade after she came forward in March with allegations of sexual assault against Biden .
But reporters discovered an additional transcript and notes from those interviews on Friday .
A recording of one of the interviews was deleted before Reade emerged in 2020 with new allegations against Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s standard practice for disposing of old interviews .
A portion of that interview was also recorded on video , but not the part in which she spoke of having “ chickened out.
” The AP declined to publish details of the 2019 interviews at the time because reporters were unable to corroborate her allegations , and aspects of her story contradicted other reporting .
In recent weeks , Reade told the AP and other news organizations that Biden sexually assaulted her , pushing her against a wall in the basement of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groping her and penetrating her with his fingers .
She says she was fired from Biden ’ s office after filing a complaint with the Senate alleging harassment .
The accusation has roiled Biden ’ s presidential campaign , sparking anxiety among Democrats .
Republicans have accused Biden backers of hypocrisy , arguing that they have been quick to believe women who have accused President Donald Trump and other conservatives of assault .
Trump has faced multiple accusations of assault and harassment , all of which he denies .
Reade says she was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during her initial conversations with reporters over a year ago because she was scared of backlash , and was still coming to terms with what happened to her .
Two of Reade ’ s associates said publicly this past week that Reade had conversations with them that they said corroborated aspects of her allegation .
One , a former neighbour , said Reade told her about the alleged assault a few years after Reade said it happened .
The other , a former coworker , said Reade told her she had been sexually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job in Washington .
The AP has also spoken to two additional people , who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect their families ’ privacy , who said Reade had told them about aspects of her allegations against Biden years ago .
One friend , who knew Reade in 1993 , said Reade told them about the alleged assault when it happened .
The second friend met Reade more than a decade after the alleged incident and confirmed that Reade had a conversation with the friend in 2007 or 2008 about experiencing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his Senate office .
EDITOR ’ S NOTE — The headline of this story was changed for clarity and to incorporate a direct quote from Reade .
Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast , “ Ground Game .
”

Alexandra Jaffe, Don Thompson And Stephen Braun - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Arkansas boy, 11, dies after being shot in hostage situation

LITTLE ROCK , Ark .
- An 11-year-old boy who was shot after being taken hostage by his father in @ @ @ @ @ said Saturday .
Little Rock police said the boy was found in a bedroom suffering @ @ @ @ @ father , 32-year-old Brent Martin , was killed by police Friday evening .
Officers went @ @ @ @ @ child ’ s mother , Maranda Alford , showed up at a police substation to @ @ @ @ @ her son , Jordan Roberts , hostage .
Police sent a SWAT team and said @ @ @ @ @ they heard gunshots .
Police Chief Keith Humphrey said Martin shot the boy , then @ @ @ @ @ the officers .
The child died later at a hospital .
The officers involved have @ @ @ @ @ pending an internal investigation , which the department described as routine for any officer-involved shooting @


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Thousands of hungry people line up for food in South Africa

OLIEVENHOUTBOS , SOUTH AFRICA—Thousands of people stood in line for hours on Saturday in a South African township , waiting for handouts of food .
The scene has repeated for days in one of the world ’ s most unequal countries as charities haul essentials to low-income neighbourhoods suffering under coronavirus restrictions .
A five-week lockdown , one of the world ’ s strictest , eased slightly on Friday , allowing more businesses to resume and giving more hungry people a chance to support themselves and their families .
Social distancing collapsed in parts of the line that wound past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and stretched out their arms , making sure to stay beyond fingertips ’ reach .
“ Please , when you move forward , just keep the same distance , ” a soldier called out .
Some weary people scrubbed their faces in frustration .
Others pulled their jackets over the heads as protection from the sun .
“ I ’ m waiting here , I ’ m sure it ’ s now 14 hours and some minutes .
Fourteen hours and some minutes , since yesterday , I was waiting here , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told The Associated Press .
The local Mahlasedi Foundation is one of many charities handing out packages of food that have contained maize meal , boxed milk , tinned fish and beans .
President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasized that his government is trying to balance the need to curb the spread of the virus with pressure to minimize economic hardships .
South Africa has the most virus cases in Africa with more than 5,900 .
“ Our people need to eat .
They need to earn a living , ” the president said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a gradual , phased recovery of economic activity .
Ramaphosa has announced a $ 26-billion ( U.S. ) socio-economic relief package as millions of informal workers have suffered .
Unemployment is expected to soar above the 29 per cent that existed before the virus arrived .

Bram Janssen - The Associated Press,Jerome Delay


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Sun draws many out in US, Europe; Russia virus numbers grow

NEW YORK - Gorgeous spring weather across the United States and Europe on Saturday drew people cooped up inside for weeks outside to soak in the sun , even as additional coronavirus hot spots in Russia and Pakistan emerged .
Though grateful to be outdoors , people were still wary — masks were worn everywhere , even on southern U.S. beaches and by some joggers in Spain .
A New York City farmer ’ s market enforced the familiar 6 feet ( 2 metres ) of space between people waiting to buy spring flowers .
Mothers in Central Park reminded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And small groups of picnickers kept their safe distances , while joggers moved past each other without a glance .
Retired New York attorney Stan Neustadter pulled down his mask to say it ’ s been important to his spirit to get out .
“ Why live like a rabbit ?
Plus I ’ m approaching 78 , I ’ ve had a great run , ” Neustadter said .
Police and park officials were spread out across New York City , which sent out 1,000 officers to enforce social distancing on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were more likely to break up large groups , leaving the nuisances of social distancing and hanging out safely outside to New Yorkers themselves .
“ Go for a walk , but respect the social distancing and wear a mask , ” New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo said .
With gigs drying up at clubs and concert halls , German native Julia Banholzer , a saxophonist , said she has taken to playing al fresco in Central Park for whoever happens by .
On Saturday that was a steady stream of folks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tips for her trio as they worked their way through a set of jazz standards .
“ It ’ s great to have an audience after all these weeks.
” she said .
“ All my dates have been cancelled through September , and I don ’ t know if any will come back this year .
New York is a tough place , but this is just another tough period we need to get through.
” Meanwhile , fighter jets from the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds drew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Baltimore and Washington in honour of health care workers .
In Atlanta , motorists stopped on a major highway while other people found open places to look to the sky on rooftops or a cemetery .
New Jersey reopened state parks Saturday .
Limited to 50 % capacity in their parking areas , several had to turn away additional arrivals by the afternoon .
But nearly everyone followed the rules on social distancing and Gov .
Phil Murphy said “ so far , so good ” at his daily briefing .
Margie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first people on the sand at Island Beach State Park .
“ Forty-six days in the house was enough , ” she said .
Elsewhere in the world , the pandemic ’ s danger was still evident .
Russia and Pakistan reported their biggest one-day spikes in new infections .
Overall , Russia has reported around 125,000 cases and more than 1,200 deaths .
True numbers are believed to be much higher because not everyone is tested .
In the far northeast , 3,000 of 10,000 workers at a vast natural gas field @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Moscow ’ s mayor said this week that officials are considering establishing temporary hospitals at sports complexes and shopping malls to deal with the influx of patients .
Infection cases have reached the highest levels of government , with both the prime minister and the construction minister contracting the virus .
Pakistan appears to be joining Russia with rapidly increasing case counts .
On Saturday , Pakistan announced nearly 1,300 new cases , raising the total in the country of 220 million people to about 18,000 .
Newspaper photos showed large numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only some practicing social distancing .
Prime Minister Imran Khan ’ s government said it might ease controls , but doctors have pleaded for stricter lockdowns , warning an explosion of infections would overwhelm hospitals with only 3,000 intensive care beds nationwide .
The virus has killed more than 238,000 people worldwide , including more than 65,000 in the United States and more than 24,000 each in Italy , Britain , France and Spain , according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University .
Health experts warn a second wave of infections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For most people , the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms .
For some , especially older adults and those with health problems , it can cause severe illness such as pneumonia , or death .
There are economic factors to consider as well .
In some areas of the United States , reopening is being urged to ease the shutdown of businesses that plunged the global economy into its deepest slump since the 1930s and wiped out millions of jobs .
It has created a patchwork of rules across the 50 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 20 % of the state ’ s revenue comes from tourism , beach hotels were allowed to reopen Friday .
Webcams showed dozens of people on the beach Saturday , but pools still closed .
South Carolina also hasn ’ t reopened dine-in restaurants , unlike neighbouring Georgia .
Some U.S. states have yet to start start the reopening process .
Business owners have also been left wondering if customers will return .
On a postcard-perfect spring day , Detroit ’ s Eastern Market had far fewer customers and vendors than normal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jill and Mark Thomas said they felt safe selling bottles of homemade wine from their Unwined Winery , but it wasn ’ t the same in the COVID-19 world .
“ It ’ s easier when you can get samples to people , ” said Jill Thomas .
“ We ’ re not allowed to do that now.
” In Spain , where COVID-19 has caused more than 25,100 deaths , people ventured out Saturday for the first time since a March 14 lockdown .
“ I feel good , but tired .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a month and I am not in shape , ” 36-year-old Cristina Palomeque said in Barcelona .
“ Some people think it may be too early , as I do , but it is also important to do exercise for health reasons.
” Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Spaniards deserved relief after weeks of confinement , but he asked citizens to remain vigilant .
“ Until we have a vaccine , we are going to see more outbreaks , ” Sánchez said .
“ What we need to guarantee is that these outbreaks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in danger.
” Collins reported from Columbia , South Carolina , and Wilson from Barcelona , Spain .
David Rising in Berlin , Jim Heintz in Moscow and other AP reporters around the world contributed to this report .

David Porter, Jeffrey Collins And Joseph Wilson - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Manageable, well-behaved crowds hit NJ beach on 1st day back

ISLAND BEACH STATE PARK , N.J. - From the weather to the schools of dolphins and the ( mostly ) well-behaved crowds , everything and everyone seemed to co-operate at a sprawling oceanfront park Saturday as New Jersey reopened its state parks to a populace itching to get sand between their toes after months of being cooped up due to the coronavirus outbreak .
Island Beach State Park in Ocean County was among the parks to reopen , drawing several hundred people to a beach that routinely handles thousands during the summer .
In the four hours that an Associated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of them complied with a requirement that they stay at least six feet apart to prevent the spread of the virus .
That ’ s not to say everyone did , though : a small group of people wearing Rutgers T-shirts over their swimsuits reclined on towels six inches apart instead of six feet .
And a few people saw friends on the beach , went up to them and hugged .
But for the most part , the beachgoers did exactly as they were urged to do by state officials , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sun .
More than half wore masks , even as strong sunshine bore down on a 70-degree day .
New Jersey Gov .
Phil Murphy said he was pleased with initial reports not only from the beachfront park , but from other state parks and some golf courses that also reopened on Saturday .
“ So far , go good , ” he said during his daily briefing Saturday afternoon .
The Democratic governor said evaluations of how well beach crowds complied with social distancing rules would go a long way toward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s famous beaches will reopen .
“ I really missed this , ” said David Roebuck of Berkeley Township , who was among the first on the sand with his wife , Margie .
“ Forty-six days in the house was enough , ” she said .
Christina and Theresa Erb of Toms River brought the kids to the beach , giving them a welcome opportunity to run around and burn off energy .
“ The kids were going crazy , ” Christina Erb said .
“ They asked , ‘ Why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ This feels wonderful , ” Theresa Erb added .
“ It feels like a little bit of normality is coming back.
” At 10 a.m. , there were 30 people on the sand at Bathing Area 1 , the first of several beaches that visitors to the park encounter .
By 11 , there were 100 , and by 2 p.m. , several hundred .
The park can accommodate about 1,200 cars .
State officials said they planned to close it if capacity reached 50 % .
By late afternoon , several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and were closed to additional arrivals Dogs strained at the leash and sniffed at other dogs as they bounded through the sand .
A pair of teenage boys tossed a football back and forth , with hundreds of yards of empty space all around them .
Kids dug in the sand , and two large schools of dolphins swam by , delighting beachgoers .


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Watch: Florida lawyer dresses as Grim Reaper to scare off beachgoers, protest reopening

Beachgoers in northwest Florida hoping to take advantage of newly-opened shores amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic could be in for something of a shock .
Those who hit the beach in the Sunshine State ’ s Walton County this weekend will see joggers , swimmers and people on paddleboards — and perhaps a scythe-wielding Grim Reaper .
For Florida-based lawyer Daniel Uhlfelder , donning the guise of a recognizable symbol of death was the only way to get people to listen .
Opening Florida ’ s beaches too soon is a mistake , he said , and one that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still battling COVID-19 .
“ We have to take this into our own hands , unfortunately , because our leaders aren ’ t doing the right thing , ” Uhlfelder told USA TODAY .
The father of two said he ’ ll be hitting several Walton County-area beaches .
“ This is a way in which I can convey the message that this virus is a deadly virus and that we need to think about this and take some time before we jump into these types of things , ” he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ serious this situation is.
” Florida , which enters the first phase of its reopening on May 4 , has more than 1,200 deaths and more than 33,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus , according to data gathered by Johns Hopkins University .
The Walton County board of commissioners on Tuesday voted to reopen beaches in the county with no time restrictions , according to the Northwest Florida Daily News , part of the USA TODAY Network .
Beaches reopen Friday with activities limited to “ walking , jogging , fishing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” according to the outlet .
On April 21 , Uhlfelder tweeted he was willing to travel to Florida beaches in a Grim Reaper costume .
That tweet has been liked more than 63,000 times and retweeted more than 23,000 times .
“ With this issue , I think people are shocked , ” Uhlfelder said .
“ I get calls from all over the world like , ‘ What are they doing in Florida ?
What ’ s the problem ?
’ “ I think it resonates because it illustrates the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Florida .
We ’ re in the middle of a global pandemic and people are worried about going to the beach and renting houses , rather than living.
” The lawyer of more than two decades has donned costumes before to protest people on beaches amid the COVID-19 pandemic .
He said he wore a paint suit that looked like a haz-mat suit to beaches in March .
Uhlfelder said he has two Grim Reaper costumes .
He purchased one from Walmart and a friend made him a second one .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said the one he ’ ll use isn ’ t dangerous or sharp .
Why not a regular protest ?
One with signs , instead of a costume ?
“ I can go in my suit and tie and people are going to laugh at me , ” Uhlfelder said .
“ I mean , they may laugh at me anyway .
Why Grim Reaper ?
I can ’ t think of any other symbol that ’ s so clearly tied to death.
” Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis gave some municipalities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which led to people flocking to beaches in Jacksonville .
On the other side of the country , California Gov .
Gavin Newsom announced some beaches in his state would temporarily close in response to what he called “ disturbing ” images of crowds .
Uhlfelder has in the past advocated for public access to Walton County Beaches and , according to the Northwest Florida Daily News , said he wants to see beaches reopened .
But he wants it done responsibly .
“ I think we need to temporarily close the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
These half-measures , or certain hours and certain activities — that ’ s impractical and it ’ s not feasible and people won ’ t obey that , ” he said .
“ In an ideal world , sure .
Who do you know that ’ s going to go to the beach and social distance six feet from people ?
” Uhlfelder and another lawyer also sued DeSantis in early April , hoping to get the governor to close all Florida beaches .
“ Why am I doing this ?
Because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Uhlfelder said .
“ The message is not getting across that this is a deadly virus .
This is a public-health emergency and we don ’ t need to be opening the floodgates to our area for people all over the world to continue to spread this virus .
”


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Russia hits new daily record as coronavirus infections rise by 9,623

MOSCOW—The number of people confirmed to have caught the novel coronavirus in Russia has risen by 9,623 , the highest 24-hour jump since the pandemic reached the country , officials said on Saturday .
Russia ’ s total number of cases now stands at more than 124,000 , including 1,222 deaths and 15,000 patients who have since recovered .
Despite lockdown measures , infection numbers have been rising at an alarming rate for days in the world ’ s largest country by area .
Moscow is the worst-affected part of Russia , accounting for around 62,600 cases , around half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data are not believed to reflect the true scale of the country ’ s outbreak , as is the case in many places across the globe .
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on state television that the capital ’ s lockdown would only be gradually lifted once the number of new infections reported daily was in decline .
Earlier this week , Russian President Vladimir Putin prolonged the country ’ s coronavirus quarantine regime until May 11 .
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin is among those who have tested positive for the novel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Two days later , the TASS state news agency reported that Construction Minister Vladimir Yakushev had also caught the virus and was being treated in hospital .


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Caseworker cares for Chinese couple’s baby born to surrogate

RIVERVIEW , Fla. - Katie Faust says her career as a surrogate pregnancy case manager is more of a calling than a job .
That might seem cliche , but she backs it up .
Faust was laid off recently due to the coronavirus ’ negative impact on her industry .
But the Riverview resident chose to stick with her clients , working for free .
And when coronavirus-related travel restrictions kept clients from picking up their newborn at the hospital , Faust did it for them .
She flew to California and then drove back home to Riverview with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China , so it might be a while before they can unite with their baby .
Until then , Faust and her husband , Brandon , will look after the newborn , along with their three children , all of whom are self-isolating at home .
“ We are prepared to take care of her for as long as we need to and keep her completely comfortable , ” Faust , 26 , said .
“ It is very important that everyone comes together right now and helps one another out during this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clients used gestational surrogacy , when the parents ’ sperm and the egg are combined outside the mother ’ s body and transferred to the surrogate .
There are “ absolutely no genetic ties between the surrogate and baby she delivered , ” Faust said .
Out of respect for her clients ’ privacy , Faust would not share either their name or their baby ’ s .
It is common for Chinese couples to seek surrogate mothers in the United States , said Bill Houghton , founder of the Las Vegas-based Sensible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He has worked with Faust in the past , but neither he nor his company is connected to the Chinese client .
“ When China ended its one-child policy , there were suddenly millions of couples who wanted a second child but were often past the appropriate age , ” he said .
Surrogacy in China is “ technically illegal but the government opened up a path to citizenship and family rights for surrogacy births .
The result was Chinese couples flocking to the U.S. in droves to hire surrogates.
” Faust has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , guiding parents and surrogates — located around the world — through the process and serving as their go-between .
But the spread of the coronavirus has hurt the surrogate industry .
Families planning such a pregnancy or in the beginning stages have put it on hold , Houghton said .
“ Couples are worried about the health of their pregnancy , ” he said .
That ’ s why Faust said the California-based Global Surrogacy Inc. laid her off .
But , she added , she requested and was permitted to continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bay Times could not reach Global Surrogacy via email or phone .
“ I ’ m not doing this for the money , ” Faust said .
“ I am doing this for the family so they can have the comfort of knowing their baby is getting the love and support she needs.
” She was informed on April 17 that the surrogate mother for the Chinese couple had gone into labour .
The parents can ’ t travel here because of restrictions in both countries .
It was bad enough that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daughter was born , Faust said , but without a legal guardian the child would have gone “ into state foster care .
I would never let that happen.
” The Chinese parents had already bestowed temporary guardianship onto Faust .
She then flew to California with her entire family , picked up the newborn at a Victorville hospital that she would not name , rented a car and drove home because “ it is not safe for a newborn to fly , ” Faust said .
“ She is doing wonderful .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ baby and all of my other children are adapting and doing great.
” The unknown : when the parents can meet their new baby .
“ It ’ s heartbreaking , ” Faust said .
“ But I am in touch with them all day , every day , sending them updates and pictures .
I ’ m grateful I am able to take care of their precious baby .
Some people say we are crazy to add to our family during this time .
But it felt right for us to do @ @ @

Paul Guzzo, The Tampa Bay Times - AP Member


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--Man arrested trying to quarantine on private Disney island

ORLANDO , Fla. - Florida deputies arrested a man who had been living out his quarantine on a shuttered Disney World island , telling authorities it felt like a “ tropical paradise.
” Orange County Sheriff ’ s deputies found Richard McGuire on Disney ’ s Discovery Island on Thursday .
He said he ’ d been there since Monday or Tuesday and had planned to camp there for a week , according to an arrest report .
The 42-year-old said he didn ’ t hear numerous deputies searching the private island for him on foot , by boat and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a building .
He told the deputy he didn ’ t know it was a restricted area , despite there being numerous “ no trespassing ” signs .
“ Richard stated that he was unaware of that and that it looked like a tropical paradise , ” according to the arrest report .
Orange County Marine deputies on Bay Lake used a public address system to tell McGuire he was not allowed to be on the property , but he remained on the island , anyway , according to the arrest report .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw McGuire using a company boat Thursday , noting that the area had several “ no trespassing ” signs and two closed gates .
She asked the agency to press charges .
McGuire was arrested on a trespassing charge and taken to jail without incident .
It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could comment .
Previously called Treasure Island , Discovery Island had been the site of a zoological park before the island was closed to the public in 1999 .


thetorontostar--2020-05-02--ICE detainees refuse virus tests, damage detention centre

DARTMOUTH , Mass .
- A group of about 10 federal immigration detainees who refused to be tested for the virus that causes COVID-19 caused extensive damage to the centre in Dartmouth where they are being held , the sheriff ’ s office said in a Friday night news release .
The inmates involved in the incident at the C. Carlos Carreiro Immigration Detention Center reported multiple symptoms of COVID-19 and when told they had to be tested , they rushed officers .
A news release from the Bristol County sheriff said the detainees barricaded themselves inside the facility , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wall , broke windows and “ ’ trashed the entire unit.
” A special response team restrained the detainees , the department said .
No staff injuries were reported .
One detainee was hospitalized with “ symptoms of a panic attack , ” another was hospitalized due to a pre-existing condition and a third “ for a medical incident after being removed from the ICE wing.
” All three are expected “ to be fine , ” the sheriff ’ s department said .
In a Saturday statement , Todd Lyons , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Removal Operations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement , commended the sheriff ’ s office staff “ who responded rapidly and professionally to de-escalate a volatile situation , limiting injuries and further damage to the facility and restoring order.
” But Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal , the executive director of Lawyers for Civil Rights in Boston which has filed suit on behalf of the detainees , said it appeared that correctional officers were attempting to move detainees from one part of the facility to the medical wing .
“ ’ These individuals were justifiably concerned that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk of infection given the cross-contamination with many different individuals from all over the facility who come and go from the medical unit and with many shared surfaces , ” he said in a statement .
Sheriff Thomas Hodgson said the detainees have been moved to single cells pending disciplinary action , COVID-19 testing and criminal charges .


thetorontostar--2020-05-03--Sidelined by pandemic, Trump campaign turns to digital shows

WASHINGTON - The streaming video began and , within minutes , the president ’ s eldest son was musing that Osama bin Laden had endorsed Joe Biden .
Subtle , it was not .
Welcome to the Trump campaign , digital edition .
Seven nights a week , President Donald Trump ’ s reelection team is airing live programming online to replace his trademark rallies made impossible for now by the coronavirus pandemic .
Hosted by top campaign officials , prominent Republicans and “ Make America Great Again ” luminaries , the freewheeling shows offer reality according to Trump .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ connected with core supporters and maintain enthusiasm for a suspended campaign that has had to rewire itself on the fly .
Trump himself has not yet appeared in his campaign ’ s shows .
A review of one week ’ s worth of the 8 p.m. broadcasts , ending on the final day of April , reveals a concerted effort to test attacks on Biden , the presumptive Democratic nominee .
But the inherently limited effort also raises questions as to whether the campaign can replace the gold mines of potentially new voter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attempts to reverse a recent slide in a number of battleground states .
The shows are a proxy for the “ Trump TV ” network the president considered launching had he lost the 2016 election , and they create an echo chamber for true believers .
Akin to actors in a beloved sitcom well into its run , the Trump officials warmly speak in shorthand , trusting that their audience knows the plot and its characters and are tuning in to see programs that , at times , made the president ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Joe Biden had the coveted Osama bin Laden endorsement !
That ’ s sort of a big deal !
” exclaimed Donald Trump Jr. on April 24 , hosting that night ’ s broadcast deemed “ Triggered ” after his new book .
Trump Jr. had seized upon an oddly timed recent Fox News story , which in itself was drawn from 2012 reporting that bin Laden , the late al-Qaida leader , had once proposed assassinating President Barack Obama because doing so would thrust Biden into power and the then-vice-president was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” in bin Laden ’ s estimation .
Trump cackled while sitting on the couch next to his girlfriend , former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle , and looked into his Skype camera to declare that even bin Laden knew that Biden “ would destroy America.
” After Guilfoyle went to cook dinner — it was the couple ’ s second anniversary that night — the president ’ s son , joined by Republican National Committee official Chris Carr and GOP operative David Bossie , continued to make politically incorrect observations that would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anywhere other than a fans-only online broadcast .
“ China basically screwed the whole world with their lies ” about the origin of the coronavirus , Trump Jr. said , before addressing the theory that the pandemic began in a live-animal “ wet market ” in Wuhan , the epicenter of the Chinese outbreak .
“ The world would be a better place if China cared a little more about feeding their own people so they don ’ t have to eat bats .
I don ’ t know , just a casual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fully virtual on March 13 , its programs have averaged about 300,000 viewers an evening and , all told , each video has received at least 1 million hits , according to campaign spokeswoman Erin Perrine .
She added that the shows drew a combined millions more views in April across all of its platforms : Facebook , YouTube , Twitter , Twitch , Mixr , and the campaign ’ s own website , with Facebook by far the biggest source of traffic .
Tuesday ’ s installment , which featured House GOP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received 10,943 views on YouTube as of mid-Friday morning .
The campaign declined to release any information as to what it could glean in terms of the identify or demographics or hometown of its viewers , all of which was mined from rally sign-ups .
“ Given the current dynamic , there are a lot of things up in the air , ” said Republican strategist David Winston .
“ Maybe this works , maybe it doesn ’ t .
But you have to be creative as you try to address the issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about reaching voters.
” A sense of irreverence , inspired by the president ’ s lack of filter , permeates the proceedings .
On a Saturday night , campaign manager Brad Parscale and Lara Trump , a senior campaign adviser who is married to the president ’ s son Eric , traded observations about Biden , reinforcing a campaign narrative that the former Delaware senator was not up to the job .
After Lara Trump said Biden can not “ form a coherent sentence , ” Parscale went on to add , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wish his wife would pull him out of this ” and take him to a beach in Delaware .
Parscale said the Trump team moved seamlessly into virtual campaigning after COVID-19 took hold in America and that even after the ground game returns , the campaign will leave its bolstered virtual apparatus in place .
He later said his favourite item in his Florida home office was the Hillary Clinton toilet paper that someone gave him in 2016 .
“ I have boxes of it , ” he said , “ and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s just enjoyable since she said so many mean things about me and our campaign and our president.
” Clinton was the Democratic nominee in 2016 .
The Biden campaign has said that , since mid-March , more than 63 million people have engaged with their online content , including livestreams , speeches , press briefings and interviews .
The candidate has done more online events since a makeshift television studio was set up in his Delaware home .
The Trump surrogates were all sent lights and laptops but the proceedings have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heads appear on their couches or in front of campaign signs plastered to home office walls .
There are different themes nightly : one show during the week was centred around “ Veterans for Trump , ” another was “ Women for Trump “ and a third was “ Black Voices for Trump.
” All were meant to be an answer to what was being shown at that moment on MSNBC and CNN .
“ We hope you like it , it ’ s an unconventional format , basically me hopped up on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump Jr. “ But if you like it , we ’ ll do a lot more of them.
” Lemire reported from New York .
Associated Press writers Aamer Madani in Chicago and Darlene Superville , Deb Riechmann and Kevin Freking contributed to this report .

Jonathan Lemire, Zeke Miller And Jill Colvin - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-03--Montana’s air, already good, hasn’t improved during closures

BILLINGS , Mont .
- While large cities bask in the beauty of less smog created by automobile traffic during the coronavirus pandemic ’ s travel restrictions , Montana ’ s air isn ’ t seeing any significant improvement — it ’ s already good and remains that way .
“ We ’ ve been looking at this out of curiosity , but we ’ re really not seeing any appreciable improvement , ” said Doug Kuenzli , ambient air quality monitoring supervisor for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality .
April in Montana also tends to be a good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so any changes have been statistically insignificant .
He said agency personnel might take a more in-depth look at the numbers once they ’ re back in their offices .
Large metropolitan areas across the United States are a different story .
NASA satellite measurements have shown significant reductions in air pollution in Los Angeles and New York City , as well as densely populated India .
“ March 2020 shows the lowest monthly atmospheric nitrogen dioxide levels of any March during the ( Ozone Monitoring Instrument ) data record , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to NASA ’ s website .
“ Nitrogen dioxide ( is ) primarily emitted from burning fossil fuels for transportation and electricity generation , ” the site noted .
News of cleaner air comes as the United States marks the 50th anniversary of the Clean Air Act , a federal law that regulates all sources of air pollution .
The American Lung Association , which has a vested interest in cleaner air , reported that prior to the COVID-19 outbreak , “ more cities experienced more days with spikes in particle pollution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most days ever recorded thanks to smoke from large wildland fires in 2018 .
The Lung Association found that 24 of the 25 “ most polluted cities were located in the western region of the United States , ” affecting more than 53 million people .
No .
7 on that list was Missoula , which because it sits in a bowl-like valley is well-known for holding smoke .
Missoula ’ s high ranking in the Lung Association ratings is not unusual , Kuenzli said .
The ALA used an average of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a particularly bad fire season in 2017 , to reach its ratings , he said .
However , more western wildland fires have certainly darkened the skies — with last year being an exception in Montana , he said .
“ Certainly across the state we ’ re seeing more days and longer duration , ” Kuenzli said , especially as winds carry smoke from large fires in Washington , Oregon and Canada into Montana .
As of April 20 the Northern Rockies Coordination Center was reporting dry conditions in much of Eastern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low to moderate fire danger across the rest of the state .
Despite the good news about improved air quality , many people are not breathing easier due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advocated people maintain at least 6 feet of distance from each other to lessen the chance of contracting or spreading COVID-19 .
Using face masks or bandannas of some type is being advised to lessen the reach of vaporized droplets that may contain the virus .
But what about runners and cyclists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peer reviewed , study by Danish and Belgian engineers showed that running or cycling behind someone is more likely to put them at risk than being side-by-side .
The engineers showed that the slipstream behind the athlete can carry the virus farther .
Consequently , the researchers suggested that walkers maintain 16 feet of distance and cyclers extend that to 32 feet .
These distances , however , were calculated without any wind , which could extend or shorten those distances depending on which way it is blowing .
The research also makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to limit droplet spread .