rawstory--2020-04-16--Coronavirus testing in the United States: What you need to know

Before lifting lockdowns imposed across the United States in March , experts say we ’ ll need a massive screening system in place to monitor and respond to localized coronavirus surges .
Are we on track ?
That depends on who you ask .
President Donald Trump has boasted the US has “ the best testing system in the world.
” Chuck Schumer , the leader of the opposition Democrats in the Senate , disagrees .
“ It remains clear that the country ’ s testing capabilities are dangerously inadequate , ” he said Wednesday .
Here is a guide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which had as of Wednesday more than 600,000 confirmed cases and almost 28,000 deaths from COVID-19 .
The US has carried out some 3.2 million tests as of Wednesday , according to the COVID Tracking Project .
The number began to soar in late March , and is currently growing by about a million per week .
In absolute terms , that is far more than any other country .
Italy has tested about a million , and South Korea around 500,000 , according to Our World in Data .
This website @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the important caveat that the data is somewhat imprecise .
Some countries declare the total number of tests performed and others on the number of people , and these differ because a person can be tested several times .
In the US , the accounting differs from state to state .
But the picture looks different when you account for population .
The US is a huge nation with some 330 million people , meaning that the Italians and South Koreans have tested more people per capita : 18 and 10 people per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a 1000 in the US .
Iceland , with just 364,000 people , has tested about 10 percent of its population .
Tests were only carried out at the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) in Atlanta until the end of February , with no other public or private labs around the country authorized to do the same .
That changed on February 29 — but it took time for the biggest private companies , Labcorp and Quest , to obtain the chemicals needed to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the start of April , an official at a Virginia hospital told AFP it was taking five to seven days to receive their results .
But these delays have now been eliminated , said the American Clinical Laboratory Association , which said there ’ s considerable excess capacity .
Rapid tests have also arrived on the market , using machines that are already present in clinics that deliver results within 15 minutes .
One problem remains : in a number of places , for example the capital Washington , you can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — even though we know now many carriers are asymptomatic .
Testing is supposed to be free , following a law passed by Congress on March 18 .
Much hope is pinned on newly approved serological tests , which can tell whether a person was previously infected long after they recovered by looking for the presence of antibodies that fought the coronavirus .
In theory , these could also help decide which people can return to society because they may now be immune .
But they are not yet widely available and major @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has approved dozens of tests recently , some derided as “ junk ” by experts .
And right now we don ’ t know whether prior infection confers immunity , and if so for how long .
Medical giant Abbott announced Wednesday that it will ship one million of the tests , with a total of four million by the end of April .


rawstory--2020-04-16--Coronavirus may wane this summer, but don’t count on any seasonal variation to end the pandemic

Will SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that causes COVID-19 , fade away on its own this summer ?
After all , other viruses – including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus ( RSV ) , which causes bronchiolitis in little children – are mostly seen in the winter .
The National Academies ’ Standing Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases and 21st Century Health Threats recently addressed the question of whether SARS-CoV-2 will follow the same pattern .
The group of experts corralled the research that ’ s been done so far – much of it not yet peer-reviewed – to assess the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hope that things may get better as the weather warms up , there is plenty of reason for the U.S. to keep its guard up .
Are heat and humidity reason for hope ?
Although the U.S. is early in the course of the pandemic , there is evidence from other countries that SARS-CoV-2 spreads more rapidly in cold , dry weather .
One preprint study of 30 Chinese provinces showed that the number of COVID-19 cases went down by between 36 % and 57 % for every 1.8 degree Fahrenheit increase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the low 40s F , the number of cases went down between 11 % and 22 % with each 1 % increase in relative humidity ( how much water is in the air ) .
A larger preprint study looking at 310 regions in 116 countries found that 11 % more cases were reported when the temperature went down 9 degrees , the relative humidity went down 10 % and when the wind speed went up .
Laboratory research also suggest that the virus survives longer in cold conditions .
One study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at 40 F in lab media but is gone after one day at 98.6 F. These and other studies suggest that warm , humid weather may slow the spread of this virus , although not all commentators agree .
New research on this topic appears almost daily , and scientists are watching to see what happens as summer comes to the Northern Hemisphere .
COVID-19 is already spreading in many parts of the world where it ’ s hot , including Australia and South America , demonstrating that high temperatures are not enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important reason to be concerned about ongoing spread is the fact that this is a brand new virus for humans , so almost everyone is susceptible to being infected .
In fact , weather actually appears to play a minor role in the rate at which this virus spreads .
Other influences on infection rates include individual behaviors , cultural practices , geography , income and living conditions .
Public health practices such as social distancing , the intensity of testing for infection , contact tracing , quarantine of people who are exposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infected also play a big role in how the coronavirus spreads .
The news from other viral diseases is not encouraging either .
The two most serious coronavirus diseases that are closely related to COVID-19 , the first SARS outbreak and MERS , did not vary with the seasons after they emerged .
In fact , MERS is still found year-round in the Middle East , where it is hot and dry .
Pandemic influenza infections have emerged at different times of the year as well .
What should we do ?
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ develop a safe and effective vaccine .
This work is proceeding at unprecedented speed , but it will still take anywhere from months to a few years and will require trials involving thousands of people and massive international leadership and collaboration .
Until there ’ s a vaccine , prevention will require avoiding exposure to people who can spread the virus .
Communities need to test people to find out who is contagious and engage in serious contact tracing , quarantine and isolation .
Scientists need to learn more about how to determine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immunity lasts , a big open question at the moment .
As individuals , each of us will need to follow expert scientific advice about good hygiene practices and distancing .
SARS-CoV-2 is likely to keep circulating until the human population has widespread immunity , which hopefully will come not from an unchecked pandemic but from developing and deploying a safe and effective vaccine .
[ You ’ re too busy to read everything .
We get it .
That ’ s why we ’ ve got a weekly newsletter .
Sign up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wright Clayton , Professor of Pediatrics and Law and Health Policy , Vanderbilt University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .

Trained in political science and the law, he has no formal education in disaster preparedness or response. And prior to his current role, he never held a full-time job dedicated to emergency management.
Instead, his main qualification was being chief of staff to then-mayor Alan Arakawa. But in that role, he told Civil Beat Tuesday, he assisted during emergency operations. And he said he participated in online FEMA trainings and workshops throughout the years.
In 2017, Andaya beat out 40 other applicants for the job, Maui Now reported at the time.
As the mayor’s administration was coming to a close, a panel of government officials – which said it was independent of the mayor – chose Andaya for the civil service role.
Civil Beat reviewed Andaya’s experience after historic Lahaina was swallowed by an inferno last week, killing scores of residents and visitors who never saw it coming.
The Maui Emergency Management Agency had the authority to issue siren warnings that might have alerted people. After Andaya’s agency decided not to sound them, many survivors reported they only became aware of the fire when they saw and smelled smoke.
Andaya said sounding the sirens wasn’t an option officials considered because they’re “mainly used for tsunamis.” That’s why they’re mostly located on the coast, he said.
But the state’s own website says the sirens are useful for many kinds of emergencies.
“The all-hazard siren system can be used for a variety of both natural and human-caused events; including tsunamis, hurricanes, dam breaches, flooding, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, terrorist threats, hazardous material incidents, and more,” the site states.
Andaya wasn’t on the island when the fires started, and he hasn’t made any appearances at press conferences since the disaster occurred.
Asked about Andaya’s resume, David Hafner, a retired telecommunications planner for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, questioned whether his relative inexperience affected his agency’s performance in a crisis.
“It’s a good ol’ boy network,” Hafner said. “This time it cost lives.”
Hafner said it’s “absolutely essential” for emergency management leaders to have experience in the field so they make the right decisions both before and after disasters strike.
Not having it, he said, “can lead to grave mistakes in judgment.”
Andaya’s hiring came at a time when Hawaii’s counties had just taken on increased responsibility for disaster response, according to Hafner. State emergency management officials used to be the designated authority to respond to emergencies, he said, but an update to the law in 2014 put the counties in the driver’s seat.
Asked about Andaya’s LinkedIn resume, Colin Moore, a political scientist at the University of Hawaii, said he was shocked by the emergency administrator’s lack of relevant experience. He said the public is owed an explanation.
“It’s a legitimate question to ask why the person leading the county emergency services agency has no clear background in fire, police, public health, the usual emergency services backgrounds,” he said.
“Having that on-the-ground experience, you develop the instincts and the connections to be able to perform a job like this. And if you just have general government experience, there is just no opportunity to have that kind of on-the-ground knowledge that often is really useful in a crisis.”
Andaya said as a former member of the mayor’s cabinet, he was qualified for the job.
“Whenever there was an activation in the emergency operations center, we were involved,” he said. “To say that I have no experience or no background in emergency management is not correct.”
‘Political Influence’ A Concern
Andaya, 52, is from Maui and graduated from HP Baldwin High School.
He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from the University of Hawaii Manoa. He also has a law degree from the UH Richardson School of Law, although he never became a licensed attorney, according to the Hawaii State Bar Association’s online database.
He began his career clerking for Maui Judge Artemio Baxa. He then worked for the law office of Lynn Araki-Regan, an attorney who is the wife of Arakawa’s managing director, Keith Regan.
When Andaya vacated his position as chief of staff, it was filled by Araki-Regan, who was by then the county budget director. Regan said he had no involvement in Andaya’s hiring.
From the early 2000s onward, Andaya has held leadership positions in Maui’s Department of Housing and Human Concerns and worked as the assistant to the chancellor of UH’s Maui College, according to his LinkedIn resume. He is married to Rowena Dagdag-Andaya, a former elementary school teacher who served as Maui’s public works director and now works in Maui’s Office on Aging.
Andaya was Arakawa’s chief of staff from 2011 through 2017. That year, the mayor appointed him acting administrator of MEMA, and he became permanent by the end of that year.
In contrast, Honolulu’s emergency management director, Hiro Toiya, has technical training in emergency response, worked for years as a preparedness planner for the Hawaii health department and rose up the ranks of Honolulu’s Department of Emergency Management. He worked there for more than seven years before becoming the director.
Asked how he stood out among a pool of 40 job candidates, Andaya said Maui doesn’t have a lot of emergency management professionals to begin with. He noted that he had to take an exam and based on his score was determined to be a finalist.
“You would have to question the civil service process if you can believe that politics was involved,” he said. “This is something that my predecessors have to go through as well.”
Before Andaya was hired, there were concerns in Maui’s political scene that the county was considering someone who wasn’t qualified.
“In the past, this position has sometimes been filled by individuals without the proper emergency response background.”
Former Maui County Council Chairman Mike White
In July 2017, the chair of the Maui County Council at the time, Mike White, took the unusual step of writing a Maui News column warning that the job of emergency management was too important to be “subject to political influence.”
“In the past, this position has sometimes been filled by individuals without the proper emergency response background,” White wrote.
“The administration must search for well-qualified candidates who can make a seamless transition in leading our Emergency Management Agency. The stakes are too high and our community has grown to a point where emergency coordination has become quite sophisticated in its implementation.”
In his column, White praised the outgoing emergency management chief, Anna Foust, who had previously worked for years leading the Maui branch of the Red Cross. White emphasized her expertise.
“During her tenure, she used her emergency response experience and training to help guide the county to keep citizens safe during hurricane warnings and watches, flooding events and tsunami warnings,” White wrote.
Civil Beat wasn’t able to reach White for comment.
Panel Of Specialists Chose Andaya
On Tuesday, Arakawa’s former managing director, Keith Regan, said that politics was not a factor in Andaya’s hiring. Asked why Andaya was the best candidate, Regan said he didn’t know because he wasn’t on the hiring committee. But he was adamant there was “zero” political influence in the process.
“This was a straightforward civil service process,” said Regan, who is now the state comptroller.
When Regan ran for Maui County Council in 2015, Andaya was his campaign manager. This year, Andaya wrote a letter of support of Regan’s nomination to state comptroller.
Regan noted that the hiring panel included numerous experts in the field. Maui Now identified them at the time as then-Maui Police Chief Tivoli Faaumu; then-Maui Fire Chief Jeff Murray; Elton Ushio, administrator of the Kauai Emergency Management Agency; and Vern Miyagi, then-administrator of the Hawaii State Emergency Management Agency.
At the time, Ushio was quoted by Maui Now as saying Andaya’s “proven leadership abilities, executive level experience, and impressive knowledge of emergency management” made him a great fit for the job. Murray cited Andaya’s familiarity with government processes, his “institutional knowledge of the various emergency incidents” in recent years, and his then-recent work as acting leader of the department.
“These are not people that, you know, are just political people,” Regan said. “They’re people who understand emergency management and are going to make the right choice for the community.”
In a statement, former HI-EMA director Miyagi said the public’s focus should be on working together on response and recovery.
“Herman Andaya and his staff at MEMA are really good people,” he said. “They carried Maui successfully through numerous hurricanes, floods, and other disasters.”
He said the public should wait for the attorney general’s investigation before drawing conclusions.
Civil Beat left messages with the other hiring committee members on Tuesday, but they were not returned. Former mayor Arakawa also did not respond to a request for comment.
“Herman is a very skilled, experienced, knowledgeable, professional individual,” Regan said. “I trust that is making the right decisions … There is no question in my mind that he cares about that community, and he’s going to do everything he can to keep that community safe.”


rawstory--2020-04-16--MSNBC’s Morning Joe erupts at GOP telling old people to die while they stay ‘cloistered’ in their ma

MSNBC’s Morning Joe erupts at GOP telling old people to die while they stay ‘cloistered’ in their mansions

“ Morning Joe ” co-host Joe Scarborough erupted at his former party on Thursday after it started pushing to reopen the American economy at a time when more than 30,000 people have died from COVID-19 in just one month .
The MSNBC host was particularly aghast at conservative talk radio personalities and politicians who are advocating reopening the economy right now even while they know hundreds of thousands of people are going to die because of it .
“ There is a growing list of Republican senators , Republican congressmen and women , White House officials in the Republican Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure , senior citizens are going to die , but what the hell ?
We really got to get wall street moving again !
” Scarborough fumed .
Scarborough then called out wealthy Republicans who will likely stick to social distancing protocols in their mansions while telling others to risk their lives going to work .
“ They ’ re telling other old people , ‘ Yeah , you ’ re going to have to die , get over it , we got to get Wall Street started again , ' ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not going to see them have family reunions in a barn in central Louisiana… they know they don ’ t want their family members to die .
They ’ re going to stay cloistered behind the gates of their homes .
They ’ re going to stay cloistered in the United States Senate .
”


rawstory--2020-04-16--Kim Jong Un tribute absence sparks speculation

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ’ s conspicuous absence from commemorations for his grandfather Kim Il Sung ’ s birth anniversary this week suggests he could be looking to emphasise his own authority over his family ’ s legacy , analysts said .
The April 15 birthday of the North ’ s founder is the most important celebration of the nuclear-armed country ’ s annual political calendar , known as the Day of the Sun .
North Koreans are taught from birth to revere Kim Il Sung and his son and successor Kim Jong Il , father of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ badges depicting one or both men .
But Kim ’ s absence from any official reports on this year ’ s commemorations led analysts to speculate he wants to distance himself from the “ cult of personality ” surrounding the country ’ s ruling dynasty .
The state KCNA news agency did not mention him in a Thursday report on senior officials visiting the Kumsusan Palace to pay the “ highest tribute ” to the two late leaders .
Since inheriting power in 2011 , Kim has always gone to the sprawling mausoleum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their birth anniversaries .
Pictures Thursday in the Rodong Sinmun newspaper , the official mouthpiece of the ruling party , did not show him attending , although a floral basket was draped with a banner bearing his name .
“ Kim Jong Un wants to break away from the past , as well as the North ’ s traditional cult of personality , ” said Ahn Chan-il , a North Korean defector and researcher in Seoul .
“ His message is that Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung ’ s times are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ He wants to come across and brand himself as a leader who is modern and competent , rather than a descendant of his predecessors .
“ And he wants to gradually tone down the idolisation of the two late leaders as it goes against his agenda to brand the North as a ‘ normal state ’ .
” The ruling party ’ s claim to legitimacy has its roots in Kim Il Sung ’ s fight against Korea ’ s Japanese colonisers and for years the North ’ s official propaganda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resemblance to his grandfather , in appearance , manner , and even handwriting .
But in another departure from normal practice , there appeared to be no outsize basket from Kim before the two men ’ s giant statues in Pyongyang on Wednesday , when citizens attended to bow before them .
“ This could be part of North Korea ’ s propaganda effort to distance Kim Jong Un from his grandfather ’ s and his father ’ s legacy and highlight his achievements , for what they are , ” said Rachel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the US government .
Kim has presided over four of the North ’ s six nuclear tests and overseen a rapid advance in its weapons technology , developing missiles capable of reaching the entire US mainland .
That has seen his country subjected to multiple UN Security Council sanctions as a result .
Since 2018 , he has taken part in a series of summits with US President Donald Trump and the South ’ s leader Moon Jae-in , although talks with Washington are currently deadlocked .
Kim last appeared in state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presided over a meeting of the Workers ’ Party political bureau on Saturday .
Lee played down the possibility of his absence being related to coronavirus concerns , saying he had been “ quite active in recent weeks ” .
Pyongyang has imposed strict restrictions to try to avoid the disease that emerged in neighbouring China and has since swept the world , at times quarantining thousands of citizens and hundreds of foreigners .
It insists it has not had a single case , although observers have expressed scepticism .


rawstory--2020-04-16--COVID-19 to have ‘profound’ mental health fallout

The coronavirus pandemic is likely to have a “ profound and pervasive impact ” on global mental health as billions struggle to cope with isolated living and anxiety spikes , experts warned Thursday .
In a paper published in Lancet Psychiatry , a panel of 24 specialists call for more funding for research into the impacts COVID-19 may have on society ’ s mental well-being .
Two accompanying surveys of the British public showed that most people questioned had experienced heightened anxiety and fear of becoming mentally unwell since the pandemic struck .
“ We are all dealing with unprecedented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we live our lives as a result of coronavirus , ” said lead author Emily Holmes from Uppsala University ’ s department of psychology .
“ Our surveys show these changes are already having a considerable impact on our mental health.
” The authors called for real-time monitoring of anxiety , depression , self-harm and suicide across the world , as well as the creation of treatment programs that can be accessed remotely .
“ This needs to be on a bigger scale than we have ever seen previously , and must be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Matthew Hotopf , from King ’ s College London ’ s Institute of Psychiatry , Psychology and Neuroscience .
“ Above all , we want to stress that all new interventions must be informed by top notch research to make sure they work.
” Studies into the mental health impact of previous disease outbreaks , such as the SARS epidemic in the early 2000s , showed a clear increase in suicide rates and the number of health care workers who experience emotional distress .
But the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to isolate at home and no end in sight even after social distancing measures are eased .
The surveys , conducted among more than 3,000 people in Britain , showed a wide range of fears arising from the pandemic .
These include increased anxiety , the effects of social isolation , the fear of becoming mentally unwell and accessing care if needed .
The experts cautioned that these symptoms were likely to continue well in to the future , even after the current round of lockdowns are eased .
The authors called for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comprised of people with experience of mental health impacts to ensure research and treatment are prioritized .
“ Increased social isolation , loneliness , health anxiety , stress and an economic downturn are a perfect storm to harm people ’ s mental health and wellbeing , ” said Rory O ’ Connor , professor of Health Psychology at the University of Glasgow .
He said that a lack of intervention risked an explosion of mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression , as well as a rise in alcohol and drug addiction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is too serious to ignore , both in terms of every human life that may be affected , and in terms of the wider impact on society .
”


rawstory--2020-04-16--Israel’s Netanyahu, Gantz miss midnight deadline to form unity govt

Following the most recent vote last month , both men fell short of a majority and neither had a clear path toward a viable governing coalition .
With the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in more than 12,500 confirmed infections in Israel , there were widespread calls for an interim emergency alliance .
AFP / AHMAD GHARABLI Israeli soldiers wearing masks and gloves stand at a temporary checkpoint in Jerusalem during the novel coronavirus pandemic crisis A Netanyahu-Gantz deal would have given the Jewish state its first stable government since December 2018 and offered a rare period of political calm during a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ devastating economic toll .
President Reuven Rivlin said that if they failed to meet his midnight deadline he would likely ask Israel ’ s parliament , or Knesset , to nominate a candidate to become prime minister .
Throwing the decision to the Knesset would almost certainly create further uncertainty and could push Israel towards another election .
Gantz , who heads the Blue and White alliance , was given a deadline of four weeks to form a government following the March vote after receiving a majority of recommendations from the 120-member Knesset @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highway near Tel Aviv during a curfew over most of the state of Israel due to the COVID-19 pandemic But he was unable to do so given the bitter divisions within the anti-Netanyahu parliamentary bloc .
After being elected Knesset speaker , Gantz pledged to use the remainder of his grace period to seek a deal with Netanyahu .
Minutes before that mandate expired at midnight on Monday , Gantz and Netanyahu asked Rivlin for an extension , insisting they were close to a deal .
The president gave them until the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Israel ’ s President Reuven Rivlin has set a midnight Wednesday deadline for Netanyahu and Gantz to reach a deal on forming a unity government Israel was shut down until Wednesday evening for the last day of the Passover holiday .
The sides were reportedly meeting late into the night once the holiday ended , but Blue and White and Netanyahu ’ s Likud both declined to comment on the status of the talks .
Gantz ’ s attempt to seek a deal with Netanyahu triggered the break-up of his original Blue and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was necessary to ease the grinding political deadlock and strengthen Israel ’ s ability to confront the pandemic .
By becoming speaker , Gantz all but conceded that Netanyahu would remain prime minister , at least through the first part of any prospective unity deal .
The sides were reportedly split over the choice of the justice minister , who would be tasked with overseeing a corruption case against Netanyahu .
The veteran premier , in power since 2009 , became the first Israeli prime minister to be indicted in office after being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of trust .
Gantz has been more cautious regarding the Trump plan , which has been categorically rejected by the Palestinians .


rawstory--2020-04-16--Trump to ease lockdown, saying virus cases have ‘passed peak’

President Donald Trump vowed to unveil plans Thursday to reopen the world ’ s top economy , following cautious moves in Europe , claiming the US had “ passed the peak ” of the coronavirus crisis despite a record daily death toll .
Since emerging in China late last year , the pandemic has turned the world upside down , forcing half of humanity indoors and catapulting the global economy towards a second Great Depression .
AFP / Jose Sánchez Workers wrap with plastic a coffin with the remains of a person who died from the coronavirus , COVID-19 in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ topped 133,000 with more than two million infected , according to an AFP tally — with nearly 2,600 dying in the past 24 hours in the US alone .
But a bullish Trump told reporters his “ aggressive strategy ” against the virus was working and that “ the data suggests that nationwide we have passed the peak on new cases ” .
AFP / Martin BUREAU Healthcare employees of the Georges Pompidou European hospital respond to taxi drivers who gathered in front of the hospital to applaud them in Paris He promised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the country , suggesting less-affected states could ease restrictions before May 1 .
“ We ’ ll be the comeback kids , all of us , ” said Trump .
Leaders around the world are wrestling with the dilemma of how to return to normal and kick-start their shattered economies without risking a devastating second wave of infections .
AFP / Miguel MEDINA A member of the medical staff speaks with a patient in the COVID-19 unit of the Policlinico Sant ’ Orsola-Malpighi hospital in Bologna , Italy In Europe ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urged “ extreme caution ” as she announced initial steps to reopen some shops and gradually restart school .
Elsewhere in Europe , Denmark began reopening schools for younger children after a month-long closure and Finland lifted a blockade of Helsinki .
AFP / FADEL SENNA Members of the medical staff at the Mohammmed V military hospital , wear a protective masks and caps as they wait for patients , in the Moroccan capital Rabat Lithuania said it would allow smaller shops to reopen from Thursday , while hard-hit Iran is set to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
New Zealand could start easing its nationwide lockdown next week , but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warned Thursday it would be far from a return to normal .
However , Britain was expected to extend its lockdown measures later Thursday and Belgium pushed its stay-at-home order back to May 3 .
Even in countries trying to return to a semblance of normality , many citizens voiced fears the virus was not yet beaten .
AFP / Michele Spatari Health workers fill out documents before performing tests for COVID-19 coronavirus on other health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set up at the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg In Madrid , deliveryman Gean Carlo Minaya told AFP : “ I think people should still hold out a little longer because I think it ’ s going to come back again , not as intensely , but the pandemic is going to come back a little bit.
” United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said only a “ safe and effective vaccine ” can return the world to normal , hoping that could be available by year-end .
AFP / BAGUS SARAGIH Workers prepare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the COVID-19 coronavirus at a cemetery in Jakarta And the chief executive of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation laid bare the challenge facing humanity to shield itself from the virus in future .
“ There are seven billion people on the planet , ” said Mark Suzman .
“ We are going to need to vaccinate nearly every one .
There is no manufacturing capacity to do that.
” AFP / Noel CELIS Transport personnel wearing hazmat suits guide travellers arriving from Wuhan to buses , which will take them to their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Station Even with a vaccine the virus is expected to lay waste to the global economy , with the International Monetary Fund warning that $ 9 trillion could be lost in a second Great Depression .
In the developing world , there are growing fears of a collapse in social order as food becomes scarce — with the situation especially acute in Africa and Latin America .
AFP / Zoom DOSSO Doctors coming out of the red zone at the Intensive Care Unit ( ICU ) are carefully disinfected by hygienists at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ At the end of this month , I ’ m done , ” said Reuben Isaacson of Boca Raton , Florida , who was laid off from an e-commerce startup last month .
“ When the moratorium on evictions is lifted and Florida hasn ’ t paid anybody any money , a bunch of people are going to be homeless and that includes me , ” he said .
Despite the gloom , tales of resilience and generosity around the world lifted spirits .
AFP / LLUIS GENE Healthcare workers wearing protective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a care home for the elderly in Barcelona In the central English city of Birmingham , Connie Titchen , aged 106 , defied the odds to beat the virus , applauded by medical staff as she left to see her grandchildren .
Also in Britain , Tom Moore , a 99-year-old World War II veteran , has raised almost £12 million ( $ 15 million ) for health workers by doing laps of his garden with a walking frame .
And in New Orleans , Burnell Cotlon spent his life ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ providing a lifeline for many struggling to pay for food as a result of the coronavirus outbreak .
“ The whole world has changed , ” he told AFP .
Many of his customers have been laid off and are struggling to provide for their families , he said .
“ Because they ’ re not working anymore , they don ’ t have any money .
But they still have to feed their kids .
“ So people come in here all the time… looking for work , looking for food , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ”


rawstory--2020-04-16--Wuhan’s ‘wet markets’ struggle after virus lockdown

At a large food market in the Chinese city of Wuhan , signs forbid the selling of wild animals and live fowl , while announcements calling for “ victory ” over COVID-19 play on a loop from speakers .
China ’ s “ wet markets ” have been slammed internationally as the coronavirus roils the world , with the disease having seemingly emerged from stalls selling live game in Wuhan late last year .
The government has since banned the sale of wildlife for food , but the reopening of markets has drawn criticism from around the world as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mount .
Shut down during the lengthy quarantine that sealed off Wuhan until April 8 , the city ’ s markets are now fighting for survival as customers have not been rushing back .
“ There ’ s no question , we ’ re doomed this year , ” spice seller Yang , who runs a stall at the massive Baishazhou wholesale market , told AFP .
“ There have never been so few people at our market.
” Yang , whose sales have fallen by a third from before the lockdown , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as “ unnecessary panic ” .
AFP / Hector RETAMAL Where it all began : the Huanan Seafood Market , where the new coronavirus is believed to have emerged , remains closed One market remains closed : The Huanan Seafood Market that sold a range of exotic wildlife and is suspected to be the cradle of the virus that jumped from animals to humans .
Wet markets are popular venues to buy fresh meat , vegetables and fish across Asia — most selling common , everyday produce to locals at affordable prices .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , although some do .
During visits to three Wuhan markets this week , AFP saw live turtles , frogs , fish and crustaceans for sale , but no fowl or mammals blamed for past diseases .
Workers at Baishazhou said they were now required to disinfect their stalls several times a day .
Yang keeps multiple bottles of disinfectant in her small office , alongside a box of masks .
Nevertheless , Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said this week the decision to reopen wet markets was “ unfathomable ” .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potential sources of outbreaks of these types of viruses , ” he told Australian TV .
The top medical specialist for the US government , Anthony Fauci , told Fox News earlier this month that wet markets should be shut down “ right away.
” The nationalistic state-run Global Times launched a strident defence of China ’ s wet markets on Tuesday , attacking “ preconceived ideas ” and “ ridiculous requests ” to close them .
While the World Health Organization has said governments must ban the sale of exotic wildlife and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not called for any wet markets to be closed .
Vendors at Wuhan ’ s markets say unaffordable rents and the lingering effects of the citywide shutdown are more immediate concerns than the threat of contagion .
“ Business is very bad , ” said Zhang Zhizhen , a duck meat seller at Lanling market .
“ It ’ s because of the epidemic — there are still very few people on the streets.
” Most Wuhan market sellers who spoke to AFP said they never sold wild animals .
AFP / Hector @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at wet markets and dismiss concerns that they are unhygenic But at the city ’ s Tiansheng market , two freshwater produce sellers who declined to give their names said they had to stop selling certain types of frogs and turtles because of the new rules .
“ This definitely affects our income , but we have to overcome this .
It can ’ t be helped , ” one seller said .
Low foot traffic at the market , which has locked all but one entrance and only allows customers in after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concern .
“ We don ’ t know if we can survive , ” the other seller said .
“ Do you see anyone here ?
” Shoppers on the streets of Wuhan appeared unperturbed by criticisms of the city ’ s wet markets as dirty and dangerous , instead citing convenience as the reason for choosing supermarkets instead .
One 40-year-old supermarket shopper surnamed Chen told AFP that she thinks the food at wet markets is “ good and cheap.
” She rejected criticism that China ’ s markets are unhygienic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true.
” “ Their stuff is always fresh , ” she said .
People in China traditionally prefer buying fresh food — as opposed to frozen or packaged food — although supermarkets have been vying to steal away consumers in recent years .


rawstory--2020-04-16--Goldman Sachs chief explains why Trump ‘reopening the country’ won’t help the economy

Even the head of Goldman Sachs is opposing President Donald Trump ’ s decision to reopen the economy with his own kind of COVID-19 party , the Washington Post reported .
CEO David Solomon may be one of Trump ’ s key business leaders , but he wasn ’ t on the White House ’ s call list with the business leaders due to a scheduling conflict .
If he had been , he likely would have told the president that he can ’ t force the economy to come back .
“ Unless people feel safe and secure and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impact will continue in some way , shape , or form , ” Solomon said , according to a transcript .
Trump has said that he will reopen the economy on May 1 and send everyone back to work .
It ’ s not likely to be safe by then , but the Trump had planned to run for reelection on his massive stock market gains .
By the time the coronavirus began taking people down in February , the stock market had begun to fall , setting new records and erasing all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Read the full update from the Washington Post .


rawstory--2020-04-16--Robots ride into help as personal delivery increases coronavirus risks

What looks like a rolling picnic cooler stops at the crosswalk , waits for a car to pass and then navigates its way at a leisurely pace down the sidewalk in suburban Washington .
Three blocks away , Jake Williams and his three-year-old daughter Emilia wait for the delivery robot and take out bags with pizza , fresh fruit and a loaf of French bread from the nearby Broad Branch Market .
“ We can ’ t go into the shops now , ” says Williams , among those locked down due to the virus pandemic .
“ And it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Starship delivery robots have seen surging demand in dozens of cities around the world , with consumers staying home and virus risks growing for both shoppers and delivery workers .
Starship began working with the Broad Branch in early April , when the corner store was forced to close to shoppers because it was too small to ensure proper social distancing .
Store owner Tracy Stannard said a fleet of up to 10 robots each day , managed by Starship , helps the market meet demands in the neighborhood .
The store handles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by robot .
“ Some people request the robot , they don ’ t even care about the groceries , ” Stannard said .
“ It ’ s cute to see them roaming the neighborhood and it makes people happy.
” Robot deliveries from Starship and a handful of other companies meet only a tiny fraction of food deliveries , but highlight a need in a time of social distancing and pandemic fears .
The jump in demand comes as consumers see a trip to the grocery store as a perilous adventure , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe .
More than 40 grocery store employees in the US have died from the virus , according to a Washington Post tally .
And delivery workers around the US have staged protests to press safety demands .
San Francisco-based Starship Technologies , created by two Skype founders , is gearing up to operate in other areas around Washington and recently launched with retailers in Tempe , Arizona , and in cities in Britain and California .
The rolling devices operate autonomously at a speed of around six kilometers ( four miles ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bags of goods .
“ The demand for contactless delivery has expanded exponentially in recent weeks , ” said Ryan Tuohy , vice president of Starship .
“ Our robots are doing autonomous deliveries in five countries and we ’ re grateful that our robots can make life a little bit easier for everyone.
” A handful of other companies also has been stepping up .
Silicon Valley startup Nuro recently began delivering groceries in the Houston area in partnership with grocery giant Kroger with its R2 autonomous robot , which travels on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 25 miles ) per hour and can transport some 190 kilos ( 400 pounds ) .
Nuro is moving to expand its service and has received approval in California to operate on public roads .
“ We did not foresee our service helping to keep Americans safe from contagion .
But the COVID-19 pandemic has expedited the public need for contactless delivery services , ” Nuro ’ s David Estrada said in a blog post .
“ Times like these reinforce the need for autonomous delivery services like Nuro , and how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Postmates , a delivery startup , have also been seen on the streets in California .
And similar autonomous robots are being tested by Amazon .
Drone delivery is another area where interest is growing due to the pandemic .
Wing , the drone startup created by Google parent Alphabet , has seen a jump in demand in its pilot projects in rural southwestern Virginia — where it delivers non-prescription medicines and other items from the Walgreens chain — and in Australia and Finland , a company spokesman said .
“ While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a small relief during this time , we hope it means one less trip to the store for items our customers may need , and provides an efficient way for local businesses to reach their customers in a time when limiting human-to-human contact is important.
” Wing CEO James Ryan Burgess said .
Amazon and others have continued testing drone deliveries , but these systems are subject to regulatory barriers which have prevented deployment .
Zipline , a California startup which has been delivering medical supplies by drone in Africa , has indicated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US once it gets regulatory approval .
“ Zipline is helping other countries mount their national response efforts to # COVID19 , ” the company said in a tweet .
“ As an American company in a time of crisis , we want to help our country as well .
”


rawstory--2020-04-16--Dr. Fauci says sports can come back — but without fans

The top US health and infectious disease specialist says the key to reopening professional sports leagues in America is to have the athletes play games in front of empty stadiums .
Anthony Fauci , who is helping coordinate the US response to the global coronavirus pandemic , said reliable antibody testing and fast results are also crucial to the return of sports .
“ There ’ s a way of doing that , ” Fauci told US Snapchat show “ Good Luck America.
” “ Nobody comes to the stadiums .
Put ( athletes ) in big hotels , wherever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them very well-surveilled , but have them tested like every week and make sure they don ’ t wind up infecting each other or their families , and just let them play the season out.
” Professional sports leagues are in gridlock due to the pandemic that has so far killed nearly 28,000 Americans .
The National Basketball Association is pondering a similar model for getting their 2019-20 season restarted in either Las Vegas or the Bahamas .
The NBA shut down on March 11 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hockey League , Major League Soccer and the Professional Golfers ’ Association Tour quickly followed suit .
The PGA is reportedly considering a return on June 11 without fans in attendance , starting with a tournament in Fort Worth , Texas , which was originally scheduled for the weekend of May 21-24 .
The matches would not be played in front of fans , and the PGA may have to play on gallery-free courses for at least the months of June and July .
Eight Tour events were postponed on March 17 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for later in the season .
Major League Baseball ’ s 2020 season , which was due to start March 26 , is on hold , as is the LPGA tour and motor racing , while the National Football League is just hoping it will be able to start its season on time in September .
New York mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday he doesn ’ t want to see large-scale sporting events and concerts with fans come back for a long time .
“ Those big events should be one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ online .
The last thing we should do is gather 10,000 , 20,000 , 50,000 people in one place , ” de Blasio told CNN .
“ That is the opposite of social distancing , so I think it could take quite a while.
” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Monday that his California city might not host large gatherings , such as sporting events and concerts , before 2021 .
“ It would be very difficult to see that , ” Garcetti said when asked if events would resume in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the chief executive for Santa Clara County in northern California , told ESPN that more people will die if events are staged too early and that only a “ major miracle ” could lead to the 2020 NFL season starting on time .
“ It puts the entire country at risk , ” said Smith , who overseas the area that includes the NFL ’ s San Francisco 49ers and the NHL ’ s San Jose Sharks as well as several US college teams .
“ The fundamental thing is sports is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have people travelling from all over and you have no way of knowing whether they ’ re infected or not — I mean , 50,000 of them in a stadium is not a good idea .
”


rawstory--2020-04-16--Ivanka Trump ignored federal guidelines saying people shouldn’t travel and went to New Jersey

Ivanka Trump decided that the Center for Disease Control guidelines didn ’ t apply to her and traveled to another one of the family ’ s homes in New Jersey for the Passover holy week , the New York Times reported .
“ Those lucky enough to be in a position to stay at home , please , please do so , ” Ivanka Trump said in a video she posted .
“ Each and every one of us plays a role in slowing the spread.
” And yet , Ms. Trump exempted herself from that reqest .
“ Ms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kushner , who is also a senior White House adviser , traveled with their three children to the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey to celebrate the first night of Passover this month , according to two people with knowledge of their travel plans , even as seders across the country were canceled and families gathered remotely over apps like Zoom , ” the Times reported .
Bedminster was forced to close most of the club on March 18 , including the clubhouse , fitness suite , and restaurants , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ further notice .
Kushner came back to the White House , but Ms. Trump has continued working from New Jersey .
The state is one of the worst-hit in the coronavirus crisis , and the county where Bedminster is located , Somerset County , has 1,911 people suffering from coronavirus , and 91 have died .
The full state has 68,824 confirmed cases with just 514 who have recovered .
Sadly , over 2,800 people have lost their lives .
Ms. Trump said that because the club is shut down , it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mansion .
She ’ s lately been spotted jogging in Rock Creek Park in Washington , the Times said .
Before leaving for Bedminster , Ms. Trump appeared at her father ’ s side in the White House ’ s Roosevelt Room after lobbying top bank executives to commit to the Paycheck Protection Program , a relief effort intended to help small businesses weather the pandemic .
Ms. Trump has been focused on helping small businesses become a path to the country ’ s economic recovery , and at the event , Mr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ falsely credited his daughter with creating “ over 15 million jobs.
” Read the full report at the New York Times .


rawstory--2020-04-16--The truth about how the media handled the beginning of the coronavirus crisis

How has the American media responded to the coronavirus crisis ?
This question is particularly fraught given President Donald Trump ’ s own prominent role in the outbreak ’ s progression and his notoriously combative relationship with the press .
This , in combination with the fact that much of right-wing media is devoted to both toeing and shaping the president ’ s talking points , makes analysis of the rest of the press a lightning rod for political dispute .
But I ’ ll take it as a given , as I have and others have argued elsewhere , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have proven particularly disgraceful and destructive during the pandemic .
They ’ ve shifted positions multiple times , from downplaying the coronavirus to taking it seriously and back again , with their particular attitudes seeming to depend solely on whatever stance they believed will best suit the president ’ s interests .
In response to this kind of analysis , Trump and conservative talking heads have taken aim back at the mainstream media .
But while these attacks can ’ t be taken in good faith , they can raise good questions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vox and blogger Scott Alexander , took up the challenge , each concluding that the media failed in a big way .
This conclusion is far too quick , however .
Neither conduct any thorough analysis of the media ’ s coverage , and instead rely on cherry-picked headlines .
Here ’ s how Alexander summed up the failure : And here ’ s what Kafka writes , citing a tweet from the far-right radio host Dan Bongino : But this is a very misleading way to analyze the media ’ s performance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , opinions , and headlines about any given news story , and if you lump a bunch of them together you can paint the media as deeply misguided .
But this wouldn ’ t define the media ’ s coverage more broadly .
And because of the nature of human disagreement and the incentives and structure of the media market , there will always be some dissenting voices from a broad consensus .
So even if the media ’ s overall response to a crisis is optimal , there will be misguided headlines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the stories targeted for criticism by Kafka and Alexander aren ’ t entirely fair subjects of derision , either .
Bongino ’ s tweet , for instance , includes an Atlantic article from Feb. 24 titled : “ You ’ re Likely to Get the Coronavirus.
” The subheadline was : “ Most cases are not life-threatening , which is also what makes the virus a historic challenge to contain.
” This analysis holds up .
Another Feb. 25 piece in Health , titled “ Is the Coronavirus Worse Than the Flu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Illnesses Compare , ” underestimated the threat of the virus , but relying on expert opinion , it concluded : That ’ s not really an easy question to answer , says Dr. Brown .
“ It depends on what you mean by worse , ” he says .
“ More easily spread ?
Then it appears to be coronavirus .
Causes more cases of serious illness .
Then it ’ s flu.
” Another thing that makes the coronavirus a bit more dangerous ?
That there are so many unknowns attached to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for decades .
“ Despite the morbidity and mortality with influenza , there ’ s a certainty … of seasonal flu .
I can tell you all , guaranteed , that as we get into March and April , the flu cases are going to go down .
You could predict pretty accurately what the range of the mortality is and the hospitalizations [ will be ] , ” Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , said in a White House press conference on Jan. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ COVID-19 ] is that there ’ s a lot of unknowns.
” Either way , with new cases of COVID-19 being identified in Iran , Italy , and South Korea , Dr. Juthani believes we should be prepared for community spread of COVID-19 in the United States .
“ Until a vaccine is developed or pharmaceutical agents are identified that can treat COVID-19 , we will need to use the same tactics we are familiar with for preventing flu to prevent COVID-19 , ” she says .
It didn ’ t predict @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but it accurately reflected experts ’ and public health officials ’ opinion at the time .
It also warned of the uncertainties surrounding the virus .
Alexander is also critical of pieces that warned that some fears about COVID-19 were arising from or fueling bigotry toward Asian people .
Again , some of the claims in these articles now look wrong , and perhaps should have been recognized as wrong at the time , but the problem of anti-Asian bigotry is and was a genuine problem in this crisis .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of these articles were themselves written in response to other media reports , which were deemed by some to be overhyping the dangers of the coronavirus .
This view is now discredited , but the very existence of this opinion undercuts the claim that the media was asleep on the COVID-19 peril .
You only start to see headlines like “ Doctors suggest worrying about common flu , not coronavirus , ” because lots of people are worried about the coronavirus , presumably because of the news coverage .
So what was the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus as it emerged ?
Doing a systematic review of news coverage will have to wait for a more thorough academic study , but one simple proxy is Google News results .
If you constrain the search to only find items published in February — a time when the virus was clearly on the radar , but not yet recognized by most officials as the danger it would become — you don ’ t see widespread denialism about the problem .
Here are just a few samples of the results : Much of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It updated readers about the latest development in coronavirus news across the globe .
But note that deciding what to coverage is itself an editorial judgment , one that reflects a range of complicated considerations , including reader interest and objective importance .
In covering the issue widely , much of the mainstream media was clearly sending the message that it was a matter of global significance .
It was this status , it seems , that led some outlets to push back against the tide and try to tamp down fears of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to American shores .
While this was misguided — we should have as a nation been more generally on much higher alert about the threat from global pandemics — it wasn ’ t entirely unfounded .
Many novel threats are exaggerated , and many common threats are treated with much less seriousness than they deserve .
It ’ s not true that the flu was more of a threat than COVID-19 , but the flu is generally a much greater danger than is recognized .
Trying to educate people about this fact by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is standard journalistic practice , so the strategy was understandable , even if , in this instance , mistaken .
And if people were more concerned about the flu generally , we would have been better prepared for a threat like the coronavirus .
And , it should be noted , there was pushback in the media against anti-alarmists .
Vox , on Feb. 6 , published a piece titled “ Don ’ t scold people for worrying about the coronavirus , ” which , speaking personally , helped alert me to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 9 , Wired published a similar piece titled : “ Coronavirus Is Bad .
Comparing It to the Flu Is Worse.
” So there were a diversity of voices airing different concerns , but overall the trend was to treat coronavirus as an increasingly serious global threat as it emerged .
That seems about right , and about what we should expect from the media .
The U.S. federal government severely underreacted to the crisis , and many public health experts and scientists were too dismissive of the concerns ; it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been telling people they should be stocking up on extra food or avoiding public spaces long before officials and experts were issuing these kinds of warnings .
How did AlterNet do ?
It ’ s reasonable to ask , since I ’ m writing this article , how the publication that employs me fared in the face of coronavirus .
Personally , I regret not paying more attention to the issue earlier on , and I do think I could reasonably have raised the alarms more than I did .
But AlterNet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major news outlets , so we can ’ t cover every story out there .
And we did republish syndicated content from other publications about the emerging threat from the coronavirus to supplement our coverage .
Overall , this coverage provided significant warnings about the coronavirus in its early days .
For example : Mystery China pneumonia outbreak likely caused by new human coronavirus — The Conversation The mystery of a new virus outbreak deepens as first case hits U.S. — Salon Are you in danger of catching the coronavirus ?
5 questions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the worst as coronavirus spreads — Salon World Health Organization declares global emergency as coronavirus cases are confirmed in 18 countries — Common Dreams Financial elites appear oblivious to the threat of the next global economic calamity — Independent Media Institute How Trump left the US more vulnerable to outbreaks like coronavirus — The Conversation Fear is spiking about the coronavirus — but don ’ t lose sight of the larger picture — The Conversation Of all these stories , only the last gives me serious pause .
It was written by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health at the University of Waterloo .
And while it ’ s understandable why he wrote those words then , in retrospect , it certainly seems like it was the wrong message to send .
Americans largely didn ’ t need to be dialing back their fears about coronavirus in early February , as Hall suggested , but preparing for the fact that the outbreak really could get out of control .
Nevertheless , the piece still recommended advice that is now ubiquitous , including washing your hands and even avoiding handshakes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ coverage , with a few exceptions , warned that the coronavirus really could be a serious threat .
One article from the Independent Media Insitute flagged that it could be a global economic threat , though it likely did not anticipate how true this would be .
Most presciently , the Feb. 4 piece reprinted from The Conversation accurately pointed out that the Trump administration was unprepared for a full-on pandemic , which now reads like a prophecy .
One element that I do think is missing from all this would have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could mean for the country .
This has long been an interest of mine , and it would have been the perfect opportunity for me to explore the issue in a way that could have helped prepare readers for the situation we ’ re now all living with .
Such an article would have put into context the information and warnings from the other AlterNet content linked to above .

How has the American media responded to the coronavirus crisis? This question is particularly fraught given President Donald Trump's own prominent role in the outbreak's progression and his notoriously combative relationship with the press. This, in combination with the fact that much of right-wing media is devoted to both toeing and shaping the president's talking points, makes analysis of the rest of the press a lightning rod for political dispute.
But I'll take it as a given, as I have and others have argued elsewhere, that Trump himself and right-wing media broadly have proven particularly disgraceful and destructive during the pandemic. They've shifted positions multiple times, from downplaying the coronavirus to taking it seriously and back again, with their particular attitudes seeming to depend solely on whatever stance they believed will best suit the president's interests.
In response to this kind of analysis, Trump and conservative talking heads have taken aim back at the mainstream media. But while these attacks can't be taken in good faith, they can raise good questions. And recent pieces from Peter Kafka at Vox and blogger Scott Alexander, took up the challenge, each concluding that the media failed in a big way.
This conclusion is far too quick, however. Neither conduct any thorough analysis of the media's coverage, and instead rely on cherry-picked headlines. Here's how Alexander summed up the failure:
And here's what Kafka writes, citing a tweet from the far-right radio host Dan Bongino:
Some of that advice shows up in memes that highlight headlines from a range of respected media outlets that now seem terribly misleading after new information came to light. (You won’t find any Vox headlines in the collage below on flu comparisons, but as many people have pointed out, my colleagues at Vox published some stories and tweets with similar angles.)
(Kafka also acknowledged that there's been good reporting, too, but his overall assessment the media's performance is negative.)
But this is a very misleading way to analyze the media's performance. There will always be bad takes, opinions, and headlines about any given news story, and if you lump a bunch of them together you can paint the media as deeply misguided. But this wouldn't define the media's coverage more broadly. And because of the nature of human disagreement and the incentives and structure of the media market, there will always be some dissenting voices from a broad consensus. So even if the media's overall response to a crisis is optimal, there will be misguided headlines that look regrettable in retrospect.
Some of the stories targeted for criticism by Kafka and Alexander aren't entirely fair subjects of derision, either. Bongino's tweet, for instance, includes an Atlantic article from Feb. 24 titled: "You’re Likely to Get the Coronavirus." The subheadline was: "Most cases are not life-threatening, which is also what makes the virus a historic challenge to contain." This analysis holds up. Another Feb. 25 piece in Health, titled "Is the Coronavirus Worse Than the Flu? Here's How the 2 Illnesses Compare," underestimated the threat of the virus, but relying on expert opinion, it concluded:
That's not really an easy question to answer, says Dr. Brown. "It depends on what you mean by worse,” he says. “More easily spread? Then it appears to be coronavirus. Causes more cases of serious illness. Then it’s flu.” Another thing that makes the coronavirus a bit more dangerous? That there are so many unknowns attached to it—unlike the flu which has been studied for decades. "Despite the morbidity and mortality with influenza, there's a certainty … of seasonal flu. I can tell you all, guaranteed, that as we get into March and April, the flu cases are going to go down. You could predict pretty accurately what the range of the mortality is and the hospitalizations [will be]," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a White House press conference on Jan. 31. "The issue now with [COVID-19] is that there's a lot of unknowns." Either way, with new cases of COVID-19 being identified in Iran, Italy, and South Korea, Dr. Juthani believes we should be prepared for community spread of COVID-19 in the United States. “Until a vaccine is developed or pharmaceutical agents are identified that can treat COVID-19, we will need to use the same tactics we are familiar with for preventing flu to prevent COVID-19,” she says.
It didn't predict the severe changes coming to our society, but it accurately reflected experts' and public health officials' opinion at the time. It also warned of the uncertainties surrounding the virus.
Alexander is also critical of pieces that warned that some fears about COVID-19 were arising from or fueling bigotry toward Asian people. Again, some of the claims in these articles now look wrong, and perhaps should have been recognized as wrong at the time, but the problem of anti-Asian bigotry is and was a genuine problem in this crisis.
It's also important to remember that many of these articles were themselves written in response to other media reports, which were deemed by some to be overhyping the dangers of the coronavirus. This view is now discredited, but the very existence of this opinion undercuts the claim that the media was asleep on the COVID-19 peril. You only start to see headlines like "Doctors suggest worrying about common flu, not coronavirus," because lots of people are worried about the coronavirus, presumably because of the news coverage.
So what was the media's dominant narrative about the coronavirus as it emerged? Doing a systematic review of news coverage will have to wait for a more thorough academic study, but one simple proxy is Google News results. If you constrain the search to only find items published in February — a time when the virus was clearly on the radar, but not yet recognized by most officials as the danger it would become — you don't see widespread denialism about the problem.
Here are just a few samples of the results:
Much of the coverage was simple and straightforward. It updated readers about the latest development in coronavirus news across the globe. But note that deciding what to coverage is itself an editorial judgment, one that reflects a range of complicated considerations, including reader interest and objective importance. In covering the issue widely, much of the mainstream media was clearly sending the message that it was a matter of global significance.
It was this status, it seems, that led some outlets to push back against the tide and try to tamp down fears of the coronavirus before it made its way to American shores. While this was misguided — we should have as a nation been more generally on much higher alert about the threat from global pandemics — it wasn't entirely unfounded. Many novel threats are exaggerated, and many common threats are treated with much less seriousness than they deserve. It's not true that the flu was more of a threat than COVID-19, but the flu is generally a much greater danger than is recognized. Trying to educate people about this fact by tying it into events in the news is standard journalistic practice, so the strategy was understandable, even if, in this instance, mistaken. And if people were more concerned about the flu generally, we would have been better prepared for a threat like the coronavirus.
And, it should be noted, there was pushback in the media against anti-alarmists. Vox, on Feb. 6, published a piece titled "Don’t scold people for worrying about the coronavirus," which, speaking personally, helped alert me to the seriousness of the threat. On Feb. 9, Wired published a similar piece titled: "Coronavirus Is Bad. Comparing It to the Flu Is Worse."
So there were a diversity of voices airing different concerns, but overall the trend was to treat coronavirus as an increasingly serious global threat as it emerged. That seems about right, and about what we should expect from the media. The U.S. federal government severely underreacted to the crisis, and many public health experts and scientists were too dismissive of the concerns; it's hard to see how the media could have been telling people they should be stocking up on extra food or avoiding public spaces long before officials and experts were issuing these kinds of warnings.
How did AlterNet do?
It's reasonable to ask, since I'm writing this article, how the publication that employs me fared in the face of coronavirus. Personally, I regret not paying more attention to the issue earlier on, and I do think I could reasonably have raised the alarms more than I did. But AlterNet has a relatively small staff compared to major news outlets, so we can't cover every story out there. And we did republish syndicated content from other publications about the emerging threat from the coronavirus to supplement our coverage.
Overall, this coverage provided significant warnings about the coronavirus in its early days. For example:
Jan. 19
Mystery China pneumonia outbreak likely caused by new human coronavirus — The Conversation
The Wuhan coronavirus outbreak bears similarity to the 2002-03 epidemic of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) coronavirus (SARS-CoV). The SARS-CoV outbreak, which started in south China, lasted for over nine months. It spread to 37 countries, causing 8,098 people to become ill and 774 to die. Nearly 10% of those confirmed to be infected went on to die. The deadly nature of the disease, the frequent human-to-human spread, and infection of front-line clinical staff, contributed to the seriousness of the outbreak.
Jan. 23
The mystery of a new virus outbreak deepens as first case hits U.S. — Salon
Almost all of those who have died have been older people with preexisting conditions. Blumberg said it is important to note that such groups are at a higher risk of experiencing severe effects of the virus, though they are not at a higher risk of contracting it. “As far as we can tell, it’s novel . . . we don’t believe anyone has immunity to it,” Blumberg said. “The entire world is going to be susceptible; everybody is at risk for getting infected.” ... While everyone is at risk, there are things you can do to protect yourself, Blumberg said. “Avoid being around sick people, it’s not always possible, but those who are sick are more likely to transmit it,” Blumberg said. “We aren’t sure if it’s transmitted in other ways, probably via touching if it survives on surfaces for some period of time we are not sure how long,” which is why washing your hands is a good idea, too.
Jan. 25.
Are you in danger of catching the coronavirus? 5 questions answered — The Conversation
Am I at risk? Not now, because currently every case of the novel coronavirus is linked to Wuhan. ... For the novel coronavirus from Wuhan, there is no vaccine, and we’re lacking a specific therapy. So it is key to limit spread through quarantine of infected individuals and by tracing of contacts. ... The concern is that this coronavirus is going to behave like SARS and MERS, or Middle East respiratory syndrome in 2012, both of which were serious.
Jan. 28
American cities prepare for the worst as coronavirus spreads — Salon
Public fear over the Wuhan coronavirus continues to grow as the Chinese government restricts travel over fears of an outbreak; meanwhile, the number of cases of the virus in the United States has risen to five, with 73 potential cases still pending, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As the virus’s infection rate is still not well-understood, American cities are preparing for the worst. In San Francisco, city officials are activating its emergency operations center in the event of local cases of the flu-like virus. In Southern California, two cases were confirmed in Los Angeles and Orange counties. New York City is setting up a biocontainment unit in Bellevue Hospital, according to the New York Times, though there are no cases in New York as of today.
Jan. 31
World Health Organization declares global emergency as coronavirus cases are confirmed in 18 countries — Common Dreams
China has reported more than 7,700 cases of the disease and 170 deaths. So far, there have been no deaths from the disease outside of China. On Thursday, the first human-to-human transmission case was confirmed in the U.S., where at least six people have been sickened. A man in the Chicago area reportedly contracted the coronavirus from his wife, who had recently returned from Wuhan.
Financial elites appear oblivious to the threat of the next global economic calamity — Independent Media Institute
Globally, we have a glut of consumer goods, much of it emanating from China, but given increasingly weakening demand from an economy that is growing more and more skewed to the top 1 percent, we have fewer consumers able to buy it. Moreover, in China itself, modest fiscal stimulus measures undertaken at the end of last year could well be overridden by the onset of the coronavirus, which risks undermining the impact of these recent upticks in infrastructure investment, along with the potential benefits accrued from the cessation of the trade war with the U.S. government.
Feb. 4
How Trump left the US more vulnerable to outbreaks like coronavirus — The Conversation
Feb. 6
Fear is spiking about the coronavirus — but don’t lose sight of the larger picture — The Conversation
What should we do while we wait for things to unfold? My advice, if I were a physician dispensing it, would be to encourage people to pay attention to official information as much as possible, the Public Health Agency of Canada, for example, or its provincial counterparts. It will be there, and will be up to date and accurate for the most part. The behavioural advice is relatively straightforward: wash your hands often, cover your mouth (with your arm) when you cough, avoid touching your face (surprisingly difficult to do consistently) and, for now, avoid travelling to Wuhan. ... Spending too much time watching television while snacking on potato chips is probably riskier than shaking hands. But maybe avoid both for now, just to be safe. And to end where I began — recalling how SARS overtook our collective consciousness in 2003 — it’s important to also remember that five times more deaths are attributable to the seasonal flu every year. If there is an infection we should fear, could it be that one? Or should we stop fearing infections altogether?
Of all these stories, only the last gives me serious pause. It was written by Peter Hall, a professor of public health at the University of Waterloo. And while it's understandable why he wrote those words then, in retrospect, it certainly seems like it was the wrong message to send. Americans largely didn't need to be dialing back their fears about coronavirus in early February, as Hall suggested, but preparing for the fact that the outbreak really could get out of control. Nevertheless, the piece still recommended advice that is now ubiquitous, including washing your hands and even avoiding handshakes.
And much of the rest of the coverage, with a few exceptions, warned that the coronavirus really could be a serious threat. One article from the Independent Media Insitute flagged that it could be a global economic threat, though it likely did not anticipate how true this would be. Most presciently, the Feb. 4 piece reprinted from The Conversation accurately pointed out that the Trump administration was unprepared for a full-on pandemic, which now reads like a prophecy.
One element that I do think is missing from all this would have been a deeper dive into what a pandemic could mean for the country. This has long been an interest of mine, and it would have been the perfect opportunity for me to explore the issue in a way that could have helped prepare readers for the situation we're now all living with. Such an article would have put into context the information and warnings from the other AlterNet content linked to above.


rawstory--2020-04-16--Police find 17 bodies at New Jersey nursing home after anonymous tip: report

On Wednesday , The New York Times reported that police have found a large number of bodies overloading a small morgue at a nursing home complex in Andover , New Jersey that has been overwhelmed with coronavirus cases .
“ The call for body bags came late Saturday , ” reported Tracey Tully .
“ By Monday , the police in a small New Jersey town had gotten an anonymous tip about a body being stored in a shed outside one of the state ’ s largest nursing homes .
When the police arrived , the corpse had been removed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 17 bodies piled inside the nursing home in a small morgue intended to hold no more than four people.
” “ The 17 were among 68 recent deaths linked to the long-term care facility , Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center I and II , including two nurses , officials said , ” continued the report .
“ Of those who died , 26 people had tested positive for the virus .
For the others , the cause of death is unknown.
” “ Of the patients who remain at the homes , housed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive for the virus ; 41 staff members , including an administrator , are sick with Covid-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus , according to county health records shared on Wednesday with a federal official , ” said the report .
“ With beds for 700 patients , Andover Subacute is , records show , the state ’ s largest licensed facility — and the risk of continued spread is terrifying to family members who have turned to social media and their local congressman , desperate for answers and extra personnel.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the facility , Chaim Scheinbaum , did not return calls or emails , ” said the report .
“ Staff members who answered phones at the facilities said they were not authorized to speak to the news media.
” You can read more here .


rawstory--2020-04-16--‘The nerve to say this when they didn’t even give Merrick Garland a hearing’: Ex-deputy AG goes off

‘The nerve to say this when they didn’t even give Merrick Garland a hearing’: Ex-deputy AG goes off on Trump

Former Deputy Attorney General and former Solicitor General Neal Katyal went off on President Donald Trump for having the temerity to claim that somehow he was being mistreated because Democrats weren ’ t confirming his people .
Democrats , as many may recall , are not in charge of the U.S. Senate right now , it ’ s Republicans who run the show .
The problem Trump likely has , however , is that many of his appointees are so extreme that even moderate Republicans are unwilling to vote for them , particularly in an election year .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Congress , ” Katyal began .
“ Congress sets the budget and the president can ’ t just go and nix out items he doesn ’ t agree with because he doesn ’ t like an organization or foreign government like Ukraine or Puerto Rico , you don ’ t get to nix out funding .
That the not the way our system works .
His claims here are very King George .
Like what he said a couple of days ago , he said ‘ I can force the states to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blatantly a destruction of what our Constitution is about.
” Katyal recalled Trump ’ s comments Wednesday saying that he could adjourn Congress and push his own appointments through .
“ That has three very deep constitutional problems , ” he continued .
“ One is the Constitution doesn ’ t let him , article two says he can only adjourn Congress if they disagree .
There is no disagreement there .
The House and Senate said they should adjourn on January 3rd .
Second , even if he could get over that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to recess judges , which is what he was seeking to do in the press conference today because the Supreme Court , a few years ago in a decision , said you can ’ t use the recess power essentially like an end runaround Senate confirmation , and that ’ s of course what he ’ s doing here.
” Finally , Katyal explained that Trump is again trying to break Constitutional norms and if he ’ s trying to do it he “ better have a darn good reason.
” Crying because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isn ’ t exactly that reason .
“ Give me a break !
” said Katyal .
“ He had 50 court of appeals judges confirmed in three years .
Obama had 55 and in eight years .
And the last two years of Obama , he only got two nominees confirmed .
Two .
Trump gets that on any given Tuesday and , you know , the most galling thing about this is that they have the nerve to say this when they didn ’ t even get Merrick Garland a hearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Senate isn ’ t doing its duty to confirm judges .
The senate that ’ s his own party ?
And that ’ s why he wants to do this ?
I mean , boy , we never heard any of that before when he had the most dramatic things at stake .
Sorry , that was a long answer but hopefully gives you something to work with.
” Former Ebola Czar Ron Klain , then bashed Trump for the claim that somehow the World Health Organization is corrupt and hiding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ WHO made mistakes handling the coronavirus ?
Yes , ” he conceded .
“ Should we look into improve the WHO ’ s performance , of course .
Five years ago I wrote an article calling for WHO reform .
If the WHO was the only problem that existed here than every other country would have the same coronavirus problem we have .
They don ’ t .
Why ?
Their leaders have taken the steps they need to take to get testing in place , to get the treatments in place , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to get the equipment to the doctors and nurses.
” He explained it can ’ t be the WHO ’ s fault because the problem seems to be only isolated to the United States where President Donald Trump is in charge .
Other countries have managed to stop their spike in cases while the U.S. has not .


rawstory--2020-04-16--Duncan Hunter kept spending campaign money after resigning for spending campaign money on himself: r

Duncan Hunter kept spending campaign money after resigning for spending campaign money on himself: report

On Wednesday , Daily Beast reporter Lachlan Markey reported that disgraced former Rep. Duncan Hunter ( R-CA ) continued spending campaign money — just days after resigning from Congress for improper use of campaign money .
Two days after his resignation , on January 9 , Hunter reported a $ 131.20 campaign expenditure at the Hawk ‘ n ’ Dove , a pub on Capitol Hill .
Four days after that , his FEC disclosure stated a $ 715.80 expense at Landini Brothers , an upscale Italian restaurant in Alexandria , Virginia .
Hunter was indicted by federal prosecutors in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on food , clothes , dental work , airfare , and trips to Europe from their campaign account , and falsified federal documents to make them look like legitimate political expenses .
Leaked correspondence showed his wife advised him to classify a clothing purchase as golf balls “ for the wounded warriors , ” and on one occasion he wrote that the Navy can “ go fuck themselves ” after they refused to let him tour a European base to make his vacation look like a congressional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whole thing on his wife , claiming she managed the finances .
But this excuse fell apart after prosecutors also detailed how he spent campaign funds on a series of sexual liaisons with lobbyists and staffers — around which time his wife began cooperating with the investigation .
Hunter eventually pleaded guilty , and was sentenced to 11 months in prison .


rawstory--2020-04-16--Trump issues absurd threat to trigger a constitutional standoff by adjourning Congress over stalled

Trump issues absurd threat to trigger a constitutional standoff by adjourning Congress over stalled nominees

President Donald Trump threatened to use an unprecedented constitutional power on Wednesday at his daily coronavirus press briefing .
Out of frustration that Congress is using pro forma sessions to avoid formally adjourning — at which point the president could make recess appointments of his nominees without congressional approval — Trump said he may force the legislative branch to adjourn .
“ No President in history has ever used the Constitutional power to adjourn Congress , ” tweeted presidential historian Michael Beschloss .
Steven Vladeck , a University of Texas law professor , argued that Trump couldn ’ t use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Constitution gives the President the power to adjourn Congress if—and only if—the House and Senate can not agree on a date for ending the current session , ” Vladeck said .
“ But they have agreed—January 3 , 2021 .
There ’ s a reason why this power has *never* been exercised before.
” If I thought that Trump knew about Article II , § 3 of the Constitution , I ’ d say he ’ s wildly misinterpreting it .
A President can only adjourn Congress “ in case of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the time of adjournment.
” pic.twitter.com/vsz2xWNQPT Editor-in-Chief of The Dispatch Jonah Goldberg said of his legal sources : “ So far consensus seems to be that Trump could make Congress adjourn but only if McConnell is in on the scheme by refusing to come to an agreement with the House .
So it wouldn ’ t really be Trump forcing anything ( though he likes words like ‘ force ’ ) .
” “ The current practice of leaving town while conducting phony pro forma sessions is a dereliction of duty that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis , ” he said at the briefing , which , again , was supposedly about the coronavirus pandemic .
“ It is a scam , what they do .
It ’ s a scam .
And everybody knows it and it ’ s been that way for a long time .
”


rawstory--2020-04-16--It’s ‘clear on the law’ that Trump is wrong about his power over the states: Andrew Cuomo

On Wednesday , CNN ’ s Chris Cuomo sat down with his older brother , New York Gov .
Andrew for yet another interview .
The two engaged in their usual affectionate brotherly banter , mocking each other with inside family jokes , and on a more somber level , Chris revealed his wife may have become infected with COVID-19 .
One of the key moments , however , was when the subject turned to President Donald Trump ’ s proclamation that he has absolute authority over governors ’ decisions to re-open their states — a matter Andrew has clashed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ … who has the power to re-open New York state ?
” said Chris .
“ The president said , me .
You said , nah , nah , nah , you ’ re not the king , you ’ re president .
He said , okay , okay , but I gave Cuomo and the other governors the power .
You said , not really .
Today he said , yeah , really , because I have all the power .
Where are we ?
” “ I don ’ t think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nah ’ but … I said 10th Amendment , I said states ’ rights .
I said the states have clear legal authority when it comes to issues of health and quarantine , ” said Andrew .
“ That was the Printz case .
It was a New York case .
1992 , New York v. United States .
So , it ’ s clear on the law , and I did establish that when the president said it.
” “ The president said he had total authority , ” continued Andrew .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ m a governor .
I represent the people of the state .
Other governors all across the country said it .
Governor Lamont said it .
Governor Pritzker said it .
They all said it .
Democrats and Republicans .
So it was important to establish that basic legal fact .
It ’ s the governors ’ power .
I think the president walked it back as best he could and he basically said , okay , it ’ s the governors ’ power , but he ’ s going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which was — look , at the end of the day , it ’ s fine because he said it ’ s up to the governors , and it ’ s up to the governors when the governor will open their state , and that ’ s true , and that ’ s the law .
”


rawstory--2020-04-16--‘It’s a rancid case of quid pro quo’: Sports reporter sounds the alarm about Florida governor and WW

‘It’s a rancid case of quid pro quo’: Sports reporter sounds the alarm about Florida governor and WWE

In a bizarre case of corruption , the governor of Florida decided that WWE wrestlers are “ essential ” employees amid the coronavirus because he didn ’ t like the void of sports on television .
What The Nation ’ s sports reporter David Zirin found is what he thinks is an outright “ quid pro quo , ” he noted , “ stinks to high heaven.
” Speaking to MSNBC ’ s Chris Hayes on Wednesday , Zirin explained that on April 9 Gov .
Ron DeSantis ( R-FL ) declared wrestlers essential workers in the state .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the co-founder of the WWE with her husband Vince McMahon , announced that her super PAC was going to spend $ 18.5 million in the state of Florida .
McMahon is also a member of President Donald Trump ’ s cabinet .
“ Now why is that important ?
” Zirin asked rhetorically .
“ Because on April 10 , that ’ s the day Vince McMahon decided to resume live programming .
Why is that important ?
Because by showing live programming , he is not in violation of his contract with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
These contracts are worth hundreds of millions of dollars and he ’ s only allowed three live shows per year and he ’ s not in violation of the contract.
” Hayes stopped Zirin , floored that it all happened in the exact same time .
“ It ’ s the same day that it ’ s announced they are dropping $ 18.5 million into the state of Florida , ” Zirin continued .
“ Now on April 10th , that ’ s when Vince McMahon says ‘ we ’ re going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ critical to his tv deals.
’ On April 13th , this is really bizarre .
This is when Gov .
DeSantis produces declaration , that claims wrestlers were essential workers .
Nobody saw this declaration coming , on April 9th .
It wasn ’ t posted to websites or announced .
It was only announced on April 13th when there were all these questions and these questions.
” He noted that there were questions about WWE because , as it turns out , there is a member of the WWE team that has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there is this question that arises of how are you having live events , how are you having people not social distancing ?
” Zirin asked .
“ How are you letting business go on as usual if somebody has the coronavirus but it is going on as usual and today , April 15th , they announced tons of layoffs from WWE , let a lot of people go , fired a lot of performers while announcing their stock price reaching a good high on the up and they had $ 500 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced all of this is Vince McMahon , the person who was just added to President Donald Trump ’ s advisory council that will decide when the government reopens .


rawstory--2020-01-07--‘Inflammatory and dangerous’: Nikki Haley blasted for ‘ridiculous’ lie that Democrats are ‘mourning

‘Inflammatory and dangerous’: Nikki Haley blasted for ‘ridiculous’ lie that Democrats are ‘mourning the loss of Suleimani’

Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley is under fire for attacking Democrats with lies in an attempt to defend President Donald Trump – a strategy some say she is employing to get Trump to see her as a replacement for Vice President Mike Pence on the 2020 ticket .
Monday night Haley went on Fox News to deliver what some journalists are calling “ categorically false ” and “ ridiculous , inflammatory and dangerous ” remarks .
Haley told Fox News viewers – which includes President Trump – that the “ only ones mourning the loss of Soleimani are our Democrat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she even posted the clip of her remarks herself : That is false – no one in Democratic leadership and no Democrat Presidential candidate is “ mourning the loss of Soleimani.
” What Democrats are disturbed by is the questionable legality of an assassination of a foreign government official , and the process by which Trump made the decision to order the killing of Soleimani – without calculating the consequences , which are now disastrously unfolding .
Many are responding , angry about Haley lying , and noting she has ruined her reputation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had a chance in 2024 .

David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement


rawstory--2020-01-07--Trump decided to assassinate Iranian leader after learning his other plan flopped: report

President Donald Trump ’ s decision to assassinate Iranian general Qassim Suleimani reportedly came after his own administration had determined that his “ maximum pressure ” campaign of economic sanctions against the country had failed to curtail the country ’ s military operations .
The Daily Beast reports that the Trump White House “ hoped it could gain enough leverage with sanctions to deter Tehran ’ s military aggression , ” but that officials had now “ determined that the maximum pressure campaign had not changed Tehran ’ s behavior , at least not militarily.
” In fact , Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump administration hammered its economy with sanctions , which is what led some in the administration to push the president to attack a high-value target that eventually turned out to be Suleimani .
But killing Suleimani is seen as unlikely to curtail Iran ’ s behavior either .
“ Virtually no one expects Iran to suddenly buckle with Soleimani ’ s death , ” the Daily Beast reports .
“ If anything , the expectation is that Tehran will retaliate—and that America will respond with additional force , both economic and military .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ maximum pressure may even grow more intense.
” Trump initiated his program of economic sanctions against Iran in 2018 after he pulled out of the nuclear arms control agreement that had been negotiated between Iran and the Obama administration .


rawstory--2020-01-07--Secret evidence from Roger Stone investigation to be released

Federal prosecutors are prepared to release some of the evidence seized by FBI agents during the investigation of Roger Stone @ @ @ @ @ outlets had sued for the release of materials placed under seal after investigators executed search @ @ @ @ @ of the Russia probe , and prosecutors told a judge Monday they ’ re now @ @ @ @ @ evidence , reported Courthouse News .
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Zelinsky had initially argued the @ @ @ @ @ and the privacy of others involved in Stone ’ s case , and U.S. District @ @ @ @ @ accept the government ’ s 60-day timeline for turning over the materials to media outlets @ @ @ @ @ Trump associate and former 2016 campaign adviser , was convicted in November on seven counts @ @ @ @ @ and witness tampering .
He is scheduled to be sentenced next month .


rawstory--2020-01-07--Letter announcing US withdrawal from Iraq ignited chaos and put Trump’s ‘competing impulses’ on full

Letter announcing US withdrawal from Iraq ignited chaos and put Trump’s ‘competing impulses’ on full display: analysis

A letter sent to Brigadier Gen. William Seely III this Monday had an earth-shaking announcement : The US was planning to withdraw all troops from Iraq — just two days after the Iraqi Parliament had unanimously passed a non-binding resolution calling for U.S. troops to leave in the wake of the targeted killing of a top-level Iranian general by US forces .
The news was almost unbelievable .
After 17 years of war in Iraq , US troops were finally withdrawing .
But as the news broke in the US , there was a scramble at the Pentagon , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make sense of the letter .
As Stephen Hayes points out in a summary of yesterday ’ s events for The Dispatch , no one seemed to know what was going on .
But after lawmakers reached out to the White House , they were told that the letter was fake and a possibly part of a disinformation campaign .
Speaking later to reporters , Gen. Mark Milley , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , said the whole thing was an “ honest mistake.
” “ That letter is a draft @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was unsigned , it should not have been released , ” he said .
But according to Hayes , if the letter was indeed a “ mistake , ” why was it transmitted to the Iraqis ?
It seems as if the whole thing was indeed an accident , and it ’ s reflective of the “ competing impulses ” President Trump is subject to in regards to questions about Iraq and Iran he ’ s faced since 2016 .
“ On the one hand , he offered harsh criticism of America ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to bring troops home and to refocus on problems here at home , ” Hayes writes .
“ But he also ran as a tough guy , a big-talker who defended torture and promised to make America ’ s enemies regret their hostility .
A survey of his decision-making and his rhetoric so far suggests those internal tensions have not yet been resolved.
” Read Hayes ’ full analysis over at The Dispatch .