BERNIE SANDERS  I am honored to have the endorsement of Milwaukee's @AFTLocal212. Link to tweet Following a 10-month process involving full and part-time faculty, academic support staff and counselors, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Local 212’s Committee on Political Education (COPE) has endorsed Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for president. “This endorsement is about values. Senator Bernie Sanders has been vocal and unwavering in his support for fair and equitable treatment of workers, access to high quality, affordable healthcare and strengthening of public education, to name a few”, declared Dr. Lisa Conley, an MATC Natural Science Instructor and President of Local 212. “At the end of the day, Senator Sanders most closely aligns with the very things that our union stands for.” Dr. Conley explained that the union polled its members last May to identify a top-tier slate of preferred candidates. A COPE team then analyzed the candidates’ positions on issues of critical importance to MATC employees and students, sharing this information with members who also participated in a later preference poll and a caucus event. The process culminated with COPE’s endorsement vote over the weekend. https://www.democraticunderground.org/?com=forum&id=1296

Airbus: End of Washington state tax break of Boeing just 'initial step'
Source: Reuters

BUSINESS NEWS MARCH 12, 2020 / 4:10 PM / UPDATED 4 MINUTES AGO

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Europe’s Airbus (AIR.PA) on Thursday welcomed a move by Washington state to remove what it called “illegal subsidies” to Boeing (BA.N), but said the U.S. planemaker had received billions of dollars in other subsidies and tax breaks.

The Washington state Senate voted on Thursday to remove an aerospace tax break for Boeing that had been contested by the European Union, sending the measure to Washington state Governor Jay Inslee for a potential signature.

Boeing said the move would bring the United States into compliance with World Trade Organization rules, but Airbus said it marked only “initial steps” and it remained to be seen how other aid provided to Boeing by the state of Kansas and some U.S. federal agencies would be addressed

Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Sandra Maler

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-usa-aircraft-airbus/airbus-end-of-washington-state-tax-break-of-boeing-just-initial-step-idUSKBN20Z3FK?il=0


-snip-

Washington state repeals pro-Boeing tax break; U.S. hopes to avoid EU tariffs

BUSINESS NEWS MARCH 12, 2020 / 2:39 PM / UPDATED 36 MINUTES AGO

WASHINGTON/SEATTLE (Reuters) - Washington state on Thursday moved to formally repeal an aerospace tax break that benefited U.S. planemaker Boeing (BA.N) and avert looming European Union tariffs on U.S. goods.

Boeing said the move would bring the United States into compliance with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, but Europe’s Airbus said it marked only “initial steps” toward resolving a longstanding transatlantic dispute over aircraft subsidies.

The Geneva-based WTO has found that Boeing and Airbus (AIR.PA), the world’s two largest planemakers, received billions of dollars of unfair subsidies in cases dating back to 2004. It has faulted both sides for failing to comply fully with previous rulings, opening the door to a tariff war.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-usa-aircraft-boeing/washington-state-repeals-pro-boeing-tax-break-u-s-hopes-to-avoid-eu-tariffs-idUSKBN20Z39A?il=0

DARTH VADER'S CAT

https://www.democraticunderground.org/10181328957

GOP uses emergency bill for coronavirus testing to fight about abortion

OF COURSE THEY DO
Source: American Independent

By Emily Singer -March 12, 2020

The White House is trying to kill legislation to fund coronavirus testing by adding anti-abortion language to it.

The White House is objecting to a Democratic bill that would fund coronavirus testing kits for all Americans by demanding that unrelated anti-abortion language be added to the legislation.

House Democrats introduced the "Families First" bill on Thursday, which, along with providing funding for coronavirus test kits, would also call for mandatory paid sick leave for all workers, and ensure that poor Americans hurt by the economic impact of the virus would have access to food security.

But the White House is opposed to the bill, with Donald Trump saying that the bill is filled with "goodies" Democrats have wanted to pass for years.

And in an apparent effort to build opposition to the bill, Republicans, including first son Donald Trump Jr., are claiming the $1 billion in funding the Democratic bill would make available for coronavirus testing would actually be an "abortion slush fund."

Read more: https://americanindependent.com/gop-coronavirus-bill-abortion-hyde-amendment-donald-trump-republicans-congress/

Republicans Are Opposing Paid Sick Leave & Holding Up Free Coronavirus Testing-- Over Abortion

'Republicans are opposing paid sick leave and holding up free coronavirus testing over abortion.' 

 By Laura Clawson For Daily Kos Labor, March 12, 2020.

Senate Republicans have backed down on the threat to wait until after a week-long recess to consider the House coronavirus response bill, and have canceled recess. But that doesn’t mean they’re gearing up to be reasonable about protecting families from the economic impact of the pandemic. “Per multiple sources, there are 2 issues emerging as sticking points in negotiations between the White House and Speaker Pelosi on the Coronavirus aid bill: paid sick leave and abortion,” NBC's Alex Moe tweeted. It’s a close call which of these is more shocking (without being all that surprising)—that Republicans are balking at paid sick leave during a pandemic or that Republicans are somehow turning pandemic response into an abortion fight.

The issue at play, abortion-wise, is that Republicans want to add anti-abortion language to the bill. That scans—as something ruthlessly partisan politicians with no regard for health or safety would do. It also comes in the context of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell having warned about the House Democrats’ bill—the one with the sick leave and coronavirus testing—being “an ideological wish list that was not tailored closely to the circumstances.”

According to the Daily Caller (no, I’m not linking), the issue was “a mandate for up to $1 billion to reimburse laboratory claims, which White House officials say would set a precedent of health spending without protections outlined in the Hyde Amendment.” So Democrats called for funding to cover laboratory costs of testing for coronavirus, and Republicans said no, because it would set a precedent that the federal government could spend money on health care without explicitly excluding abortion? IT’S CORONAVIRUS TESTING. But oh noes, it would set a precedent.

According to Politico Playbook, “The two sides resolved issues over federal funding of abortion in a separate bill that will also hit the floor.” Then there’s paid sick leave. Which is at least a relevant issue here. In fact, it’s one of the absolute central issues: People who may miss weeks of work because they’re sick, caring for a sick loved one, or caring for a child whose school is closed should not face hunger and eviction or foreclosure for it. We should not want these people going about their daily lives infecting other people, even if we lack the basic humanity to say they shouldn’t have to suffer through working while sick.

Paid sick leave is, for the record, extremely popular with the public...

More, https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/3/12/1926856/-Republicans-are-opposing-paid-sick-leave-and-holding-up-free-coronavirus-testing-over-abortion

Coronavirus: many infections spread by people yet to show symptoms - scientists

Source: The Guardian

Coronavirus: many infections spread by people yet to show symptoms (est: 45% to 85%)

An analysis of infections in Singapore and Tianjin in China revealed that two-thirds and three-quarters of people respectively appear to have caught it from others who were incubating the virus but still symptom-free.

Researchers in Belgium and the Netherlands drew on data from outbreaks in Singapore and Tianjin to work out the "generation interval" for Covid-19. The generation interval is the time between one person getting infected and them infecting another. The figure is valuable for estimating the speed at which an outbreak will unfold.

The mean generation interval was 5.2 days in the Singapore cluster and 3.95 days in the China cluster, according to the analysis which is under review at an infectious disease journal. The scientists went on to calculate what proportion of infections were likely spread from people who were still incubating the virus and had yet to develop symptoms.

There are uncertainties in the figures because the scientists did not have precise information on who infected whom in the two clusters of disease. But even the lowest estimates show there was substantial transmission of coronavirus from people who had yet to fall ill.

In the Singapore cluster, between 45% and 84% of infections appeared to come from people incubating the virus. In China, the figures ranged from 65% to as much as 87%.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/mar/12/coronavirus-most-infections-spread-by-people-yet-to-show-symptoms-scientists

Rep. Katie Porter gets CDC chief to agree to pay for coronavirus testing

Source: cnn

 Thu March 12, 2020

Lawmaker gets CDC chief to promise free coronavirus tests

(CNN)Democratic Rep. Katie Porter successfully pressed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief during a congressional hearing on Thursday to agree that the agency will pay for testing for the novel coronavirus.

The exchange came after President Donald Trump, while addressing the nation on Wednesday night, incorrectly implied that coronavirus patients could access free treatment. Many insurers have said they will pick up the cost of coronavirus testing for some policyholders, but not the treatment -- and a test or treatment that is covered is not necessarily free.

"Dr. Kadlec, for someone without insurance, do you know the out-of-pocket cost of a complete blood count test?" Porter, a California Democrat, asked Robert Kadlec, the assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services, who said that he did not.

Porter, who is known for her incisive questioning of witnesses, then asked Kadlec whether he knew the prices of several medical services that could be associated with a coronavirus test, writing down her own figures for each service on a whiteboard she had brought to the House Oversight Committee hearing. All of his guesses were slightly to significantly above the amounts that Porter cited.
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Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/12/politics/katie-porter-cdc-coronavirus-testing-white-board/index.html?utm_source=twCNN&utm_content=2020-03-12T23%3A07%3A09&utm_medium=social&utm_term=link

South Korea experts recommend anti-HIV, anti-malaria drugs for COVID-19

March 12 (UPI) -- South Korean disease experts have begun to recommend the use of a combination of antiviral and anti-malaria drugs for patients of the new strain of coronavirus.

Kwon Jun-wook, deputy head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Thursday at a regular press briefing the recommendations come from multiple groups, and that the government is ready to apply the recommendations to patients "where necessary," Newsis reported.

The Korean Society of Infectious Diseases, Korean Society for Antimicrobial Therapy, Korean Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and a tuberculosis association published their recommendations on Thursday.

The groups advised discretion among medical professionals, while recommending the administration of Kaletra, an anti-HIV medication that includes the drugs lopinavir and ritonavir.

RELATED Saudi Arabia extends travel ban to EU amid COVID-19 fears

Kaletra blocks the ability of HIV to replicate itself, and also inhibits the growth of cancer cells.

South Korean experts are also recommending the use of hydroxychloroquine in combination with the anti-HIV medication. HCQ is sold under the brand name Plaquenil, among others, and is used for the prevention and treatment of malaria.

The South Korean groups warned that there is "currently no standard treatment for COVID-19," and urged medical staff to use their best judgment when treating patients. COVID-19 patients showing severe pneumonia-like symptoms, high-risk groups including the elderly and the chronically ill, are target groups for a more "active" administration of the drugs, South Korean experts said.

RELATED Coronavirus outbreak calls for greater global cooperation

South Korea has taken progressive measures nationwide in response to the spread of the coronavirus, including drive-through testing stations, free tests regardless of citizenship. Unlike Taiwan or Australia, Seoul has also refrained from draconian travel restrictions, but reported cases exceeded 7,800 by Thursday.

On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said during a prime-time address his administration is monitoring the situation in South Korea.

"As their situation improves, we will re-evaluate the restrictions and warnings that are currently in place for a possible early opening," Trump said.

RELATED Concern grows as new coronavirus cluster emerges in Seoul

Korea Economic Daily reported Thursday the South Korean foreign ministry is evaluating Trump's South Korea statement as "encouraging."

Coronavirus: EU slams Trump for 'unilateral' move to ban flights to U.S.

CHAOS PANIC AND DISORDER MY WORK HERE IS DONE

Travelers stand in line at the Adolfo-Suarez Barajas International Airport in Madrid on March 12, 2020. Photo by Emilio Naranjo/EPA-EFE

March 12 (UPI) -- Leaders of the European Union reacted harshly Thursday to the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to bar travel into the United States for 30 days, saying he failed to consult with the 27-member bloc about the coronavirus pandemic that keeps slamming the travel industry.

Trump announced in a national address Wednesday night that no flights from Europe's "Schengen Area" -- where travel is permitted between countries without passports or border controls -- will be allowed into the United States beginning at midnight Friday.

Travelers who have been in any of those 26 nations within two weeks of their scheduled travel to the United States will be denied entry. The affected countries are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Thursday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel criticized Trump's decision, particularly because the U.S. leader didn't seek advice or feedback from the EU.

RELATED Saudi Arabia extends travel ban to EU amid COVID-19 fears

"The coronavirus is a global crisis, not limited to any continent and it requires cooperation rather than unilateral action," they said in a statement. "The European Union disapproves of the fact that the U.S. decision to impose a travel ban was taken unilaterally and without consultation.

"The European Union is taking strong action to limit the spread of the virus."

Speaking to reporters at the White House Thursday, Trump dismissed the criticisms.

RELATED Bank of England cuts interest rate as COVID-19 spreads through EU

"We had to make a decision, and we didn't want to take time," he said.

Foreign nationals who have been to one of the Schengen Area countries within the last 14 days will be denied U.S. entry and affected U.S. citizens abroad must be booked through "an approved airport."

Trump decided on a 14-day period because that's the incubation period for the coronavirus disease.

RELATED EU raises risk level to high as more countries confirm first infections

EU leaders held a conference call Tuesday to formulate a strategy for confronting the outbreak, which is now deemed a pandemic by the World Health Organization. They agreed to set up a $28 billion fund to cushion its economic impact and to work to ensure adequate medical equipment and supplies.

Trump said the ban will not affect travel from Britain and there will be exemptions for Americans overseas who have undergone appropriate screening.

Johns Hopkins University, which has been tracking global coronavirus cases, said there were more than 1,300 cases in the United States by Thursday morning and 38 deaths. The university's tally says eight cases have recovered in a handful of states.

Trump's travel ban was another blow to the global travel industry, which has seen passenger demand plummet over the past week. Many U.S. carriers have responded by significantly reducing flights and capacity to and from coronavirus-heavy areas, like China.

Most U.S. airlines responded by saying they will comply with Trump's ban on flights from Europe.

Delta Air Lines said it will continue to "quickly make adjustments to service, as needed, in response to government travel directives." United Airlines also indicated it would meet the president's directive.

American Airlines said Thursday it will "work closely with U.S. authorities to comply with these new orders while treating all of our customers with respect."

Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it will cancel about 23,000 flights due to "exceptional circumstances caused by the spread of the coronavirus."

Norwegian Air said it's suspending more than 4,000 flights and temporarily laying off up to 50 percent of employees in all departments. More layoffs could come depending on the length of travel disruptions.

Shares of European airlines reacted negatively Thursday to the ban. Air France-KLM, easyjet and British Airways' parent company all saw losses of about 5 percent in trading Thursday afternoon. Norwegian Air Shuttle was down 20 percent at one point.

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Federal judge releases Chelsea Manning from jail
Chelsea Manning hospitalized after suicide attempt

A federal judge ordered former U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to be released on Thursday after she was imprisoned for defying a subpoena to testify before a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks in May. Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | License Photo


March 12 (UPI) -- A federal judge on Thursday ruled that Chelsea Manning be released from jail, determining it was no longer necessary for her to testify before a grand jury.

Judge Anthony J. Trenga of the Eastern District of Virginia said that the grand jury investigating WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange is no longer active and Manning's detention for refusing to testify wasn't necessary.
"Ms. Manning's appearance before the grand jury is no longer needed," he wrote. "Her detention no longer serves any coercive purpose."

Manning, a former U.S. Army intelligence analyst, was sentenced to 35 years in jail in 2013 for leaking classified government documents to WikiLeaks in 2010 but former President Barack Obama commuted her sentence in 2017.

Last year, she was found in contempt of court for refusing to give testimony before a grand jury in its investigation of WikiLeaks and was jailed for 62 days at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center in Alexandria, Va.

Upon her release in May, prosecutors immediately issued a second subpoena and ordered her to be jailed again until the end of the grand jury's term in addition to facing a fine of $500 per day for every day she refuses to testify, a figure that increased to $1,000 after 60 days.

Trenga added, however, that Manning must still pay the $256,000 in fines she accrued as she remained imprisoned while refusing to comply with the subpoena.

On Wednesday, Manning was hospitalized after attempting to take her own life but her legal team said she would still appear at a hearing on Friday on a motion to terminate the civil contempt sanctions she faced.


Chelsea Manning hospitalized after suicide attempt


Former U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning was hospitalized on Wednesday night after attempting to take her own life while jailed for refusing to comply with a grand jury subpoena about an investigation into WikiLeaks. Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI. | License Photo

March 11 (UPI) -- Chelsea Manning was hospitalized on Wednesday night after attempting suicide, her legal team said.

Manning's legal team said she was recovering and is still scheduled to appear at a hearing on Friday on a motion to terminate civil contempt sanctions stemming from her decision to refuse testimony before a grand jury last year.

"In spite of those sanctions -- which have so far included over a year of so-called 'coercive' incarceration and nearly half a million dollars in threatened fines -- she remains unwavering in her refusal to participate in a secret grand jury process that she sees as highly susceptible to abuse," her team said.

In 2013, Manning was imprisoned for 35 years for leaking classified government documents to WikiLeaks in 2010. In 2017, President Barack Obama commuted her sentence.

Manning was first sent to jail for contempt in March 2019 for refusing to testify about the release of WikiLeaks documents she leaked in 2010, stating she doesn't believe in the grand jury process and wouldn't answer questions from a secret grand jury regarding the case.

She was ultimately released from the Alexandria Detention Center after that grand jury term expired but prosecutors immediately issued a second subpoena.

South Koreans report anti-Asian racism growing in Italy

South Koreans say they are the target of anti-Asian racism in Italy, following the massive outbreak of the new strain of coronavirus in Europe. Photo by Mourad Balti Touati/EPA-EFE

March 12 (UPI) -- South Korean students returning from Italy amid the global coronavirus outbreak say anti-Asian discrimination is worsening as Italy's death toll exceeded 800 on Thursday.

In Italy, where Chinese tourists have reportedly been spat on in hot spots like Venice even before the outbreak in Europe, South Korean students are reporting racial discrimination and a general environment of intolerance, according to South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo.

Lee Hee-sol, 22, a South Korean student who returned home from Rome, said she decided to leave after Italy's COVID-19 cases topped 1,000. By Thursday, Italy was reporting more than 12,400 cases.

The pandemic began in China, but recently the Chinese government has been pointing fingers at other sources, while urging other nations to stop referring to the disease as the "China virus."

RELATED South Korea experts recommend anti-HIV, anti-malaria drugs for COVID-19

Meanwhile in countries with predominantly non-Asian populations, angry locals have been targeting Asians of all nationalities.

Last week, Jiye Seong-Yu, an ethnic Korean woman in the Netherlands, was almost punched while riding a bicycle. Her assailants, two men, had yelled out, "Chinese," according to Buzzfeed.

On Thursday, other South Korean students, including some who have elected to remain in Italy, said anti-Asian racism in the European country is worsening.

RELATED Coronavirus: EU slams Trump for 'unilateral' move to ban flights to U.S.

South Koreans and South Korean authorities have also stood by a policy of wearing face masks in public. Health authorities in other countries, including Italy, may be holding back from fully recommending the use of masks in public. The policy could be making South Koreans in Italy uneasy, according to the JoongAng.

In February, an ethnic Chinese man in northern Italy was attacked while refueling at a gas station not far from Venice, according to Il Messagero in February.

An assailant at a bar smashed a glass bottle in his face after the man, described as an Italian of Chinese descent, had asked the cashier to break down a bigger bill. Nobody defended the victim during or after the attack, according to the report.