| Video shows Chicago officer shooting subway rider in back Posted: 28 Apr 2020 03:41 PM PDT  Extended security and body-cam video released Tuesday shows Chicago police shooting an unarmed short-order cook at the foot of a subway escalator and then again with his back turned to officers after they tried to stop him for violating a city ordinance by walking from one train car to another. The Chicago Transit Authority and police body-cam videos for the first time provide a detailed look at how the incident unfolded from the time Ariel Roman used a subway's gangway doors to when he was shot for the second time after scrambling away from officers up the escalator. Roman, 33, survived but was severely injured.
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| Oklahoma, Utah face scrutiny over malaria drug purchases Posted: 28 Apr 2020 03:09 PM PDT  Republican state leaders in Oklahoma and Utah are facing scrutiny for spending millions of dollars combined to purchase malaria drugs promoted by President Trump to treat COVID-19 patients that many other states obtained for free and that doctors warned shouldn't be used without more testing. While governments in at least 20 other states obtained more than 30 million doses of the drug through donations from the federal reserve or private companies, Oklahoma and Utah instead bought them from private pharmaceutical companies. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday defended the state's $2 million purchase, saying the drug was showing some promise.
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| Matzo, Meditation, & A Birthday Dance Party: An Autism Advocate Reveals Her Wellness Routine Posted: 28 Apr 2020 03:03 PM PDT |
| Iranian scientist in US jail contracts coronavirus after pleading for release Posted: 28 Apr 2020 02:46 PM PDT  Dr Sirous Asgari, in Ice detention despite having been exonerated in a sanctions trial, had warned of 'inhumane' conditions * Coronavirus – live US updates * Live global updates * See all our coronavirus coverageAn Iranian scientist who has been pleading for weeks to be released from a US immigration jail due to his fragile health has contracted Covid-19, according to his family and attorneys.Dr Sirous Asgari, a materials science and engineering professor who spoke out in March about the unsanitary and "inhumane" conditions in detention, was placed in an isolation cell this week inside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) jail in Louisiana. His lawyers learned on Tuesday that his Covid-19 test was positive, and in a phone call with the Guardian, Asgari had a bad cough and said he had had a fever for days.He and his family are calling for his release to a medical facility where he can receive proper care."It makes sense to send me to the hospital as soon as possible. I don't trust them at all," the 59-year-old said on Tuesday amid repeated coughing fits. "If something happens, they are not fast responders … I prefer to leave this dirty place."Asgari's story sparked international outrage after he spoke about his fears of Covid-19 spreading inside crowded Ice facilities with substandard cleaning practices and a lack of supplies. The professor, who has a history of respiratory problems, was exonerated in a US sanctions trial last year, but Ice has refused to release him or allow him to return to Iran. Iran's foreign minister recently called for his release, as have some US lawmakers and human rights groups.Asgari is confined to a small room at the Winn correctional center in a Louisiana, a state hard hit by coronavirus.Ice informed the attorneys that Asgari's test was positive on Tuesday, but Asgari said Ice had not yet told him the results and that he had learned of them on a call with his family and lawyers. "The nurse … always says the test results are not in," Asgari said, noting that the medical staff checked on him twice or three times a day.Ice told Asgari's lawyers he would only be released to a hospital if he was struggling to breathe, the attorneys said.Bryan Cox, an Ice spokesman, said there were two confirmed Covid-19 cases at Winn but declined to answer specific questions about Asgari.The professor has repeatedly raised concerns about Ice continuing to bring in new detainees into the close quarters of the facility, mixing them with those already jailed. Asgari said he got a bad fever after Ice recently brought a new group to his pod.The specifics of Asgari's case have been particularly shocking to immigration attorneys. Asgari, a father of three, has deep ties to the US, including two children living in America. In 2017, he was charged with fraud and trade secret theft relating to his work with a university in Ohio. But after a long trial, he was acquitted in November 2019.But because the US had revoked his original visa, he was taken into Ice custody and has remained detained. Since the pandemic hit, he has tried to "self-deport" to Iran or get approval to stay with his family in the US but has been denied. Now, even if released, he would probably be unable to get on an immediate flight due to his diagnosis."This mass [detention] under this outbreak of a nasty virus is absolutely wrong," Asgari said on Tuesday after learning of his test results. "What more proof do they need?" Asgari said he was unable to shower while in isolation and was given a bowl of water he could use to wash his head. He said he had also pleaded for fresh fruit, which he has not had for a month.At Winn, he and other detainees told the Guardian last month that many of them were trying to get deported because they were so fearful of Covid-19 exposure inside. Several men said the detainees were responsible for all cleaning, and there was a single shower and only two toilets for all 44 of them to share. They are also sleeping on beds spaced roughly 2ft apart."I can't believe this is happening. It's devastating," said Mehrnoush Yazdanyar, an attorney working with Asgari's family. "Every fear he had has been realized, one by one, with him ending up with Covid-19. This is an innocent man who hasn't committed any crimes. He shouldn't be behind bars. Why does the US government continue to keep him in detention?"The number of positive Covid-19 cases inside Ice jails has been steadily climbing, with Ice officials reporting that hundreds of detainees have the virus. But only a fraction of people inside immigration jails have received tests so far, and rights groups fear the rate could be much higher. Some judges have ordered Ice to release detainees due to Covid-19 risks, and advocates have urged the US to conduct immediate mass releases to avoid a huge death toll inside.As of 18 April, Ice had 30,737 people in custody, and the population in jails has declined by roughly 8,000 since 29 February, according to the Ice spokesman.Cox said Ice had adequate cleaning supplies, adding in an email that the agency had "a long history of handling communicable diseases in the course of everyday operations" and had "taken extensive precautions to limit the potential spread of COVID-19".
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| Rights group: COVID-19 supplies not reaching northeast Syria Posted: 28 Apr 2020 02:32 PM PDT |
| Coronavirus makes clear that Biden should overhaul the hardline approach Trump and some Democrats take on Iran Posted: 28 Apr 2020 02:24 PM PDT |
| Officials: US seeks indefinite UN arms embargo on Iran Posted: 28 Apr 2020 12:50 PM PDT  The United States has circulated a draft U.N. resolution that would indefinitely extend a U.N. arms embargo on Iran set to expire in October, a move almost certain to spark opposition from Russia, which has made no secret of its desire to resume conventional weapons sales to Tehran, U.S. officials and U.N. diplomats said Tuesday. The draft document, which as of Tuesday had been circulated only to a small number of Security Council members, would strike the expiration of the arms embargo from the council resolution that endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal between six major powers and Iran, according to Trump administration officials and U.N. diplomats, who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
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| 31 photos of North Korea that Kim Jong Un wouldn't want you to see Posted: 28 Apr 2020 12:32 PM PDT |
| Trump orders meat processing plants to remain open Posted: 28 Apr 2020 11:24 AM PDT  President Donald Trump took executive action Tuesday to order meat processing plants to stay open amid concerns over growing coronavirus cases and the impact on the nation's food supply. The order uses the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing as critical infrastructure to try to prevent a shortage of chicken, pork and other meat on supermarket shelves. Unions fired back, saying the White House was jeopardizing lives and prioritizing cold cuts over workers' health.
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| Is it safe to order take-out during the pandemic? Posted: 28 Apr 2020 11:00 AM PDT  Is it safe to order food via take-out or delivery? Unlike some germs, there's no indication the coronavirus can spread through food, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "This is a respiratory virus, not a foodborne virus ... you can't catch it from eating food," says Michelle Danyluk at the University of Florida, which published tips on food safety amid the pandemic.
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| Former Ivory Coast rebel leader Guillaume Soro fined $7m in absentia Posted: 28 Apr 2020 09:57 AM PDT  The ex-PM and presidential hopeful Guillaume Soro was tried for embezzlement in absentia.
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| 2020 USCIRF Annual Report: Coronavirus Reveals in Greater Detail the World's Worst Religious Freedom Violators, says Family Research Council Posted: 28 Apr 2020 09:35 AM PDT  Commission for International Religious Freedom, which documents the worst religious freedom violators worldwide and makes recommendations to the administration regarding what should be done about them.Among the countries named were some of those that FRC has focused its international religious freedom advocacy on – China, India, North Korea, Nigeria, and Iran.
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| El Salvador leader fights crime and virus, amid criticism Posted: 28 Apr 2020 09:11 AM PDT  The most popular leader in Latin America is a slender, casually dressed millennial with an easy manner on Twitter and a harsh approach that critics call increasingly frightening. As his first year in power comes to a close, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele is fighting both the coronavirus and the country's powerful street gangs with tactics that some say are putting the young democracy at risk. The government reported 65 homicides in March, an average of 2.1 a day in a country that once saw more than 20 daily slayings.
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| Germans urged to stay at home as key virus measurement rises Posted: 28 Apr 2020 08:47 AM PDT  Health authorities in Germany on Tuesday urged people to stay at home as much as possible after a key measurement of the coronavirus outbreak briefly rose above government targets. The reproduction factor — the average number of people each infected passes the virus on to — briefly rose to 1 on Monday evening before falling back to 0.9 on Tuesday. "We don't want the number of cases to increase again. We don't want the health system to be overwhelmed. We don't want more people to die from Covid 19," said Prof Lothar Wieler of the Robert Koch Institute, Germany's infectious disease centre. "We must stick to the contact restrictions, keep at least 1.5 m apart and cover our mouths and noses on public transport and in shops," he appealed to the public. Angela Merkel identified the reproduction factor, also known as R0, as a crucial factor in deciding to lift Germany's lockdown, and government scientists have declared keeping it below 1 as a key target.
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| Pandemic upends lives of Latin America's domestic servants Posted: 28 Apr 2020 08:01 AM PDT  The coronavirus pandemic has upended the lives of many of Latin America's household maids, leaving them without work or government assistance or effectively trapping them inside the homes of their employers because of government-ordered lockdowns. Millions of domestic servants are woven into the fabric of family life throughout the region, where even lower middle-class families often have hired help. Servants frequently care for their employers' children as much or more than they can care for their own, as depicted in the 2018 Oscar-winning movie "Roma."
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| Attack in Syria town run by Turkish-backed fighters kills 40 Posted: 28 Apr 2020 07:50 AM PDT |
| Blind justice: No visual cues in high court phone cases Posted: 28 Apr 2020 07:13 AM PDT  On the evening before he was to argue a case before the Supreme Court years ago, Jeffrey Fisher broke his glasses. "I couldn't imagine doing argument without seeing their faces," Fisher said. Because of the coronavirus pandemic the high court is, for the first time in its 230-year history, holding arguments by telephone.
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| Religious freedom watchdog pitches adding India to blacklist Posted: 28 Apr 2020 07:03 AM PDT  The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is urging that the State Department add India to its list of nations with uniquely poor records on protecting freedom to worship — while proposing to remove Sudan and Uzbekistan from that list. The bipartisan commission, created in 1998 by Congress to make policy recommendations about global religious freedom, proposed designating India as a "country of particular concern" in the annual report it released Tuesday. President Donald Trump declined to criticize the citizenship measure during his February visit to India, where his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi was punctuated by skirmishes between Hindus and Muslims.
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| Coronavirus: The different approaches to lockdowns in Africa Posted: 28 Apr 2020 06:34 AM PDT  Countries have taken different routes in imposing restrictions - which ones are working against the virus?
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| Libya's Khalifa Haftar accused of coup d'etat as he puts eastern Libya under direct military rule Posted: 28 Apr 2020 06:23 AM PDT  Libya's renegade field marshal Khalifa Haftar was accused of carrying out a coup after he declared the agreement that created a post-Gaddafi government a "thing of the past" and said he was placing eastern parts of the country under direct military rule. In a televised address broadcast late on Monday night, Gen Haftar said his self-styled Libyan National Army was proud "proud to be mandated with the historic task" of leading Libya and would soon set about setting up state institutions to do so. "We announce our acceptance of the people's will and mandate and the end of the Skhirat Agreement," he said, referring to a 2015 United Nations-mediated deal that produced the unity government. He did not make clear what the announcement means for the nominally civilian parallel government that already operates the country's east. Gen Haftar's LNA controls most of eastern and southern Libya and critics say he is already a de facto military dictator of those areas. But his legitimacy has until now been underpinned by the House of Representatives, a parliament elected in 2014.
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| What you need to know today about the virus outbreak Posted: 28 Apr 2020 06:17 AM PDT  The summertime clangs chimed by ice cream trucks could be replaced by school bells in California. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday students could return to the classroom as early as July, and starting early could help make up for some of the "learning losses" as parents have tried to teach their children at home during the coronavirus pandemic. At the Vatican, Pope Francis called for "prudence and obedience" to government protocols on virus-imposed lockdowns of religious services to prevent infections from surging again.
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| EU sees new Brexit talks "at an impasse" - sources Posted: 28 Apr 2020 05:39 AM PDT |
| The U.S. Can’t Have It Both Ways Over Iran Posted: 28 Apr 2020 05:30 AM PDT |
| Bavarian premier says Lufthansa CEO's warning should be taken seriously Posted: 28 Apr 2020 04:57 AM PDT |
| Ignorance, fear, whispers: North Korean defectors say contacts in the dark about Kim Posted: 28 Apr 2020 04:56 AM PDT |
| Police: Palestinian stabs Israeli woman, is shot by witness Posted: 28 Apr 2020 04:44 AM PDT  A Palestinian teenager stabbed an Israeli woman on Tuesday before being shot and wounded by a bystander, Israeli police said. The attack came on Israel's Memorial Day, when the country mourns those killed in wars and militant attacks. Israelis usually mark the occasion by visiting the graves of loved ones, but military cemeteries are closed this year and small ceremonies are being held without attendees as part of efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
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| Iraq officials say IS targets intelligence bureau; 3 wounded Posted: 28 Apr 2020 04:32 AM PDT |
| European doctors warn rare kids' syndrome may have virus tie Posted: 28 Apr 2020 04:29 AM PDT  Doctors in Britain, Italy, and Spain have been warned to look out for a rare inflammatory condition in children that is possibly linked to the new coronavirus. Earlier this week, Britain's Paediatric Intensive Care Society issued an alert to doctors noting that, in the past three weeks, there has been an increase in the number of children with "a multi-system inflammatory state requiring intensive care" across the country. The group said there was "growing concern" that either a COVID-19 related syndrome was emerging in children or that a different, unidentified disease might be responsible.
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| What is behind Nigeria's unexplained deaths in Kano? Posted: 28 Apr 2020 03:50 AM PDT  The authorities look at whether an apparent spike in deaths in the north is down to coronavirus.
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| Eastern Libyan forces say Turkish drone killed 5 civilians Posted: 28 Apr 2020 03:28 AM PDT |
| Riots in crisis-hit Lebanon reflect growing poverty, despair Posted: 28 Apr 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Hundreds of protesters in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli clashed with troops until late Tuesday night leaving several injured on both sides in some of the most serious riots triggered by an economic crisis spiraling out of control amid a weeks-long virus lockdown. Fawwaz Samman was shot by soldiers during confrontations that began Monday night and died in a hospital hours later. Late Tuesday night, dozens of protesters gathered outside the central bank headquarters in the capital Beirut throwing stones toward the building before Lebanese soldiers dispersed them.
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| Canadian ruling that could set Huawei's Meng Wanzhou free is complicated by coronavirus pandemic Posted: 28 Apr 2020 02:30 AM PDT  A Canadian court has settled on a strategy to release a key ruling on the fate of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou that is likely to draw worldwide attention but has been complicated by the coronavirus outbreak.Meng, who is currently under partial house arrest in Vancouver, could be set free by the Supreme Court of British Columbia if Justice Heather Holmes decides that the extradition case against her fails the test of "double criminality".Meng was arrested at Vancouver's airport more than 16 months ago to face trial for fraud in the US, but Holmes must first be convinced the US charges would also constitute a crime in Canada, according to its extradition rules.On Monday, Holmes decided at a case management hearing that the media, Meng's lawyers and the Canadian government lawyers arguing for extradition would be given three days' notice of her double-criminality ruling. At a March 30 hearing, Holmes had said that decision "is not going to be released in the near future".Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, leaves British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver on January 23. Photo: The Canadian Press via AP alt=Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, leaves British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver on January 23. Photo: The Canadian Press via APOn the day of the ruling, the lawyers would get to see a written copy at 9am. At 10am they would be allowed to inform Meng and other interested parties, including the attorney general of Canada, the US Department of Justice and the Canada Border Services Agency.Members of the media would also be allowed to see the ruling at 10am by participating in a lock-up at the courthouse in a way that Holmes said would abide by Covid-19 social distancing rules. They would be stripped of electronic devices until the decision is announced at an in-person hearing at 11am.But Holmes agreed that the opposing sets of lawyers could also agree to hold that hearing by teleconference, in another nod to social distancing.Regular operations of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, where the extradition case is being argued, have been suspended since March 18.Monday's hearing was held by teleconference. Lawyers and most of the media attended by phone, with Holmes and court staff present at the Vancouver court complex. There were also about 16 people in the public gallery, Holmes noted, "all appropriately spread out, thank you very much, and many wearing masks."Meng spoke briefly " "yes, my lady" " to confirm she was listening to the hearing by phone.The case was adjourned until June 15.Meng is wanted by the US on bank fraud charges relating to Huawei's business dealings in Iran in alleged breach of US sanctions. She was arrested at Vancouver's international airport on December 1, 2018.Her lawyers say the extradition case should be thrown out because breaching US sanctions against Iran is not a crime in Canada. They have made this argument without admitting that such breaches occurred.Lawyers for Canada's attorney general, representing US interests in the case, counter that Meng is accused of fraud, a crime in Canada, for allegedly lying to HSBC bank about Huawei's conduct in Iran.If Holmes rules that the case satisfies double criminality, then Meng will continue to fight extradition on other grounds. If she rules that it does not, Meng could be immediately freed, although the attorney general's lawyers could appeal and seek a stay on her release.Meng's arrest was an earthquake moment in US-China ties, and the extradition case has sent Canada's relationship with Beijing plummeting to new depths. Two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, were swiftly arrested by Beijing and accused of espionage, but critics see them as hostages taken in retaliation for Meng's arrest.Depending on the initial double criminality ruling, Meng's extradition case is expected to continue until October or November, although appeals could last years.Meng, Huawei's chief financial officer and the daughter of company founder Ren Zhengfei, is living in a C$13.6 million (US$9.6 million) mansion, one of two homes she owns in Vancouver.She is free on C$10 million bail and is allowed to travel around most of Vancouver, but she must abide by a curfew, wear a GPS monitor on her ankle and not go near the city's airport.Sign up now and get a 10% discount (original price US$400) off the China AI Report 2020 by SCMP Research. Learn about the AI ambitions of Alibaba, Baidu & JD.com through our in-depth case studies, and explore new applications of AI across industries. The report also includes exclusive access to webinars to interact with C-level executives from leading China AI companies (via live Q&A; sessions). Offer valid until 31 May 2020.This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| Authoritarian governments crack down on press freedoms amid COVID-19 pandemic: Report Posted: 28 Apr 2020 01:03 AM PDT  The novel coronavirus is compounding preexisting threats to press freedoms around the world, according to a new report by the international watchdog organization Reporters Without Borders. "The coronavirus pandemic illustrates the negative factors threatening the right to reliable information, with the pandemic itself an exacerbating factor," Christophe Deloire, the organization's secretary-general, wrote in the report. Reporters Without Borders, also known by its French acronym RSF, released its annual ranking of countries based on the strength of their press freedoms last week, highlighting several countries – including Iran (ranked 173rd) and China (ranked 177th) – whose poor rankings reflect the way those governments "censored their major coronavirus outbreaks extensively."
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| A look at past disappearances of NKorean leaders, officials Posted: 27 Apr 2020 11:57 PM PDT  While Kim Jong Un's two-week absence has inspired speculation and rumors that he is gravely ill, he is not the first member of North Korean's ruling elite to disappear from public view. Before his death in 1994, there was arguably no person South Koreans hated and feared more than North Korea's state founder Kim Il Sung.
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| Russian doctors, nurses face more risks as virus cases grow Posted: 27 Apr 2020 11:38 PM PDT  A patient who had routine surgery at a hospital in St. Petersburg suddenly developed a fever after an operation. "It just snowballed from there," said Dr. Dmitry Ptashnikov, head of the spinal surgery ward at the Vreden Institute for Traumatology and Orthopedics and one of the many medical workers who became infected. Reports of infected medical workers are emerging almost daily as Russia copes with the virus.
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| More than 700 people in Iran have died from trying to use toxic methanol to rid themselves of the novel coronavirus Posted: 27 Apr 2020 11:11 PM PDT  More than 5,000 people in Iran were poisoned from methanol alcohol, the Associated Press reported.
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| As virus cases rise, UAE adjusts to a new normal in pandemic Posted: 27 Apr 2020 11:07 PM PDT  In a Dubai industrial park, workers weld, drill and build what one entrepreneur sees as key to the near future of this desert city-state amid the coronavirus pandemic: disinfection gates. Husam Zammar's company builds such gates for government and commercial clients. Fear of the virus is palpable in Dubai and elsewhere in the the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms where foreigners make up 90% of the population.
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| Italy Is Leaving Its People in the Dark Posted: 27 Apr 2020 11:00 PM PDT |
| Poll: Cost makes nearly 1 in 10 leery of seeking COVID care Posted: 27 Apr 2020 10:31 PM PDT  The Gallup-West Health Healthcare Costs Survey out Tuesday finds that 9% of those age 18 and over would avoid seeking treatment because of concerns about the cost of care, even if they thought they were infected with the coronavirus. Although Congress and President Donald Trump have made coronavirus testing free to patients, and some insurers are waiving copays and deductibles for treatment within their networks, the survey suggests such messages may not be getting to the public. The survey delivers "important and distressing information," said John Auerbach, head of the nonpartisan Trust for America's Health.
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| AP PHOTOS: Finding joy amid pandemic's anxiety and heartache Posted: 27 Apr 2020 10:08 PM PDT  Is a laugh or smile any less heartwarming if it's hidden from view? Associated Press photographers, tasked with reporting on the crisis, have looked for bliss, as well. Just being able to inhale deeply is a universal theme of contentment.
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| Washington mental hospital staff call virus testing unsafe Posted: 27 Apr 2020 10:03 PM PDT  Workers who had been exposed to the coronavirus at Washington state's largest psychiatric hospital were herded into a small building to be tested. The method was designed only for people showing symptoms, but the staffers said none of them did. Many told The Associated Press that the flawed testing process this month likely produced inaccurate results and exposed them to the virus again.
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| Worried about virus, US House won't return — for now Posted: 27 Apr 2020 09:19 PM PDT  Facing the stark, startling reality that Congress may not be able to fully resume for a year, House leaders are desperately reaching for work-from-home options after a revolt from the ranks over the health risks of convening during the coronavirus pandemic. House Democratic leaders abruptly reversed course Tuesday, shelving plans for the chamber's 400-plus lawmakers to return for work on the next virus aid package after warnings from the Capitol physician that the public health danger was too great. The Senate, with its smaller numbers, still expects to return next Monday.
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| Biden wins Ohio's mail-in primary delayed by coronavirus Posted: 27 Apr 2020 09:16 PM PDT  Joe Biden won Ohio's presidential primary Tuesday, clinching a contest that was less about the Democratic nomination and more about how states can conduct elections in the era of the coronavirus. The secretary of state's office said that about 1.5 million votes had been cast as of midday Saturday, down sharply from the 3.2 million cast in Ohio's 2016 presidential primary. "Within the context of the threat of the virus, it's a decision that we will have made the best of," Republican Ken Blackwell, a former Ohio elections chief who chairs the bipartisan International Foundation for Electoral Systems, said of mail-in balloting.
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| Trump urges states to consider opening schools before summer Posted: 27 Apr 2020 09:13 PM PDT  President Donald Trump says states should "seriously consider" reopening their public schools before the end of the academic year, even though dozens already have said it would be unsafe for students to return until the summer or fall. Trump made the comments Monday in a call with governors discussing how to reopen their economies, among other topics. While addressing Vice President Mike Pence, Trump added that it's something "they can seriously consider, and maybe get going on."
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| Kim Jong-un's health: Donald Trump fuels speculation as 'confused' rumours highlight regime's secrecy Posted: 27 Apr 2020 09:12 PM PDT  Donald Trump said on Monday he has a good idea how Kim Jong-un is doing, as days of speculation over the North Korean leader's health highlight the secrecy that envelops the regime. Kim's whereabouts and condition have been a subject of frenzied speculation in recent weeks. Daily NK, a Seoul-based website, reported last week that Kim was recovering after undergoing a cardiovascular procedure on April 12, citing one unnamed source in North Korea. A special train possibly belonging to Kim was spotted last week at the North Korean resort town of Wonsan, according to satellite images reviewed by 38 North, a Washington-based North Korea monitoring project. "I can't tell you exactly," Mr Trump said when asked about Kim's condition at a White House news conference. "Yes, I do have a very good idea, but I can't talk about it now. I just wish him well."
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| Prague's mayor, a critic of Russia, is under police protection after a magazine alleged a Russian assassin had entered the country to kill him Posted: 27 Apr 2020 08:10 PM PDT  The report hasn't been confirmed by Czech authorities, and Russian leader Vladimir Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the report was "fake."
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| UN chief: Extremists using COVID-19 to recruit online youths Posted: 27 Apr 2020 07:17 PM PDT |
