Labs make vaccine progress, New methods offer safe testing, White House seeks $850b package, Former judge calls Supreme Court 'errand boy' + 'Use Your Seclusion'
NewsHero - March 17, 2020 - Issue 56
Welcome to today’s edition of NewsHero for March 17, 2020.
For the next two weeks our newsletter will be made fully accessible to all readers. We hope you’ll take advantage of the resources provided here as we all do our best to absorb the continually developing information on the coronavirus crisis. Also, we hope you enjoy our usual take on happenings from around the globe, and consider joining up with us in the near future.
At NewsHero we put the heroes in the headlines and give them the attention in our coverage that they deserve. Here you’ll find the same high priority news, but you’ll get it without clickbait and it won’t be driven by ad sales. You’ll also get it with the focus on those who are helping, not causing harm.
Our heroes are identified as follows:
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - the hero, hands down. - Meaning that it wasn’t even a close call.
🦸♀️🦸♀️ - the hero, but… - Meaning that in this situation the call needed to be looked at in a little more detail. For example, in this case, they did the right thing but there have been some questionable calls in the past.
🦸♀️ - the hero, but only here, and it was a close call. - Meaning that in this instance they did the right thing but it was either out of character or a maddeningly close call.
We love feedback. Whether it’s about our choice of hero or anything else, feel free to let us know what you think here.
As always, thank you for your support as we strive to grow as an independent news source so we can offer more for our readers.
Please share us with anyone you think might like what we do—or might need another perspective.
Wishing you health and safety!
NewsHero Notes
Robert Mueller - 🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️
Despite charges of interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, in an indictment secured by the special counsel, Robert Mueller, two Russian companies could have those charges dropped if the Justice Department has its way. The department said Monday that the companies were trying to weaponize the case more than fight it.
Reporters Without Borders - 🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️
A new project from Reporters Without Borders now uses Minecraft to share articles from censored journalists. The project takes the form of a massive virtual library, called the Uncensored Library, made from more than 12.5 million of the Lego-like blocks that Minecraft players use to build virtual worlds, according to Fast Company.
Afternoon Brief
Department of Health and Human Services - 🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️
The Department of Health and Human Services was the target of hackers trying to test the defenses of its computer systems over Sunday and Monday. Department officials said it was investigating a significant increase in activity on the department’s cyber-infrastructure, reported The New York Times.
The secretary of health and human services, Alex Azar, said on Monday that the attempt had been unsuccessful. “Fortunately we have extremely strong barriers,” Azar said. “We had no penetration into our networks. We had no degradation of the functioning of our networks. We had no limitation of our capacity for people to telework.”
U.S. Court of Appeals - 🦸♀️🦸♀️
The U.S. Court of Appeals will reconsider dismissing two lawsuits brought by House Democrats to enforce a congressional subpoena for President Trump’s former White House counsel Donald McGahn and to challenge funding for the president’s border wall.
According to The Washington Post, the court’s decision is a temporary victory for House Democrats regarding whether the judiciary has authority to resolve the separation-of-powers disputes between the White House and Congress. Following an April 28 hearing, any outcome will likely be appealed to the Supreme Court.
James Dannenberg - 🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️
An article from Slate included a letter from James Dannenberg, a retired Hawaii state judge, to Chief Justice John Roberts, in which Dannenberg resigns from the Supreme Court Bar. In the letter, Dannenberg says Roberts has allowed the Court to “become an ‘errand boy’ for an administration that has little respect for the rule of law.”
Dannenberg ends the letter with: “I no longer have respect for you or your majority, and I have little hope for change. I can’t vote you out of office because you have life tenure, but I can withdraw whatever insignificant support my Bar membership might seem to provide.”
Labs Make Vaccine Progress
Creative ways appear for safe, efficient virus testing
Medical staff waiting outside rooms at the Red Cross hospital in Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province. Chinese authorities on Saturday (March 7) released a list of 20 outstanding female medical workers as heroines for their role in the country’s fight against the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak ahead of International Women’s Day. - AFP
NewsHero is continuing to offer a compilation of stories and resources that best represent the current state of the coronavirus pandemic, centered on those individuals, institutions, and organizations stepping up to end this crisis as quickly and effectively as possible. The public, too, has a duty. This includes staying responsibly informed and taking the situation seriously, while remaining as cool-headed and as isolated as possible. These are strange and difficult times, but we will endure.
Dozens of companies and public labs around the world are working to develop a vaccine to prevent the spread of COVID-19, reports CNBC. Over the last 48 hours, three biotech companies, in particular, have been thrust into the spotlight for their promise: BioNTech, CureVac and Moderna.
A South Korean hospital has introduced phone booth-style coronavirus testing facilities that allow medical staff to examine patients from behind the safety of a plastic panel.
Drive-through testing for the coronavirus will be offered to patients on Cape Cod who have received doctors' orders, according to NBC Boston. Cape Cod Healthcare announced Monday afternoon that it had partnered with the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment to provide the service to patients who had met a set of criteria.
Workers in the ARUP Infectious Disease Laboratory, where COVID-19 testing takes place in Salt Lake City, pictured in this handout photo released Thursday, March 12, 2020. /ARUP/
Jayde Powell, a pre-med honor student at the University of Nevada, Reno, along with her group of “Shopping Angels” volunteers, are providing free grocery delivery to the sick and elderly. “As a pre-med student, I know that people who are older or people who have heart, lung or immune conditions are especially at risk for contracting the virus,” Powell told CNN.
As airlines respond to travel restrictions by canceling flights, grounding fleets, and closing terminals, Delta has announced it will be using a number of its passenger jets to beef up its cargo division. Other carriers are considering making similar moves.
Social media companies and their parent corporations issued a joint statement on their efforts to protect the public from misinformation. “We are working closely together on COVID-19 response efforts. We’re helping millions of people stay connected while also jointly combating fraud and misinformation about the virus, elevating authoritative content on our platforms, and sharing critical updates in coordination with government healthcare agencies around the world. We invite other companies to join us as we work to keep our communities healthy and safe,” the statement read.
The Trump administration, seeking a roughly $850 billion stimulus package, expressed support on Tuesday for sending direct cash payments to Americans in the next two weeks as part of a massive economic stimulus package that is taking shape in Washington, reported The Washington Post. “We’re looking at sending checks to Americans immediately,” Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Tuesday. “And I mean now, in the next two weeks.”
Eugene Cho, a former pastor of a Seattle church, responded to a tweet from Donald Trump in which the president referred to COVID-19 as “the Chinese virus.” In his reply, Cho said: “Mr. President: This is not acceptable. Calling it the "Chinese virus" only instigates blame, racism, and hatred against Asians - here and abroad. We need leadership that speaks clearly against racism; Leadership that brings the nation and world together. Not further divides.”
Vox offered up 11 charts that explain the coronavirus pandemic, an essential gathering of need-to-know stats.
We liked the latest from Seth Godin’s blog, which opens up with “For members of the public, staying at home and sheltering in place isn’t selfish, it’s generous. Social distancing helps keep the virus from infecting others at the same time that it flattens the curve of the spread of the pandemic, giving health facilities a chance to provide care over time.”
And on the notion of social distancing, the Corona Daily (which we highly recommend that you subscribe to) tweet of the day was a good one:
Extra! Extra!
Most of us are finding ourselves right now with lots of time at home. Many of us are wondering what to do with that time. The Washington Post recently pointed out: “During a pandemic, Isaac Newton had to work from home, too. He used the time wisely.”
Sure, in 1665, during the Great Plague of London, Newton, in his 20s, used his “social distancing” to further his mathematical work that would become early calculus, play with prisms spurring his theories on optics, and get hit on the head by an apple to encourage his understanding of gravity.
We saw a tweet yesterday that said something to the effect of: just because you’re a writer doesn’t mean you should feel like you have to use your time in isolation to write a novel. There can be a lot of pressure to use “free” time “wisely,” but these days all you really need to do with your time is try to ease any anxiety and look after yourself and one another.
A little self-care goes a long way. Hey, if you end up painting a masterpiece or re-vamping quantum mechanics, that’s cool. If you don’t, that’s cool too. Maybe you’ll get to read a little bit of a book you’ve been hoping to start or finally get to watch that film you’ve been wanting to see. That’s time well spent if you ask us.
Stay safe and healthy, friends.
Sources:
Justice Dept. Moves to Drop Charges Against Russian Firms Filed by Mueller - NY Times
Censored journalists are sharing articles in Minecraft - FastCompany
Hackers attacked a US health agency's computer system amid COVID-19 - Business Insider
Hackers target US health agency during coronavirus crisis - CNET
Hackers Attack Health and Human Services Computer System - NY Times
Full DC federal appeals court to hear McGahn and border wall cases in major separation-of-powers showdown - CNN
Full appeals court to hear McGahn, border wall cases - Politico
Full appeals court to rehear Donald McGahn subpoena and Trump border wall cases - Washington Post
Former Judge Resigns From the Supreme Court Bar - Slate
Brian Fallon: Roberts Court is Facing a Crisis of Legitimacy - YubaNet
Judge Calls Out John Roberts, Likens Supreme Court To Trump Administration’s ‘Errand Boy’ - Above the Law
Covid-19 - 17/03/20 "We are at war" - Corona Daily
Facebook, Reddit, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube issue joint statement on misinformation - TechCrunch
11 charts that explain the coronavirus pandemic - Vox
Mnuchin to pitch Senate GOP on third coronavirus package Tuesday - The Hill
Evangelical leader denounces Trump for calling coronavirus the ‘Chinese virus’ - Washington Post
White House expresses support for making immediate cash payments to Americans as part of coronavirus stimulus package - Washington Post
Romney proposes $1,000 handout for U.S. adults in coronavirus stimulus - Washington Times
South Korean hospital opens 'telephone booth' coronavirus testing facility - CDC
Coronavirus: South Korea dials up testing with hospital 'phone booth' - AFP
Public Health - Seth’s Blog
Airlines Use Empty Passenger Jets to Ease the Cargo Crunch - Wired
This student created a network of 'shopping angels' to help the elderly get groceries during the coronavirus pandemic - CNN
Hopes of a coronavirus vaccine mount as three key biotech players make progress - CNBC
Drive-Through Coronavirus Testing to Be Offered on Cape Cod - NBC Boston
Utah COVID-19 testing ramping up, but medical supplies and worker safety are concerns locally and nationally - DeseretNews
During a pandemic, Isaac Newton had to work from home, too. He used the time wisely. - Washington Post