washingtontimes--2020-12-27--How Silicon Valley scions launched 'unprecedented cover-up' in Hunter Biden case

Democrats , along with allies in Silicon Valley and the news media , have suppressed the Hunter Biden scandal despite mounting evidence that President-elect Joseph R. Biden ’ s son had secret , lucrative financial ties to oligarchs and a powerful communist-connected Chinese businessman .
Since September , it has been a remarkable combination of blacklisting , promoting the theory of a Russian plot against the Bidens or simply ignoring the story .
Liberal news websites acknowledged the scandal only after Mr. Biden won the election and Hunter Biden publicly stated that he is under criminal investigation for suspected tax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Trump ’ s associates whom media excoriated during the long FBI Russia probe , which did not establish a conspiracy in the 2016 election .
“ It was an unprecedented cover-up across so many entities inside and outside of the government , ” J.D .
Gordon , the 2016 Trump campaign ’ s national security adviser , told The Washington Times .
“ Silicon Valley suppressed an actual scandal related to Hunter Biden while hyping a manufactured scandal over Trump-Russia.
” Mr. Gordon , now an analyst for One America News , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the special counsel ’ s office over how he handled a proposed amendment to the Republican Party platform on arming the Ukrainian military .
Investigators found no wrongdoing .
News of Hunter Biden ’ s extensive cash flow from shady foreigners was documented in a Sept. 23 report by Senate Republicans .
It revealed a series of Treasury Department suspicious activity reports on Hunter Biden from Europe to Asia .
The pre-election report , by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley , Iowa Republican , and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , received coverage from conservative media .
From the dominant liberal press , it was a blackout .
“ We found that [ the Bidens ] engaged in potential criminal financial deals across the globe , including China , which created counterintelligence concerns , ” Mr. Grassley said on the Senate floor .
“ I think it ’ s outrageous that the Fourth Estate would choose to ignore facts when they are uncovered by Republicans.
” Committee Democrats responded to the report , which relied on official bank wire transfers , by accusing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats had leaked the conspiracy beforehand to liberal news outlets .
The Democrats claimed that Mr. Johnson ’ s staff communicated with a Ukrainian politician and known Russian puppet .
Mr. Johnson has called that a lie .
“ Democrats laundered their unclassified speculation through classified analysis of intelligence reporting to fabricate a veneer of credibility in an effort to shield their claims from public scrutiny .
Those false claims were then leaked to friendly media outlets , which reported them as fact , ” Mr. Johnson and Mr. Grassley said .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the stunning contents of Hunter Biden ’ s abandoned MacBook Pro laptop .
The hard drive showed the son ’ s global financial dealings , including message traffic about including Joseph R. Biden in the deals .
At least one Ukrainian oligarch representative who financed Hunter Biden received a private audience with his father , who was vice president at the time .
How did the Democrats-Silicon Valley-news media triumvirate react ?
They played the Russia card .
After the New York Post story appeared , Democrat-aligned former intelligence officers , led by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the laptop was an elaborate Russian plot .
Weeks later , after Mr. Biden won the presidency , no proof of a Moscow-laptop link has emerged .
But an open letter , led by former CIA Director John O. Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper , provided the talking point that news media needed to condemn the laptop reporting instead of following it up .
Cable channels CNN and MSNBC launched a cacophony of “ Russian plot ” talking points to try to suppress the story .
Twitter went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York Post story altogether from its 6,000-tweets-a-second platform .
Gatekeepers claimed the messages were the result of a hack , even though there was no such evidence .
Facebook limited the article ’ s distribution .
Jason Maloni , a public relations executive who worked as a spokesman for former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort , told The Washington Times that he is surprised the media ignored what Hunter Biden did during his father ’ s vice presidency .
Manafort , hounded relentlessly by the press and congressional Democrats , was convicted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conspiracy .
“ I am surprised and saddened about how incurious some are about some truly concerning and verifiable facts , ” Mr. Maloni told The Washington Times .
“ Every single day , stories emerge where there is a need for no-agenda investigative journalism , apolitical platforms , and lawmakers with zero interest in scoring political points to help us understand how large is the iceberg beneath the surface .
When did we become so afraid of a narrative that doesn ’ t quite fit our neat little worldview ?
” David @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Journalists claim they can ’ t cover the New York Post ’ s Hunter Biden email scoop because the underlying evidence has yet to be verified .
Also , they won ’ t look for any verifying evidence because there isn ’ t enough evidence .
It ’ s quite the conundrum.
” Ironically , it was Democrats , led by Rep. Adam B. Schiff of California , and their penchant for accusing detractors of being Russian assets that prompted former Hunter Biden business partner Tony Bobulinski to come forward on Fox News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Liberal media still shunned the story .
Mr. Harsanyi wrote : “ Perhaps my favorite part of yesterday ’ s interview , though , was learning that Adam Schiff ’ s ugly and mendacious habit of smearing anyone he disagrees with as a Russian asset is what allegedly helped spur Bobulinski , a former U.S. Navy lieutenant , to come forward.
” The laptop launch point was a computer repair shop in Wilmington , Delaware .
The owner said Hunter Biden dropped it off for repairs in April 2019 and never returned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the FBI and to Trump attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani .
Together , the laptop and the Senate report showed the profile of a son cashing in on his father ’ s federal office .
Millions of dollars in investments and consulting fees flowed to him from a Moscow oligarch close to Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014 , a Ukrainian energy firm deemed corrupt by the U.S. government and a fantastically wealthy Chinese corporate figure working with the Chinese Communist Party and the People ’ s Liberation Army .
That businessman , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions of dollars to Hunter Biden , was accused of corruption in 2018 and disappeared .
At one point , Ye associates financed a $ 100,000 shopping spree by Hunter Biden and his uncle James Biden , the Senate report showed .
Hunter Biden also provided thousands of dollars to European women involved in human trafficking .
The conservative watchdog Media Research Center commissioned a poll by Republican pollster McLaughlin & Associates .
It showed that 36 % of Biden voters were not aware of Hunter Biden ’ s scandal and that 13 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have voted for the former vice president if they had known .
“ Big Media and Big Tech Stole the 2020 Election , ” the Media Research Center said .
Said Mr. Gordon , the former campaign adviser : “ For all the attention on foreign election interference , public censorship by domestic groups like Twitter and Facebook was more impactful in shaping the outcome .
Big Tech is rapidly becoming Big Brother straight out of Orwell ’ s ‘ 1984.
’ Its unholy alliance with the federal bureaucracy and elected Democrats poses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America today .
Our freedom is in free fall .
”

Democrats, along with allies in Silicon Valley and the news media, have suppressed the Hunter Biden scandal despite mounting evidence that President-elect Joseph R. Biden’s son had secret, lucrative financial ties to oligarchs and a powerful communist-connected Chinese businessman.
Since September, it has been a remarkable combination of blacklisting, promoting the theory of a Russian plot against the Bidens or simply ignoring the story. Liberal news websites acknowledged the scandal only after Mr. Biden won the election and Hunter Biden publicly stated that he is under criminal investigation for suspected tax fraud.
The difference is striking for President Trump’s associates whom media excoriated during the long FBI Russia probe, which did not establish a conspiracy in the 2016 election.
“It was an unprecedented cover-up across so many entities inside and outside of the government,” J.D. Gordon, the 2016 Trump campaign’s national security adviser, told The Washington Times. “Silicon Valley suppressed an actual scandal related to Hunter Biden while hyping a manufactured scandal over Trump-Russia.”
Mr. Gordon, now an analyst for One America News, was dogged by the news media and the special counsel’s office over how he handled a proposed amendment to the Republican Party platform on arming the Ukrainian military. Investigators found no wrongdoing.
News of Hunter Biden’s extensive cash flow from shady foreigners was documented in a Sept. 23 report by Senate Republicans. It revealed a series of Treasury Department suspicious activity reports on Hunter Biden from Europe to Asia.
The pre-election report, by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley, Iowa Republican, and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republican, received coverage from conservative media. From the dominant liberal press, it was a blackout.
“We found that [the Bidens] engaged in potential criminal financial deals across the globe, including China, which created counterintelligence concerns,” Mr. Grassley said on the Senate floor. “I think it’s outrageous that the Fourth Estate would choose to ignore facts when they are uncovered by Republicans.”
Committee Democrats responded to the report, which relied on official bank wire transfers, by accusing Mr. Johnson of accepting Russian disinformation. Democrats had leaked the conspiracy beforehand to liberal news outlets.
The Democrats claimed that Mr. Johnson’s staff communicated with a Ukrainian politician and known Russian puppet. Mr. Johnson has called that a lie.
“Democrats laundered their unclassified speculation through classified analysis of intelligence reporting to fabricate a veneer of credibility in an effort to shield their claims from public scrutiny. Those false claims were then leaked to friendly media outlets, which reported them as fact,” Mr. Johnson and Mr. Grassley said.
In October, the New York Post revealed the stunning contents of Hunter Biden’s abandoned MacBook Pro laptop. The hard drive showed the son’s global financial dealings, including message traffic about including Joseph R. Biden in the deals. At least one Ukrainian oligarch representative who financed Hunter Biden received a private audience with his father, who was vice president at the time.
How did the Democrats-Silicon Valley-news media triumvirate react? They played the Russia card.
After the New York Post story appeared, Democrat-aligned former intelligence officers, led by appointees of President Obama, alleged that the laptop was an elaborate Russian plot.
Weeks later, after Mr. Biden won the presidency, no proof of a Moscow-laptop link has emerged.
But an open letter, led by former CIA Director John O. Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper, provided the talking point that news media needed to condemn the laptop reporting instead of following it up. Cable channels CNN and MSNBC launched a cacophony of “Russian plot” talking points to try to suppress the story.
Twitter went a step further. It blacklisted the New York Post story altogether from its 6,000-tweets-a-second platform. Gatekeepers claimed the messages were the result of a hack, even though there was no such evidence. Facebook limited the article’s distribution.
Jason Maloni, a public relations executive who worked as a spokesman for former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, told The Washington Times that he is surprised the media ignored what Hunter Biden did during his father’s vice presidency. Manafort, hounded relentlessly by the press and congressional Democrats, was convicted of tax fraud but not a Russian conspiracy.
“I am surprised and saddened about how incurious some are about some truly concerning and verifiable facts,” Mr. Maloni told The Washington Times. “Every single day, stories emerge where there is a need for no-agenda investigative journalism, apolitical platforms, and lawmakers with zero interest in scoring political points to help us understand how large is the iceberg beneath the surface. When did we become so afraid of a narrative that doesn’t quite fit our neat little worldview?”
David Harsanyi wrote in National Review: “Journalists claim they can’t cover the New York Post’s Hunter Biden email scoop because the underlying evidence has yet to be verified. Also, they won’t look for any verifying evidence because there isn’t enough evidence. It’s quite the conundrum.”
Ironically, it was Democrats, led by Rep. Adam B. Schiff of California, and their penchant for accusing detractors of being Russian assets that prompted former Hunter Biden business partner Tony Bobulinski to come forward on Fox News. He verified the messages’ authenticity. Liberal media still shunned the story.
Mr. Harsanyi wrote: “Perhaps my favorite part of yesterday’s interview, though, was learning that Adam Schiff’s ugly and mendacious habit of smearing anyone he disagrees with as a Russian asset is what allegedly helped spur Bobulinski, a former U.S. Navy lieutenant, to come forward.”
The laptop launch point was a computer repair shop in Wilmington, Delaware. The owner said Hunter Biden dropped it off for repairs in April 2019 and never returned. The owner eventually provided the contents to the FBI and to Trump attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani.
Together, the laptop and the Senate report showed the profile of a son cashing in on his father’s federal office.
Millions of dollars in investments and consulting fees flowed to him from a Moscow oligarch close to Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014, a Ukrainian energy firm deemed corrupt by the U.S. government and a fantastically wealthy Chinese corporate figure working with the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army.
That businessman, Ye Jianming, whose firm directly wired millions of dollars to Hunter Biden, was accused of corruption in 2018 and disappeared.
At one point, Ye associates financed a $100,000 shopping spree by Hunter Biden and his uncle James Biden, the Senate report showed. Hunter Biden also provided thousands of dollars to European women involved in human trafficking.
The conservative watchdog Media Research Center commissioned a poll by Republican pollster McLaughlin & Associates. It showed that 36% of Biden voters were not aware of Hunter Biden’s scandal and that 13% of those said they would not have voted for the former vice president if they had known.
“Big Media and Big Tech Stole the 2020 Election,” the Media Research Center said.
Said Mr. Gordon, the former campaign adviser: “For all the attention on foreign election interference, public censorship by domestic groups like Twitter and Facebook was more impactful in shaping the outcome. Big Tech is rapidly becoming Big Brother straight out of Orwell’s ‘1984.’ Its unholy alliance with the federal bureaucracy and elected Democrats poses one of the biggest internal threats facing America today. Our freedom is in free fall.”
• Rowan Scarborough can be reached at rscarborough@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-12-27--Polls open in Central African Republic amid fears of unrest

BANGUI , Central African Republic ( AP ) - Voters went to the polls for Central African Republic ’ s presidential and legislative elections after a campaign period marked by violence between rebels and government forces .
Despite calls from the opposition to delay the vote amid the insecurity , the Constitutional Court rejected a postponement .
President Faustin-Archange Touadera , seeking a second term , has tried to reassure candidates and voters that the voting will be secure .
This is the central African country ’ s first election since a peace deal was signed between the government and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ although fighting continues .
“ The vote is a right , a right for Central Africans .
Each person has the power in the constitution of this country … each citizen has the right to freely choose its directors , ” Touadera said after casting his ballot .
“ This is quite important for the Central African Republicans who are searching in these moments of crisis .
They have the right to development , for their well-being , for our country , for our people.
” Three peacekeepers from Burundi were killed and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attacks in the Dekoua and Bakouma areas ahead of the elections , calling for swift justice and saying they may constitute war crimes .
The U.N. retook the town of Bambari last week from rebels .
Rebel groups have also seized several towns near the capital , Bangui .
Voters went to the polls in the capital Sunday .
“ I am really pleased ( to vote ) and I ask the citizens , even those who are still at home , to come and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ returns to our country , ” said Bangui resident Désiré Ngaibona after casting his vote .
Others in various parts of Central African Republic couldn ’ t make it to the polls .
Many residents of the town of Bangassou in the nation ’ s southeast were fleeing because of the fighting , residents said .
“ I am in the town of Bangassou but my wife and children crossed to the other side of the bank towards Congo because of the violence , ” said Christian Kombro a teacher from the town @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former President Francois Bozize , who returned from exile a year ago and has been blocked from running in the election .
He has been accused of joining up with armed groups to destabilize the country and launch a coup .
He has denied it .
Rwanda and Russia have each sent hundreds of troops to the country to support the government .
Sixteen candidates are running for president , including three women .
More than 1,500 candidates are running for 140 seats in the national assembly .
More than 1.86 million voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refugees in neighboring countries will not be able to vote , according to the U.N. Parties in the Democratic Opposition Coalition known as COD-2020 last week said seven of its candidates pulled out of the election , citing the violence .
The parties had wanted the vote to be delayed , alleging poor preparations and an electoral body influenced by the president .
Experts warn of a strong chance of further violence if the opposition doesn ’ t accept the election results .
“ A contested outcome may lead to a post-electoral crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weaken the state , ” the International Crisis Group noted .
The mineral-rich Central African Republic has faced deadly inter-religious and inter-communal fighting since 2013 , when predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power from Bozize after long claiming marginalization .
Resistance to Seleka rule eventually led to Muslims being targeted en masse , with some beaten to death , mosques destroyed and tens of thousands forced from the capital in 2014 .
Despite a 2019 peace agreement between the government and 14 rebel groups , intermittent violence and human rights abuses have continued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Constitutional Court rejected the candidacy of Bozize , on the grounds that he did not satisfy the “ good morality ” requirement .
Bozize , who took power in a coup in 2003 and ruled until 2013 , faces an international arrest warrant for “ crimes against humanity and incitement of genocide.
” He also faces U.N. sanctions for his alleged role in supporting the anti-Balaka groups that resisted the Seleka in 2013 .

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) - Central African Republic held presidential and legislative elections Sunday amid fears of violence after a campaign period marked by fighting between rebels and government forces.
Voters came out in large numbers in the capital, while in other parts of the country fewer people went to polling stations because of fears of violence or boycotts by the rebel coalition.
Some polling stations remained open late to allow more voters to cast their ballots.
Despite calls from the opposition to delay the vote amid the insecurity, the Constitutional Court rejected a postponement.
President Faustin-Archange Touadera, seeking a second term, tried to reassure candidates and voters that the voting would be secure. This is the central African country’s first election since a peace deal was signed between the government and 14 rebel groups in February 2019, although fighting continues.
“The vote is a right, a right for Central Africans. Each person has the power in the constitution of this country … each citizen has the right to freely choose his leaders,” Touadera said after casting his ballot. “This is quite important for the Central African Republicans who are searching to get out of these moments of crisis …the right way … for the development, the well-being of our country and our population. It is democracy, it is the free choice of the leaders by the people.”
Touadera criticized the perpetuation of violence, saying it has dragged the country into chaos and adding that measures will be taken accordingly.
Three peacekeepers from Burundi were killed and two others wounded Friday by armed combatants. The U.N. retook the town of Bambari last week from rebels. Rebel groups have also seized several towns near the capital, Bangui, and after forming a coalition, boycotted the vote in some parts of Central African Republic.
The U.N. Special Representative for Central African Republic, Mankeur Ndiaye, said he considered the elections in the capital of the country a “success.”
“We have observed that the process is going very well, with calm and serenity in Bangui. The population has gone out in large numbers to exercise their right to vote,” Ndiaye said. He said, however, that there were incidents in some regions where ballot boxes were burned and rebel groups tried to prevent people from voting.
Catherine Samba-Panza, who was Central African Republic’s transitional president from 2014 to 2016 voted.
“I came to prove my determination in a context where there are a lot of rumors. I voted and I encourage my children to vote,” she said.
The presence of international forces gave many voters reassurance, according to voter Ousmane Haroun.
“The presence of the MINUSCA (U.N. mission) soldiers reassures us,” he said. “There is security, and I think it will be a stimulus for the undecided.”
One of the main opposition candidates, Anicet Georges Dologuélé, voted Sunday at Bangui’s Town Hall.
“We are determined to turn the Touadera era,” he said.
However, in other parts of Central African Republic, violence kept voters from the polls.
Many residents of the town of Bangassou in the nation’s southeast were fleeing because of the fighting, residents said.
“My wife and children crossed to the other side of the bank towards Congo because of the violence,” said Christian Kombro a teacher from the town.
The government blames the unrest on former President Francois Bozize, who returned from exile a year ago and has been blocked from running in the election. He has been accused of joining up with armed groups to destabilize the country and launch a coup.
Bozize on Sunday stated his support for the coalition and their boycott of the vote.
“Stay home I beg you all … The organization of botched elections is dedicated to its failure,” he said, calling for dialogue.
Rwanda and Russia have each sent hundreds of troops to the country to support the government.
Sixteen candidates are running for president, including three women. More than 1,500 candidates are running for 140 seats in the national assembly. More than 1.86 million voters are registered, but more than 598,000 refugees in neighboring countries will not be able to vote, according to the U.N.
Parties in the Democratic Opposition Coalition known as COD-2020 last week said seven of its candidates pulled out of the election, citing the violence. The parties had wanted the vote to be delayed, alleging poor preparations and an electoral body influenced by the president.
Experts warn of a strong chance of further violence if the opposition doesn’t accept the election results.
The mineral-rich Central African Republic has faced deadly inter-religious and inter-communal fighting since 2013, when predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power from Bozize after long claiming marginalization. Resistance to Seleka rule eventually led to Muslims being targeted en masse, with some beaten to death, mosques destroyed and tens of thousands forced from the capital in 2014.
Despite a 2019 peace agreement between the government and 14 rebel groups, intermittent violence and human rights abuses have continued.
The most recent insecurity began after the Constitutional Court rejected the candidacy of Bozize, on the grounds that he did not satisfy the “good morality” requirement.
Bozize, who took power in a coup in 2003 and ruled until 2013, faces an international arrest warrant for “crimes against humanity and incitement of genocide.” He also faces U.N. sanctions for his alleged role in supporting the anti-Balaka groups that resisted the Seleka in 2013.
___
AP journalist Carley Petesch in Dakar, Senegal contributed to this report.


washingtontimes--2020-12-27--China lowers age of criminal liability to 12 for some crimes

BEIJING ( AP ) - China has lowered the age of criminal responsibility for some serious crimes from 14 to 12 , as it looks to combat juvenile crime committed by children .
Under an amended law , children aged 12 to 14 will be held criminally liable for “ intentional homicide or intentional injury that leads to death or causes others severe disabilities by extremely cruel means.
” The amendment , which was passed on Saturday by the Standing Committee of the National People ’ s Congress , China ’ s top legislature , will take effect on March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 14 who commit crimes apart from those mentioned in the newly amended law will be exempt from criminal punishment , but could be given correctional education .
Currently , the age of criminal liability in China is 16 , with those between 14 and 16 held criminally responsible for serious crimes such as rape , robbery and intentional homicide .
The amendment to the law follows a rise in juvenile crimes from 2018 to 2019 , according to a white paper in June by the Supreme People ’ s Procuratorate , China ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minors who committed serious crimes have received what appeared to be lenient punishments , causing public outrage .
In one instance , a 13-year-old boy from the northern city of Dalian was given just three years of correctional education after he was found guilty of murdering a 10-year-old girl in October 2019 , prompting calls for legislative amendments and tougher penalties for minors who commit such crimes .

BEIJING (AP) - China has lowered the age of criminal responsibility for some serious crimes from 14 to 12, as it looks to combat juvenile crime committed by children.
Under an amended law, children aged 12 to 14 will be held criminally liable for “intentional homicide or intentional injury that leads to death or causes others severe disabilities by extremely cruel means.”
The amendment, which was passed on Saturday by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, will take effect on March 1.
Those under the age of 14 who commit crimes apart from those mentioned in the newly amended law will be exempt from criminal punishment, but could be given correctional education.
Currently, the age of criminal liability in China is 16, with those between 14 and 16 held criminally responsible for serious crimes such as rape, robbery and intentional homicide.
The amendment to the law follows a rise in juvenile crimes from 2018 to 2019, according to a white paper in June by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, China’s highest procuratorial organ.
Previously, minors who committed serious crimes have received what appeared to be lenient punishments, causing public outrage.
In one instance, a 13-year-old boy from the northern city of Dalian was given just three years of correctional education after he was found guilty of murdering a 10-year-old girl in October 2019, prompting calls for legislative amendments and tougher penalties for minors who commit such crimes.


washingtontimes--2020-12-27--Doctors battle Black Miamians’ concern over vaccine

He was tired of the nonstop misinformation passing between relatives .
Tired of watching coronavirus decimate the Black community .
Tired of the anti-maskers .
Just tired .
So Bent resolved to livestream his vaccination .
The Facebook Live session lasted less than an hour , while the 40-year-old Jackson Health doctor receiving the shot , resting for the 15-minute waiting period and answering viewers ’ questions .
“ COVID-19 has absolutely consumed my life and this is the first step towards normalcy , ” Bent , a Miami native and son of Haitian immigrants , said on Tuesday ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several doctors and organizations reaching out to Black South Floridians , encouraging them to sign up for the vaccine .
Despite the virus ’ disproportionate impact on Black and brown communities , a mid-November Pew Research poll showed that just 42-percent of African Americans would get vaccinated .
That figure falls significantly behind their white , Hispanic and English-speaking Asian counterparts , who measure at 62 % , 63 % and 83 % respectively .
Nationwide , Black Americans attribute their reluctance to the nation ’ s racist history and lack of faith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , home to one of the nation ’ s most diverse Black populations , doctors say face the same suspicions , even if the histories are sometimes different .
“ There ’ s some really bad actors that are playing on that vulnerability , ” said Dr. Olveen Carrasquillo , chief of general internal medicine at the University of Miami ’ s Miller School of Medicine Adding to intentional disinformation campaigns is a lack of regular access to healthcare .
Roughly 26 % of Black adults in Miami-Dade are uninsured - more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - leading to a lack of comfort that only worsens the situation , says Florida International University ’ s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine professor Dr. Cheryl Holder .
“ You ’ ve got to be regularly in a ( primary care doctor ’ s ) system and see that system demonstrate care , demonstrate improvement overall and then you build trust , ” Holder said .
A Jamaican-American , she considers the Black community ’ s hesitancy a “ healthy response ” considering the history .
‘ LOOK AT THE RISK , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that history centers on the Tuskegee Study , a series of medical experiments on African Americans that lasted 40 years .
The experimentation began in 1932 with the U.S. Public Health Service administering “ medical treatment ” to more than 300 Black men with syphilis in Tuskegee , Ala .
In actuality , they received placebos so that scientists could document the long term effects of the disease .
The study ended only after The Associated Press published an expose in 1972 .
Charles McCoy , 72 , still remembers his first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came his way by word of mouth - Black history wasn ’ t really taught in school - and the news left him “ astonished , ” he said .
“ A lot of ( African Americans ) at the time were illiterate and uneducated people , so they had no idea what kind of medical experiments were going on in their body , ” continued McCoy , a retired Miami-Dade public school teacher .
The abuse did not begin or end in Tuskegee .
In the 1840s , James Marion Sims performed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anesthesia .
In 1951 , a Black Virginia tobacco farmer named Henrietta Lacks submitted cells for a biopsy that were later stolen and replicated for research .
As recently as the 1990s , vaccines for measles were tested on Black and Latino babies without disclosure of an associated high infant mortality rate .
The Caribbean has a history of similar experimentation on slaves .
Just as critical , say Blacks of Caribbean decent , is the fact that the vaccine developed was under a president who referred to Haiti and African nations as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate has a big influence on the reluctance and hesitancy of many of my patients and family members , ” Bent said .
McCoy says he ’ s willing to to consult with his doctor before making a final decision - the kind of conversation that Holder says is key .
“ We want ( people ) to have all the knowledge , so that ( they ) can then make the choice looking at the risk , looking at the benefits and the alternatives and making the best decision , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the reasons Holder created Keeping The Faith , a campaign that seeks to better educate Black Miamians about coronavirus by working with churches in Little Haiti , Liberty City and other areas ravaged by the disease .
About 30 ministries have participated in various aspects of the initiative , which has sponsored expert-led Zoom informational sessions and COVID testing sites where patients get paired with a Black nurses .
Trustworthy messengers need to be utilized during these times and “ the only place that can consistently reach that population right now is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ November , Career Source South Florida joined forces with the Neighbors And Neighbors Association to create an outreach team that goes door-to-door passing out personal protective equipment in the Zip codes with the highest rates of the disease .
Many of those residents are predisposed to wariness .
“ A lot of people don ’ t trust the government ( here ) , ” said outreach specialist Robert Jones .
To combat that skepticism , the team hands out a coronavirus educational booklet along with masks , hand sanitizer and a survey that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impacted their daily lives .
The answers are then entered into a database to see how NANA can better assist those in need .
A trail of enthusiastic greetings and wide grins follows the group wherever they go .
“ Most individuals are just thrilled to see someone handing PPE , to see that someone is interested in their well-being , ” Calvin Wyche said Wednesday while taking a break from making deliveries in Brownsville .
Raising awareness in these areas is key “ because a lot of our people in these communities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future , a vaccine question may be added to the survey .
But for now , the goal is ensure that people know how to protect themselves .
“ I don ’ t think that ’ s our role ( to tell people to take the vaccine ) , ” CSSF executive director Rick Beasley said .
“ Our role is providing them resources to make the decision that ’ s best for their family.
” UM ’ s Carrasquillo , who also works as principal investigator in Johnson & Johnson ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of outreach efforts play a significant role in reducing suspicion among minorities .
Through conversations with community leaders , he ’ s been able to debunk myths while ensuring representation in his own vaccine trials .
About 50 % of those in his story are Latino ; about 15 % are Black .
While some of the questions about the vaccine ’ s rushed timeline and safety are valid , “ we have to debunk the crazies , ” Carrasquillo said .
“ … Please don ’ t get your health information from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friend ’ s website or Facebook post .
That is not an authoritative medical source.
” A recent Keeping The Faith virtual session directly addressed vaccine hesitancy .
Medical experts Dr. Linda Washington-Brown and Dr. Aileen Marty talked about how COVID affects the body , and importance of the vaccination .
Audience members asked about Bell ’ s palsy , a temporary facial paralysis associated with the trials , and how allergies could interact with the vaccine .
Only about one-tenth of one percent of those in the COVID vaccine trials were affected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ audience was told .
Those with a history of anaphylaxis should consult a doctor before being vaccinated .
“ You have to move all the stereotypes , move all the fallacies .
You have to look at what ’ s happening , ” Brown said .
“ You don ’ t want to die from COVID when you have a vaccine.
” While the session didn ’ t completely quell the hesitancy , some viewers did grow more confident about the vaccine .
One of them was Faith Community Baptist Church Pastor Richard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s willing to lead by example .
“ Sometimes leading is scary , ” Dunn , who admitted to having survived COVID , told the group .
“ … The underlying thing is , we have to have faith.
” “ If he can show by example how it should be then it will continue in the rest of the community , ” she said .
Bent , too , said he intends to keep encouraging everyone to get vaccinated .
His livestream has been viewed more than 500 times ; its comment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also plans to give daily updates on his condition .
“ No tail or horns yet , ” Bent joked .
Still , he worries about not being able to reach those close to him .
Though Bent and his wife Yashica agreed to vaccinate themselves as well as their four children , not even his own mother could be convinced .
“ I feel like a soldier who ’ s fighting a very difficult war to save his people , ” Bent said .

MIAMI (AP) - Days before taking the COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Inaki Bent made a decision.
He was tired of the nonstop misinformation passing between relatives. Tired of watching coronavirus decimate the Black community. Tired of the anti-maskers. Just tired.
So Bent resolved to livestream his vaccination. The Facebook Live session lasted less than an hour, while the 40-year-old Jackson Health doctor receiving the shot, resting for the 15-minute waiting period and answering viewers’ questions.
“COVID-19 has absolutely consumed my life and this is the first step towards normalcy,” Bent, a Miami native and son of Haitian immigrants, said on Tuesday’s livestream.
Bent is one of several doctors and organizations reaching out to Black South Floridians, encouraging them to sign up for the vaccine. Despite the virus’ disproportionate impact on Black and brown communities, a mid-November Pew Research poll showed that just 42-percent of African Americans would get vaccinated. That figure falls significantly behind their white, Hispanic and English-speaking Asian counterparts, who measure at 62%, 63% and 83% respectively.
Nationwide, Black Americans attribute their reluctance to the nation’s racist history and lack of faith in government institutions. Here in Miami-Dade, home to one of the nation’s most diverse Black populations, doctors say face the same suspicions, even if the histories are sometimes different.
“There’s some really bad actors that are playing on that vulnerability,” said Dr. Olveen Carrasquillo, chief of general internal medicine at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine
Adding to intentional disinformation campaigns is a lack of regular access to healthcare. Roughly 26% of Black adults in Miami-Dade are uninsured - more than double the national average of 12% - leading to a lack of comfort that only worsens the situation, says Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine professor Dr. Cheryl Holder.
“You’ve got to be regularly in a (primary care doctor’s) system and see that system demonstrate care, demonstrate improvement overall and then you build trust,” Holder said. A Jamaican-American, she considers the Black community’s hesitancy a “healthy response” considering the history.
‘LOOK AT THE RISK, BENEFITS AND ALTERNATIVES’
For American-born Blacks, that history centers on the Tuskegee Study, a series of medical experiments on African Americans that lasted 40 years.
The experimentation began in 1932 with the U.S. Public Health Service administering “medical treatment” to more than 300 Black men with syphilis in Tuskegee, Ala. In actuality, they received placebos so that scientists could document the long term effects of the disease. The study ended only after The Associated Press published an expose in 1972.
Charles McCoy, 72, still remembers his first time hearing about the study. It came his way by word of mouth - Black history wasn’t really taught in school - and the news left him “astonished,” he said.
“A lot of (African Americans) at the time were illiterate and uneducated people, so they had no idea what kind of medical experiments were going on in their body,” continued McCoy, a retired Miami-Dade public school teacher.
The abuse did not begin or end in Tuskegee. In the 1840s, James Marion Sims performed gynecological surgeries on enslaved Black women without anesthesia. In 1951, a Black Virginia tobacco farmer named Henrietta Lacks submitted cells for a biopsy that were later stolen and replicated for research. As recently as the 1990s, vaccines for measles were tested on Black and Latino babies without disclosure of an associated high infant mortality rate.
The Caribbean has a history of similar experimentation on slaves. Just as critical, say Blacks of Caribbean decent, is the fact that the vaccine developed was under a president who referred to Haiti and African nations as “shithole countries.”
“The political climate has a big influence on the reluctance and hesitancy of many of my patients and family members,” Bent said.
McCoy says he’s willing to to consult with his doctor before making a final decision - the kind of conversation that Holder says is key.
“We want (people) to have all the knowledge, so that (they) can then make the choice looking at the risk, looking at the benefits and the alternatives and making the best decision,” she said.
That’s one of the reasons Holder created Keeping The Faith, a campaign that seeks to better educate Black Miamians about coronavirus by working with churches in Little Haiti, Liberty City and other areas ravaged by the disease. About 30 ministries have participated in various aspects of the initiative, which has sponsored expert-led Zoom informational sessions and COVID testing sites where patients get paired with a Black nurses.
Trustworthy messengers need to be utilized during these times and “the only place that can consistently reach that population right now is the churches,” Holder said.
In November, Career Source South Florida joined forces with the Neighbors And Neighbors Association to create an outreach team that goes door-to-door passing out personal protective equipment in the Zip codes with the highest rates of the disease.
Many of those residents are predisposed to wariness.
“A lot of people don’t trust the government (here),” said outreach specialist Robert Jones.
To combat that skepticism, the team hands out a coronavirus educational booklet along with masks, hand sanitizer and a survey that includes questions about how the disease has impacted their daily lives. The answers are then entered into a database to see how NANA can better assist those in need.
A trail of enthusiastic greetings and wide grins follows the group wherever they go.
“Most individuals are just thrilled to see someone handing PPE, to see that someone is interested in their well-being,” Calvin Wyche said Wednesday while taking a break from making deliveries in Brownsville. Raising awareness in these areas is key “because a lot of our people in these communities aren’t informed.”
In the future, a vaccine question may be added to the survey. But for now, the goal is ensure that people know how to protect themselves.
“I don’t think that’s our role (to tell people to take the vaccine),” CSSF executive director Rick Beasley said. “Our role is providing them resources to make the decision that’s best for their family.”
UM’s Carrasquillo, who also works as principal investigator in Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine trial, believes these types of outreach efforts play a significant role in reducing suspicion among minorities. Through conversations with community leaders, he’s been able to debunk myths while ensuring representation in his own vaccine trials. About 50% of those in his story are Latino; about 15% are Black.
While some of the questions about the vaccine’s rushed timeline and safety are valid, “we have to debunk the crazies,” Carrasquillo said. “… Please don’t get your health information from your brother-in-law’s cousin’s friend’s website or Facebook post. That is not an authoritative medical source.”
‘SOMETIMES LEADING IS SCARY’
A recent Keeping The Faith virtual session directly addressed vaccine hesitancy. Medical experts Dr. Linda Washington-Brown and Dr. Aileen Marty talked about how COVID affects the body, and importance of the vaccination. Audience members asked about Bell’s palsy, a temporary facial paralysis associated with the trials, and how allergies could interact with the vaccine.
Only about one-tenth of one percent of those in the COVID vaccine trials were affected with Bell’s palsy, the audience was told. Those with a history of anaphylaxis should consult a doctor before being vaccinated.
“You have to move all the stereotypes, move all the fallacies. You have to look at what’s happening,” Brown said. “You don’t want to die from COVID when you have a vaccine.”
While the session didn’t completely quell the hesitancy, some viewers did grow more confident about the vaccine. One of them was Faith Community Baptist Church Pastor Richard Dunn, who said that he’s willing to lead by example.
“Sometimes leading is scary,” Dunn, who admitted to having survived COVID, told the group. “… The underlying thing is, we have to have faith.”
Moments like that give Holder hope.
“If he can show by example how it should be then it will continue in the rest of the community,” she said.
Bent, too, said he intends to keep encouraging everyone to get vaccinated. His livestream has been viewed more than 500 times; its comment section featured several congratulatory messages.
He also plans to give daily updates on his condition. “No tail or horns yet,” Bent joked.
Still, he worries about not being able to reach those close to him. Though Bent and his wife Yashica agreed to vaccinate themselves as well as their four children, not even his own mother could be convinced.
“I feel like a soldier who’s fighting a very difficult war to save his people,” Bent said.


washingtontimes--2020-12-27--State likely to end 2020 with more manatee deaths than usual

TAMPA , Fla. ( AP ) - For four straight years , more manatees were found dead in Florida because they were hit by boats than ever before .
That trend will break in 2020 , but not on account of any good news for the state ’ s signature threatened species .
To the contrary , researchers were tracking more manatee deaths than usual this year .
As of Dec. 11 , at least 562 manatees had died in Florida , according to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission .
That was nearly two dozen more than the five-year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We did not have mass mortality , but manatees face the threat that they always do , ” said Martine de Wit , a veterinarian in the state ’ s marine mammal lab .
“ That is watercraft issues.
” At least 88 manatees had died because of injuries from boats , though that is an undercount .
Researchers saw their work interrupted because of the coronavirus pandemic , and for weeks in the spring they did not examine carcasses to determine causes of death .
“ I ’ m convinced it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Patrick Rose , executive director of the Save the Manatee Club , about the boating-related death toll .
Last year , the state reported 136 manatees killed because of watercraft collisions , out of 606 total .
Rose noted that the state ’ s five-year death average is inflated by an unusually high count of deaths in 2018 , more than 800 , when a large Red Tide bloom killed the beloved animals in droves .
Florida did not suffer such a devastating bloom this year .
The uptick in boat deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boats , more than 961,000 last year , according to state data .
While the pandemic forced closures that limited social outings this , boating was a notable exception .
“ One of the few things people could still do was go out on the water , ” de Wit said .
“ Obviously that exposes manatees to a higher risk of boat collisions.
” Rose , a boater himself , said he is not trying to vilify everyone on the water .
Smart boaters , he said , are careful in no-wake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when they spot a manatee in distress .
But the animals congregate in plenty of places where the state does not strictly regulate speed .
Even when necropsies were put off this year , de Wit said , officials kept going out to rescue manatees .
As of Dec. 11 , the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission had tracked 101 rescues , up from 96 total the previous year .
Of those , at least 27 animals had been hit by boats .
Manatees face many threats , both human-caused and natural .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ helped four caught in crab traps and five tangled in fishing line .
Though de Wit said about two-thirds of manatees examined this summer and fall with known causes of death were hurt by boaters , cold temperatures earlier in the year killed others .
Forty-five manatees died because of cold stress by early December .
Rose said that figure might rise because of a quick temperature drop before the holidays , before all manatees moved to warmer water .
Brevard County far and away led the state with 143 manatee deaths by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ water quality have further depleted sea grasses that manatees need for food , Rose said .
They are forced to swim to unfamiliar areas .
“ As they ’ re moving , it actually makes them more vulnerable to boat traffic , ” Rose said .
Of the counties around greater Tampa Bay , Manatee saw the most deaths by Dec. 11 at 25 , fifth in the state .
Pinellas and Hillsborough were slightly behind , with 20 each .
Hillsborough logged nine deaths because of boats , Manatee had eight and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are not comprehensive because some manatees die in remote areas and are never found , de Wit said .
Researchers do not know exactly how many manatees live in Florida either .
The latest estimate from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission suggested at least 7,250 .
A few years ago , the federal government decided to reclassify manatees from endangered to threatened .
The yearly death reports show the many perils the species still faces , Rose said , factors he expects to worsen as more people move to the state and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manatees have become dependent on wintering in warm water discharged from power plants , he said , a resource that could go away as people transition to an economy built on sources like solar and wind power .
That will put additional pressure on the state ’ s springs , which draw their own concerns as businesses pull water from the Floridan aquifer , Rose said .
Altogether , he said , the threats mean future manatee populations could struggle to recover as quickly after mass die-off events like a big Red Tide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we ’ re in a position to be able to relax in terms of what the future holds for manatees , ” Rose said .
If you see an ailing manatee , the state asks that you call and report it to 1-888-404-FWCC ( 1-888-404-3922 ) .
Boaters are urged to abide by speed regulations , avoid motoring over shallow seagrass beds and to keep their powerboats at least 50 feet from any manatees they see .

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - For four straight years, more manatees were found dead in Florida because they were hit by boats than ever before. That trend will break in 2020, but not on account of any good news for the state’s signature threatened species.
To the contrary, researchers were tracking more manatee deaths than usual this year. As of Dec. 11, at least 562 manatees had died in Florida, according to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. That was nearly two dozen more than the five-year average for the same time period.
“We did not have mass mortality, but manatees face the threat that they always do,” said Martine de Wit, a veterinarian in the state’s marine mammal lab. “That is watercraft issues.”
At least 88 manatees had died because of injuries from boats, though that is an undercount. Researchers saw their work interrupted because of the coronavirus pandemic, and for weeks in the spring they did not examine carcasses to determine causes of death.
“I’m convinced it’s well over 100,” said Patrick Rose, executive director of the Save the Manatee Club, about the boating-related death toll. Last year, the state reported 136 manatees killed because of watercraft collisions, out of 606 total.
Rose noted that the state’s five-year death average is inflated by an unusually high count of deaths in 2018, more than 800, when a large Red Tide bloom killed the beloved animals in droves. Florida did not suffer such a devastating bloom this year.
The uptick in boat deaths has come alongside higher numbers of registered boats, more than 961,000 last year, according to state data. While the pandemic forced closures that limited social outings this , boating was a notable exception.
“One of the few things people could still do was go out on the water,” de Wit said. “Obviously that exposes manatees to a higher risk of boat collisions.”
Rose, a boater himself, said he is not trying to vilify everyone on the water. Smart boaters, he said, are careful in no-wake and protected zones and call rescue hotlines when they spot a manatee in distress. But the animals congregate in plenty of places where the state does not strictly regulate speed.
Even when necropsies were put off this year, de Wit said, officials kept going out to rescue manatees. As of Dec. 11, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission had tracked 101 rescues, up from 96 total the previous year. Of those, at least 27 animals had been hit by boats.
Manatees face many threats, both human-caused and natural. As of early December, rescuers had helped four caught in crab traps and five tangled in fishing line. Though de Wit said about two-thirds of manatees examined this summer and fall with known causes of death were hurt by boaters, cold temperatures earlier in the year killed others.
Forty-five manatees died because of cold stress by early December. Rose said that figure might rise because of a quick temperature drop before the holidays, before all manatees moved to warmer water.
Brevard County far and away led the state with 143 manatee deaths by early December. Algal blooms and poor water quality have further depleted sea grasses that manatees need for food, Rose said. They are forced to swim to unfamiliar areas.
“As they’re moving, it actually makes them more vulnerable to boat traffic,” Rose said.
Of the counties around greater Tampa Bay, Manatee saw the most deaths by Dec. 11 at 25, fifth in the state. Pinellas and Hillsborough were slightly behind, with 20 each. Hillsborough logged nine deaths because of boats, Manatee had eight and Pinellas had six.
The state numbers are not comprehensive because some manatees die in remote areas and are never found, de Wit said. Researchers do not know exactly how many manatees live in Florida either. The latest estimate from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission suggested at least 7,250.
A few years ago, the federal government decided to reclassify manatees from endangered to threatened.
The yearly death reports show the many perils the species still faces, Rose said, factors he expects to worsen as more people move to the state and more boaters hit the water. Many manatees have become dependent on wintering in warm water discharged from power plants, he said, a resource that could go away as people transition to an economy built on sources like solar and wind power. That will put additional pressure on the state’s springs, which draw their own concerns as businesses pull water from the Floridan aquifer, Rose said.
Altogether, he said, the threats mean future manatee populations could struggle to recover as quickly after mass die-off events like a big Red Tide.
“I don’t see that we’re in a position to be able to relax in terms of what the future holds for manatees,” Rose said.
If you see an ailing manatee, the state asks that you call and report it to 1-888-404-FWCC (1-888-404-3922). Boaters are urged to abide by speed regulations, avoid motoring over shallow seagrass beds and to keep their powerboats at least 50 feet from any manatees they see.


washingtontimes--2020-12-27--At least 7 killed in knife attack in northeastern China

BEIJING ( AP ) - At least seven people were killed and another seven injured in a knife attack in @ @ @ @ @ reported Sunday .
The attack in the city of Kaiyuan in Liaoning province was carried @ @ @ @ @ bathhouse .
The suspect , identified by the media by his surname Yang , was @ @ @ @ @ the attack remains unknown .
Chinese law restricts the sale and possession of firearms , @ @ @ @ @ carried out with knives or homemade explosives .
Perpetrators of similar attacks in the past @ @ @ @ @ ill or bearing grudges against society .
In earlier attacks , a school security guard @ @ @ @ @ least 39 people at a kindergarten in the southern region of Guangxi in June this @ @ @ @ @ sentenced to death .
In 2018 , a man killed one and injured 12 in @ @ @ @ @ shopping mall in Beijing .

BEIJING (AP) - At least seven people were killed and another seven injured in a knife attack in northeastern China, state media reported Sunday.
The attack in the city of Kaiyuan in Liaoning province was carried out outside a sauna and bathhouse. The suspect, identified by the media by his surname Yang, was arrested while the motive for the attack remains unknown.
Chinese law restricts the sale and possession of firearms, and mass attacks are generally carried out with knives or homemade explosives.
Perpetrators of similar attacks in the past have been described as mentally ill or bearing grudges against society.
In earlier attacks, a school security guard wielding a knife injured at least 39 people at a kindergarten in the southern region of Guangxi in June this year. The culprit was sentenced to death.
In 2018, a man killed one and injured 12 in a knife attack at a shopping mall in Beijing.


washingtontimes--2020-12-27--Nashville explosion investigation prompts FBI to search home

NASHVILLE , Tenn. ( AP ) - Federal agents converged Saturday on the home of a possible person of interest in the explosion that rocked downtown Nashville as investigators scoured hundreds of tips and leads in the blast that damaged dozens of buildings on Christmas morning .
More than 24 hours after the explosion , a motive remained elusive as investigators worked round-the-clock to resolve unanswered questions about a recreational vehicle that blew up on a mostly deserted street on a sleepy holiday morning and was prefaced by a recorded warning advising those nearby to evacuate .
The attack , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ building , continued to wreak havoc Saturday on cellphone service and police and hospital communications in several Southern states .
Investigators from multiple federal and local law enforcement agencies were at a home in Antioch , in suburban Nashville , after receiving information relevant to the investigation , said FBI Special Agent Jason Pack .
Another law enforcement official , who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity , said investigators regard a person associated with the property as a person of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looking around the property , searching the home and the backyard .
A Google Maps image had shown a similar recreational vehicle parked in the backyard when the photo was captured in May 2019 ; an AP reporter at the scene did not see the vehicle at the property in the late afternoon Saturday .
There were other signs of progress in the investigation , as the FBI revealed that it was looking at a number of individuals who may be connected to it .
Officials also said no additional explosive devices have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the area .
Investigators have received around 500 tips and leads .
“ It ’ s just going to take us some time , ” Douglas Korneski , the special agent in charge in charge of the FBI ’ s Memphis field office , said at a Saturday afternoon news conference .
“ Our investigative team is turning over every stone ” to understand who did this and why .
Beyond that , the only known casualties were three injured people .
Investigators said they were working to identify human remains found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , meanwhile , was broadly felt , due to an AT & T ; central office being affected by the blast .
Police emergency systems in Tennessee , Kentucky and Alabama , as well as Nashville ’ s COVID-19 community hotline and a handful of hospital systems , remained out of service .
The building contained a telephone exchange , with network equipment in it - but the company has declined to say exactly how many people have been impacted .
Asked whether the AT & T ; building could have been a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We ’ re looking at every possible motive that could be involved.
” Investigators shut down the heart of downtown Nashville ’ s tourist scene - an area packed with honky-tonks , restaurants and shops - as they shuffled through broken glass and damaged buildings to learn more about the explosion .
Mayor John Cooper has enforced a curfew in the downtown area until Sunday via executive order to limit public access to the area .
More than 40 buildings were affected .
AT & T ; said restoration efforts are facing several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ reignited overnight and led to the evacuation of the building.
” This has forced their teams to work with safety and structural engineers and drilling access holes into the building in order to reconnect power .
“ Our teams continue to work around the clock on recovery efforts from yesterday morning ’ s explosion in Nashville , ” the company said in a Saturday statement .
“ We have two portable cell sites operating in downtown Nashville with numerous additional portable sites being deployed in the Nashville area and in the region.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ at T-Mobile , said on Twitter that service disruptions affected Louisville , Nashville , Knoxville , Birmingham and Atlanta .
“ We continue to see service interruptions in these areas following yesterday ’ s explosion .
Restoration efforts continue around the clock & we will keep you updated on progress , ” he said in a tweet Saturday .
The outages had even briefly grounded flights at the Nashville International Airport , but service was continuing normally as of Saturday .
The Federal Aviation Association has since issued a temporary flight restriction around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strict procedures until Dec. 30 .
According to Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake , police officers responded on Friday to a report of shots fired when they encountered the RV blaring a recorded warning that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes .
Police evacuated nearby buildings and called in the bomb squad .
The RV exploded shortly afterward .
Associated Press photographer Mark Humphrey in Nashville and writer John Raby in Charleston , West Virginia , contributed to this report .

KIMBERLEE KRUESI, MICHAEL BALSAMO and ERIC TUCKER

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The man believed to be responsible for the Christmas Day bombing that tore through downtown Nashville blew himself up in the explosion, and appears to have acted alone, federal officials said Sunday.
Investigators used DNA and other evidence to link the man, identified as Anthony Quinn Warner, to the mysterious explosion but said they have not determined a motive. Officials have received hundreds of tips and leads, but have concluded that no one other than Warner is believed to have been involved in the early morning explosion that damaged dozens of buildings and injured three people.
“Nashville is considered safe,” said Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake. “There are no known threats against this city.”
In publicly identifying the suspect and his fate, officials disclosed a major breakthrough in their investigation even as they acknowledged the lingering mystery behind the explosion, which took place on a holiday morning well before downtown streets were bustling with activity and was accompanied by a recorded announcement warning anyone nearby that a bomb would soon detonate.
Then, for reasons that may never be known, the audio switched to a recording of Petula Clark’s 1964 hit “Downtown” shortly before the blast.
Investigators have not uncovered a singular motive for the act nor was it revealed why Warner had selected the particular location for the bombing, which damaged an AT&T building and has continued to wreak havoc on cellphone service and police and hospital communications in several Southern states as the company worked to restore service.
Authorities said Warner, 63, was not known to law enforcement before the Christmas blast.
Warner, who public records show had experience with electronics and alarms and who had also worked as a computer consultant for a Nashville realtor, had been regarded as a person of interest in the bombing since at least Saturday when federal and local investigators converged on a home in suburban Nashville linked to him.
Federal agents could be seen looking around the property, searching the home and the backyard. A Google Maps image captured in May 2019 had shown a recreational vehicle similar to the one that exploded parked in the backyard, but it was not at the property on Saturday, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene.
On Sunday morning, police formally named Warner as being under investigation.
Officials said their identification of Warner relied on several key pieces of evidence, including DNA found at the explosion site. Investigators had previously revealed that human remains had been found in the vicinity.
In addition, investigators from the Tennessee Highway Patrol recovered parts from the RV among the wreckage from the blast, and were able to link the vehicle identification number to an RV that was registered to Warner, officials said.
“We’re still following leads, but right now there is no indication that any other persons were involved,” said Douglas Korneski, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Memphis field office. “We’ve reviewed hours of security video surrounding the recreation vehicle. We saw no other people involved.”
Police were responding to a report of shots fired Friday when they encountered the RV blaring a recorded warning that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes. Suddenly the warning stopped, and Clark’s hit, “Downtown,” started playing.
The RV exploded shortly afterward, sending black smoke and flames billowing from the heart of downtown Nashville’s tourist scene, an area packed with honky-tonks, restaurants and shops.
Buildings shook and windows shattered streets away from the explosion near a building owned by AT&T that lies one block from the company’s office tower, a landmark in downtown.
Forensic analysts were reviewing evidence collected from the blast site to try to identify the components of the explosives as well as information from the U.S. Bomb Data Center for intelligence and investigative leads, according to a law enforcement official who said investigators were examining Warner’s digital footprint and financial history, as well as a recent deed transfer of the home they searched in suburban Nashville.
The official, who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, said federal agents were examining a number of potential leads and pursuing several theories, including the possibility that the AT&T building was targeted.
Korneski said Sunday that officials were looking at any and all motives and were interviewing acquaintances of Warner’s to try to determine what may have motivated him.
Meanwhile, just blocks from where the bombing took place, tourists had already begun to fill the sidewalks Sunday on Lower Broadway, a central entertainment district. Some took selfies while others tried to get as close as possible to the explosion site, blocked by police barricades.
Earlier Sunday, the officers who responded provided harrowing details, at times getting choked up reliving the moments that led up to the blast.
“This is going to tie us together forever, for the rest of my life,” Officer James Wells, who suffered some hearing loss due to the explosion, told reporters at a news conference. “Christmas will never be the same.”
Officer Brenna Hosey said she and her colleagues knocked on six or seven doors in nearby apartments to warn people to evacuate. She particularly remembered a startled mother of four children.
“I don’t have kids but I have cousins and nieces, people who I love who are small,” Hosey said, adding she had to plead with the family to leave the building as quickly as possible.
___
Balsamo and Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Scott Stroud and photographer Mark Humphrey in Nashville contributed to this report.


washingtontimes--2020-12-27--Eastern Turkey shook by 5.3 magnitude earthquake

ISTANBUL ( AP ) - An earthquake with a 5.3 magnitude shook Elazig province in eastern Turkey on Sunday .
@ @ @ @ @ Suleyman Soylu tweeted there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage .
The quake @ @ @ @ @ 0637 GMT ) , Turkey ’ s Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate said .
It @ @ @ @ @ provinces .
Turkey is crisscrossed by major fault lines and earthquakes are frequent .
In @ @ @ @ @ earthquake struck Elazig , killing 41 people in that province and neighboring Malatya .
Another @ @ @ @ @ city of Izmir in October , killing 116 people .
Turkey ’ s worst quake @ @ @ @ @ , when a pair of strong earthquakes struck northwest Turkey , killing around 18,000 people @

ISTANBUL (AP) - An earthquake with a 5.3 magnitude shook Elazig province in eastern Turkey on Sunday.
Turkey’s Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu tweeted there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The quake struck at 09:37 a.m. (0637 GMT), Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate said. It was felt in several neighboring provinces.
Turkey is crisscrossed by major fault lines and earthquakes are frequent.
In January, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Elazig, killing 41 people in that province and neighboring Malatya.
Another deadly quake struck western port city of Izmir in October, killing 116 people.
Turkey’s worst quake in decades came in 1999, when a pair of strong earthquakes struck northwest Turkey, killing around 18,000 people.


washingtontimes--2020-12-27--Wars, instability pose vaccine challenges in poor nations

DAR MANGI , Pakistan ( AP ) - Arifullah Khan had just administered another polio vaccine when the gunfire blasted from the nearby hills .
“ It happened so suddenly .
There was so much gunfire it felt like an explosion , ” he said , recalling details of the attack five years ago in Pakistan ’ s Bajaur tribal region near the Afghan border .
A bullet shattered his thigh and he fell to the ground .
His childhood friend and partner in the vaccination campaign , Ruhollah , lay bleeding on the ground in front of him .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Khan said .
“ I watched him lying right in front of me as he took his last breath.
” In Pakistan , delivering vaccines can be deadly .
Militants and radical religious groups spread claims that the polio vaccine is a Western ploy to sterilize Muslim children or turn them away from religion .
More than 100 health workers , vaccinators and security officials involved in polio vaccination have been killed since 2012 .
The violence is an extreme example of the difficulties many poor and developing countries across Asia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America face as they tackle the monumental task of vaccinating their populations against COVID-19 .
It ’ s not just the problem of affording vaccines or being at the back of the line behind wealthy countries in receiving them .
Poor infrastructure often means roads are treacherous and electricity is sporadic for the refrigerators vital to preserving vaccines .
Wars and insurgencies endanger vaccinators .
Corruption can siphon away funds , and vaccination campaign planners must sometimes navigate through multiple armed factions .
“ The most challenging areas … are conflict settings , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and areas where misinformation is circulating , which discourages community participation , ” said UNICEF ’ s deputy chief of global immunization , Benjamin Schreiber .
Many nations are relying on COVAX , an international system aimed at ensuring equitable access to vaccines , though it is already short on funding .
UNICEF , which runs immunization programs worldwide , is gearing up to help procure and administer COVID-19 vaccines , Schreiber told The Associated Press .
It has stockpiled half a billion syringes and aims to provide 70,000 refrigerators , mostly solar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aims to transport 850 tons of COVID-19 vaccines a month next year , double its usual annual monthly rate for other vaccines , UNICEF ’ s executive director Henrietta Fore said in a statement .
The situation can vary widely from country to country .
Mexico is expected to start immunizations soon .
The military will handle distribution , and the government has promised free vaccines for Mexico ’ s nearly 130 million inhabitants by the end of 2021 .
Meanwhile , Haiti , the Western Hemisphere ’ s poorest country , has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health experts worry that widespread rumors could set back vaccinations - including claims that hospitals will give fatal injections to inflate COVID-19 death figures and receive more foreign aid .
The African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is leading a continent-wide effort to vaccinate Africa ’ s 1.3 billion people in 54 countries .
The agency is coordinating efforts to obtain doses and seeking World Bank help in funding - estimating it will take $ 10 billion to acquire , distribute and administer the vaccines .
The aim is to vaccinate 60 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two years - some 700 million people - more than the continent has done in the past , said John Nkengasong , director of the African CDC .
“ The time for action is now , ” said Nkengasong .
“ The West can not defeat COVID-19 alone .
It must be defeated by all over the world , and that includes Africa.
” Congo underscores the obstacles the campaign faces .
The country has overcome Ebola outbreaks with vaccination campaigns .
But it struggled in eastern Congo , where Allied Democratic Forces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups vie for control of mineral riches .
Rough terrain and insecurity meant vaccinators had trouble getting to all areas .
Some came under attack .
Rumors flew about the Ebola vaccines , including the idea they were meant to kill people , said Dr. Maurice Kakule , an Ebola survivor who worked in vaccination campaigns .
Education programs overcame much of the resistance , but similar suspicions are spreading about the COVID-19 vaccine , he said .
In Beni , the area ’ s main city , Danny Momoti , a trader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of his work .
“ I need this COVID-19 vaccination card to be accepted in Dubai and elsewhere where I go to buy the goods for Beni , ” he said .
In Yemen , the health system has collapsed under six years of war between Houthi rebels who control the north and government-allied factions in the south .
Yemen saw its first outbreak of polio in 15 years this summer , centered in the northern province of Saada .
Vaccinators haven ’ t been able to work there the past two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fears , UNICEF said .
Agencies rushed to give new inoculations in parts of the north and south in November and December .
Cholera and diphtheria have been rampant , and once again , Yemen faces a new surge in hunger .
U.N. officials have warned of potential famine in 2021 .
No plans for COVID-19 vaccinations have been announced yet , whether by the Houthis , southern authorities or WHO and UNICEF .
Only half of Yemen ’ s health facilities remain functional .
Roads , power networks and other infrastructure have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some programs , trying to wrest concessions from U.N. agencies , including blocking a shipment of cholera vaccines amid a 2017 outbreak .
“ Even the mildest and normally preventable diseases can prove fatal due to a lack of health care access in a conflict setting , ” said Wasim Bahja , the Yemen country director for International Medical Corps .
In Pakistan , public distrust was fueled when the CIA in 2011 used a scam vaccination program to identify the hideout of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden , leading to the special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Afghanistan and Nigeria are the only countries in the world where polio is still endemic .
There have been 82 new polio cases this year alone , largely because vaccinations were suspended due to the pandemic , said Dr. Rana Safdar , who coordinates the polio vaccination campaigns .
The Bajaur region , where Khan was shot , remains one of the more dangerous areas , Safdar said .
Khan tried to explain the deep mistrust in his region .
Deeply conservative tribal elders “ believe the vaccine is the reason the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children are disrespectful and show little concern for Islamic traditions and values.
” “ Everyone is scared ” of COVID-19 , he said .
“ But they are suspicious of Western things.
” Khan said he signed up to administer polio vaccines because he was paid the equivalent of $ 56 for just a few days ’ work .
“ I needed to feed my family.
” He will likely sign up to deliver COVID-19 vaccines as well .
“ But first I would check if there is any danger there , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Keath from Cairo .
Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo , Maria Verza in Mexico City , Sonia Pérez D. in Guatemala City , Evens Sanon in Port-au-Prince , Haiti and Al-Hadji Kudra Maliro in Beni , Congo contributed to this report .

KATHY GANNON, ANDREW MELDRUM and LEE KEATH

DAR MANGI, Pakistan (AP) - Arifullah Khan had just administered another polio vaccine when the gunfire blasted from the nearby hills.
“It happened so suddenly. There was so much gunfire it felt like an explosion,” he said, recalling details of the attack five years ago in Pakistan’s Bajaur tribal region near the Afghan border.
A bullet shattered his thigh and he fell to the ground. His childhood friend and partner in the vaccination campaign, Ruhollah, lay bleeding on the ground in front of him.
“I couldn’t move,” Khan said. “I watched him lying right in front of me as he took his last breath.”
In Pakistan, delivering vaccines can be deadly. Militants and radical religious groups spread claims that the polio vaccine is a Western ploy to sterilize Muslim children or turn them away from religion. More than 100 health workers, vaccinators and security officials involved in polio vaccination have been killed since 2012.
The violence is an extreme example of the difficulties many poor and developing countries across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America face as they tackle the monumental task of vaccinating their populations against COVID-19.
It’s not just the problem of affording vaccines or being at the back of the line behind wealthy countries in receiving them.
Poor infrastructure often means roads are treacherous and electricity is sporadic for the refrigerators vital to preserving vaccines. Wars and insurgencies endanger vaccinators. Corruption can siphon away funds, and vaccination campaign planners must sometimes navigate through multiple armed factions.
“The most challenging areas … are conflict settings, where outbreaks of violence hinder vaccinations, and areas where misinformation is circulating, which discourages community participation,” said UNICEF’s deputy chief of global immunization, Benjamin Schreiber.
Many nations are relying on COVAX, an international system aimed at ensuring equitable access to vaccines, though it is already short on funding.
UNICEF, which runs immunization programs worldwide, is gearing up to help procure and administer COVID-19 vaccines, Schreiber told The Associated Press. It has stockpiled half a billion syringes and aims to provide 70,000 refrigerators, mostly solar powered, he said.
The agency aims to transport 850 tons of COVID-19 vaccines a month next year, double its usual annual monthly rate for other vaccines, UNICEF’s executive director Henrietta Fore said in a statement.
The situation can vary widely from country to country.
Mexico is expected to start immunizations soon. The military will handle distribution, and the government has promised free vaccines for Mexico’s nearly 130 million inhabitants by the end of 2021.
Meanwhile, Haiti, the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country, has yet to announce any vaccination plans. Health experts worry that widespread rumors could set back vaccinations - including claims that hospitals will give fatal injections to inflate COVID-19 death figures and receive more foreign aid.
The African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is leading a continent-wide effort to vaccinate Africa’s 1.3 billion people in 54 countries. The agency is coordinating efforts to obtain doses and seeking World Bank help in funding - estimating it will take $10 billion to acquire, distribute and administer the vaccines.
The aim is to vaccinate 60% of Africa’s population within two years - some 700 million people - more than the continent has done in the past, said John Nkengasong, director of the African CDC.
“The time for action is now,” said Nkengasong. “The West cannot defeat COVID-19 alone. It must be defeated by all over the world, and that includes Africa.”
Congo underscores the obstacles the campaign faces.
The country has overcome Ebola outbreaks with vaccination campaigns. But it struggled in eastern Congo, where Allied Democratic Forces rebels stage frequent attacks and other armed groups vie for control of mineral riches.
Rough terrain and insecurity meant vaccinators had trouble getting to all areas. Some came under attack.
Rumors flew about the Ebola vaccines, including the idea they were meant to kill people, said Dr. Maurice Kakule, an Ebola survivor who worked in vaccination campaigns. Education programs overcame much of the resistance, but similar suspicions are spreading about the COVID-19 vaccine, he said.
In Beni, the area’s main city, Danny Momoti, a trader, said he would take the vaccine because of his work. “I need this COVID-19 vaccination card to be accepted in Dubai and elsewhere where I go to buy the goods for Beni,” he said.
Civil wars present perhaps the greatest obstacles.
In Yemen, the health system has collapsed under six years of war between Houthi rebels who control the north and government-allied factions in the south.
Yemen saw its first outbreak of polio in 15 years this summer, centered in the northern province of Saada. Vaccinators haven’t been able to work there the past two years, in part because of security fears, UNICEF said. Agencies rushed to give new inoculations in parts of the north and south in November and December.
Cholera and diphtheria have been rampant, and once again, Yemen faces a new surge in hunger. U.N. officials have warned of potential famine in 2021.
No plans for COVID-19 vaccinations have been announced yet, whether by the Houthis, southern authorities or WHO and UNICEF.
Only half of Yemen’s health facilities remain functional. Roads, power networks and other infrastructure have been devastated. The Houthis have hampered some programs, trying to wrest concessions from U.N. agencies, including blocking a shipment of cholera vaccines amid a 2017 outbreak.
“Even the mildest and normally preventable diseases can prove fatal due to a lack of health care access in a conflict setting,” said Wasim Bahja, the Yemen country director for International Medical Corps.
In Pakistan, public distrust was fueled when the CIA in 2011 used a scam vaccination program to identify the hideout of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, leading to the special forces raid that killed him.
Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria are the only countries in the world where polio is still endemic. There have been 82 new polio cases this year alone, largely because vaccinations were suspended due to the pandemic, said Dr. Rana Safdar, who coordinates the polio vaccination campaigns.
The Bajaur region, where Khan was shot, remains one of the more dangerous areas, Safdar said.
Khan tried to explain the deep mistrust in his region. Deeply conservative tribal elders “believe the vaccine is the reason the young people who were given it as children are disrespectful and show little concern for Islamic traditions and values.”
“Everyone is scared” of COVID-19, he said. “But they are suspicious of Western things.”
Khan said he signed up to administer polio vaccines because he was paid the equivalent of $56 for just a few days’ work. “I needed to feed my family.”
He will likely sign up to deliver COVID-19 vaccines as well.
“But first I would check if there is any danger there,” he said.
___
Meldrum reported from Johannesburg, Keath from Cairo. Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo, Maria Verza in Mexico City, Sonia Pérez D. in Guatemala City, Evens Sanon in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and Al-Hadji Kudra Maliro in Beni, Congo contributed to this report.