Tuesday, 31 March 2020

Hellmut Stern, 91, Dies; Violinist Returned to Germany After Fleeing


By BY KATHARINE Q. SEELYE from NYT Arts https://ift.tt/2R0fBku

Coronavirus Spreads in Veterans’ Home, Leaving ‘Shuddering Loss for Us All’


By BY ELLEN BARRY from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3dLIbQg

Fauci and Birx’s Tactics Can Help Us Survive

How the doctors are akin to hostages in the Trump administration.

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Coronavirus strikes skid row as Union Rescue Mission reports first confirmed case

In the first case on skid row, an employee of the Union Rescue Mission tested positive for the novel coronavirus. He is being treated at USC Medical Center.



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Wear face covering when grocery shopping, Riverside County says in coronavirus warning

Up to now, federal officials have urged the healthy not to wear masks. But that guidance may be changing.



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Veteran Santa Rosa police detective dies of COVID-19

Coronavirus: Santa Rosa police detective dies



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Mexico president ramps up rich vs poor rhetoric in coronavirus fight

As the outlook for Mexico's economy gets gloomier during the coronavirus crisis, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has driven home the message that his government is ready to help the poor to weather the storm - but that the rich can forget it.


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Australian authorities take cluster approach to contain coronavirus

Australian authorities will open a pop-up coronavirus testing clinic next to Sydney's Bondi Beach on Wednesday as health workers try to contain clusters of infections across the country.


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Paris Club creditors agree to cancel $1.4 billion of Somali debt

The Paris Club of creditor nations agreed on Tuesday to restructure Somalia's debt, including immediately canceling $1.4 billion owed by the impoverished Horn of Africa country.


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Coronavirus: Stock markets suffer worst quarter since 1987

The Dow Jones and FTSE 100 have fallen more than 20% since the start of the year.

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New Zealand, a country of about 5 million, has 18 million masks in its reserves, with 80,000 being made every day

New Zealand, a country of about 5 million, has 18 million masks in its reserves, with 80,000 being made every dayNew Zealand's prime minister posted a video of masks being made in a factory and said, "I'll admit, I have watched this video more than once."




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'Sailors do not need to die,' warns captain of coronavirus-hit U.S. aircraft carrier

'Sailors do not need to die,' warns captain of coronavirus-hit U.S. aircraft carrierThe captain of the U.S. aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, in a blunt letter, has called on Navy leadership for stronger measures to save the lives of his sailors and stop the spread of the coronavirus aboard the huge ship. The four-page letter, the contents of which were confirmed by U.S. officials to Reuters on Tuesday, described a bleak situation onboard the nuclear-powered carrier as more sailors test positive for the virus. Captain Brett Crozier, the ship's commanding officer, wrote that the carrier lacked enough quarantine and isolation facilities and warned the current strategy would slow but fail to eradicate the highly contagious respiratory virus.




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AOC Drifts Away from Activist Left, Toward a More Conventional Staff and Political Strategy

AOC Drifts Away from Activist Left, Toward a More Conventional Staff and Political StrategyRepresentative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has taken steps recently to collaborate more with the Democratic establishment, taking a less contentious approach and allying with fellow Democratic members.After urging fellow progressives in 2018 to run for office with the support of the progressive group the Justice Democrats, which supported her, the New York Democrat has declined to endorse most of the candidates the group is backing to oust incumbent Democrats in 2020.Of the six candidates the group is backing this time around, Ocasio-Cortez has endorsed Jessica Cisneros in Texas and Marie Newman in Illinois, both of whom are running against conservative Democrats who oppose abortion and were subsequently supported by several other high-profile Democrats.The move comes as the Justice Democrats are recruiting progressive candidates to run against liberals and moderate Democrats."We don’t usually endorse so far out," Ocasio-Cortez's communications director, Lauren Hitt said of the congresswoman's lack of endorsements for the group of candidates, according to Politico.Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez, who shot to notoriety in 2018 when she ousted powerful Democratic congressman Joe Crowley, is also replacing some of her more radical, progressive top aides with more conventional political professionals, Politico reported.The freshman congresswoman has also struck a more conciliatory tone towards Democratic leadership in recent months, in February calling Pelosi the “mama bear of the Democratic Party.”She also criticized supporters of her progressive ally, 2020 presidential contender Bernie Sanders, for their antagonistic behavior online.“There’s so much emphasis on making outreach as conflict-based as possible,” she said. “And sometimes I even feel miscast and understood. Because it’s about what tools you use, and conflict is one tool but not the only tool.”Nevertheless, Ocasio-Cortez has largely maintained her status as a progressive standard-bearer. Earlier this year, she endorsed a group of progressive women running for Congress on Friday through her political action committee, Courage to Change.In January, she announced that she would not pay dues to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democrats to the House.




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12 Buildings That Show the Beauty of Deconstructed Architecture



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U.S. records 700 coronavirus deaths in a single day for first time

U.S. records 700 coronavirus deaths in a single day for first timeThe U.S. government raced to build hundreds of makeshift hospitals to ease the strain on overwhelmed healthcare systems as the United States marked 700 deaths in a single day from COVID-19 for the first time on Tuesday. Nearly half those deaths were in New York state, still the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio pleaded for reinforcements from the Trump administration, saying the worst may still be weeks away. De Blasio, a Democrat, said he had asked the White House for an additional 1,000 nurses, 300 respiratory therapists and 150 doctors by April 5 but had yet to receive an answer from the Trump administration.




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Venezuela rejects a U.S. offer to ease sanctions in exchange for transitional government

Venezuela rejects a U.S. offer to ease sanctions in exchange for transitional governmentA former senior U.S. government official says it's the "best" deal they can get, while an analyst said this is more about "politics than policy."




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Trump: a U.S. coronavirus death toll of 100,000 would mean his administration did 'a very good job'

Trump: a U.S. coronavirus death toll of 100,000 would mean his administration did 'a very good job'President Trump on Sunday said if his administration can keep the coronavirus death toll to 100,000 in the United States, it will have done a "very good job."Earlier in the day, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the coronavirus pandemic could cause between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths in the United States. Trump said while 100,000 is "a horrible number," if the U.S. can keep its death toll to "100,000, so we have between 100,000 and 200,000, we altogether have done a very good job."Trump also announced he is extending social distancing guidelines to April 30, a departure from his earlier declaration of having the U.S. "opened up" by Easter on April 12. That proclamation was "aspirational," Trump said.As of Sunday night, there are more than 139,700 confirmed cases of COVID-19 coronavirus in the United States, and at least 2,400 people have died from the virus.More stories from theweek.com Fox News reportedly fears its early downplaying of COVID-19 leaves it open to lawsuits CDC is weighing advising Americans to wear face masks outdoors Trump's message to blue states battling coronavirus: Drop dead




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Saudis Start to Unleash Oil Wave Despite U.S. Pressure

Saudis Start to Unleash Oil Wave Despite U.S. Pressure(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia has made good on its pledge to ramp up oil exports in April, with a first wave of crude already on its way toward Europe and the U.S., a clear sign the price war remains in full swing.The kingdom has loaded several of the supertankers it hired earlier this month to boost its ability to increase exports, according to ship-tracking data. In addition, Riyadh has used the last few weeks to shuttle large amounts of crude into storage in Egypt, a stepping stone to the European market.The movements suggest that Riyadh is ramping up its oil production toward its target of supplying a record 12.3 million barrels a day in April, up from about 9.7 million in February, despite American pressure to end the price war.Saudi Arabia earlier this month slashed its official selling prices and announced the output hike after Russia refused to join other nations inside the OPEC+ alliance to cut output. The announcement, interpreted in the market as an oil price war, sent Brent and West Texas Intermediate crudes tumbling. Since then, the collapse in oil demand due to lockdowns to stop the spread of the coronavirus has depressed prices even more.In a sign that Riyadh is opening the valves, oil shipments have already surged in late March. For the first three weeks of March, Saudi Arabia was exporting at a rate of around 7 million barrels a day, but that jumped to more than 9 million barrels a day in the fourth week of the month.With oil prices at the lowest in nearly two decades, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo last week directly asked the kingdom to “rise to the occasion and reassure” the energy market, diplomatic language for ending the oil price war.American President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, agreed in a phone call Monday that “current oil prices aren’t in the interests of our countries,” according to a Kremlin spokesman, though he declined to say what might be done to change the situation.Trump earlier indicated that he was concerned about the impact of low oil prices on the American petroleum industry. In an interview on “Fox & Friends,” he said Russia and Saudi Arabia “both went crazy” and started an oil price war.Despite the diplomatic pressure, Saudi Arabia is preparing to export more in the next few days. At least 16 very large crude carriers, collectively able to carry about 32 million barrels, are stationed near the Saudi oil terminals of Ras Tanura and Yanbu, according to shipping data tracked by Bloomberg.“Regardless of the recent headlines about the U.S. pressuring Saudi Arabia, we do not see any change in Saudi or Russian policy for now,” said Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at Energy Aspects Ltd., a London-based consultant.Riyadh has already loaded three supertankers that are likely to head to the U.S., and it’s loading a fourth right now, according to oil market intelligence firm Vortexa Inc. The tankers, all hired by the Saudi national tanker company in the past few weeks to boost its shipping capacity, include the Dalian, the Agios Sostis I, the Maran Canopus, and the Hong Kong Spirit.Shipments to EgyptAlready through March, Saudi Arabia has exported about 1.3 million barrels a day into Egypt -- the highest level in at least three years -- to pre-position crude for re-export into Europe, according to shipping tracking data compiled by Bloomberg and people familiar with the operation.The surge in shipments to Egypt was so large that the African nation may become the largest destination for Saudi crude in March, displacing China and Japan, which traditionally top the ranking every month.The cargoes have gone to a terminal at the south end of the Suez Canal before getting pumped via pipeline across the country to a storage and export facility called Sidi Kerir on the Mediterranean Sea. From there, the crude will then get re-exported as part of Saudi Arabia’s plan to supply as much as it can, at deep discounts, into a market that doesn’t need the supply. The world’s largest oil tankers, known as VLCCs, cannot sail the Suez Canal fully loaded due to draft limitations.The next sign of whether the oil price war continues will come around April 5, when state-owned Saudi Aramco is expected to release its monthly official selling prices for May. Oil refiners and traders believe that Riyadh will have to deepen its discounts to sell all the oil the kingdom wants. If Aramco does indeed deepen the discounts, it will trigger a fresh round of tit-for-tat actions with other oil producing nations, piling further pressure on prices.(Updates with statement from Kremlin in seventh 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.




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10 cruise ships that are still at sea as the coronavirus shuts down the cruise industry

10 cruise ships that are still at sea as the coronavirus shuts down the cruise industryShips from cruise lines like Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, and Cunard Line are still at sea.




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Outrage in India as migrants sprayed with disinfectant to fight coronavirus

Outrage in India as migrants sprayed with disinfectant to fight coronavirusIndian health workers caused outrage on Monday by spraying a group of migrants with disinfectant, amid fears that a large scale movement of people from cities to the countryside risked spreading the coronavirus. Footage showed a group of migrant workers sitting on a street in Bareilly, a district in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, as health officials in protective suits used hose pipes to douse them in disinfectant, prompting anger on social media. Nitish Kumar, the top government official in the district, said health workers had been ordered to disinfect buses being used by the local authorities but in their zeal had also turned their hoses on migrant workers.




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Top White House advisers predict as many as 240,000 US deaths from coronavirus - live updates

Top White House advisers predict as many as 240,000 US deaths from coronavirus - live updatesMembers of the Trump administration laid out dire estimates Tuesday to underscore the potential impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S.




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US warship captain seeks crew isolation as virus spreads

US warship captain seeks crew isolation as virus spreadsThe captain of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier facing a growing outbreak of the coronavirus is asking for permission to isolate the bulk of his roughly 5,000 crew members on shore, which would take the warship out of duty in an effort to save lives. In a memo to Navy leaders, the captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt said that the spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating and that removing all but 10% of the crew is a “necessary risk” in order to stop the spread of the virus. Navy leaders on Tuesday were scrambling to determine how to best respond to the extraordinary request as dozens of crew members tested positive.




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Bristol GP surgery's dances a hit with care home

Staff at Green Valleys Health are dancing every lunchtime to entertain residents next door.

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Monday, 30 March 2020

Coronavirus: Free school meals children to get food vouchers

Ministers say the vouchers could be available to families in England as early as Tuesday afternoon.

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Blood test 'can check for more than 50 types of cancer'

The test could help diagnose tumours sooner, often before any symptoms, scientists hope.

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Coronavirus: Airport handlers at risk of collapse

Aviation services companies are calling on the government for urgent assistance due to the pandemic.

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Delay Brexit deadline amid coronavirus, say MEPS

The UK is due to stop following EU rules by the end of 2020 but a group of MEPs say the date should be pushed back.

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Coronavirus: Protecting yourself in a migrant camp

The often unsanitary conditions in refugee and migrant camps, like this one on Lesbos, pose a challenge for residents trying to avoid coronavirus.

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Coronavirus: Has the virus brought borders back to Europe?

The BBC’s Gavin Lee took a road trip in Europe's Schengen area to see how free movement has changed.

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How (not) to cut your hair at home

Stuck at home, some people have enlisted their children to help cut their hair.

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Coronavirus: The good that can come out of an upside-down world

There are reasons to believe the world may emerge from this upheaval enhanced, writes Matthew Syed.

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'The phone slipped into the bath': Conference call tales

How to avoid some of the pitfalls of teleconferencing and how it is changing the way we meet and do business.

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Coronavirus: What should you do if you are stuck abroad?

The government has outlined plans aimed at bringing stranded Britons home.

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The Atlantic Daily: One Virus, Two Americas

Every weekday evening, our editors guide you through the biggest stories of the day, help you discover new ideas, and surprise you with moments of delight. Subscribe to get this delivered to your inbox.

YUSKIKI / SHUTTERSTOCK / THE ATLANTIC

One virus, two Americas

Maybe you live in a blue state, in a hard-hit, urban area, and are currently under lockdown orders from your Democratic governor. Or maybe you live in small-town, conservative America, in one of the places that’s been relatively free of COVID-19 cases, where local Republican officials are resisting further preventative measures.

Red-state and blue-state America aren’t experiencing the same pandemic, and it’s showing in the polls. National surveys reveal geographic and partisan splits in attitude, with Democrats and urban dwellers more likely to express their concern. And, perhaps even more troubling, these divides seem to be worsening.

The pandemic, and America’s response, is being swallowed up by the country’s culture wars. As our politics staff writer McKay Coppins reports today, social distancing has morphed into a political act—“a way to signal which side you’re on.”

A few things to consider as you make sense of the situation:

(Josh Edelson / AFP / Getty)

What to read if … you just want practical advice:

One question, answered: How can you fight back against misinformation about the virus?

Two experts detail steps you should take to weed out falsehoods—and help stop their spread. Their first tip:

Consider the source, and consider the source’s source. Both of these steps help guard against disinformation (the intentional spread of false information), as well as misinformation (the unintentional, inadvertent spread of false information).

Tonight’s Atlantic-approved self-quarantine activity:

This one is courtesy of our space reporter Marina Koren:

“Get your hands on a jigsaw puzzle, preferably one with 1,000 pieces. Puzzles are the perfect pandemic activity because they keep both your mind and your hands occupied for hours; it’s hard to dwell on the outbreak—and scroll through the latest headlines on your phone—when you’re laser-focused on finding that one elusive piece.”

What to read if … you’d like to read about something—anything—other than the coronavirus:

Emma Perrier spent months messaging a man she believed was a 34-year-old electrician, but who was actually a 53-year-old retail decorator. Their first in-person meeting broke her heart. But when she reached out with a warning to the Turkish model whose photos her catfish was using, things took a turn for the better.

We are continuing our coverage of the coronavirus. View all of our stories related to the outbreak here. Let us know if you have specific questions about the virus—or if you have a personal experience you’d like to share with us. In particular, we’d like to hear about how the pandemic has affected your family life—whether that’s child care, partner relationships, or any other family dynamic.


Dear Therapist

BIANCA BAGNARELLI

Every Monday, Lori Gottlieb answers questions from readers about their problems, big and small. This week, she does something extraordinary: answers her own question. She explains:

This week, I decided to submit my own “Dear Therapist” letter following my father’s death. As a therapist, I’m no stranger to grief, and I’ve written about its varied manifestations in this column many times.

Even so, I wanted to write about the grief I’m now experiencing personally, because I know this is something that affects everyone. You can’t get through life without experiencing loss. The question is, how do we live with loss?

And how do we do so amid a frightening pandemic? Read Lori’s advice to Lori. Write to her anytime at dear.therapist@theatlantic.com.


This email was written by Caroline Mimbs Nyce, with help from Isabel Fattal and Annika Neklason, and edited by Shan Wang. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign yourself up for The Daily here.



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New York greets hospital ship with cheers; U.S. death toll rises past 3,000

New York welcomed the arrival of a gleaming 1,000-bed U.S. Navy hospital ship on Monday as a beacon of hope for the city's desperate fight against the coronavirus pandemic, while the national death toll climbed past 3,000 on the country's most deadly day.


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Trump says coronavirus guidelines may get tougher; 1 million Americans tested

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that federal social distancing guidelines might be toughened and travel restrictions with China and Europe would stay in place as he urged Americans to help fight the coronavirus with tough measures through April.


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The Fight to Suspend Rent Payments in Seattle

In December, council member Kshama Sawant introduced a winter ban on evictions in Seattle and won. Then the coronavirus happened.

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Federal Judges Block Texas and Ohio Coronavirus Abortion Bans

There was bad news on Monday for states trying to use the coronavirus pandemic to halt abortions.

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In the College Basketball Documentary The Scheme, the FBI Comes Out Looking Dirty

The sordid business of a pointless, low-stakes prosecution.

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EXCLUSIVE: New Survey Reveals Church Giving is Down, but Faith is Growing

Churches continuing to hold in-person worship services came under fire from elected officials and other critics Sunday who fear the gatherings put parishioners at risk for catching the coronavirus. Now new research, obtained exclusively by CBN News, shows how churches across the nation are managing their ministries, including plans to celebrate Easter, during the pandemic.

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Brazil's Bolsonaro urges no more coronavirus quarantine, says jobs being lost

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said on Monday that there can be no more quarantine measures imposed on the country than those already in place to combat coronavirus because jobs are being destroyed and the poor are suffering disproportionately.


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In scrappy Cambodian casino town, Chinese plan future beyond coronavirus

When casino owner Kang Qiang looks out the window of his 20th floor office in this city on the remote Cambodian coast, he sees construction cranes sitting idle.


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Trump’s Virus Defense Is Often an Attack, and the Target Is Often a Woman


By BY ANNIE KARNI from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3dCNjWW

Listen to the Call: Bullock and Trump Discuss Testing


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Keep It Simple, Albany. This Is No Time for Budget Games.


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Congress Just Spent $2 Trillion on Coronavirus Relief. It’s Eying More.


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Sunday, 29 March 2020

France steps up coronavirus evacuations from packed hospitals

France steps up coronavirus evacuations from packed hospitalsFrance on Sunday staged its largest evacuation of coronavirus patients to date from hospitals in the hard-hit east, increasing efforts to free up intensive care units as officials warned of an influx of serious cases in the coming days. Two specially equipped high-speed trains carried 36 patients from Mulhouse and Nancy toward hospitals along France's western coast, where the outbreak has been limited so far. Dozens of hospital workers, flanked by police and soldiers standing guard, spent hours installing four patients in each wagon in an operation that began before dawn.




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