Year: 2020

Chinese doctors in Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December, say a growing number of cases in which people recover from the virus, but continue to test positive without showing symptoms, is one of […]

Saudi Arabia’s Active Mass Testing Contains Virus Spread

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health is widely using coronavirus disease (COVID-19) active screening to contain the spread of the virus, as the number of infections reached 11,631 cases on Tuesday, Arab News reported. The screening aims […]

U.S. Dollar Jumps vs Saudi Riyal in Forwards Market as Oil Slumps

The U.S. dollar rose against the Saudi riyal in the forwards market on Wednesday after oil prices slumped, with Brent crude futures dropping to their lowest in more than two decades as the coronavirus pandemic […]

Senate Passes $484bn Coronavirus Deal

After two weeks of stalemate and days of frenetic negotiations, the Senate approved a nearly $500 billion coronavirus aid bill on Tuesday afternoon with the House set for passage later this week, Politico reported. The […]

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Indiana, Florida – Distancing, Shelter-In-Place – Trust Coronavirus Info – Tuesday Trivia

April 21, 2020 John Ganjei

Your Daily Polling Update for Tuesday, April 21, 2020 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 46%Same as Thursday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on five polls, ranging from 45% (Economist) to 49% (Harvard). Without these extremes, […]

Schumer Claims ‘We have a Deal’ on Interim Coronavirus Relief Package for Small Businesses

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated on Tuesday that Congress and the White House made an agreement on “every major issue” of a nearly $500 billion emergency interim coronavirus relief package for small businesses, hospitals and […]

Hundreds Receive Plasma From Recovered Coronavirus Patients

Six hundred severely ill Covid-19 patients have received blood plasma from recovered patients in a study researchers hope sheds light on whether the experimental therapy improves health outcomes, and yields other useful data outside the […]

UN Urges World to Quickly Scale up Medicines, Vaccines

The U.N. General Assembly demanded global action to quickly scale up the development of and access to medicines, vaccines and equipment to battle the pandemic, while the World Health Organization warned Tuesday that rushing to […]

Oil Crash Hits Stocks, Dollar Gains as Investors Shun Risk

Global stocks fell on Tuesday, a day after U.S. crude oil prices turned negative for the first time, as dismal company earnings reports underlined worries about economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters reported. The […]

Washington Monitoring Reports That North Korean Leader Is in Grave Danger After Surgery

Washington is monitoring intelligence that suggests North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, is in grave danger after undergoing a previous surgery, according to a US official with direct knowledge, CNN informs. A second source familiar with […]

U.S. Treasury Releases $2.9bn in Airline Support

The U.S. Treasury Department said on Monday it had disbursed $2.9 billion in initial payroll assistance to 54 smaller passenger carrier and two major passenger airlines, while it finalized grant agreements with six major airlines, […]

Saudi Arabia’s Coronavirus Cases Surpass 10,000

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia rose by 1,122 in the past 24 hours to 10,484, the health ministry said, a sharp spike just days before the start of the Muslim holy month of […]

Trump to Suspend All Immigration Into U.S. Over Coronavirus

President Donald Trump said on Monday he will suspend all immigration into the United States temporarily through an executive order in response to the coronavirus outbreak and to protect American jobs, Reuters reports. The move […]

Oil Costs Less Than Zero for First Time in History

The price for a barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude to be delivered next month plunged 93% to $1.21 in Monday’s trading, the lowest price since the futures contract was launched in 1983. If that […]

Saudi Arabia’s Anti-Corruption Authority Opens Coronavirus Housing Case

Nazaha, the Control and Anti-Corruption Authority, has opened a financial and administrative corruption case involving two senior employees at the General Directorate of Health Affairs in the Riyadh region, a hotel owner and six other […]

McConnel Keeps Quiet over 'Sour Relationship' with Trump

Trump, Congress Near Deal on Small Business, Hospital Aid

The Trump administration and Congress expect an agreement Monday on an aid package of up to $450 billion to boost a small-business loan program that has run out of money and add funds for hospitals […]

Syria’s Divisions Damage Efforts to Mobilize Against Virus

After nine years of war, Syria is broken into three rival parts unable to work together and ill-prepared to cope with the coronavirus, an enemy that knows no conflict lines, The Associated Press reports. Medical […]

Trump Warns China Could Face Consequences for Coronavirus Outbreak

President Donald Trump warned China on Saturday that it should face consequences if it was “knowingly responsible” for the coronavirus pandemic, as he ratcheted up criticism of Beijing over its handling of the outbreak, Reuters […]

Novartis, U.S. Drug Regulator Agree to Malaria Drug Trial Against Coronavirus

Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis has won the go-ahead from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to conduct a randomized trial of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19 disease, to see if it helps patients, Reuters writes. […]

More U.S. Protests Call for Lifting Coronavirus Restrictions

Protests flared in U.S. states on Sunday over stay-at-home orders while governors disputed President Donald Trump’s claims they have enough tests for the novel coronavirus and should quickly reopen their economies, Reuters writes. An estimated […]

Shooter Kills at Least 16 in Nova Scotia in Canada’s Worst Mass Shooting

A gunman who at one point masqueraded as a policeman killed at least 16 people in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia during a 12-hour rampage, authorities said on Sunday, in what was the country’s […]

Federal Government Probed For Coronavirus Response By A Congress Watchdog

According to Politico, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is poised to launch a series of probes into the federal government’s handling of various aspects of the coronavirus pandemic, ranging from testing to the distribution of […]

Read WHO’s Director Shocking Coronavirus Statement

The Coronavirus pandemic shook the whole world as it took thousands of lives and is expected to devastate whole economic systems all over the globe. Every country that has been affected by this deadly virus, […]

Coronavirus Stimulus Checks: Where is the Missing Money Going?

Americans are reaching out to tax preparers and lining up at their offices around the country to find out what happened to their stimulus checks, USA Today reports. One answer: The IRS sent those missing […]

Latinos Disproportionately Dying, Losing Jobs Because of Coronavirus

In a city where 16% of the population is Latino, physician Alicia Fernandez is alarmed by the overwhelming number of Latino patients she is seeing at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, USA Today reports. Fernandez […]

‘Greatest Geopolitical Threat’: Ted Cruz Calls for New Approach to Chinese Relations Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said the novel coronavirus outbreak requires a new approach to U.S.-China relations, calling the country our “greatest geopolitical threat,” Washington Examiner reports. On Friday night, Cruz sent out a thread of […]

Florida Protester Arrested for Trapping Himself in Concrete Barrels Outside Governor’s Mansion

Florida cops needed two hours and multiple jackhammers to extricate a protester who’d jammed his arms inside a pair of concrete-filled 55-gallon barrels outside the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee on Friday, New York Post reports. […]

‘Heartbroken’ Obama ‘Eager’ to Help Biden Beat Trump, Insiders Say

Former President Barack Obama is champing at the bit to jump into the campaign fray on behalf of his vice president Joe Biden, and is sharpening his knives for President Trump, his aides and advisors […]

April 18, 2020 Focus Washington

Dems Slam Pence over Coronavirus Testing

Senate Democrats grilled Vice President Mike Pence over coronavirus testing and President Donald Trump’s tweets during a tense phone call Friday afternoon on the pandemic response, CNN reported. A Democratic Senate aide told CNN that […]

April 18, 2020 Focus Washington

Man beats lumber store employee over mask rule

U.S. Intel Agencies Unsure How Coronavirus Spread

America’s intelligence agencies have not come to a conclusion on how the virus known as SARS-COV-2 began spreading from China’s Wuhan province, a U.S. Intelligence Community official told Newsweek on Friday. Earlier this week, Fox News reported […]