What about us? Russia's coronavirus supplies to United States spark criticism at home - Reuters

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian medical equipment delivery to the United States to help fight the coronavirus drew anger from critics of the Kremlin on Thursday who pointed out that Russia was itself experiencing severe shortages of such items.

FILE PHOTO: A Russian military transport plane carrying medical equipment, masks and supplies lands at JFK International Airport during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City, New York, U.S., April 1, 2020. REUTERS/Stefan Jeremiah/File Photo

A Russian military plane carrying protective gear and ventilators landed in New York City on Wednesday. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow had paid half the cost with the other half picked up by Washington.

Critics of President Vladimir Putin said the delivery was a publicity stunt that squandered precious medical resources which Russia’s regions are lacking.

“Russia has actually sold the United States masks and medical equipment when doctors and nurses across the country are left without masks and are infecting one another,” prominent opposition politician Alexei Navalny wrote on Twitter.

“It’s monstrous. Putin is crazy.”

The Kremlin has cast the move as a goodwill gesture at a time when it says all nations need to unite to take on coronavirus and said it hopes Russia might be able to access U.S. medical equipment in future if necessary.

“There is always criticism like this”, Interfax news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.

Russia has so far recorded 3,548 coronavirus infections in 76 of its more than 80 regions. Thirty people have died across the country, authorities say.

The Health Ministry said on Wednesday it was pleased with Russian regions’ readiness to tackle the virus. But some say they are experiencing shortages of the most basic equipment.

Doctors at a hospital in the Moscow region told the Novaya Gazeta newspaper they had been asked to sew their own masks, while state television in Bashkortorstan, a region about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) east of Moscow, last month showed viewers how to make their own masks because pharmacies had run out.

The Alliance of Doctors, a trade union for medical workers which is often critical of the authorities, said it had been collecting money across Russia to buy protective gear for doctors and was distraught to see the country now shipping the same equipment to the United States.

“It’s just making a mockery of everything,” the trade union wrote on Twitter.

Another Russian Twitter user pointed out that while ventilators had landed in New York, similar shipments were not reaching needy Russian cities such as Saratov and Voronezh.

Russia’s Health Ministry said on Thursday that the country had enough ventilators to meet its current needs and that hospitals would receive another 8,000 by the end of May.

Russia’s delivery has angered some people in the United States too. Former U.S. diplomat Brett McGurk was among those criticising President Donald Trump for serving up what he called “a propaganda bonanza” to Putin.

Moscow has also flown several flights carrying medical supplies to Italy, which has recorded more than 13,000 dead. Several European Union and NATO officials characterised the aid as a geopolitical move to extend Russian influence in Europe.

Reporting by Andrew Osborn and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; editing by Philippa Fletcher

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2020-04-02 13:12:06Z
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Coronavirus measure in Japan of 2 masks per home taken as April Fool's joke, mocked as 'Abenomask' - Fox News

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The newest measure to contain the growing number of coronavirus cases in Japan quickly backfired after the plan was slammed on social media and many thought it was an April Fool's Joke.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced late Wednesday that the Japanese government would deliver two old-fashioned gauze masks per household in the nation of about 126.5 million to tackle the rising number of COVID-19 infections.

“Today I’m wearing one too, and this cloth mask is not disposable,” he said, unveiling the plan at a government task force meeting.

TOKYO'S INFECTION SPIKE AFTER OLYMPIC DELAY SPARKS QUESTIONS

The prime minister said the masks will be sent by mail to all of Japan’s more than 50 million households, starting from areas with escalating infections, including Tokyo and Osaka.

Abe added that the gauze masks are washable and reusable.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's pledge to deliver just two old-fashioned gauze masks per household as a latest coronavirus measure has backfired and many people even thought it was an April Fool's Joke. (Yoshitaka Sugawara/Kyodo News via AP)

“You can use soap to wash and reuse them, so this should be a good response to the sudden, huge demand for masks,” he said.

The announcement came the day after a government expert panel warned that Japan's health care system may collapse if the number of coronavirus cases continues to grow, according to the Japan Times. Economics Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said Wednesday that infectious disease experts were particularly concerned about a crisis in Tokyo.

"We must prevent infections from spreading further no matter what. We have come to the edge of edges, to the very brink," he told reporters.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, and Financial Minister Taro Aso, wear face masks as a safety precaution against the new coronavirus attend a session of the parliament's upper house in Tokyo Wednesday. (Toshiyuki Matsumoto/Kyodo News via AP)

The prime minister repeated that Japan was “barely holding the line” in its battle against the virus and that the number of infections is on the brink of turning explosive.

Still, the two-mask-per-household plan quickly proved unpopular. Some mocked it on Twitter and other social media by calling it “Abenomask,” or “Abe’s mask,” a play on his economic and financial policy of “Abenomics," according to the Associated Press.

Many memes also emerged on social media showing how two masks could work in each household.

“Is the Japanese government for real? This is a total waste of tax money,” one user with the handle Usube wrote, according to Reuters.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

The Japanese prime minister has faced criticism for his response to the  pandemic. Some alleged the government manipulated numbers by limiting tests, or combined COVID-19 deaths with other pneumonia fatalities before the Summer Olympics were canceled. Abe denied that.

Japan's strategy so far has been to focus on clusters and to trace infection routes rather than testing everyone

Abe's government has enacted a special law and convened a task force to pave the way for Abe’s possible state of emergency declaration due to the virus.

In a country where surgical masks are household items as protection for pollen allergies, common colds or any facial issue, masks have been out of stock for weeks, and stocks were low at medical institutions.

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As of Thursday, there were at least 951,901 positive cases of COVID-19 and at least 48,284 deaths worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of infections in Japan has reached at least 2,384 with at least 57 deaths.

Fox News' Hollie McKay and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2020-04-02 13:07:25Z
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Japanese Prime Minister's coronavirus mask plan criticized as insufficient as emergency looms - CNN

The number of confirmed cases of the virus has spiked in recent weeks, after it appeared that Japan's initial response had got the virus relatively under control. As of Wednesday, there were more than 2,300 cases across Japan, and 57 deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.

That spike has seen a raft of new restrictions put in place in Tokyo and other major cities, and a run on protective gear, including face masks. On Wednesday, Abe said the provision of cloth masks to the worst hit areas "will be helpful in responding to the rapidly increasing demand."

But Abe's proposal to send two masks to each household attracted outrage and mockery online Wednesday, with the hashtag "Abe's mask" and "screw your two masks" trending on Twitter.

Many felt the move was lackluster and would not go into effect fast enough to have a chance at curbing the spread of the virus, with masks not due to be distributed until the end of the month. Others dubbed the policy "Abenomask policy" as satirical memes showing well-known cartoon characters sharing one mask between four family members popped up online.

The anger comes as Abe resisted calls Wednesday to declare a state of emergency, saying that use of such powers was not imminent.

A declaration of a state of emergency would allow prefectural governors to send out a stronger message when it comes to urging the public to stay at home, but the measures will not be legally binding.

Last week, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike urged residents in the city of roughly 13.5 million to telework where possible and avoid bars, restaurants and public gatherings up until April 12. Tokyo has now extended the closure of schools and public facilities like zoos and museums up until May 6.

Koike on Tuesday called on Abe to issue the national emergency declaration, after the capital recorded 78 new cases, its highest single-day jump so far.

Explosive surge

Abe said the government would prioritize distributing masks to around 50 million households in areas where coronavirus infections have been spiking. The distribution will kick off later this month and each household with a registered postal address will receive the masks through the post, part of a wider coronavirus economic package that the government is rolling out.

Over the past week, Japan has scrambled to avert an explosive surge in infections. While the current tally stands at around 2,300 cases, Japan -- a country of over 127 million people -- has only tested just over 30,000, compared with 394,000 tests carried out in neighboring South Korea, which has a population of just over 51 million.

The apparently low infection rate has created what many experts fear is a false sense of security, with people still going out in public, some not wearing masks, to see cherry blossoms, a traditional spring pastime.

On Wednesday, medical experts warned that Japan's healthcare system would not be able to bear the strain if coronavirus infections continued to spread.

A government panel warned that though Japan has not seen an explosive increase in infections so far, hospitals and medical clinics in Tokyo, Aichi, Kanagawa, Osaka and Hyogo were increasingly stretched and that "drastic countermeasures need to be taken as quickly as possible."

Economic repercussions are also a concern. Earlier this week, Japan's ruling party pledged to secure a 60 trillion yen ($556 billion) stimulus package to cushion an economy already hit by the postponement of the Olympics and coronavirus pandemic.

DIY masks amid shortages

While Abe's cloth mask proposal was met with anger, Japan isn't the only place mulling the use of improvised facial wear, amid widespread shortages in proper protective gear.

Mask use has been widespread in Asia since the beginning of the pandemic, but shortages and conflicting advice in many western countries has caused many people to go without, despite widespread evidence that masks help protect against the spread of the virus.

Cloth masks are not as effective as surgical masks or respirators, but they do offer limited protection and are easier to produce.

Across the US, people have been stepping up to create homemade masks for health care workers and other high risk populations amid widespread shortages and complaints from hospitals that they are not receiving supplies fast enough.

In March, US retailer JOANN Fabrics and Craft Stores released a video tutorial on how to make face masks. The retailer encouraged people to drop them off at store locations, where they will be donated to local hospitals.

But with a dwindling supply of N95 respirators and a surge in virus cases, healthcare facilities are bracing for the worst, and Japan may not be the last country to distribute cloth masks to its citizens.

CNN's Harmeet Kaur contributed to this report.

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2020-04-02 12:54:52Z
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5 things to know for April 2: Coronavirus, health, guns, NASA, Daniel Pearl - CNN

Here's what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

(You can also get "5 Things You Need to Know Today" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)

1. Coronavirus 

The global tally of coronavirus cases is inching ever closer to the grim 1 million mark. In the US, more than 40 spring breakers have tested positive for the virus after taking a flight from Austin, Texas, to Mexico in defiance of public health advice. In Uganda, members of a world-renowned children's choir have fallen ill after returning from the UK two weeks ago. Some countries have taken drastic measures to curb the social spread of the disease. Panama has resorted to separating genders, allowing women and men to run errands in public on alternating days. In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte has warned that people who are "unruly" or who break quarantine may be shot by police. In South Asia, experts worry coronavirus protection measures may provide an opportunity for organized crime to surge in the region. More than 939,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported worldwide, and over 47,000 people have died. Follow updates here. 

2. Health 

Not enough equipment, not enough tests: That's the reality facing American health care workers. The Trump administration says it will no longer ship personal protective equipment to allies overseas while there is such a critical shortage at home. Officials at the Strategic National Stockpile have shipped out the last rounds of its inventory, depleting the bulk of protective gear long before need across the country is met. The White House coronavirus task force may also soon recommend the public wear masks, since it appears countries in Asia where the practice is common are seeing lower infection rates and faster containment. As for tests, one of the nation's largest commercial labs faces a backlog of about 160,000 coronavirus tests, delaying results by up to 10 days. 

It's not just toilet paper people are rushing to buy. The FBI reported 3.7 million gun purchase background checks in the month of March, a 41% surge that indicates more and more people are trying to buy guns. Updated guidance from the federal government has designated firearm and ammunition retailers as essential services, which means they can stay open despite a growing number of states issuing stay-at-home orders. The decision is a victory for Second Amendment rights groups, some of which had already filed lawsuits in places where gun retailers weren't exempted in stay-at-home orders.

For the first time since the final space shuttle mission in 2011, NASA says astronauts will launch into space aboard an American rocket and spacecraft from American soil. The agency is partnering with SpaceX for a manned SpaceX Demo-2 flight test in May from Kennedy Space Center. Of course, this launch date could be postponed depending on the state of the coronavirus crisis. This is a big step for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. By facilitating commercial spaceflights, the agency says it's providing another way for astronauts to get to and from the International Space Station. And it looks like a lot of people are interested in blasting off: More than 12,000 people applied to be part of NASA's next class of astronauts. 

5. Daniel Pearl

A local court in Pakistan has overturned the death sentence and murder convictions of four men believed to be involved in the 2002 killing of American journalist Daniel Pearl. All had been in prison for 18 years. Three were handed life sentences, and a fourth, Ahmad Omar Saeed Sheikh, was awaiting execution. The high court in Pakistan's southern province of Sindh vacated Sheikh's murder conviction and reduced his sentence to a shorter prison term for kidnapping. Pearl was working as the South Asia bureau chief of the Wall Street Journal when he was kidnapped by militants in Pakistan and later murdered. His death shook the international community and sowed dread regarding the rise of radical Islamist terrorism. 

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Dolly Parton donates $1.1 million to coronavirus research 

And weeee will always love her. 

JK Rowling launches 'Harry Potter at Home' hub for bored children 

When all else fails, escape to Hogwarts! 

Nature documentaries are offering an escape for cooped-up viewers

"Oh right, that's what the outside looks like again!"

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is still working out at the Supreme Court gym 

In other news, the Supreme Court has a gym.

Instead of laying people off, Kansas City's WWI museum is giving employees thousands of pages of archives to digitize from home 

Now, that's some creative thinking. 

TODAY'S NUMBER

That's the number of Marriott International customers who may have been affected by a data breach. The company says it was the target of a hack between mid-January and February of this year.

TODAY'S QUOTE

"What are you waiting for? What more evidence do you need?"

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, questioning other states' leaders who haven't yet issued stay-at-home orders to combat coronavirus spread. As of this morning, all but 11 states have issued sweeping orders for residents to avoid going out in public.

TODAY'S WEATHER

AND FINALLY

How hamsters fit so much food in their cheeks 

Fitting the food in their mouths is one thing. Fitting their mouths elsewhere is ... another. (Click here to view.) 

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2020-04-02 11:14:46Z
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Spain reports 950 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours - Al Jazeera English

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1. Spain reports 950 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours  Al Jazeera English
2. Coronavirus live news: Spain death toll passes 10,000 with record single-day rise of 950  The Guardian
3. Spain's death toll above 800 for fifth day in row - BBC News  BBC News
4. Spain coronavirus death toll passes 10,000: Live updates  Al Jazeera English
5. Spain reports 950 COVID-19 deaths in the past day, highest daily toll so far, while infections growth wanes  Washington Post
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2020-04-02 10:56:55Z
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Pakistan court overturns convictions in killing of Daniel Pearl - CNN

The men had all been in prison for 18 years. Three were handed life sentences. A fourth, British national Ahmad Omar Saeed Sheikh, was awaiting the death penalty.

The high court in Pakistan's southern province of Sindh vacated Sheikh's murder conviction and reduced his death sentence to a seven-year prison term for kidnapping. His seven-year sentence will now be counted from the time served. It's unclear if all four will be immediately released.

Pearl, who was working as the South Asia bureau chief of the Wall Street Journal, was in Karachi reporting on Pakistani extremists and "shoe bomber" Richard Reid when he was kidnapped by militants.

The high profile abduction drew international attention, amid growing concern over the threat posed by radical Islamic terrorism. Assailants later filmed his beheading and sent it to US officials. It was among the first propaganda videos targeting hostages created by extremists, and helped to inspire other terror groups to film horrific and egregious acts of violence.

Alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who was arrested in Pakistan in 2003, at one point claimed to have personally killed Pearl, but the admission was made while he was being tortured and he was never charged with the crime. Federal agents backed up Mohammed's confession by comparing photos of the veins in his hands and the vein patterns of an assailant in the video of Pearl's killing, according to a report by Georgetown University students and faculty and the Center for Public Integrity.

Further details about Thursday acquittal were not immediately available, as Pakistan's judicial system is operating at a limited capacity, owing to the coronavirus outbreak.

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2020-04-02 08:33:54Z
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Coronavirus Live Updates: States Plead for Resources and Order Residents to Stay Home - The New York Times

新冠病毒疫情最新消息

Here’s what you need to know:

• Shortages, stay-at-home orders and sobering economic predictions.
• A Labor Department report is expected to show millions more jobless.
• Biden calls for Democratic convention to be delayed.
• To enforce new rules, British police use drones, shaming and a ban on Easter egg sales.
• The mayor of Los Angeles asks all residents to cover their faces when in public.
• Amid fears that the pandemic could lead to civil unrest, Americans buy more than 1 million guns.
• The U.S. military faces competing missions: prepare for war or fight the coronavirus?

The Fort George neighborhood in Manhattan on Wednesday.Credit...Andrew Seng for The New York Times

Shortages, stay-at-home orders and sobering economic predictions.

The coronavirus continued its punishing march on Wednesday as more United States governors ordered their citizens to stay at home, more states pleaded for rapidly diminishing stocks of emergency supplies, and more experts predicted that the devastating economic effects of the pandemic could stretch into next year.

In Florida, the state’s Republican governor belatedly issued a stay-at-home order for residents — but only after a morning telephone call with President Trump, who later said he still had no plans for a similar national directive.

In Washington, Democrats and Republicans in Congress, as well as President Trump, are increasingly looking toward enacting a huge new infrastructure plan that could create thousands of jobs.

And in New York, where hundreds of new deaths pushed the tristate region’s toll past 2,300, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo pleaded for a supplies for his overwhelmed hospitals and desperate health care workers. “Really, the only hope for a state at this point is the federal government’s capacity to deliver,” Mr. Cuomo said.

The problem is that the federal government has nearly emptied its emergency stockpile of protective medical supplies like masks, gowns and gloves, according to a senior administration official, and some states desperate for much-needed ventilators received them only to discover that the machines did not work.

A Labor Department report is expected to show millions more jobless.

Another jaw-dropping number is expected in the United States on Thursday when the government reports the number of new unemployment claims filed across the country last week.

Several estimates put the figure at roughly five million. That would come on top of the previous week’s claims, which came in at 3.3 million — a total that could be revised upward when the Labor Department issues its report at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time.

The speed and scale of the job losses is without precedent. Until the coronavirus outbreak caused widespread workplace shutdowns and layoffs, the worst week for initial unemployment filings was 695,000 in 1982.

The economic damage from the pandemic was initially concentrated in tourism, hospitality and related industries. But now the pain is spreading much more widely. The Institute for Supply Management said Wednesday that the manufacturing sector, which had recently begun to recover from last year’s trade war, was contracting again. Data from the employment site ZipRecruiter shows a steep drop in job postings even in industries such as education and health care that are usually insulated from recessions.

Biden calls for Democratic convention to be delayed.

Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Wednesday night called for moving the Democratic National Convention from mid-July to August, making him the most prominent member of his party to say the convention must be rescheduled because of the coronavirus outbreak.

“I doubt whether the Democratic convention is going to be able to be held in mid-July, early July,” Mr. Biden told Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show.” “I think it’s going to have to move into August.”

Mr. Fallon had not asked Mr. Biden about the convention’s timing. The former vice president was responding to a question about how the virus would affect the election.

Katie Peters, a spokeswoman for the Democratic National Convention Committee, said after Mr. Biden’s remarks that she expected the committee to reveal more details about changes to convention plans by the end of this week.

To enforce new rules, British police use drones, shaming and a ban on Easter egg sales.

Just weeks ago, Prime Minister Boris Johnson seemed genuinely shocked at the suggestion that the police should enforce a coronavirus lockdown in Britain.

But that was before he introduced the most stringent restrictions in recent memory and instructed the authorities to enforce them.

Some police officers have done so with such gusto that a ferocious debate is underway about the balance between collective responsibility and individual liberty.

Few doubt the need for extraordinary measures to prevent the spread of an illness that has already claimed at least 1,789 lives in Britain and infected thousands more, including Mr. Johnson himself.

In one instance, a drone zoomed in on six parked cars and a truck and flashed a stern message: “These vehicles should not be here.”

Next to be shamed was a couple walking a dog on a lonely path. Captured on a film, released by the Derbyshire police, their stroll was judged “not essential” and therefore in breach of British social distancing rules.

Small stores have been instructed that not to sell chocolate Easter eggs because they are “nonessential” items.

Jonathan Sumption, a former Supreme Court judge, offered praise on Monday for the work of many police forces but also expressed alarm at some overly zealous enforcement.

“In some parts of the country, the police have been trying to stop people from doing things like traveling to take exercise in the open country, which are not contrary to the regulations, simply because ministers have said they would prefer us not to,” he told the BBC. “The police have no power to enforce ministers’ preferences, only legal regulations.”

The mayor of Los Angeles asks all residents to cover their faces when in public.

Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles on Wednesday urged all the city’s residents to use homemade face coverings when in public or interacting in public.

“This isn’t an excuse to suddenly all go out,” he said during a news conference, “but when you have to go out, we are recommending that we use nonmedical grade masks, or facial coverings.”

Mr. Garcetti stressed that Angelinos use cloth face coverings, and not surgical and N95 masks, which are reserved for first-responders and medical workers. “This could save or cost a doctor or nurse their life, so we need to protect them,” he said.

The directive, he said, was in line with guidance from Gov. Gavin Newsom and Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the director of Los Angeles County’s Public Health Department.

In a tweet, Mr. Garcetti also referred to new data that suggests many who are infected are not symptomatic.

As of Wednesday, California had 9,599 cases of coronavirus and 206 deaths. Los Angeles County had 3,518 cases and 65 deaths.

Amid fears that the pandemic could lead to civil unrest, Americans buy more than 1 million guns.

Americans bought 1.9 million guns in March, according to a Times analysis of federal data. It was the second-busiest month ever for gun sales, trailing only January 2013, just after President Barack Obama’s re-election and the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

With some people fearful that the pandemic could lead to civil unrest, gun sales have been skyrocketing. In the past, fear of gun-buying restrictions has been a main driver of spikes in gun sales, far surpassing the effects of mass shootings and terrorist attacks. But last month was different. As they prepare for an uncertain future, Americans have been crowding grocery stores to stock up on household essentials like canned beans and toilet paper. A similar worry appears to be behind gun sales.

In recent weeks, lines have been snaking out of gun stores throughout the country. In many states, estimated sales doubled in March compared with February. In Utah, they nearly tripled. And in Michigan, which has become a hot spot for virus cases, sales more than tripled.

The run on firearms has raised public health concerns and prompted local officials to debate whether gun stores should be temporarily closed. Advocates for stricter safety measures argue that the surge in purchases could pose a safety threat if buyers aren’t trained properly, new guns aren’t stored safely and background checks aren’t completed.

But after lobbying from the firearm industry, the Trump administration said this week that the stores qualified as essential businesses and should stay open during the lockdown alongside pharmacies, gas stations and grocery stores.

The U.S. military faces competing missions: prepare for war or fight the coronavirus?

More than 1,200 U.S. military personnel and their family members are affected by coronavirus, leaving the Defense Department virtually at war with itself over two competing instincts: protecting troops from the virus and continuing its decades-old mission of patrolling the globe and engaging in combat, if ordered to do so.

The Navy is thus far refusing to completely evacuate an aircraft carrier where 93 service members have been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus. Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper has put himself on the side of business as usual in maintaining readiness while also saying that force protection is a top priority. President Trump, for his part, threatened a familiar foe, tweeting on Wednesday that Iran would “pay a very heavy price” if its proxies attacked American troops or assets in Iraq. Other Defense Department officials continued to insist that the aircraft carrier, the Theodore Roosevelt, remain ready to carry out its missions.

The commander of the Roosevelt, Capt. Brett E. Crozier, pointed out in a strongly worded letter that “we are not at war.” That statement raised questions from the Pacific to the Pentagon of what was so important about the aircraft carrier’s presence off the coast of Guam that the Defense Department could not evacuate the ship and do a deep cleaning, as suggested by Captain Crozier.

U.S. warships typically spend months at sea monitoring the activities of adversaries. The ships assigned to the Pacific Fleet patrol the South China Sea, the East China Sea and areas in between, sometimes undertaking so-called freedom of navigation operations that bring them close to disputed islands in the area. The goal of these voyages is to drive home to China that the United States does not recognize Beijing’s claims of ownership.

American warships in the region are also keeping an eye on the nuclear and missile threat from North Korea. And they sit ready to deploy to the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf if tensions — with, say, Iran — flare up.

But for the moment, the virus has proved far more damaging than any recent encounters with traditional adversaries and exposed a vulnerability of a force often referred to as the world’s policeman. For all the focus on the battles in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and the power conflict with China and Russia, none has come close to crippling an American aircraft carrier in days.

The Pentagon said on Wednesday it would send 540 additional troops to the Southwest border to counter any potential flow of migrants who are infected with the coronavirus.

Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson of the military’s Northern Command told reporters on Wednesday that the deployment would be happening “very soon.”

Trump rebuffs demands to lift tariffs even as the economy falters.

President Trump continues to resist calls from hundreds of companies to drop tariffs he has placed on foreign goods, arguing that the levies do not impose costs on American companies, despite economic evidence to the contrary.

The Trump administration has been weighing an executive order that would defer tariff payments on some imports, though not cancel the levies outright. But Mr. Trump said Tuesday evening that he had yet to approve the measure, and it was not clear if the administration would ultimately proceed with it.

“That might be, but I’m going to have to approve the plan,” Mr. Trump said of lowering tariffs. He pushed back on news reports that he had made a decision, saying, “I approve everything and they haven’t presented it to me, so therefore it’s false reporting.”

People familiar with the deliberations say the administration has been weighing such a deferral, which would apply to the “most-favored nation” tariffs the United States has long imposed on goods from around the globe, rather than the levies Mr. Trump has imposed on Chinese products or foreign metals.

Mr. Trump has been reluctant to reduce any tariffs because he does not believe they hurt American businesses and are instead being paid for by China and other countries.

“China’s paying us,” he said. “We made a deal with China. Under the deal, they’re paying us 25 percent on $250 billion and they pay it.”

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Reporting was contributed by Michael Wilson, Helene Cooper, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Eric Schmitt, Jan Hoffman, Keith Collins, David Yaffe-Bellany, Andrew Das, Maya Salam and Ana Swenson.

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiPmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm55dGltZXMuY29tLzIwMjAvMDQvMDIvd29ybGQvY29yb25hdmlydXMtbmV3cy5odG1s0gFCaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC8wNC8wMi93b3JsZC9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1uZXdzLmFtcC5odG1s?oc=5

2020-04-02 07:46:15Z
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