buzzfeed--2020-04-22--Scientists Haven’t Found Proof The Coronavirus Escaped From A Lab In Wuhan. Trump Supporters Are Spr

Scientists Haven’t Found Proof The Coronavirus Escaped From A Lab In Wuhan. Trump Supporters Are Spreading The Rumor Anyway.

There 's much about the origins of the COVID-19 outbreak that scientists are still trying to discover .
But animosity between the United States and China — and a bellicose American president — have made it harder to find the truth .
A provocative and unproven theory is gaining traction on Fox News and in other right-wing media : The novel coronavirus originated inside of a Chinese lab .
Some version of the theory is appealing to President Donald Trump and his supporters , because it gives them an easy scapegoat to blame for the pandemic .
And more outlandish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the internet , with some suggesting the novel coronavirus was intentionally released as a bioweapon .
That claim has been swiftly knocked down by scientists .
But this particular internet rabbit hole is difficult to hop out of , because the idea that the virus may have originated in a lab is less far-fetched and there are too many unknowns to eliminate this possibility .
While scientists are not yet ready to rule it out , disinformation researchers are clear about why the claim has spread so far , so fast : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fox News published a story claiming COVID-19 , the disease caused by the novel coronavirus , `` likely '' originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology .
It described the report as based on multiple sources who had been briefed on the details of early actions by China 's government .
`` The sources believe the initial transmission of the virus — a naturally occurring strain that was being studied there — was bat-to-human and that ‘ patient zero ’ worked at the laboratory , then went into the population in Wuhan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next day that members of the US intelligence community were investigating whether the novel coronavirus had escaped from the Wuhan lab .
The Fox News report came one day after Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin published excerpts from two-year-old State Department communications in which US diplomats described what they saw as safety issues at the Wuhan Institute of Virology .
`` Two years before the novel coronavirus pandemic upended the world , U.S. Embassy officials visited a Chinese research facility in the city of Wuhan several times and sent two official warnings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lab , which was conducting risky studies on coronaviruses from bats , '' he wrote .
Rogin reported that the rediscovery of the two-year old communications had fueled discussions among national security officials in the Trump administration about whether the Wuhan lab might have been the source of COVID-19 — “ even though conclusive proof has yet to emerge.
” In the days that followed , the Fox News report and Rogin ’ s column have reignited a long-standing suspicion — particularly on the US right — that the Chinese lab could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather than the Wuhan wet market .
And while there may well have been discussions about that possibility within the US intelligence community , scientists have suggested that while they ca n't yet rule out a transmission at the lab , an artificial creation of the virus appears next to impossible .
In fact , there 's a great deal that scientists still do n't know about the origins of the novel coronavirus .
In January , a group of scientists wrote in the medical journal Lancet that not all of the initial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the market in Wuhan .
That does not mean that experts believe the virus is an escaped bioweapon : “ All available evidence suggests the virus has an animal origin and is not [ a ] manipulated or constructed virus in a lab or somewhere else , ” WHO spokesperson Fadela Chaib said on Tuesday , echoing the results of a study published in March .
It does mean that key questions about its origin have yet to be determined — and may never be .
For instance , the exact origins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been determined , despite the first human case being detected in 1976 .
The origin of the novel coronavirus is a legitimate area of scientific inquiry , in which there are still open questions .
As Carl T. Bergstrom , a professor of biology at the University of Washington , tweeted last week , `` There is strong evidence that the # SARSCoV2 # coronavirus is NOT an engineered bioweapon .
That said , it 's important to be upfront that we do not have sufficient evidence to exclude entirely the possibility that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' But other scientists were quick to distinguish their work from the currently unsupported claims circulating on Fox News and in the Washington Post .
`` It 's irresponsible for political reporters like Rogin [ to ] uncritically regurgitate a secret ‘ cable ’ without asking a single virologist or ecologist or making any attempt to understand the scientific context , '' tweeted Columbia University virologist Angela Rasmussen .
( Rogin defended his work , writing to her that he did speak to several scientists , including virologists , but their quotes didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . )
Regardless of the science , it 's in the political interest of the president and his most fervent supporters to raise the possibility of a Chinese lab origin .
Vincent Racaniello , a professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia University and host of the podcast This Week in Virology , told BuzzFeed News that he wasn ’ t even comfortable calling the idea that the lab was the source of the outbreak a theory .
“ A theory is based on results , ” he said .
“ I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ There was no way this could escape a lab , ” Racaniello added .
“ If this escaped a Wuhan lab , [ the researchers ] would have all gotten sick.
” Racaniello explained that the lab studies some of the world ’ s deadliest pathogens , with a particular focus on novel coronaviruses found in bats , and that in January its scientists were the first to genetically sequence COVID-19 .
“ They isolated it from a patient and found it to be very similar ” to RaTG13 , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bats in China ’ s Yunnan province , he said .
“ You can see there is a common ancestor of both viruses.
” Racaniello said the two claims — that the virus could be human-made and that it could have escaped from a laboratory — had no scientific backing .
“ People who are saying it escaped from a lab have no idea what they 're talking about , ” he said , adding , “ No human could ever design this virus.
” The first public speculation that the lab , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dubbed “ Bat Woman ” by Chinese media , could be responsible for the outbreak came in a February research paper in which Chinese scientists pointed out that the virology institute is close to a Wuhan seafood market where the virus is commonly believed to have first come into contact with humans .
The authors withdrew their paper as “ speculation ” after it received international notice .
Yuan Zhiming , a senior official at the Wuhan facility , told Chinese state television earlier this month “ there ’ s no way this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jordan Sather warned his followers in January that the coronavirus was a “ new fad disease ” that had been “ planned.
” Sather ’ s conspiracy theory hinged on a 2015 patent for a coronavirus vaccine filed by scientists at the Pirbright Institute in Surrey , England , a research institute that studies a weakened form of a different coronavirus that could be used as a respiratory disease vaccine for birds and other animals — not humans .
Ten days later , far-right finance news site Zero Hedge claimed without evidence that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Virology had created the novel coronavirus .
“ If anyone wants to find out what really caused the coronavirus pandemic that has infected thousands of people in China and around the globe , they should probably pay [ the Chinese scientist ] a visit , ” the article concluded , adding the scientist ’ s phone number and email address .
Following the publication of the scientist 's name in a tweet , Twitter suspended Zero Hedge 's account permanently for violation of its terms of service , which forbid coordinated harassment and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also speculated that Chinese agents smuggled the coronavirus out of a laboratory in Canada and turned it into a weapon .
Like a fugue , the American right has been playing variations on this theme in the months since then .
In February , radio host Rush Limbaugh claimed the deep state had created the coronavirus as a political weapon to “ to bring down Trump.
” Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton , while speaking on Fox News a week later , claimed the virus could be a lab-made bioweapon .
( Cotton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought there were four possible origins for the coronavirus — including an accidental breach or deliberate release of the virus . )
The idea has become so popular that Chinese state propaganda organs are now trolling American conservatives by promoting their own conspiracy theories .
In early March , Lijian Zhao , a prominent Chinese diplomat , tweeted a conspiracy theory that the novel coronavirus did not originate in Wuhan , but in the United States .
According to Wilson Center disinformation researcher Nina Jankowicz , the claim that the Wuhan Institute of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the novel coronavirus left the fringe and entered the American conservative mainstream in early April .
“ It seems to me to be emanating from that Epoch Times documentary , ” she said .
On April 7 , the Epoch Times , an aggressively pro-Trump news outlet , released a 54-minute video titled “ 1st Documentary Movie on the Origin of CCP Virus , Tracking Down the Origin of the Wuhan Coronavirus.
” The Epoch Times is linked to Falun Gong , a religious movement persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on YouTube and shared over 50,000 times on Facebook , which has flagged the video as “ partly false '' for promoting “ the unsupported hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 is a bioengineered virus released from a Wuhan research laboratory.
” “ All these campaigns are preying on people 's desires to know more about the situation , ” Jankowicz said .
“ It bothers people that we ca n't pinpoint where this virus came from.
” But Jankowicz did pinpoint who benefited , saying that putting the blame on a Wuhan lab helps the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It becomes more politically convenient for Trump and his administration the further we get into this maelstrom , especially in comparison to the Chinese response , ” she said .
Following last week ’ s reports in the Washington Post and Fox News , the right-wing media machine has sounded the theme loudly .
One of the top referrals for the Fox piece , according to social metrics site CrowdTangle , was Sen. Cotton ’ s Facebook page , which shared the as-of-yet-unproven article with the caption “ China did this .
China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is.
” In the following days , the hyperpartisan Washington Examiner published a story headlined “ Tom Cotton Was Right : Coronavirus May Have Come From a Chinese Lab , '' and the American Conservative published a piece describing the Epoch Times video as “ impressive in its scope , scale , and overall depth.
” Jeremy Konyndyk , a senior policy fellow at the Center for Global Development , has been outspoken on Twitter about how the Trump administration has groped to find a direct link between the coronavirus and Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Washington Post ’ s Rogin for publishing excerpts of a two-year-old cable , rather than the cable in its entirety .
`` They 're looking really hard at the intel and they have n't found anything yet , ” he said .
Konyndyk said there is currently no evidence that the coronavirus originated in a lab — either as a deliberate creation or an accidental release .
“ There was a very early cluster [ of cases ] in the [ Wuhan seafood ] market , ” he said , citing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If the lab was the point of spillover , you would n't necessarily see the early clustering in the market.
” There 's good reason to be suspicious about what China is and is n't reporting .
The CCP heavily censored early information about the outbreak and was reticent to share data internationally in the months that followed .
But the country 's motivations are less clear .
“ Should [ we ] read that as a desire to cover up or a fear that anything that is discovered wo n't be handled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I think the Chinese should be open to a more open process.
” Since then , the country ’ s government and people have grown to resent the lack of compassion the rest of the world has shown China , Shirk said , while Chinese citizens have become more nationalistic , proud that they were able to flatten the curve on their own .
“ Now that they 've gotten control over the first wave , they 're prematurely celebrating out of defensiveness and claiming a lot of credit , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just Trump who has a political interest in scapegoating another country .
Leaders of both nations are trying to find ways to reframe their failures to contain the outbreak .
“ Xi Jinping and Donald Trump are both vulnerable to a lot of public criticism for having failed in their responses to the disease , ” she said .
“ They ’ re just trying to protect their own political skin by blaming and stoking ill will to the other country.
” Shirk said that if the US and China can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ third waves of the coronavirus outbreak could be even more dangerous than the first .
“ What really gets me , even in the middle of the Cold War , the Soviet Union and the United States jointly led the global effort and totally eradicated smallpox , ” she said .
“ Could you imagine the United States and China doing that ?
”

A provocative and unproven theory is gaining traction on Fox News and in other right-wing media: The novel coronavirus originated inside of a Chinese lab.
Some version of the theory is appealing to President Donald Trump and his supporters, because it gives them an easy scapegoat to blame for the pandemic. And more outlandish versions of it circulate in certain corners of the internet, with some suggesting the novel coronavirus was intentionally released as a bioweapon. That claim has been swiftly knocked down by scientists.
But this particular internet rabbit hole is difficult to hop out of, because the idea that the virus may have originated in a lab is less far-fetched and there are too many unknowns to eliminate this possibility. While scientists are not yet ready to rule it out, disinformation researchers are clear about why the claim has spread so far, so fast: Donald Trump.
Five days ago, Fox News published a story claiming COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, "likely" originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology. It described the report as based on multiple sources who had been briefed on the details of early actions by China's government.
"The sources believe the initial transmission of the virus — a naturally occurring strain that was being studied there — was bat-to-human and that ‘patient zero’ worked at the laboratory, then went into the population in Wuhan," wrote Fox News, which claimed the next day that members of the US intelligence community were investigating whether the novel coronavirus had escaped from the Wuhan lab.
The Fox News report came one day after Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin published excerpts from two-year-old State Department communications in which US diplomats described what they saw as safety issues at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
"Two years before the novel coronavirus pandemic upended the world, U.S. Embassy officials visited a Chinese research facility in the city of Wuhan several times and sent two official warnings back to Washington about inadequate safety at the lab, which was conducting risky studies on coronaviruses from bats," he wrote.
Rogin reported that the rediscovery of the two-year old communications had fueled discussions among national security officials in the Trump administration about whether the Wuhan lab might have been the source of COVID-19 — “even though conclusive proof has yet to emerge.”
In the days that followed, the Fox News report and Rogin’s column have reignited a long-standing suspicion — particularly on the US right — that the Chinese lab could be the origin of the pandemic, rather than the Wuhan wet market. And while there may well have been discussions about that possibility within the US intelligence community, scientists have suggested that while they can't yet rule out a transmission at the lab, an artificial creation of the virus appears next to impossible.


buzzfeed--2020-04-22--New York City's Coronavirus Essential Workers Are Overwhelmingly People Of Color

“ We ’ re telling you that no one should be out here because it ’ s dangerous , but we ’ re sending you out there and we ’ re not giving out any masks.
” For one essential worker , there ’ s a specific time when coronavirus-related anxiety is at its highest : the moment she pulls into a crowded bus stop .
Forcing people to enter the rear doors helps a little to ease the tension for the Brooklyn bus operator who is still working during the pandemic .
But now that the Metropolitan Transit Authority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closest to the driver , the bus seems even more packed .
“ I ’ m more concerned about my son than myself , of course , because he has an underlying health issue as well , ” she told BuzzFeed News to explain why they decided to buy their own masks and cleaning products a month before the MTA began distributing them to workers .
The New York Times reported some MTA employees were reprimanded for using precautionary measures themselves .
“ It was every man for himself , ” she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to distribute masks , it only provided one per employee .
“ I ’ m very nervous .
I think I got more serious about the situation with the passing of coworkers.
” As of Monday , 71 MTA employees have died of COVID-19 , the disease caused by the novel coronavirus .
The first MTA death occurred on March 26 , a day before transit union officials negotiated a deal with the MTA to provide masks to workers , according to Jim Gannon , a spokesperson for transit union workers .
Bus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers — account for at least 20 of those deaths .
An MTA spokesperson said the agency had given out 1 million masks and 3 million pairs of gloves , “ including masks to all employees days before the CDC changed course and recommended it .
We are doing everything possible to protect our customers and employees , frontline heroes moving the doctors , nurses , first responders , pharmacy and grocery workers , transit colleagues and other essential workers who are saving lives every day . ''
An MTA spokesperson said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 3 million pairs of gloves , “ including masks to all employees days before the CDC changed course and recommended it .
We are doing everything possible to protect our customers and employees , frontline heroes moving the doctors , nurses , first responders , pharmacy and grocery workers , transit colleagues and other essential workers who are saving lives every day . ''
The bus driver , who declined to be named for fear of losing her job , is one of hundreds of thousands of Brooklynites still working essential jobs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard by the coronavirus .
Twenty-eight percent of New York City ’ s essential workers live in Brooklyn — the most in any borough — and the vast majority of them are people of color .
In Brooklyn , the number of deaths outpaced those in Queens on Sunday .
Brooklyn has more than 2,606 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 865 “ probable ” COVID-19 deaths , according to NYC data released April 19 .
“ It ’ s not a secret and it ’ s very clear .
… We divided the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ essential employees and nonessential employees and that term was used all over the city , ” Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams told BuzzFeed News during a phone interview last week .
“ I heard it .
I said , ‘ This is coded language.
’ ” Black , Hispanic , and Asian people make up more than 70 % of the city ’ s essential workers , including transit , childcare , health care , cleaning service , and postal employees .
More than 40 % of transit workers are black and 60 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to a report released in March by New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer ’ s office .
In addition to racial data on frontline workers , Stringer , who is running for New York City mayor , offered solutions to protect those people , including free protective gear , hazard pay , and guaranteed health care .
“ Black and brown people went to service this city and then went home and spread the virus among their citizens , ” Adams told BuzzFeed News .
“ Just look at the numbers.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ five close friends in the span of a week .
“ The impact is very real , and you become almost even afraid to pick up your phone , ” Adams told BuzzFeed News , saying he was haunted by the words “ Did you hear… ” The same racial divide is consistent in Milwaukee , Chicago , New Orleans , and other major cities and experts say the disparity adds to the outsize number of COVID-19 cases throughout black and Latino communities .
“ Essential workers are absolutely more vulnerable , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sociology at Bryn Mawr College , told BuzzFeed News .
“ While there are certain professionals that are of every ethnicity and race in the country , it is also the case that many on the front lines are low-wage … low-status workers and they ’ re often very disproportionately African American and Latinx.
” And many lack access to basic protective gear as they continue to go to work .
Adams , who is also running for New York City mayor , began addressing that problem on March 25 , when he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Brooklyn MTA bus depot and demanded , “ Give us the goddamn masks.
” “ Yes , we ’ re telling you that people should be 6 feet apart from each other .
Yes , we ’ re telling you that everyone should shelter in place , ” he told BuzzFeed News during a phone interview .
“ Yes , we ’ re telling you that no one should be out here because it ’ s dangerous , but we ’ re sending you out there and we ’ re not giving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or anything else while you service the city and service the country.
” Employees at the US Postal Service have similar concerns , especially mail carriers who interact with close to 1,000 New Yorkers every day at work .
African Americans make up 21 % of postal employees and 13 % of the US population .
One USPS worker in Brooklyn told BuzzFeed News they now have a ritual when they get home from work : “ I immediately remove my shoes , my postal pants…I take off my jacket , my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in my room in a corner .
When I had Lysol I would spray everything down.
” The USPS worker is practicing social distancing inside their home as well , so as not to infect vulnerable loved ones — hugs and kisses are replaced with a distant “ hi.
” The same USPS employee told BuzzFeed News that protective supplies , including gloves , began to dwindle as early as March 1 .
More pressing is the lack of communication from management amid a public health crisis , they said .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at this particular post office , this person is infected , ’ but [ management ] wasn ’ t saying anything .
I noticed a clerk went out sick , ” they said , adding that two more followed within the same week .
There ’ s signage posted about proper hygiene , but no one from management had personally spoken to staff at this particular Brooklyn branch as of late March .
“ We ’ re finding out things on our own , like ‘ Why is this person not here ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
’ ” At a separate Brooklyn USPS location , employees said management gathers employees for updates on COVID-19 but not on a daily basis .
“ They ’ ll call everyone around the desk and basically read off what they have.
” Approximately 1,000 of the 630,000 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 “ with some deaths , ” USPS spokesperson David Partenheimer told BuzzFeed News in a statement .
One USPS employee contrasted the coronavirus response with the 2001 anthrax scare , when letters carrying spores that caused the infectious disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials , resulting in five deaths and 17 injuries .
“ [ In 2001 ] , they were on top of it .
We got all of this information .
We got flu shots , ” one employee said .
“ But this time , no one is saying anything to us.
” Adams also pointed out that while the CDC specified susceptible communities , there is no government plan to protect the most vulnerable .
Black people are at greater risk of illnesses that can lead to more severe cases of COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Adams himself reversed his diabetes diagnosis by exercising and changing his eating habits in 2018 .
“ There was not one plan that was rolled out that said ‘ let ’ s go after the people who we know if they get it , they may die from it , ’ ” Adams said .
“ Our plan was an intervention , not prevention .
If you look at over 60 , preexisting conditions , diabetes , respiratory issues , that ’ s [ the New York City Housing Authority ] .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handing out masks and information to NYCHA residents.
” Experts have said there ’ s an information gap for some black and non-English-speaking New Yorkers on the front lines because of inconsistent work hours and differences in the way people consume news .
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a $ 10 million campaign aimed to inform communities hardest hit by the disease that will include robocalls and flyers directly to homes .
The campaign will run in 15 languages and follows an $ 8 million effort launched early March which ran ads in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cantonese .
Experts also suggested targeting social media as a part of city-sponsored ad campaigns to counter the misinformation circulating among younger audiences and New Yorkers who speak languages other than English .
“ Everybody don ’ t wake up in the morning and run and get the New York Times and listen to Trump , Cuomo , and the mayor ’ s briefings , ” Adams told BuzzFeed News .
“ We ’ re talking in echo chambers .
You know who we ’ re talking to ?
We ’ re talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
”

For one essential worker, there’s a specific time when coronavirus-related anxiety is at its highest: the moment she pulls into a crowded bus stop.
Forcing people to enter the rear doors helps a little to ease the tension for the Brooklyn bus operator who is still working during the pandemic. But now that the Metropolitan Transit Authority has restricted passengers from sitting in seats closest to the driver, the bus seems even more packed.
“I’m more concerned about my son than myself, of course, because he has an underlying health issue as well,” she told BuzzFeed News to explain why they decided to buy their own masks and cleaning products a month before the MTA began distributing them to workers. The New York Times reported some MTA employees were reprimanded for using precautionary measures themselves.
“It was every man for himself,” she said and added that once the MTA began to distribute masks, it only provided one per employee. “I’m very nervous. I think I got more serious about the situation with the passing of coworkers.”
As of Monday, 71 MTA employees have died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The first MTA death occurred on March 26, a day before transit union officials negotiated a deal with the MTA to provide masks to workers, according to Jim Gannon, a spokesperson for transit union workers. Bus operators — whom the city considers essential workers — account for at least 20 of those deaths.
An MTA spokesperson said the agency had given out 1 million masks and 3 million pairs of gloves, “including masks to all employees days before the CDC changed course and recommended it. We are doing everything possible to protect our customers and employees, frontline heroes moving the doctors, nurses, first responders, pharmacy and grocery workers, transit colleagues and other essential workers who are saving lives every day."
The bus driver, who declined to be named for fear of losing her job, is one of hundreds of thousands of Brooklynites still working essential jobs, even as the borough is hit hard by the coronavirus. Twenty-eight percent of New York City’s essential workers live in Brooklyn — the most in any borough — and the vast majority of them are people of color. In Brooklyn, the number of deaths outpaced those in Queens on Sunday. Brooklyn has more than 2,606 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 865 “probable” COVID-19 deaths, according to NYC data released April 19.
“It’s not a secret and it’s very clear. … We divided the city at the beginning of the coronavirus into essential employees and nonessential employees and that term was used all over the city,” Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams told BuzzFeed News during a phone interview last week. “I heard it. I said, ‘This is coded language.’”
Black, Hispanic, and Asian people make up more than 70% of the city’s essential workers, including transit, childcare, health care, cleaning service, and postal employees. More than 40% of transit workers are black and 60% of frontline cleaning workers are Hispanic, according to a report released in March by New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer’s office. In addition to racial data on frontline workers, Stringer, who is running for New York City mayor, offered solutions to protect those people, including free protective gear, hazard pay, and guaranteed health care.


buzzfeed--2020-04-22--Some Republicans Oppose Letting Congress Vote Remotely During The Coronavirus Pandemic

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
WASHINGTON — The House is working to change the way it has voted for the past 200 years to ensure members ’ safety amid the coronavirus pandemic , allowing some members to cast votes without having to travel to Washington .
But some Republicans oppose the idea , saying it would break with tradition .
The House is considering enacting voting by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absent member can give a colleague who is able to travel to the Capitol their vote to cast on their behalf .
“ A Member casting a vote on behalf of another Member would be required to have exact direction from that Member on how to vote and would have to follow that direction , ” Rep. Jim McGovern , chair of the House Rules Committee , which is drafting the new rules for proxy voting , wrote in a statement last week .
“ There would be no ability to give a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ direct each and every vote.
” Although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was initially reluctant to support a remote voting policy , House leadership now supports the proxy voting idea , given the continued spread of the coronavirus .
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer went further than Pelosi , suggesting that congressional committees could work virtually as well , including working on legislation and holding hearings by videoconference .
The House had initially planned to vote on the proposal this week , but on Wednesday Pelosi cancelled those plans , instead saying during a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward with a bipartisan committee to review the policy .
The bipartisan group of lawmakers will include McGovern , House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer , Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy , and the House Administration Committee 's chair , Zoe Lofgren , and ranking member , Rodney Davis .
Some House Republicans are objecting to any remote voting plans , arguing that the founders intended for members to vote in person .
“ I think it 's a terrible idea , ” Rep. Jim Jordan told reporters , adding that he came back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against proxy voting during the upcoming House Rules Committee hearing .
“ What is it , 200-plus years we 've been— Congress has been meeting ?
And you meet in person , you debate , and you vote in person .
So I think it ’ s that fundamental .
`` And the idea that we 're going to now let someone else vote for us because we tell him how to vote — what happens when there 's a procedure motion that comes up ?
How do you handle that ?
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be in person in a debate .
Because , I mean , we 're [ a ] representative democracy , and you need someone there representing the constituents back home and fighting for the positions and issues that you told them you 're going to fight for.
” Republicans acknowledge that the House ’ s Democratic majority gives them virtually no power to stop the measure , and they have resigned to ceremoniously objecting .
`` The Democrats got the majority if they want to do it .
They can do it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ 've ] just got to make the argument , do the best we can — but if they 're determined to do it , and they have the votes , obviously they can .
They can get it done .
I think it 's just wrong , just flat out wrong . ''
During the 1918 flu pandemic , when an estimated 675,000 Americans died , Congress passed critical legislation with unanimous consent — just a few members were present to vote .
That ’ s what the House and Senate have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress to stop full sessions in person , but those votes can be stopped by any member who shows up to oppose them .
With more coronavirus recovery legislation on the way , getting every member of Congress to agree will only get more difficult .
Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana told reporters that Congress should be in session to debate “ significant measures ” that impact the entire country .
`` I do n't support it at all , ” Higgins said of proxy voting .
“ It is completely outside of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the time was voting by proxy or by courier , and they clearly did not support that .
We 're to assemble and thus be held accountable .
Changes in technologies come and go , but accountability ... was what the founders sought .
So I have zero support .
I will vehemently fight against remote voting or proxy voting.
” “ Oh , I do n't think we should , ” Harris told reporters when asked if the House should move forward with remote voting .
“ We should be here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the way it ’ s been done for 200 years ; that 's the way we should do it now.
” The House Rules Committee will likely meet to consider the changes .
The House is expected to then quickly vote on the new rules .
McGovern recommended proxy voting as a possibility in mid-March after his committee conducted a monthlong study on voting options amid the global health pandemic .
The committee released a final presentation on its recommendation during a Democratic caucus meeting last week .
As early as mid-March , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a letter urging Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to allow remote voting , not long after President Donald Trump announced guidelines restricting gatherings of 10 people or fewer .

WASHINGTON — The House is working to change the way it has voted for the past 200 years to ensure members’ safety amid the coronavirus pandemic, allowing some members to cast votes without having to travel to Washington. But some Republicans oppose the idea, saying it would break with tradition.
The House is considering enacting voting by proxy — a process in which an absent member can give a colleague who is able to travel to the Capitol their vote to cast on their behalf.
“A Member casting a vote on behalf of another Member would be required to have exact direction from that Member on how to vote and would have to follow that direction,” Rep. Jim McGovern, chair of the House Rules Committee, which is drafting the new rules for proxy voting, wrote in a statement last week. “There would be no ability to give a general proxy. Members would have to direct each and every vote.”
Although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was initially reluctant to support a remote voting policy, House leadership now supports the proxy voting idea, given the continued spread of the coronavirus. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer went further than Pelosi, suggesting that congressional committees could work virtually as well, including working on legislation and holding hearings by videoconference.
The House had initially planned to vote on the proposal this week, but on Wednesday Pelosi cancelled those plans, instead saying during a leadership call that the House will move forward with a bipartisan committee to review the policy. The bipartisan group of lawmakers will include McGovern, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and the House Administration Committee's chair, Zoe Lofgren, and ranking member, Rodney Davis.
Some House Republicans are objecting to any remote voting plans, arguing that the founders intended for members to vote in person.
“I think it's a terrible idea,” Rep. Jim Jordan told reporters, adding that he came back to Washington, DC, specifically to speak against proxy voting during the upcoming House Rules Committee hearing. “What is it, 200-plus years we've been— Congress has been meeting? And you meet in person, you debate, and you vote in person. So I think it’s that fundamental.
"And the idea that we're going to now let someone else vote for us because we tell him how to vote — what happens when there's a procedure motion that comes up? How do you handle that?” Jordan continued. “It's supposed to be in person in a debate. Because, I mean, we're [a] representative democracy, and you need someone there representing the constituents back home and fighting for the positions and issues that you told them you're going to fight for.”
Republicans acknowledge that the House’s Democratic majority gives them virtually no power to stop the measure, and they have resigned to ceremoniously objecting.
"The Democrats got the majority if they want to do it. They can do it," Jordan said. "We['ve] just got to make the argument, do the best we can — but if they're determined to do it, and they have the votes, obviously they can. They can get it done. I think it's just wrong, just flat out wrong."
During the 1918 flu pandemic, when an estimated 675,000 Americans died, Congress passed critical legislation with unanimous consent — just a few members were present to vote. That’s what the House and Senate have been doing since the coronavirus pandemic forced Congress to stop full sessions in person, but those votes can be stopped by any member who shows up to oppose them. With more coronavirus recovery legislation on the way, getting every member of Congress to agree will only get more difficult.
Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana told reporters that Congress should be in session to debate “significant measures” that impact the entire country.
"I don't support it at all,” Higgins said of proxy voting. “It is completely outside of what the founders intended. The technology at the time was voting by proxy or by courier, and they clearly did not support that. We're to assemble and thus be held accountable. Changes in technologies come and go, but accountability ... was what the founders sought. So I have zero support. I will vehemently fight against remote voting or proxy voting.”
Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland echoed Higgins’ sentiment.
“Oh, I don't think we should,” Harris told reporters when asked if the House should move forward with remote voting. “We should be here in person to vote. That's the way it’s been done for 200 years; that's the way we should do it now.”
The House Rules Committee will likely meet to consider the changes. The House is expected to then quickly vote on the new rules.
McGovern recommended proxy voting as a possibility in mid-March after his committee conducted a monthlong study on voting options amid the global health pandemic. The committee released a final presentation on its recommendation during a Democratic caucus meeting last week.
As early as mid-March, House members from both parties signed on to a letter urging Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to allow remote voting, not long after President Donald Trump announced guidelines restricting gatherings of 10 people or fewer.


buzzfeed--2020-04-23--Here’s A Breakdown Of What's Being Reported About Kim Jong Un’s Health

Basically : There 's very little reliable information out there right now .
The health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is once again under international scrutiny after a report he may be in a poor condition following surgery .
Let ’ s try to break down what ’ s going on .
What has North Korea said ?
On April 12 , North Korean state media reported that Kim had visited an air base and observed drills by fighter planes .
That 's normal .
But on Tuesday , April 14 , state media did not mention him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weapons test , which he normally supervises .
Most significantly , on April 15 , North Korea ’ s most important public holiday took place without any mention of Kim ’ s involvement .
The Day of the Sun commemorates the birthday of the founder of North Korea , Kim Il Sung — Kim Jong Un ’ s grandfather .
It is very unusual for Kim to have missed the celebrations — he never has before .
What has been reported about Kim 's health ?
On Monday , a Seoul-based news website @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kim had undergone a “ cardiovascular surgical procedure ” and had largely recovered .
Kim , Daily NK said , had been struggling with cardiovascular problems since late August due to `` excessive smoking , obesity , and overwork.
” The story was widely covered by international media , although the Daily NK later added a correction to say that the article was based on a single source in North Korea , not multiple sources as it had originally reported .
CNN also reported Monday that the US was monitoring intelligence suggesting Kim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s source was described as a US official with “ direct knowledge ” of the situation .
After CNN 's story broke late Monday ET , a number of fake accounts — including one emulating the CNN Breaking News account , and another parodying US Attorney General Bill Barr — posted tweets claiming Kim was dead .
MSNBC anchor Katy Tur wrote on Twitter that Kim was brain-dead , according to two US officials , but quickly deleted the tweet .
What has the response been ?
South Korean news agency Yonhap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had seen nothing to suggest that Kim was unwell .
`` No unusual signs have been identified inside North Korea , '' presidential spokesperson Kang Min-seok said .
`` There is nothing we can confirm with regard to Chairman Kim 's alleged health problem . ''
`` There is nothing unusual going on in North Korea .
It 's not true , '' another government official told Yonhap on the condition of anonymity .
The Reuters news agency also cited two South Korean government sources as saying the reports about Kim ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the US State Department said it is aware of the reports and is continuing to monitor the situation .
BuzzFeed News reached out to the South Korean government but did not hear back .
Andray Abrahamian , an expert on North Korea from George Mason University Korea , explained how the story about Kim 's health developed .
“ The Daily NK report that started this is underground single-source reporting from within the most opaque country in the world , '' he told BuzzFeed News .
`` That isn ’ t useless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report that picked up what Daily NK had said perhaps didn ’ t sufficiently caveat that .
Then CNN went with a dramatic headline and anonymous sourcing from the United States that was also very vague but made it seem as if there was more credible information than there probably is .
“ Then the world ’ s media is compelled to write something lest they be missing out on a major story.
” So what is going on ?
It is next to impossible to independently confirm information from within North Korea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all , and international intelligence agencies have a track record of being wrong .
South Korea and the US famously learned of the death of Kim Jong Il — Kim Jong Un ’ s father — at the same time as the rest of the world .
Things inside North Korea are even more secretive than ever at the moment due to the coronavirus outbreak , which has basically halted internal travel within North Korea — to the extent that it previously existed — as well as at least some border traffic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ sourcing even more challenging for both the intelligence community and media organizations .
Even specialist sites like the Daily NK get things wrong — they are , after all , covering the most secretive state in the world .

The health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is once again under international scrutiny after a report he may be in a poor condition following surgery. Let’s try to break down what’s going on.
What has North Korea said?
On April 12, North Korean state media reported that Kim had visited an air base and observed drills by fighter planes. That's normal. But on Tuesday, April 14, state media did not mention him as attending North Korea’s latest weapons test, which he normally supervises.
Most significantly, on April 15, North Korea’s most important public holiday took place without any mention of Kim’s involvement. The Day of the Sun commemorates the birthday of the founder of North Korea, Kim Il Sung — Kim Jong Un’s grandfather. It is very unusual for Kim to have missed the celebrations — he never has before.
What has been reported about Kim's health?
On Monday, a Seoul-based news website, the Daily NK, reported that Kim had undergone a “cardiovascular surgical procedure” and had largely recovered. Kim, Daily NK said, had been struggling with cardiovascular problems since late August due to "excessive smoking, obesity, and overwork.” The story was widely covered by international media, although the Daily NK later added a correction to say that the article was based on a single source in North Korea, not multiple sources as it had originally reported.
CNN also reported Monday that the US was monitoring intelligence suggesting Kim was in “grave danger.” CNN’s source was described as a US official with “direct knowledge” of the situation.


buzzfeed--2020-04-23--Smithfield Foods Is Blaming “Living Circumstances In Certain Cultures” For One Of America’s Largest

Smithfield Foods Is Blaming “Living Circumstances In Certain Cultures” For One Of America’s Largest COVID-19 Clusters

New details show how Smithfield Foods failed to take action in the crucial days before the plant turned into one of the nation ’ s largest coronavirus clusters .
Was there any way to prevent the Smithfield Foods pork processing plant in South Dakota from becoming one of the country ’ s largest known coronavirus clusters , with more than 700 workers infected ?
It ’ s hard to know “ what could have been done differently , ” a Smithfield spokesperson said , given what she referred to as the plant ’ s “ large immigrant population.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than they are with your traditional American family , ” she explained .
The spokesperson and a second corporate representative pointed to an April 13 Fox News interview in which the governor of South Dakota , Kristi Noem , said that “ 99 % ” of the spread of infections “ wasn ’ t happening inside the facility ” but inside workers ’ homes , “ because a lot of these folks who work at this plant live in the same community , the same buildings , sometimes in the same apartments .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with nearly a dozen workers and their relatives point to a series of management missteps and half measures that contributed significantly to the spread of the virus .
A BuzzFeed News investigation has uncovered new information showing the company did little to inform or protect employees during the critical two weeks after the first case at the plant surfaced .
Then , with confirmed cases rising quickly , Smithfield introduced new safety protocols but applied them unevenly across the plant ’ s departments , leaving hundreds of workers exposed .
In late March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case leaked , workers began seeing flyers on notice boards and doors .
“ If you are at work and feeling sick , ” the flyers stated , “ tell your Supervisor and go directly home.
” But the directive was posted only in English , three employees said , even though many of the plant ’ s 3,700 workers have limited comprehension of English .
Safety notices at the plant are usually translated into as many as five languages .
On April 1 , the company took the unusual step of offering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to show appreciation for those still coming in — but it was also an incentive for workers from all eight floors to pass through the cafeteria .
On April 6 , two weeks after the first confirmed case and with the number of infections rising , Smithfield implemented mandatory temperature checks and shut down at least one floor “ for cleaning & sanitation , ” according to a company text message to employees .
Yet the rest of the plant stayed open .
As more people called in sick , Smithfield management stayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis at the Sioux Falls facility , only informing employees about a confirmed case if they ’ d recently been “ in contact ” with the person , according to the spokesperson , while encouraging others in company text messages to “ Please report to work as previously scheduled.
” Are you still working during the coronavirus outbreak ?
We 'd love to hear your story .
Reach out at albert.samaha @ buzzfeed.com or via one of our tip line channels .
Eighteen days after the first case , once 238 workers had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all floors for 48 hours to deep-clean the plant , as well as install cardboard dividers at workstations and plexiglass shields on cafeteria tables .
Even then , it moved slowly : Smithfield announced the temporary closure on April 9 but said it would not occur for another few days to allow for an orderly reduction in supply .
On April 10 , Michael Bul Gayo Gatluak , a 22-year-old immigrant from South Sudan , clocked in at the hog kill department on the sixth floor .
His job requires him to stand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , really close ” to other workers along the production line where pig carcasses are chopped .
“ The job is so heavy , ” he said .
“ You have to breathe so hard.
” When he got home that night , he started feeling ill .
He said he tested positive for COVID-19 three days later .
“ With how we work on the line , I would say I got sick because of them not taking safety measures , ” Gatluak told BuzzFeed News .
“ When they had their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think they acted accordingly.
” The plant is now closed indefinitely , cutting the country off from about 5 % of its national pork supply .
With 725 confirmed cases among workers and 143 more traced to them , the Smithfield outbreak has eclipsed most of the country ’ s worst-hit nursing homes and prisons among the largest community outbreaks .
One Smithfield worker , 64-year-old Agustin Rodriguez , died on April 14 from COVID-19 complications .
Smithfield denied that company policies contributed to the spread of the virus , and said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communicated with them extensively about safety protocols .
The corporate spokesperson whom the company provided to answer BuzzFeed News ’ questions — on the condition that her name not be used — said that higher-ups have worked “ around the clock ” from the beginning of the outbreak and posted handwashing directives as early as February , but have been hindered by national shortages of protective equipment .
Last week , Smithfield shut down plants in Wisconsin and Missouri after employees there tested positive for COVID-19 , and announced it was providing all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100 million Responsibility Bonus , ” which amounts to around $ 2,500 per person .
Presented with a detailed list of questions , the spokesperson said that it was “ purposefully misleading ” to portray Smithfield “ as reacting to a positive case rather than the very proactive approach ” that the company took to the pandemic when it began , but she did not contest any specific facts .
An ongoing BuzzFeed News investigation has exposed how companies around the country have put hourly workers at risk of exposure to the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confines passing chunks of raw meat through the building , meat processing plants have been especially vulnerable .
More than a dozen have fully or partially stopped production since the pandemic began , with hundreds of workers falling ill at plants across the country .
Workers at JBS meatpacking plants in Colorado and at a Tyson Foods poultry processing plant in Georgia have died from COVID-19 .
But for now , the Smithfield facility in South Dakota stands out .
The first case arrived when the pandemic was in full swing , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies everywhere changing the way they worked .
The outbreak spread faster than at any other plant .
Gatluak recalled hearing about a confirmed case on March 24 from his manager .
Though this was the first known exposure at the facility , the manager announced “ no changes ” to operations , he said .
The English-language notices telling people to go home if they felt ill appeared the next day , Gatluak recalled .
“ People were still reporting to work normally.
” The Argus Leader , Sioux Falls ’ newspaper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive case on March 26 .
The next day , another Smithfield worker who had been out sick for several days began feeling short of breath and drained of energy , barely able to get out of bed , said her 20-year-old daughter , Amy Cruz .
She went to the doctor , took a COVID-19 test , and four days later received a positive diagnosis .
She immediately called a Smithfield HR representative to convey the result , Cruz said .
In the days that followed , as more workers called in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Smithfield bosses informed only employees “ who may have come in contact with that person , ” the spokesperson said — not the whole floor .
The spokesperson said that exposed employees were placed on two-week paid quarantine leave but declined to say how many there have been .
The rest of the workforce continued on for a week without knowing how many of their colleagues had been infected , and with no additional protective equipment .
Like many of the hundreds of thousands of hourly workers who supply the country with food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choice of going without a paycheck or risking their health for jobs that typically pay less than $ 20 an hour .
Some Smithfield employees who spoke to BuzzFeed News requested anonymity because they feared getting fired , but two allowed their children to discuss the matter openly .
For both daughters , Amy Cruz and Sara Telahun Birhe , the Smithfield plant was an ever-present backdrop since their earliest memories .
Cruz ’ s mother , four of her uncles , and an aunt have all worked at the plant for more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; one of those uncles tested positive two weeks after Cruz ’ s mother did .
Birhe was 6 when her mother started working at the plant 16 years ago , after emigrating from Ethiopia , where she owned a café .
They lived near the facility , in a neighborhood in northeastern Sioux Falls , where Birhe grew close with the children of other Smithfield workers : families from Mexico , Nepal , Honduras , the Democratic Republic of the Congo , El Salvador , and elsewhere .
“ Family events and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she said .
“ Our parents worked this job , and because of that we were all friends.
” Her mom earned $ 17 an hour , which is nearly double the state 's minimum wage , which went a long way in Sioux Falls .
Over her years at the plant , she bought a car and a house and saved enough money to pay Birhe ’ s college tuition .
She knew of one former Smithfield worker who went on to open a restaurant , another a grocery store .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeing their parents come home from work exhausted , plopping down on the couch to rest before dinner , going to bed early for 6 a.m. shifts .
But their parents ’ sacrifice took on a new light when the pandemic reached the Smithfield plant .
Birhe recalls a series of conversations with her cousins about whether they should try to get their parents to stop going to work .
“ Our parents were worried about paying our bills , and we were worried about their health , ” she said .
Unemployment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who quit their jobs without being sick or at a high risk , and many at Smithfield had built stable careers with higher pay than what would be available if they started fresh elsewhere .
One worker ’ s daughter , who requested anonymity , said that she , her brother , and her mother had all been laid off or furloughed from their own jobs .
For her father , who began at the plant 15 years ago after migrating from Mexico , “ it wasn ’ t an option if you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ He ’ s proud of what he does .
He feeds so many people.
” Over the week following the first confirmed case at the plant , workers continued to dine in the cafeteria as normal .
To keep production flowing seamlessly on all floors , crews synchronized their breaks based on their position on the processing line : On each floor , a team of workers would take lunch once they finished a batch and passed it down to the next team .
They filed through hallways and staircases , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sixth-floor cafeteria , which is mostly staffed by immigrants from Latin American countries .
Gatluak found the meals delicious , he said : “ Every day we get something new.
” Three employees estimated that at least 200 people from various floors would be in the cafeteria at any given time .
On April 1 , a day after Cruz ’ s mother tested positive , Smithfield management directed entire floors to take lunch breaks in deliberately staggered shifts to reduce crowds .
But alongside those precautions came the announcement that lunch was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to eat their homemade meals in the locker room rather than risk passing through the dining area .
A Smithfield representative declined to comment on the free lunch .
Over the next few days , Smithfield started introducing new safety measures .
Management put up new flyers encouraging social distancing in the cafeteria and set up tents outside the facility for mandatory temperature checks .
Those with a fever were sent home with instructions for where to get tested .
Still , many workers brought their own masks because Smithfield provided only hairnets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t do any good , ” one worker said .
And , as the Argus Leader first reported , the company offered a $ 500 bonus to employees who didn ’ t miss any shifts in April .
“ That was not a good move , because if anyone fell sick they ’ d be like , 'Oh , I have to go to work because I have to get that bonus , ' ” Gatluak said .
When the company ceased operations on the eighth-floor packing department on April 6 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus , two employees said .
Company text messages noted that the floor was “ shut down for cleaning & sanitation ” ; the department ’ s workers were told they should not come to work but would be paid for the week .
“ All other departments will be operating as scheduled , ” the message stated .
Smithfield did not respond to a question about why it closed that floor and not the others .
It is unclear how many cases Smithfield was aware of during this time .
The company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protections .
But on April 8 , the state health department announced an outbreak of 80 confirmed cases at the plant .
The next day , the company announced it would “ suspend operations in a large section of the plant ” — but not until April 11 .
Only on April 12 and 13 would the plant “ completely shutter ” for “ rigorous deep cleaning ” and the construction of “ additional physical barriers to further enhance social distancing.
” Gatluak said he clocked in at work on April 10 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking precautions to minimize the chances of exposing his mother and brother at home .
He washed his hands regularly and sanitized everything he came into contact with , “ from doorknobs to stair rail , the handles , countertops , ” he said .
“ I know I was a risk because of where I was working.
” He began to feel a headache , fever , and chills after returning home from his shift .
The next morning he called the hospital , then took a test at a drive-through center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed cases at the plant hit 190 .
Still , Smithfield maintained its plans to reopen the plant after the 48-hour shutdown .
But on April 11 , Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken and Gov .
Kristi Noem published a letter asking Smithfield ’ s CEO to close the plant for longer .
The next day , Smithfield complied , closing it down indefinitely .
The company warned of the economic impact of an extended shutdown .
“ It is impossible to keep our grocery stores stocked if our plants are not running @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sullivan said in a statement that day .
“ These facility closures will also have severe , perhaps disastrous , repercussions for many in the supply chain , first and foremost our nation ’ s livestock farmers.
” Two days later , Gatluak said he received his positive test result .
He has had relatively mild symptoms .
Another member of his crew has also tested positive , he said .
Smithfield workers and their relatives now account for more than half of South Dakota ’ s confirmed cases , a pool of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to volunteer as test subjects for the nation ’ s first statewide clinical trial for hydroxychloroquine , an antimalarial drug promoted by President Donald Trump as a potential coronavirus treatment but which has not yet been proven as effective against the virus .
Noem announced last week that the testing would begin once at least 2,000 people signed up .
While 45 states have issued stay-at-home orders , the governor has declined to do so .
On Monday , April 13 , a Smithfield worker in his fifties received a company text message @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Sioux Falls facility for a full shutdown .
Please report to work on Tuesday as previously scheduled.
” One of around 50 workers at the plant that day , he deboned ham in the basement freezer and filled in on several other jobs to make up for the reduced staff .
Though most of the plant had shut down , his department was near the end of the processing line , just before the meat was packed and loaded .
Operations would continue until all the meat in stock had made its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trucks .
He kept the mood light around his children , especially when they expressed concern .
When his daughter showed him a news story listing his plant as one of the five biggest outbreaks in the country , he quipped , “ Oh boy , I ’ ve never been in the top five of anything !
” By April 14 , Smithfield had built plexiglass barriers on cafeteria tables , installed cardboard dividers between worker stations , and provided plastic face shields .
The basement worker ate his lunch in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day in recent weeks .
He worked 13 hours that shift , until every piece of pork passing through his station was packaged .
When he returned home , he took a seat at the kitchen table , his shoulders slumped , and told his family he didn ’ t have to go into work anymore .
“ He was just so relieved , ” his daughter recalled .
“ I ’ ve never seen him so tired.
” When she asked him if everyone else was done too , he shook his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to go in tomorrow.
” ●

Gatluak recalled hearing about a confirmed case on March 24 from his manager. Though this was the first known exposure at the facility, the manager announced “no changes” to operations, he said. The English-language notices telling people to go home if they felt ill appeared the next day, Gatluak recalled. “People were still reporting to work normally.”
The Argus Leader, Sioux Falls’ newspaper, broke the news of the first positive case on March 26. The next day, another Smithfield worker who had been out sick for several days began feeling short of breath and drained of energy, barely able to get out of bed, said her 20-year-old daughter, Amy Cruz. She went to the doctor, took a COVID-19 test, and four days later received a positive diagnosis. She immediately called a Smithfield HR representative to convey the result, Cruz said.
In the days that followed, as more workers called in sick with symptoms and tested positive, Smithfield bosses informed only employees “who may have come in contact with that person,” the spokesperson said — not the whole floor. The spokesperson said that exposed employees were placed on two-week paid quarantine leave but declined to say how many there have been.
The rest of the workforce continued on for a week without knowing how many of their colleagues had been infected, and with no additional protective equipment. Like many of the hundreds of thousands of hourly workers who supply the country with food and other necessities, they faced the choice of going without a paycheck or risking their health for jobs that typically pay less than $20 an hour.
Some Smithfield employees who spoke to BuzzFeed News requested anonymity because they feared getting fired, but two allowed their children to discuss the matter openly. For both daughters, Amy Cruz and Sara Telahun Birhe, the Smithfield plant was an ever-present backdrop since their earliest memories.
Cruz’s mother, four of her uncles, and an aunt have all worked at the plant for more than two decades since migrating from Guatemala; one of those uncles tested positive two weeks after Cruz’s mother did.
Birhe was 6 when her mother started working at the plant 16 years ago, after emigrating from Ethiopia, where she owned a café. They lived near the facility, in a neighborhood in northeastern Sioux Falls, where Birhe grew close with the children of other Smithfield workers: families from Mexico, Nepal, Honduras, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, and elsewhere. “Family events and birthday parties and weddings and quinceañeras,” she said. “Our parents worked this job, and because of that we were all friends.”
Her mom earned $17 an hour, which is nearly double the state's minimum wage, which went a long way in Sioux Falls. Over her years at the plant, she bought a car and a house and saved enough money to pay Birhe’s college tuition. She knew of one former Smithfield worker who went on to open a restaurant, another a grocery store.
Birhe and her cousins were used to seeing their parents come home from work exhausted, plopping down on the couch to rest before dinner, going to bed early for 6 a.m. shifts. But their parents’ sacrifice took on a new light when the pandemic reached the Smithfield plant. Birhe recalls a series of conversations with her cousins about whether they should try to get their parents to stop going to work. “Our parents were worried about paying our bills, and we were worried about their health,” she said.
Unemployment benefits aren’t available for people who quit their jobs without being sick or at a high risk, and many at Smithfield had built stable careers with higher pay than what would be available if they started fresh elsewhere. One worker’s daughter, who requested anonymity, said that she, her brother, and her mother had all been laid off or furloughed from their own jobs. For her father, who began at the plant 15 years ago after migrating from Mexico, “it wasn’t an option if you go to work,” she said. “He’s proud of what he does. He feeds so many people.”
Over the week following the first confirmed case at the plant, workers continued to dine in the cafeteria as normal. To keep production flowing seamlessly on all floors, crews synchronized their breaks based on their position on the processing line: On each floor, a team of workers would take lunch once they finished a batch and passed it down to the next team. They filed through hallways and staircases, joining teams from other floors in the sixth-floor cafeteria, which is mostly staffed by immigrants from Latin American countries. Gatluak found the meals delicious, he said: “Every day we get something new.” Three employees estimated that at least 200 people from various floors would be in the cafeteria at any given time.
On April 1, a day after Cruz’s mother tested positive, Smithfield management directed entire floors to take lunch breaks in deliberately staggered shifts to reduce crowds. But alongside those precautions came the announcement that lunch was now free, though some employees preferred to eat their homemade meals in the locker room rather than risk passing through the dining area. A Smithfield representative declined to comment on the free lunch.
Over the next few days, Smithfield started introducing new safety measures. Management put up new flyers encouraging social distancing in the cafeteria and set up tents outside the facility for mandatory temperature checks. Those with a fever were sent home with instructions for where to get tested.


buzzfeed--2020-04-22--These Pictures Show Crowds Protesting Against Coronavirus Lockdowns At State Capitols

Gabriel H. Sanchez is the Senior Photo Essay Editor for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York City .
@ @ @ @ @ Submit it here .

These Pictures Show Crowds Protesting Against Coronavirus Lockdowns At State Capitols
Conservative demonstrators gathered at the capitol buildings of Michigan, Kentucky, and North Carolina to protest against stay-at-home orders during a pandemic that has already left more than 26,000 Americans dead.


buzzfeed--2020-04-23--Scientists Are Calling For Vaccine Experiments That Would Deliberately Infect People With The Novel

Scientists Are Calling For Vaccine Experiments That Would Deliberately Infect People With The Novel Coronavirus

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
As the world waits anywhere from 18 months to years for the first effective coronavirus vaccine , some lawmakers , scientists , and bioethicists are calling for a radical push to speed up the process — deliberately infecting volunteers with the virus .
On Tuesday , vaccine expert Stanley Plotkin of the University of Pennsylvania and bioethicist Arthur Caplan of New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenge studies ” of a coronavirus vaccine in the journal Vaccine .
That followed a bipartisan group of nearly three dozen members of the House of Representatives on Monday calling on the FDA to consider such trials .
“ Every week of delay in the deployment of a vaccine to the seven billion humans on Earth will cost thousands of lives , ” said the letter , spearheaded by Rep. Bill Foster of Illinois , a scientist , and Rep. Donna Shalala of Florida , a former HHS chief .
“ In the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risks may be taken , ” they wrote , “ potentially by challenge trials that involve deliberately infecting volunteers who have received candidate vaccines or placebos.
” “ Normally , deliberately giving someone an infection that is potentially lethal would be unacceptable , ” Caplan told BuzzFeed News .
“ But in extreme times , like a plague , you might look to extreme measures.
” The approach is unusual — but not unprecedented .
Still , some scientists argue that it may be too drastic of a measure given the number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Wednesday , there have been more than 2.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and nearly 180,000 deaths worldwide .
More than 70 novel coronavirus vaccines are now in development , according to the World Health Organization .
A March Journal of Infection report estimated that about 70 % of the US population , more than 220 million people , would need to recover and gain some immunity to the virus or get vaccinated for the country to have “ herd immunity ” to future outbreaks .
Some biotech industry observers suggest that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until 2023 or 2024 for a novel coronavirus vaccine to reach enough people to blunt the spread of COVID-19 .
On Wednesday , FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said on CBS This Morning that the agency ’ s expectation is a vaccine will become available in March of 2021 , “ but we are really trying to accelerate the efforts.
” NIAID Director Anthony Fauci told BuzzFeed News in February that if everything went “ perfect , ” starting to distribute a vaccine widely would take at least 18 months , a delivery date @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , vaccines require safety studies conducted in lab animals , followed by three phases of progressively larger and longer experiments on people , first to prove the vaccines are safe and then to prove that they are effective at preventing infection .
Four vaccines are currently undergoing “ Phase 1 ” safety trials in small numbers of human volunteers , and one “ Phase 2 ” trial involving 500 volunteers is underway in Beijing .
If the vaccines prove safe and effective in these trials , they would move on to Phase 3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around six months .
Those trials require giving one group of volunteers the vaccine and another group a placebo , then waiting for the months to elapse to see how many catch the disease and how many don ’ t , and then comparing between the two groups to figure out the efficacy of the vaccine .
If the Phase 3 trials proved successful , the vaccines would be allowed for widespread public use , but would require more time to manufacture and distribute the billions of doses needed .
A March Journal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eyal of the Center for Population-Level Bioethics at Rutgers University proposed collapsing this time frame by running small “ challenge trials ” in people alongside the Phase 3 one .
Essentially small groups of volunteers at low risk of dying of the disease , healthy 20- to 45-year-olds perhaps already in dangerous occupations , would be divided into two groups .
One group would receive a candidate vaccine and one would get a placebo shot .
They would then be exposed to increasingly large doses of the coronavirus until most of the patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t have symptoms more severe than a typical case for their age group .
“ Intense immunological monitoring ” would look for any signs of dangerous side effects seen in past SARS coronavirus vaccine tests , where a mistargeted vaccine caused “ immunopathology ” in lab mice actually made the disease more deadly .
Not only would the results point to whether a vaccine works , but they would tell researchers what amount of virus exposure is needed to trigger an infection , a still undetermined data point amid debates about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daily life .
“ There are plenty of young people who want to help , ” Caplan said .
“ The key thing is that they have to be fully informed about the risk , and their consent should be managed by someone completely — completely — independent of the people running the experiment.
” The separate ethics board could tell volunteers , `` ‘ Look , we will give you a medical exemption to get out of this if you really don ’ t want to do it , ’ '' said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coercion or pressure to volunteer .
A “ Covid Challenge ” website noted by researchers such as Marc Lipsitch of Harvard ’ s T.H .
Chan School of Public Health has been established to enlist challenge trial volunteers .
Plotkin and Caplan ’ s study design would limit volunteers to healthy 18- to 29-year-olds , noting a 0.3 % death rate among patients that age in China , and start by first exposing people who had recovered from past infections to the virus .
That could potentially help answer questions about how much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to those who recover , another unknown .
Europe is also weighing whether to undertake challenge trials , Pieter Neels of Belgium ’ s University of Namur and chair of the International Alliance for Biological Standardization ’ s human vaccine committee , told BuzzFeed News .
“ The problem is that with COVID-19 , a huge knowledge is lacking , ” he said by email , unlike other diseases where challenge trials are used , like malaria , cholera , or influenza .
There are two commercial companies in Europe that would like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : hVivo in the United Kingdom and SGS in Belgium .
Not everyone in medicine thinks that deliberately infecting people with a little-understood and deadly disease with no cure is a great idea : “ Where you ’ re going to give somebody a virus on purpose , you really want to understand the disease so that you know that what you ’ re doing is a reasonable risk , ” Matthew Memoli of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told Science magazine in March .
People have died in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Roche , a 24-year-old lab technician at Johns Hopkins , died after volunteering for an asthma treatment experiment .
The sheer logistics of setting up an ethical challenge trial is another reason for caution , vaccine expert Peter Hotez of Baylor College of Medicine , told BuzzFeed News .
It would require evaluating different virus doses to determine what qualifies as a minimal dose , standardizing the “ challenge ” virus and how it would be delivered , ensuring volunteers received the newest antiviral treatment , and many other considerations absent in standard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to create a model for human challenge trials of a parasite vaccine .
“ While I ’ m sure these timelines can be accelerated , it still won ’ t be easy to do this very quickly , ” said Hotez , “ It doesn ’ t mean we shouldn ’ t do it , it would certainly help down the line , but I don ’ t see how it happens very fast .
”

As the world waits anywhere from 18 months to years for the first effective coronavirus vaccine, some lawmakers, scientists, and bioethicists are calling for a radical push to speed up the process — deliberately infecting volunteers with the virus.
On Tuesday, vaccine expert Stanley Plotkin of the University of Pennsylvania and bioethicist Arthur Caplan of New York University released an outline for these “challenge studies” of a coronavirus vaccine in the journal Vaccine. That followed a bipartisan group of nearly three dozen members of the House of Representatives on Monday calling on the FDA to consider such trials.
“Every week of delay in the deployment of a vaccine to the seven billion humans on Earth will cost thousands of lives,” said the letter, spearheaded by Rep. Bill Foster of Illinois, a scientist, and Rep. Donna Shalala of Florida, a former HHS chief. “In the case of accelerated human trials, justifiable risks may be taken,” they wrote, “potentially by challenge trials that involve deliberately infecting volunteers who have received candidate vaccines or placebos.”
“Normally, deliberately giving someone an infection that is potentially lethal would be unacceptable,” Caplan told BuzzFeed News. “But in extreme times, like a plague, you might look to extreme measures.”
The approach is unusual — but not unprecedented. Still, some scientists argue that it may be too drastic of a measure given the number of unknowns with the new coronavirus.
As of Wednesday, there have been more than 2.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and nearly 180,000 deaths worldwide. More than 70 novel coronavirus vaccines are now in development, according to the World Health Organization. A March Journal of Infection report estimated that about 70% of the US population, more than 220 million people, would need to recover and gain some immunity to the virus or get vaccinated for the country to have “herd immunity” to future outbreaks.
Some biotech industry observers suggest that past vaccine development times could mean waiting until 2023 or 2024 for a novel coronavirus vaccine to reach enough people to blunt the spread of COVID-19. On Wednesday, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said on CBS This Morning that the agency’s expectation is a vaccine will become available in March of 2021, “but we are really trying to accelerate the efforts.” NIAID Director Anthony Fauci told BuzzFeed News in February that if everything went “perfect,” starting to distribute a vaccine widely would take at least 18 months, a delivery date more like August of 2021.
Normally, vaccines require safety studies conducted in lab animals, followed by three phases of progressively larger and longer experiments on people, first to prove the vaccines are safe and then to prove that they are effective at preventing infection. Four vaccines are currently undergoing “Phase 1” safety trials in small numbers of human volunteers, and one “Phase 2” trial involving 500 volunteers is underway in Beijing.
If the vaccines prove safe and effective in these trials, they would move on to Phase 3 trials involving thousands of volunteers studied for around six months. Those trials require giving one group of volunteers the vaccine and another group a placebo, then waiting for the months to elapse to see how many catch the disease and how many don’t, and then comparing between the two groups to figure out the efficacy of the vaccine.
If the Phase 3 trials proved successful, the vaccines would be allowed for widespread public use, but would require more time to manufacture and distribute the billions of doses needed.
A March Journal of Infectious Diseases report led by Nir Eyal of the Center for Population-Level Bioethics at Rutgers University proposed collapsing this time frame by running small “challenge trials” in people alongside the Phase 3 one. Essentially small groups of volunteers at low risk of dying of the disease, healthy 20- to 45-year-olds perhaps already in dangerous occupations, would be divided into two groups. One group would receive a candidate vaccine and one would get a placebo shot. They would then be exposed to increasingly large doses of the coronavirus until most of the patients in the placebo group were infected but didn’t have symptoms more severe than a typical case for their age group. “Intense immunological monitoring” would look for any signs of dangerous side effects seen in past SARS coronavirus vaccine tests, where a mistargeted vaccine caused “immunopathology” in lab mice and actually made the disease more deadly.
Not only would the results point to whether a vaccine works, but they would tell researchers what amount of virus exposure is needed to trigger an infection, a still undetermined data point amid debates about masks and PPE needs in hospitals and daily life.
“There are plenty of young people who want to help,” Caplan said. “The key thing is that they have to be fully informed about the risk, and their consent should be managed by someone completely — completely — independent of the people running the experiment.” The separate ethics board could tell volunteers, "‘Look, we will give you a medical exemption to get out of this if you really don’t want to do it,’" said Caplan, to eliminate the risks of coercion or pressure to volunteer.
A “Covid Challenge” website noted by researchers such as Marc Lipsitch of Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health has been established to enlist challenge trial volunteers.
Plotkin and Caplan’s study design would limit volunteers to healthy 18- to 29-year-olds, noting a 0.3% death rate among patients that age in China, and start by first exposing people who had recovered from past infections to the virus. That could potentially help answer questions about how much protection antibodies from a past infection give to those who recover, another unknown.
Europe is also weighing whether to undertake challenge trials, Pieter Neels of Belgium’s University of Namur and chair of the International Alliance for Biological Standardization’s human vaccine committee, told BuzzFeed News. “The problem is that with COVID-19, a huge knowledge is lacking,” he said by email, unlike other diseases where challenge trials are used, like malaria, cholera, or influenza. There are two commercial companies in Europe that would like to perform challenge trials, he noted: hVivo in the United Kingdom and SGS in Belgium.
Not everyone in medicine thinks that deliberately infecting people with a little-understood and deadly disease with no cure is a great idea: “Where you’re going to give somebody a virus on purpose, you really want to understand the disease so that you know that what you’re doing is a reasonable risk,” Matthew Memoli of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told Science magazine in March.
People have died in challenge experiments. In 2001, Ellen Roche, a 24-year-old lab technician at Johns Hopkins, died after volunteering for an asthma treatment experiment.
The sheer logistics of setting up an ethical challenge trial is another reason for caution, vaccine expert Peter Hotez of Baylor College of Medicine, told BuzzFeed News. It would require evaluating different virus doses to determine what qualifies as a minimal dose, standardizing the “challenge” virus and how it would be delivered, ensuring volunteers received the newest antiviral treatment, and many other considerations absent in standard trials. His own team took years to create a model for human challenge trials of a parasite vaccine.
“While I’m sure these timelines can be accelerated, it still won’t be easy to do this very quickly,” said Hotez, “It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it, it would certainly help down the line, but I don’t see how it happens very fast.”


buzzfeed--2020-04-23--A Conservative Journalist Admitted To Taking $100,000 From A Financier Connected To A Controversial

A Conservative Journalist Admitted To Taking $100,000 From A Financier Connected To A Controversial Chinese Billionaire

A conservative journalist admitted to taking a $ 100,000 payment from a businessperson connected to a controversial Chinese billionaire , according to newly unsealed court filings .
The journalist , Bill Gertz , was fired from the Washington Free Beacon last year for what the publication called an “ undisclosed financial transaction ” with someone he covered .
The disclosure sheds light on the journalist ’ s mysterious firing last fall and offers a window into that billionaire ’ s connections to influential China hawks .
In a deposition from Oct. 15 , Gertz told lawyers for a company involved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to billionaire Guo Wengui , aka Miles Kwok , that he had approached Guo for an advance for Deceiving the Sky , his latest book on China that was published last year .
Gertz described it as a “ loan ” that would be paid back using his book royalties .
Gertz testified that Guo turned him down ; Gertz then approached Hong Kong financier William Je , whom he described as an “ associate ” of Guo ’ s .
Je supplied the journalist with the loan of $ 100,000 .
Gertz @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not remember whether Guo encouraged him to approach Je .
Gertz testified that he had asked Je about the source of the money and was told that it was from a “ sovereign wealth fund in the Middle East.
” When the outlet fired Gertz last year , the Free Beacon attached a disclaimer to many of the stories he had written about Guo .
The disclaimer said the company had “ recently learned that senior editor Bill Gertz entered into a previously undisclosed financial transaction with an individual or an affiliate of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in some of his reporting.
” The Free Beacon declined to comment for this story .
Gertz did not respond to requests for comment .
Through a lawyer , Guo declined to comment .
Guo , a controversial figure in US–China politics , is a vocal dissident and a critic of the Chinese government with a complex backstory .
Self-exiled from China after facing allegations of fraud and bribery he has denied , he has been living in a multimillion-dollar apartment in New York City and seeking asylum from the US government as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ documents outlining Gertz ’ s testimony became public this month in court filings by lawyers for Strategic Vision , a conservative firm that was employed by Eastern Profit , a company tied to Guo , to conduct research on certain Chinese nationals .
Strategic Vision was later sued by Eastern Profit for breach of contract in a complicated lawsuit in which the researchers responded with allegations that the company gave the firm malware and asked Strategic Vision to look into people whose records had a “ protected ” status , indicating they could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government .
In court filings , Strategic Vision accused Guo of not being a true dissident , but instead an agent for the Chinese government , which he has denied .
Je is the CEO of ACA Capital , a Hong Kong–based investment fund that Gertz identified as “ Guo ’ s company ” in a 2017 story for the Free Beacon .
In the documents connected to the case , Strategic Vision ’ s lawyer asserted that ACA Capital was used to pay both Gertz and Strategic Vision .
In another deposition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — the former head of Voice of America ’ s Mandarin service who was fired from VOA following an aborted hours-long interview she conducted with Guo — testified that the billionaire had told her Je was the “ money guy.
” Guo has proved a litigious presence in the US , bringing lawsuits against several media outlets that have covered him , as well as Strategic Vision .
He has allied himself with former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon ; a leaked 2018 contract showed that Bannon was set to receive $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s company Guo Media , and the two announced a nonprofit in 2018 , the Rule of Law Fund , aimed at countering China .
A related group also founded by Guo and Bannon , the Rule of Law Society , also listed Gertz among its board of directors .
Gertz has written frequently and critically over the years about the Chinese government , and he has written frequently about Guo .
In his deposition , he said he would travel to New York regularly to meet with Guo , and that their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a professional , as a source , as well as some friendship.
” Gertz said he had once been on his yacht .
After leaving the Free Beacon last year , Gertz rejoined the Washington Times full time , where he had previously worked for decades .
In his deposition , he said he had discussed the payment with the Washington Times .
Washington Times editor Christopher Dolan did not respond to a request for comment .
Gertz also testified that his book ’ s publisher , Encounter Books , was not aware @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Encounter Books did not respond to a request for comment .

A conservative journalist admitted to taking a $100,000 payment from a businessperson connected to a controversial Chinese billionaire, according to newly unsealed court filings.
The journalist, Bill Gertz, was fired from the Washington Free Beacon last year for what the publication called an “undisclosed financial transaction” with someone he covered.
The disclosure sheds light on the journalist’s mysterious firing last fall and offers a window into that billionaire’s connections to influential China hawks.
In a deposition from Oct. 15, Gertz told lawyers for a company involved in a lawsuit with another company connected to billionaire Guo Wengui, aka Miles Kwok, that he had approached Guo for an advance for Deceiving the Sky, his latest book on China that was published last year. Gertz described it as a “loan” that would be paid back using his book royalties.
Gertz testified that Guo turned him down; Gertz then approached Hong Kong financier William Je, whom he described as an “associate” of Guo’s. Je supplied the journalist with the loan of $100,000. Gertz said in his deposition that he did not remember whether Guo encouraged him to approach Je.
Gertz testified that he had asked Je about the source of the money and was told that it was from a “sovereign wealth fund in the Middle East.”
When the outlet fired Gertz last year, the Free Beacon attached a disclaimer to many of the stories he had written about Guo. The disclaimer said the company had “recently learned that senior editor Bill Gertz entered into a previously undisclosed financial transaction with an individual or an affiliate of that individual whom Mr. Gertz had covered in some of his reporting.”
The Free Beacon declined to comment for this story.
Gertz did not respond to requests for comment. Through a lawyer, Guo declined to comment.
Guo, a controversial figure in US–China politics, is a vocal dissident and a critic of the Chinese government with a complex backstory. Self-exiled from China after facing allegations of fraud and bribery he has denied, he has been living in a multimillion-dollar apartment in New York City and seeking asylum from the US government as China has sought his extradition.
The documents outlining Gertz’s testimony became public this month in court filings by lawyers for Strategic Vision, a conservative firm that was employed by Eastern Profit, a company tied to Guo, to conduct research on certain Chinese nationals.
Strategic Vision was later sued by Eastern Profit for breach of contract in a complicated lawsuit in which the researchers responded with allegations that the company gave the firm malware and asked Strategic Vision to look into people whose records had a “protected” status, indicating they could have had some involvement with the US government. In court filings, Strategic Vision accused Guo of not being a true dissident, but instead an agent for the Chinese government, which he has denied.
Je is the CEO of ACA Capital, a Hong Kong–based investment fund that Gertz identified as “Guo’s company” in a 2017 story for the Free Beacon. In the documents connected to the case, Strategic Vision’s lawyer asserted that ACA Capital was used to pay both Gertz and Strategic Vision.
In another deposition attached to the case, Sasha Gong — the former head of Voice of America’s Mandarin service who was fired from VOA following an aborted hours-long interview she conducted with Guo — testified that the billionaire had told her Je was the “money guy.”
Je didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Guo has proved a litigious presence in the US, bringing lawsuits against several media outlets that have covered him, as well as Strategic Vision. He has allied himself with former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon; a leaked 2018 contract showed that Bannon was set to receive $1 million that year from Guo’s company Guo Media, and the two announced a nonprofit in 2018, the Rule of Law Fund, aimed at countering China. A related group also founded by Guo and Bannon, the Rule of Law Society, also listed Gertz among its board of directors.
Gertz has written frequently and critically over the years about the Chinese government, and he has written frequently about Guo. In his deposition, he said he would travel to New York regularly to meet with Guo, and that their relationship was “a combination of both a professional, as a source, as well as some friendship.” Gertz said he had once been on his yacht.
After leaving the Free Beacon last year, Gertz rejoined the Washington Times full time, where he had previously worked for decades. In his deposition, he said he had discussed the payment with the Washington Times.
Washington Times editor Christopher Dolan did not respond to a request for comment. Gertz also testified that his book’s publisher, Encounter Books, was not aware of the transaction; a spokesperson for Encounter Books did not respond to a request for comment.