Big Time News Blog: 04/20/20

Monday, April 20, 2020

Yahoo News/YouGov coronavirus poll: Most Americans reject anti-lockdown protests

An overwhelming majority of Americans, Republicans included, are rejecting right-wing protests — encouraged by President Trump — to immediately “reopen” the country in the midst of the world’s largest and deadliest coronavirus outbreak, according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll.

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'Don't shoot him no more!' California police face backlash over killing of man in Walmart

Steven Taylor was experiencing mental health crisis when he wielded a baseball bat inside San Leandro store, family lawyer saysThe police shooting of a 33-year-old man in a California Walmart over the weekend has led to intense backlash from civil rights activists, calls for protests and a Facebook video from the local police chief to “dispel some rumors” about the incident.Police in San Leandro in the Bay Area shot Steven Taylor on Saturday afternoon after he wielded a baseball bat inside a local Walmart. A video shot by a bystander captured two officers pointing their weapons at Taylor holding a bat near the doors on the Walmart floor.The footage appears to show one of the officers deploying a Taser after Taylor had dropped the bat on the floor and was lying on the ground. One witness is heard shouting, “Don’t shoot him no more!” Police said one of the officers hit Taylor with a bullet in the upper torso, and the officers tried to use their Tasers multiple times during the confrontation.Lee Merritt, an attorney for Taylor’s family, said Taylor was going through a mental health crisis on Saturday afternoon, and that he has previously suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar depression. “He was shot after he had become completely helpless and no longer represented a threat,” Merritt told the Guardian on Monday.Merritt said he wasn’t sure yet whether police shot Taylor with a Taser or bullet after he was already down, and that an autopsy was now underway.Merritt also alleged that the officers provided insufficient care once Taylor was shot. “Their job, according to standard operating procedures, was to get Mr Taylor help. He had been seriously wounded and was suffering from a mental health crisis. They had to treat him quickly. They did the opposite and exacerbated his injuries,” Merritt said.The San Leandro police department said Taylor had not complied with officers’ commands to drop the bat and had walked toward police. At this point, one officer discharged his Taser “which was not effective”, according to the department. Then, police said, the officer fired his gun at Taylor, hitting him in the “front of his upper body”. Seconds later, another officer discharged his Taser at the man, according to the department. Taylor died at the scene.Taylor’s family is calling for charges against the officers. Merritt, who represents families of those killed by police in federal litigation, said the officers should face homicide charges for targeting Taylor after the threat was “neutralized”. He said police should have de-escalated by clearing the Walmart, surrounding Taylor and trying to talk him down, instead of quickly using lethal force.The San Leandro police chief, Jeff Tudor, said in an interview that the “pop” heard on the video after Taylor was already on the ground came from a Taser, and that it was too early to speculate whether that shot had hit Taylor or whether it was justified and in line with department policy. One officer was initially “trying to deescalate the situation and grab the bat”, Tudor said, adding, “It’s very tragic.”On Sunday, Tudor publicly acknowledged that the shooting had upset many. “Our community is hurting right now,” Tudor said in a Facebook video. “But protecting the sanctity of life is extremely important. I know there are a lot of questions and concerns.”Few details have emerged about Taylor since he was killed. Merritt said Taylor had three children, including an 11-year-old, and that he leaves behind three siblings. “I hope they don’t see their father executed like that,” Merritt said.He added that Taylor “was best known for trying to make people laugh”. The fatal shooting happened just south of Oakland, in a region where residents for years have organized Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality and police shootings.Last year, California adopted the strictest law in the US limiting when police can kill, dictating that law enforcement must “reasonably believe … deadly force is necessary to defend against an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury”. Typically, courts across the US have long ruled that shootings are justified if officers claimed they feared for their lives and were acting in self defense, a bar that advocates have said was too low and allowed police to kill civilians with impunity, particularly unarmed black Americans.

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Merkel issues stark warning as Germany begins opening up

Chancellor Angela Merkel urged discipline in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, warning that Germany is not "out of the woods" even as the country took small steps in easing curbs imposed to slow contagion. With small shops opening on Monday for the first time in a month, Merkel said the authorities can only allow such small cautious steps each time to avoid a devastating relapse. "We must not lose sight of the fact that we stand at the beginning of the pandemic and are still a long way from being out of the woods," she told journalists after chairing a cabinet session on the coronavirus battle.

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Italy's coronavirus death toll edges up, new cases fall sharply

Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy rose by 454 on Monday, slightly up on Sunday's tally, while the number of new cases dropped to 2,256, the lowest level in well over a month, the Civil Protection Agency said. The total death toll stood at 24,114, the second highest in the world after that of the United States, while the number of confirmed cases, which includes those who have fully recovered and those who have died of the disease, was 181,228. "The death toll is the only parameter that is moving in the wrong direction."

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A Basement Jam Session as an Evangelistic Tool for Christ? One Pastor is Doing It to Reach the Unchurched

One megachurch pastor is heading to his basement to throw a music bash to spread the gospel. He calls his radical party approach -- complete with a secular DJ and dancing -- the next level of evangelism to reach the lost.

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GOP gov: Trump’s ‘LIBERATE’ tweets about coronavirus lockdowns aren’t helpful

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said that Trump contradicting his own federal guidelines just didn't "make any sense."

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Supreme Court Rules Juries Must Convict by Unanimous Consent in Criminal Trials

The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that defendants in criminal trials must be convicted by unanimous consent of the jury, outlawing a practice that has already been prohibited in all states except Oregon.The 6-3 ruling in the case, Ramos v Louisiana, was delivered with an unusual alignment in which conservative Justices Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas, and Brett Kavanaugh joined with Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, and Sonia Sotomayor for the majority opinion. Justices Samuel Alito, Elena Kagan, and John Roberts dissented."Wherever we might look to determine what the term 'trial by an impartial jury trial' meant at the time of the Sixth Amendment’s adoption—whether it’s the common law, state practices in the founding era, or opinions and treatises written soon afterward—the answer is unmistakable," Gorsuch wrote in an opinion for the majority. "A jury must reach a unanimous verdict in order to convict."While unanimous verdicts had previously been required for convictions in federal trials, most states have banned convictions by supermajority of a jury. The ruling applies a unanimous-conviction requirement in the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution to state law. Currently, Oregon is the only state which allows conviction of criminal defendants even if up to two jurors dissent. Louisiana outlawed the practice in 2019.The current Supreme Court case was brought by Evangelisto Ramos, who was convicted of murder in Louisiana court in 2016 by a 10-2 jury verdict. The Supreme Court's case could allow Ramos to receive a new trial.

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Officer killed, two injured in Texas 'ambush'

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the violence was "a somber reminder of the service and sacrifice our brave men and women in law enforcement make everyday."

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Experts: Coronavirus brings spike in anti-Semitic sentiments

Israeli researchers reported Monday that the global coronavirus outbreak has sparked a rise in anti-Semitic expression blaming Jews for the spread of the disease and the economic recession it has caused. The findings, which came in an annual report by Tel Aviv University researchers on anti-Semitism, show an 18% spike in attacks against Jews last year. “Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant rise in accusations that Jews, as individuals and as a collective, are behind the spread of the virus or are directly profiting from it,” said Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress, an umbrella group representing Jewish communities across the continent.

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How many people have had coronavirus with no symptoms?

More mild or asymptomatic cases means the death rate may be lower than initially feared.

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Treasury secretary Mnuchin predicts US economy will rebound in months and not years: 'We are going to have terrific breakthroughs'

Mnuchin said advances in testing and treatments for COVID-19 will play a key role in the economy's reopening.

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Europe’s Call-to-Arms Moment May Disappoint Investors. Again

(Bloomberg) -- A video call between European Union leaders on Thursday may fall short of giving investors clarity over how the bloc will finance economic recovery efforts, risking a prolongation of the paralysis that has pushed borrowing costs higher across peripheral euro-area countries.EU institutions are focusing on a proposal to boost the bloc’s joint budget, largely shunning demands by Italy and Spain for joint debt issuance to share the costs of cushioning a pandemic-induced recession. The plan being prepared would instead see the European Commission use its massive budget to borrow from financial markets and then channel cheap loans to the worst-hit nations, according to two diplomats briefed on the ongoing preparations.The bulk of the leverage created in the so-called recovery instrument of the new EU budget would take place over the next two years and the loans would be repaid after 2027, according to one of the diplomats, who asked not to be named as negotiations are ongoing. Even though the use of the budget is a more palatable solution to countries such as Germany and the Netherlands, the plans have so far failed to sway Southern nations, which demand more solidarity and concessions from their richer peers.Europe is entering what is projected to be the steepest recession in living memory, while the timing of recovery depends on factors largely outside the control of policymakers, such as the availability of a vaccine or an antiviral cure for the lethal coronavirus. The drop in economic output and the massive funds needed to keep businesses and households afloat has investors doubting whether highly indebted European countries can foot the bill.Bonds FallItalian bonds tumbled on Monday, with yields on 10-year notes rising by 15 basis points to 1.95%. That’s more than double the borrowing costs from mid-February, as a package of economic measures adopted so far by EU finance ministers has left loose ends to be sorted out and is seen by many economists as insufficient.One of the officials familiar with the matter said that Thursday’s video call between leaders will have to be followed by others until a concrete solution is reached. Failure to come up with a convincing plan would put more pressure on the European Central Bank to boost its bond purchases to keep spreads between German and peripheral yields widening.The plan to be presented on Thursday by EU institutions revolves around four pillars, according to the officials briefed: mobilizing massive investment, repairing the bloc’s single market after border closures, supply chain breakdowns and export restrictions disrupted the flow of goods, global action to fight the pandemic, and better communication between Brussels and national capitals.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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Photos show counter-protesters dressed in scrubs blocking lockdown demonstration in Colorado

Photos show counter-protesters donned in teal scrubs and standing in front of motorists lined up for several blocks leading to the Capitol building.

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Mexico can't stop drug cartels from handing out virus aid

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China may be keeping coronavirus data for commercial gain: Trump adviser

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New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey have reopened marinas and boatyards as Gov. Cuomo reports coronavirus may have passed its peak

The three states reopened their waterfront areas with social distancing guidelines as New York Gov. Cuomo announced that COVID-19 may have peaked.

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Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps says its handheld device can detect coronavirus, scientists scoff

Iranian scientists have rejected the claim and other government officials have distanced themselves.

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German Virus Cases Rise by Least in Four Days Before Curbs Eased

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WHO officials were sharing information with CDC since start of coronavirus outbreak, report says

The Trump administration said the fact that CDC researchers were working with the WHO does not undercut the president's criticisms of the U.N. agency.

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Taiwan virus cases jump after ship visit, Palau says not the source

Taiwan reported 22 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, almost all of them sailors who were on a navy visit to the small Pacific islands state of Palau, which said there was "little chance" it was the source of the infection. Taiwan's government on Sunday said 700 navy personnel were being quarantined and tested and there were 24 positive cases altogether. Of those, three cadets had been to Palau, one of only 15 countries to maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and one of the last states in the world yet to report a coronavirus outbreak.

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