New Orleans

Trump tweets blame in all directions over ventilators for coronavirus, except at himself

Hours after a Fox News interview in which he downplayed a national shortage of hospital ventilators to treat patients infected with the coronavirus, President Trump fired off a number of tweets Friday blaming General Motors and its CEO, Mary Barra, for not manufacturing more of them.

A Wuhan seafood vendor believed to be one of the first coronavirus patients says 'a lot fewer people would have died' if the Chinese government acted sooner

Wei Guixian, a 57-year-old seafood vendor in Wuhan, China, was among the first 27 people to be diagnosed with the coronavirus.

In shadow of coronavirus, Congress contemplates 'one of the biggest rule changes in the last century'

The pandemic has left multiple members of Congress in quarantine and led to restrictions on movement that could prevent the House from voting.

Italy, Spain suffer record virus deaths as British PM tests positive

Italy on Friday recorded the most daily deaths of any country since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and Spain had its deadliest day, as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson became the first major world leader to test positive. Italy reported 969 new deaths, Spain 769 and France 299 as Europe reeled from a crisis that led the United States on Friday to finalise an unprecedented $2 trillion stimulus package. In other grim milestones, AFP tallies showed more than 26,000 deaths worldwide, and a total of 300,000 cases now recorded in Europe, after the United States overtook China as the country with the most infections.

Alabama girl, 4, missing for nearly two days, found safe

Evelyn Vadie Sides and her dog have been reunited with worried loved ones.

India's electricity use falls to lowest in five months due to lockdown

CHENNAI/LUCKNOW (Reuters) - India's electricity use fell to the lowest in nearly five months on the first day of a nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, government data showed, with monthly power consumption likely to fall for the first time in four months. National electricity demand fell to 2.78 billion units on March 25, the first day of the three-week total shutdown called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi late on Tuesday. If demand continues at these reduced levels, India's electricity consumption for March is set to decline at the fastest pace year-on-year since October, when power use fell at its steepest in over 12 years due to a broad economic slowdown.

Coronavirus lockdowns: These states are ordering residents to stay home or shelter in place

California, Illinois, New York and New Jersey are among the states cracking down on residents' movements amid continued spread of novel coronavirus.

A Connecticut doctor has been charged after authorities said he deliberately coughed on his coworkers

People across the United States have been arrested and charged in recent days after allegedly violating social distancing measures.

New Yahoo News/YouGov coronavirus poll: 59 percent of Americans say Trump's Easter timeline is 'too soon' to restart economy

A large majority of Americans disagree with President Trump that the nation’s battle against the coronavirus is winding down and that normal economic activity should resume sooner rather than later, according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll.

China threatens to strike back after Taiwan deal

China has denounced a U.S. act that increases American support for Taiwan internationally.

Mexican governor prompts outrage with claim poor are immune to coronavirus

Miguel Barbosa’s comments reflect almost conspiratorial response of many Mexican politicians to pandemic * Coronavirus – latest updates * See all our coronavirus coverageA Mexican state governor has prompted incredulity and outrage by claiming that poor people are immune to Covid-19, as the government attempts to promote physical distancing and cancels non-essential services.Miguel Barbosa, the governor of Puebla, was apparently commenting on reports that a significant proportion of Mexico’s coronavirus cases is made up of wealthy people who had travelled abroad.Officials say three-quarters of Mexico’s 475 confirmed cases are related to international travel, including several people who reportedly caught the virus on skiing trips to Italy or the US.“Most of them are wealthy people,” Barbosa said. “If you are rich you are at risk. If you are poor you are not. The poor, we’re immune.”default His comments set off a firestorm in a country, where nearly half of the population are poor and the majority work in the informal economy.They also reflected the almost conspiratorial response of many Mexican politicians toward Covid-19, which threatens to wreck the government’s agenda of mega-projects and expanding social programmes.The country’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose administration has promised to “put the poor first”, has responded with breezy optimism to the crisis. He told reporters on Tuesday that Mexico would be past the “worst of it” within a month.López Obrador has resisted stiffer measures such as quarantine and border closures, on the grounds that poor Mexicans are unable to afford not to work.“The economy is in a nosedive and his base, the poor, is getting the short end of the stick,” said Esteban Illades, the editor of Nexos magazine, of the president’s motives. “A weak economy means his legacy is compromised.”Mexico has entered phase II of the coronavirus pandemic, meaning community spreading has started. There have been six deaths in the country so far.Covid-19 has struck at a tough time for Mexico. The economy slumped in 2019 and forecasts for 2020 suggested continued stagnation even before the pandemic.López Obrador swept to power with an overwhelming majority in 2019, but recent polls suggest his support is slipping. One survey showed his approval rating below 50% for the first time.The president’s supporters have rallied around him and tried to downplay the dangers of the coronavirus.Analysts say the pandemic is the most recent in a string of crises, including outbreaks of drug violence and growing fury over gender-based violence, which López Obrador and his supporters see as personal attacks rather than issues requiring urgent attention and resources.“They’re looking at how coronavirus will affect their so-called ‘fourth transformation”, as the president refers to his administration, “and how their dreams of transforming the country are now on the backburner,” Illades said. “It happens every presidential term. Reality always gets in the way of dreams.”

Asia virus latest: People return to China epicentre, security talks off

Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged last year, partly reopened on Saturday after more than two months of near total isolation for its population of 11 million. A top Asian security conference that gathers defence ministers -- including from the US and China -- and senior military officials was cancelled due to the pandemic. Thousands of migrant workers in India, left jobless and penniless by the full shutdown of the country, are walking long distances back to their home villages after all transport was stopped except for essential services.

Custodian with coronavirus symptoms accuses Harvard of neglect

Doris Reina-Landaverde said she ran out of masks to use while cleaning and was told by the university that they didn't have any more.

China sends medical aid to Pakistan to combat virus outbreak

China sent a plane loaded with medical personnel and supplies Saturday to help Pakistan fight the spread of the coronavirus in one of the world's most populous nations. Iran is battling the worst outbreak in the region and state TV said Saturday another 139 people had died from the virus. China has sought to portray itself as a global leader in the fight against the outbreak, which began a few months ago in its Wuhan province.

Germany has a remarkably low coronavirus death rate — thanks largely to mass testing, but also culture, luck, and an impressive healthcare system

Germany's death rate is around 0.74%, after around 53,000 confirmed infections. In Spain and Italy the rate is more than 10 times higher. Here's why.

Trump demands appreciation from governors for coronavirus response

President Trump used his daily coronavirus to attack Democratic governors who in his estimation had shown insufficient gratitude for his administration’s response to the pandemic.

Coronavirus response coordinator questions report that had predicted 2.2 million deaths in the U.S. from the pandemic

At a press briefing, Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, questioned a report that had predicted 2.2 million people in the United States would die due to the coronavirus.

Russia confirms coronavirus case in Putin's administration, tightens curbs

The Kremlin confirmed a coronavirus case in President Vladimir Putin's administration on Friday and the government said measures imposed in Moscow to fight the virus should be extended across Russia. The Kremlin said it was taking measures to stop the virus spreading further after a staff member in the presidential administration contracted the virus. It said the person had not come into contact with Putin, but declined to identify them.

273 Americans stuck in Central America flown back to U.S. on ICE deportation flights

Americans were brought back on the return legs of three ICE removal flights to Central America, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said.

Venezuela’s Dollar Lifeline at Risk From Anti-Virus Lockdown

(Bloomberg) -- Business closures and lockdowns in the U.S., Europe and Latin America are putting at risk billions of dollars in remittances on which Venezuela’s economy depends.Venezuelan families get nearly $4 billion per year from relatives abroad, but that figure is projected to slump as migrants lose their jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic. That would bring additional misery to a country that has also been hit by a crash in crude prices as well as its own outbreak of the virus.Mariang Stefanie Escala, 29, earned 34,000 pesos ($8) a day as a waitress in a Bogota restaurant until March 19, when the managers told her they were closing due to a lockdown announced by the mayor’s office.Escala sent 300,000 pesos per month to her family in the Venezuelan city of Puerto la Cruz, but now doesn’t even have enough to pay her own rent or electricity bill.“There are a lot of Venezuelans in the same situation,” she said, in a phone interview.Venezuela is undergoing the deepest depression in the history of the Americas, made even worse by U.S. sanctions. The inflow of dollars from the 5 million Venezuelans who left the country in recent years is a lifeline for about a third of the households left behind.Now Venezuelan migrants in countries such as Colombia, Peru and Spain risk being thrown out of work amid the global downturn.“The economies of the countries where Venezuelans are living and sending remittances from are losing dynamism and, adding the exceptional situation of the coronavirus, impediments to sending money build up,” said Francisco Rodriguez, a Venezuelan economist who teaches at Tulane University.Rodriguez estimates remittances will drop 60% this year. Other economists, such Ecoanalitica director Asdrubal Oliveros, estimate a less dramatic drop of 30%, depending on how severely the global crisis affects employment.A quarter of Venezuelans -- about 7 million -- face regular food shortages, according to the United Nations Food Program.President Nicolas Maduro ordered a nationwide lockdown on March 17 to curb the spread of the virus, which has so far infected at least 106 people in Venezuela and more than 490,000 worldwide.(Updates with latest numbers of infected people in the 11th paragraph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

Pope faces coronavirus 'tempest' alone in St Peter's Square

Pope Francis stood alone in vast Saint Peter's Square Friday to bless Catholics around the world suffering under the coronavirus pandemic, urging people to ease their fears through faith. In a historic first, the Argentine performed the rarely recited "Urbi et Orbi" blessing from the steps of the basilica to an empty square, addressing those in lockdown across the globe via television, radio and social media.

Stimulus checks are coming — here's how to make sure you get yours quickly

Spoiler alert: If you haven't filed your taxes since 2017, now is a good time to get that done.

AP Sources: Alleged Maduro co-conspirator is in DEA custody

A retired Venezuelan army general indicted alongside Nicolás Maduro has surrendered in Colombia and is being taken by Drug Enforcement Administration agents to New York for arraignment, four people familiar with the situation said Friday. Cliver Alcalá has been an outspoken critic of Maduro for years.

Without any interventions like social distancing, one model predicts the coronavirus could have killed 40 million people this year

The researchers warned that governments and individuals must take immediate steps like lockdowns and staying home to stem the impacts of the pandemic.

The mistakes that turned New York into an epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic

Caught between a mayor’s indecision and a president’s inattention, the nation’s largest city was left dangerously exposed to the coronavirus pandemic.

Social Security recipients to get checks under coronavirus stimulus bill. Here’s how

People who receive Social Security benefits are still eligible without having filed a tax return.

China's Wuhan, where the coronavirus emerged, begins to lift its lockdown

The Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak first emerged, began lifting a two-month lockdown on Saturday by restarting some metro services and reopening borders, allowing some semblance of normality to return and families to reunite. After being cut-off from the rest of the country for two months, the reopening of Wuhan, where the epidemic first erupted in late December, marks a turning point in China's fight against the virus, though the contagion has since spread to over 200 countries. Among those on the first high-speed trains allowed into the city on Saturday morning was Guo Liangkai, a 19-year-old student whose one-month work stint in Shanghai stretched to three months due to the clamp down on movement.

Neanderthals didn't just hunt mammoths. They actually knew how to fish, researchers discover.

A new study suggests that Neanderthals were skilled fishermen and that seafood was a key ingredient in their diets.

Coronavirus: India 'super spreader' quarantines 40,000 people

A religious preacher in the northern state of Punjab who died of Covid-19 may have infected hundreds.

Dour Moscow mayor сomes to fore as 'PM for coronavirus'

At a televised meeting with Vladimir Putin, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin flatly told the President that official figures on COVID-19 cases were far from the reality. After that reality check, the official narrative changed swiftly: Putin, who had called the situation "under control", on Wednesday gave a grim-faced address to the nation. "Putin signed up to Sobyanin's position," opposition politician Vladimir Ryzhkov said on the popular Echo of Moscow radio station.

California Gov. Newsom commutes sentences for 21, including killers

Fourteen of the commuted cases involved murder or related charges.

Water shutoffs in sharp focus amid coronavirus outbreak

The advice is simple and universal: Washing your hands with soap and water is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The Rev. Roslyn Bouier remembers when children began to show up at the Brightmoor Connection Food Pantry on Detroit’s northwest side, clutching empty pitchers. Through the end of 2019, the city has recorded about 127,500 total service cutoffs, according to the water department, though that figure includes households where the water was turned off repeatedly.

While the US Postal Service fights for its life financially, 2,000 of its workers are in quarantine and dozens have tested positive for the coronavirus

The union on Thursday announced the death of New York City carrier Rakkhon Kim, age 50, "from complications related to COVID-19."

Trump Promises GOP Convention Will Be Held This August

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said that the Republican National Convention would go forward as planned this August even as the coronavirus has caused the cancellation of large-scale events all across the U.S.The Democrats are scheduled to hold their convention, in Milwaukee from July 13 to 16. The Republican convention is to be held from Aug. 24 to 27, and the president told Sean Hannity on Fox News Thursday night that “We’re quite a bit later than them, which I think is good.”Trump said there was “no way” he would cancel the convention. “It’s going to be incredible.”He added that by the end of August “we’re going to be in a great space,” though he did not specify why he thought that. He said that he might have a rally in Milwaukee. His campaign has not held any rallies because of the virus.The Democratic National Committee has been looking at contingency options for its party gathering amid a growing concern that the coronavirus crisis will not have abated by then.“As we navigate the unprecedented challenge of responding to the coronavirus, we’re exploring a range of contingency options to ensure we can deliver a successful convention without unnecessary risk to public health,” Katie Peters, communications director for the DNC’s convention committee, said in a statement earlier this week.Peters added it is a “very fluid situation” with the Democratic convention more than three months away.A convention is the only mechanism the parties have to nominate a presidential pick. If the pandemic persists, they would have to change the rules in order to hold a different type of forum.CNN announced Thursday night that former Vice President Joe Biden, the leading Democratic candidate, will take part in a network town hall on the coronavirus on Friday night.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

New York governor calls stimulus bill "reckless"

"The congressional action, in my opinion, simply failed to address the governmental need," Cuomo said.

South Korean coronavirus test kit makers win U.S. FDA pre-approval

Three Korean coronavirus test-kit makers have won preliminary approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), paving the way for kits to be exported to the United States to help it battle the largest outbreak of the virus. South Korea's foreign ministry said that winning the preliminary approval under emergency use authorization will allow the products to be sold in the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump this week asked his Korean counterpart to supply the medical devices and promised to help Korean firms gain U.S. regulator approval.

Coronavirus cases continue to climb in military as all sailors on USS Theodore Roosevelt to be tested

Coronavirus has infected 23 sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, prompting the Navy to test all 5,000 aboard the aircraft carrier for exposure.

A coronavirus 'super-spreader' in India who refused to self-isolate sparked an outbreak that left 40,000 people in quarantine, officials say

The man's posthumous diagnosis prompted officials to lockdown 20 neighboring villages in northern India in a bid to contain the spread.

Why the US is leading the world in confirmed coronavirus cases

From the first known patient in late January to now almost 100,000 infected, the United States has earned the unwanted distinction of leading the world in confirmed coronavirus cases. Public health experts say that while we've yet to hit the peak of the US epidemic, there are several reasons why the COVID-19 disease has exploded in America. Early on in the outbreak, President Donald Trump was accused of downplaying its severity, saying that sustained community spread was not "inevitable" even after a senior health official said it was, which could have led to a sense of complacency.

In California, confusion over 'essential' businesses

Many gun stores and cannabis retailers chose to keep their doors open despite an initial lack of clear direction from the state.

Biden reportedly says Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is in his 'top three' picks for VP

While reportedly setting up video equipment in Delaware over four days, former Vice President Joe Biden was apparently mulling over possible running mates.Biden told former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) is one of his "top three" choices should he win the Democratic presidential nomination, Mediaite reported Thursday.Reid, who was also a longtime senator representing Nevada, is reportedly nudging Biden toward choosing Cortez Masto as his VP, and Biden's campaign apparently feels she would be a strong choice and could help expand Biden's popularity among Latinx voters. Biden publicly committed to choosing a woman as his vice president if nominated over Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), sparking endless speculation over who that woman might be. CNBC says Biden's "business allies" are hoping for Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) or Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), two former presidential candidates themselves. The Washington Post, meanwhile, said Biden's shortlist probably included Cortez Masto, but also named more well-known Democrats like former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Biden's campaign declined to dispute Mediaite's reporting, simply saying he would vigorously vet candidates.New York magazine wrote that Biden is spending his "coronavirus bunker" time "thinking a lot" about a potential VP, and taking lots of calls from supporters and Democratic strategists who are pushing Biden to pick their candidate of choice. None of those calls, however, resulted in much reported information on whether Biden had narrowed his list.Biden told The View on Tuesday his "short" list was between "12 and 15" names, but if his reported statement to Reid is to be believed, he's done a lot of whittling in the past few days. Read more at Mediaite and New York.More stories from theweek.com Why Minnesota's coronavirus response is different Trump has never been worse — but his approval is surging. Why? Elton John to host 'Living Room Concert for America' with stars performing from home

Coronavirus: Asia's 'shining star' heads for recession due to virus

Singapore's sharp slowdown suggests a major contraction for a world economy battling coronavirus.

China’s Lies, and Ours

This is a tale of two governments. Both were faced with a potential disaster -- a new and deadly epidemic. Both made choices that the world will judge.China. The virus made its first appearance in a Wuhan “wet market,” an emporium (apparently common in China) that featured live and newly slaughtered animals in close proximity. SARS and avian flu are also thought to have originated in these markets, which amount to an ongoing threat to global health.From the first reported case, on December 1, 2019, until January 5, 2020, the Chinese government engaged in a cover-up. As National Review’s Jim Geraghty recounted, in early January, China’s National Health Commission forbade reporting on the new disease. On December 30, Dr. Li Wenliang sent a message to other physicians warning that a SARS-like illness was spreading. He was arrested (along with six others) and obliged to apologize for “spreading rumors.” (Dr. Li Wenliang died of COVID-19 on February 7.)Throughout early January, as cases mounted, the Chinese government issued soothing statements suggesting that the new pneumonia was not transmitted from person to person. As late as January 15, after Thailand and Japan had reported their first cases, official government sources were denying that human-to-human transmission had been proven, saying the risk was “low.”Only on January 23, six weeks after the first case, did China announce a quarantine of Wuhan. By that time, millions had come and gone from the city during the busy holiday season, and cases had been reported in Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea.USA. President Trump engaged in a series of soothing statements himself. On January 22, after the first U.S. case was reported, he said “We have it totally under control.” On February 2, he boasted that “we pretty much shut it down coming in from China.” Twice in February, the president promised that “when we get into April, in the warmer weather — that has a very negative effect on that, and that type of a virus.” On February 26, when cases topped 60, Trump claimed that “we’re going very substantially down, not up.” In South Carolina, on February 28, Trump likened criticism of his handling of the pandemic to impeachment, saying “this is their new hoax.” On March 6, he continued this theme. Facing criticism for his false statement that “anyone who wants a test can get a test,” Trump tried to string together a “fake news”/Ukraine theme. He said the tests were “beautiful,” adding “The tests are all perfect, like the letter was perfect, the transcription was perfect, right?” Asked whether he was concerned about the virus’s spread on March 7, the president said “No, we’ve done a great job.”Throughout the first ten weeks of the pandemic, Trump praised China effusively, as The Bulwark’s Jim Swift chronicled. On February 7, for example, Trump said: “Great discipline is taking place in China, as President Xi strongly leads what will be a very successful operation. We are working closely with China to help!” A few days later, he shared with Fox News his view that “China is very, you know, professionally run, in the sense that they have everything under control. I really believe they are going to have it under control fairly soon.”China. When the lies were no longer tenable, the Chinese government pivoted. Through their propaganda arms, they circulated videos of China building new “hospitals” (they were actually “prefab quarantine wards,” not fully equipped hospitals) and fumigating public spaces. This was followed by grand gestures like donating millions of face masks to afflicted countries such as Spain, South Korea, Iran, and the Philippines. Jack Ma, CEO of Alibaba, shipped a million masks and half a million testing kits to the U.S.USA. When the lies were no longer tenable, President Trump pivoted. Two days after claiming that the disease was under control, Trump declared himself a “wartime president” and offered that “I’ve always known this is a real — this is a pandemic. I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.” Trump began to appear daily at press conferences with public-health authorities -- a setting he controls, in which every participant must begin with fulsome praise of himself. He pivoted on China too, dropping the unctuous praise in favor of provocative blame.China. Relentless propaganda lauding Premier Xi’s great leadership in fighting the coronavirus may succeed with many Chinese. Will the world remember the criminal dishonesty that arguably unleashed this pestilence?USA. By consistently downplaying and denying the seriousness of the threat, President Trump cost the American people precious time. By encouraging a false sense of security, he prevented the federal, state, and local governments from gearing up for the worst emergency we have faced in 100 years. Will the world remember the dishonesty that permitted this pestilence to hit us so very hard?© 2020 Creators.com

Political turmoil in Kabul dogs negotiations with Taliban

After months of deliberation, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday announced his 21-member team to negotiate peace with the Taliban, only to have his political opponent reject it as not inclusive enough. Afghanistan's political turmoil has impeded each tentative step toward negotiations with the Taliban — negotiations that are supposed to come next under a peace deal that Washington signed with the insurgents last month. The deal calls for the eventual withdrawal of all 13,000 U.S. soldiers from Afghanistan in exchange for guarantees from the Taliban to fight other militant groups, including the Islamic State group.

Chinese arrivals to U.S. plummet in February as coronavirus forces travel curbs

Arrival data from the International Trade Administration (ITA) also said the number of Chinese travelers in the first two months of 2020 fell 35.4% to 353,911 from a year earlier. U.S. airlines started extending China flight cancellations https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-united/u-s-airlines-extend-china-flight-cancelations-into-late-april-idUSKBN20703W early in February after the government placed restrictions on travelers who had visited China. The total number of overseas arrivals through January and February also fell 3.8% to 5.29 million, with Asia accounting for the steepest decline due to the coronavirus outbreak that began in China.

Over 80 million people at risk for severe storms, possible tornado outbreak, in the Midwest

In all, over 80 million people may be at risk for severe thunderstorms at some point Saturday, the Storm Prediction Center said.

Democratic Super-PAC defies Trump, ramps up ad blasting coronavirus response

Democratic super-PAC Priorities USA said on Thursday it planned to expand its use of an advertisement critical of President Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic despite the Trump reelection campaign's efforts to stop it.