All NEWS: February 2020

Saturday, February 29, 2020

Trump moves to calm virus fears after first death on US soil

US President Donald Trump moved to quell fears about the novel coronavirus after the first death on US soil was confirmed Saturday. The US fatality occurred in Washington State's King county, which includes Seattle, a city of more than 700,000 people, said health officials. The victim was not immediately identified, but Trump told reporters that the victim was a woman in her late 50s.

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Eight fighters with Lebanon's Hezbollah killed in Syria

Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group lost at least eight fighters in northwest Syria in skirmishes with insurgents and airstrikes by Turkey's air force, an opposition war monitor and the militant group said Saturday. The casualties followed the death of at least 33 Turkish soldiers earlier this week. The deaths marked the highest for the group in Syria in years as Hezbollah has pulled out many of its fighters from the neighboring country.

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Terry McAuliffe Endorses Biden After SC Win, Says Other Candidates With No Path to Victory Should Drop Out ‘Tomorrow’

Former Virginia Governor and former DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe endorsed Joe Biden live on CNN minutes after Biden’s decisive South Carolina primary victory.

There had been some reporting McAuliffe would officially endorse Biden if he pulled off the big win tonight.

McAuliffe told Anderson Cooper Biden has the best chance of not just beating Donald Trump, but with helping out downballot races.

Cooper asked how tonight changes the race and McAullife straight-up said, “I’m hoping, tomorrow actually, some of the candidates decide to get out. If you do have a pathway, let’s not wait ’til Super Tuesday.”

He hedged when pressed for who he’s specifically talking to, but he said “Pete and Amy and Tom Steyer and others” need to make the decision for themselves.

Cooper asked about Mike Bloomberg and McAullife said he’ll need to really think things over too.

You can watch above, via CNN.

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BREAKING: Joe Biden Wins South Carolina Primary

Former Vice President Joe Biden has won the South Carolina primary, his first win of the 2020 election cycle.

Biden had fared poorly in both Iowa and New Hampshire, and just last week eked out a second place finish in Nevada. There had been a lot of discussion about Biden’s campaign flailing with no sign of recovery.

South Carolina could potentially mark a comeback moment. Congressman James Clyburn — an influential SC Democrat who threw his support behind Biden — said today if South Carolina reshapes the race with a Biden victory there should be some immediate campaign “retooling.”

The next big test for the Democratic race is just three days from now on Super Tuesday, when 14 states — including California, Texas, and Massachusetts — will get to decide.

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Glenn Beck at CPAC: The Bernie Sanders Revolution Will Lead to ‘Another Holocaust’

Glenn Beck Gone Wild

Conservative pundit Glenn Beck said at CPAC Saturday that the “revolution” of Bernie Sanders will end in “another Holocaust.”

“You can tell by the people he surrounds himself with,” Beck said of Sanders, who is Jewish, in a clip flagged by Media Matters. “Have you looked at that? The self-proclaimed communist. The founders and leaders of Antifa, Black Lives Matter, Occupy Wall Street. Yes, the modern versions of the Weather Underground terrorist organization are all on his campaign staff.”

“These are not grassroot groups of Democrats, they are Marxist revolutionaries who believe in nothing short of the complete overthrow of the United States and destruction of the Constitution and the free market system,” he said.

Beck — who as one reporter pointed out “invented the big lie of George Soros as teenage agent of the Nazis” — proceeded to lament the use of the term “Bernie bros” to describe Sanders supporters:

“And, please, let us stop calling them Bernie bros. Because they are not my brother. They are not something that is funny. They are Bernie Bolsheviks. They are Bernie Brownshirts. That’s what they are. And their revolution will result in death and misery. Another Holodomor. Or another Holocaust. Or whatever we call the next great socialist atrocity.”

Watch below, via Media Matters:

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Clyburn Says Biden 2020 Needs ‘Retooling’: I Won’t ‘Sit Idly by and Watch People Mishandle This Campaign’

Congressman James Clyburn gave Joe Biden his much-coveted endorsement ahead of Saturday’s South Carolina primary, and on CNN earlier he hinted at campaign “retooling” that needs to take place.

Clyburn expressed hope that Biden scores a big enough win tonight that it gives him a surge into Super Tuesday, saying South Carolina could potentially reset the status quo of the Democratic primary.

Anchor Ana Cabrera noted concerns about Biden’s campaign going forward, including how much he’s been outspent and a recent report about his campaign seriously lagging in key Super Tuesday states.

Clyburn said this in response:

“I think he will have to do better, no question about that. I have those same concerns. Hhe has to fundraise. It is a tough thing to do. I remember when I first got into this business, I hated to fundraise. I kind of enjoy it a little bit now. I don’t know that anybody really enjoys fundraising. And also, Joe Biden is such a good guy, he hates to say no to his good friends. If we are successful tonight in this campaign, if he has the relaunch, I think we will have to sit down and get serious about how we retool this campaign, how we retool the fundraising, how we do the GOTV, and at that point in time many of us around the country will be able to join with him and help him get it right. We need to do some retooling in the campaign, no question about that. I did not feel free to speak out about it or even deal with it inside, because I had not committed to his candidacy. I have now. I’m all in. And I’m not going to sit idly by and watch people mishandle this campaign. We are going to get it right.”

You can watch above, via CNN.

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Mainland China reports 573 new coronavirus cases on Feb. 29

Mainland China reported 573 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Feb. 29, up from 427 on the previous day, the country's health authority said on Sunday.

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Why the Navy's New Lrasm Missile Would Be a Real Ship-Killer

A very good idea.

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210 people have reportedly died from coronavirus in Iran, but the government is saying the death toll is only 34

The death toll in Iran from the novel coronavirus could be far higher than the government is letting on.

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U.S.-Taliban sign landmark agreement in bid to end America's longest war

The U.S. has agreed to withdraw all forces from Afghanistan within 14 months and pull out of five bases in 135 days.

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Ex-Phoenix area sheriff declares victory despite court loss

Former Phoenix-area Sheriff Joe Arpaio lost a bid to erase his criminal conviction for disobeying a 2011 court order, but claimed victory Thursday after an appeal's court said the verdict no longer has any legal consequence because of President Donald Trump's pardon. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals explained Arpaio was pardoned before he could be sentenced and that the final judgment in the case ended up dismissing the contempt charge. “They can’t use that conviction against me in a court of law,” Arpaio said.

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Most Coronavirus Cases Are Mild. That's Good and Bad News.

HONG KONG -- As a dangerous new coronavirus has ravaged China and spread throughout the rest of the world, the outbreak's toll has sown fear and anxiety. Nearly 3,000 deaths. More than 82,000 cases. Six continents infected.But government officials and medical experts, in their warnings about the epidemic, have also sounded a note of reassurance: Although the virus can be deadly, the vast majority of those infected so far have only mild symptoms and make full recoveries.It is an important factor to understand, medical experts said, both to avoid an unnecessary global panic and to get a clear picture of the likelihood of transmission."Many people are now panicking, and some actually are exaggerating the risks," said Dr. Jin Dongyan, a virology expert at the University of Hong Kong. "For governments, for public health professionals -- they also have to deal with these, because these will also be harmful."Much about the virus remains unknown, and the danger could intensify as it travels through the rest of the world. But based on existing information, here's what experts said about the severity of the virus.More than 80% of cases are mild, one large study in China found.Of the 44,672 coronavirus cases that were confirmed in China by Feb. 11, more than 36,000 -- or 81% -- were mild, according to a study published recently by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Cases were considered mild if they did not involve pneumonia, defined as infection of the lungs, or involved only mild pneumonia, the authors wrote in the study, which is among the largest to date of the new coronavirus.There were two other categories of cases, severe and critical. Severe cases featured shortness of breath, low blood oxygen saturation or other lung problems. Critical cases featured respiratory failure, septic shock or multiple organ dysfunction.Just under 14% of patients were severe and just under 5% critical.The overall fatality rate in China was 2.3%. But that number was inflated by the much higher fatality rate in Hubei province of 2.9%, compared with a rate of just 0.4% in the rest of the country. The seasonal flu, by comparison, has a mortality rate of about 0.1%.The true fatality rate could be even lower, given that many mild or asymptomatic cases may not have been reported to authorities.A mild case may look like the common cold.Mild cases are inherently difficult for scientists to describe because those with limited symptoms may not seek medical care. Scientists have also said that people can be infected but not show any symptoms at all.For many with mild infections, the coronavirus could be virtually indistinguishable from the common cold or seasonal flu, said Jin of the University of Hong Kong."Some of these patients, they just go unrecognized," he said. "It could be just as small as a sore throat. Then one day, two days, it's gone."Even among patients who do go see a doctor, "it could still be very mild, just like a flu," he added.As the Chinese Center for Disease Control's study showed, some mild cases may involve pneumonia. They may also include mild fatigue and low fever, according to a treatment plan released by the central Chinese government.A small study of 99 confirmed coronavirus patients in Wuhan, China, published in the medical journal The Lancet found that most of the patients had fever or cough when they were admitted to the hospital, and some had shortness of breath or muscle ache. The study did not distinguish between mild, severe and critical cases.Most people with mild infections recover.There is no doubt that the virus can be dangerous, especially for critical cases. Of those patients, 49% died, according the study by the Chinese Center for Disease Control.But critical cases made up just a tiny fraction of the total caseload in the study.By Thursday, of the 78,487 confirmed cases in China, 32,495, or 41%, had been discharged from the hospital, according to China's National Health Commission. About 8,300 of the remaining patients were in serious condition. More than 2,700 people have died in China.Many of the deaths have occurred in Hubei province, where the outbreak began and where the demand for care has overwhelmed medical staff. The high mortality rate there could have dangerous implications for developing countries. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, has warned repeatedly of the toll the virus could exact in places with weak health systems.But for mild cases, the virus is likely "self-limiting," Jin said, meaning that symptoms will go away on their own, as with the flu and common cold.But the plethora of mild cases can make containment more difficult.The number of mild cases, though, creates its own complications for curbing the virus's spread.Those with mild or no symptoms may not know they have contracted the virus or may pass it off as a seasonal cold. They may then continue in their daily lives -- traveling, kissing, coming into close contact with others -- and spread the virus without anyone knowing."In this manner, a virus that poses a low health threat on the individual level can pose a high risk on the population level, with the potential to cause disruptions of global public health systems and economic losses," a group of five scientists wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine last week.There are, broadly speaking, two possible outcomes of the current outbreak, Jin said. The new virus could, like SARS, another well-known coronavirus, become less and less transmissible as it spreads around the world, eventually dying out.Alternatively, the new coronavirus could become well established in humans, becoming a kind of recurring seasonal nuisance like the flu, Jin said. In that situation, people would learn to live with it and sometimes would contract illnesses from it, but the virus would most likely also lose some of its dangerousness as time went on. Experts could also develop a vaccine, Jin added.Even mild cases could provide immunity from future infection.Several medical experts have said that those who have been infected with the coronavirus will not become infected again, as their bodies will produce antibodies that provide immunity."As long as the virus doesn't evolve, there is no chance of being infected again," Dr. Lu Hongzhou, a public health professor in Shanghai, said Tuesday in an interview with Beijing News.And that immunity should extend even to those who had mild or even asymptomatic infections. "Anyone recovered from the infection should have useful antibodies," Jin said.The body's natural immune response is the reason Chinese authorities have asked recovered patients to donate blood plasma, in the hopes that their antibodies could be used to treat sick patients. The government has also prescribed antiviral drugs and traditional Chinese medicine as treatment methods.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company

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Iran reports new surge in coronavirus cases

Iran on Saturday reported a surge in new coronavirus cases as the number of deaths jumped to 43, but it dismissed as "rumours" a report the real toll was much higher. Since it announced its first deaths from COVID-19, Iran has scrambled to bring the outbreak under control, shutting schools, suspending cultural and sporting events and halting meetings of the cabinet and parliament. The health ministry on Saturday reported nine new deaths and a 53 percent jump in infections over the previous 24 hours, taking the overall totals to 43 deaths among 593 cases.

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An electrician, Navy veteran, and father of two small children are among the Molson Coors shooting victims

Poilice have identified the six people killed Wednesday at the Molson Coors beverage company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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Bernie Sanders has a convenient change of heart on delegate rules. Will Democrats buy it?

There’s one big issue that Bernie Sanders has reversed himself on — and it could complicate his path to the nomination. The issue is the role of so-called superdelegates at the Democratic convention. These are the elected officials and party leaders who are automatically seated but whose votes only come into play after the first ballot.

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40% of Americans don't think the US government is prepared to handle coronavirus

Only 7% of Americans said they felt the US government is "extremely prepared" for coronavirus, while 12% said "very prepared."

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What Does Israel Have To Fear From Syria's Tunnels?

Is Syria taking a cue from Hezbollah?

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Dr. Jen Caudle weighs in on how Americans should prepare for coronavirus

Dr. Jen Caudle weighs in on how Americans should prepare for coronavirus

Dr. Jennifer Caudle comments on preparedness for coronavirus.

Stocks sink amid coronavirus fears

Stocks sink amid coronavirus fears

Fox News contributor Jonathan Hoenig weighs in on the coronavirus’ impact on the economy.

Trump announces travel restrictions for Iran, South Korea and Italy over coronavirus

Trump announces travel restrictions for Iran, South Korea and Italy over coronavirus

President announces travel restrictions for Iran, South Korea and Italy over coronavirus. Fox News’ David Spunt reports from the White House.

Dr. David Nabarro on global response to coronavirus

Dr. David Nabarro on global response to coronavirus

United Nations' special envoy for the deadly disease, Dr. David Nabarro, joins ‘America’s News HQ.’

Carl Goldman speaks out about coronavirus quarantine in Nebraska

Carl Goldman speaks out about coronavirus quarantine in Nebraska

Carl Goldman, one of 11 American evacuees from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship who tested positive for the coronavirus, joins ‘America’s News HQ.’

Rep. Mark Green on coronavirus funding, military response

Rep. Mark Green on coronavirus funding, military response

Tennessee Congressman Mark Green joins ‘America’s News HQ.’

Friday, February 28, 2020

Federal appeals court rules against Trump in two major immigration cases

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated a block on the administration’s policy of forcing migrants seeking asylum to wait in Mexico while the cases play out.

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Trump 'could suck coronavirus out of 60,000 people' and he'd still be criticized – Huckabee

* Top Republican on Fox News defends Trump and Mike Pence * Vice-president leading coronavirus containment effort in US * Whistleblower: US coronavirus staff were untrained and unprotectedDonald Trump could “personally suck” the coronavirus “out of every one of the 60,000 people in the world, suck it out of their lungs, swim to the bottom of the ocean and spit it out, and he would be accused of pollution for messing up the ocean”, a top Republican has claimed.Former Republican Arkansas governor and ex-presidential candidate Mike Huckabee made the outlandish statement on Twitter on Thursday night and on Fox News’ Fox & Friends show on Friday morning.> Mike Huckabee says Trump "could personally sick the virus out of every one of the 60,000 people in the world, suck it out of their lungs, swim to the bottom of the ocean and spit it out, and he would be accused of pollution for messing up the ocean." pic.twitter.com/X7xbC5ebDz> > — Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) February 28, 2020According to the World Health Organization (WHO) more than 82,000 cases of the coronavirus have in fact been confirmed worldwide, with about 2,800 deaths. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 60 confirmed cases in the US.In the US, Huckabee’s widely ridiculed comment followed the publication of a column for Fox News in which he took aim at criticism of Trump’s choice of Vice-President Mike Pence to lead US containment efforts.Critics have said Pence’s religious faith, plus the decisions he took as governor of Indiana on scientific and public health matters, make him a poor choice to lead efforts undermined by budget cuts and poor organization.Huckabee said Pence was “a proven leader who knows how to get people with different perspectives working together effectively” on public health matters including the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) outbreak of 2014.“Instead of calling for bipartisan cooperation in this life-or-death effort,” he wrote, “liberals reacted with collective outrage, even going so far as to ridicule the vice-president’s Christian faith as a way of suggesting that he’s not qualified for the role.“Numerous media outlets have also published and broadcast one-sided reports trashing Pence’s handling of an HIV outbreak as governor of Indiana, but such criticisms are both inaccurate and irrelevant.”The outbreak in question happened in 2015. Pence declared a public health emergency but many said faith-driven cuts to sexual health programs made the situation worse.Huckabee, the father of the former Trump press secretary Sarah Sanders, is not the first rightwing commentator to claim Democrats and the media are using concerns over the coronavirus outbreak to attack and undermine the president.Earlier this week, the conservative shock jock and presidential medal of freedom honoree Rush Limbaugh claimed “the coronavirus is being weaponized as yet another element to bring down Donald Trump” and said “the coronavirus is the common cold”.Some experts have criticised media coverage of the outbreak as inaccurate and potentially alarmist.According to the Guardian’s guide to the coronavirus, sufferers report “coughs, fever and breathing difficulties. In severe cases there can be organ failure. As this is viral pneumonia, antibiotics are of no use … Recovery depends on the strength of the immune system. Many of those who have died were already in poor health.”The outbreak began in China. The WHO has not yet declared it a pandemic but international markets, trade, travel and sporting events have been severely affected. In the US on Friday the Dow Jones Index plunged again, at the end of the markets’ worst week since the financial crisis of 2008.In Geneva, a WHO spokesman said: “The outbreak is getting bigger. The scenario of the coronavirus reaching multiple countries, if not all countries around the world, is something we have been looking at and warning against since quite a while.”

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New best story on Hacker News: I Want Off Mr. Golang's Wild Ride

I Want Off Mr. Golang's Wild Ride
558 by whatever_dude | 371 comments on Hacker News.

Van Jones Rips Joe Biden’s Campaign for Feeling Like a ‘Dead Man Walking’: ‘He’s Broke’

CNN’s Van Jones ripped into former Vice President Joe Biden‘s run for the White House Friday, blasting the campaign as “a dead man walking.”

Jones added that the campaign should be fundraising large sums of money due to Biden’s name recognition – but instead, the former VP is “broke.”

CNN anchor John Berman began the segment by outlining the spending of presidential campaigns going into Super Tuesday.

“I do. I happen to know this. Let’s put that up on the screen right now so people can see, ad spending in Super Tuesday states. Michael Bloomberg, I can’t read the numbers, but it’s a lot…$161 million. Then Joe Biden is at $450,000,” Berman stated.

Berman then stated told viewers to compare the spending of Senator Bernie Sanders to Biden ahead of Super Tuesday.

“Forget Michael Bloomberg for a second. Look at the difference between Bernie Sanders at $15 million and Joe Biden at $450,000. So the answer he’s just not spending for Super Tuesday. That’s not part of his — he can’t spend. So they have to go with a different strategy. And that strategy is win in South Carolina.”

“Because, Van, I think this gets to your point about how he might try to capitalize on the South Carolina ballots. If you put up the map of the Super Tuesday states, you will see that some of the state’s voting included North Carolina, Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia. They all have more than 25% of the expected electorate will be African-American,” Berman floated to Jones.

Jones then responds, exclaiming that the Biden campaign was assumed to be a frontrunner at this point in the race.

“The idea was, in the way this calendar was put together, I think there was an assumption that he [Biden] would be a very dominant front-runner and basically get this thing wrapped up. So you got Iowa and New Hampshire, and then you get Nevada and South Carolina. Then you go basically through the south except for, you know, California and some of the big states.”

“So the problem that you have, though, is that there’s a weakness in the Biden campaign that is obvious. It’s not just a weakness of the candidate. People will say, ‘Oh, he’s maybe a little bit slower, little bit this, little bit that,'” the former CNN host stated.

Jones continued, “No. The problem is a former Vice President, two-term Vice President, Obama’s guy, should be just sucking in money. He’s broke. That shows a lack of enthusiasm not just at the grassroots level, where he needed that, but also at the top. And so it’s very, very hard to understand the rationale in the Biden candidacy as a campaign. He doesn’t have the grassroots enthusiasm. He’s not filling stadiums like Bernie Sanders. He’s not vacuuming in money from the top, he doesn’t have a grassroots operation.”

Jones then likened Biden’s campaign for the White House to the effort feeling like “a dead man walking,” adding “maybe something reverses.”

“It just felt like a dead man walking campaign for a long time. But it could come back. If he does something extraordinary tomorrow night, he blows it out. And all of a sudden, there’s like, ‘Oh, Joe’s back.’ Maybe something reverses. But it’s a weird strategy,” Jones concluded.

Watch above, via CNN.

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WATCH LIVE: President Donald Trump Campaigns in South Carolina Ahead of Democratic Primary

President Donald Trump is rallying in South Carolina tonight ahead of Saturday’s big primary race.

After poor showings in the last few states, Joe Biden may end up winning the Palmetto State. Bernie Sanders is currently the Democratic frontrunner.

Trump has taunted the Democrats over the contentious primary race, singling out “Mini Mike” Bloomberg in particular:

Mini Mike is getting slammed. His debates were, perhaps, the worst in presidential debating history. A total phony who disavowed “Stop & Frisk” after swearing by it for years, and even recently. He horribly overused it, & then dropped when running as a Dem. A total phony!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 28, 2020

The president will be campaigning tonight amid growing concerns about the spread of coronavirus. Trump designated Vice President Mike Pence to lead the coronavirus response.

You can watch the rally live above, via WLTX.

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Appeals Court Dismisses Effort from House Judiciary Dems to Get Don McGahn to Testify

Saul Loeb / Getty Images

You may remember the House Judiciary Committee’s ongoing efforts to get former White House counsel Don McGahn to testify given his knowledge of events detailed in the Mueller report.

A federal judge last November ruled that McGahn must testify and rejected the idea of “absolute immunity,” though it was expected at the time the DOJ would appeal.

And now, a federal appeals court has ruled that McGahn cannot be compelled to testify. Per the Washington Post:

Former White House counsel Donald McGahn can defy a congressional subpoena, a federal appeals court in Washington ruled Friday in a decision siding with President Trump, who had blocked top advisers from testifying as part of the impeachment proceedings.

The 2-1 ruling by a three-judge panel, if it stands, means Trump’s former lawyer cannot be compelled to appear on Capitol Hill, and comes after Democrats lost their bid to call additional witnesses during Trump’s Senate trial.

You can read the full ruling here, via CNN.

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