The New York Times reports on the concern and consternation many people feel around the world as the 2020 presidential election enters its final weeks.
Launch
Russia working to damage Joe Biden’s White House bid, U.S. intelligence agencies say
“The disclosure is the most detailed yet from U.S. intelligence agencies about foreign efforts to interfere in the 2020 election between presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden and President Trump,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Launch
The consequences of denying reality
Brazil, 1904: “Senator Rui Barbosa, pigeon-chested and smooth-tongued orator, attacks vaccination using judicial weapons flowery with adjectives. In the name of liberty Rui Barbosa defends the right of every individual to be contaminated if he so desires. Torrential applause, thunderous ovations interrupt him from phrase to phrase.”
Launch
Carnival executives knew they had a virus problem, but kept the party going
“More than 1,500 people on the company’s cruise ships have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and dozens have died,” a report from Bloomberg says. How did this happen? Austin Carr and Chris Palmeri explain.
Launch
Ed Yong: How the coronavirus pandemic will end
“A global pandemic of this scale was inevitable. In recent years, hundreds of health experts have written books, white papers, and op-eds warning of the possibility.”
Launch
Tokyo Olympics seem sure to happen — but in 2021, not 2020
“What better platform is there going to be than the Olympic Games when the world has pulled through the virus… You’ve got a dynamic that will be even more powerful for Japan and the rest of the world. But you are going to have a tough road getting there.”
Launch
The world’s fastest supercomputer identified chemicals that could stop coronavirus from spreading, a crucial step toward a treatment
“The novel coronavirus presents an unprecedented challenge for scientists: The speed at which the virus spreads means they must accelerate their research. But this is what the world’s fastest supercomputer was built for.” CNN explains.
Launch
Rethinking and reframing: Let’s aim for physical rather than social distancing
“Isolation can be toxic. Let’s increase physical distance, but stay connected,: writes Dr. Kenneth E. Miller.
Launch
Trump’s incompetence results in federal agencies waiting for orders as pandemic rapidly worsens
Unlike several years ago, when President Barack Obama ordered the Department of Defense to mobilize to respond to the ebola outbreak, Donald Trump has failed to involve the military in the United States’ response to the rapidly worsening coronavirus pandemic.
Launch
“It will go away”: A timeline of Trump playing down the coronavirus threat
“Trump gambled very early and very often on the idea that the coronavirus wouldn’t turn out to be nearly as severe as some health officials have warned it could get,” Aaron Blake writes.
Launch
Archdiocese of Seattle suspends liturgies, tells region’s Catholics: Don’t come to church
“I am going to ask that all of our parishes in western Washington, in the Archdiocese of Seattle, effective today, suspend the celebration publicly of the Eucharist,” Archbishop Etienne said.
Launch
For Trump, coronavirus proves to be an enemy he can’t tweet away
“A president who is at his strongest politically when he has a human target to attack has found it harder to confront a growing outbreak that has rattled the country,” The New York Times assesses.
Launch
Governor Jay Inslee appears on CBS’ Face the Nation to talk about coronavirus response with Margaret Brennan
Read a transcript of Governor Jay Inslee’s appearance on one of the nation’s major Sunday morning talk shows.
Launch
Looking at how diseases spread, canceling SXSW was the right call
“No doubt canceling SXSW was a tough call for the city,” data scientist Spencer Fox writes. “But public health concerns must take priority.”
Launch
Inside China’s all-out war on the novel coronavirus
Via The New York Times: “Dr. Bruce Aylward, of the World Health Organization got a rare glimpse into Beijing’s campaign to stop the epidemic. Here’s what he saw.”
Launch
John Oliver tackles coronavirus myths and scams on Last Week Tonight
As coronavirus spreads to the United States, John Oliver discusses what’s being done to fight the illness, what’s gone wrong, and how to stay safe.
Launch
Your pricey outdoor gear may have been made in factories where workers are abused
“Allegations of abuse have surfaced at a Bangladeshi factory whose multinational owner manufactures for some of the most popular outdoor brands we love. Here’s why that should surprise no one,” Joe Lindsey writes.
Launch
As Australia burns, its right wing prime minister Scott Morrison refuses to act on climate
The United States isn’t the only prominent democracy with a fossil fuel loving chief executive who refuses to act on climate. Australia’s current prime minister is an ignoramus who has no solutions to offer as the country chokes on horrific smoke from devastating brushfires.
Launch
Progress *is* possible: Major cruise line to abandon plastic water bottles
Norweigan Cruise Line is phasing out plastic water bottles and switching to lower impact containers made by Just Water.
Launch
Former U.K. Tory Prime Minister John Major offers a harsh assessment of Boris Johnson
Major made the remarks to an audience at the CBI annual dinner.
Launch
Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom? Nah! Try Prime Spectator!
If you aren’t paying attention to what’s happening on the other side of the Atlantic, you should tune in. British politics has entered a moment of incredibly high drama.
Launch