A Doctor’s Warning Leads To Punishment. Closing Arguments and More Ukraine Emails Being Withheld + Honoring an LGBTQ Icon and more...
NewsHero - Feb 2, 2020 - Issue 25
Welcome to today’s edition of NewsHero for Monday, February 3, 2020.
We hope you’ve been liking the new daily version of our newsletter. We’ve been liking putting each one together, discussing in editorial meetings what to include and how to deliver it (and just who the hero of the story might be).
We’ve opted to stick with a consistent layout: two quick mentions called NewsHero Notes, followed by three items for our Afternoon Brief. Next, there’s one story that we go a wee bit deeper with, then the Extra! Extra! we end with, which serves as an editorial space where sometimes we have a bit of fun.
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Marsha P. Johnson, a pioneering transgender activist, will be depicted in a monument honoring her work in the gay rights movement.Credit. Diana Davies/New York Public Library
NewsHero Notes
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced during a speech at a Human Rights Campaign gala that a state park in Brooklyn will be renamed after Marsha P. Johnson, a transgender woman of color who fought for LGBTQ rights.
The Iowa presidential caucuses begin tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern time at more than 1,600 sites across the state. Seven Democratic candidates are building competitive efforts in Iowa for the 2020 election. The New York Times will be providing live results and political analysis.
Afternoon Brief
Impeachment arguments
House impeachment managers and Donald Trump’s legal team are delivering closing arguments in their last chance to convince senators ahead of Wednesday’s vote to convict or acquit the president. The Senate is expected to acquit Trump but there is uncertainty over the margin of the vote, and whether any senators will cross party lines.
Ukraine emails
And…just as the Senate seems ready to acquit the president, the Justice Department revealed in a court filing that two dozen withheld emails could reveal Trump’s thinking on the freezing of Ukraine aid. A report from CNN notes: “The filing, released near midnight Friday, marks the first official acknowledgment from the Trump administration that emails about the President’s thinking related to the aid exist, and that he was directly involved in asking about and deciding on the aid as early as June. The administration is still blocking those emails from the public and has successfully kept them from Congress.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement: “Every single Republican Senator voted to endorse the White House cover-up of these potentially important truth-revealing emails. Make no mistake, the full truth will eventually come out and Republicans will have to answer for why they were so determined to enable the president to hide it.”
Law Enforcement
The British government said Monday it plans to stop people convicted of terror crimes being released after serving half their sentences. Two people were stabbed by a known Islamist attacker in south London on Sunday. “Yesterday’s appalling incident makes the case plainly for immediate action,” Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said. “We will therefore introduce emergency legislation to put an end to terrorist offenders getting released automatically having served half of their sentence with no check or review.”
Doctors Who Warned Of Virus Punished For ‘Misinforming’ Public
China opens new hospital built in ten days
A doctor in Wuhan who was one of the eight whistleblowers police reprimanded in early January for “spreading rumors” about a mysterious pneumonia has become infected with the #coronavirus that causes it. - Twitter @davidpaulk
Before the coronavirus began to spread to the numbers we’re seeing today, a group of doctors and medical technicians last December addressed concerns in an online forum that SARS may be making a return after they saw several cases of specific respiratory breakdown. Not long after that, the individuals were detained for “misinforming” the public. Wuhan police said on Jan. 1 they had “taken legal measures” against the eight individuals who had “spread rumors.”
Li Wenliang, a doctor who was among the eight people who tried to send the warning, has been diagnosed as infected with the coronavirus and is being treated at a hospital.
Medical staffers treat patients at Jinyintan hospital in Wuhan, China. EPA
A new hospital built in just 10 days to handle the epidemic in Wuhan, China, opened on Monday. The Huoshenshan Hospital, located on the outskirts of Wuhan, was built specifically to handle patients infected with the coronavirus. The hospital has 1,000 beds and covers 645,000 square feet, according to Chinese state media. The new facility comes at a time when additional services are much needed. “The lack of hospital rooms forced sick people to return home, which is extremely dangerous,” Chinese epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan told CCTV. “So having additional (beds) available is a great improvement.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping said, “we have launched a people’s war of prevention of the epidemic.”
Extra! Extra!
Did Stephen King get Carrie-d away? No. In a Shining example of taking a Stand for one’s principles, the famous author announced he’s leaving Facebook. “I'm quitting Facebook. Not comfortable with the flood of false information that's allowed in its political advertising, nor am I confident in its ability to protect its users' privacy,” King said in a tweet. His account has now been deleted. Let’s face It, neglecting privacy and having no regulations (oh yeah—The Regulators) on disinformation make up the real horror story here.
Sources:
Brooklyn park to be renamed after trans activist Marsha P. Johnson - NBC News
Iowa Caucus 2020: What to Watch For and When to Expect Results - New York Times
Graham and Biden's falling out, closing arguments and other news from today’s trial - Politico
Impeachment closing arguments: Dems claim 'duty demands' a conviction, as Trump team decries ‘rush to judgment’ - Fox News
Schiff quotes late Elijah Cummings in closing argument - CNN
Justice Dept acknowledges hidden emails on Trump’s Ukraine scheme - MSNBC
Justice Department acknowledges 24 emails reveal Trump’s thinking on Ukraine - Washington Post
Trump administration reveals it's blocking dozens of emails about Ukraine aid freeze, including President's role - CNN
UK to announce new rules for militants after street stabbing - AP News
UK will crack down on terror conviction rules - Reuters
UK to end early release of terror convicts after stabbings - Washington Times
Praise for Chinese doctors who coronavirus blew whistle - The Australian
China Arrested Doctors Who Warned About Coronavirus Outbreak. Now Death Toll’s Rising, Stocks Are Plunging. - The Daily Beast
China's coronavirus hospital built in 10 days opens its doors, state media says - NBC News
China opens virus hospital, market plunges as toll grows - AP News
As New Coronavirus Spread, China’s Old Habits Delayed Fight - New York Times
Coronavirus whistleblower punished for 'spreading rumors' now infected with disease - Washington Examiner
Stephen King quits Facebook over concerns of 'false information’ - CNN