Quarantined cruise ship passenger speaks out against US coronavirus evacuation plan – Fox News
Quarantined cruise ship passenger speaks out against US coronavirus evacuation plan – Fox News
Video

Quarantined Diamond Princess passenger speaks out

Matthew Smith remains on quarantined cruise ship docked in Japan amid coronavirus outbreak.

A passenger aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which is currently quarantined off the coast of Japan amid a coronavirus outbreak, is speaking out against the United States’ plan to evacuate American passengers.

Matthew Smith, who has been quarantined with his wife since Feb. 5, told Fox News’ Neil Cavuto that he prefers to stay on the cruise ship.

US CORONAVIRUS PLAN WOULD EVACUATE SOME AMERICANS FROM QUARANTINED CRUISE SHIP IN JAPAN: REPORT

“Our greatest desire at this point is to maintain the quarantine that the Japanese health officials have established,” Smith said, “then get a test for the virus at the end of that quarantine so we can establish with relative certainty that we are not infected and be free to go.

“Unfortunately, the State Department has thrown a monkey wrench into that,” he added.

Approximately 400 Americans and their families on the Diamond Princess will be offered seats on two flights that could arrive at Travis Air Force Base near Sacramento, Calif., as early as Sunday, a CDC official told The Wall Street Journal.

CHINA REPORTS DROP IN NEW CORONAVIRUS CASES, DEATH TOLL TOPS 1,500 IN COUNTRY

A group of quarantined passengers exercise on the Diamond Princess cruise ship Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, in Yokohama, near Tokyo. A viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 67,000 people globally. The World Health Organization has named the illness COVID-19, referring to its origin late last year and the coronavirus that causes it. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A CDC team will screen passengers and those exhibiting symptoms won’t be allowed on the flights.

Smith, however, said he’s skeptical about the proposed plan.

“I understand getting off the ship to be in another space, but under this circumstance, the offer is we’re going to put you on buses with other people who haven’t completed their quarantines and have not been tested for the virus,” Smith said.

NEW YORK FUGITIVE MONITORED FOR CORONAVIRUS AT DETENTION FACILITY FOLLOWING CHINA TRAVELS

“We’re going to then put you on a plane with all these people and take you back to the United States, and because of the risk you still pose due to that situation we’re going to stick you in another quarantine.”

Smith said he would rather stay put on the Diamond Princess ship. While the ship is “getting a bad rap” for its living conditions, Smith said he is content where he is.

“We have access to the balcony, we are fed well – three times a day along with excess food — they provide all the necessities we need in there,” he said.

Smith said he does, however, sympathize with those who are not staying in a suite like he and his wife.

CHINA’S CORONAVIRUS SURVIVORS MAY FACE MENTAL HURDLES ONCE OUTBREAK ENDS 

“We can go outside for fresh air and sunshine – when it does shine – whenever we like,” he explained.

“Other passengers have a vastly different experience if they’re on an interior cabin, which is markedly smaller and no access to fresh air. They have allowed those passengers up on the deck for an hour every few days.

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Smith said his wife had been “depressed” and “more emotional” about the quarantine situation. She, too, was upset to learn about the U.S. plan to evacuate.

“Health-wise we are perfectly fine,” he said.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/health/quarantined-diamond-princess-passenger-speaks-out-against-us-coronavirus-evacuation-plan

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France Confirms First Death in Europe From Coronavirus – The New York Times
France Confirms First Death in Europe From Coronavirus – The New York Times

A British businessman who is believed to have been the initial source of at least five cases in Britain and five more in France said on Tuesday that he had contracted the virus at a conference in Singapore last month. He later traveled to a chalet in Les Contamines-Montjoie, where he came into contact with five Britons who later tested positive for the virus. Then he returned to Britain.

The businessman, Steve Walsh, said he had fully recovered.

Ms. Buzyn, the French health minister, did not identify the patient who died on Friday, but said he had arrived in France on Jan. 16 and been hospitalized since Jan. 25.

“His condition had quickly worsened and he had been in critical condition for several days,” Ms. Buzyn said in a televised statement.

Ms. Buzyn announced on Saturday that the 12th confirmed case in France was a British national who had also stayed at the chalet.

The director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has warned that the new coronavirus could pose a “very grave threat” to the world and should be viewed as “Public Enemy No. 1,” he said.

“The detection of a small number of cases may indicate more widespread transmission in other countries,” Dr. Tedros wrote on Twitter just days ago. “In short, we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg.”

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/15/world/europe/france-coronarivus-death.html

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DNC announces debate qualification rules for South Carolina – POLITICO
DNC announces debate qualification rules for South Carolina – POLITICO

According to POLITICO’s tracking of public polling and delegate projections, five candidates have immediately qualified for the South Carolina debate: Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Those same five are the only candidates who’ve qualified so far for the debate in Nevada on Feb. 19.

The South Carolina debate is hosted by CBS News and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute, in partnership with Twitter. It is set to air on CBS from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The two billionaires in the race — Steyer and Bloomberg — have not met the qualification criteria for either the Nevada or South Carolina debates. The deadline to qualify for Nevada is Feb. 18.

Bloomberg is, however, on the precipice of making the stage in Nevada next week. The former New York City mayor, who has not yet taken part in a DNC-sanctioned debate, needs one more poll to qualify for next week’s debate in Nevada, and two more polls for the South Carolina debate.

The DNC scrapped a donor threshold in place for previous debates, which kept Bloomberg off the stage because he does not accept contributions.

Steyer has also not qualified for either debate. So far, nine polls have been released in the Nevada qualifying window, and eight of which have been national polls. The only poll that Steyer broke 10 percent in is a Las Vegas Review-Journal/AARP Nevada poll conducted by the Republican firm WPA Intelligence, in which he hit 11 percent. The DNC also announced Saturday that it would include the LVRJ/AARP toward qualifying for the Nevada debate. (The DNC reserved the right to retroactively add a poll from South Carolina or Nevada in its initial announcement for the Nevada debate, and did the same for the South Carolina-specific poll ahead of the Palmetto State debate.)

Steyer’s campaign maintains that he is better positioned in the next two states — Nevada and South Carolina. But there has been a polling drought in those two states, with the LVRJ/AARP poll as the only qualifying poll out of either state state released thus far in the Nevada qualifying window. Steyer called on the DNC to back-date the qualifying window to include polls from those states conducted earlier (which would likely qualify him for the debate), a plea his campaign said went unanswered by the DNC. The DNC has been hesitant to change qualification rules for a debate after they’re already been announced, rebuffing numerous other calls earlier in the cycle.

On Friday, the DNC also announced that the next debate after South Carolina will be on March 15 in Phoenix. The eleventh debate in Arizona will almost assuredly have a smaller stage than either the Nevada or South Carolina debate because it will take place at roughly the halfway point of the primary, when the field is expected to winnow.

Source Article from https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/15/dnc-announces-south-carolina-debate-qualification-rules-115394

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Attorney general’s actions spark outrage and unease among US prosecutors – CNN
Attorney general’s actions spark outrage and unease among US prosecutors – CNN

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Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/15/politics/william-barr-roger-stone-prosecutors-outrage/index.html

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Fact check: Bloomberg leaves out key parts of his history of stop and frisk policy – CNN
Fact check: Bloomberg leaves out key parts of his history of stop and frisk policy – CNN

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Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/15/politics/fact-check-michael-bloomberg-stop-and-frisk/index.html

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Pelosi defends decision to rip Trump’s State of the Union address – CNN
Pelosi defends decision to rip Trump’s State of the Union address – CNN

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Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/15/politics/nancy-pelosi-trump-state-of-the-union-cnntv/index.html

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Pete Buttigieg’s Dash for Cash: 10 Fund-Raisers in Two Weeks – The New York Times
Pete Buttigieg’s Dash for Cash: 10 Fund-Raisers in Two Weeks – The New York Times

“It was money well spent,” said Robert Mandell, another former ambassador and Buttigieg fund-raiser.

But the impact of Mr. Buttigieg’s apparent win in Iowa was dampened by the delayed and muddled results that are still subject to a recanvass. His campaign announced he had raised $4 million in the four days afterward. That is a significant sum but still less than what rival strategists said might have otherwise been expected for winning the opening contest.

Mr. Sanders was raising money at a clip of well above $1 million per day online in early February, according to an estimate based on figures released by his campaign. And that was before he won the New Hampshire primary. Ms. Warren’s campaign told supporters this week she had raised $5 million in the nine days following the Iowa caucuses. Neither senator is holding traditional fund-raisers for large donors.

One of Mr. Buttigieg’s events will be on Feb. 23 at the home of Representative Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat and the first member of Congress to endorse him, with five other congressional co-hosts. Three days later, he will hold three fund-raisers across Florida — which does not hold its primary until March 17 — including one in Palm Beach whose hosts include Cynthia Friedman, a longtime Democratic contributor.

The campaign had sent invitations to even more events, including in Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C., on Feb. 27 — the $500 level ticket is listed as sold out online for the Atlanta gathering — but Buttigieg aides said those events were being rescheduled.

Mr. Buttigieg is not alone on the fund-raising circuit. Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. organized a conference call with his national finance committee after his fifth place New Hampshire finish to reassure skittish donors. He has upcoming fund-raisers in Colorado, Nevada and South Carolina, the latter two in states that vote later this month.

On Thursday, Mr. Biden held two events in New York that drew a notable group of Wall Street contributors. Organizers said the events raised almost $800,000, a large haul for a candidate who had sagged to fourth and fifth place in the first two contests. Mr. Biden also said on “The View” this week that he was raising about $400,000 per day in online donations.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/15/us/politics/pete-buttigieg-fundraising.html

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14-year-old boy arrested in stabbing death of Barnard College student Tessa Majors – CNN
14-year-old boy arrested in stabbing death of Barnard College student Tessa Majors – CNN

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Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/15/us/tessa-majors-new-york-stabbing/index.html

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Coronavirus live updates: WHO chief calls on global leaders to ‘stop stigma and hate’ – CNBC
Coronavirus live updates: WHO chief calls on global leaders to ‘stop stigma and hate’ – CNBC

Chinese President Xi Jinping issued internal orders regarding the virus outbreak roughly two weeks before his first public statements on the epidemic, according to a newly published speech on Saturday in the Qiushi Journal, the Communist Party’s top publication.

The speech indicates that Xi started giving orders about the outbreak as early as Jan. 7. His first public instructions on the epidemic was Jan. 20, in which he provided brief instructions on the virus.

China’s release of the speech is an apparent effort to mitigate public anger over the handling of the outbreak, and show that Xi has led the battle against the epidemic — including quarantining millions of people in Hubei, the province at the epicenter of the outbreak.

Xi gave the speech on Feb 3, about the time when the virus was becoming a national crisis.

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/15/coronavirus-live-updates-france-confirms-first-death-outside-of-asia.html

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USA TODAY/Ipsos poll: For voters, Bernie Sanders outranks other Democrats – and Trump – on values, empathy – USA TODAY
USA TODAY/Ipsos poll: For voters, Bernie Sanders outranks other Democrats – and Trump – on values, empathy – USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – Is Democratic candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders likable enough to win the White House? A new USA TODAY/Ipsos poll released Friday suggests a lot of voters think so.

Asked for their views on the personal characteristics of several Democratic presidential contenders and of President Donald Trump, voters consistently gave Sanders the highest marks for his values and empathy.

Trump and his allies have long said they believe the president could easily defeat Sanders if he faces off against the Vermont senator in November. Some of Sanders’ Democratic rivals have suggested a more centrist candidate might have a better chance at taking on Trump.

But if character is on the ballot in November, the USA TODAY/Ipsos poll, conducted Wednesday through Thursday, shows Sanders has a clear advantage over the incumbent president. In the survey, 40% of voters said they admired Sanders’ character, well above the 26% who said they admired Trump.

Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/02/15/bernie-sanders-tops-other-democrats-trump-likability-ipsos-poll/4754500002/

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US to evacuate Americans on cruise ship quarantined in Japan from coronavirus outbreak – CNN
US to evacuate Americans on cruise ship quarantined in Japan from coronavirus outbreak – CNN

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Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/15/politics/americans-coronavirus-evacuate-quarantine-cruise-ship/index.html

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‘We’d be f—ed’: Texas Dems sweat a Bernie Sanders ticket – POLITICO
‘We’d be f—ed’: Texas Dems sweat a Bernie Sanders ticket – POLITICO

“You gotta be realistic and practical about issues that are facing people in rural areas,” said Rep. Henry Cuellar, a conservative Democrat whose district stretches from the Southern border to San Antonio. If Sanders is at the top of the ticket, he said, Democrats in Texas will have to distance themselves from his far-left ideas to win over moderate voters in potential swing districts.

“Can you please name all the liberal seats that Republicans are in so we can go after that?” Cuellar said.

The party divide in Texas has also become even wider as Democrats still chew on Beto O’Rourke’s ill-fated 2018 Senate campaign against Ted Cruz, drawing a litany of different lessons about whether his 2.5-point loss was a victory or a missed opportunity.

Hewitt said O’Rourke’s loss reveals that far-left ideas don’t bring out enough people to flip seats. “The idea that more people will come out to vote if a progressive is on the ballot, that’s fools gold,” he said.

But some Democratic operatives in Texas point to two decades of Republican dominance and argue O’Rourke’s popularity in the state as proof the party needs to differentiate itself from the right.

“We should be more worried about a moderate candidate in a highly polarized environment,” said Tory Gavito, co-founder and president of Way to Win, a group that organizes progressive donors and strategists. “We have the deepest well of young voters and voters of color — who is the best candidate that can turn them out?”

Texas Republicans, facing competitive elections for the first time in decades, say that regardless of who wins the nomination, Sanders candidacy puts Democrats on the defensive.

“The reality is that every Democratic president candidate has happily endorsed socialist policies,” Texas GOP Chairman James Dickey said.

Polls have offered little guidance. Biden is still a favorite among establishment figures and led a poll of Texas voters before Iowa but Sanders surged after the caucuses and Michael Bloomberg is on the rise.

Source Article from https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/15/texas-dems-sweat-bernie-sanders-ticket-110524

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Trey Gowdy insists Barr working hard to clean up DOJ despite McCabe decision: ‘Lady Justice needs that blin… – Fox News
Trey Gowdy insists Barr working hard to clean up DOJ despite McCabe decision: ‘Lady Justice needs that blin… – Fox News
Video

Gowdy: It’s been a terrible 4 years for the DOJ and FBI

Barr taps outside prosecutor to review Flynn case; Fox News contributor Trey Gowdy weighs in.

The Justice Department‘s decision to not pursue criminal charges against former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe continues a “terrible four years” for the department, former House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy told Fox News on Friday.

However, the ex-South Carolina congressman said he believes Attorney General William Barr is doing all he can with the resources at hand to clean up the DOJ and restore the public’s trust in the institution.

“It’s been a terrible four years for the Department of Justice and the FBI — two institutions this country absolutely needs for its citizenry to have respect for,” Gowdy said during an appearance on “Hannity.” “Bill Barr, in my judgment — I’m a huge fan of his — I think he is doing everything he can to put the blindfold back on that lady. Lady Justice needs that blindfold back on.”

DOJ WON’T PURSUE CHARGES AGAINST MCCABE

Video

Gowdy said that while the McCabe decision isn’t ideal, Barr has been a great attorney general. He pointed to Barr’s statement that President Trump did not obstruct justice in the Russia investigation and his work to ensure that Republican consultant Roger Stone’s prison sentence be more proportionate to the crime.

“This is the department that said, ‘We didn’t have the evidence on Andy McCabe.’ So we have got to give [Barr] the resources and the time and the support to get those institutions back where we need them as a country to be.”

Host Sean Hannity took a different tack on the matter, remarking that Trump supporters and conservatives appear to be treated differently than liberals or Trump critics when under investigation or indictment.

Gowdy said he has faith that Connecticut federal prosecutor John Durham’s investigation — ordered by Barr — will bring more clarity and potential consequences to the current situation.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Let John Durham figure it out. But, if people don’t have confidence in the Department of Justice, we’re not going to agree with whatever they come up with anyway,” he said.

The DOJ’s decision on McCabe came after a nearly two-year investigation into accusations brought by the agency’s independent watchdog that found that he lacked “candor” when questioned about leaking to the media.

In a letter to McCabe attorney Michael Bromwich obtained by Fox News, Justice Department attorney J.P. Cooney said: “We write to inform you that, after careful consideration, the government has decided not to pursue criminal charges against your client, Andrew G. McCabe.”

“Based on the totality of the circumstances and all of the information known to the government at this time, we consider the matter closed,” Cooney added.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/media/trey-gowdy-barr-clean-up-justice-department

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The first coronavirus death outside of Asia reported in France – Vox.com
The first coronavirus death outside of Asia reported in France – Vox.com

A Chinese tourist died due to Covid-19 — the illness caused by the coronavirus outbreak first observed in Wuhan, China — at a French hospital on Friday. The case was the first reported death caused by the virus outside of Asia.

“I was informed last night of the death of the 80-year-old patient who has been hospitalized at Bichat hospital since January 25, and who was suffering from a coronavirus pulmonary infection,” France’s health minister, Agnès Buzyn, said in a statement on Saturday.

The victim, who has not been named, arrived in France as a tourist on January 16. He was hospitalized and placed under strict isolation on January 25. The man was from the Chinese province of Hubei, the center of the coronavirus outbreak and where the largest concentration of infections have been confirmed.

The tourist’s daughter was also hospitalized, but French authorities say she is expected to recover.

There are 10 patients with confirmed coronavirus infections in France — six are in hospitals, but four have fully recovered and been released. And the prognosis for those still hospitalized is positive; Buzyn said of those patients Saturday: “Their condition does not give cause for concern.”

So far nine countries across Europe have reported a combined 46 cases of the virus. Germany has reported the most: 16.

There are currently more than 60,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases globally, with the overwhelming majority of those cases occurring in China. More than 1,500 people have died from infections; more than 8,500 have recovered. Beyond France and mainland China, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Japan have also seen Covid-19 deaths.

For now, the coronavirus outbreak remains of greatest concern for those in mainland China

US officials have advised Americans to avoid traveling to China if possible, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US State Department having issued their highest-level travel alerts for China. But those outside of that country, as Vox’s Julia Belluz has explained, do not need to harbor concerns about falling victim to the virus, or panic about it spreading:

[P]eople worried about travel should remember that these advisories focus on China, where the epidemic is currently playing out.

Of the cases right now, 99 percent are in mainland China. And more than half of those are in Hubei. “The risk of acquiring this infection outside of Hubei and, truly, outside of China is remarkably low,” said Isaac Bogoch, a professor at the University of Toronto who studies how air travel influences the dynamics outbreaks — including the new coronavirus infection.

People with the virus have been detected in other countries, which is the reason the WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency. But to date, those have mainly been travelers from China and their close contacts. “So if people are traveling [anywhere outside of China,] your risk is close to zero percent,” Bogoch said.

Experts say that it is East Asia and Southeast Asia that are most at risk at the moment, particularly given that cases discovered in countries outside of mainland China have not led to local outbreaks of illness. This means the Covid-19 cases in Europe and elsewhere are certainly cause for concern — which is why global health experts are collaborating in their responses to the novel virus — but that they do not yet represent a pandemic.

Source Article from https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/2/15/21138823/coronavirus-death-france-asia

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Coronavirus quarantine: US to evacuate nearly 400 Americans on board cruise ship in Japan – USA TODAY
Coronavirus quarantine: US to evacuate nearly 400 Americans on board cruise ship in Japan – USA TODAY

The United States will evacuate nearly 400 American passengers under quarantine due to coronavirus on board Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess, the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Japan announced early Saturday.

The US State Department is working in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Service, along with other partner agencies to provide a charter aircraft to bring passengers back to the U.S. 

“We continue to collaborate closely with HHS, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Government of Japan, and Carnival Cruise Lines on all aspects of this dynamic situation,” the Embassy said in the statement. “The U.S. Embassy remains in close contact with all relevant authorities to ensure U.S. citizens aboard the ship, and their families, are fully informed as the situation develops.”

According to a letter delivered to passengers with the announcement, the flight will arrive in Japan on Sunday night, local time. Then, Americans will be bussed with their belongings to the aircraft. Before they board, all will be screened for symptoms of coronavirus and those that aren’t permitted to board will receive care in Japan. 

Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2020/02/15/coronavirus-us-evacuate-400-americans-quarantined-cruise-ship-diamond-princess/4764078002/

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Attorney general’s actions spark outrage and unease among US prosecutors – CNN
Attorney general’s actions spark outrage and unease among US prosecutors – CNN

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Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/15/politics/william-barr-roger-stone-prosecutors-outrage/index.html

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Coronavirus live updates: State Department will evacuate Americans from cruise ship, first death confirmed in Europe – CNBC
Coronavirus live updates: State Department will evacuate Americans from cruise ship, first death confirmed in Europe – CNBC

China’s State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China’s efforts to control the epidemic have been comprehensive and that it’s “under control,” while slamming the “overreaction” of other countries, according to a Reuters report.

In an interview with Reuters in Berlin, he said: “The epidemic overall is under control.”

“”We’ve taken such complete prevention and control efforts, efforts that are so comprehensive, that I can’t see any other country that can do this,” Wang said, adding that they would find it very difficult, according to Reuters. “But China has been able to do this.”

The U.S. should not take unnecessary measures that will affect tourism and trade, he said, according to Reuters.

The U.S. was among several countries who placed travel curbs on Chinese citizens, or travelers who have been to mainland China.

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/15/coronavirus-live-updates-china-reports-143-more-deaths-2641-new-cases.html

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Trey Gowdy insists Barr working hard to clean up DOJ despite McCabe decision: ‘Lady Justice needs that blin… – Fox News
Trey Gowdy insists Barr working hard to clean up DOJ despite McCabe decision: ‘Lady Justice needs that blin… – Fox News
Video

Gowdy: It’s been a terrible 4 years for the DOJ and FBI

Barr taps outside prosecutor to review Flynn case; Fox News contributor Trey Gowdy weighs in.

The Justice Department‘s decision to not pursue criminal charges against former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe continues a “terrible four years” for the department, former House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy told Fox News on Friday.

However, the ex-South Carolina congressman said he believes Attorney General William Barr is doing all he can with the resources at hand to clean up the DOJ and restore the public’s trust in the institution.

“It’s been a terrible four years for the Department of Justice and the FBI — two institutions this country absolutely needs for its citizenry to have respect for,” Gowdy said during an appearance on “Hannity.” “Bill Barr, in my judgment — I’m a huge fan of his — I think he is doing everything he can to put the blindfold back on that lady. Lady Justice needs that blindfold back on.”

DOJ WON’T PURSUE CHARGES AGAINST MCCABE

Video

Gowdy said that while the McCabe decision isn’t ideal, Barr has been a great attorney general. He pointed to Barr’s statement that President Trump did not obstruct justice in the Russia investigation and his work to ensure that Republican consultant Roger Stone’s prison sentence be more proportionate to the crime.

“This is the department that said, ‘We didn’t have the evidence on Andy McCabe.’ So we have got to give [Barr] the resources and the time and the support to get those institutions back where we need them as a country to be.”

Host Sean Hannity took a different tack on the matter, remarking that Trump supporters and conservatives appear to be treated differently than liberals or Trump critics when under investigation or indictment.

Gowdy said he has faith that Connecticut federal prosecutor John Durham’s investigation — ordered by Barr — will bring more clarity and potential consequences to the current situation.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Let John Durham figure it out. But, if people don’t have confidence in the Department of Justice, we’re not going to agree with whatever they come up with anyway,” he said.

The DOJ’s decision on McCabe came after a nearly two-year investigation into accusations brought by the agency’s independent watchdog that found that he lacked “candor” when questioned about leaking to the media.

In a letter to McCabe attorney Michael Bromwich obtained by Fox News, Justice Department attorney J.P. Cooney said: “We write to inform you that, after careful consideration, the government has decided not to pursue criminal charges against your client, Andrew G. McCabe.”

“Based on the totality of the circumstances and all of the information known to the government at this time, we consider the matter closed,” Cooney added.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/media/trey-gowdy-barr-clean-up-justice-department

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Coronavirus Live Updates: First Death Outside Asia Reported in France – The New York Times
Coronavirus Live Updates: First Death Outside Asia Reported in France – The New York Times

A man who became ill while on a vacation in Hawaii and his wife, who was traveling with him, have both tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said.

The couple, who are in their 60s, visited Hawaii in late January and early February, and the man fell ill during the second week of the vacation, while they were staying at a time-share in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu. Before that, the couple had been in Maui, but neither showed symptoms while there.

Officials said the man began showing symptoms on Feb. 3, and wore a mask when he went outside the time-share, the Grand Waikikian. He was most likely infected either before he came to Hawaii or while he was on his way to Hawaii in late January, said Dr. Sarah Park, the state epidemiologist. He tested positive for the coronavirus in Japan on Friday.

On the same day, the woman went to a hospital with a fever and on Saturday, her case was confirmed, according to Japan’s Health Ministry. The ministry said she is from Nagoya, the country’s fourth largest city. NHK, the public broadcaster, and Nagoya city officials said she and the diagnosed man were married.

Lt. Gov. Josh Green, who is an emergency physician, said in an interview on Friday that the authorities were contacting the management at the guest facilities where the man stayed, as well as those who were working there.

“The only way to do this right is to contact everyone,” he said. “We are not worried about minimal contact, but those who had extensive contact will be given whatever support is necessary.”

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/15/world/asia/coronavirus-china-live-updates.html

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Nevada Voters Begin Early Caucusing On Saturday. Here’s What You Need To Know – NPR
Nevada Voters Begin Early Caucusing On Saturday. Here’s What You Need To Know – NPR

Attendees hold letters that read “CAUCUS” during a campaign event for Democratic presidential candidate former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg in Iowa earlier this month.

Matt Rourke/AP


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Matt Rourke/AP

Attendees hold letters that read “CAUCUS” during a campaign event for Democratic presidential candidate former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg in Iowa earlier this month.

Matt Rourke/AP

Early caucusing begins on Saturday in Nevada as the race for the Democratic presidential nomination moves west.

Democrats in the state have been scrambling the past two weeks to adjust their plans in the wake of the caucusing debacle in Iowa.

The Hawkeye State’s Democrats are still digging through paper records to answer questions about inconsistencies in the reported results, and their state party chairman announced his resignation this week.

In Nevada, party leaders say they’re trying to make sure things go differently.

“We understand just how important it is that we get this right and protect the integrity of Nevadans’ votes,” wrote Alana Mounce, the Nevada Democratic Party’s executive director, in a memo detailing the new plan. “We are confident in our backup plans and redundancies.”

Here’s Democrats agenda for the coming week.

How does early-caucusing work?

For the first time ever, in an effort to increase accessibility to the caucus process, Nevada Democrats will be able to participate even if they can’t or don’t want to attend the normal caucus day on Feb. 22.

So from Saturday through Tuesday, registered Democrats can go to an early vote site in the county in which they’re registered. Same-day registration is allowed.

At the early vote site, voters will receive a voter card and fill out a paper ballot, both of which will have an identification number that correlates the two items.

After filling out the ballot with their preferences, voters will return both the voter card and the ballot to a designated ballot box.

How will those results be integrated on caucus day?

Democrats in Nevada were originally planning to use an app designed by the same company that designed the faulty system used in Iowa. After the problems there, they designed to go a different direction.

The new plan still involves some technology but Democrats say there will be backup plans too as well as simple ways to transition to a paper and pen process should problems arise.

Precinct chairs on Feb. 22, the day of the statewide caucus, are set to use an iPad to log into Google Forms. They’ll then have access to the early voting data that’s applicable to their precinct.

As chairs input data from their day-of caucusing and perform the “caucus math” involved with figuring out how many supporters are necessary to reach the 15 percent viability threshold, the iPad calculator will integrate the results of early voting.

Each precinct also will have paper records of the necessarily early-vote data. If they’re unable to log in to Google Forms or if the calculator malfunctions, the precinct chairs will be expected to follow the steps on their worksheets to do the caucus math and integrate the early vote data, state Democrats say.

Each precinct chair also will have a larger, poster-style worksheet so that caucus-goers can follow along as precinct chairs perform the necessary math.

How will the precinct chairs get the results to the state party?

This is the point in the process that could be the most vulnerable, cybersecurity experts worry. Precinct leaders will have completed their work but they must then get it to the state party, in some cases over the internet.

Democrats say they’ve instituted a two-step process that allows for speed and verification.

After caucus attendees are all done, precinct chairs will be able to transmit the final results of their caucusing via the iPad Google Form. But they will also be required to either call in those results or deliver them in person in some way.

Precinct chairs also can choose not to transmit their results using the iPads. If they choose to use the telephone as their first reporting mechanism, they’ll also have to either hand-deliver or mail their results to the party too.

The party says the private hotline that precinct chairs will call to turn in results will require some sort of verification. A similar setup in Iowa meant for precinct chairs to phone in results became clogged after the phone number surfaced publicly on the internet.

Nevada Democrats will also have separate hotlines set up to report voter protection issues and for precinct volunteers to troubleshoot reporting-related issues.

What could go wrong?

Doug Jones, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Iowa, and a former caucus precinct chair in Iowa, said he’s been impressed by Nevada’s paper-based back-up plans.

What worries him about the caucus, he said, is the prospect for human error, either when chairs type in the responses in the iPads or in some part other part of the caucus process.

“We’re all experts at making typos,” Jones said. “Its one things humans are good at.”

Such errors happen in every election, but the fact that so many processes are being arranged in the final days leaves open the possibility that some precinct leaders or some caucus-goers could end up confused, Jones said.

“That’s the challenge of anything where the procedures are only just being established.”

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2020/02/15/805826702/nevada-voters-begin-early-caucusing-on-saturday-heres-what-you-need-to-know

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Chinese, Vatican foreign ministers hold rare high-level meeting – Al Jazeera English
Chinese, Vatican foreign ministers hold rare high-level meeting – Al Jazeera English

The foreign ministers of the Vatican and China have met on Friday in what is believed to be the highest-level official encounter between the two sides in decades.

The meeting between Archbishop Paul Gallagher and Wang Yi, previously unthinkable, took place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. The Vatican and China have not had diplomatic relations since the 1950s.

More:

“Today is the first meeting between the Chinese and Vatican foreign ministers,” Wang said, according to the People’s Daily newspaper.

“This is a continuation of the exchanges between China and the Vatican for a period of time. It will open up more space for future exchanges between the two sides,” he said.

They discussed the landmark September 2018 deal between Rome and Beijing, which gave the Vatican final say on the appointment of bishops, a matter that had long been contentious, a Vatican statement said.

It added that the two sides agreed to continue “institutional, bi-lateral dialogue” aimed at benefitting the Catholic Church and the Chinese people.

Improved relations

The People’s Republic of China broke off relations with the Vatican in 1951.

China’s roughly 12 million Catholics have for decades been split between a government-run association, whose clergy were chosen by the atheist Communist Party, and an unofficial underground church loyal to the Vatican.

Relations between the Vatican and Beijing have improved since the 2018 deal. 

However, some Catholics objected to the pact, accusing the Vatican of having sold out to the communist government.

The deal’s most outspoken critic has been Cardinal Joseph Zen, the former archbishop of Hong Kong. The Vatican says not pursuing a deal would have risked a schism.

Friday’s meeting was the latest in a series of signs of improving relations in recent weeks.

Last month, the pope praised what he called China’s “great commitment” to contain the coronavirus outbreak and later the Vatican’s charity arm sent hundreds of thousands of medical masks to China as a gesture of goodwill.

Many see the 2018 deal on the naming of bishops as a precursor to re-establishing diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Beijing after a rupture of nearly 70 years.

If they resume full relations, the Vatican would have to sever relations with Taiwan, which Beijing considers a wayward province. The Vatican is the only state in Europe to still recognise Taipei.

Source Article from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/chinese-vatican-foreign-ministers-hold-rare-high-level-meeting-200215075901121.html

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