WWI PHOTO DOES NOT HAVE A MORAY PATTERN WHEN YOU EXPAND IT
IT REMAINS SHARP AND IN FOCUS.
BUT OF COURSE I REALLY POSTED THE BARON'S PICTURE SO I COULD POST THIS SNOOPY TUNE TOON
https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=WWI
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Palestinian leaders warn Israel's new gov't against more annexation
ILLEGAL Israeli settlements are seen on the hilltops above the Palestinian village of Jaba in the West Bank on February 13. File Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
April 21 (UPI) -- Palestinian leaders reacted with dismay to a coalition government deal struck by Israel's two main political blocs, warning Tuesday it could spell the end of any two-state solution.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party and Benny Gantz's Blue and White Party signed the agreement Monday in Jerusalem, under which Netanyahu will remain prime minister for 18 months and will be succeeded in the post by Gantz in October 2021.
The agreement ended 17 months of failed negotiations that resulted in three different elections, two last year and the most recent last month.
Under the deal, an annexation by Israel of 30 percent of what's known as "Area C" in the West Bank could begin as soon as July.
RELATED Netanyahu, Gantz sign deal to form unity government in Israel
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking to cabinet members in teleconference Monday, cautioned the Israeli coalition against new annexations.
Palestinian Liberation Organization Secretary General Saeb Erekat warned that any annexation by the new government "means the end of any possibility for a negotiated solution."
"It is an international responsibility to hold the new Israeli government accountable and to demand full implementation of its obligations under international law and signed agreements," he said in a statement.
RELATED Netanyahu to approve 3,500 Jewish homes on disputed 'E1' land
The Israeli coalition has two options, he added -- either "open the doors for a meaningful peace process" or further "jeopardize any hope for peace."
PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi also blasted the coalition deal.
"The Israeli political establishment has united on the agenda of permanent colonization and annexation," she said, adding that "it is now very clear that Israeli political parties are unequivocally committed to the entrenchment and permanence of the conflict" with the backing of the Trump administration.
RELATED Netanyahu: Israel to build 4,000 new Jerusalem homes despite opposition
Gantz and Netanyahu support U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan, which calls for swapping occupied West Bank territory for a future Palestinian state. That proposal has been rejected by Palestinian leaders.
ILLEGAL Israeli settlements are seen on the hilltops above the Palestinian village of Jaba in the West Bank on February 13. File Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
April 21 (UPI) -- Palestinian leaders reacted with dismay to a coalition government deal struck by Israel's two main political blocs, warning Tuesday it could spell the end of any two-state solution.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party and Benny Gantz's Blue and White Party signed the agreement Monday in Jerusalem, under which Netanyahu will remain prime minister for 18 months and will be succeeded in the post by Gantz in October 2021.
The agreement ended 17 months of failed negotiations that resulted in three different elections, two last year and the most recent last month.
Under the deal, an annexation by Israel of 30 percent of what's known as "Area C" in the West Bank could begin as soon as July.
RELATED Netanyahu, Gantz sign deal to form unity government in Israel
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking to cabinet members in teleconference Monday, cautioned the Israeli coalition against new annexations.
Palestinian Liberation Organization Secretary General Saeb Erekat warned that any annexation by the new government "means the end of any possibility for a negotiated solution."
"It is an international responsibility to hold the new Israeli government accountable and to demand full implementation of its obligations under international law and signed agreements," he said in a statement.
RELATED Netanyahu to approve 3,500 Jewish homes on disputed 'E1' land
The Israeli coalition has two options, he added -- either "open the doors for a meaningful peace process" or further "jeopardize any hope for peace."
PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi also blasted the coalition deal.
"The Israeli political establishment has united on the agenda of permanent colonization and annexation," she said, adding that "it is now very clear that Israeli political parties are unequivocally committed to the entrenchment and permanence of the conflict" with the backing of the Trump administration.
RELATED Netanyahu: Israel to build 4,000 new Jerusalem homes despite opposition
Gantz and Netanyahu support U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan, which calls for swapping occupied West Bank territory for a future Palestinian state. That proposal has been rejected by Palestinian leaders.
WFP: More than a quarter-billion face starvation due to coronavirus crisis
A Palestinian doctor checks the body temperature of a child at a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees school at the Khan Youns refugee camp in southern Gaza on March 18. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
April 21 (UPI) -- The global coronavirus crisis will push more than a quarter of a billion people into possible starvation if vital aid doesn't reach the most at-risk communities, the World Food Program said Tuesday.
The WFP said in its annual report the pandemic could affect more than 265 million people by the end of 2020 without key humanitarian relief in those areas, particularly in low and moderate-income countries in Africa and the Middle East.
The 240-page report will be presented Tuesday to the United Nations Security Council.
"These new projections show the scale of the catastrophe we are facing," WFP Chief Economist Arif Husain said in a statement. "We must make sure that tens of millions of people already on the verge of starvation do not succumb to this virus or to its economic consequences in terms of loss of jobs and incomes.
RELATED UNICEF seeks $93M for poor children in war-torn Mideast, North Africa
"Just like in developed nations, governments are doing all they can to assist their people. We need to do the same for tens of millions of people."
The U.N. agency said the new numbers are up sharply from its earlier Global Report on Food Crises, which said 135 million people were at a crisis point last year. The WFP gathered its data before the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic arrived.
The WFP report said conflict zones, where social distancing and avoiding large gatherings are not an option in cramped refugee camps, are of particular concern and countries like Nigeria, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen could become even greater hot spots for hunger.
RELATED 382 Rohingya on migrant ship land in Bagladesh; several dead
"These countries may face an excruciating trade-off between saving lives or livelihoods or, in a worst-case scenario, saving people from the coronavirus to have them die from hunger," the report said. "To prevent these tens of millions of people already facing food crises from succumbing to the virus or to its economic consequences, all actors need to mobilize and coordinate along a set of operational and strategic priorities."
The WFP projects $350 million in relief aid is needed immediately, but only about a quarter of that amount has been earmarked for the agency.
A Palestinian doctor checks the body temperature of a child at a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees school at the Khan Youns refugee camp in southern Gaza on March 18. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
April 21 (UPI) -- The global coronavirus crisis will push more than a quarter of a billion people into possible starvation if vital aid doesn't reach the most at-risk communities, the World Food Program said Tuesday.
The WFP said in its annual report the pandemic could affect more than 265 million people by the end of 2020 without key humanitarian relief in those areas, particularly in low and moderate-income countries in Africa and the Middle East.
The 240-page report will be presented Tuesday to the United Nations Security Council.
"These new projections show the scale of the catastrophe we are facing," WFP Chief Economist Arif Husain said in a statement. "We must make sure that tens of millions of people already on the verge of starvation do not succumb to this virus or to its economic consequences in terms of loss of jobs and incomes.
RELATED UNICEF seeks $93M for poor children in war-torn Mideast, North Africa
"Just like in developed nations, governments are doing all they can to assist their people. We need to do the same for tens of millions of people."
The U.N. agency said the new numbers are up sharply from its earlier Global Report on Food Crises, which said 135 million people were at a crisis point last year. The WFP gathered its data before the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic arrived.
The WFP report said conflict zones, where social distancing and avoiding large gatherings are not an option in cramped refugee camps, are of particular concern and countries like Nigeria, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen could become even greater hot spots for hunger.
RELATED 382 Rohingya on migrant ship land in Bagladesh; several dead
"These countries may face an excruciating trade-off between saving lives or livelihoods or, in a worst-case scenario, saving people from the coronavirus to have them die from hunger," the report said. "To prevent these tens of millions of people already facing food crises from succumbing to the virus or to its economic consequences, all actors need to mobilize and coordinate along a set of operational and strategic priorities."
The WFP projects $350 million in relief aid is needed immediately, but only about a quarter of that amount has been earmarked for the agency.
North Korea tech workers earn $20M for regime, U.N. report says
North Korean companies under U.N. Security Council sanctions are active overseas, a new report says.
April 21 (UPI) -- North Korea is deploying freelance IT workers around the world to earn foreign currency for the regime, according to a recent report from the United Nations Security Council's North Korea sanctions committee.
The annual report from a panel of eight experts covers the period from Aug. 3, 2019 to Feb. 7, 2020. As Pyongyang adjusts to conditions under heavy sanctions, the regime could be turning to more creative ways to circumvent the economic embargoes, according to Voice of America's Korean service on Tuesday.
The 267-page report includes evidence North Korea has been deploying high-skilled workers in IT and construction, mainly to China, but also to Vietnam, where Kim Jong Un met with U.S. President Donald Trump in 2019.
The Vietnam-based North Koreans are affiliated with the Sobaeksu Trading Co. Other IT workers service customers in China, Russia, Canada and the United States on an online basis, and without revealing their identities to clients, according to the U.N. report.
North Korean IT workers earn an average of $5,000 per month. Of that amount, workers are obliged to submit about $1,700 to the North Korean government. Annually the state makes about $20.4 million from tech workers, the report says.
Construction is another significant source of income for Pyongyang. The Mansudae Overseas Development Group, currently under U.N. sanctions, has been active in Senegal. The North Korean enterprise has been involved in public construction and building factories for major food processors, according to the report.
China is a receiving point for North Korean nationals, despite international laws against North Korean guest workers. The world's second-biggest economy has hosted 2,000 North Korean nationals who stay on short-term visitor visas.
North Korea's Choson Computer Center, also known as Korea Computer Center, is the ultimate company responsible for operations at the Dandong Haotong Commercial Trading Co. North Korea's military is also overseeing the operations of the Yanbian Unsong Network Technology Co. in China's northeast, the report says.
North Korea's athletes abroad also earn income for the regime. Football players in Austria and Italy have been bringing in foreign currency used toward nuclear and ballistic missile programs, according to Yonhap.
WHO: Coronavirus likely came from animal, not a laboratory
By Don Jacobson & Darryl Coote
Pedestrians in Beijing, China, continue to wear face masks on Tuesday although the government has declared the coronavirus threat has largely passed. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
April 21 (UPI) -- The coronavirus disease that's disrupted life for billions of people around the world probably came from an animal and was not created in a laboratory, the World Health Organization said in an update Tuesday.
All evidence so far has indicated COVID-19 was not "manipulated or constructed" in a lab or anywhere else, WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told reporters at a briefing in Geneva.
"It is probable, likely that the virus is of animal origin," she said.
Chaib said the WHO's analysis concluded there had "certainly" been an intermediate animal host, most likely bats, by the time the virus infected humans.
By Tuesday, the number of cases reported worldwide so far approached 2.5 million and the death toll was close to 172,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has the most cases, 788,000.
Earlier, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that his nation will move to gradually lift its lockdown starting May 4. He promised details of the plan by the end of this week and "a reasonable prediction."
"Let's stop being strict with our country," he wrote in a Facebook post. "The whole world is struggling. We can be proud of how we are facing this very hard test."
RELATED Trump to suspend U.S. immigration in fight against COVID-19
Italy's population of 60 million were placed under lockdown March 9 when it had fewer than 10,000 cases. Restrictions were tightened two weeks later to prohibit movements within Italy and close all non-essential businesses.
Conte said his government can't "abandon the line of maximum caution" to "indulge" public opinion, industry and companies that have demanded the lockdowns be lifted.
"We need to reopen on the basis of a program that will consider all details and cross-cross all the data."
RELATED White House provides governors with maps of coronavirus testing locations
In Spain, organizers on Tuesday canceled the San Fermin Fiesta this summer in Pamplona, best known for its "running of the bulls." The annual event typically attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. Organizers said it's not possible to stage the festival safely this year.
In Germany, officials said the famed Oktoberfest has also been canceled. It was scheduled to start Sept. 18.
Bavarian Minister President Markus Soder and Munich's Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter said staging the festival would be too risky.
RELATED Georgia, S.C., Tennessee governors say they'll reopen some businesses
"We are living in different times," he said. "And living with corona means living carefully."
By Don Jacobson & Darryl Coote
Pedestrians in Beijing, China, continue to wear face masks on Tuesday although the government has declared the coronavirus threat has largely passed. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
April 21 (UPI) -- The coronavirus disease that's disrupted life for billions of people around the world probably came from an animal and was not created in a laboratory, the World Health Organization said in an update Tuesday.
All evidence so far has indicated COVID-19 was not "manipulated or constructed" in a lab or anywhere else, WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told reporters at a briefing in Geneva.
"It is probable, likely that the virus is of animal origin," she said.
Chaib said the WHO's analysis concluded there had "certainly" been an intermediate animal host, most likely bats, by the time the virus infected humans.
By Tuesday, the number of cases reported worldwide so far approached 2.5 million and the death toll was close to 172,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has the most cases, 788,000.
Earlier, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that his nation will move to gradually lift its lockdown starting May 4. He promised details of the plan by the end of this week and "a reasonable prediction."
"Let's stop being strict with our country," he wrote in a Facebook post. "The whole world is struggling. We can be proud of how we are facing this very hard test."
RELATED Trump to suspend U.S. immigration in fight against COVID-19
Italy's population of 60 million were placed under lockdown March 9 when it had fewer than 10,000 cases. Restrictions were tightened two weeks later to prohibit movements within Italy and close all non-essential businesses.
Conte said his government can't "abandon the line of maximum caution" to "indulge" public opinion, industry and companies that have demanded the lockdowns be lifted.
"We need to reopen on the basis of a program that will consider all details and cross-cross all the data."
RELATED White House provides governors with maps of coronavirus testing locations
In Spain, organizers on Tuesday canceled the San Fermin Fiesta this summer in Pamplona, best known for its "running of the bulls." The annual event typically attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. Organizers said it's not possible to stage the festival safely this year.
In Germany, officials said the famed Oktoberfest has also been canceled. It was scheduled to start Sept. 18.
Bavarian Minister President Markus Soder and Munich's Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter said staging the festival would be too risky.
RELATED Georgia, S.C., Tennessee governors say they'll reopen some businesses
"We are living in different times," he said. "And living with corona means living carefully."
Russia interfered in 2016 to help elect Trump, Senate Intel report says
Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., chairs the bipartisan committee, undercutting Trump's claims that the U.S. intelligence findings were a "hoax" led by Democrats.
The Senate Intelligence Committee's report Tuesday confirmed Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal to help elect Donald Trump. Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI | License Photo
April 21 (UPI) -- A Senate Intelligence Committee report confirmed Tuesday the U.S. intelligence finding that Russia interfered in the 2016 election with the goal to help Donald Trump become president.
Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., chairs the bipartisan committee, undercutting Trump's claims that the U.S. intelligence findings were a "hoax" led by Democrats.
The January 2017 U.S. intelligence report provided "specific intelligence reporting to support the assessment that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and the Russian government demonstrated a preference for candidate Trump," the Senate Intelligence Committee found in its report Tuesday.
The committee also found that "specific intelligence" along with other assessments supported the finding that Putin "approved and directed aspects" of the Russian government's interference efforts.
The 158-page report was heavily redacted, but it was clear that it supported the reasoning behind the intelligence committee's findings.
"The committee found no reason to dispute the intelligence community's conclusions," Burr said in a statement, adding that the intelligence community's findings showed "sound analytical reasoning."
There was "no reason to doubt that the Russians' success in 2016 is leading them to try again in 2020," Senator Mark Warner, D-Va., the committee's vice chairman, warned.
Warner also praised the agencies reviewing the matter for their "unbiased and professional work."
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., added that the report also negated "false assertions" that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 elections.
"The report also provides additional evidence against Donald Trump's false assertions regarding Ukraine," by delving further into Russia's inference in Democratic National Committee networks, Wyden said. The committee confirmed the U.S. intelligence community's findings, which are "fundamentally incompatible with Trump's conspiracy theories about Ukrainian involvement."
The report is the fourth of five committee reports on the Russian government's interference in the 2016 presidential election campaign.
"Russia's goals were to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary [Hillary] Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency," the January 2017 assessment found.
The fifth and final report will address allegations that Trump campaign officials coordinated with Russian operatives.
Former special counsel Robert Mueller said last year that he did not find collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign before the 2016 election, but there were several "episodes" where Trump may have obstructed justice with attempts to disrupt the investigation.
Former British spy Christopher Steele's unverified claims about Trump's ties to Russia are also expected to be addressed in the fifth and final report.
A release date for the final report has not been set yet.
The Senate Intelligence Committee's report Tuesday confirmed Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal to help elect Donald Trump. Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI | License Photo
April 21 (UPI) -- A Senate Intelligence Committee report confirmed Tuesday the U.S. intelligence finding that Russia interfered in the 2016 election with the goal to help Donald Trump become president.
Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., chairs the bipartisan committee, undercutting Trump's claims that the U.S. intelligence findings were a "hoax" led by Democrats.
The January 2017 U.S. intelligence report provided "specific intelligence reporting to support the assessment that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and the Russian government demonstrated a preference for candidate Trump," the Senate Intelligence Committee found in its report Tuesday.
The committee also found that "specific intelligence" along with other assessments supported the finding that Putin "approved and directed aspects" of the Russian government's interference efforts.
The 158-page report was heavily redacted, but it was clear that it supported the reasoning behind the intelligence committee's findings.
"The committee found no reason to dispute the intelligence community's conclusions," Burr said in a statement, adding that the intelligence community's findings showed "sound analytical reasoning."
There was "no reason to doubt that the Russians' success in 2016 is leading them to try again in 2020," Senator Mark Warner, D-Va., the committee's vice chairman, warned.
Warner also praised the agencies reviewing the matter for their "unbiased and professional work."
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., added that the report also negated "false assertions" that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 elections.
"The report also provides additional evidence against Donald Trump's false assertions regarding Ukraine," by delving further into Russia's inference in Democratic National Committee networks, Wyden said. The committee confirmed the U.S. intelligence community's findings, which are "fundamentally incompatible with Trump's conspiracy theories about Ukrainian involvement."
The report is the fourth of five committee reports on the Russian government's interference in the 2016 presidential election campaign.
"Russia's goals were to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary [Hillary] Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency," the January 2017 assessment found.
The fifth and final report will address allegations that Trump campaign officials coordinated with Russian operatives.
Former special counsel Robert Mueller said last year that he did not find collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign before the 2016 election, but there were several "episodes" where Trump may have obstructed justice with attempts to disrupt the investigation.
Former British spy Christopher Steele's unverified claims about Trump's ties to Russia are also expected to be addressed in the fifth and final report.
A release date for the final report has not been set yet.
Poll: Face mask use in U.S. rises to more than 60 percent
Firefighter Mark Nagel wears a protective mask while on a call Wednesday in St. Louis, Mo. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
April 17 (UPI) -- The use of face masks by U.S. residents rose dramatically in one week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended them in public, a new survey showed Friday.
Gallup said it found face mask use increased from 38 percent before the CDC advice to 62 percent the week after. Another 24 percent said they are now considering wearing a mask outside the home, while 14 percent said they would not.
Those less likely to wear them are those in the Midwest (46 percent), Republicans (48 percent) and those living in small towns or rural areas (52 percent), the poll said.
"Those in the Western and Northeastern regions of the U.S. where the outbreaks have been worst are significantly more likely than those in the Midwest and South to have donned face coverings in public," Gallup's Megan Brenan said. "Likewise, residents of cities and suburbs are more likely than those in more rural areas to have worn masks."
Gallup interviewed 2,400 adults for the survey, which has a margin of error of 4 points
Firefighter Mark Nagel wears a protective mask while on a call Wednesday in St. Louis, Mo. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
April 17 (UPI) -- The use of face masks by U.S. residents rose dramatically in one week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended them in public, a new survey showed Friday.
Gallup said it found face mask use increased from 38 percent before the CDC advice to 62 percent the week after. Another 24 percent said they are now considering wearing a mask outside the home, while 14 percent said they would not.
Seventy-one percent of people living in cities and 72 percent living in the West said they're wearing masks in public.
Those less likely to wear them are those in the Midwest (46 percent), Republicans (48 percent) and those living in small towns or rural areas (52 percent), the poll said.
"Those in the Western and Northeastern regions of the U.S. where the outbreaks have been worst are significantly more likely than those in the Midwest and South to have donned face coverings in public," Gallup's Megan Brenan said. "Likewise, residents of cities and suburbs are more likely than those in more rural areas to have worn masks."
Gallup interviewed 2,400 adults for the survey, which has a margin of error of 4 points
THE NUMBER GALLUP INTERVIEWED IS GREATER THAN THE PROTESTERS
AT STATE CAPITALS PROTESTING THE LOCK DOWN.
20 attorneys general call on 3M to prevent price gouging of N95 masks
A healthcare workers wears an N95 respirator as she consults with a patient who arrives to be tested for coronavirus in Yonkers, N.Y., on April 17. Twenty attorneys general urged 3M to take steps to prevent price gouging on the respirators. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
April 21 (UPI) -- The attorneys general from 19 states and the District of Columbia on Tuesday called on 3M to do more to fight price gouging on its N95 respirator masks, part of the critical equipment healthcare workers need to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
In a letter sent to CEO and board Chairman Michael Roman, the states's top law enforcement officials praised the work 3M has done to boost its production of the face masks. The officials, though, said the Saint Paul, Minn.-based manufacturer should do more to fight price gouging so health facilities, nurses and doctors can better access them.
The attorneys general said their offices have been "flooded" with complaints and "excessive prices" for the respirators.
"As you know, there have been critical shortages of N95 respirators and other [personal protection equipment] due to the increased use and demand worldwide as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic," the letter reads. "While 3M has committed to maintain the same prices for N95 respirators, others in the marketplace are charging unconscionable prices."
The letter urged 3M to publish its policies prohibiting price gouging and refrain from doing business with distributors who violate those policies. The attorneys general also asked the company to submit a database of its N95 inventory to government officials and make it transparent how the inventory is distributed.
N95 respirators are among the most critical PPE items in use by doctors and nurses during the COVID-19 crisis. They are specially designed to filter out most airborne particles and liquid. A shortage of the devices has left healthcare workers relying on less-protective surgical masks or even reusing N95 respirators while treating multiple patients.
A healthcare workers wears an N95 respirator as she consults with a patient who arrives to be tested for coronavirus in Yonkers, N.Y., on April 17. Twenty attorneys general urged 3M to take steps to prevent price gouging on the respirators. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
April 21 (UPI) -- The attorneys general from 19 states and the District of Columbia on Tuesday called on 3M to do more to fight price gouging on its N95 respirator masks, part of the critical equipment healthcare workers need to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
In a letter sent to CEO and board Chairman Michael Roman, the states's top law enforcement officials praised the work 3M has done to boost its production of the face masks. The officials, though, said the Saint Paul, Minn.-based manufacturer should do more to fight price gouging so health facilities, nurses and doctors can better access them.
The attorneys general said their offices have been "flooded" with complaints and "excessive prices" for the respirators.
"As you know, there have been critical shortages of N95 respirators and other [personal protection equipment] due to the increased use and demand worldwide as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic," the letter reads. "While 3M has committed to maintain the same prices for N95 respirators, others in the marketplace are charging unconscionable prices."
The letter urged 3M to publish its policies prohibiting price gouging and refrain from doing business with distributors who violate those policies. The attorneys general also asked the company to submit a database of its N95 inventory to government officials and make it transparent how the inventory is distributed.
N95 respirators are among the most critical PPE items in use by doctors and nurses during the COVID-19 crisis. They are specially designed to filter out most airborne particles and liquid. A shortage of the devices has left healthcare workers relying on less-protective surgical masks or even reusing N95 respirators while treating multiple patients.
Gallup: Americans more concerned with getting COVID-19 than economic fallout
By Danielle Haynes
A healthcare worker with George Washington University Hospital administers a COVID-19 test during the coronavirus pandemic in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
April 21 (UPI) -- The coronavirus pandemic tops the list of the most important problems facing Americans, a poll released Tuesday indicates.
The Gallup poll found that 45 percent of Americans find COVID-19 to be the biggest problem facing the United States, up from 13 percent in March. The pollster didn't ask about the virus prior to the March survey.
The second-most important problem facing the United States is the government and poor leadership at 20 percent, down from 27 percent in March. The government was the top concern in February with 32 percent.
The remaining responses were healthcare and the economy in general at 6 percent each; unifying the country and unemployment at 3 percent each; and immigration, the environment/climate change/pollution, ethics/morals, lack of respect for each other, the media, and the gap between rich and poor at 2 percent each.
Concerns about unemployment rose from 1 percent in February to 3 percent in April, while immigration dropped from 8 percent in February to 2 percent in April.
While economic and job concerns have risen since February, the poll results indicate Americans are more concerned with getting the virus than the financial fallout from the pandemic, Gallup said.
"Since February, mentions of the economy or unemployment have ticked up slightly. But even with unemployment soaring, economic confidence tumbling, and seven in 10 Americans saying the U.S. economy is in a recession or depression, government is seen as more of a problem than the economy," the pollster said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, there were more than 816,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, with a death toll of at least 43,000, according to Johns Hopkins University
By Danielle Haynes
A healthcare worker with George Washington University Hospital administers a COVID-19 test during the coronavirus pandemic in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
April 21 (UPI) -- The coronavirus pandemic tops the list of the most important problems facing Americans, a poll released Tuesday indicates.
The Gallup poll found that 45 percent of Americans find COVID-19 to be the biggest problem facing the United States, up from 13 percent in March. The pollster didn't ask about the virus prior to the March survey.
The second-most important problem facing the United States is the government and poor leadership at 20 percent, down from 27 percent in March. The government was the top concern in February with 32 percent.
The remaining responses were healthcare and the economy in general at 6 percent each; unifying the country and unemployment at 3 percent each; and immigration, the environment/climate change/pollution, ethics/morals, lack of respect for each other, the media, and the gap between rich and poor at 2 percent each.
Concerns about unemployment rose from 1 percent in February to 3 percent in April, while immigration dropped from 8 percent in February to 2 percent in April.
While economic and job concerns have risen since February, the poll results indicate Americans are more concerned with getting the virus than the financial fallout from the pandemic, Gallup said.
"Since February, mentions of the economy or unemployment have ticked up slightly. But even with unemployment soaring, economic confidence tumbling, and seven in 10 Americans saying the U.S. economy is in a recession or depression, government is seen as more of a problem than the economy," the pollster said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, there were more than 816,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, with a death toll of at least 43,000, according to Johns Hopkins University
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