washingtontimes--2020-09-28--Collins, Gideon clash over Supreme Court, pandemic in debate

PORTLAND , Maine ( AP ) - Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Sara Gideon clashed Monday over the Supreme Court and the response to the pandemic during their second debate in the closely watched Senate race .
Gideon , the Maine House speaker , accused the four-term Collins of failing to use her seniority to show results for the people of Maine , especially when additional help is needed during the pandemic .
Collins said the Paycheck Protection Program she authored saved hundreds of thousands of jobs while noting that the Maine Legislature adjourned during the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March 17 and hasn ’ t lifted a finger to do anything about the coronavirus .
She promised to provide aid to small businesses but did not do so , ” Collins said .
Independent Max Linn denounced both of them , calling both of them “ weak women ” who were beholden to their parties .
Also in the debate was another independent , educator Lisa Savage .
Collins is facing the toughest campaign of her career as she seeks a fifth term in Washington .
Democrats , meanwhile , view unseating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate .
The importance of the race is underscored by the millions of dollars pouring into Maine , making it the most expensive political race in state history .
Monday night was the first time the four candidates shared the stage since the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , and the debate opened with a question about the highly politicized Supreme Court nomination process .
Gideon accused Collins of rubber-stamping 181 of President Donald Trump ’ s judicial nominees , saying “ that has pushed the Supreme Court far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ideological.
” She said the Supreme Court is about to take up the Affordable Care Act and potentially take health care away in the middle of a pandemic .
Collins said Gideon has refused to rule out “ packing the court ” and noted that she has opposed some of Trump ’ s judicial nominees .
Both Gideon and Collins agree on one thing : Both think the current vacancy on the court shouldn ’ t be filled until after the election .
Linn tried to steal the show as he has done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attacks and theatrics by pulling out scissors and cutting up surgical masks , saying that people shouldn ’ t be forced by the government to wear them during the pandemic .
Savage , for her part , said she was the only candidate who wasn ’ t a millionaire and once again stressed the importance of ranked voting .
She said people can vote for her and her values of “ Medicare for All , ” “ Green New Deal ” and demilitarization without fear of her being a spoiler .
The candidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choice voting , in which voters can rank candidates in order of preference on the ballot .
It incorporates extra voting rounds , last-place finisher eliminations and reallocation of votes to ensure a majority winner .
Both Democrats and Republicans have so far spent or allocated more than $ 98 million on the Collins-Gideon race , with Democrats having a modest edge , according to the ad tracking company Kantar/CMAG .
The debate took place in Presque Isle , near Collins ’ hometown of Caribou .
WAGM-TV in Presque Isle and WABI-TV in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Several more are planned before Election Day .

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Sara Gideon clashed Monday over the Supreme Court and the response to the pandemic during their second debate in the closely watched Senate race.
Gideon, the Maine House speaker, accused the four-term Collins of failing to use her seniority to show results for the people of Maine, especially when additional help is needed during the pandemic. Collins said the Paycheck Protection Program she authored saved hundreds of thousands of jobs while noting that the Maine Legislature adjourned during the pandemic.
“She adjourned the legislature on March 17 and hasn’t lifted a finger to do anything about the coronavirus. She promised to provide aid to small businesses but did not do so,” Collins said.
Independent Max Linn denounced both of them, calling both of them “weak women” who were beholden to their parties. Also in the debate was another independent, educator Lisa Savage.
Collins is facing the toughest campaign of her career as she seeks a fifth term in Washington. Democrats, meanwhile, view unseating Collins as key to retaking control of the Senate.
The importance of the race is underscored by the millions of dollars pouring into Maine, making it the most expensive political race in state history.
Monday night was the first time the four candidates shared the stage since the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the debate opened with a question about the highly politicized Supreme Court nomination process.
Gideon accused Collins of rubber-stamping 181 of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees, saying “that has pushed the Supreme Court far to the right and made it very ideological.” She said the Supreme Court is about to take up the Affordable Care Act and potentially take health care away in the middle of a pandemic.
Collins said Gideon has refused to rule out “packing the court” and noted that she has opposed some of Trump’s judicial nominees.
Both Gideon and Collins agree on one thing: Both think the current vacancy on the court shouldn’t be filled until after the election.
Linn tried to steal the show as he has done in the past, continuing his combative attacks and theatrics by pulling out scissors and cutting up surgical masks, saying that people shouldn’t be forced by the government to wear them during the pandemic.
Savage, for her part, said she was the only candidate who wasn’t a millionaire and once again stressed the importance of ranked voting. She said people can vote for her and her values of “Medicare for All,” “Green New Deal” and demilitarization without fear of her being a spoiler.
The candidate will be selected by Mainers using ranked choice voting, in which voters can rank candidates in order of preference on the ballot.
It incorporates extra voting rounds, last-place finisher eliminations and reallocation of votes to ensure a majority winner.
Both Democrats and Republicans have so far spent or allocated more than $98 million on the Collins-Gideon race, with Democrats having a modest edge, according to the ad tracking company Kantar/CMAG.
The debate took place in Presque Isle, near Collins’ hometown of Caribou. WAGM-TV in Presque Isle and WABI-TV in Bangor were sponsors of the debate. Several more are planned before Election Day.


washingtontimes--2020-09-28--Mexico ups COVID-19 'estimate' to 89,612 deaths

MEXICO CITY ( AP ) - Mexico upped its “ estimated ” COVID-19 deaths to 89,612 on Monday , and boosted estimates of its total number of cases to 870,699 , almost 137,000 more than it previously recognized .
Even with the new estimated death toll , Mexico is still in fourth place world wide behind India , which has 95,542 deaths .
But in the case of infections , the new estimates would boost Mexico from eighth place in total cases , to fifth place , behind Russia with about 1.15 million cases .
Mexico has about 76,600 test-confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials acknowledge those are significant undercounts , because the country does so little testing : only about 1.6 million tests have been done so far .
In a nation of almost 130 million , that means that only about one in 80 Mexicans has ever had a test .
About 40 % of all tests are positive , because only people with significant symptoms are tested .
Mexico had previously published “ estimated ” figures based on tests still awaiting results , which sometimes takes weeks .
But the new estimates released Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were calculated by adding two new groups : those who never were tested but had symptoms , and those who had tests which could not be analyzed because the samples were not handled properly .
The new figures also include a proportion of pending results .
Officials revealed Sunday that almost 96,000 test swabs - equal to about 5 % of all tests in Mexico - had to be thrown out because they never reached a lab , arrived too late or were not preserved in the right conditions to be tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revive debate about Mexico ’ s death toll , because to date the Mexican government has avoided adjusting its death toll upward to account for people who died at home or weren ’ t tested .
Some parts of the country like Mexico City have begun conducting their own recalculations , finding “ excess deaths ” likely caused by coronavirus were at least double official figures .
The issue is a significant one in Mexico , because President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has frequently compared Mexico ’ s death rates to those of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the public that his administration isn ’ t doing a bad job at handling the pandemic .
But those appear to be unsound comparisons , because many other countries have attempted to adjust official figures to account for spikes in deaths that coincide with virus outbreaks .
Mexico ’ s top coronavirus official said Sunday that definitive data on the country ’ s death toll from COVID-19 won ’ t be available for “ a couple of years.
” “ When will the final statistics on deaths from COVID-19 be ready ?
Certainly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first year of the pandemic , ” Assistant Health Secretary Hugo López-Gatell said , adding that work would be left to the country ’ s statistics institute .

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico upped its “estimated” COVID-19 deaths to 89,612 on Monday, and boosted estimates of its total number of cases to 870,699, almost 137,000 more than it previously recognized.
Even with the new estimated death toll, Mexico is still in fourth place world wide behind India, which has 95,542 deaths. But in the case of infections, the new estimates would boost Mexico from eighth place in total cases, to fifth place, behind Russia with about 1.15 million cases.
Mexico has about 76,600 test-confirmed deaths and 733,717 test-confirmed cases. But officials acknowledge those are significant undercounts, because the country does so little testing: only about 1.6 million tests have been done so far.
In a nation of almost 130 million, that means that only about one in 80 Mexicans has ever had a test. About 40% of all tests are positive, because only people with significant symptoms are tested.
Mexico had previously published “estimated” figures based on tests still awaiting results, which sometimes takes weeks.
But the new estimates released Monday by the Health Department are higher because they were calculated by adding two new groups: those who never were tested but had symptoms, and those who had tests which could not be analyzed because the samples were not handled properly. The new figures also include a proportion of pending results.
Officials revealed Sunday that almost 96,000 test swabs - equal to about 5% of all tests in Mexico - had to be thrown out because they never reached a lab, arrived too late or were not preserved in the right conditions to be tested.
The new estimates are likely to revive debate about Mexico’s death toll, because to date the Mexican government has avoided adjusting its death toll upward to account for people who died at home or weren’t tested.
Some parts of the country like Mexico City have begun conducting their own recalculations, finding “excess deaths” likely caused by coronavirus were at least double official figures.
The issue is a significant one in Mexico, because President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has frequently compared Mexico’s death rates to those of other countries in a bid to convince the public that his administration isn’t doing a bad job at handling the pandemic.
But those appear to be unsound comparisons, because many other countries have attempted to adjust official figures to account for spikes in deaths that coincide with virus outbreaks.
Mexico’s top coronavirus official said Sunday that definitive data on the country’s death toll from COVID-19 won’t be available for “a couple of years.”
“When will the final statistics on deaths from COVID-19 be ready? Certainly, a couple of years after the first year of the pandemic,” Assistant Health Secretary Hugo López-Gatell said, adding that work would be left to the country’s statistics institute.


washingtontimes--2020-09-28--911 service outages reported in parts of Arizona and Nevada

PHOENIX ( AP ) - Authorities said 911 service was down throughout parts of northern and southern Arizona and Nevada @ @ @ @ @ night and the cause wasn ’ t immediately clear .
In Nevada , Reno police @ @ @ @ @ outages was under investigation after 911 was down in the Washoe County , Reno and @ @ @ @ @ Arizona counties and cities , service went down and then resumed as quickly as 15 @ @ @ @ @ experienced longer outages .
In southern Arizona , the Pima and Cochise County Sheriff ’ @ @ @ @ @ , Oro Valley police , Northwest Fire District and the city of Tucson all reported @ @ @ @ @ restored .
Agencies across Yavapai County and Flagstaff reported outages in northern Arizona , but @ @ @ @ @ outages in the Phoenix metro area .

PHOENIX (AP) - Authorities said 911 service was down throughout parts of northern and southern Arizona and Nevada for a brief time Monday night and the cause wasn’t immediately clear.
In Nevada, Reno police said the cause of the outages was under investigation after 911 was down in the Washoe County, Reno and Sparks areas.
For some Arizona counties and cities, service went down and then resumed as quickly as 15 minutes later while other areas experienced longer outages.
In southern Arizona, the Pima and Cochise County Sheriff’s Departments, Tucson police, Oro Valley police, Northwest Fire District and the city of Tucson all reported 911 outages before service was restored.
Agencies across Yavapai County and Flagstaff reported outages in northern Arizona, but there were no reported 911 outages in the Phoenix metro area.


washingtontimes--2020-09-28--Mexico says drug cartels prey on mining companies

MEXICO CITY ( AP ) - Mexico launched a special government guard force for mining operations Monday , admitting that drug cartels have preyed on the companies , many of which are foreign .
The first 118 mine guards graduated Monday from a special training course .
They are equipped with assault rifles .
Public Safety Secretary Alfonso Durazo said “ this will help resolve the attacks by organized crime in this sector of the economy.
” Reports have long abounded that foreign gold and silver mines were being forced to make extortion payments to drug gangs .
In past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or semi-refined metals directly from the mines .
In 2015 , an organized crime gang robbed almost 10 pounds ( 4.5 kilograms ) of gold-silver mix from employees at a large silver and gold mine in northern Mexico .
The Fresnillo mining company said the robbery occurred near its Herradura mine in the border state of Sonora .
The company said armed men pulled over a company truck and stole the metals .
It said none of its employees were injured .
The company said the robbery was carried out by “ organized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Mexico to refer to drug cartels .
In the western state of Michoacan , the Knights Templar cartel and La Familia gang got involved in exporting shipments of iron ore between 2010 and 2014 .
In 2018 , Canada ’ s Pan American Silver Corp. temporarily cut back some operations at its mine in northern Mexico due to safety concerns .
The company said employees have had security incidents on roads leading to the mine in a remote part of Chihuahua state , a region plagued by drug cartels .
At one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mine , afraid to leave because of threats by armed groups and some employees were evacuated on private planes .

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico launched a special government guard force for mining operations Monday, admitting that drug cartels have preyed on the companies, many of which are foreign.
The first 118 mine guards graduated Monday from a special training course. They are equipped with assault rifles.
Public Safety Secretary Alfonso Durazo said “this will help resolve the attacks by organized crime in this sector of the economy.”
Reports have long abounded that foreign gold and silver mines were being forced to make extortion payments to drug gangs. In past years, gangs have also stolen minerals or semi-refined metals directly from the mines.
In 2015, an organized crime gang robbed almost 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) of gold-silver mix from employees at a large silver and gold mine in northern Mexico. The Fresnillo mining company said the robbery occurred near its Herradura mine in the border state of Sonora. The company said armed men pulled over a company truck and stole the metals. It said none of its employees were injured.
The company said the robbery was carried out by “organized crime,” a phrase usually used in Mexico to refer to drug cartels.
In the western state of Michoacan, the Knights Templar cartel and La Familia gang got involved in exporting shipments of iron ore between 2010 and 2014.
In 2018, Canada’s Pan American Silver Corp. temporarily cut back some operations at its mine in northern Mexico due to safety concerns.
The company said employees have had security incidents on roads leading to the mine in a remote part of Chihuahua state, a region plagued by drug cartels. At one point employees were holed up at the mine, afraid to leave because of threats by armed groups and some employees were evacuated on private planes.


washingtontimes--2020-09-28--Coronavirus remakes South Koreans' Thanksgiving traditions

SEOUL , South Korea ( AP ) - The coronavirus forced 84-year-old Chung Seong-ran to do something new to celebrate South Korea ’ s Thanksgiving holiday instead of being visited by her daughter .
With a welfare worker ’ s help , Chung sent a video greeting to her daughter for the first time in her life .
“ Please , always wear masks and be vigilant !
Mommy is eating well and doing fine at home .
I only worry about you .
I love you , ” Chung said in the 15-second video clip .
Many South Koreans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than in past years , when millions of people traveled to visit their hometowns .
Health authorities have for weeks urged people to refrain from traveling during the five-day holiday that begins Wednesday because increased mobility could spread the virus and threaten South Korea ’ s hard-won gains against COVID-19 .
A resurgence in the Seoul area in mid-August and September forced authorities to strengthen social distancing and other measures .
The 38 new cases reported Tuesday were South Korea ’ s lowest daily increase in about 50 days .
“ We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family bonds and say hello to each other in a non-contact manner during this year ’ s Chuseok for the safety of your families and all of us , ” Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said at a recent virus briefing .
“ We can have video calls with each other or use video conferencing for family gatherings.
” It ’ s unclear how much Chuseok observations might affect South Korea ’ s outbreak .
Surveys of residents in the greater Seoul area - where more than half of South Korea ’ s 51 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aren ’ t planning to visit relatives .
But tens of thousands of tourists are expected to visit the southern resort island of Jeju , and about 95 % of the rooms at six major hotels and high-end resorts on the east coast are already booked , according to tourism officials .
The government ’ s anti-virus steps during this year ’ s Chuseok include a ban on eating at restaurants at highway rest areas and the installation of plastic partitions at outdoor tables there .
It will also charge expressway tolls , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past years .
Authorities will also ban big folk festivals and encourage online memorial services for ancestors .
In many rural areas , large placards calling for fewer family gatherings during Chuseok have been hung along streets .
A sign in the central city of Cheongju reads , “ Let ’ s mark this Chuseok with online pilgrimages to ancestral graves and the sending of heartfelt gifts.
” Cheongju resident Shin Dae-sik , 83 , said about 15 family members assembled for Chuseok in past years but they decided not to do so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 95 so we decided not to gather for her ” because elderly people are more vulnerable to the coronavirus , he said .
In the southeastern town of Uiseong where Chung lives , welfare workers were sent to help hundreds of elderly residents record and send video greetings to relatives in faraway places .
Those elderly people live alone and most don ’ t have smartphones , so welfare workers used their phones to take videos and send their greetings to their loved ones .
Chung ’ s daughter , Kang Myoung Suk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mother ’ s message , she “ felt really happy to see my mom on video as I had been only able to hear her voice on the phone.
” Chung stayed at Kang ’ s house in the Seoul area for about one month in June .
But the two haven ’ t met since the virus outbreak worsened in the Seoul area .
Chung said “ my heart sank whenever I saw news about big outbreaks ” near her daughter ’ s place .
Welfare workers often asked elderly residents to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chuseok in their video messages .
But welfare worker Kim Yeon-hee , who shot Chung ’ s video , said she couldn ’ t do so when she helped 15 elderly people record their messages because she knows how much they miss their children .
“ About half of them voluntarily told their children to spend Chuseok separately .
But some are waiting for their children to come .
I know that well , so I couldn ’ t really ask them to tell their children not to come , ” Kim said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Cheongju , South Korea , contributed to this report .

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - The coronavirus forced 84-year-old Chung Seong-ran to do something new to celebrate South Korea’s Thanksgiving holiday instead of being visited by her daughter.
With a welfare worker’s help, Chung sent a video greeting to her daughter for the first time in her life.
“Please, always wear masks and be vigilant! Mommy is eating well and doing fine at home. I only worry about you. I love you,” Chung said in the 15-second video clip.
Many South Koreans are observing the Chuseok autumn holiday differently than in past years, when millions of people traveled to visit their hometowns.
Health authorities have for weeks urged people to refrain from traveling during the five-day holiday that begins Wednesday because increased mobility could spread the virus and threaten South Korea’s hard-won gains against COVID-19. A resurgence in the Seoul area in mid-August and September forced authorities to strengthen social distancing and other measures. The 38 new cases reported Tuesday were South Korea’s lowest daily increase in about 50 days.
“We’d like to ask everyone to build family bonds and say hello to each other in a non-contact manner during this year’s Chuseok for the safety of your families and all of us,” Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said at a recent virus briefing. “We can have video calls with each other or use video conferencing for family gatherings.”
It’s unclear how much Chuseok observations might affect South Korea’s outbreak.
Surveys of residents in the greater Seoul area - where more than half of South Korea’s 51 million people live - showed that most aren’t planning to visit relatives. But tens of thousands of tourists are expected to visit the southern resort island of Jeju, and about 95% of the rooms at six major hotels and high-end resorts on the east coast are already booked, according to tourism officials.
The government’s anti-virus steps during this year’s Chuseok include a ban on eating at restaurants at highway rest areas and the installation of plastic partitions at outdoor tables there. It will also charge expressway tolls, which were suspended during the holiday in past years. Authorities will also ban big folk festivals and encourage online memorial services for ancestors.
In many rural areas, large placards calling for fewer family gatherings during Chuseok have been hung along streets. A sign in the central city of Cheongju reads, “Let’s mark this Chuseok with online pilgrimages to ancestral graves and the sending of heartfelt gifts.”
Cheongju resident Shin Dae-sik, 83, said about 15 family members assembled for Chuseok in past years but they decided not to do so this week. “My sister-in-law is 95 so we decided not to gather for her” because elderly people are more vulnerable to the coronavirus, he said.
In the southeastern town of Uiseong where Chung lives, welfare workers were sent to help hundreds of elderly residents record and send video greetings to relatives in faraway places. Those elderly people live alone and most don’t have smartphones, so welfare workers used their phones to take videos and send their greetings to their loved ones.
Chung’s daughter, Kang Myoung Suk, said that when she received her mother’s message, she “felt really happy to see my mom on video as I had been only able to hear her voice on the phone.”
Chung stayed at Kang’s house in the Seoul area for about one month in June. But the two haven’t met since the virus outbreak worsened in the Seoul area. Chung said “my heart sank whenever I saw news about big outbreaks” near her daughter’s place.
Welfare workers often asked elderly residents to tell their relatives not to come during Chuseok in their video messages. But welfare worker Kim Yeon-hee, who shot Chung’s video, said she couldn’t do so when she helped 15 elderly people record their messages because she knows how much they miss their children.
“About half of them voluntarily told their children to spend Chuseok separately. But some are waiting for their children to come. I know that well, so I couldn’t really ask them to tell their children not to come,” Kim said.
___
Associated Press journalist Jung Yoon Kim in Cheongju, South Korea, contributed to this report.


washingtontimes--2020-09-28--EPA ridicules California's proposed ban of new gas cars

SACRAMENTO , Calif. ( AP ) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler on Monday ridiculed California Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035 , saying the proposal raises “ significant questions of legality.
” Last week , Newsom signed an executive order directing state regulators to come up with rules that would ban the sale of all new gas-powered passenger cars and trucks by 2035 .
He said the plan will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35 % .
On Monday , Wheeler sent Newsom a letter questioning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electric vehicles despite having “ a record of rolling blackouts.
” He said it “ begs the question of how you expect to run an electric car fleet that will come with significant increases in electricity demand , when you can ’ t even keep the lights on today.
” California had its first rolling blackouts in nearly 20 years last month when demand for electricity during a heat wave was so high the state ran out of power .
More than half a million homes and businesses lost power for about an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mandatory power shutoffs a few other times this year , but was able to avoid them .
“ The truth it that if the state were driving 100 percent electric vehicles today , the state would be dealing with even worse power shortages than the ones that have already caused a series of otherwise preventable environmental and public health consequences , ” Wheeler wrote .
The blackouts in August were complicated by a heat wave that blanketed much of the West , making it more difficult for California to purchase surplus power from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigation of the blackouts and has signed an emergency proclamation allowing more energy users and providers to tap into backup power .
Meanwhile , massive wildfires continue to burn across the state , aided in size and intensity by climate change .
Newsom has said the fires have strengthened his resolve to combat climate change .
“ While the Trump Administration tries to drive this country off a climate cliff , California is once again assuming the mantle of leadership in the fight against climate change , ” said Newsom spokesman Jesse Melgar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to back down from protecting our kids ’ health and the air they breathe .
”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler on Monday ridiculed California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, saying the proposal raises “significant questions of legality.”
Last week, Newsom signed an executive order directing state regulators to come up with rules that would ban the sale of all new gas-powered passenger cars and trucks by 2035. He said the plan will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35%.
On Monday, Wheeler sent Newsom a letter questioning how the state could add millions of electric vehicles despite having “a record of rolling blackouts.” He said it “begs the question of how you expect to run an electric car fleet that will come with significant increases in electricity demand, when you can’t even keep the lights on today.”
California had its first rolling blackouts in nearly 20 years last month when demand for electricity during a heat wave was so high the state ran out of power. More than half a million homes and businesses lost power for about an hour. The state came close to mandatory power shutoffs a few other times this year, but was able to avoid them.
“The truth it that if the state were driving 100 percent electric vehicles today, the state would be dealing with even worse power shortages than the ones that have already caused a series of otherwise preventable environmental and public health consequences,” Wheeler wrote.
The blackouts in August were complicated by a heat wave that blanketed much of the West, making it more difficult for California to purchase surplus power from other states. Newsom has ordered an investigation of the blackouts and has signed an emergency proclamation allowing more energy users and providers to tap into backup power.
Meanwhile, massive wildfires continue to burn across the state, aided in size and intensity by climate change. Newsom has said the fires have strengthened his resolve to combat climate change.
“While the Trump Administration tries to drive this country off a climate cliff, California is once again assuming the mantle of leadership in the fight against climate change,” said Newsom spokesman Jesse Melgar. “We aren’t going to back down from protecting our kids’ health and the air they breathe.”


washingtontimes--2020-09-28--Sheriff: Vest saves Florida officer shot serving a warrant

JACKSONVILLE , Fla. ( AP ) - A Florida officer and veteran member of a SWAT team was shot multiple times while serving a warrant Monday , but his bullet-resistant vest saved his life , officials said .
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said during a news conference that the officer was already home and recovering by Monday evening , the Florida-Times Union reported .
“ He was shot in the vest .
So , the vest saved his life today without a doubt , ” Williams said .
Williams didn ’ t immediately identify the officer , saying only that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helping U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents serve a high-risk warrant at a home around 8 a.m. Monday .
After identifying themselves as law enforcement with a loudspeaker , the officers and agents approached the house .
Officials said gunshots came from inside the house and hit the officer , who returned fire .
Williams said the officer ’ s injuries were minor and that his identity would be released on Tuesday .
No one else was reported hurt .
Police detained a man and woman , Williams said , adding charges are expected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not elaborate , citing the ongoing investigation .

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - A Florida officer and veteran member of a SWAT team was shot multiple times while serving a warrant Monday, but his bullet-resistant vest saved his life, officials said.
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said during a news conference that the officer was already home and recovering by Monday evening, the Florida-Times Union reported.
“He was shot in the vest. So, the vest saved his life today without a doubt,” Williams said.
Williams didn’t immediately identify the officer, saying only that he was part of a SWAT team helping U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents serve a high-risk warrant at a home around 8 a.m. Monday.
After identifying themselves as law enforcement with a loudspeaker, the officers and agents approached the house. Officials said gunshots came from inside the house and hit the officer, who returned fire.
Williams said the officer’s injuries were minor and that his identity would be released on Tuesday. No one else was reported hurt.
Police detained a man and woman, Williams said, adding charges are expected to be filed soon. He did not elaborate, citing the ongoing investigation.


washingtontimes--2020-09-28--Worldwide grief: Death toll from coronavirus tops 1 million

NEW DELHI ( AP ) - Joginder Chaudhary was his parents ’ greatest pride , raised with the little they earned farming a half-acre plot in central India to become the first doctor from their village .
For the coronavirus , though , he was just one more in a million .
After the virus killed the 27-year-old Chaudhary in late July , his mother wept inconsolably .
With her son gone , Premlata Chaudhary said , how could she go on living ?
Three weeks later , on Aug. 18 , the virus took her life , too - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toward a woeful milestone .
Now , 8 1/2 months after an infection doctors had never seen before claimed its first victims in China , the pandemic ’ s confirmed death toll has eclipsed 1 million , according to a count by Johns Hopkins University .
That is partly due to the virus ’ s quickening spread through India , where reported deaths have topped 95,000 and cases are increasing at the fastest rate in the world .
The United States , where the virus has killed about 205,000 people , accounts for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far more than any other country despite its wealth and medical resources .
“ It ’ s not just a number .
It ’ s human beings .
It ’ s people we love , ” said Dr. Howard Markel , a professor of medical history at the University of Michigan who has advised government officials on containing pandemics .
On a Thursday morning in February , Markel ’ s mother , 84 and infirm , was stricken by an illness later diagnosed as COVID-19 .
She died before midnight .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s people we know , ” Markel said .
“ And if you don ’ t have that human factor right in your face , it ’ s very easy to make it abstract.
” Even at 1 million - greater than the population of Jerusalem or Austin , Texas , more than four times the number killed in the 2004 earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean - the toll is almost certainly a vast undercount .
Many deaths were probably missed because of insufficient testing and inconsistent reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Russia and Brazil .
And the number continues to mount .
Nearly 5,000 deaths are reported each day on average .
Parts of Europe are getting hit by new outbreaks and experts fear a second wave may await the U.S. “ I can understand why … numbers are losing their power to shock , but I still think it ’ s really important that we understand how big these numbers really are , ” said Mark Honigsbaum , the London-based author of “ The Pandemic Century : One Hundred Years of Panic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can testify to those numbers like the Rev .
Mario Carminati , a priest in the northern Italian province of Bergamo , which was hit by one of Europe ’ s first major outbreaks last spring .
When the virus overwhelmed local cemeteries , Carminati opened his church to the dead , lining up 80 coffins in the center aisle .
After an army convoy carted them to a crematory , another 80 arrived .
Then 80 more .
“ It was something completely unpredictable that arrived like a bolt of lightning in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reality , ” he said .
Eventually the crisis receded and the world ’ s attention moved on .
But the pandemic ’ s grasp endures .
In August , Carminati buried his nephew , 34-year-old Christian Persico .
“ This thing should make us all reflect .
The problem is that we think we ’ re all immortal , ” Carminati said .
The virus first appeared late last year in patients hospitalized in the Chinese city of Wuhan .
The first death was reported there on Jan. 11 .
By the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two weeks later , millions of travelers had come and gone .
China ’ s government has come in for criticism that it did not do enough to alert other countries to the threat .
Government leaders in countries such as Germany , South Korea and New Zealand worked effectively to contain it .
Others , like U.S. President Donald Trump and Brazil ’ s Jair Bolsonaro , dismissed the severity of the threat and the guidance of scientists , even as hospitals filled with gravely ill patients .
Brazil has recorded the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with about 142,000 .
India is third and Mexico fourth , with more than 76,000 .
Oscar Ortiz , an oil platform worker for Mexico ’ s state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos , said he felt helpless while ill and quarantined this spring , as 14 of his coworkers died from the virus , three in a single week .
“ It ’ s very painful to see this and not be able to do anything , ” said Ortiz , whose company has reported more than 300 deaths in its ranks .
The virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well-being .
The choices made have left millions of people vulnerable , especially the poor , minorities and the elderly .
India , whose government relaxed tight restrictions in recent months to jump-start an economy where many subsist on earnings from day labor , is the latest example .
“ When the pandemic actually started to get under control to some extent , the lockdown was eased and then completely lifted , ” said K. Srinath Reddy , president of the Public Health Foundation of India .
“ The virus had a free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” With so many of the deaths beyond view in hospital wards and clustered on society ’ s margins , the milestone recalls the grim pronouncement often attributed to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin : One death is a tragedy , millions of deaths are a statistic .
The pandemic ’ s toll of 1 million dead in such a limited time rivals some of the gravest threats to public health , past and present .
It exceeds annual deaths from AIDS , which last year killed about 690,000 people worldwide .
The virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million global deaths each year from tuberculosis , which regularly kills more people than any other infectious disease .
But “ COVID ’ s grip on humanity is incomparably greater than the grip of other causes of death , ” said Lawrence Gostin , a professor of global health law at Georgetown University .
He noted the unemployment , poverty and despair caused by the pandemic , and deaths from myriad other illnesses that have gone untreated .
To put the death toll , alone , in perspective , look to Brazil .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 900 Brazilians were killed in flooding that was widely described as the country ’ s worst-ever single day of natural disaster .
From late May to late August , the coronavirus killed more Brazilians than that , on average , day after day .
The victims included Caravaldina Oliveira da Costa , who worked for years as a maid in the beach resort of Armacao dos Buzios .
She also stood up for her neighbors in Rasa , a poor community filled with the descendants of escaped slaves , becoming their voice in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She brought something to Rasa that no politician would bring : self-confidence , ” said Rejane Oliveira , her niece and disciple .
When the elder Oliveira died in June at 79 , Buzios ’ mayor decreed three days of mourning .
But city hall ruled out holding a ceremony .
Because of the virus , officials said , it wasn ’ t safe to gather .
For all its lethality , the virus has claimed far fewer lives than the so-called Spanish flu , which killed an estimated 40 million to 50 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over a century ago .
That pandemic came before scientists had microscopes powerful enough to identify the enemy or antibiotics that could treat the bacterial pneumonia that killed most of the victims .
In the U.S. , the Spanish flu killed about 675,000 .
But most of those deaths did not come until a second wave hit over the winter of 1918-19 .
Up to now , the disease has left only a faint footprint on Africa , well shy of early modeling that predicted thousands more deaths .
But cases have recently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Russia and Israel .
In the United States , the return of students to college campuses has sparked new outbreaks .
With approval and distribution of a vaccine still probably months away and winter approaching in the Northern Hemisphere , the toll will continue to climb .
“ We ’ re only at the beginning of this .
We ’ re going to see many more weeks ahead of this pandemic than we ’ ve had behind us , ” Gostin said .
Already , though , far too many grieve .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Rajendra Chaudhary , who lost his son , the young Indian doctor , and then his wife .
“ All our aspirations , our dreams , everything is finished.
” Associated Press writers Nicole Winfield in Rome , Suman Naishadham in Phoenix and David Biller in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this story .
Jain reported from New Delhi and Geller from New York .

NEW DELHI (AP) — Joginder Chaudhary was his parents’ greatest pride, raised with the little they earned farming a half-acre plot in central India to become the first doctor from their village.
For the coronavirus, though, he was just one more in a million.
After the virus killed the 27-year-old Chaudhary in late July, his mother wept inconsolably. With her son gone, Premlata Chaudhary said, how could she go on living? Three weeks later, on Aug. 18, the virus took her life, too - yet another number in an unrelenting march toward a woeful milestone.
Now, 8 1/2 months after an infection doctors had never seen before claimed its first victims in China, the pandemic’s confirmed death toll has eclipsed 1 million, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University.
That is partly due to the virus’s quickening spread through India, where reported deaths have topped 96,000 and cases are increasing at the fastest rate in the world.
The United States, where the virus has killed about 205,000 people, accounts for 1 out of 5 deaths worldwide, far more than any other country despite its wealth and medical resources.
“It’s not just a number. It’s human beings. It’s people we love,” said Dr. Howard Markel, a professor of medical history at the University of Michigan who has advised government officials on containing pandemics. On a Thursday morning in February, Markel’s mother, 84 and infirm, was stricken by an illness later diagnosed as COVID-19. She died before midnight.
“It’s our brothers, our sisters. It’s people we know,” Markel said. “And if you don’t have that human factor right in your face, it’s very easy to make it abstract.”
Even at 1 million - greater than the population of Jerusalem or Austin, Texas, more than four times the number killed in the 2004 earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean - the toll is almost certainly a vast undercount.
Many deaths were probably missed because of insufficient testing and inconsistent reporting, and some suspect concealment by countries like Russia and Brazil.
And the number continues to mount. Nearly 5,000 deaths are reported each day on average. Parts of Europe are getting hit by new outbreaks and experts fear a second wave may await the U.S.
“I can understand why … numbers are losing their power to shock, but I still think it’s really important that we understand how big these numbers really are,” said Mark Honigsbaum, the London-based author of “The Pandemic Century: One Hundred Years of Panic, Hysteria and Hubris.”
Few people can testify to those numbers like the Rev. Mario Carminati, a priest in the northern Italian province of Bergamo, which was hit by one of Europe’s first major outbreaks last spring. When the virus overwhelmed local cemeteries, Carminati opened his church to the dead, lining up 80 coffins in the center aisle. After an army convoy carted them to a crematory, another 80 arrived. Then 80 more.
“It was something completely unpredictable that arrived like a bolt of lightning in a clear sky … and struck our reality,” he said.
Eventually the crisis receded and the world’s attention moved on. But the pandemic’s grasp endures. In August, Carminati buried his nephew, 34-year-old Christian Persico.
“This thing should make us all reflect. The problem is that we think we’re all immortal,” Carminati said.
The virus first appeared late last year in patients hospitalized in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The first death was reported there on Jan. 11. By the time authorities locked down the city nearly two weeks later, millions of travelers had come and gone. China’s government has come in for criticism that it did not do enough to alert other countries to the threat.
Government leaders in countries such as Germany, South Korea and New Zealand worked effectively to contain it. Others, like U.S. President Donald Trump and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, dismissed the severity of the threat and the guidance of scientists, even as hospitals filled with gravely ill patients.
Brazil has recorded the second most deaths after the U.S., with about 142,000. India is third and Mexico fourth, with more than 76,000.
Oscar Ortiz, an oil platform worker for Mexico’s state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos, said he felt helpless while ill and quarantined this spring, as 14 of his coworkers died from the virus, three in a single week.
“It’s very painful to see this and not be able to do anything,” said Ortiz, whose company has reported more than 300 deaths in its ranks.
The virus has forced trade-offs between safety and economic well-being. The choices made have left millions of people vulnerable, especially the poor, minorities and the elderly.
India, whose government relaxed tight restrictions in recent months to jump-start an economy where many subsist on earnings from day labor, is the latest example.
“When the pandemic actually started to get under control to some extent, the lockdown was eased and then completely lifted,” said K. Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India. “The virus had a free passage and could spread much more easily.”
With so many of the deaths beyond view in hospital wards and clustered on society’s margins, the milestone recalls the grim pronouncement often attributed to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin: One death is a tragedy, millions of deaths are a statistic.
The pandemic’s toll of 1 million dead in such a limited time rivals some of the gravest threats to public health, past and present.
It exceeds annual deaths from AIDS, which last year killed about 690,000 people worldwide. The virus’s toll is approaching the 1.5 million global deaths each year from tuberculosis, which regularly kills more people than any other infectious disease.
But “COVID’s grip on humanity is incomparably greater than the grip of other causes of death,” said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University. He noted the unemployment, poverty and despair caused by the pandemic, and deaths from myriad other illnesses that have gone untreated.
To put the death toll, alone, in perspective, look to Brazil.
Nearly a decade ago, more than 900 Brazilians were killed in flooding that was widely described as the country’s worst-ever single day of natural disaster. From late May to late August, the coronavirus killed more Brazilians than that, on average, day after day.
The victims included Caravaldina Oliveira da Costa, who worked for years as a maid in the beach resort of Armacao dos Buzios. She also stood up for her neighbors in Rasa, a poor community filled with the descendants of escaped slaves, becoming their voice in a fight for land rights.
“She brought something to Rasa that no politician would bring: self-confidence,” said Rejane Oliveira, her niece and disciple.
When the elder Oliveira died in June at 79, Buzios’ mayor decreed three days of mourning. But city hall ruled out holding a ceremony. Because of the virus, officials said, it wasn’t safe to gather.
For all its lethality, the virus has claimed far fewer lives than the so-called Spanish flu, which killed an estimated 40 million to 50 million worldwide in two years, just over a century ago.
That pandemic came before scientists had microscopes powerful enough to identify the enemy or antibiotics that could treat the bacterial pneumonia that killed most of the victims. In the U.S., the Spanish flu killed about 675,000. But most of those deaths did not come until a second wave hit over the winter of 1918-19.
Up to now, the disease has left only a faint footprint on Africa, well shy of early modeling that predicted thousands more deaths.
But cases have recently surged in countries like Britain, Spain, Russia and Israel. In the United States, the return of students to college campuses has sparked new outbreaks. With approval and distribution of a vaccine still probably months away and winter approaching in the Northern Hemisphere, the toll will continue to climb.
“We’re only at the beginning of this. We’re going to see many more weeks ahead of this pandemic than we’ve had behind us,” Gostin said.
Already, though, far too many grieve.
“This pandemic has ruined my family,” said Rajendra Chaudhary, who lost his son, the young Indian doctor, and then his wife. “All our aspirations, our dreams, everything is finished.”
___
Associated Press writers Nicole Winfield in Rome, Suman Naishadham in Phoenix and David Biller in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this story. Jain reported from New Delhi and Geller from New York.


washingtontimes--2020-09-28--Worldwide death toll from coronavirus eclipses 1 million

NEW DELHI ( AP ) - The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus eclipsed 1 million on Tuesday , nine months into a crisis that has devastated the global economy , tested world leaders ’ resolve , pitted science against politics and forced multitudes to change the way they live , learn and work .
“ It ’ s not just a number .
It ’ s human beings .
It ’ s people we love , ” said Dr. Howard Markel , a professor of medical history at the University of Michigan who has advised government officials on containing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 in February .
“ It ’ s our brothers , our sisters .
It ’ s people we know , ” he added .
“ And if you don ’ t have that human factor right in your face , it ’ s very easy to make it abstract.
” The bleak milestone , recorded by Johns Hopkins University , is greater than the population of Jerusalem or Austin , Texas .
It is 2 1/2 times the sea of humanity that was at Woodstock in 1969 .
It is more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2004 earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean .
Even then , the figure is almost certainly a vast undercount because of inadequate or inconsistent testing and reporting and suspected concealment by some countries .
And the number continues to mount .
Nearly 5,000 deaths are reported each day on average .
Parts of Europe are getting hit by a second wave , and experts fear the same fate may await the U.S. , which accounts for about 205,000 deaths , or 1 out of 5 worldwide .
That is far more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s wealth and medical resources .
“ I can understand why … numbers are losing their power to shock , but I still think it ’ s really important that we understand how big these numbers really are , ” said Mark Honigsbaum , author of “ The Pandemic Century : One Hundred Years of Panic , Hysteria and Hubris.
” The global toll includes people like Joginder Chaudhary , who was his parents ’ greatest pride , raised with the little they earned farming a half-acre plot in central India to become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After the virus killed the 27-year-old Chaudhary in late July , his mother wept inconsolably .
With her son gone , Premlata Chaudhary said , how could she go on living ?
Three weeks later , on Aug. 18 , the virus took her life , too .
All told , it has killed more than 95,000 in India .
“ This pandemic has ruined my family , ” said the young doctor ’ s father , Rajendra Chaudhary .
“ All our aspirations , our dreams , everything is finished.
” When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ province of Bergamo last spring , the Rev .
Mario Carminati opened his church to the dead , lining up 80 coffins in the center aisle .
After an army convoy carted them to a crematory , another 80 arrived .
Then 80 more .
Eventually the crisis receded and the world ’ s attention moved on .
But the pandemic ’ s grasp endures .
In August , Carminati buried his 34-year-old nephew .
“ This thing should make us all reflect .
The problem is that we think we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The virus first appeared in late 2019 in patients hospitalized in the Chinese city of Wuhan , where the first death was reported on Jan. 11 .
By the time authorities locked down the city nearly two weeks later , millions of travelers had come and gone .
China ’ s government has come in for criticism that it did not do enough to alert other countries to the threat .
Government leaders in countries like Germany , South Korea and New Zealand worked effectively to contain it .
Others , like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Jair Bolsonaro , dismissed the severity of the threat and the guidance of scientists , even as hospitals filled with gravely ill patients .
Brazil has recorded the second most deaths after the U.S. , with about 142,000 .
India is third and Mexico fourth , with more than 76,000 .
The virus has forced trade-offs between safety and economic well-being .
The choices made have left millions of people vulnerable , especially the poor , minorities and the elderly .
With so many of the deaths beyond view in hospital wards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the milestone recalls the grim pronouncement often attributed to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin : One death is a tragedy , millions of deaths are a statistic .
The pandemic ’ s toll of 1 million dead in such a limited time rivals some of the gravest threats to public health , past and present .
It exceeds annual deaths from AIDS , which last year killed about 690,000 people worldwide .
The virus ’ s toll is approaching the 1.5 million global deaths each year from tuberculosis , which regularly kills more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But “ COVID ’ s grip on humanity is incomparably greater than the grip of other causes of death , ” said Lawrence Gostin , a professor of global health law at Georgetown University .
He noted the unemployment , poverty and despair caused by the pandemic , and deaths from myriad other illnesses that have gone untreated .
For all its lethality , the virus has claimed far fewer lives than the so-called Spanish flu , which killed an estimated 40 million to 50 million worldwide in two years , just over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before scientists had microscopes powerful enough to identify the enemy or antibiotics that could treat the bacterial pneumonia that killed most of the victims .
It also ran a far different course .
In the U.S. , for example , the Spanish flu killed about 675,000 .
But most of those deaths did not come until a second wave hit over the winter of 1918-19 .
Up to now , the disease has left only a faint footprint on Africa , well shy of early modeling that predicted thousands more deaths .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Britain , Spain , Russia and Israel .
In the United States , the return of students to college campuses has sparked new outbreaks .
With approval and distribution of a vaccine still probably months away and winter approaching in the Northern Hemisphere , the toll will continue to climb .
“ We ’ re only at the beginning of this .
We ’ re going to see many more weeks ahead of this pandemic than we ’ ve had behind us , ” Gostin said .
Geller reported from New York .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ story .

NEW DELHI (AP) - The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus has eclipsed 1 million, nine months into a crisis that has devastated the global economy, tested world leaders’ resolve, pitted science against politics and forced multitudes to change the way they live, learn and work.
“It’s not just a number. It’s human beings. It’s people we love,” said Dr. Howard Markel, a professor of medical history at the University of Michigan who has advised government officials on containing pandemics and lost his 84-year-old mother to COVID-19 in February.
“It’s our brothers, our sisters. It’s people we know,” he added. “And if you don’t have that human factor right in your face, it’s very easy to make it abstract.”
The bleak milestone, recorded on Monday in the U.S. by Johns Hopkins University, is greater than the population of Jerusalem or Austin, Texas. It is 2 1/2 times the sea of humanity that was at Woodstock in 1969. It is more than four times the number killed by the 2004 earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean.
Even then, the figure is almost certainly a vast undercount because of inadequate or inconsistent testing and reporting and suspected concealment by some countries.
And the number continues to mount. Nearly 5,000 deaths are reported each day on average. Parts of Europe are getting hit by new outbreaks, and experts fear a second wave in the U.S., which accounts for about 205,000 deaths, or 1 out of 5 worldwide. That is far more than any other country, despite America’s wealth and medical resources.
“I can understand why … numbers are losing their power to shock, but I still think it’s really important that we understand how big these numbers really are,” said Mark Honigsbaum, author of “The Pandemic Century: One Hundred Years of Panic, Hysteria and Hubris.”
The global toll includes people like Joginder Chaudhary, who was his parents’ greatest pride, raised with the little they earned farming a half-acre plot in central India to become the first doctor from their village.
After the virus killed the 27-year-old Chaudhary in late July, his mother wept inconsolably. With her son gone, Premlata Chaudhary said, how could she go on living? Three weeks later, on Aug. 18, the virus took her life, too. All told, it has killed more than 96,000 in India.
“This pandemic has ruined my family,” said the young doctor’s father, Rajendra Chaudhary. “All our aspirations, our dreams, everything is finished.”
When the virus overwhelmed cemeteries in the Italian province of Bergamo last spring, the Rev. Mario Carminati opened his church to the dead, lining up 80 coffins in the center aisle. After an army convoy carted them to a crematory, another 80 arrived. Then 80 more.
Eventually the crisis receded and the world’s attention moved on. But the pandemic’s grasp endures. In August, Carminati buried his 34-year-old nephew.
“This thing should make us all reflect. The problem is that we think we’re all immortal,” the priest said.
The virus first appeared in late 2019 in patients hospitalized in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the first death was reported on Jan. 11. By the time authorities locked down the city nearly two weeks later, millions of travelers had come and gone. China’s government has come in for criticism that it did not do enough to alert other countries to the threat.
Government leaders in countries like Germany, South Korea and New Zealand worked effectively to contain it. Others, like U.S. President Donald Trump and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, dismissed the severity of the threat and the guidance of scientists, even as hospitals filled with gravely ill patients.
Brazil has recorded the second most deaths after the U.S., with about 142,000. India is third and Mexico fourth, with more than 76,000.
The virus has forced trade-offs between safety and economic well-being. The choices made have left millions of people vulnerable, especially the poor, minorities and the elderly.
With so many of the deaths beyond view in hospital wards and clustered on society’s margins, the milestone recalls the grim pronouncement often attributed to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin: One death is a tragedy, millions of deaths are a statistic.
The pandemic’s toll of 1 million dead in such a limited time rivals some of the gravest threats to public health, past and present.
It exceeds annual deaths from AIDS, which last year killed about 690,000 people worldwide. The virus’s toll is approaching the 1.5 million global deaths each year from tuberculosis, which regularly kills more people than any other infectious disease.
But “COVID’s grip on humanity is incomparably greater than the grip of other causes of death,” said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University. He noted the unemployment, poverty and despair caused by the pandemic, and deaths from myriad other illnesses that have gone untreated.
For all its lethality, the virus has claimed far fewer lives than the so-called Spanish flu, which killed an estimated 40 million to 50 million worldwide in two years, just over a century ago.
That pandemic came before scientists had microscopes powerful enough to identify the enemy or antibiotics that could treat the bacterial pneumonia that killed most of the victims. In the U.S., the Spanish flu killed about 675,000. But most of those deaths did not come until a second wave hit over the winter of 1918-19.
Up to now, the disease has left only a faint footprint on Africa, well shy of early modeling that predicted thousands more deaths.
But cases have recently surged in countries like Britain, Spain, Russia and Israel. In the United States, the return of students to college campuses has sparked new outbreaks. With approval and distribution of a vaccine still probably months away and winter approaching in the Northern Hemisphere, the toll will continue to climb.
“We’re only at the beginning of this. We’re going to see many more weeks ahead of this pandemic than we’ve had behind us,” Gostin said.
___
Geller reported from New York. Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed to this story.
—
Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak


washingtontimes--2020-09-29--Kuwait TV channels begin airing Quranic prayers as emir ill

DUBAI , United Arab Emirates ( AP ) - Television channels in Kuwait have cut into their daily programming to @ @ @ @ @ about the country ’ s 91-year-old ruler , Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah .
@ @ @ @ @ fell 2.2 % Tuesday amid concerns over his health .
The Kuwaiti government did not @ @ @ @ @ comment .
However , it earlier urged the public not to traffic in rumors without @ @ @ @ @ Sheikh Sabah ’ s health .
Sheikh Sabah , who had been in poor health @ @ @ @ @ ill in July , leading to a quick hospitalization and surgery in Kuwait City amid @ @ @ @ @ Authorities did not say what ailed him .
A U.S. Air Force C-17 flying hospital @ @ @ @ @ Kuwait to Rochester , Minnesota , home of the flagship campus of the Mayo Clinic @ @ @ @ @ the American government for a foreign head of state .

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, the ruler of Kuwait who drew on his decades as the oil-rich nation’s top diplomat to push for closer ties to Iraq after the 1990 Gulf War and solutions to other regional crises, died Tuesday. He was 91.
In a Middle East replete with elderly rulers, Sheikh Sabah stood out for his efforts at pushing for diplomacy to resolve a bitter dispute between Qatar and other Arab nations that continues to this day.
His 2006 ascension in Kuwait, a staunch U.S. ally since the American-led war that expelled occupying Iraqi troops, came after parliament voted unanimously to oust his predecessor, the ailing Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah, just nine days into his rule.
Yet as Kuwait’s ruling emir, he struggled with internal political disputes, the fallout of the 2011 Arab Spring protests and seesawing crude oil prices that chewed into a national budget providing cradle-to-grave subsidies.
“He represents the older generation of Gulf leaders who valued discretion and moderation and the importance of personal ties amongst fellow monarchs,” said Kristin Diwan, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington who studies Kuwait. “No question he has suffered from the lack of deference and respect shown by the younger and more brash young princes holding power today.”
State television announced his death after playing Quranic prayers, with Royal Court Minister Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al Sabah reading a brief statement, his hands shaking.
“With great sadness and sorrow, the Kuwaiti people, the Arab and Islamic nations, and the friendly peoples of the world mourn the death of the late His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, emir of the state of Kuwait who moved to the realm of the Lord,” the sheikh said, without offering a cause of death.
Sheikh Sabah is expected to be succeeded by his half brother, the crown prince Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah.
The high regard for Sheikh Sabah could be seen in the outpouring of support for him across the Mideast as he suddenly fell ill in July 2020, leading to a quick hospitalization and surgery in Kuwait City amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Authorities did not say what ailed him.
A U.S. Air Force C-17 flying hospital then transported Sheikh Sabah from Kuwait to Rochester, Minnesota, home of the flagship campus of the Mayo Clinic - an extraordinary gesture by the American government for a foreign head of state. The Mayo Clinic did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Sheikh Sabah’s life spanned two very different Kuwaits. He was born June 16, 1929, just as the country’s pearl-diving industry would collapse. Within the decade, Kuwait would strike oil. Engineers would eventually confirm that the tiny country, slightly smaller than the U.S. state of New Jersey, had the world’s sixth-largest known oil reserves.
Sheikh Sabah became Kuwait’s foreign minister in 1963 after holding a number of other governmental posts. He would remain in that position for four decades, making him one of the world’s longest-serving foreign ministers.
His country’s greatest crisis came in 1990, when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and occupied the nation for seven months. Fleeing with other Kuwaiti officials to neighboring Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Sabah collapsed and lost consciousness at one particularly stormy meeting of Arab leaders.
On Feb. 24, 1991, U.S. troops and their allies stormed into Kuwait. It ended 100 hours later. America suffered only 148 combat deaths during the whole campaign, while over 20,000 Iraqi soldiers were killed.
Even before the U.S. entered Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah and others began suggesting a permanent American presence in the region might provide them protection from Iraq and others.
“One learns from the past and learns about it for the future,” Sheikh Sabah reportedly said. “One has to consider arrangements that would make not only my country stable but make the whole area stable.”
Today, Kuwait hosts some 13,500 American troops, many at Camp Arifjan south of Kuwait City, which is also home to the forward command of U.S. Army Central.
In 2003, his half brother and Kuwait’s then-emir, Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah, named Sheikh Sabah as the country’s prime minister. Although the move kept members of the Al Sabah family firmly in control of Kuwait, it was seen as a modest step toward reform as it marked the first time that the roles of prime minister and crown prince - the next in line to the throne - were split.
It also formalized Sheikh Sabah’s role in running the daily affairs of the country - a responsibility he had increasingly assumed while the former prime minister, Sheikh Saad, struggled with health problems.
Despite those health problems, Sheikh Saad took power in 2006 after the death of Sheikh Jaber. Concerns mounted during his brief reign as he was seen in public only in a wheelchair and did not speak.
Parliament ended up voting 64-0 to have Sheikh Sabah become emir, following a similar Cabinet decision. Sheikh Saad then submitted a letter of resignation. The vote, while largely symbolic, marked a small victory for democracy among the autocratic Gulf Arab states. It was the first time in Kuwait’s history that the legislature had a role in choosing the emir.
“Sheikh Sabah proved a savvy player of the internal politics of the ruling family,” Diwan said.
Domestically, Sheikh Sabah faced the challenge of falling oil prices in recent years. He dissolved parliament several times as lawmakers kept questioning appointed government ministers, some of them members of his extended family.
As the 2011 Arab Spring swept the region, Sheikh Sabah ordered 1,000 dinar ($3,559) grants and free food coupons for every Kuwaiti. But allegations swirled at the time that some lawmakers had been bribed $350 million by the government to sway their votes, along with rumors that they were involved in embezzling state funds.
Amid strikes and confrontations with police, protesters briefly entered parliament, waving flags and singing the country’s national anthem. Sheikh Sabah nevertheless maintained power while still allowing protests, a rarity among Gulf leaders.
Internationally, Sheikh Sabah embraced Iraq after the U.S.-led 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam. He twice visited the country and helped Iraq and Kuwait reach a $500 million deal in 2012 to settle a long-running legal dispute between their state airlines over allegations of large-scale theft by Saddam.
The emir also hosted a summit in 2018 that saw $30 billion pledged to help rebuild Iraq after the war against the Islamic State group. That’s even as Iraq still owes Kuwait reparations from Saddam’s 1990 invasion.
Sheikh Sabah also played a role in raising aid funds for Syrians suffering as a result of that country’s civil war, hosting international donor conferences in 2013 and 2014, and pledging hundreds of millions of dollars of Kuwaiti wealth.
One of his greatest challenges as a diplomat, however, came with the boycott of Qatar by four Arab nations that began in 2017. Sheikh Sabah positioned himself as a mediator for the political dispute, which he warned in a White House appearance in 2017 could have led to an armed conflict.
“Thank God, now, what is important is that we have stopped any military action,” Sheikh Sabah said.
Those mediation efforts have yet to resolve the crisis, but he did manage to get Qatar’s prime minister to shake hands on live television with Saudi King Salman at a 2019 meeting in Mecca.
“We believe that wisdom will prevail,” Sheikh Sabah once said.
A longtime widower, Sheikh Sabah lived for years in a palace known as Dar Salwa, which was named after his daughter Salwa, who died of cancer in 2002. He is survived by two sons.
___
Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.


washingtontimes--2020-09-29--Cambodian man arrested with almost 300 centuries-old jars

PHNOM PENH , Cambodia ( AP ) - A man on Cambodia ’ s southern coast was arrested for possessing almost 300 centuries-old earthenware jars that he is believed to have salvaged from a shipwreck , an official said Tuesday .
Khieng Phearum , a spokesman for Preah Sihanouk province , said the 42-year-old man was arrested late Sunday after authorities determined that he was illegally keeping 281 small and big jars presumed to be legally protected antiquities at his home .
The man , who was still being interrogated on Tuesday , is an expert diver and had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shipwreck in the Gulf of Thailand off the coastal city of Sihanoukville from which the pottery is believed to have been retrieved , Khieng Phearum said , He said he did not know how the man retrieved the jars or how long they have been in his possession , but the authorities had become aware of his collection , and after observation , arrested the man at his home .
It was not known if the man intended to sell the jars , but he is expected to be charged under a law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Long Punna Serivath , a spokesman for the Culture and Fine Arts Ministry , said Monday that judging from photos of the jars , they were likely made some time during the 15th to 17th centuries , officially making them antiquities .
Buth Bupha , a director of the Culture and Fine Arts Department of Preah Sihanouk province , said the origin of the jars and the ship from which they were presumably taken have not yet been established , and experts will study the collection for answers .
He said that in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pottery were collected from a sunken Chinese ship off nearby Koh Kong province .

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - A man on Cambodia’s southern coast was arrested for possessing almost 300 centuries-old earthenware jars that he is believed to have salvaged from a shipwreck, an official said Tuesday.
Khieng Phearum, a spokesman for Preah Sihanouk province, said the 42-year-old man was arrested late Sunday after authorities determined that he was illegally keeping 281 small and big jars presumed to be legally protected antiquities at his home.
The man, who was still being interrogated on Tuesday, is an expert diver and had been spotted in the area of an underwater shipwreck in the Gulf of Thailand off the coastal city of Sihanoukville from which the pottery is believed to have been retrieved, Khieng Phearum said,
He said he did not know how the man retrieved the jars or how long they have been in his possession, but the authorities had become aware of his collection, and after observation, arrested the man at his home.
It was not known if the man intended to sell the jars, but he is expected to be charged under a law protecting Cambodia’s cultural heritage.
Long Punna Serivath, a spokesman for the Culture and Fine Arts Ministry, said Monday that judging from photos of the jars, they were likely made some time during the 15th to 17th centuries, officially making them antiquities.
Buth Bupha, a director of the Culture and Fine Arts Department of Preah Sihanouk province, said the origin of the jars and the ship from which they were presumably taken have not yet been established, and experts will study the collection for answers.
He said that in 2015, several hundred pieces of similar pottery were collected from a sunken Chinese ship off nearby Koh Kong province.


washingtontimes--2020-09-29--LVMH files countersuit against Tiffany over $14.5B deal

NEW YORK ( AP ) - Luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE has filed a countersuit against Tiffany over their ruined merger deal , noting conditions necessary to close the $ 14.5 billion acquisition of the jewelry chain have not been met .
It also noted in a statement that the “ spurious arguments put forward by Tiffany are completely unfounded.
” The lawsuit , filed late Monday in Delaware Chancery Court , is the latest legal spat between the two companies over what would have been the the biggest deal in the luxury market .
It follows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month against LVMH after the French conglomerate-owner of Louis Vuitton , Dior among other brands-said it was pulling out of the pact .
It had cited that the French government had requested a delay to assess the threat of proposed U.S. tariffs .
In a lawsuit filed earlier in September to enforce the merger agreement , Tiffany said LVMH ’ s argument had no basis in French law .
Tiffany also said that LVMH hasn ’ t even attempted to seek the required antitrust approval from three jurisdictions .
LVMH ’ s pullback @ @ @ @ @ @ @ value had been eroded by wider industry troubles caused by the coronavirus pandemic .
In a statement Tuesday , LMVH blamed Tiffany ’ s mismanagement of its business during the pandemic .
It noted that the jewelry chain paid the highest possible dividends while the company was “ burning cash and reporting losses.
” “ No other luxury company in the world did so during this crisis , ” LVMH said in the statement .
It noted that other examples of what it called mismanagement in the filing including slashing capital and marketing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tiffany fought back what it called “ baseless and misleading counterclaims ” filed by LVMH .
It argued that it was another “ blatant attempt ” to evade its contractual obligation to pay the agreed price for Tiffany .
“ Tiffany has acted in full compliance with the merger agreement , and we are confident the court will agree at trial and require specific performance by LVMH , “ said Tiffany ’ s Chairman Roger Farah in a statement .
“ Had LVMH actually believed the allegations made in its complaint , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to procure the letter from the French Foreign Minister as an excuse for the refusal to close .
”

NEW YORK (AP) - Luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE has filed a countersuit against Tiffany over their ruined merger deal, noting conditions necessary to close the $16.2 billion acquisition of the jewelry chain have not been met.
It also noted in a statement that the “spurious arguments put forward by Tiffany are completely unfounded.”
The lawsuit, filed late Monday in Delaware Chancery Court, is the latest legal spat between the two companies over what would have been the the biggest deal in the luxury market. It follows a lawsuit that Tiffany filed earlier this month against LVMH after the French conglomerate-owner of Louis Vuitton, Dior among other brands-said it was pulling out of the pact. It had cited that the French government had requested a delay to assess the threat of proposed U.S. tariffs.
In a lawsuit filed earlier in September to enforce the merger agreement, Tiffany said LVMH’s argument had no basis in French law. Tiffany also said that LVMH hasn’t even attempted to seek the required antitrust approval from three jurisdictions.
LVMH’s pullback also came after the deal’s value had been eroded by wider industry troubles caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement Tuesday, LMVH blamed Tiffany’s mismanagement of its business during the pandemic. It noted that the jewelry chain paid the highest possible dividends while the company was “burning cash and reporting losses.”
“No other luxury company in the world did so during this crisis,” LVMH said in the statement. It noted that other examples of what it called mismanagement in the filing including slashing capital and marketing investments and taking on additional debt.
Tiffany fought back what it called “baseless and misleading counterclaims” filed by LVMH. It argued that it was another “blatant attempt” to evade its contractual obligation to pay the agreed price for Tiffany.
“Tiffany has acted in full compliance with the merger agreement, and we are confident the court will agree at trial and require specific performance by LVMH, “said Tiffany’s Chairman Roger Farah in a statement. “Had LVMH actually believed the allegations made in its complaint, there would have been no need for LVMH to procure the letter from the French Foreign Minister as an excuse for the refusal to close.”
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This story has been corrected to show that the deal is worth $16.2 billion, not $14.5 billion.


washingtontimes--2020-09-29--2 employees of Rutland nursing home test positive

RUTLAND , Vt. ( AP ) - Two employees at a nursing home in Rutland have tested positive for the @ @ @ @ @ for all staff and residents of the Mountain View Center , officials said .
The @ @ @ @ @ positive cases on Friday .
Dr. Richard Feifer , chief medical officer of Genesis HealthCare @ @ @ @ @ Center , said in an email that both employees were asymptomatic and were no longer @ @ @ @ @ and patients at Mountain View Center are screened three times a day for COVID-19 and @ @ @ @ @ enter the building , Feifer said .
The facility “ has been a cooperative partner @ @ @ @ @ health and safety of their patients and staff , ” said Ben Truman , a @ @ @ @ @ Health .

Gov. Phil Scott on Tuesday urged Vermonters not to become complacent about the coronavirus as an uptick in cases is expected in the country in the coming colder months and with the number of cases growing in recent weeks in the Northeast and Quebec.
Vermont had a total of 50 cases from Sept. 15-28, its lowest two-week total since late May when there were 45.
“With the positive trends we’ve had for months, I know it can be easy to let your guard down, to get out more, see more friends, go to more gatherings, interact with more and with different groups, get a little closer, stay a little longer and pull that mask down more often,” said Scott, a Republican. But the safety measures are in place for a reason and are working, he said.
“If we let up, and get more relaxed all of the hard work we’ve done can slip away as well, just like we’ve seen in other places like Hawaii, Montana and even Wyoming,” he said.
Michael Pieciak, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation, who is managing the state’s COVID-19 data, pointed to several outbreaks in Maine linked to a wedding and reception in Millinocket, Maine, in early August that became a superspreader event.
That event led to outbreaks in different parts of the state including at a nursing home in Madison and a jail in southern Maine, with 180 cases and eight deaths. The eight who died had not attended the wedding.
It’s ”really critical not to become complacent,” he said.
Scott urged Vermonters to keep track of what they’re doing and how many people they come into contact with, wear a mask, keep six feet apart, even among friends, and avoid large crowds, especially indoors. While most people who contract the coronavirus recover after suffering only mild to moderate symptoms, it can be deadly for older patients and those with other health problems.
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SCHOOLS, COLLEGES
The restart of schools and colleges and universities continues to go well, Vermont officials said Tuesday, with low numbers of COVID-19 cases.
“We are really not having much more than a plateau in cases in those settings,” said Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine.
In primary schools, Vermont has had four confirmed COVID-19 cases in three schools and one presumptive case, Pieciak said. The presumptive case is in Caledonia County where someone tested positive by antigen test and results of a PCR test are pending, Levine said.
That compares to New Hampshire with 53 cases in 36 schools and Maine with 32 cases in 15 schools, he said.
“We still are comparing quite favorably even to those states that have low prevalence in their communities,” he said.
Among Vermont’s colleges and universities, there have been 47 positive tests as of Monday, state officials said.
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NURSING FACILITY
Two employees and one patient at a Rutland nursing facility have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Testing was underway for all staff and residents of the Mountain View Center, officials said. The Health Department learned of the positive cases on Friday.
“We’re still awaiting further data but there have been no other cases reported in that facility,” Levine said Tuesday. “The facility is practicing great infectious control practices and all the appropriate quarantining of staff and patients has occurred.”
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Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.


washingtontimes--2020-09-29--Some in NYC get absentee ballots with wrong return address

NEW YORK ( AP ) - Some New York City voters have received absentee ballots with the wrong names and @ @ @ @ @ , elections officials confirmed Tuesday .
The faulty ballots were sent to unknown number of @ @ @ @ @ result in some ballots being voided if voters signed their own name on return envelopes @ @ @ @ @ city Board of Elections is blaming the problem on the vendor that was contracted to @ @ @ @ @ for voters in Brooklyn and Queens .
“ We are determining how many voters have @ @ @ @ @ assure that the vendor will address this problem in future mailings , and make sure @ @ @ @ @ receive new ones , ” Board of Elections executive director Michael J. Ryan said in @ @ @ @ @ the proper ballots and envelopes would get to voters before the Nov. 3 election .

NEW YORK (AP) - Mail-in voting has gotten off to a rocky start in New York City, where election officials sent out nearly 100,000 absentee ballots with the wrong names and addresses printed on the return envelopes.
The deluge of faulty ballots, sent to voters across Brooklyn, could result in ballots being voided if voters sign their own name on return envelopes bearing different names.
The New York City Board of Elections blamed the problem on the company hired to print and mail the ballots.
The faulty ballots are limited to one print run of ballots sent out to Brooklyn voters, the board’s director Michael Ryan said at a board meeting Tuesday. He didn’t say during the meeting how many were printed. But Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s top aide Melissa DeRosa said the issue was contained to about 100,000 ballots.
All voters who got the bad ballots will receive new ones before the Nov. 3 election, with the vendor covering the cost, Ryan said. He said the move will “make certain that absolutely no disenfranchisement occurs in the borough of Brooklyn.”
It’s unclear exactly how the city will handle voters who had already mailed their completed ballot back in the provided envelopes.
Ryan said elections workers will reach out to voters by social media and, if available, by telephone and email addresses. And he said the board will ensure all received ballots are “appropriately processed” and tallied votes are “properly credited.”
“It is essential that confidence be established on this process and that we make certain we have all the voters who potentially have a problem have a full and fair opportunity to remedy that problem,” Ryan said.
The printer the city blamed for the error, Phoenix Graphics, didn’t return messages seeking comment.
The Rochester-based printing company, which was founded in 1985 and calls itself the state’s largest supplier of ballot materials, is urging those who call its offices about absentee ballot issues to contact their local board of election.
“Phoenix Graphics is working hard with your board of elections to ensure that everyone will have what they need to vote,” the company’s voicemail message said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the city elections board also was dealing with confusion regarding another printing anomaly on absentee ballots.
Ordinarily, absentee ballots in the city are sent out with a heading identifying them as an “Official Absentee / Military Ballot.” This year, the slash between “absentee” and “military” was left out, leading some voters to believe they had mistakenly been mailed a ballot for use only by members of the military.
The board tweeted that the ballot was still good for use by any registered voter.
The pair of mishaps took place despite intense scrutiny of mail-in voting nationwide. And it comes on the heels of a rocky spring primary in New York in which election boards struggled to handle a record amount of voting by mail.
Marla Garfield, an editor who lives in Brooklyn, said she was among those who received a ballot envelope with another person’s name.
Garfield said she is “furious” about the errors and plants to vote in-person out of concern replacement ballots won’t arrive in time. She’s worried the confusion will fuel distrust in mail-in-voting.
“It’s a mess, it’s an absolute mess,” she said.
“The fact they don’t know how far reaching it is, is troubling,” she added. “And you have this moment where really, now this election, this is the one this is happening to?”
In Brooklyn’s Sheepshead Bay section, Victoria Edel, 28, said her family of four was excited to open up their ballots to vote by mail. They had requested them online Aug. 22.
Then, they discovered she had received her younger brother’s ballot envelope. Her younger brother had her mother’s. Her mother had the envelope of a woman who appears to live nearby. She said she’s worried about people who don’t watch the news and perhaps are still sending back ballots in wrong envelopes.
“It feels like it’s really easy for a lot of people to be disenfranchised this way,” Edel said.
She’s hopeful she’ll get her correct envelope eventually.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, more than 400,000 New York City residents voted by absentee ballot in during the primary. That was 10 times the number of absentee ballots cast in the 2016 primary.
Many voters complained that their absentee ballots didn’t arrive in time for the primary. And thousands of ballots cast by mail were later disqualified for minor technical errors, including voters forgetting to sign their name, or the U.S. Postal Service failing to put a postmark on the ballot indicating when it was sent.
The city’s Board of Elections is run by Republican and Democratic appointees picked by county party leaders and is not subject to the control of City Hall. A long list of city officials and the current and past mayors have called for reforms of the body because of a history of election mismanagement.
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Villeneuve reported from Albany, N.Y.


washingtontimes--2020-09-29--AP PHOTOS: Fueled by dry winds, fire rages in wine country

ST. HELENA , California ( AP ) - Giant blazes taking down buildings , residents fleeing their homes , exhausted fire fighters working around the clock : These are some of the scenes from the wildfire that exploded in the Northern California wine country .
Fueled by dry winds , The Glass Fire has raged through Napa and Sonoma counties , quickly tripling in size , burning homes and nowhere near containement .
But fire officials were more confident Monday evening , when the winds eased a bit .
The dramatic images are a testament to the fierceness of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : a bright red streak in the sky marks the spot where an air tanker dropped fire retardant ; an inn engulfed in flames lights up the sky ; embers fly off a tree in a scene reminiscent of fireworks ; a tired firefighter rubs his face as he leans against a fire truck ; elderly residents being evacuated from a senior home are helped onto a bus .
The Glass Fire is one of nearly 30 wildfires burning around California and the National Weather Service warned that hot , dry conditions with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire danger in Southern California .

ST. HELENA, California (AP) - Giant blazes taking down buildings, residents fleeing their homes, exhausted firefighters working around the clock: These are some of the scenes from the wildfire that exploded in the Northern California wine country.
Fueled by dry winds, The Glass Fire has raged through Napa and Sonoma counties, quickly tripling in size, burning homes and nowhere near containement. But fire officials were more confident Monday evening, when the winds eased a bit.
The dramatic images are a testament to the fierceness of the fire and the determination of the firefighters: a bright red streak in the sky marks the spot where an air tanker dropped fire retardant; an inn engulfed in flames lights up the sky; embers fly off a tree in a scene reminiscent of fireworks; a tired firefighter rubs his face as he leans against a fire truck; elderly residents being evacuated from a senior home are helped onto a bus.
The Glass Fire is one of nearly 30 wildfires burning around California and the National Weather Service warned that hot, dry conditions with strong Santa Ana winds could remain a fire danger in Southern California.