thetorontostar--2020-05-03--Americans without bank accounts must wait for federal checks

NEW YORK - As the coronavirus crisis took hold , Akeil Smith ’ s employer slashed her work as a home health aide to 25 hours per week .
Her $ 15-an-hour salary no longer provided enough to pay her $ 700 monthly rent , and she had to visit food pantries for groceries .
While millions of U.S. workers have already received a quick relief payment from the federal treasury through direct deposit , Smith is among millions of others without traditional bank accounts who must wait weeks for paper checks .
When the checks finally arrive , this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little choice but to use expensive check-cashing services to access the money .
“ I live check to check , and right now I need more groceries , ” Smith , 35 , told The Associated Press as she stood inside Payomatic , a small check-cashing store in a predominantly black Brooklyn neighbourhood .
In the six weeks since the pandemic shut down much of the U.S. economy , more than 30 million American workers have filed for unemployment insurance .
Congress passed a $ 2.2 trillion economic rescue package .
The government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each individual , $ 2,400 for each married couple and another $ 500 for each dependent child to poor and middle-class families across the United States .
Wealthier families get either a reduced payout or nothing depending on their income .
To help smooth the delivery of the payments , the government launched an online portal for people to provide their banking information for direct deposit .
But that system offered nothing to people without savings or checking accounts .
A House Ways and Means Committee memo obtained by AP estimated about 5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , meaning those most in need could wait many weeks for their payments .
In Houston , Ta ’ Mar Bethune , a 41-year-old mother of four grown children who is raising a grandchild , is likely to wait a while .
As a younger woman , she struggled for years with affording bank account fees until her account was closed .
In the 1990s , she also was a victim of identity theft and never fully recovered .
More than 20 years later , Bethune still can not pass a standard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because the banking system views her as too risky , she said .
To get by , she transfers the money she makes as a professional hairdresser and babysitter onto a non-bank debit card .
“ They charge you an arm and a leg , ” she said , citing a monthly fee and a charge for every swipe or withdrawal .
“ You never get your full money .
It ’ s bad , but I have no other choice.
” Bethune receives financial coaching from the Houston Area Urban League , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ families examine their behaviours around spending and saving .
The organization says many families are reluctant to open bank accounts , especially if they have been burned by the system .
“ Nobody wants to be exploited , ” said Carmela Walker , a financial coach for the group .
Approximately 8.4 million U.S. households were considered “ unbanked ” in 2017 , meaning that no one in the household had an account , according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Another 24.2 million households were “ underbanked , ” meaning they might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the household also used an alternative financial service for money orders , check cashing , international remittances , payday loans and pawn shop loans , often at high costs .
Some of those services have been criticized for being predatory and marketing to black and Hispanic communities , which are disproportionately unbanked .
Roughly 17 % of black households and 14 % of Hispanic households were without a bank account in 2017 , compared with just 3 % of white households and 2.5 % of Asian American households , the FDIC said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the potential to widen America ’ s racial wealth gap , said Cy Richardson , vice-president of the National Urban League .
“ Black America ’ s economic destiny exists on a razor ’ s edge right now , ” Richardson said .
Advocates say the federal government should use the pandemic payments as an opportunity to bring more people into the banking system via Bank On accounts , which are FDIC insured , cost $ 5 or less a month and do not allow overdrafts or charge insufficient-fund fees .
The accounts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purchases and paying bills .
Otherwise , long lines at check-cashing stores could stretch into the fall and pose dangers to public health .
“ There ’ s now a health component to being unbanked — people are going to have to take literal risks with their health , in order to receive and then spend these dollars , ” said Jonathan Mintz , CEO of the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund , which aims to get underserved Americans set up with affordable bank accounts .
The opportunity to attract customers with relief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and payday loan businesses , an $ 11.2 billion network of storefront locations in cities big and small .
In Brooklyn , B & H Check Cashing , in the predominantly Hispanic neighbourhood of Bushwick , posts its rates for cashing checks on a wall .
A $ 1,200 check , for example , would cost $ 26.76 to cash .
Essence Gandy , 26 , stood in a line of two dozen people that snaked outside a PLS Check Cashers in Brooklyn to cash in loose change at a Coinstar kiosk .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ because she had insufficient funds and was unable to get back in good standing .
“ I ’ ve got bills on top of bills , ” said Gandy , who also has credit card debts and is behind on payments to a mattress store .
She said she hopes to use the federal relief payment to catch up on bills and will likely cash the paper check at PLS .
A representative of PLS , which has 300 locations in 12 states , said it has been informing regular customers that stimulus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rates .
Aaron Morrison is a member of The Associated Press ’ Race and Ethnicity team .
Follow him on Twitter at https : //twitter.com/aaronlmorrison .


thetorontostar--2020-05-03--Bush calls for end to pandemic partisanship

WASHINGTON—Former U.S. president George W. Bush called on Americans on Saturday to put aside partisan differences , heed the guidance of medical professionals and show empathy for those stricken by the coronavirus and the resulting economic devastation .
In a three-minute video message , Bush , who rarely speaks out on current events , struck a tone of unity that contrasted with the more combative approach taken at times by President Donald Trump as the former president evoked the sense of national solidarity in the wake of the attacks of Sept. 11 , 2001 .
“ Let us remember how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this shared threat , ” Bush said in the professionally produced video set against music and photographs of medical workers helping victims of the virus and of ordinary Americans wearing masks .
“ In the final analysis , we are not partisan combatants .
We are human beings , equally vulnerable and equally wonderful in the sight of God .
We rise or fall together and we are determined to rise.
” While Bush never mentioned Trump ’ s name , the sitting president clearly took the message as an implicit rebuke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In a Twitter message , Trump quoted a Fox News personality saying , “ Oh bye the way , I appreciate the message from former President Bush , but where was he during Impeachment calling for putting partisanship aside.
” Trump then added in his own voice , “ He was nowhere to be found in speaking up against the greatest Hoax in American history !
” Bush ’ s message was part of a series of videos aired online as part of a 24-hour livestreamed project , “ The Call to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Winfrey , Tim Shriver , Julia Roberts , Martin Luther King III , Sean Combs , Quincy Jones , Naomi Judd , Andrew Yang and others .
Former president Bill Clinton also delivered a message , speaking into a camera in what looked like a video chat from his home .
“ We need each other , and we do better when we work together , ” he said .
“ That ’ s never been more clear to me as I have seen the courage and dignity of the first responders , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who are helping them to provide our food , our transportation , our basic services to the other essential workers.
” Trump has declined to call on his predecessors to help bring the country together during the pandemic , which has claimed more than 66,000 lives in the United States and put more than 30 million people out of work .
Past presidents made a point of enlisting former occupants of the White House from both parties in times of crisis to demonstrate national resolve and unity .
Bush recruited his father @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clinton to respond to a devastating tsunami in Asia and then to hurricane Katrina .
President Barack Obama asked the younger Bush and Clinton to respond to an earthquake in Haiti .
Trump , for his part , has dismissed the idea of calling his predecessors for help , either to participate or even to offer advice .
“ I don ’ t think I ’ m going to learn much , ” he said when asked about the idea in March .
“ I guess you could say that there ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Bush has never been a fan of his fellow Republican president .
Trump defeated his brother , Jeb Bush , for the nomination in 2016 and has lambasted the 43rd president ’ s record repeatedly .
Bush refused to support Trump that fall , saying he had voted for “ none of the above ” instead .
While disturbed by Trump ’ s leadership , Bush has largely kept quiet since then with a couple of notable exceptions , such as a speech in New York and a eulogy for Sen. John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the incumbent .
In his video message Saturday , Bush recalled the difficult days after Sept. 11 .
“ Let us remember , we have faced times of testing before , ” he said as images flashed on the screen of him comforting relatives of those killed in the attacks .
“ Following 9/11 , I saw a great nation rise as one to honour the brave , to grieve with the grieving and to embrace unavoidable new duties .
And I have no doubt , none at all , that this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and well in America.
” Bush also called for compassion , a trait that Trump has largely eschewed during the pandemic in favour of demonstrating what he considers strength and optimism .
“ Let us remember that empathy and simple kindness are essential powerful tools of national recovery , ” Bush said .
And he added : “ Let ’ s remember that the suffering we experience as a nation does not fall evenly .
”

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thetorontostar--2020-05-03--Czech television teams up with CNN to launch news channel

PRAGUE , Czech Republic - A private Czech television station has joined forces with CNN to create a news channel @ @ @ @ @ The Czech FTV Group and CNN International Commercial launched the channel , CNN Prima News @ @ @ @ @ Prima News is the ninth channel that FTV Prima operates .
Its broadcast includes local @ @ @ @ @ together with international news from CNN .
The channel has also launched a website .
@ @ @ @ @ been established in other countries , including in Indonesia , Japan , Philippines , Turkey @ @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-05-03--Israeli high court could determine Netanyahu’s future

JERUSALEM - With the fate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the line , Israel ’ s Supreme Court began discussions Sunday on the question of whether the embattled leader can form a new government while facing criminal indictments .
The court ’ s decision , expected later this week , is shaping up as a watershed moment in Israeli history .
A ruling preventing Netanyahu from returning for another term would almost certainly trigger an unprecedented fourth consecutive election in just over a year and draw angry , perhaps violent , reactions from Netanyahu ’ s supporters accusing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ruling in favour will be seen by critics as further weakening the country ’ s fragile democratic institutions and a victory for a prime minister bent on escaping prosecution .
“ The High Court of Justice is facing its most important verdict ever , ” former Prime Minister Ehud Barak , a staunch critic of Netanyahu ’ s , wrote in the Haaretz daily .
“ The High Court can make its name for generations in one moment ’ s brave decision , ” he wrote .
“ On the other hand , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , irrespective under what intricate pretexts , it too will be crushed further down the road.
” The court challenge comes in the wake of Netanyahu ’ s agreement last month to form an “ emergency ” government with his rival , Benny Gantz .
After battling each other in three inconclusive elections over the past year , the two men cited the country ’ s coronavirus outbreak for their power-sharing agreement .
But the deal includes a number of provisions — including the creation of the new office of “ designated prime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little to do with the pandemic .
Critics say they are meant to allow Netanyahu to remain in office throughout his upcoming trial .
Netanyahu has been charged with fraud , breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of scandals in which he is accused of offering favours to media moguls in exchange for favourable press coverage .
Netanyahu denies the accusations and says he is the victim of a witch hunt .
His trial was postponed in March due to restrictions his hand-picked interim justice minister placed on the courts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheduled to commence later this month .
In Sunday ’ s proceedings , the court heard arguments on whether an indicted politician like Netanyahu can be given authority to form a new government .
On Monday , the justices will look at whether the coalition agreement violated the law .
Under the deal , Netanyahu and Gantz would be sworn in together , with Netanyahu serving first as prime minister and Gantz as the designated premier .
After 18 months , the two will swap positions .
The new position will enjoy all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including an official residence and , key for Netanyahu , an exemption from a law that requires public officials who are not prime minister to resign if charged with a crime .
Netanyahu is eager to remain in office throughout his trial , using his position to lash out at the judicial system and rally support among his base .
The coalition deal also gives him influence over key judicial appointments , creating a potential conflict of interest during an appeals process if he is convicted .
In a reflection of the case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 11 justices are hearing the case — a much larger number than the usual three- or five-judge panels .
In another rarity , the hearings were broadcast live on national television and on the court ’ s website .
Due to the outbreak , the judges , attorneys and clerks wore face masks , and plastic barriers separated each of the 11 justices on the bench .
The high court has become a lightning rod for criticism by Netanyahu and his political allies , who accuse it of overreach and political interference .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it a bastion of democracy under dangerous assault .
Michael Rabello , an attorney representing Netanyahu ’ s Likud party , said that over 1 million Israelis had voted for him with the knowledge he could be prime minister .
“ How can you say that this panel can replace the voters ?
” he asked the court .
Pro-democracy demonstrators have been taking to the streets weekly to protest Netanyahu ’ s continued rule , keeping their distance from one another in line with social-distancing rules .
On Sunday , several dozen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s parliament , in support of the court and watched a screening of the hearing .
Eliad Shraga , head of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel , one of the groups petitioning the court , said it was “ unconscionable that a man like this will go in the morning to court to sit in the dock and in the evening will manage the Security Cabinet and send us and our children to battle.
” The justices have little time .
They need to rule by Thursday , the deadline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minister .
If that deadline is missed , a new election would be triggered .
Eli Salzberger , a law professor at the University of Haifa , said the panel consisted of the court ’ s 11 most senior justices and it was impossible to predict which way the diverse group would lean .
“ We can not really map the court ideologically , ” he said .
Last week , Israel ’ s attorney general , Avichai Mandelblit , said in an opinion to the court that while Netanyahu ’ s indictments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was no legal basis for barring him from serving while facing criminal charges .
Salzberger said Mandelblit ’ s recommendation gave a boost to Netanyahu ’ s side , but noted the court has disagreed with the attorney general in the past .
“ It ’ s not a final decision , “ he said .
Associated Press writer Ilan Ben Zion contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-05-03--Biden wins Kansas primary conducted with all-mail balloting

TOPEKA , Kan. - Joe Biden has overwhelmingly won a Democratic presidential primary in Kansas that the state party conducted exclusively by mail because of the coronavirus pandemic .
The former vice-president had been expected to prevail in Saturday ’ s vote and capture a majority of the state ’ s delegates to the Democrats ’ national nominating commission .
Biden took 77 % of the vote .
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was still in the race when the Kansas party began mailing ballots at the end of March , but he suspended his campaign and endorsed Biden .
Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , inching Biden closer to the number of delegates he needs to clinch the Democratic nomination .
He has a total of 1,435 delegates and needs 1,991 to win the nomination on the first ballot at the party ’ s national convention this summer , a threshold Biden is likely to reach in June after many states postponed their primaries .
Sanders has 984 delegates , according to the count by the Associated Press released Sunday .
Democratic leaders originally had planned to set up polling places across the state in addition to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans for in-person voting at the end of March after Kelly issued a statewide stay-at-home order , and the change nearly tripled participation over four years ago , with 34.7 % of registered Democrats casting ballots .
“ Kansas Democrats made history in this election with record participation levels along with demonstrating how a vote-by-mail election can protect voters and our democracy , even in the most uncertain of times , “ party chairwoman Vicki Hiatt said in a statement .
“ We are confident the enthusiasm and engagement seen during the 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ translate into Democratic victories up and down the ballot in November.
” A Democratic presidential candidate hasn ’ t carried Kansas in November since Lyndon Johnson in 1964 .
Sanders easily won Kansas ’ caucuses in 2016 over former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton , riding a surge of enthusiasm among liberal voters and first-time caucus-goers .
But the state party mailed ballots this year to more than 400,000 registered Democrats to get a far larger turnout than the 39,000 who voted four years ago .
The primary determined how 39 of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delegates would be allocated .
The remaining six are party leaders , including Gov .
Laura Kelly and U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids .
Besides Biden and Sanders , Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard also were on the Kansas ballot .
Voters also could choose to be uncommitted .
The contest also featured ranked-choice voting , allowing voters to pick more than one candidate and rank them .
The lowest vote-getter — Gabbard in this case — was then eliminated , and her votes redistributed to the other choices in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second choice .
That process continued until only candidates with at least 15 % of the vote remained , eventually only Biden and Sanders .
Editors : This story has been corrected to explain that in the ranked-choice voting , only the lowest vote-getter was knocked out after the first round , not all candidates with less than 15 % of the vote .


thetorontostar--2020-05-04--Italy eases long lockdown, leaders push vaccine effort

ROME - Millions of people were allowed to return to work in Italy Monday as Europe ’ s longest lockdown started to ease , while countries from Iceland to India took a patchwork of steps to loosen coronavirus restrictions .
Businesses including hairdressers in Greece and restaurants in Lebanon were opening their doors under new conditions .
With pressure growing in many countries for more measures to restart the economy , politicians also were trying to boost funding for research into a vaccine for COVID-19 .
There are hopes that one could be available in months , but warnings that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the first European country to be hit by the pandemic and a nation with one of the world ’ s highest death tolls , started stirring after its two-month shutdown .
In all , 4.4 million Italians were able to return to work , and restrictions on movement eased .
Traffic in downtown Rome picked up , construction sites and manufacturing operations resumed , and flower vendors returned to the Campo dei Fiori market for the first time since March 11 .
“ It ’ s something that brings happiness and joy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these days , ” vendor Stefano Fulvi said .
Like many entrepreneurs , Fulvi had to calculate when it was worth returning to work , given the limited demand with clients stuck at home .
He doesn ’ t expect to break even anytime soon , “ but you have to take the risk at some point.
” As infection rates have fallen in large parts of Europe , tentative efforts to restart public life are gathering pace .
But Europeans ’ new-found freedoms are limited as officials are wary of setting off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Italy , mourners were able to attend funerals — but services were limited to 15 people and there was still no word on when Masses would resume .
Restaurants scrubbed their floors in preparation for take-out service , but sit-down service is several weeks away .
Southern Italy braced for the return of students and workers who were trapped in the hard-hit north when the lockdown took effect .
Some regional governors said they would require anyone arriving home to go into quarantine for two weeks .
“ It ’ s a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with trust and responsibility , ” Premier Giuseppe Conte said in a message to Italians .
Belgium allowed some companies to open offices to employees , though remote work is still encouraged .
Like Italians , Greeks , Spaniards and many others in Europe , Belgians are being told to wear masks on public transport .
Italians still have to carry certifications explaining why they are out .
The list of acceptable reasons has now been expanded to include visits to family and lovers , but just who falls into that category is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ began lifting its seven-week lockdown Monday , dropped a similar requirement for people to send an SMS or carry a self-written permit justifying being outdoors .
Hair salons and some stores such as those selling books and sports goods reopened , albeit with strict hygiene and distancing measures .
Athens haidresser Konstantina Harisiadi had installed plexiglass barriers at reception and at manicure stations .
A new sign , “ Silence is security , ” was meant to discourage chit-chat and limit the potential for virus transmission .
On her first day open , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Harisiadi was booked through the end of the month .
But with her business forced to operate with far fewer clients than usual , making ends meet will be a struggle .
“ We ’ re going to try for the best , ” she said , adding she doesn ’ t want to resort to firing any staff .
“ As the owner of a small business that has the nature of a family , I ’ m going to avoid it .
And along with my co-workers I ’ m going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But she also lamented the way the atmosphere will inevitably change .
“ Things are different .
There ’ s no spontaneity — we can ’ t greet each other , speak , laugh .
We ’ re entering a new era , ” she said .
People in hard-hit Spain ventured out for the first time for haircuts or food take-outs , but many small shops were still closed as owners worked on meeting strict health and hygiene guidelines .
Neighboring Portugal also eased its confinement measures and allowed small stores to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ edge , Iceland also reopened hair salons — along with high schools , dentists and other businesses — after six weeks in which the country has tamed its virus outbreak .
In the Middle East , Lebanon is allowing restaurants to open at 30 % capacity during the day starting Monday .
But many business owners say they won ’ t reopen because they would be losing more money if they operate under such restrictions during a faltering economy , and cafes , clubs and bars have been ordered to stay shut through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to resume after a five-week halt , even as the pace of infections has slightly accelerated .
The lockdown has achieved a slowdown in the spread of the virus but has caused immense hardship for India ’ s legions of poor people .
Russia reported a steady rise in the number of infections , an increase that has fueled concerns the nation ’ s hospitals could be overwhelmed .
Authorities say that broader testing has contributed to a surge .
Russia ’ s economy has been partially shut down since late March , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ May 11 .
Governments around the world have reported 3.5 million infections and more than 247,000 deaths , including more than 67,000 dead in the United States , according to a count by Johns Hopkins University .
Deliberately concealed outbreaks , low testing rates and the severe strain the disease has placed on health care systems mean the true scale of the pandemic is undoubtedly much greater .
Developing a vaccine will be the key to returning to less restricted everyday life .
On Monday , an alliance of world leaders was holding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around 4 billion euros ( $ 4.37 billion ) for vaccine research , some 2 billion euros for treatments and 1.5 billion ( $ 1.64 billion ) for testing .
Officials say that amount is just the start .
In a statement , the leaders of France , Germany , Italy , Norway and top European Union officials said that the money raised will be channeled mostly through recognized global health organizations .
The EU ’ s executive Commission had hoped that the United States would take part , but it remained unclear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might play in the donor conference .
Germany ’ s health minister said there are “ promising ” developments but warned that developing vaccines is one of the biggest challenges in medecine .
“ I would be glad if we succeeded in a few months , but I think we must remain realistic , ” Jens Spahn told ARD television on Sunday .
“ It can also take years , because of course there can be setbacks — we have seen that with other vaccines.
” Moulson reported from Berlin .
Associated Press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report .

Geir Moulson And Nicole Winfield - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-04--Gil Schwartz, aka humorist Stanley Bing, has died at 68

LOS ANGELES - Gil Schwartz , the longtime CBS communications executive who wrote humorous novels and columns under the pen name Stanley Bing , has died .
He was 68 .
CBS representatives said Sunday that Schwartz died Saturday at his home in Santa Monica , California .
His death , they said , was unexpected , but due to natural causes .
Schwartz had a distinguished nearly 40-year career in corporate America with CBS , Viacom and Westinghouse Broadcasting .
He retired in 2018 from his post as senior executive vice-president and chief communications officer of CBS Corporation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Schwartz had a once-secret and then public side career as a lauded humorist and writer of 13 books who satirized the business world he was part of .
Under the pseudonym Stanley Bing , Schwartz wrote a column in Esquire for 13 years and then in Fortune .
One , “ Executive Summary : Stanley Bing , ” from 1991 , describes an unwelcome 40th birthday in the style of a corporate presentation .
“ You ’ ll have to excuse me if I sound a little morose .
I am morose , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recently celebrated its fortieth anniversary of operations .
Quite a few parties were held in its honour , and they succeeded in getting this speaker somewhat depressed in the way that only enforced merriment truly can.
” Although he was able to hold the dual identities in secret for a while , in the 1990s , it became “ the most poorly held secret in the media business.
” “ Bing ’ s ” books included “ Crazy Bosses : Spotting Them , Serving Them , Surviving Them , ” “ You Look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What Happened , ” and “ Immortal Life : A Soon to Be True Story.
” Born in New York City in 1951 , Schwartz studied theatre arts and English at Brandeis University .
He was a renaissance man : A poet , playwright , actor , guitarist and photographer of birds , food and travel .
Schwartz is survived by his wife of 14 years , Laura Svienty , two children , two step children and two grandchildren .
The statement says a memorial service will take place in the fall .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ requests anyone seeking to honour Schwartz donate to lafoodbank.org , foodbanknyc.org or sfmfoodbank.org .


thetorontostar--2020-05-04--Wall Street sees the economic pain, opts to look past it

The global economy is in shambles , the coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 237,000 worldwide and 30 million Americans have lost their jobs as collateral damage in the fight against COVID-19 , with the tallies all rising by the day .
Yet , the U.S stock market just rocketed to its best month in a generation .
While it ’ s most definitely wild , Wall Street is also a collection of investors who are continually looking ahead , setting prices for stocks at the moment based on where they expect corporate profits and the economy will be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ From February into late March , investors sent the S & P 500 down by nearly 34 % , anticipating that the number of jobless workers would explode and the economy would tumble into recession .
Then in April , as gruesome economic figures confirmed those fears , investors instead focused on a few strands of optimism for the future .
The S & P 500 has surged 26.5 % since hitting a low on March 23 , which was the same week that the government reported a record number of U.S. workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million .
When clients have called in recently at Villere & Co. , an investment adviser in New Orleans , they usually start with one question , said Sandy Villere , a portfolio manager at the firm .
“ They ask : Aren ’ t we going into a recession ?
” he said .
“ I say , ‘ Yes , but the stock market has already gone through the recession , and now it ’ s coming out of the recession.
’ ” Among the reasons the market chose to look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the rescue , again .
A famous saying on Wall Street says : Don ’ t fight the Fed .
The central bank is doing everything it can to support the economy , from cutting interest rates to near zero to the unprecedented promise to buy even riskier corporate debt .
It ’ s all aimed an ensuring lending markets have enough cash to run smoothly and prevent prices from going haywire .
Investors say that ’ s eliminated the worst-case scenario for markets : a collapse reminiscent of the 2008 financial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Capitol Hill has come together to send trillions of dollars into the economy , hoping to fill the cavern created by the shutdown of businesses .
— Infections have levelled off in some areas , and reopenings are on the horizon .
In the hard-hit state of New York , the number of hospitalizations for the virus has dropped back to where it was a month ago after peaking in mid-April .
Some states around the country have laid out plans to gradually relax restrictions meant to slow the spread of the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , already allowing barber shops , gyms and nail salons to reopen .
“ This is first and foremost a health crisis , so any trend lines of improvement are good , even if they ’ re hidden within really terrible human loss numbers , ” said Nela Richardson , investment strategist at Edward Jones .
— Even the terrible economic numbers contain some hopeful signs .
Joe Seydl , capital markets economist at J.P. Morgan Private Bank , has noticed how most of the jobs lost in March were temporary furloughs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a relative silver lining , ” he said .
“ We know unemployment is going to spike .
When you look beneath the surface at unemployment you can look at how much is temporary.
” History shows that stocks usually begin heading back up even as the economy is still heading down .
The S & P 500 typically begins rising four and a half months before the economy hits bottom in a recession , according to Lindsey Bell , chief investment strategist at Ally Invest .
Consider the Great Recession : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bull run on record in March 2009 , when corporate profits were still tumbling and layoffs were still rising .
The unemployment rate wouldn ’ t hit its peak until seven months later .
However , many professional investors have been skeptical of this rally , given how much uncertainty still exists about how long the recession will last .
If a second wave of infections hits , businesses could shut down again as fast as they open .
Stocks are no longer cheap following their strong recent run .
And worries still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after a borrowing binge left them with a mountain of $ 9.6 trillion in outstanding bonds .
.
The stock market also has a patchy history in predicting the end of recessions , just like it has predicted nine of the last five recessions , as famed economist Paul Samuelson once quipped .
.
After hitting a low in November 2008 shortly after Lehman Brothers collapsed during the financial crisis , the S & P 500 rallied more than 24 % in about seven weeks .
But that rally proved to be illusory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , plummeting nearly 28 % before finally hitting bottom in March .


thetorontostar--2020-05-04--Trump pushes economy reopening, says virus could kill 100K

WASHINGTON - Anxious to spur an economic recovery without risking lives , President Donald Trump insists that “ you can satisfy both “ — see states gradually lift lockdowns while also protecting people from the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 67,000 Americans .
The president , fielding questions from Americans Sunday night in a virtual town hall from the Lincoln Memorial , acknowledged valid fears on both sides of the issue .
Some people are worried about getting sick ; others are reeling from lost jobs and livelihoods .
Trump increased his projection for the total U.S. death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up by as much as 40,000 from what he had suggested just a few weeks ago .
“ Look , we ’ re going to lose anywhere from 75,000 , 80,000 to 100,000 people , ” Trump said .
“ That ’ s a horrible thing .
We shouldn ’ t lose one person out of this .
This should have been stopped in China.
” But he struck a note of urgency to restart the nation ’ s economy , declaring , “ We have to get it back open safely but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than a month of being cooped up at the White House , Trump returned from a weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland for the virtual town hall hosted by Fox News Channel .
The president said of his monumental backdrop : “ We never had a more beautiful set than this.
” As concerns mount about his reelection bid , Trump stuck to his relentlessly optimistic view of the nation ’ s ability to rebound soon .
“ It is all working out , ” Trump said .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is working out.
” Many public health experts believe the nation can not safely reopen fully until a vaccine is developed .
Trump declared Sunday that he believed one could be available by year ’ s end .
U.S. public health officials have said a vaccine is probably a year to 18 months away .
But Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s leading expert on infectious diseases and member of the White House coronavirus task force , said in late April that it is conceivable , if a vaccine is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in wide distribution as early as January .
Though the administration ’ s handling of the pandemic , particularly its ability to conduct widespread testing , has come under fierce scrutiny , the president tried to shift the blame to China and said the U.S. was ready to begin reopening .
“ I ’ ll tell you one thing .
We did the right thing and I really believe we saved a million and a half lives , ” the president said .
But he also broke with the assessment of his senior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying it was “ too soon to say “ the federal government had overseen a “ success story.
” While noting that states would go at their own pace in returning to normal , with ones harder hit by the coronavirus going slower , Trump said that “ some states , frankly , I think aren ’ t going fast enough.
“ He singled out Virginia , which has a Democratic governor and legislature .
And he urged the nation ’ s schools and universities to return to classes this fall .
Federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home and practice social distancing expired late last week .
Debate continued over moves by governors to start reopening state economies that tanked after shopping malls , salons and other nonessential businesses were ordered closed in attempt to slow a virus that has killed more than 66,000 Americans , according to a tally of reported deaths by Johns Hopkins University .
The U.S. economy has suffered , shrinking at a 4.8 % annual rate from January through March , the government estimated last week .
And roughly 30.3 million people have filed for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the outbreak forced employers to shut down and slash their workforces .
The president ’ s advisers have nervously watched Trump ’ s support slip in a number of battleground states and he was told last month that if the election were held that day , he would lose to Democrat Joe Biden .
The president ’ s aides believe restarting the economy , even with its health risks , is essential to a victory in November and are pushing for him to pivot away from discussions about the pandemic and onto an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump will begin travelling again , with a trip to a mask factory in Arizona planned for Tuesday .
The president also is set to speak in June at commencement for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point .
Returning to campus for commencement will require graduates to self-isolate for 14 days , but Trump insisted the event poses no risk to the cadets .
The town hall , which included an appearance by Vice-President Mike Pence , included a rare mea culpa : The vice-president said he should have worn a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Minnesota ’ s Mayo Clinic .
Pence ’ s failure to wear a mask violated the clinic ’ s guidelines and drew significant criticism .
Elsewhere in Washington , the Senate planned to reopen Monday , despite the area ’ s continued status as a virus hot spot and with the region still under stay-at-home orders .
The House remains shuttered as debate continues on what the next stage of the economic recovery may look like .
State and local governments are seeking up to $ 1 trillion in coronavirus costs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by congressional Republicans .
Trump said that while he thought common ground could be found with Democrats over an infrastructure package , “ we ’ re not doing anything unless we get a payroll tax cut .
That is so important to the success of our country.
” The leaders of California and Michigan are among governors under public pressure over lockdowns still in effect while states such as Florida , Georgia and Ohio are reopening .
Trump on Sunday night singled out Michigan Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer and Washington Gov .
Jay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criticism even as he praised the federal co-ordination with most governors .
He also complained that some Democrats would rather “ people get sick ” than given him any credit for pushing the use of a malaria drug for treating COVID-19 , though it has not been proven to be safe and effective for that use .
Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter : http : //www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap and Lemire at http : //twitter.com/ @ JonLemire

Darlene Superville And Jonathan Lemire - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-04--Asia Today: Vietnam schools reopen, New Zealand hits zero

BANGKOK - Students across Vietnam started returning to their classrooms Monday that had been closed to curb the coronavirus .
“ I am so excited to go back to school , to be with my teachers and my classmates after three months , ” said Chu Quang Anh , a sixth-grade student at Dinh Cong secondary school in Hanoi .
Students are required to wear masks , among other measures to minimize the spread of the virus .
“ We have hand sanitizers available in many places .
The students are scanned for temperatures at the gate when they enter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the classrooms and their health is recorded , “ teacher Dinh Bich Hien said .
Vietnam has confirmed 271 coronavirus cases .
It has not reported any new case in the community for nearly three weeks .
All educational institutions were closed at the beginning of February when the first cases were reported in the country and all learning was moved online .
Last month , the country imposed travel restrictions and closed businesses for three weeks .
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region : — ZERO CASES IN NEW ZEALAND : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Zealand reported no new cases of the coronavirus .
It ’ s an indication the country ’ s bold strategy of trying to eliminate the virus is working .
New Zealand closed its borders and imposed a strict monthlong lockdown after the outbreak began .
It eased the rules a little last week to help reopen the economy .
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said a decision would be made next Monday on whether to ease the rules further .
“ We can not afford to squander the good work to date when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ within reach , ” she said .
— MALAYSIAN BUSINESSES REOPENING : Many business sectors reopened in parts of Malaysia as Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin ’ s government sought to balance curbing the virus and reviving the hard-hit economy .
But the move has split public opinion amid fears that the sudden reopening of economic activities could spark a new wave of infections .
Nine of the country ’ s 13 states either refused to reopen or restricted the list of businesses that can operate .
Mass gatherings and interstate travel remain banned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent weeks but rose slightly over the weekend .
Malaysia has confirmed 6,298 cases with 105 deaths .
— JAPAN EXTENDS EMERGENCY : Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Monday that he will extend Japan ’ s coronavirus state of emergency by about a month .
Abe said the number of new cases has not declined enough and hospitals remain overburdened .
He declared the state of emergency on April 7 , initially only for Tokyo and six other urban prefectures , but later extended it to the entire nation .
He asked people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 80 % , but stopped short of asking businesses to close .
Tokyo and several other prefectures have asked nightclubs , fitness centres , museums and other non-essential businesses to shut .
Japan has more than 15,000 cases with 510 deaths .
— SOUTH KOREA OPENING SCHOOLS : South Korea says it will start allowing students to return to their classrooms next week amid signs that its coronavirus outbreak is waning .
Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said Monday that high school seniors will return on May 13 and students in lower grades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She said 5.4 million students have been studying online since April 9 .
On Monday , South Korea reported eight new cases , taking its total to 10,801 .
— SOME ACTIVITY RESUMING IN INDIA : India has relaxed some lockdown restrictions as the pace of infections has slightly accelerated .
On Monday some economic activities resumed after a near-total 5-week halt .
Normal life , albeit with masks , social distancing and stringent hygiene standards , has started to return in low-risk areas , while constraints on movement and work continues elsewhere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including 1,373 deaths , and has tested more than a million samples .
Still , at 758 tests per million , it is among the countries with the lowest portion of their population tested .
Experts warn that the virus has yet to peak .
— BANGLADESH EXTENDS LOCKDOWN : Bangladesh has extended its nationwide lockdown by nearly two weeks to May 16 .
The extension came as the South Asian nation crossed the 10,000 mark of infections .
The lockdown affects almost all public and private offices and businesses .
Essential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pharmaceutical and other export-oriented manufacturing units are also operating .
—RAMADAN RETURNEES : Indonesian has stepped up measures in anticipation of an influx of migrant workers returning from abroad either to celebrate Ramadan with family or because they have been affected by the pandemic .
President Joko Widodo raised concerns at Monday ’ s Cabinet meeting about possible imorted cases aming returnees .
Widodo said he received reports that about 89,000 migrant workers had returned in recent weeks and 16,000 more were expected to return in the coming days .
Widodo called for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quarantines .
— TOBACCO FACTORY CLUSTER : Health authorities in an Indonesian province are considering pulling cigarettes by Philip Morris-owned Sampoerna after a coronavirus cluster was identified among factory workers .
Two workers have died and 63 others tested positive at one of its factories in Surabaya .
East Java province task force official Heru Tjahjono said authorities are trying to determine how many cigarettes from the factory are in circulation .
The cluster has raised concerns about allowing factories to operate during the pandemic .
A company official said it has implemented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cigarettes for five days before they are distributed .
— LOW CASES IN CHINA : China reported three new virus cases , all brought from overseas , and no new deaths .
It said just 481 people remain in hospitals with about 1,000 under monitoring and isolation .
China has reported a total of 4,633 deaths from the virus among 82,880 cases .


thetorontostar--2020-05-04--Hello, justice, do you hear me? Supreme Court meets by phone

WASHINGTON - It ’ s a morning of firsts for the Supreme Court , the first time audio of the court ’ s arguments will be heard live by the world and the first arguments by telephone .
The changes are a result of the coronavirus pandemic , which has made holding courtroom sessions unsafe , especially with six justices aged 65 or older and at risk of getting seriously sick from the virus .
The experiment beginning Monday could propel the court to routinely livestream its arguments .
Or the 10 cases over six days could just be extraordinary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposition to broadening the audience that can hear , if not see , its work live .
Cases that will be heard over the next two weeks include President Donald Trump ’ s effort to shield tax and other financial records and whether presidential electors have to cast their Electoral College ballots for the candidate who wins the popular vote in their state .
The session is set to begin Monday at the usual time of 10 a.m. EDT , when Marshal Pamela Talkin will call the court to order and Chief Justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s case .
Arguments are scheduled to last an hour as they would generally in the courtroom .
The court chose a somewhat obscure case about whether the travel website Booking.com can trademark its name for its first foray into remote arguments .
The lawyers on both sides are well known to the justices and experienced in arguing before the nation ’ s highest court .
Justice Department lawyer Erica Ross , who once served as a law clerk to Justice Elena Kagan , will be first up .
She last argued at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s planning to deliver this Supreme Court argument , her sixth , from a Justice Department conference room .
She will be followed by Lisa Blatt , a onetime government lawyer who will be arguing her 40th Supreme Court case .
Blatt will be at her Washington-area home , she told The Washington Post .
She is known for her colorful writing and speaking style and for her ability to engage in a healthy give and take with the justices .
She was also a prominent liberal supporter of Justice Brett Kavanaugh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Supreme Court .
Each lawyer will get two uninterrupted minutes to make an opening statement , after which Roberts will kick off the questioning .
After that , the justices will ask questions in order of seniority , although the longest-serving justice , Clarence Thomas , almost never questions lawyers .
Kavanaugh , who joined the court in 2018 , will go last .
The court sometimes issues opinions at the start of argument sessions , with the justice who wrote for the majority reading a summary of the opinion and , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a dissent .
But in another change wrought by the virus outbreak , opinions are being posted online without any statements from justices .
The court will next issue opinions on Thursday .
Follow AP ’ s Supreme Court Twitter feed at https : //twitter.com/AP_Courtside .
And Supreme Court reporters Mark Sherman at https : //twitter.com/shermancourt and Jessica Gresko at https : //twitter.com/jessicagresko .

Mark Sherman And Jessica Gresko - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-04--Greece says Turkish fighter jets buzzed Greek chopper

ATHENS , Greece - Greece ’ s government has condemned what it described as a provocative act by Turkey , whose fighter jets Athens says buzzed a helicopter carrying the Greek defence minister and the head of the armed forces who were visiting a Greek island .
Turkey , however , denied its jets had ever harassed the helicopter , saying they were simply on a routine flight .
Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said Monday the incident on Sunday was another indication that “ Turkey often exceeds the limits of both the rules of international law and of course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allies and neighbours Greece and Turkey have a long history of testy relations , and have come to the brink of war three times since the mid 1970s .
They remain divided over a series of issues , including territorial claims in the Aegean Sea .
Tensions between the two increased recently , particularly after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in late February declared his borders open to migrants wishing to leave to Europe .
Although Turkey also shares a border with European Union member Bulgaria , it was only at its border @ @ @ @ @ @ @ migrants appeared , demanding to cross .
Weeks of often violent clashes with border guards ensued .
In Sunday ’ s incident , Greek fighter jets repelled the two Turkish jets , Greek officials said .
Local media reported that Turkish jets continued to fly over the Greek island of Oinousses during a visit there by Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos and the chief of the National Defence General Staff , Gen. Konstantinos Floros .
“ Such behaviour by Turkey doesn ’ t help in defusing tension , which both sides should be seeking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday .
The Greek Foreign Ministry described the incident as “ another unacceptable Turkish action ” which confirms “ the negative role Turkey is playing in the region , insisting on anachronistic perceptions of international relations.
” Turkey , for its part , accused Greece of trying to escalate tensions .
“ Our warplanes carried out the task of recognition within the framework of routine activities in the Aegean , ” Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a written statement .
“ Trying to escalate tensions by dramatizing routine flights is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Aksoy said .
“ Instead , these issues should be addressed during the confidence-building process that was initiated by the two countries ’ defence ministries.
” Suzan Fraser in Ankara , Turkey , contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-05-04--Freedom! In France, a nursing home takes on COVID and wins

LYON , France - As the coronavirus scythed through nursing homes , cutting a deadly path , Valerie Martin vowed to herself that the story would be different in the home she runs in France .
The action she took to stop the virus from infecting and killing the vulnerable older adults in her care was both drastic and effective : Martin and her staff locked themselves in with the 106 residents .
For 47 days and nights , staff and residents of the Vilanova nursing home on the outskirts of the east-central city of Lyon waited out the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of thousands of people in other homes across Europe , including more than 9,000 in France .
“ I said , ‘ No .
Not mine .
My residents still have so much to live for , ’ “ Martin said in an interview .
“ I don ’ t want this virus to kill them when they have been through so much.
” On Monday , Martin and 12 colleagues who stayed in the home for the full duration ended their quarantine with hugs of celebration and singing , and with an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the residents and staff all came back negative .
The caregivers , who nicknamed themselves “ the happily confined , “ left in a convoy of cars , joyously honking horns and heading for reunions with families , pets and homes .
“ We succeeded , ” Martin said .
“ Every day , every hour , was a win.
” While COVID-19 killed people by the dozens at some other homes , Martin said there were just four deaths at Vilanova during their lockdown and that none appears to have been linked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of residents at the home is 87 and the deaths were not unexpected , she said .
Because staff and residents were locked in together , Vilanova didn ’ t have to confine people to their rooms like other homes to shield them from the risk of infection brought in from outside .
That spared residents the loneliness that has been agonizing for others .
Vilanova allowed residents to continue to mingle and to get fresh air outside .
The son of a 95-year-old resident described the staff as “ a fantastic team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by shielding her from the virus and keeping her spirits up , even holding celebrations for her birthday on April 17 .
Gilles Barret said the home ’ s daily Facebook posts of news , photos and videos also were “ such a comfort.
” “ It saved lives , ” he said .
“ Perfect , perfect .
I tip my hat to them.
” Martin said she didn ’ t want their residents to feel like “ prisoners “ and that it wouldn ’ t have felt right to her had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the home while depriving them of their liberty during France ’ s lockdown , in place since March 17 .
Residents were confined to their rooms for two days at the beginning while staffers gave the home a thorough cleaning , and that proved “ a catastrophe , ” Martin said .
“ In two days , we already saw people who started no longer wanting to eat , people who didn ’ t want to get up , people who said , ‘ Why are you washing me ?
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In all , 29 of the 50 staff volunteered to stay , bringing pillows , sleeping bags and clothes on March 18 for what they initially thought might be a three-week stay but which they subsequently opted to extend .
Other staff came from outside to help and were kept apart from residents and made to wear masks and take other protective measures to prevent infections .
The carers slept on mattresses on the floor .
Martin slept in her office .
One of the volunteers left a 10-month-old baby at home .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ blackboard marked : “ Always together with heart.
” “ It was tough , “ said caregiver Vanessa Robert .
But there were also moments of “ total joy , getting together in the evenings , fooling around , tossing water bombs at each other.
” Martin said her top priority now is to console her estranged cat , Fanta .
And one of the weirdest moments of the lockdown was climbing back into her car and hearing the same tune on the CD player — Limp Bizkit ’ s “ Mission Impossible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ listening to when she parked seven weeks earlier .
“ It was a bit like entering a holiday camp , ” she said .
“ Living a lockdown with 130 people is extremely rewarding .
”

John Leicester And Anthony Cerrone - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-04--‘We don’t know how it will end’: Hunger stalks amid virus

WASHINGTON - When all this started — when the coronavirus began stalking humanity like an animal hunting prey , when she and her husband lost their restaurant jobs overnight as the world shut down to hide , when she feared not being able to feed her family — Janeth went outside with a red kitchen towel .
It was Passover .
Her pastor had told her about the roots of the Jewish holiday , about Israelites smearing a lamb ’ s blood on their doors as a sign for the plagues to pass them by .
So Janeth , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hang the red towel over the door of her family ’ s apartment on the edge of the nation ’ s capital .
It was close enough , she figured , “ to show the angel of death to pass over our home.
” And pass us by , hunger .
At night now , it ’ s the worry over food that keeps Janeth ’ s mind racing , and her heart , she says , hurting .
“ I spend hours thinking , thinking , about what we will do the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food the next day , ” she says weeks into the coronavirus outbreak , her family ’ s food and cash both dwindling .
Janeth and her husband , Roberto , are part of the greatest surge in unemployment in the U.S. since the Depression , setting off a wave of hunger that is swamping food programs nationwide .
The couple and every adult member of their extended family in the U.S. have lost their jobs in the economic lockdown prompted by the pandemic .
They are among the tens of millions in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every 6 workers — abruptly cut off from paychecks .
The Associated Press is withholding the couple ’ s full names because they are in the country illegally and could face deportation .
Their immigration status , their problems with English and scanty access to the Internet all combine to block them from accessing the U.S. government benefit programs that millions more newly jobless citizens are able to turn to during the outbreak .
Before the pandemic , food policy experts say , roughly one out of every eight or nine Americans struggled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as one out of every four are projected to join the ranks of the hungry , said Giridhar Mallya , senior policy officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for public health .
Immigrants , African Americans , Native Americans , households with young children and newly jobless gig workers are among those most at risk , said Joelle Johnson , senior policy associate at the Center for Science in the Public Interest .
“ They ’ re more vulnerable to begin with and this situation has just exacerbated that situation , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clamped down , Roberto , a cook in his mid-30s , and Janeth , who keeps water glasses filled at another restaurant and is in her mid-40s , spent $ 450 out of their final paychecks to stock up .
Weeks later , their diminished cache includes two half-full five-pound bags of rice , an assortment of ramen noodles , a half-eaten bag of pasta , two boxes of cornbread mix , four boxes of raisins and cans of beans , pineapple , tuna , corn and soup .
“ Cookies ?
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gap-toothed daughter Allison still asks them , always getting a gentle “ no ” back .
“ Ice cream ?
” Janeth and Roberto have cut down to one meal a day themselves , skipping meals to keep their daughter fed .
On a good day recently , after Roberto landed four hours of work preparing take-home meals for a grocery store , they had enough for what constitutes a feast these days — a can of refried beans split three ways and two eggs each , scrambled .
Janeth also made tortillas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Janeth placed aluminum foil over two of the plates ; she and Roberto would eat later .
Tears sprang from her eyes as she watched her daughter wolf down the meal .
“ Where can we get enough food ?
How can we pay our bills ?
” she asked .
Then she repeated something she and her husband emphasized again and again over the course of several days : They are hard-working people .
“ We have never had to ask for help before , ” she said .
Janeth and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as the oldest of three sisters here , she and Roberto are trying to keep a half-dozen households in the United States and Honduras fed .
By day , they race in their second-hand pickup truck from food pantries and churches to relatives ’ houses .
They chase tips about food giveaways or temporary jobs .
They share their painstakingly acquired cartons of food with her two sisters , who themselves have a total of five young children to feed , and call their grown children with leads on food lines .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ We don ’ t have help .
We don ’ t know how it will end , ” Janeth said .
On a recent day , Janet and Roberto ’ s breakfast is coffee and a few crackers .
Allison eats cereal , a favourite provided by a food bank .
Soon after , Roberto and Allison , who is sporting pink sparkly sneakers , are among the first in line outside a DC food pantry .
In line with them : a young African American man newly unemployed and seeking aid for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with their clients ’ children in tow .
The women now are only intermittently used — and paid — by their employers and need help feeding their own children at home .
Roberto is happy to leave with a bag of bananas , some spaghetti , tomato sauce and other staples .
Another day , Roberto and Allison stay inside the truck while Janeth heads out in a cold drizzle to approach a church said to be providing food .
She struggles to read the sign in English posted on the door , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one answers .
Later , loading their pickup truck to take food to Janeth ’ s sisters , husband and wife dip into the pockets of their jeans to display the cash they have left — $ 110 total .
That ’ s gas money .
Without that , living on the outskirts of town , there ’ s no getting to food banks , to one-day cash jobs , to stranded relatives facing eviction and hoping for food .
On the drive to Janeth ’ s sisters in Baltimore , Janeth hands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The girl savors each taste , dipping in her finger , licking every last bit .
“ More ?
” she asks hopefully , tilting the container toward her mother .
Follow Knickmeyer and Martin on Twitter as @ knickmeyerellen and @ Jacquelyn_M .
For more coverage of the pandemic , visit https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak .

Ellen Knickmeyer And Jacquelyn Martin - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-04--Kentucky police find dead dogs and cats in shelter’s freezer

WEBBVILLE , Ky. - Police seized 90 dogs from a no-kill animal shelter in Kentucky due to its allegedly poor conditions , and charged its owner after dead cats and dogs were found in the facility ’ s freezer .
The dogs were taken Saturday because of “ poor living conditions ” at the Trixie Foundation ’ s shelter , Kentucky State police said in a news release reported by news outlets .
The shelter ’ s website advertises itself as an “ Eden ” for animals and the “ best kept secret in animal welfare.
” Melissa Bowman , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accompanied police during the raid .
She told the Lexington Herald-Ledger that the dogs suffered “ medical neglect ” and some were found with tumors .
Other dogs had to be tranquilized before leaving the shelter , and one dog was euthanized at the facility .
Police obtained a search warrant after receiving complaints about the shelter in April , the Herald-Ledger reported .
Shelter owner Randy Skaggs , who was scheduled to stand trial this June on misdemeanour animal cruelty charges from 2018 , said he provides medical care when the animals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to bury the seven cats and five dogs found in the freezer because of a high workload .
“ I ’ ve not intentionally done anything except try to help these animals , ” Skaggs said .
“ Everyone makes mistakes , and I ’ ve made plenty of them.
” Skaggs blames critics of his no-euthanization policy with influencing this latest raid , to pressure him to plead guilty to the earlier charges .
Skaggs , 68 , now faces 12 additional counts , of improper disposal .
He was not arrested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the charges .


thetorontostar--2020-05-04--European virus tracing apps highlight battle for privacy

As governments race to develop mobile tracing apps to help contain infections , attention is turning to how officials will ensure users ’ privacy .
The debate is especially urgent in Europe , which has been one of the hardest-hit regions in the world , with nearly 140,000 people killed by COVID-19 .
The use of monitoring technology , however , may evoke bitter memories of massive surveillance by totalitarian authorities in much of the continent .
The European Union has in recent years led the way globally to protect people ’ s digital privacy , introducing strict laws for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information .
Academics and civil liberties activists are now pushing for greater personal data protection in the new apps as well .
Here ’ s a look at the issues .
European authorities , under pressure to ease lockdown restrictions in place for months in some countries , want to make sure infections don ’ t rise once confinements end .
One method is to trace who infected people come into contact with and inform them of potential exposure so they can self-isolate .
Traditional methods involving in-person interviews of patients are time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want an automated solution in the form of smartphone contact tracing apps .
But there are fears that new tech tracking tools are a gateway to expanded surveillance .
Intrusive digital tools employed by Asian governments that successfully contained their virus outbreaks won ’ t withstand scrutiny in Europe .
Residents of the EU cherish their privacy rights so compulsory apps , like South Korea ’ s , which alerts authorities if users leave their home , or location tracking wristbands , like those used by Hong Kong , just won ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most attention involves using low energy Bluetooth signals on mobile phones to anonymously track users who come into extended contact with each other .
Officials in western democracies say the apps must be voluntary .
The battle in Europe has centred on competing systems for Bluetooth apps .
One German-led project , Pan-European Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing , or PEPP-PT , which received early backing from 130 researchers , involves data uploaded to a central server .
However , some academics grew concerned about the project ’ s risks and threw their support behind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Proximity Tracing , or DP3T .
Privacy advocates support a decentralized system because anonymous data is kept only on devices .
Some governments are backing the centralized model because it could provide more data to aid decisionmaking , but nearly 600 scientists from more than two dozen countries have signed an open letter warning this could , “ via mission creep , result in systems which would allow unprecedented surveillance of society at large.
” Apple and Google waded into the fray by backing the decentralized approach as they unveiled a joint effort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tech giants are releasing a software interface so public health agencies can integrate their apps with iPhone and Android operating systems , and plan to release their own apps later .
The EU ’ s executive Commission warned that a fragmented approach to tracing apps hurt the fight against the virus and called for co-ordination as it unveiled a digital “ toolbox ” for member countries to build their apps with .
The approach Europe chooses will have wider implications beyond the practical level of developing tracing apps that work across borders , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ How we do this , what safeguards we put in , what fundamental rights we look very carefully at , ” will influence other places , said Michael Veale , a lecture in digital rights at University College London who ’ s working on the DP3T project .
“ Countries do look to Europe and campaigners look to Europe , ” and will expect the continent to take an approach that preserves privacy , he said .
European countries have started embracing the decentralized approach , including Austria , Estonia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Italy are also adopting it , changing tack after initially planning to use the centralized model .
But there are notable exceptions , raising the risk different apps won ’ t be able to talk to each other when users cross Europe ’ s borders .
EU member France wants its own centralized system but is in a standoff with Apple over a technical hurdle that prevents its system from being used with iOS .
The government ’ s digital minister wants it ready for testing in “ real conditions “ by May @ @ @ @ @ @ @ app was delayed after scientists and researchers warned of surveillance risks .
Some non EU-members are going their own way .
Norway rolled out one of the earliest - and most invasive - apps , Smittestopp , which uses both GPS and Bluetooth to collect data and uploads it to central servers every hour .
Britain rejected the system Apple and Google are developing because it would take too long , said Matthew Gould , CEO of the National Health Service ’ s digital unit overseeing its development .
The British app is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” for deployment , he told a Parliamentary committee .
Later versions of the app would let users upload an anonymized list of people they ’ ve been in contact with and location data , to help draw a “ social graph ” of how the virus spreads through contact , Gould said .
Those comments set off alarm bells among British scientists and researchers , who warned last week in an open letter against going too far by creating a data collection tool .
“ With access to the social graph , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sector , or hacker ) could spy on citizens ’ real-world activities , ” they wrote .
Despite announcing plans to back European initiatives or develop its own app , Spain ’ s intricate plan for rolling back one of the world ’ s strictest confinements doesn ’ t include a tracing app at all .
The health minister said the country will use apps when they are ready but only if they “ provide value added ” and not simply because other countries are using them .
Aritz Parra in Madrid contributed @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-05-04--National traumas familiar for virus-hit, unscathed countries

LONDON - National traumas or major political convulsions have been familiar and bloodied territory in the latter 20th and early 21st centuries for some of the countries currently ravaged by the coronavirus .
Whether by long and brutal wars , invasions , civil wars , revolutions , terror attacks , assassinations of leaders and anti-mafia judges , or natural disasters , distress has often shaped nations psyches .
So it is for — among others — the United States , China , Iran , Italy , Spain , France , Britain and India .
There are also nations that have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death tolls in the tens or hundreds of thousands , who have been relatively unscathed by the pandemic — such as Lebanon , Syria , Iraq or Bosnia .
Dealing with the aftermath of the human devastation wrought by the virus will be another seismic chapter in some painful national journeys .
In many places , the numbers tell the story ; in others , upheaval or single deaths altered national trajectories forever .
Perhaps nothing is quite as ruinous as war in all its forms .
For the United States , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apart the nation .
The U.S. ’ coronavirus death toll last week surpassed the 58,220 American service members killed in Vietnam , which suffered over 1 million civilian and military deaths .
Vietnam has reported no virus deaths and fewer than 300 infections .
Mao Zedong ’ s Cultural Revolution from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s — an anti-intellectual purge — caused the deaths of up to 2 million and affected all parts of Chinese society , setting the nation back years .
Today , Beijing has been both lauded for its initial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough by not warning the public during the earliest days .
The Iran-Iraq war launched by Iraq ’ s Saddam Hussein after the Iranian revolution resulted in around 500,000 dead and the decimation of a generation in both countries .
The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and its spinoff internal conflicts , including the rise and fall of the murderous Islamic State group , have claimed hundreds of thousands of lives on all sides .
Now , Iran is one of the nations hit hardest by the outbreak , with more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ woes are more focused on the loss of oil revenue .
Such protests , against a corrupt political class and a financial inferno , have ignited again this week in Lebanon as lockdown restrictions loosen .
A relatively low two dozen virus deaths means the country may have avoided cataclysm so far , but the greater fear is national meltdown .
The tiny nation lived through a 1975-1990 civil war that killed more than 100,000 people and featured Israeli invasions , bombardment , political assassinations , and occupation during and after that period @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , some years later imploding into a civil war of its own with around half a million killed .
Damascus has reported few virus deaths .
But there are concerns from the U.N. that ‘ ’ tragedy beckons , ’ ’ particularly in crowded , rebel-held Idlib .
Al-Qaida ’ s 9-11 attacks took terror to a level previously unseen — in terms of deaths , shock value and the reverberations that followed in Afghanistan , Pakistan , Iraq and beyond .
Just under 3,000 people perished in the attacks .
New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s worst virus hotspots , has many thousands more deaths than those killed in and around the twin towers .
Bali , Madrid , London , Paris , Brussels and Mumbai were all targeted in extremist attacks in the years that followed , not to mention countless attacks in Syrian , Iraqi , Pakistani and Afghan cities .
The deaths in each attack , from scores to hundreds , left indelible marks .
The 1960s in America saw the lives of two Kennedys , the Rev .
Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ India , where infections are still rising daily and a lockdown has taken a punishing toll on the impoverished , Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was slain in 1984 ; her son Rajiv , a former premier , met the same fate in 1991 .
In neighbouring Pakistan , where the country this weekend reported its biggest one-day spikes in new infections , Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in 2007 at a political rally as she sought a third term as premier after returning from exile .
Italy has the second-highest outbreak fatalities after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of death in Lombardy .
The vulnerable generation suffering the worst of Italy ’ s contagion has painful memories of the Marxist Red Brigade group kidnapping and killing former prime minister Aldo Moro during the ‘ ’ Years of Lead ’ ’ in the 1970s .
National trauma was palpable after the mafia assassinated two judges and prosecuting magistrates Giovanni Falcone and then Paolo Borsellino in Palermo , Sicily within two months of each other in 1992 .
Italy was shocked into confronting the mafia in all-out struggle .
But the state never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ profits today in the time of the pandemic .
Tamer Fakahany is AP ’ s deputy director for global news co-ordination and has helped direct international coverage for the AP for 17 years .
Follow him on Twitter at https : //twitter.com/tamerfakahany .


thetorontostar--2020-05-04--Norwegian Air shareholders agree to rescue deal

COPENHAGEN - A majority of shareholders in low-cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle approved Monday a plan to rescue the company by swapping their equity for debt , in a move required to get state loan guarantees .
Chairman Niels Smedegaard called it it “ a historical day ” and said it led to “ the birth of a new Norwegian.
” More than 96 % of the shareholders approved the swap , which effectively wipes out their shares but can ensure the company ’ s survival .
The Oslo-based airline has in recent years offered cheap flights inside Europe and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit hard by the virus outbreak .
Mondays ’ s vote means it will likely access some of the Norwegian government ’ s loan guarantees worth 3 billion kroner ( $ 290 million ) .
The company said it will secure the necessary headroom to pursue further guarantees from the Norwegian Government .
Most of Norwegian Air ’ s fleet is grounded and operations have been reduced to a minimum .
At a first stage , it will primarily operate domestically in Norway and Sweden and between the Nordic capitals “ to deliver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infrastructure so that people and necessary goods and medical supplies can be transported during this unprecedented crisis.
” In order to reduce cost , Norwegian has temporarily laid off approximately 90 % of its workforce and will continue to implement additional cost measures going forward .
Last month , four of the airline ’ s Danish and Swedish subsidiaries filed for bankruptcy .


thetorontostar--2020-05-04--Leaders aim to drum up billions for virus vaccine research

BRUSSELS - An alliance of world leaders is holding a virtual summit Monday hoping to drum up billions of dollars to fund research into a vaccine for the new coronavirus as well as develop better treatments and more efficient testing .
Governments have reported around 3.5 million infections and more than 247,000 deaths from the virus , according to a count by Johns Hopkins University .
But deliberately concealed outbreaks , low testing rates and the strain on health care systems mean the true scale of the pandemic is much greater .
People in many countries across the globe , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are cautiously returning to work , but authorities remain wary of a second wave of infections , and a vaccine is the only real silver bullet to allow something like normal life to resume .
The video-conference ’ s aim is to gather around 4 billion euros ( $ 4.37 billion ) for vaccine research , some 2 billion euros for treatments and 1.5 billion ( $ 1.64 billion ) for testing .
Officials say that amount is just the start , as much more will be needed in the months ahead to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a statement ahead of the meeting , the leaders of France , Germany , Italy , Norway and top European Union officials said that the money raised will be channeled mostly through recognized global health organizations .
No new structure would be set up to handle the funds raised .
“ If we can develop a vaccine that is produced by the world , for the whole world , this will be an unique global public good of the 21st century .
Together with our partners , we commit to making it available @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the leaders said .
Leaders from Australia , Canada , Israel , Japan , Jordan , South Africa and Turkey are also due to speak , along with China ’ s EU ambassador .
The EU had been in contact with the White House and was keen for the United States , where more than 67,000 people have died , to take part but no U.S. official will speak at the event .
In her weekly video message , German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that “ anyone can fall ill with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the task of acting together worldwide .
It is therefore not only an opportunity for joint action but I would say it is a must , and Germany is facing up to this responsibility.
“ A British government statement said that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will say that “ the race to discover the vaccine to defeat this virus is not a competition between countries , but the most urgent shared endeavour of our lifetimes.
“ About 100 research groups are pursuing vaccines , with nearly a dozen in early stages of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But so far there ’ s no way to predict which — if any — vaccine will work safely , or even to name a front-runner .
Dr. Anthony Fauci , the U.S. government ’ s top expert , has cautioned that even if everything goes perfectly , developing a vaccine in 12 to 18 months would set a speed record Even if a first useful vaccine is identified , there won ’ t be enough for everyone .
A growing number of vaccine makers say they ’ re already starting to brew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dollars if they bet on the wrong candidate but shaving a few months off mass vaccinations if their choice pans out .
EU officials say that pledges made toward vaccine research since Jan. 30 , not just on Monday , will be counted as donations toward the 7.5 billion euro ( $ 8.2 billion ) target of this conference .


thetorontostar--2020-05-04--Martin Luther King’s traffic ticket changed history’s course

DECATUR , Ga. - On this day 60 years ago , a black man driving a white woman was pulled over in a traffic stop that would change the course of American history .
The incident was unknown to most at the time and has been largely forgotten .
The man was Martin Luther King Jr. , and his citation on May 4 , 1960 , led to him being sentenced , illegally , to a chain gang .
Georgia ’ s segregationist politicians sought to silence King before he could mobilize great masses of people .
But it backfired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ race , prompting blacks to vote Democrat and help end Jim Crow laws in the Deep South .
Today , there ’ s still a lot at stake for blacks , who are still urging presidential candidates to earn their votes while fighting against new ballot restrictions .
King ’ s “ willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice ” proved to be the catalyst for change , said Maurice C. Daniels , who wrote a biography of King ’ s lawyer , “ Saving the Soul of Georgia : Donald L. Hollowell and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Here we are in 2020 and we see there are systemic , institutionalized mechanisms , just as there were in 1960 , to stall , derail and to deny citizens their franchise , “ Daniels said .
Alicia Garza , whose Black Futures Lab is promoting a Black Agenda 2020 , sees lessons for today ’ s activists in how King responded to the traffic stop as he challenged the powerful to provide decent jobs and affordable housing and health care for minorities .
“ That story means everything , ” Garza said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put it all on the line , but bigger than that we need to change the rules that are rigged .
I think we will have a rude awakening in November 2020 if we do not get very intentional ” about Democratic priorities .
King and his wife , Coretta , hosted the writer Lillian Smith for dinner and he was driving her back to Emory University for her cancer treatments when they were pulled over in DeKalb County , just outside Atlanta .
Smith later wrote that they were stopped because the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ black man .
But King may have been followed : The Associated Press had reported that Georgia ’ s segregationist Gov .
Ernest Vandiver vowed to keep the Montgomery bus boycott leader “ under surveillance at all times.
” King paid a $ 25 fine that September to settle the false charge of driving without a license , but said he wasn ’ t aware that he was put on probation , threatening prison if he broke any laws .
Days later , King joined the Atlanta Student Movement ’ s sit-ins campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a whites-only restaurant at Rich ’ s Department store .
Atlanta ’ s leaders soon buckled as Fulton County ’ s jails filled , agreeing to desegregate in exchange for ending the boycotts crippling white-owned businesses .
Charges were dropped and everyone was freed — except King .
The AP reported on Oct. 25 , 1960 , that over 300 people crowded into the Decatur courtroom to watch Judge J. Oscar Mitchell sentence King to four months , even though King ’ s Alabama license was valid until 1962 .
“ I watched @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the courtroom , his hands in metal cuffs behind his back , ” Coretta Scott King recalled in her autobiography .
“ Martin later told me that the terrors of southern justice , wherein scores of black men were plucked from their cells and never seen again , ran through his mind.
” King urged his wife to be strong in a letter from a Georgia prison .
Three years before “ Letter from a Birmingham Jail , ” he wrote : “ this is the cross that we must bear for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days left in the race , the campaigns of Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy sought to downplay civil rights issues for fear of losing southern white votes .
Blacks had mostly voted Republican , since Abraham Lincoln .
Nixon had just been endorsed by Martin Luther King Sr. , the leader of Ebenezer Baptist Church .
But Nixon ignored their pleas for help , while Kennedy called Coretta to express his sympathy .
Historians Taylor Branch and David Garrow wrote that Robert F. Kennedy threw a fit , telling aides who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they cost him the presidency , but he called Mitchell , who reversed his denial of bond , immediately freeing King .
King ’ s father switched his endorsement , saying Kennedy had “ the moral courage to stand up for what ’ s right.
” That quote , and others , appeared in a blue-papered pamphlet titled “ No Comment Nixon Versus a Candidate with a Heart , Senator Kennedy.
” Unnoticed by the national media , Kennedy aides and King supporters distributed the pamphlet in black churches around the nation the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voted 60-40 Republican just four years earlier ; this time they voted 70-30 for the Democrat , providing more than enough for Kennedy to win the electoral college and the popular vote by a narrow 113,000 margin nationwide , according to Theodore H. White in “ The Making of the Presidency 1960.
” “ It ’ s a really interesting and nuanced history , ” said political organizer Mary Hooks , co-director of Southerners on New Ground .
“ The booby traps that Dr. King was experiencing during that time are the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people every day.
” Michael Warren is an editor on the AP ’ s South Desk and a contributor to the Race and Ethnicity team .
Warren also has been a volunteer mentor to Decatur High School students as they prepare to apply for a historical marker at the site where King was sentenced .


thetorontostar--2020-05-04--J.Crew files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

J.Crew files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

NEW YORK - The owner of J.Crew is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy , two months after the first person in New York tested positive for COVID-19 .
The city , where J.Crew Group Inc. is based , went into lockdown soon after , followed by much the country .
Retail stores in New York City and across the country shut their doors .
More bankruptcies across the retail sector are expected in coming weeks .
J.Crew , already in trouble before the pandemic and laden with debt , and was acquired by TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Operations at J.Crew will continue throughout a restructuring and clothing will still be available to purchase online .
The company said Monday that it anticipates its stores will reopen when it ’ s safe to do so .
Retail veteran Mickey Drexler led J.Crew for more than a decade when it become a coveted fashion brand .
But the chain appeared to lose its way at some point and Drexler severed his last ties with the company in January 2019 .
There are a number of retail chains that were already teetering at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic is wreaking havoc equally across the entire sector .
J.Crew is not the first to seek protection during the coronavirus outbreak , and no one expects it to be the last .
J.C. Penney and Neiman Marcus are expected to follow J.Crew .
Jeans maker True Religion Apparel Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection last month .
Clothing store sales plummeted 50.5 % in March , according to the latest Commerce Department report , and it has grown worse since .
In its last full year of operations , J.Crew generated $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % increase from the year before .
J.Crew had aimed to spin off its successful Madewell division as a public company and use the proceeds to pay down its debt .
The company said Monday that Madewell will remain part of J.Crew Group Inc .
There were 193 J.Crew stores , 172 J.Crew Factory outlets and 132 Madewell locations as of Feb. 1 .

Anne D'Innocenzio - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-04--Shootout leaves officer, hit-and-run suspect dead in Kansas

OVERLAND PARK , Kan. - A shootout in Kansas left both a police officer and a hit-and-run suspect dead , authorities said .
Overland Park police Officer Mike Mosher died at a hospital Sunday evening , Police Chief Frank Donchez said .
Mosher was off-duty but in uniform when he saw an apparent hit-and-run and pursued the suspect , which led to a shootout , police spokesman Officer John Lacy told news outlets .
The suspect died at the scene , Donchez said .
Police didn ’ t immediately release a name .
An interagency Johnson County team tasked with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the police chief said .
Police didn ’ t immediately say what led to the exchange of gunfire .
Mosher had been with the Overland Park department for nearly 15 years , and was named officer of the year in 2019 .
He is survived by a wife and daughter .
“ But I know that I speak for Mike when I say that he was proud to be a police officer .
It ’ s all he ever wanted to do .
He loved what he did , ” Donchez said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his job .
The police department had not lost an officer in the line of duty since 1985 , news outlets reported Lacy said .
Mosher ’ s death “ is a tragic reminder of the enormous debt of gratitude we owe the men and women in law enforcement for protecting our communities , ” Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said in a statement.
“ Overland Park is near the Missouri state line and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area .


thetorontostar--2020-05-04--Senate set to reopen as virus risk divides Congress

WASHINGTON - The Senate will gavel in Monday as the coronavirus rages , returning to an uncertain agenda and deepening national debate over how best to confront the deadly pandemic and its economic devastation .
With the House staying away due to the health risks , and the 100 senators convening for the first time since March , the conflicted Congress reflects an uneasy nation .
The Washington area remains a virus hot-spot under stay-home rules .
Tops on the Senate agenda is not necessarily the next virus aid package , despite a nationwide jobless rate that ’ s approaching @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governors for more money .
“ There ’ s kind of a pause period right now , ” said White House ’ s Larry Kudlow , director of the national economic counsel , on CNN .
“ Let ’ s see how it ’ s doing as we gradually reopen the economy.
” Senate Republicans are trying to set the terms of debate , frustrated that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was able to fill up earlier aid bills with Democratic priorities .
They ’ re reluctant to unleash federal funds beyond the nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus relief .
“ We are going to need more help , ” Republican Gov .
Larry Hogan of Maryland , the chairman of the National Governors Association , said on CNN .
Instead , Senate Republicans are counting on the country ’ s reopening to kick-start the economy as their best hope to limit a new round of big spending on virus aid .
President Donald Trump , on the eve of the Senate ’ s return , held a town hall encouraging Americans to get back to work .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump said , even as he revised upward his projection for the total U.S. death total to 80,000 or 90,000 .
The COVID-19 crisis has all but closed Congress since late March , a longer absence than during the 1918 Spanish Flu or the 2001 terror attacks .
In making a snap decision to return , Senate Majority Mitch McConnell said the Senate can not “ sit on the sidelines.
” He compared the senators to the essential work force of grocery clerks , truck drivers and others keeping Americans fed during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hill poses health risks not just for the lawmakers but the cooks , cleaners , police officers and other workers who keep the lights on at the Capitol complex .
Capitol Hill erupted late last week after the attending physician informed top GOP officials the health office did not have the means to perform instant virus tests on returning lawmakers or staff .
Over the weekend , Trump himself offered Congress access to the instant virus test system used to screen visitors to the White House .
But in an extraordinary rebuff , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ joint statement Saturday that they would “ respectfully decline ” the offer and instead direct resources to the front lines “ where they can do the most good.
” Senators will instead return to a partially reopened Capitol Hill with new guidelines , including the recommendation that senators 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 remains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complain the risks of reopening the Capitol complex is not worth the noticeably light agenda , which is focused on confirming Trump ’ s judicial and executive nominees rather than the virus pandemic .
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 , ” Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has loaded up the agenda with hearings for Trump ’ s nominees , including 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new oversight commission .
The Health Committee will hold a session on potential cures and the Commerce Committee a hearing on the airline industry .
For all that ’ s changed during the pandemic , some traditions remain in Congress .
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. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive .
Democrats , 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.
” But for Republicans , operating the Senate even in a diminished capacity aligns with Trump ’ s effort to return to a sense of normalcy , despite the ongoing health risks @


thetorontostar--2020-05-04--Malaysia opens up partly; all foreign workers to be tested

KUALA LUMPUR , Malaysia - Malaysia ’ s government said Monday that all foreign workers must undergo virus testing as many businesses reopen in parts of the country for the first time since a partial coronavirus lockdown began on March 18 .
Senior Minister Ismail Sabri said coronavirus cases rose over the weekend , including a new cluster involving foreign workers at a construction site in an area near Kuala Lumpur that has since been shut down .
As a result , the government decided to “ make it compulsory for all foreign workers in all sectors whether in construction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to undergo COVID-19 screening , “ he said .
He said employers will pay for the tests , which will begin in Kuala Lumpur and the wealthiest state of Selangor .
The move appeared aimed at avoiding neighbouring Singapore ’ s mistake in overlooking the virus ’ s spread among its migrant worker population .
Crowded dormitories housing foreign workers now account for nearly 90 % of Singapore ’ s 18,778 infections .
Malaysia has more than 2 million registered foreign workers , and over 2 million more who have no valid documents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hot spot areas in Kuala Lumpur and a wholesale market with a large population of migrant workers .
Virus cases have dropped sharply in recent weeks , but 227 new infections were reported over the weekend .
Malaysia has confirmed 6,298 cases with 105 deaths .
The easing of the lockdown on Monday , days before it was due to end May 12 , came as Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin ’ s government seeks to balance controlling the virus and reviving the hard-hit economy .
The move has split public opinion amid fears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could spark a new wave of infections .
Nine of the country ’ s 13 states , including Selangor and two impoverished rural states on Borneo island , have either refused to open up or restricted the types of businesses that can operate .
More than half a million Malaysians have protested by signing online petitions calling for a more gradual easing .
But Malaysian manufacturers urged all states to allow them to restart smoothly .
Muhyiddin has said it is time to heal the economy , which has lost billions of dollars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures , and mass gatherings will still be banned .
This means schools , cinemas and worship houses will stay shut , group sports are prohibited and interstate travel remains banned .
Government officials have defended the decision to let businesses reopen with strict conditions , noting that the lockdown has helped to slow the number of new infections and wasn ’ t intended to eliminate the disease .
Kuala Lumpur cranked back to life early Monday , with traffic on the roads and pedestrians wearing face masks walking to their offices .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with thin crowds at rail stations and on buses .
“ Well , I am a little bit worried because we are not using our personal vehicles but public transport .
As you know , many people use public transport so there is a risk of exposure but we have to practice the right prevention method , ” Nurul Syafiqah , who works in the construction industry , said in a near-empty train heading to the city .
At a restaurant , customers registered their contact details and had their temperatures checked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ With this COVID-19 , I think society has changed , I think it is very difficult , not easy for the operator and also for the customer , but I think sooner or later they will get used to it , “ said restaurant owner Koh Yock Heng .
Associated Press video journalist Syawalludin Zain contributed to this report .