Planet Earth Report Global Pandemic is a Hinge in History to Havens for Ancient Alien Life – The Daily Galaxy –Great Discoveries Channel

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Planet Earth Report provides descriptive links to headline news by leading science journalists about the extraordinary discoveries, technology, people, and events changing our knowledge of Planet Earth and the future of the human species.

The Doctor From Nazi Germany and the Search for Life on Mars Astrobiologists have used Mars jarsa sealed container whose insides resemble the red planet, used to test the survival of biological beings for decades. Many didnt know about the controversial Air Force scientist who started them, reports the New York Times.

Sputnik set off the Space Age. This virus can spark the Health Age, reports the Washington Post. The global pandemic is a hinge in history. Hundreds of thousands of lives lost globally; trillions in economic damage. It is as if the 1918 flu and the 1929 crash happened in the same year. It is the kind of event that alters the course of history so much that we measure time by it: before the pandemic and after. It is a Sputnik moment.

Lava tubes may be havens for ancient alien life and future human explorers Lava tubes on the moon and Marslarger than this one in Icelands Surtshellir-Stefanshellir lava tube systemcould provide habitat for spacefaring colonists, reports PNAS.

Science fiction explores the interconnectedness revealed by the coronavirus pandemic, reports The Conversation. In the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, a theory widely shared on social media suggested that a science fiction text, Dean Koontzs 1981 science fiction novel, The Eyes of Darkness, had predicted the coronavirus pandemic with uncanny precision. COVID-19 has held the entire world hostage, producing a resemblance to the post-apocalyptic world depicted in many science fiction texts.However, the connection between science fiction and pandemics runs deeper. They are linked by a perception of globality, what sociologist Roland Robertson defines as the consciousness of the world as a whole.

800-Million-Years Ago A Massive Storm of Two-Quadrillion Kilograms of Rock Triggered a Terrifying Ice Age. Our moon is a witness to the history of the solar system, says planetary scientist Kentaro Terada at Osaka University in Japan, referring to the lack of erosion on moons surface and evidence from the Copernicus crater and glass impact spherules from Apollo landing sites of a massive asteroid storm about 800 million years ago, in which two quadrillion kilograms of rock rained down the moon and Earth.

Rock from Mars heads home after 600,000 years on Earth Tiny piece of meteorite from Londons Natural History Museum will be used by rover exploring red planet, reports The Guardian.

A methane leak in Antarctica provides new insight into how methane-eating microbes evolve These ocean-dwelling methane-hungry microbes are one of Earths great hopes for mitigating global warming, reports Salon.

A New State of Matter Black Hole Physics of Strange Metals. Not only does God play dice but he sometimes throws them where they cannot be seen, said Stephen Hawking about the paradoxical physics of black Holes. Welcome to the bizarre quantum world of strange metals a new state of matter.

Viking Age Smallpox Complicates Story of Viral Evolution An extinct version of the smallpox virus dating to 1,400 years ago prompts speculation about viruses becoming more lethal over time, reports the New York Times.

Could there really be other civilizations out there in the Milky Way? The Guardians Nicola Davis talks to Prof Chris Conselice, whose recent work revises the decades-old Drake equation to throw new light on the possibility of contactable alien life existing in our galaxy.

From the Farside Huge, Hovering and Silent: The Mystery of Black Triangle UFOs: Some speculate they are super-secret US spy craft. Others question whether they might be from elsewhere, conducting some kind of surveillance, reports History.com

Australia Has a Flesh-Eating-Bacteria Problem In the beach towns south of Melbourne, everyone, it seems, knows someone whos been attacked, reports The Atlantic.

Discovery in Mexican Cave May Drastically Change the Known Timeline of Humans Arrival to the Americas In a controversial new study, scientists cite artifacts dating the event to more than 26,000 years ago, reports The Smithsonian.

Why Everyones Talking About the Green Banana Off Floridas Coast Scientists will soon embark on a mission to one of the deepest blue holes in the oceans floor, reports the New York Times.

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Planet Earth Report Global Pandemic is a Hinge in History to Havens for Ancient Alien Life - The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel

Coronavirus Live Updates: Deaths Top 150,000 in the United States – The New York Times

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[music]michael barbaro

From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily.

Today: A fight has erupted among congressional Republicans over how long and how generously government should help the unemployed during the pandemic. Nick Fandos on what that battle is really about.

Its Tuesday, July 28.

Nick, tell me about this deadline coming up on Friday.

So on Friday, at the end of July, one of the key programs in the $2 trillion economic relief package, called the CARES Act, that Congress passed this spring to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, is set to expire. This is the federal unemployment benefit, this extra $600 that the federal government has been putting into unemployment checks, on top of whatever states give the tens of millions of Americans that are out of work.

Right. And the thinking was that state unemployment benefits, which is how most people get by when they are laid off, are kind of stingy. And because these layoffs were so widespread, the federal government needed to step in an unusual way.

Thats right. And you know, $600 was arrived at by congressional Democrats and the Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin, as something like a kind of average wage that they thought might be lost across the board. And though some Republicans were uneasy

Mr. President, the majority leader of the Senate.

they ultimately set aside their concerns and ended up voting unanimously to put this program and others in place.

Our nation needed us to go big and go fast. And they did.

So today, Mr. President, the Senate will act to help the people of this country weather this storm.

Right. And I think for many Americans the sense was that this program $600 a week from the federal government would probably last as long as widespread unemployment lasted, stemming from the pandemic.

I think that thats right, that that was the assumption of many Americans. But Republicans never quite viewed it that way.

We have spent a lot of money in the last couple of months. But weve done so in the face of an emergency, kind of like the civilian equivalent of World War II.

They saw the whole stimulus bill, including this benefit, as a kind of extraordinary measure for extraordinary circumstances. And that this was kind of a bridge to float the economy and float the American people through this period where the government was asking them to stay home, so that we could get the virus under control.

Look, I supported every one of these bills that has come through. I agree that we need emergency relief to help people, to help people through the crisis as a short-term bridge loan.

But you know, if that was a gamble and it was, that this is going to be a temporary thing Republicans do not come out where they want to. The virus has resurged in many states now across the South and West, you know, in states that are traditionally red states and are represented by Republicans.

So the question today is where are we? And where do we go from here?

And the party now has to kind of come to terms with the fact that what they hoped would be a bridge is going to be a lot longer than they initially thought.

We had hoped wed be on the way to saying goodbye to this health care pandemic. Clearly, it is not over.

Right. Which brings us back to this Friday expiration date. So do Republicans have intrinsic objections to just renewing the $600 a week?

So for most Republicans, the answer is yes.

Hm.

That $600 figure, as we said, was arrived at honestly, but somewhat hastily back in March. And Republicans started voicing concerns at the time.

For 68 percent of people receiving it right now, they are being paid more on unemployment than they made in their job.

And theyve grown a lot louder since. That $600 from the federal government, on top of whatever states were giving people that were out of work, was simply too generous.

And Ill tell you, Ive spoken to small business owners all over the state of Texas who are trying to reopen.

And actually was disincentivizing and has disincentivized many Americans from going back to work.

and theyre calling their waiters and waitresses, theyre calling their busboys. And they wont come back. And of course they wont come back. Because the federal government is paying, in some instances, twice as much money to stay home.

So ideologically, many Republicans in Congress were never comfortable with this $600 benefit at that level in the first place. And then, theyre certainly not comfortable with extending it into perpetuity.

So Nick, with this program running out of time, how is this playing out among the Republicans?

So as Republicans are approaching these deadlines at the end of July, theyre looking around and seeing a bunch of different inputs that are really difficult for them. On the one hand, Democrats are, you know, unabashedly and enthusiastically pushing to extend this $600 benefit through the end of the year and as long as its needed.

Mhm.

And at the same time, Republicans are having to reconcile themselves to the fact that the virus is spreading around the country. There are signs in the last few weeks that the economy, which was recovering, is starting to potentially soften again. And they recognize for a variety of reasons economically, for the livelihood of the country, and politically, as theyre looking ahead to Novembers elections that its simply not going to be an option not to have a plan.

Mhm.

And so Republicans start trying to put together their own proposal for how to fix unemployment benefits going forward and a range of other programs to keep the economy afloat. And it turns out its a lot harder than they think its going to be.

What do you mean?

Well, it turns out, as they try to unpack this and get into the details of what might we do next, that theres a pretty big split between two different camps of Republicans.

I asked my Republican colleagues, what in the hell are we doing?

So one of them are the kind of arch conservatives that are really worried about federal spending. People like Ted Cruz.

A number of senators at lunch get up and say, well gosh, we need $20 billion for this. We need $100 billion for this. And theyre just really eager to spend money. Im, like, what are you guys doing?

Or Rand Paul, who compared his colleagues to a bunch of Bernie bros with the way they were talking.

I find it extraordinary that I just came from a Republican caucus meeting that could be sort of the Bernie bros progressive caucus.

And that is a sharp pejorative in the Senate Republican conference.

I would think.

This is insane. Its got to stop. Were ruining the country. And there has to be some voice left for fiscal conservatism in this country.

This group is just, frankly, uneasy about the $2 trillion that they spent back in the spring and is not interested in seeing the federal government add to the deficit, add to the debt and further involve itself in the U.S. economy.

I, for one, am alarmed at where the country is heading. Im also alarmed that my party has forgotten what they actually stand for. There is no difference now between the two parties on spending.

Now, at the other end of the spectrum are a group of more moderate or middle-of-the-road Republicans, who are up for re-election this fall and are actually having to face the voters, in many cases, in swing states or blue states where President Trump and the Republican response to the pandemic have been deeply unpopular. People like Cory Gardner or Thom Tillis

Well, I think we have to build on what we did with the CARES Act, almost $3 trillion dollars to help individuals, to provide a supplement for unemployment.

who have really staked their re-election on the governments response to this crisis, and on showing that they are effectively leading the country through one of its most challenging periods in anybodys memory. And joining with them on that side

This crisis is far from over.

are some of the best known leaders of the Republican Party on Capitol Hill.

Hm.

For weeks now, I have made it clear that further legislation out of the Senate will be a serious response to the crisis.

So Mitch McConnell, the majority leader from Kentucky, and John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas whos one of his longtime deputies

But as the impact of Covid-19 has grown, so has the need for assistance.

seem to recognize that not only are the fates of individual senators up in the air, but the Republican Partys prospects up and down the ticket this fall may well be tied up into how they are judged to have handled this crisis. And doing what the conservatives want and basically stopping now and saying, weve done what we need to do is not an option for that group.

Nick, how much of that debate you just described is being informed by the political realities surrounding the single most important person in the party at this moment, which is President Trump?

I think its inescapable for elected Republicans. And its not just the way that the public seems to be viewing President Trump and giving him very poor grades on handling the pandemic, which could hurt the whole Republican Party in November. Its also the kind of erratic nature of his leadership and engagement on this issue itself. And so theyre working with his Treasury secretary to iron out the details. But this is not a negotiation that President Trump is leading or even all that active in. Theyre trying to do whatever they can to bail out the party, not to please President Trump in this case.

Hm.

And that has added another kind of layer of interest and unpredictability to this whole thing which, you know, we have not seen a lot of in the last three and a half years.

And what does that tell you, that theyre choosing this moment to do that?

Well, I think whether they want to acknowledge it or not, Republicans are starting to sense that their party is really in trouble. That if things arent turned around quickly, they may not only lose the White House, but really get wiped out in November. And are thinking in different ways about why that is and what the party may need to look like in a world thats just starting to dawn on them as a possibility of being kind of post-Trump.

So in other words, this battle over $600 a week and what this entire new version of a relief package looks like, its not really just about whats in a piece of legislation like this. Its about the identity of the Republican Party at a time where it may need a new identity. Because theoretically, Donald Trump could lose. And the Republican Party would no longer be just the party of Donald Trump.

Thats right. So while theyre very much focused on how is the party going to be viewed in November, theyre really kind of foreshadowing or staking out positioning for this potentially larger battle to come, over what Republicanism really looks like after Donald Trump has defined it for four or five years.

And you know, some of these folks are not new to their positions. But they recognize that there may soon be more of a need to kind of assert their views, and the primacy of those views, against others in the Republican Party.

Well be right back.

So Nick, where does this very high stakes ideological battle within the Republican Party, where does it leave this economic relief package?

So its up to Mitch McConnell, basically, to try and pull together these different factions and arrive at a bill that deals with the expiring unemployment benefits and a host of other kind of programs and priorities. Basically, to try and reconcile those differences and put together a bill that can be Republicans starting point when they go to the negotiating table with Democrats.

Mhm.

And so thats where we were by the middle of last week. And as he tries to work out those details with the White House and run it by his Republican colleagues, theres a bunch of snafus along the way. They push past some small deadlines. But in the end, theyre unable to introduce their bill, because those differences turn out to have been more significant than Republicans even wanted to let on.

So the Republicans cannot come up with any kind of consensus bill to salvage this program that weve been talking about?

So as of Thursday morning, no. And as lawmakers head for the exits for the weekend, without a proposal for how to fix a whole host of programs, they have not arrived at a solution on a range of issues, including what to do about this expiring $600 unemployment benefit. But their staff and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, Meadows, the White House chief of staff, work through the weekend to try and iron out some of these details.

Well, good afternoon, everyone. The Senate Republicans and the administration have been consulting over the last few weeks.

By Monday afternoon, what they finally introduce

with what we think is an appropriate amount of additional debt to be added. We think it is about a trillion dollars.

is a plan that is roughly a trillion dollars.

And weve allocated that in a way that we think makes the most sense.

Some of that goes to schools to help them reopen and for more testing and contact tracing.

So with that, Im going to call on my colleagues who have developed the various

And on this key question of unemployment benefits, Republicans propose a real overhaul to the way that they would work conceptually.

Do we know whos next?

Chairman Grassley.

Senator Grassley.

Number one, were going to continue

So they say that for the short term, were going to cut that $600 down to $200 a week.

Big cut.

A pretty dramatic cut.

So we want to continue to help the unemployed. But we want to encourage work. And weve learned a very tough lesson, that when you pay people not to work, what do you expect?

And they say, thats just going to buy us time over the next few months for us to basically help states set up a new system, where what were going to try and do is make sure that every individual thats unemployed, between the state government and the federal government ends up getting about 70 percent of what their old wages would have been.

Were going to have further tax relief for businesses to encourage hiring and rehiring. And we want to do that to encourage people to get back to work and help the employer, in the process, support people in the meantime.

And so what Republicans are trying to do here is keep a safety net in place, but remove what they think is hindering people from going back to work.

Lastly, I hope that Democrats will come to the table and we can work out a bipartisan agreement. Thank you very much.

So in other words, if they can get this program up and operating, it will always make sense from a financial point of view for somebody to go and take their old job back or take a new job back, but not be so draconian that theyre making the economic situation drastically worse, or can be accused of forcing people towards soup kitchens or the streets.

So this is a classic compromise. In other words, were going to keep the benefits but not at $600 a week, because they see that as not conservative and not incentivizing an economic recovery.

Thats right. But remember, this is just kind of the first step. This should have been the easy part for Republicans. Because what they have coming is negotiations with Democrats, who are in favor of keeping the benefit totally as it is, and are already lining up to say basically that Republicans are giving a massive economic financial hit to individuals and the economy right when they need it most, and at this moment where the countrys recovery seems to be teetering. Is it going to keep going up? Or is it about to collapse again? And Democrats are not going to settle for $200 for any period of time.

So given all that, what is likely to happen to this Republican bill in the Senate?

So the interesting thing about where Republicans find themselves is, this bill that theyre introducing probably couldnt even pass the Senate just on Republican votes. And that leaves them in a pretty weak position as they head into negotiations with the Democrats. Because remember, to pass anything into law, even if theres a Republican president or a Republican Senate, you need the Democrats to get it through Congress. And they have a very long and expensive wish list of things that theyd like to see in legislation. And theyre not going to be easy on the Republicans.

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Coronavirus Live Updates: Deaths Top 150,000 in the United States - The New York Times

What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 29 July – World Economic Forum

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1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases around the world is now more than 16.7 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine. The death toll has now passed 660,000.

Hong Kong is on the verge of a large-scale outbreak, its chief executive Carrie Lam has warned. I appeal to you to follow strictly the social distancing measures and stay at home as far as possible, she said.

Defence and emergency medical teams have been sent to help out in elderly care homes in the Australian city of Melbourne, as the country battles its worst COVID-19 outbreak.

A deal agreed between Pfizer and the US for a future vaccine will set the price for all other developed countries. The $2 billion agreed by the US works out at $39 per person for a two-dose treatment course.

The Spanish tourism industry could lose $11.73 billion over the UKs quarantine rule for travellers from Spain, according to the head of tourism association CEHAT.

Sales of alcohol have been restricted in Kenya, as the country extends its coronavirus curfew. Restaurants must close by 7pm and bars are to remain shut. Sunday saw its highest single-day jump in infections, with 960 new confirmed cases.

Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic requires global cooperation among governments, international organizations and the business community, which is at the centre of the World Economic Forums mission as the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.

Since its launch on 11 March, the Forums COVID Action Platform has brought together 1,667 stakeholders from 1,106 businesses and organizations to mitigate the risk and impact of the unprecedented global health emergency that is COVID-19.

The platform is created with the support of the World Health Organization and is open to all businesses and industry groups, as well as other stakeholders, aiming to integrate and inform joint action.

As an organization, the Forum has a track record of supporting efforts to contain epidemics. In 2017, at our Annual Meeting, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) was launched bringing together experts from government, business, health, academia and civil society to accelerate the development of vaccines. CEPI is currently supporting the race to develop a vaccine against this strand of the coronavirus.

2. Record COVID-19 deaths across six US states

The US states of Arkansas, California, Florida, Montana, Oregon and Texas all recorded record one-day coronavirus deaths on 28 July. Across the country, more than 1,300 lives were lost, according to Reuters.

In Texas, the total number of confirmed cases has now passed 400,000. It is now the fourth state to have exceeded that many infections, joining California, Florida and New York. These four states are also the most populous in the US.

Californias Latino community appears to be being hit particularly hard, according to state health officials. Latinos make up a little over one-third of Californias population, but now account for 56% of COVID-19 infections and 46% of deaths, according to Reuters.

The increases in confirmed cases and deaths have reignited debates over whether schools in some parts of the US should reopen next month.

Where US coronavirus cases are on the rise

Image: REUTERS

3. WHO: COVID-19 pandemic is 'one big wave', not seasonal

The pandemic has been described as one big wave by Dr Margaret Harris of the World Health Organization. Regular influenza tends to ebb and flow in distinct waves, worsening in winter months. But COVID-19 is not behaving like that, Dr Harris warned: Summer is a problem. This virus likes all weather.

We are in the first wave. Its going to be one big wave. Its going to go up and down a bit. The best thing is to flatten it and turn it into just something lapping at your feet, she said during a virtual briefing in Geneva.

But the likelihood of a winter wave of influenza in the northern hemisphere should be cause for concern, she said. The southern hemisphere is entering its usual flu season, and the WHO is monitoring the situation closely, she continued.

If you have an increase in a respiratory illness when you already have a very high burden of respiratory illness, that puts even more pressure on the health system.

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What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 29 July - World Economic Forum

Coronavirus cases in Texas nursing homes more than doubled in July – The Texas Tribune

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Need to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? Our evening roundup will help you stay on top of the day's latest updates. Sign up here.

COVID-19 infections have exploded in Texas nursing homes this month, with 8,291 confirmed cases through Monday four times more than the number of cases recorded in all of June, according to the states health agency.

More than three quarters of Texas 1,215 nursing homes have reported at least one coronavirus case since the beginning of the pandemic, up from just over half at the end of June.

Its the same story in the states assisted living facilities, which reported 924 cases to the Texas Department of State Health Services through Monday, compared with 267 in June.

Of Texas 5,713 deaths, one-third have been nursing home residents. Nationally, more than 40% of COVID-19 deaths are linked to senior-care centers, according to a New York Times analysis.

The dramatic increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases across Texas is what has led to the surge in nursing homes, said Chris Van Deusen, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services.

On Monday, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission released its first list of COVID-19 cases and deaths with details about individual Texas nursing homes after insisting for months that the information was not subject to public disclosure because of privacy laws. The state attorney generals office recently ruled that the agency is required to release the information.

Texas initially required all nursing home residents and staff members to be tested, but it has since switched to less sweeping, targeted testing.

By June 11, Texas had completed an initial, monthlong round of mandatory testing in all Texas nursing facilities. On July 10, a new round of targeted testing was announced in partnership with a CVS Health company called Omnicare, with a goal of processing 100,000 tests in the first month. Health and Human Services Commission inspectors are identifying facilities with outbreaks that are in need of testing, said Kelli Weldon, press officer for HHSC. Individual facilities can also ask for testing.

So far in July, the state has tested residents and staff members at 148 facilities, with 93 more facilities scheduled through the end of the month, Weldon said. Thats about 7% of all Texas long-term care facilities, including nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.

Weldon said testing is conducted at facilities with at least one confirmed coronavirus case. This testing can be requested from the facilities or through the Quick Reaction Force testing teams operated in collaboration with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, which can complete a testing mission within two to four days of a request, TDEM spokesman Seth Christensen said.

New federal guidelines recommend weekly testing for all nursing home staff members in states that have seen COVID-19 surges, marked by 5% of coronavirus tests coming back positive a threshold Texas has exceeded almost every day since June 1.

I dont have any evidence to say that currently, weekly testing of staff is being implemented, said Alexa Schoeman, deputy state ombudsman in HHSCs Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman. The states latest round of targeted testing in nursing homes is better late than never, she added; however, I think [starting it] sooner would probably have been beneficial.

Austin resident Cissy Sanders said her 70-year-old mother, who lives at Riverside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Austin, tested negative for the virus April 20 and has been tested once more since then. State data shows that 69 residents and 32 employees at the facility were infected between March and July 13, and 14 residents have died from COVID-19.

In an email, Regency Integrated Health Services, the company that manages Riverside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, acknowledged that residents and staff tested positive for the virus in the early days of the pandemic but declined to comment further due to privacy laws. A spokesperson said the facility is following all federal guidelines, screening staff and medical professionals before they enter the buildings.

Sanders said two tests for her mother in three months isnt nearly enough. The only way that youre going to win this race is test, test, test, she said.

She has turned her frustration into action, writing to several elected officials and health authorities, including the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

You know those families telling their goodbyes to their loved one over the phone while their loved one dies in a hospital bed? I refuse to do that. I refuse, she said. I will not stand by and watch my mother contract the virus and die because of public health and elected officials incompetence.

Genny Lutzel, whose mother is a nursing home resident in Dallas County, is adamant that testing at nursing homes and similar facilities needs to be more regular.

I know my mom has been tested once, but thats it. We need rapid testing and we need it now, she said. The ability to reopen nursing homes which have been closed to visitors since mid-March depends on it, Lutzel said.

The state has been slow to put coronavirus protections in place at nursing homes and assisted living facilities, said Tina Tran, the state director of the AARP. She says the AARP has heard from families that still are not able to get information in a timely manner about active cases in Texas facilities.

Last week, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services committed to sending testing devices to nursing homes. The agency has allocated 57 of those devices so far to Texas facilities that have reported at least three confirmed COVID-19 cases, one case among their staff or one death in the previous week.

But with more than 1,200 nursing homes and 2,000 assisted-living facilities in Texas, 57 devices are not nearly enough, Tran said.

Kevin Warren, president and CEO of the Texas Health Care Association, which represents providers, said he hopes that the combination of testing by the state and the devices from the federal government will close that gap on the need for quick and rapid results.

We have to have some form of consistent and ongoing testing process for both staff and residents, he said, adding that his organization has asked the state to provide money to nursing homes to buy more protective equipment, hire more staff and alleviate the financial burden of the pandemic.

In a survey by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living, 64% of the surveyed providers said it was taking at least two to four days to get test results, and of those, 24% said it took five days or more.

It is becoming a major concern for providers, the groups said in a press release.

Warren said nursing homes are doing everything they know to do to fight a virus we dont see.

Disclosure: AARP, the Texas Health Care Association and The New York Times have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Coronavirus cases in Texas nursing homes more than doubled in July - The Texas Tribune

Italy ‘walking a fine line’ on coronavirus infections – The Guardian

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Italy was the first European nation to be engulfed by coronavirus, but as the prospect of another lockdown looms in some of its neighbours, the country has managed to avoid a resurgence of infections. At least so far.

Three experts who spoke to the Guardian put this down to good surveillance and contact-tracing, as well as most of the population diligently following safety rules, with many people wearing face masks outside even though it is not mandatory.

On 4 May, when Italy began easing lockdown restrictions, more than 1,200 new cases were reported in a day. Since 1 July, the daily increase has been relatively static, reaching a high of 306 on 23 July, and falling to 181 on Tuesday. Several coronavirus clusters have emerged across the country, but this has mostly been due to infections imported from abroad.

Meanwhile, Spain, France, Germany and Belgium could be on the brink of a second wave after steep rises in their number of cases.

We have been particularly attentive, Walter Ricciardi, an adviser to the Italian health ministry on the coronavirus outbreak, said. We didnt reopen schools, as they did in France weve been attentive towards contact-tracing and managed to maintain a good chain of command and coordination to limit cluster outbreaks.

The situation beyond Italys borders was one of the reasons why Italys prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, on Tuesday extended the countrys state of emergency until October despite a significant fall in the infection rate. This means he will continue to have the power to impose a lockdown and other safety measures without needing the approval of parliament.

Contagion has fallen, but the numbers show that the virus continues to circulate, giving rise to outbreaks at local level which have been identified and contained, Conte told the senate. The international situation remains worrying and what is happening in countries close to us obliges us to be watchful.

Despite gatherings outside bars and crowded beaches, for the most part physical distancing and the wearing of face masks have been widely observed. Regional leaders have acted swiftly against those who dont comply. In Campania, people caught without a mask in enclosed spaces risk 1,000 fines, while those who flout quarantine rules in Veneto face hefty fines or jail.

Italians take their health very seriously, Ricciardi said. If you look at the international data for mask wearers, 90% of people in Italy wear one, among the highest in the world, and this helps. We are reacting well because we are behaving well. So for now, we are succeeding, but the most important thing is to continue to pay close attention, especially to imported cases.

Italy has banned arrivals from 16 countries deemed high-risk, including Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Kuwait, and since last week has required people returning from Romania and Bulgaria to quarantine for 14 days. The quarantine rule is already in place for non-EU and non-Schengen countries.

Gloria Taliani, a doctor of infectious diseases in the Emilia-Romagna city of Piacenza, said the high number of tests being carried out, including on those who were admitted to hospital for any reason or who visit an emergency unit, has also helped to limit the spread of infection.

This has helped to not only avoid hospital outbreaks but to identify the origin of infection, she said. But we still need to be very cautious physical distancing, masks and frequent hand-washing, these are the fundamental rules.

Italy suffered a brutal first wave of the pandemic, with the virus so far killing over 35,000 people. The worst day was on 27 March, when 919 deaths were reported. On Tuesday, there were 11 new fatalities. Across the country, 40 people are currently in intensive care with Covid-19, down from more than 4,000 in early April. The median age of those infected within the last 30 days is 42, according to data from the higher health institute.

Fabrizio Pregliasco, a virologist at the University of Milan, said Italy was in a state of limbo and that perhaps the stability has simply been down to some good luck.

For now things are going well, but we are walking a fine line, he warned. This stable situation could either end badly or carry on the same, but that would depend on two things: the continued capacity to identify clusters and the behaviour of the majority of Italians.

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Italy 'walking a fine line' on coronavirus infections - The Guardian

More Than 6300 Coronavirus Cases Have Been Linked to U.S. Colleges – The New York Times

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As college students and professors decide whether to head back to class, and as universities weigh how and whether to reopen, the coronavirus is already on campus.

A New York Times survey of every public four-year college in the country, as well as every private institution that competes in Division I sports or is a member of an elite group of research universities, revealed at least 6,300 cases tied to about 270 colleges over the course of the pandemic. And the new academic year has not even begun at most schools.

Note: Data as of July 28.

Outbreaks have emerged on Greek Row this summer at the University of Washington, where at least 136 residents were infected, and at Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis, where administrators were re-evaluating their plans for fall after eight administrative workers tested positive.

The virus has turned up in a science building at Western Carolina, on the football team at Clemson and among employees at the University of Denver.

At Appalachian State in North Carolina, at least 41 construction workers have tested positive while working on campus buildings. The Times has identified at least 14 coronavirus-related deaths at colleges.

The list includes public, four-year universities in the United States, as well as private colleges that compete in Division I sports or are members of an elite group of research universities. Only schools that reported cases are shown.

*All reported cases were in the athletic department. Note: The charts show the cases per 100,000 residents reported each week in the county where each school is located. The location of a universitys main campus is listed unless otherwise specified. In several instances, colleges noted that some cases were tied to branch campuses or satellite locations. Universities with no case total listed either did not respond to inquiries, declined to provide information or said they had no known infections.

There is no standardized reporting method for coronavirus cases and deaths at colleges, and the information is not being publicly tracked at a national level. Of nearly 1,000 institutions contacted by The Times, some had already posted case information online, some provided full or partial numbers and others refused to answer basic questions, citing privacy concerns. Hundreds of colleges did not respond at all.

Still, the Times survey represents the most comprehensive look at the toll the virus has already taken on the countrys colleges and universities.

Coronavirus infections on campuses might go unnoticed if not for reporting by academic institutions themselves because they do not always show up in official state or countywide tallies, which generally exclude people who have permanent addresses elsewhere, as students often do.

The Times survey included four-year public schools in the United States, some of which are subject to public records laws, that are members of the Association of American Universities or that compete at the highest level of college sports. It has not yet expanded to include hundreds of other institutions, including most private schools and community colleges, where students, faculty and staff are struggling with the same difficult decisions.

Among the colleges that provided information, many offered no details about who contracted the virus, when they became ill or whether a case was connected to a larger outbreak. It is possible that some of the cases were identified months ago, in the early days of the outbreak in the United States before in-person learning was cut short, and that others involved students and employees who had not been on campus recently.

This data, which is almost certainly an undercount, shows the risks colleges face as they prepare for a school year in the midst of a pandemic. But because universities vary widely in size, and because some refused to provide information, comparing case totals from campus to campus may not provide a full picture of the relative risk.

What is clear is that despite months of planning for a safe return to class, and despite drastic changes to campus life, the virus is already spreading widely at universities.

Some institutions, like the California State University system, have moved most fall classes online. Others, including those in the Patriot League and Ivy League, have decided to not hold fall sports. But many institutions still plan to welcome freshmen to campus in the coming days, to hold in-person classes and to host sporting events.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education. Reopening data as of July 29.

At the University of Texas at Austin, where more than 440 students and employees have tested positive since the spring, in-person classes will be capped at 40 percent of capacity and final exams will be taken online.

At Peru State College in Nebraska, where there have been no known cases, classes are expected to resume on schedule, but with stepped-up cleaning procedures and a recommendation for dorm residents to wear masks in common areas.

The University of Georgia has announced plans for in-person classes despite rising deaths from the virus in the state. The university has recorded at least 390 infections involving students, faculty and staff.

OBryan Moore, a senior at the school, said he was worried about the safety of his classmates and teachers. He said he was skeptical that students would widely follow guidelines to wear masks once they return in August.

There is no way I can see this ending without outbreaks on campus, said Mr. Moore, who is studying to become a park ranger.

Mr. Moore said that online classes have not been as effective as in-person classes, but that he still hoped the university would change its plans for students to return to campus.

I think we should remain online for this semester, even if itll hurt my education, he said. Because its the right thing to do.

Case numbers may be larger at some universities with tens of thousands of students, including Central Florida and the University of Texas at Austin, and at others where many university employees work in hospitals where coronavirus patients have been treated, including at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Though hundreds of universities responded to The Timess request for data including a mix of public and private colleges, both small and large, in states across the country others declined to cooperate. Some said they were not tracking such cases. Others invoked privacy concerns, even though The Times asked for aggregate case totals, not a list of individuals who were infected. Others did not respond at all.

A spokesman at Arizona State, for example, said they chose months ago to not release data/names/results on coronavirus cases. A spokesman for Montana State University said the school does not provide health information on its students, faculty or staff, even on general subgroups. The United States Naval Academy cited operational security concerns. A spokeswoman for Washburn University in Kansas said she believed giving such information would violate privacy laws. And while the University of Missouris athletic department confirmed 10 cases, a spokesman at the flagship campus would not provide information about other students and employees.

As students have started trickling back onto campuses in recent weeks, the early returns have been troubling. After 10 students tested positive this month at West Virginia University, officials pledged to deep-clean the places on campus where they had been. At Kansas State University, off-season football workouts were paused last month after an outbreak on the team.

Many of the first arrivals on campus have been athletes hoping to compete this fall. A separate Times survey of the 130 universities that compete at the highest level of Division I football revealed more than 630 cases on 68 campuses among athletes, coaches and other employees.

As universities make plans for the fall semester online, in person, or a mix of the two administrators have had to weigh shifting public health guidance and financial and academic concerns, as well as the difficult reality that some students and faculty members are likely to test positive no matter how classes are held.

There is simply no way to completely eliminate risk, whether we are in-person or online, Martha E. Pollack, the president of Cornell, wrote in a letter explaining the decision to bring students back to campus.

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More Than 6300 Coronavirus Cases Have Been Linked to U.S. Colleges - The New York Times

Marylands Reopening Paused Due To Latest Increases In COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations, Hogan Says – CBS Baltimore

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) Further reopening plans for Maryland amid the coronavirus are paused in place, Gov. Larry Hogan said Wednesday.

The governor made the comments at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

>>WJZ has a new news app! Download it now!<<

Maryland will not move into the third phase of the Roadmap to Recovery plan until it is safe, prudent and thoroughly backed by the data and medical science, Hogan said.

We do find ourselves at a fork in the road, a critical turning point where we could either continue making progress and continue heading in the right direction or we could ignore the warnings and spike back up like much of the rest of the country, the governor said. Were making every effort to keep Maryland safely open for business.

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While the number of cases and hospitalizations in the state has been climbing, Hogan said the state wont be re-implementing business closures.

Re-closing businesses has proven devastating to other states, he said.

Weve come too far together to lose the progress that weve made on the road to recovery here in Maryland, he said.

In addition, the state is urging people to postpone or cancel travel to a number of states that are seeing high infection rates and to get tested and self-quarantine upon returning.

The overall rate of Marylanders testing positive for COVID-19 is up to 4.77 percent as of Wednesday.Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Prince Georges County have positivity rates over the goal threshold of five percent, he said.

All but two of the states jurisdictions Cecil County and Calvert County have tested at least ten percent of their population.

The number one activity of people who tested positive for the virus recently was attending a family gathering, Hogan said, followed by attending house parties and outdoor events.

For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Departments website or call 211. You can find all of WJZs coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.

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Marylands Reopening Paused Due To Latest Increases In COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations, Hogan Says - CBS Baltimore

As coronavirus threatened invasion, a new ‘Red Dawn’ team tried to save America – ABC News

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A group of public health and national security experts who sent some of the earliest and most dire warnings to officials across the Trump administration about the gathering coronavirus crisis is now offering a searing assessment of how the federal government blundered through the critical first months of a lethal outbreak.

Members of the group, whose lengthy string of emails now read like a chilling foreshadowing of the unfolding deadly pandemic, came to be known by the chains dark-humored subject line, Red Dawn Rising, a reference to the campy 1984 cold war movie about a gritty band of Americans who fend off foreign invaders. Now several have broken their silence about the early warnings in interviews with ABC News to describe their lingering distress about the missed chances to spare lives.

We did not step up and meet the challenge that we needed to meet, said Dr. Jeffrey Duchin, Seattle-King County Public Health Officer, and a contributor to the email chain. We didn't act quickly enough to do the things that we needed to do early enough. And we still are not doing the things we need to do to get this outbreak under control.

Tune in to ABC on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET for the "20/20" special report "American Catastrophe: How Did We Get Here?"

The chain, which was first published in April by the New York Times, has at various times looped in 25 different federal officials involved in the pandemic response, including top medical advisors in the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services. The emails gave them access to unvarnished analysis from an informal collection of scientific and medical experts, a number of whom had a first-hand role in developing a robust national pandemic response plan in the mid-2000s.

The Red Dawn emailers have tried to maintain a low profile, but six of them agreed to speak with ABC News, most for the first time publicly. The detailed accounts paint a picture of a frantic, race-against-the-clock effort to raise alarms in hopes of prodding a faster, stronger federal response to COVID-19.

Dr. David Marcozzi, who was the White House National Security Council director of medical preparedness policy in disasters during the Bush and Obama administrations, said the participants were driven by a single agenda.

We were generally concerned that this was going to be a threat to our nation, Marcozzi, now a senior official at the University of Marylands medical school, told ABC News.

Dr. David Marcozzi, a former Bush and Obama White House official, was among the "Red Dawn" emailers.

The emailers, along with other public health experts, describe how the federal government missed opportunities to mount a more muscular defense and failed to brace the nation for the tidal wave of illness that was coming.

The president began to say [in March] that nobody could imagine that something like this could actually occur, said Dr. Dan Hanfling, a biosecurity and disaster response expert from Virginia. The truth is that there was a group of us that had been trying to raise the alarm.

Hanfling said it was unclear how much of the information from the chain filtered up to top policymakers. Senior officials including Dr. Anthony Fauci, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams, were copied into the chain at least once. Fauci told ABC News he didn't pay that much attention to the emails.

As an informal group of experts looking at this information, how much of that was penetrating to upper echelons of government? Hanfling said. It's hard to say.

Admiral Brett Giroir, an assistant health secretary who has helped run the pandemic response and who was occasionally copied on the Red Dawn email chain, said he believes the Trump administration has tried its best to be transparent, honest, and give the public the best information they know.

Because I think that's the most important thing is to have public confidence that you may not always be right, but you're always transparent, Giroir told ABC News. You're going give the American people the best information."

Admiral Brett Giroir, M.D., Asst. Secretary of Health for Department of Health and Human Services, speaks at a press conference with Vice President Mike Pence and Seema Verma, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services, in Tiger Stadium on the LSU campus, in Baton Rouge, La., July 14, 2020.

Red Dawn Rising

Email excerpt, Mar. 12:

From: Richard Hunt [Senior Medical Advisor, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services]

As my 24 y/o told me, "the nation needs to go to war against this virus.

One early correspondent on the Red Dawn chain was Dr. James Lawler, a Navy veteran who served in the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush and Barrack Obama and is now the director of clinical and biodefense research at the federally-supported National Strategic Research Institute in Nebraska.

Lawler said he still remembers the first alert he received on New Years Eve describing a pattern of "unexplained pneumonias" in China, and his initial outreach to what he called the pandemic preparedness community.

We're a small, odd bunch and these are the things that we talk about, he said.

The pace of the emails picked up quickly, Lawler said. And the list grew.

Hanfling, the biosecurity and disaster response expert, said he was added to the group in February, as the emails began tracking potential coronavirus cases as they started to appear on American soil.

I've heard our group referred to as the Wolverines, Hanfling said -- a reference to the nickname of the freedom fighters who emerged heroic in Red Dawn.

Dr. Dan Hanfling is a biosecurity and disaster response expert from Virginia.

Others in the group eventually included former White House health and security advisers like Dr. Richard Hatchett, who also served under both Republican and Democratic administrations and who now heads an global partnership formed to respond to outbreaks called the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and Dr. Herbert O. Wolfe, now a Penn State professor who also serves as executive director of the Office of the Chief Medical Officer at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

It was a serious group, Lawler said. Many folks who had thought for a long time about pandemics. And so, I think, a pretty good kitchen cabinet, if you want to call it that.

For those joining the Red Dawn chain, the initial hope was to offer a steady diet of thoughtful analysis for federal officials who wanted what Lawler called, unvarnished opinion.

There were no filters, he said. It was raw and straight.

Some government officials encouraged the input. In mid-February, Duane Caneva, who was appointed by Trump in 2018 to serve as the chief medical officer at the Department of Homeland Security, sent an email expanding the group of recipients.

Caneva wrote that the expanded "Red Dawn String" would give the participants the opportunity to provide thoughts, concerns, raise issues, share information across various colleagues responding to COVID-19."

A security guard stands outside the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market where the coronavirus was detected in Wuhan on January 24, 2020 - The death toll in China's viral outbreak has risen to 25, with the number of confirmed cases also leaping to 830, the national health commission said.

In some cases, government officials appeared to be learning about developments for first time from the Red Dawn emails. In one exchange, Eva Lee, the director of the Center for Operations Research in Medicine and Healthcare at Georgia Tech, flagged a study showing a 20-year-old woman left Wuhan with no symptoms and had infected five family members.

Dr. Robert Kadlec, the Trump administrations Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, appeared surprised. Eva is this true?! Kadlec replied. If so, we have a huge [hole] on our screening and quarantine effort.

Lawler said initially, that sort of reaction took him aback.

Too often, we were finding that our group [was] providing information to leaders who were hearing it for the first time from these informal channels, he said. And that was surprising and disappointing, to be honest.

Kadlec did not respond to a request for an interview through his office.

An early, queasy feeling in 2020

Email excerpt, Jan. 28:

From: Carter Mecher [Department of Veterans Affairs physician]

Anyway you cut it, this is going to be bad.

Among the first Americans to get a bad feeling about the news out of China in early January was Helen Branswell, the infectious disease reporter for the Boston-based health news website Stat News.

Branswell, who was not among the Red Dawn emailers, said it was just hours into the new year that she started to feel a queasiness in her stomach. On Jan. 2, she tweeted: Not liking the look of this.

She described seeing images on social media of Chinese authorities in hazmat suits spraying down the wet market in Wuhan, the original epicenter of the outbreak, and hearing early reports of widespread shutdowns in the city.

It rapidly grabbed my attention and held it, Branswell told ABC News.

Medical staff members wearing protective clothing walk next to patients waiting for medical attention at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan, China, Jan. 25, 2020.

Lawler said after he started seeing alerts about the mystery illness in China the Red Dawn members began to "look at these things [and] were giving each other the play by play on what we were hearing and what we were seeing, he recalled. And it was obvious very early on, in January, that this had the potential to be a serious global event.

At the time, the administration was still struggling to interpret the signs from China, said Tom Bossert, an ABC News contributor who was on the Red Dawn email chain and who served as a top Homeland Security Advisor to President Trump.

Bossert, who left the Trump administration in 2018, said government officials were so focused on containing the virus keeping it from crossing the ocean they were missing signs that people with no symptoms were capable of circulating it. Trump would announce a ban on most travel from China at the end of January.

To contain this in China or in Wuhan, that's a really noble objective, Bossert said. But that strategy, he said, didn't seem to recognize or understand the notion that you can have a lot of sick people, infectious people walking around in any community.

In those initial weeks, Lawler said the group was just starting their efforts to persuade leaders to look beyond efforts to block the virus from entering the U.S., and in the direction of bracing the public for potentially dramatic lifestyle changes that could slow down the spread.

These signs were out there pretty early -- good indications that asymptomatic infections were occurring and that those people were then able to transmit to others, Lawler said.

Hundreds of thousands could die. People were stunned."

Email excerpt, Jan. 28:

From: James Lawler [Former Bush and Obama White House official]

Great Understatements in History:

Napoleon' s retreat from Moscow - just a little stroll gone bad"

Pompeii - "a bit of a dust storm"

Hiroshima - "summer heat wave"

AND

Wuhan - "just a bad flu season"

By February, members of the Red Dawn chain were solidifying their view that what started as a mystery illness in China was poised to become an epidemic of historic proportions.

Lawler shared his early projections during a speaking engagement at a reception for the American Hospital Association. When he began to rattle off the numbers, he recalled, the room grew uncomfortably silent. Without a clear and aggressive response, he said he expected 96 million Americans to contract COVID-19, and as many as 480,000 would die.

People were stunned, he said.

Not only were the health care executives taken aback, he said. When he shared the figures with members of Congress and officials within the executive branch, he said he saw a similar reaction.

They had not heard these types of projections before, Lawler said. The fact that folks were hearing these numbers for the first time from me was concerning.

Dr. James Lawler, a former Bush and Obama White House official, was among the "Red Dawn" emailers.

Currently, approximately six months into the outbreak, more than 4 million positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in the U.S. and more than 140,000 Americans have died, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University, despite many parts of the country taking on drastic lockdown measures.

Around the time of Lawlers presentation, Fauci was appearing in Washington at an Aspen Institute panel discussing the outbreak.

Branswell, the Stat News reporter, was moderating. At one point, Fauci was asked to explain why the U.S. government was still so focused on keeping the virus from entering the population, instead of turning more attention to preparing for it to spread.

Thats the message that is very fine-line sensitive, Fauci responded. To let the American people know that, at present, given everything that is going on the risk is really relatively low.

Branswell told ABC News she remembered being puzzled. And it showed. Explain to me why the risk is low, somebody? she responded. I cant see why theres no force field around China.

Fauci said his caution stemmed from the fact that, by this point in mid-February, the U.S. had only 13 confirmed cases of coronavirus. But he acknowledged this view could be wrong.

Is there a risk that this is going to turn into a global pandemic. Absolutely yes, he said. There is. There is.

In an interview with ABC News, Fauci said that, even looking back now, he believes it was reasonable to make the assumption that the risk of spread was low, because, at that moment, so few cases had made it across the ocean.

As a scientist, the thing you must always do is to be humble enough to know that when you get additional information, even information that might conflict what was felt earlier on, you then change your viewpoint and you change your recommendations based on the data that you have at that time, he said.

Science is a learning process, he said. To think that we knew everything right at the first day that we knew that there was a new virus, I think is just unrealistic.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Many of those interacting with federal officials through the Red Dawn chain said they understood that none of the decisions in the midst of a crisis are easy.

We recognized the incredible challenges and really fraught decisions, Hanfling said.

A slowness in revving up a response

Email excerpt, Feb. 29:

From: Eva Lee [Medical research expert, Georgia Tech]

We need actions, actions, actions and more actions. We are going to have pockets of epicenters across this country, West coast, East coast and the South. Our policy leaders must act now. Please make it happen!

Inside the Trump Administration, officials have had mixed views about the early steps taken to respond to those waving red flags about the burgeoning crisis.

Giroir, the four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, said he believes the administration took early, aggressive action. Beginning January 9, he said, the health service began a deployment of officers to nursing homes, field hospitals and Native American reservations that would eventually number more than 5,000.

On February 3, I issued an order that everybody in the corps was on alert, Giroir said. For the first time in our history everybody needed to be ready to go.

By Feb. 15 he said the health corps had seven strike teams assembled to help monitor travelers arriving in several key U.S. airports. But until his team started seeing the virus blazing through the community, he said no one was sure what to expect.

This may be fine and may go away, or it may be the big deal that we've all been training for and planning for our whole careers," Giroir said.

Perhaps the biggest challenge confronting federal leaders during a pandemic, Lawler said, is knowing when to acknowledge that it is occurring.

In one of the Red Dawn email exchanges, Lawler chided the assertions by President Trump that the spreading virus would be no worse than a bad flu.

Dr. Matthew Hepburn, a U.S. Army infectious disease expert, replied with his advice: Team, am dealing with a very similar scenario, in terms of not trying to overreact and damage credibility. My argument is that we should treat this as the next pandemic for now, and we can always scale back if the outbreak dissipates, or is not as severe.

Redfield, the CDC director, described the phenomenon as he experienced it, acknowledging he may have been lulled into a false sense of confidence that the virus would be more easily contained.

The CDC responded quickly, he said, to the first person in the U.S. was identified with coronavirus on Jan. 21. That person, Redfield said, had made 50 to 60 contacts before being isolated, and his agency worked hard to evaluate all of them.

None of them were infected, he said.

Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Robert Redfield, speaks during a White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing at the Department of Education building Wednesday, July 8, 2020, in Washington.

After the CDC had identified 12 more cases involving people traveling into the U.S. from Wuhan, they traced some 850 more people who had been in contact with those travelers.

We only found two individuals that were infected, and both of them were intimate spouses, he said. So initially it didn't seem like this was infectious-infectious-infectious.

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As coronavirus threatened invasion, a new 'Red Dawn' team tried to save America - ABC News

The NBA and players’ union say no players tested positive for the coronavirus, one day before the season restarts – CNN

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Since the NBA's Disney World Resort bubble opened, only two players have tested positive, and that happened between July 7 and July 13.

The NBA appears poised for a much smoother start when it resumes play than MLB. MLB has had a rocky start to its 2020 season with a number of players across the league testing positive for coronavirus.

"We're seeing what's happening in baseball," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told ABC. "With the Marlins especially, and it's something we track closely. Having said that, we have confidence in this protocol that we designed you referred to as a bubble. It's not actually a sealed bubble, but everyone who is on that campus is tested on a daily basis. They're taking extraordinary precautions. The only time they're not wearing masks is when they're actually playing basketball. If someone tracks positive, we track them closely and quarantine people who first come down. We think we have a plan in place that should work."

Silver said that if an outbreak occurs and it spreads around the NBA campus, he would have no issue shutting the season down.

"It's health and safety first," Silver said. "That's always been our guidepost going into this. We've worked very closely with the players association and all the teams on this, and we know it's one thing we've always pointed out: it's about relative safety at this point."

The NBA is set to restart the 2019-2020 season on Thursday at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida, with a TNT doubleheader: Utah Jazz vs. New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers.

Twenty-two of the league's 30 teams will take part in the season restart.

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The NBA and players' union say no players tested positive for the coronavirus, one day before the season restarts - CNN

Here Are the Differences Between the House and Senate Coronavirus Relief Bills – The New York Times

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WASHINGTON With the economic and public health toll of the coronavirus pandemic continuing to mount across the country, members of Congress are debating another round of federal relief for individuals and businesses.

But it remains unclear how Democrats and Republicans will reconcile their vastly different proposals. They are staring down a tight deadline, with tens of millions of Americans slated to lose their enhanced jobless aid this week.

Senate Republicans and administration officials on Monday unveiled a $1 trillion proposal, narrowly tailored to Republican priorities. It includes slashing by two-thirds the $600-per-week unemployment payments that workers have received since April and providing tax cuts and liability protections for businesses.

House Democrats in May approved a $3 trillion relief package that amounts to their opening offer: a sweeping measure that contains a number of Democratic priorities, including an extension of the jobless aid, nearly $200 billion for rental assistance and mortgage relief, $3.6 billion to bolster election security and additional aid for food assistance.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California has said that she plans to fight for even more funding, particularly for schools, in negotiations with Republicans. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, has warned against letting the price tag rise beyond $1 trillion, particularly as many Republicans question the merits of approving any additional aid.

While administration officials have floated the prospect of speeding through a short-term, narrow measure to address the looming expiration of unemployment benefits, liability protections and funding for schools, Democrats have panned that suggestion in favor of a comprehensive package.

Here are some of the main points of contrast that are likely to emerge as sticking points.

The $2.2 trillion stimulus law added a $600-per-week supplement for those on unemployment insurance, but conservatives have argued that it discourages people from returning to work in certain states, because it exceeds their normal wages. The House bill would extend the full benefit through January, while the Senate measure would severely curtail it, scaling it back to $200 per week. The lump sum would eventually be replaced with a newly calculated benefit that, when combined with state benefits, would be capped at 70 percent of a workers prior income.

House Democrats are again pushing for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to establish an enforceable standard, based on guidance from top federal health agencies, for workplaces to develop infection-control plans. The House bill would also prevent employers from retaliating against any employee who reports workplace violations.

In the Senate, Mr. McConnell has repeatedly said that he views strengthening liability protections for businesses, schools and hospitals that remain open during the pandemic as a prerequisite for any aid bill. The Republican proposal would establish a liability shield for businesses, schools and hospitals from facing claims over episodes related to the coronavirus.

Funding for state, local and tribal governments is the centerpiece of the legislation House Democrats approved in May. Democrats argue that governments will need another major infusion of relief to keep essential workers on payrolls and make up for the loss of revenue after decreased tourism and spending during the pandemic.

The bill unveiled by Senate Republicans does not have any aid specifically set aside for state, local and tribal governments, though it grants more flexibility for how states spent previously allocated funds. Several conservative lawmakers note that some of the money allocated in the March stimulus law has not yet been spent. Others have warned against states using the coronavirus relief to make up for pre-existing debt and expenses.

Both proposals would again allocate another round of $1,200 direct payments to American families, duplicating a provision in the stimulus law enacted in March that would phase out the amount of money for individual incomes above $75,000.

Updated July 27, 2020

But the Democratic proposal would allow undocumented immigrants to receive money, undoing language that prohibited payments to anyone who filed taxes jointly with someone who used an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, a common substitute for a Social Security number. That number is used mostly by immigrants without legal status.

Democrats would also increase the amount of money per child to $1,200 for up to three children per family. The Republican proposal would maintain the $500 amount set in the first stimulus, but also allow adult dependents to qualify.

Because the Democratic measure was approved in May, before schools were contemplating how to begin another academic year safely with the virus still surging across the country, Ms. Pelosi has said she will now push for more than the $100 billion included in the package for education.

The Republican bill would allocate $105 billion for states to put toward schools. Of that money, $5 billion would be set aside for governors to use at their discretion, and $30 billion would be set aside for colleges and universities. The remaining $70 billion would go to elementary and secondary schools, with two-thirds of the relief designated for schools that have begun reopening and holding in-person classes.

Democrats have so far balked at the prospect of tying federal relief to reopening.

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Here Are the Differences Between the House and Senate Coronavirus Relief Bills - The New York Times

Misinformation on the coronavirus is proving highly contagious – WFLA

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) As the world races to find a vaccine and a treatment for COVID-19, there is seemingly no antidote in sight to the burgeoning outbreak of coronavirus conspiracy theories, hoaxes, anti-mask myths and sham cures.

The phenomenon, unfolding largely on social media, escalated this week when President Donald Trump retweeted a false video about an anti-malaria drug being a cure for the virus and it was revealed that Russian intelligence is spreading disinformation about the crisis through English-language websites.

Experts worry that the torrent of bad information is dangerously undermining efforts to slow the virus, which has been blamed for about 150,000 deaths in the U.S. and over a half-million more around the world.

It is a real challenge in terms of trying to get the message to the public about what they can really do to protect themselves and what the facts are behind the problem., said Michael Osterholm, head of the University of Minnesotas Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.

He said the fear is that people are putting themselves in harms way because they dont believe the virus is something they have to deal with.

Rather than fade away in the face of new evidence, the claims have flourished, fed by mixed messages from officials, transmitted by social media, amplified by leaders like President Trump and able to mutate when confronted with contradictory facts.

You dont need masks. There is a cure, Dr. Stella Immanuel promised in a video that promoted hydroxychloroquine. You dont need people to be locked down.

The truth: Federal regulators last month revoked their authorization of the drug as an emergency treatment amid growing evidence it doesnt work and can have deadly side effects. Even if it were effective, it wouldnt negate the need for masks and other measures to contain the outbreak.

None of that stopped Trump, who has repeatedly praised the drug, from retweeting the video. Twitter and Facebook began removing the video on Monday for violating policies on COVID-19 misinformation, but it had already been seen more than 20 million times.

Many of the claims in Immanuels video are widely disputed by medical experts. Immanuel has made even more bizarre medical pronouncements in the past, saying in a 2013 sermon that cysts, fibroids and some other conditions can be caused by having sex with demons.

Other baseless theories and hoaxes have alleged that the virus isnt real or that its a bioweapon created by the U.S. or its adversaries. One hoax from the outbreaks early months claimed new 5G towers were spreading the virus through microwaves. Another popular story held that Microsoft founder Bill Gates plans to use COVID-19 vaccines to implant microchips in all 7 billion humans on the planet.

Then there are the political theories that doctors, journalists and federal officials are conspiring to lie about the threat of the virus to hurt Trump politically.

Social media has amplified the claims and helped believers find each other. The flood of misinformation has posed a challenge for Facebook, Twitter and other platforms, which have found themselves accused of censorship for taking down virus misinformation.

A professionally made 26-minute video that alleges the governments top infectious-disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, manufactured the virus and shipped it to China was watched more than 8 million times before the platforms took action. The video, titled Plandemic, also warned that masks could make you sick the false claim that Facebook cited when it removed the video down from its site.

Judy Mikovits, the discredited doctor behind Plandemic, had been set to appear on the show America This Week on the Sinclair Broadcast Group. But the company, which operates TV stations in 81 U.S. markets, canned the segment, saying it was not appropriate to air.

This week, U.S. government officials speaking of condition of anonymity cited what they said was a clear link between Russian intelligence and websites with stories designed to spread disinformation on the coronavirus in the West. Russian officials rejected the accusations.

Of all the bizarre and myriad claims about the virus, those regarding masks are proving to be among the most stubborn.

New York City resident Carlos Lopez said he wears a mask when required to avoid problems but doesnt believe it is necessary.

Theyre politicizing it as a tool, he said. I think its more to try to get Trump to lose. Its more a scare tactic.

He is in the minority. A recent AP/NORC poll found that 3 in 4 Americans Democrats and Republicans alike support a national mask mandate.

Still, mask skeptics are a vocal minority and have come together to create social media pages where many false claims about mask safety are shared. Facebook has removed some of the pages such as the group Unmasking America!, which had nearly 10,000 members but others remain. A video of a woman attacking a mask display at an Arizona Target received almost 84,000 likes on Twitter.

Early in the pandemic, medical authorities themselves were the source of much confusion regarding masks. In February, officials like the U.S. surgeon general urged Americans not to stockpile masks because they were needed by medical personnel and might not be effective in everyday situations.

Public health officials changed their tune when it became apparent that the virus could spread among people showing no symptoms.

Yet Trump remained reluctant to use a mask, mocked his rival Joe Biden for wearing one and suggested people might be covering their faces just to hurt him politically.

Trump did an abrupt about-face this month, claiming that he had always supported masks. When you can, use a mask, he said, only to later retweet Immanuels video against masks.

The mixed signals hurt, Fauci acknowledged on an interview with NPR this month.

The message early on became confusing, he said.

Many of the claims around masks allege harmful effects, such as blocked oxygen flow or even a greater chance of infection by viruses. The claims have been widely debunked by doctors.

Dr. Maitiu O Tuathail of Ireland grew so concerned about mask misinformation he posted an online video of himself comfortably wearing a mask while measuring his oxygen levels. The video has been viewed more than 20 million times.

While face masks dont lower your oxygen levels. COVID definitely does, he warned.

Yet trusted medical authorities are often being dismissed by those who say requiring people to wear masks is a step toward authoritarianism.

Unless you make a stand, you will be wearing a mask for the rest of your life, tweeted Simon Dolan, a British businessman who has sued the government over its COVID-19 restrictions.

Trumps reluctant, ambivalent and late embrace of masks hasnt convinced some of his strongest supporters, who have concocted ever more elaborate theories to explain his change of heart. Some say he was actually speaking in code and doesnt really support masks.

O Tuathail witnessed just how unshakable COVID-19 misinformation can be when, after broadcasting his video, he received emails from people who said he didnt wear the mask long enough to feel the negative effects or otherwise cheated during the demonstration.

Thats not surprising, according to University of Central Florida psychology professor Chrysalis Wright, who studies misinformation. She said conspiracy theory believers often engage in mental gymnastics to make their beliefs conform with reality.

People only want to hear what they already think they know, she said.

Associated Press writers Beatrice Dupuy in New York, Eric Tucker in Washington, and Amy Forliti in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

LATEST ON THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC:

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Misinformation on the coronavirus is proving highly contagious - WFLA

Most voters say they’d rather wait for an effective coronavirus vaccine – POLITICO

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Nearly three-quarters of Republicans said they trust Trump more than Joe Biden, Democrats' presumptive presidential candidate, to oversee vaccine development. But Biden's support among Democrats (81 percent) was stronger than Trump's support among Republicans (72 percent), and Biden drew a higher proportion of Republican voters (8 percent) than Trump did Democrats (4 percent).

Overall, 44 percent of poll respondents favored Biden to lead the vaccine push, versus 33 percent who chose Trump.

The poll also reveals a gap between Republicans' and Democrats' willingness to be vaccinated. While 82 percent of respondents overall said they would take a U.S.-made shot, 24 percent of Republicans and 9 percent of Democrats said they would refuse one.

The findings raise fresh questions about the success of U.S vaccination efforts if an effective vaccine emerges which could translate into how quickly the country could return to some level of normalcy. It is not clear how much public attitudes about a vaccine could change if a shot becomes available.

Vaccines from the pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna began the final stage of clinical trials in the U.S. this week. Results that reveal whether those vaccines work are expected before the end of the year, the companies said. Two Chinese-made vaccines are also in end-stage trials overseas.

Poll respondents said they would be less likely to take a coronavirus vaccine that was made in China than one made in the U.S. Twenty-three percent said they would not take a China-made vaccine, compared to 17 percent who would turn down an American shot.

The largest group declining a China-made vaccine were those who viewed Trump very favorably, with 40 percent saying they would not take a vaccine made in China.

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Most voters say they'd rather wait for an effective coronavirus vaccine - POLITICO

What you need to know about coronavirus Wednesday, July 29 – KING5.com

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Find developments on the coronavirus pandemic and the plan for recovery in the U.S. and Washington state.

Russian intelligence services are using a trio of English-language websites to spread disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic, seeking to exploit a crisis that America is struggling to contain ahead of the presidential election in November, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

Two Russians who have held senior roles in Moscows military intelligence service known as the GRU have been identified as responsible for a disinformation effort meant to reach American and Western audiences, U.S. government officials said. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Boeing is reporting a $2.4 billion loss for the second quarter due to the grounding of its 737 Max jet and the coronavirus pandemic, which is expected to depress airline travel even longer than previously expected.

The company said Wednesday that revenue fell 25%, which is worse than analysts had expected.

In its first week of operation, a new machine that screens Sea-Tac Airport passengers for fevers didn't catch any travelers with a high temperature.

"Its been very well received by the public and it's been a really helpful and informative proof of concept," Julie Collins, Sea-Tac Airport director of customer experience, said during a meeting with airport management Tuesday.

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What you need to know about coronavirus Wednesday, July 29 - KING5.com

A Newspaper’s Dilemma on the First Amendment Debate – Newport This Week

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I n recent weeks, we have received letters addressing the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue, wearing masks and the Black Lives Matter movement. Some of that reader correspondence has expressed what could be perceived as unpopular views. By unpopular, we mean opinions that are not widely held and may be considered prejudiced or misinformed.

As publisher of Newport This Week, I view the Letters to the Editor page as a neutral place for people to express their opinions on local issues. Although it is not expressly stated in our letters policy statement, letters are opinion of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the paper. I feel an obligation to run all letters. Our policy states, We will print letters sent to us that adhere to guidelines for taste, accuracy, fairness and public interest. With this broad, sweeping statement, we hope our intentions are clear.

And of course its important to recognize that even ugly speech that we may despise is broadly protected under the First Amendment, which states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

While some would say that I am part of the Fourth Estate, I mostly consider myself one person who is part of the community, working hard to help everyone stay informed of what is happening locally. In my opinion, the Letters to the Editor page is a place for an exchange of thoughts.

Letters allow readers to weigh in on coverage or sound off on issues. They also give publications a way to print opinions that differ from the rest of the newspapers content. More than one person has observed that a good way to respond to offensive ideas or speech is through more speech. In that vein, we invite you to exercise your own freedom of speech by contributing to our letters pages.

Noise and comments posted to our Facebook page about letters we run are similar to the social media experience of the nations most well-regarded newspapers. According to a recent Washington Post article, Debates have been raging this summer about how forums devoted to an exchange of ideas should deal with incendiary topics and toxic words. But its an issue that local newspapers have been grappling with for decades.

Between the coronavirus pandemic and protests sparked by the deaths of unarmed Black people at the hands of police, letters across the nation have been fiery lately, triggering controversy for several newspapers. Nonetheless, we will continue to allow our readers to express opinions that meet our guidelines, even if, in some cases, they are not widely held views and/or could be met with disdain.

Free LOCAL News matters. Please consider making a monetary contribution to help Newport This Week stay viable in the tough times ahead created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Any amount helps!

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Peaceful is key | Opinion | dailyitem.com – Sunbury Daily Item

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In the many years of my life that I have lived in this exceptional country, I have witnessed us weather through many upheavals.

I never dreamed, however, that larceny, arson and vandalism would attempt to be justified as First Amendment rights! The First Amendment guarantees the right to peaceful assembly. Peaceful being the operative word.

The governors and mayors of these chaotic cities have obviously forgotten their duty as elected officials to protect their citizens. Businesses have failed and livelihoods have been lost due to the carnage. Politics has taken over sheer common sense. I will continue to pray that at some point cooler minds will prevail.

Mary Fatool,

Sunbury

We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story.

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ANOTHER VIEW: War is not a game – Times Herald-Record

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette| Times Herald-Record

War is not a game. But impressionable kids may not be able to tell the difference if the U.S. military continues its esports recruitment.

The U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force have all launched esports teams and have been using popular video game streaming websites, such as Twitch, to drum up recruitment.

Active and reserve personnel have been hopping online to stream themselves playing video games and, in the process, talk with viewers about a range of topics, including the opportunities afforded by military service.

Recruit numbers have been down, and the military is turning to modern platforms to expand its reach. But the military's esports teams quickly found themselves embroiled in controversy. Automated links would drop into the Army's Twitch chats that told viewers they could win a premium Xbox controller in a giveaway. But these links reportedly took viewers to a recruitment webpage with no reference to any contests or giveaways.

Active and reserve personnel have been hopping online to stream themselves playing video games

When one considers that a large portion of Twitch users are underage, primarily 13- to 17-year-old boys who may just want a nifty video game controller, and that military recruitment of people under 18 is illegal, what the military is doing raises numerous red flags. What's more, both the Army and Navy esports operations have been accused of violating some users' freedom of speech rights after banning those who posted questions about war crimes committed by the United States.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Knight First Amendment Institute have both stated that these bans likely violate the First Amendment and should be reversed immediately. Due to the controversy, the Army unceremoniously suspended its efforts to recruit via Twitch. Meanwhile, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., recently introduced an amendment to a House Appropriations bill that would ban the military from using video game streaming sites for recruitment, calling the strategy "irresponsible."

Whether the practice is ended voluntarily or by legislation, the military's Twitch experiment should be shuttered for good. While military service is a noble and patriotic act, conflating that service with the bloody theatrics of violent video games is a recipe for disaster. Throw in phony giveaways, marketing to children and violations of the First Amendment, and it is clear the military should figure out a better way to modernize recruitment.

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ANOTHER VIEW: War is not a game - Times Herald-Record

Planned Parenthood sues pop-up church over noise, but pastor says there’s more to the story – Fox News

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The Church at Planned Parenthood (TCAPP) in Spokane, Wash.,is being sued for making too much noise and allegedly harming patients, but theanti-abortionpastor says, "it'sfalse accusations across the board."

TCAPP's First Amendment rightsare at odds with the health care of the patients at Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho (PPGWNI), according to thesuit filed in Juneby Legal Voice against five area pastors and Covenant Church, which started the ministry.

BABY LIVES MATTER MURAL PAINTED IN FRONT OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD CLINIC

"You have a billion-dollar industry suing local church pastors that aren't wealthy at all, for singing and peaceably assembly," TCAPP Pastor Ken Peters told Fox News.

"We've been running for two years. We've never been cited. Wedon't cause destruction. We don't loot. We don't riot. We literally go to Planned Parenthood and we hold church once a month," Peters explained. "We do this after hours.We are not causing any harm."

Pastor Ken Peters, who started The Church at Planned Parenthood (TCAPP), speaks Tuesday, July 28, 2020 in front of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Spokane, Wash. (Christine Stickelmeyer/TCAPP)

Hundreds gathered Tuesday night singing worship songs and Ryan Bomberger, a pro-life advocate who was conceived in rape andfounded the Radiance Foundation, was the speaker. The event began at 6 p.m. as the Planned Parenthoodclosed.

The abortion facility, which has been measuring noise levels, allegesthe group's worship and speakers reached disruptive and intimidating levels, violating an ordinancepassed by the Spokane City Council in March, after TCAPP started conducting the services. The lawsuit claims police are not enforcing the law because they "are on the side of the church."

BLACK PRO-LIFE LEADERS PAN PLANNED PARENTHOOD'S SANGER DISAVOWAL: 'LIKE CHANGING THE NAME OF AUSCHWITZ'

It's really, really frustrating and should not be allowed to happen, when the laws are very clear in Washington state and the city of Spokaneabout interference with health care facilities, Paul Dillon, vice president of public affairs for PPGWNI, told Crosscut. Its extremely unnerving for the patients at Planned Parenthood.

However, the pastor said their once-a-month services begin when the abortion facility closes down, and he's said they will start the service later if that is the problem.

The Church at Planned Parenthood (TCAPP), gathers Tuesday, July 28, 2020 in front of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Spokane, Wash. (Christine Stickelmeyer/TCAPP)

"We arebringing attention to the fact that they are killing life for money," Peters said."That's what they don't like. That's what they're suing us for. We are shining a light for the Lord and on their sin and that's what they hate us."

PLANNED PARENTHOOD'S NEW YORK CHAPTER DISAVOWS FOUNDER MARGARET SANGER OVER RACIST EUGENICS

"At first they tried to drown us out with their own sound and their own protesters, but we kept singing, praying and praising God under our First Amendment rights of assembly and freedom of religion," Peters said.

The pastor says Planned Parenthood filled the city council with pro-abortion members and passed the city ordinance, but his gathering has even lowered their decibels.

The Planned Parenthood spokesman added that the hundreds who gather "can call themselves whatever they want, [but] in no way, shape or form is this a church.

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"The Church at Planned Parenthood is NOT a protest," TCAPP writes on its website, describingitself as a"gathering of Christians for the worship of God and corporate prayer for repentance for this nation, repentance for the apathetic church, and repentance for our blood-guiltiness in this abortion holocaust."

"We don't do anything but pray, preach, and give," Peters said.

TCAPP's next service is set to be held on August 18 with speaker Greg Locke, a Tennessee pastor.

Planned Parenthood claims the service isnt protected under the First Amendment because of care provided by the facility.

Patients who rely on Planned Parenthood for vital medical care have the same right as all Washingtonians to access health care without unreasonable disruption or interference, Kim Clark, Senior Staff Attorney for Legal Voice, told KREM. This is more vital than ever in a global health pandemic that is disproportionately harming people of color people who already face substantial obstacles to accessing healthcare. TCAPP and its loud mob of angry protesters, many of whom carry guns, have terrorized patients and staff at Planned Parenthood long enough.

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Gene mutations discovered as a trigger for male infertility – BioNews

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27 July 2020

Mutations in the M1AP gene have been identified by researchers as a major trigger for male infertility.

Initially, the researchers screened DNA of 58 men with complete, but unexplained meiotic arrest, which is the interruption of spermatogenesis (the processes by which haploid sperm cells develop from germ cells) and results in altered sperm cell formation. The researchers identified the same homozygous frameshift mutation in M1AP, the gene encoding meiosis 1 associated protein, in three unrelated men.

The team subsequently undertook DNA sequencing of almost 2000 infertile men and identified four patients from Mnster, Germany, five members of the same Turkish family, two cases from Portugal and one patient each from Giessen, Germany, Nijmegen, the Netherlands and Newcastle upon Tyne - all with various mutations in the M1AP gene. The common phenotype between all these affected men was the absence of sperm in their semen, known as non-obstructive azoospermia, although occasionally spermatids and rarely a few mature sperm cells were observed in their semen.

The research was conducted over two years, led by Professor Frank Tttelmann, who set up the working group 'Reproductive Genetics', alongside Dr Margot Wyrwoll and Dr Corinna Friedrich at the Institute of Human Genetics, part of the University of Mnster, Germany.

Male infertility affects about seven percent of men, but its causes remain poorly understood. The most severe form of male infertility is azoospermia, in which no sperm is present in the semen. Azoospermia can be divided into obstructive azoospermia with normal spermatogenesis and non-obstructive azoospermia, in which normal spermatogenesis is impaired. Non-obstructive azoospermia can be, in part, caused by meiotic arrest, meaning that no mature sperm will develop. This also means that testicular biopsy and sperm extraction are unlikely to be a viable treatment option in these patients.

Because the genetic evidence linking M1AP to male infertility is strong and mutations in M1AP seem to be a relatively frequent cause of autosomal recessive male infertility, sequencing of the gene may be used in the genetic diagnosis of male infertility.

Professor Tttelmann explains 'an enhanced understanding for genetic causes for infertility in men, who often have an alleviated sense of guilt, as well as improved genetic counseling, will continue to benefit future treatment. Hence, sequencing of the M1AP gene will be incorporated as part of routine genetic diagnostics immediately.'

Theresearch was published recently in the American Journal of Human Genetics and represents significant progress in furthering our understanding of male infertility.

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Gene mutations discovered as a trigger for male infertility - BioNews

Cerevel Therapeutics and Cyclica Announce Research Collaboration to Use Artificial Intelligence to Accelerate Discovery of Novel Medicines in…

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BOSTON & TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cerevel Therapeutics, a company dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of the brain to treat neuroscience diseases, and Cyclica, whose AI-augmented, integrated platform enables multi-objective, polypharmacology-informed design of drug molecules, today announced a research collaboration aimed at accelerating the discovery of novel medicines for neuroscience diseases. Through this collaboration, Cerevel will use Cyclicas Ligand Express and Ligand Design proprietary AI platforms to screen, identify, design and evaluate compounds directed at pre-specified targets for neuroscience diseases.

Cerevel aims to be the premier neuroscience company by applying state-of-the-art technology and a differentiated approach to developing novel medicines, said John Renger, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at Cerevel Therapeutics. We are using Cyclicas world-class AI platform for high throughput screening in compound identification and optimizationwhich we believe can more efficiently identify new therapeutic molecules with symptomatic or disease-modifying potential. Utilizing cutting-edge tools like Cyclicas is one of the many ways we are creating a leading neuroscience drug discovery and development platform for the future.

Leveraging Cyclicas multi-targeted, proteome-wide approach, combined with Cerevels novel and relentless pursuit of advancing neuroscience, has the potential to bring medicines to patients suffering from neurological diseases faster, said Vern De Biasi, vice president and global head of strategic partnerships at Cyclica.

In addition to its pipeline of five clinical assets and seven pre-clinical programs, Cerevel is pursuing undisclosed targets for numerous neurological indications, including those with disease-modifying potential. Cerevel is supporting these efforts through the use of AI, as well as human genetic analyses and DNA-encoded chemical libraries, to better understand the therapeutic potential of numerous chemical lead series.

AI-based in silico drug design has made dramatic progress over the past five years and can significantly enhance our approach to designing potent and selective small molecules based upon predicted three-dimensional structure of protein targets, said David Stone, head of genetics and biomarkers at Cerevel Therapeutics. We will use Cyclicas AI platforms to rapidly generate unique chemical matter for synthesis and testing, with the goal of faster development of new medicines for patients living with neuroscience diseases.

Cyclicas drug discovery platform accelerates pre-clinical drug development by considering the polypharmacological profiles and medicinal properties of drug candidates simultaneously during the design process, said Vijay Shahani, director of applied science at Cyclica. We are excited by the opportunity to combine our technological approach with Cerevels strong expertise in neuroscience to drive the development of meaningful therapeutics.

Terms of the collaboration with Cyclica are not disclosed.

About Cerevel Therapeutics

Cerevel Therapeutics is dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of the brain to treat neuroscience diseases. The company seeks to unlock the science surrounding new treatment opportunities through understanding the neurocircuitry of neuroscience diseases and associated symptoms. Cerevel Therapeutics has a diversified pipeline comprising five clinical-stage investigational therapies and several preclinical compounds with the potential to treat a range of neuroscience diseases, including Parkinsons disease, epilepsy, schizophrenia and substance use disorder. Headquartered in Boston, Cerevel Therapeutics is advancing its current research and development programs while exploring new modalities through internal research efforts, external collaborations or potential acquisitions. For more information, visit http://www.cerevel.com.

About Cyclica

Cyclica is the first company to approach polypharmacology with a structure-based, AI-augmented in silico discovery platform, centered on Ligand Design and Ligand Express. Powered by MatchMaker, a proprietary deep learning proteome screening technology, and POEM, an innovative supervised learning technology for predicting molecular properties, Cyclicas platform is suited uniquely to the design of novel, chemical matter by simultaneously prioritizing compounds based on their on- and off-target polypharmacological profiles as well as their developmental properties. With a world-class team that has deep roots in the industry, a first-in-class platform, and an innovative decentralized partnership model, Cyclica is creating medicines with greater precision for unmet patient needs.

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are based on managements beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: may, will, could, would, should, expect, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, estimate, predict, project, potential, continue, ongoing or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this press release, we caution you that these statements are based on a combination of facts and factors currently known by us and our projections of the future, about which we cannot be certain. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements about the potential of artificial intelligence platforms to accelerate the discovery and development of novel medicines for neuroscience diseases. We cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this press release will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, if the forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified time frame, or at all. The forward-looking statements in this press release represent our views as of the date of this press release. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we have no current intention of doing so except to the extent required by applicable law. You should, therefore, not rely on these forward-looking statements as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

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Cerevel Therapeutics and Cyclica Announce Research Collaboration to Use Artificial Intelligence to Accelerate Discovery of Novel Medicines in...

Another down day on the market; Oceania reports weak earnings – goodreturns.co.nz

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New Zealand shares fell, led lower by Oceania Healthcare after it reported annual earnings significantly weaker due to covid-19.Thursday, July 23rd 2020, 6:15PM

by BusinessDesk

The S&P/NZX 50 Index declined 29.56 points, or 0.3 percent, to 11,693.41. Within the index, 24 stocks rose, 19 fell, and seven were unchanged. Turnover was $136.4 million.

Oceania reported a net loss of $13.6 million in the year ended May after writing down the value of its property portfolio by $22.5 million. It reported a $45.4 million profit in the prior year.

Its share price fell 3.9 percent to 99 cents but had been steadily gaining in the run up to the result.

Oceania was going to have a flat 12 months anyway, but that revaluation headline spooked the market, Brad Gordon, an investment adviser at Hobson Wealth said.

Other retirement stocks had a mixed response to the sectors first earnings report post-covid.

Arvida Group declined 1.2 percent to $1.62 and Summerset Group Holdings fell 0.5 percent to $7.85. Ryman Healthcare gained 0.4 percent to $13.64 and Metlifecare held at $5.91.

Stuart Williams, head of equities at Nikko Asset Management, said that, even within sectors, various stocks in the benchmark had been moving in different directions.

It is just normal investors' interpretation of company specifics as opposed to some global overview, he said.

Chorus dropped 2.6 percent to $7.25 as the Commerce Commission began consulting on regulatory changes that will affect the companys future return expectations.

Spark New Zealand fell 0.9 percent to $4.865 after gaining almost 10 percent this month. Gordon said this had been driven by steady demand for yield stocks.

The catalyst has been people rolling off term deposits and looking for alternatives, he said.

Vector, which is also considered a yield play, rose 2.9 percent to $3.93, bringing its gain this month to more than 8 percent.

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare dropped 1.8 percent to $35.35, the strong kiwi dollar is acting as a headwind for the exporter which is trading at near its record high.

Auckland International Airport dropped 1.7 percent to $6.31 while Air New Zealand rose 0.8 percent to $1.33.

Z Energy extended its rally after reporting better than expected first-quarter cost savings and improved market share. The stock rose 1.7 percent to $2.94.

New Zealand Refining Company, in which Z Energy is a cornerstone shareholder, rose 1.5 percent to 69 cents, extending yesterdays gains after it announced it had detailed planning underway to simplify the refinery.

Argosy Property rose 3.3 percent to $1.27, posting the days biggest gain, but other property stocks were mixed.

Stride Property and Kiwi Property Group each dropped 0.5 percent to $1.94 and $1.07 respectively. Vital Healthcare Property Trust gained 1.9 percent at $2.66 and Goodman Property Trust rose 1.4 percent to $2.22.

Sky Network Television opened stronger after Jarden upgraded the stock and said establishing a sustainable operating model was not an insurmountable task. However, the early gains faded, and the stock ended flat at 14 cents.

Outside the benchmark index, Cavalier Corp leapt 22.7 percent to 27 cents. The wool and carpet company today said stock levels had decreased "significantly" to about $35 million, on the back of "stronger than anticipated" trading through June, particularly in wool sales.

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Another down day on the market; Oceania reports weak earnings - goodreturns.co.nz