Light News

Russian media have deployed a “significant disinformation campaign” against the West to worsen the impact of the coronavirus, generate panic and sow distrust, according to a European Union document seen by Reuters. | The EU document said the Russian campaign, pushing fake news online in English, Spanish, Italian, German and French, uses contradictory, confusing and malicious reports to make it harder for the EU to communicate its response to the pandemic. | “The overarching aim of Kremlin disinformation is to aggravate the public health crisis in Western countries...in line with the Kremlin’s broader strategy of attempting to subvert European societies,” the document produced by the EU’s foreign policy arm, the European External Action Service, said.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-disinformation/russia-deploying-coronavirus-disinformation-to-sow-panic-in-west-eu-document-says-idUSKBN21518F

Dow plunges 1,300 points as stretch of unprecedented volatility continues because of coronavirus
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/17/stock-futures-fall-slightly-after-market-rebounds-on-hopes-for-1-trillion-stimulus.html

“People are risking #coronavirus just to make sure Bernie isn’t the nominee. I don’t know what more Bernie needs to see that people are rejecting his revolution #DropoutBernie”
https://twitter.com/battletested5/status/1240072392548003841

2020 has shown us that the entire Bernie thesis of politics was wrong. He doesn’t win the white working class. He doesn’t energize voters. Spending the most money doesn’t equal a win. Voters don’t hate the establishment. He had a narrow base of loud dissenters. That’s it.
https://twitter.com/marcushjohnson/status/1240086909839380480

More Democrats voted in Florida’s 2020 primary than in 2016 (and total votes for the moderate candidates blew Sanders off the map)
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article241276281.html

Biden’s allies say that at his best, he is a steady, seasoned hand. That reputation among some Democrats helped him in contests that unfolded amid the coronavirus crisis.

This is how Americans beat Trump: Raw votes cast vs. '16 in '20 Dem primaries so far:
VA: +69%
TX: +45%
SC: +45%
TN: +38%
MI: +31%
MS: +19%
NH: +17%
VT: +17%
NC: +16%
MA: +15%
AL: +14%
MO: +6%
CA: +4% (still counting)
AR: +3%
OK: -10%

Australian PM: "Stop hoarding. I can’t be more blunt about it. Stop it. It is not sensible, it is not helpful and it has been one of the most disappointing things I have seen in Australian behaviour in response to this crisis."
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/mar/18/pm-tells-australians-to-stop-hoarding-as-he-announces-sweeping-measures-to-slow-spread-of-coronavirus

As of tonight, @TulsiGabbard is mathematically eliminated from winning the Democratic nomination. She would need to win 110.4% of the remaining pledged delegates to get a majority.
https://twitter.com/AndrewSolender/status/1240148240974168066

German company developed 1.4m tests in six weeks while US production stalled
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/coronavirus-german-tests-develop-private-pharma-company-cdc-a9406956.html

Evangelicals buy helicopter to contact remote Amazon indigenous peoples, violating Brazilian policy
https://news.mongabay.com/2020/03/bringing-christ-and-coronavirus-evangelicals-to-contact-amazon-indigenous/

Bernie put all his chips on arguing Biden wanted to cut Social Security (which Biden didn't, in fact, Bernie promised to strip everybody of their private health insurance and destroy Medicare). In the end, 59% of Florida likely voters said they trusted Biden over Sanders to handle Social Security.
https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1240070236801507328

The Democratic primary isn't competitive. Gonna be spending my time getting a head start on our general election model, and maybe experiment with a reported column on coronavirus.
https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1240113819508183051

Silver's 2016 model was not wrong, he accurately predicted that Hillary would easily win propular vote but lose electoral college because of extremely close losses in rust belt states. That is exactly what happened. He gave Trump a 33% chance of winning. He predicted Trump would scrape past Hillary in rust belt states with just enough votes to win the electoral college but would lose the popular vote by a large margin.

CNN is debating whether @BernieSanders stays in the race just to deny @JoeBiden a majority of the delegates to extract concessions from him at the convention. Unreal. Dude is getting blow out in every race and we are in the middle of a national crisis and it is all about him.
https://twitter.com/ChrisDJackson/status/1240088597547692032

Italian man with coronavirus who hid symptoms to get rhinoplasty facing 12 years in prison
https://www.newsweek.com/italian-man-coronavirus-who-hid-symptoms-get-rhinoplasty-facing-12-years-prison-1492823

Brazil Ministry of Health angered after President Bolsonaro authorized a rally, participated it and took photos with hundreds of supporters while suspected to carry coronavirus. Senate calls it 'Crime against public health’
https://www.chinadailyhk.com/article/124658

Man infected with coronavirus who visited bars to 'spread it' dies in hospital
https://www.tokyoreporter.com/japan/aichi-man-infected-with-coronavirus-who-visited-bars-to-spread-it-dies-in-hospital/?

Brazil President Bolsonaro's impeachment request was presented by the congress after poor coronavirus response
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/covid-19-move-to-censure-brazil-s-bolsonaro-derailed-by-pandemic-1.4205249

In which yet another Bernout surrogate tries to gaslight people into believing Bernie was actually for UBI the entire time, and actually has always been so, despite smearing it this entire campaign.
https://twitter.com/ninaturner/status/1240061719776559124?s=19

Yang and Romney called for $1000/month UBI so Bernie calls for $2000/month. Lol. Bernie always with the one-upmanship

“Was anybody talking about all the concessions Bernie needed to make to Biden during those two weeks he was the presumptive nominee? In fact I explicitly remember Bernie saying he would concede nothing to the “centrists”. So shaddup and goodnight”
https://twitter.com/dfsparks/status/1240154534397296647?s=21

Norway Hands Out $2,000 Fines Or Jail For Ignoring Coronavirus Quarantine
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidnikel/2020/03/17/norway-hands-out-2000-fines-or-jail-for-ignoring-coronavirus-quarantine/#1453f0514f42

Biden was directly part of one of the most stable and least scandalous white house cabinets (Obama's) in history. He could immediately restore confidence and stability in the federal executive which we definitely need right now. He is also the person directly responsible for helping the Bill Clinton Administration pass almost their entire legislative agenda with a Republican-controlled Congress.

Shout out to employees at grocery stores, pharmacies and other retail establishments that are vital to our getting through this crisis. Keep showing up.
https://twitter.com/AndrewYang/status/1240250907322966016

Airlines are begging for a bailout, but they've used 96% of their cash on buybacks over the past 10 years. It highlights an ongoing controversy over how companies have been spending their money.
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/airline-bailout-coronavirus-share-buyback-debate-trump-economy-aoc-2020-3-1029006175?utm_source=markets&utm_medium=ingest

1 million people expected to attend a religions festival starting March 25th, ignoring Covid-19 concerns
https://www.deccanherald.com/national/north-and-central/coronavirus-ayodhya-to-hold-ram-navami-mela-despite-covid-19-fears-814613.html

Thousands of Muslim pilgrims ignore virus risk to gather in Indonesia
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-indonesia-event/thousands-of-muslim-pilgrims-ignore-virus-risk-to-gather-in-indonesia-idUSKBN2151RI
https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2020/03/18/thousands-of-muslim-pilgrims-brave-coronavirus-to-gather-in-indonesia/1847877

China said a drug used in Japan produced by Japanese company Fujifilm to treat new strains of influenza appeared to be effective in coronavirus patients
https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/18/japanese-flu-drug-appears-effective-in-coronavirus-treatment-in-chinese-clinical-trials/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/18/japanese-flu-drug-clearly-effective-in-treating-coronavirus-says-china

How horses can save the permafrost | In Russia, experiments are now being conducted in which herds of horses, bison and reindeer are being used to combat this effect. With animal herds, the ground would only warm by 2.1 degrees — 44% less, which would be enough to preserve 80% of the current soil
https://phys.org/news/2020-03-horses-permafrost.html

Global banks failing miserably on climate crisis by funneling trillions into fossil fuels - Analysis of 35 leading investment banks shows financing of more than $2.66tn for fossil fuel industries since the Paris agreement
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/18/global-banks-climate-crisis-finance-fossil-fuels

Greenland, Antarctica Melting Six Times Faster Than in the 1990s
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7616

Oil and gas companies want to drill within a half-mile of Utah’s best-known national parks
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/oil-and-gas-companies-want-to-drill-within-a-half-mile-of-utahs-best-known-national-parks/2020/03/18/4937f6c0-656c-11ea-acca-80c22bbee96f_story.html

5.7-Magnitude Earthquake Hits West of Salt Lake City | The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake hit close to Magna, Utah, about 10 miles west of Salt Lake City.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/us/earthquake-utah-salt-lake-city.html

Dan Lipinski Done, which I have no problem with, he's too conservative to be a Democrat
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/17/us/elections/results-illinois-house-district-3-primary-election.html

Alabama Senate runoff postponed until July | The March 31 runoff between former Attorney General Jeff Sessions and college football coach Tommy Tuberville was postponed over concerns about coronavirus.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/18/alabama-senate-runoff-postponed-coronavirus-135557

Blueprint launched to manage Earth’s fragile peatland carbon sinks
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/03/1059632

What a damning indictment of Fox News from the Post video team here. Over the past month, many Fox News anchors and personalities have gone from doubting the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic to calling it a public health crisis. #FoxLiedPeopleDied
https://twitter.com/KFILE/status/1240131226268323842

Looks like Bernie Sanders campaign has deactivated its ads on Facebook. No active ads currently showing in the transparency report and doesn't look like a glitch since others are showing active ads

This day in Bernie History- March 18, 1925: The Tri-State Tornado, the worst tornado in U.S. history tears through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. 95 years later, Bernie Sanders is torn through by his own tri-state tornado as final results from Illinois, Arizona, and Florida come in.

The President doesn't have the ability to change federal law created by Congress. Only Congress can change federal law. And if you think Congress is going to cancel an election, well, that is not going to happen.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/18/politics/trump-cancel-2020-election/index.html

Mar-a-Lago is shutting down its restaurant, spa and aerobics classes—tomorrow. Today, they seem to be open.
https://twitter.com/Fahrenthold/status/1240333768004702208

In 2008, it took the market about 200 days to meet the definition of a "bear market" (which is being down 20% from a recent high). This year it took about 30 days and there is no end in sight...We are currently more than 30% down from mid February. At this rate the market would be at ZERO in May.

Bernie Sanders arrives for a vote in the Capitol Wednesday
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ETaPAhUWAAEGsA0.jpg

The Senate rejected the Rand Paul amendment to the coronavirus legislation following a 3-95 vote.
https://www.rollcall.com/2020/03/18/senate-set-to-clear-coronavirus-aid-package-more-to-come/

The Big Three automakers — General Motors, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler — plan to close all U.S. auto factories as the coronavirus sweeps across the country, people familiar with their plans told CNBC. On Tuesday, the United Auto Workers union said it had reached a deal with Ford, Fiat Chrysler and General Motors that would partially shut down facilities in the U.S.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/18/general-motors-ford-and-fiat-chrysler-to-close-all-us-factories-due-to-the-coronavirus-sources-say.html

A Wuhan lab that identified COVID-19 as a highly contagious pathogen in late December was ordered by local officials to stop tests and destroy samples. Beijing is now scrambling to censor the story
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/chinese-scientists-destroyed-proof-of-virus-in-december-rz055qjnj

Janitors are going into offices to battle the invisible germs that threaten public health, sometimes without adequate protection or information about what they are facing. | While many Americans are fleeing their offices to avoid any contact with the coronavirus, low-wage janitors are sometimes being asked to do the opposite. Although millions of Californians have been ordered to shelter in place, janitors are still being asked to go into offices to battle the invisible germs that threaten public health, even as those germs, and the new, powerful cleaning solutions they are being asked to use, may endanger their own health. | They often operate without specialized protective gear. And the increasing demand for their services is adding new stress and risks. Janitors cleaning the Amazon headquarters in Seattle complained that a new disinfectant they were asked to use made their eyes and skin burn. In San Francisco, janitors said they have been asked to clean offices without having been told that people who had or were exposed to the virus had worked there. Janitors wonder why they are left in the dark when companies go to great lengths to ensure that the tech, finance and other workers occupying the buildings they clean are aware of the most remote possibility of coming into contact with the virus. It shows, they say, how disparities play out in a public health crisis — how their lives sometimes seem to be valued less than those of people with resources and power. | On March 10, about 10 janitors who clean Amazon’s Seattle headquarters as contractors were exposed to an unfamiliar cleaning solution that sent some spilling into the street coughing, said one of the janitors. Amazon confirmed that the incident took place but declined to comment on it. Ismaham Ali, 29, has been cleaning Amazon offices for the past four years using mostly gentle green cleaning products. But now, as companies look to mitigate coronavirus risks, the janitors are being asked to use more serious hospital-grade disinfectants with little or no additional training or safety equipment. “They just said, ‘Hey guys, corona’s scary, use this,’” said Ms. Ali, who said she was provided with the new disinfectant this month. Another janitor who leads chemical safety trainings for janitors who work at Amazon said the new disinfectant was Virex II 256.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/us/coronavirus-janitors-cleaners.html
https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/070627-00024-20041021.pdf

In order to distract you from bad news with different bad news, turns out Greenland lost a near-record 600 Billion tons of ice in just 2 months last summer.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/03/18/greenland-lost-near-record-600-billion-tons-ice-last-summer-raising-sea-levels/

The Chinese scientist who invented the coronavirus test had worked at the University of Florida for 25 years and raised his kids here but left, along with two other notable researchers, because of the Trump administration investigating them.
https://www.propublica.org/article/the-trump-administration-drove-him-back-to-china-where-he-invented-a-fast-coronavirus-test

Powell's Books, the storied independent bookstore in Portland, is laying off "the vast majority" of its workers. "I can only hope we might find a way to come back together on the other side of these terrible times."
http://www.powells.com/featured/communitymessage

"If the number of patients infected does not start to drop, our resources won’t stretch to cover them. At that point, triaging patients — to give priority to those with more chances of survival — may become standard practice."
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/opinion/coronavirus-italy.html

Dow erases all gains made since Trump took office
https://thehill.com/policy/488231-dow-erases-all-gains-under-trump
https://www.vox.com/2020/3/18/21181976/dow-jones-trump-lower-coronavirus
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-erases-gains-trump-presidency-coronavirus-fear-dow-inauguration-2020-3-1029009600

The US is halting visas for Mexican guest workers, and farmers say it'll disrupt the food supply while grocery stores are already struggling to meet demand
https://www.businessinsider.com/us-halting-visas-for-mexican-guest-workers-threatening-food-supply-2020-3

If you trust Bernie enough to run the country, then you should trust him enough to follow his lead when he tells you to vote Biden

Nearly 500 Homeland Security employees are quarantined because of the novel coronavirus, and at least 13 are confirmed or presumed COVID-19 positive, according to documentation reviewed by POLITICO. | But the latest numbers are higher and highlight the challenge the novel coronavirus poses to the federal workforce. More than 240,000 people work for DHS, making it the third-largest workforce in the federal government. Many of those employees interact with numerous people every day as part of their work, including employees with Customs and Border Protection and the TSA.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/18/undisclosed-coronavirus-cases-at-homeland-security-135569

Pandemic “will last 18 months or longer,” leaked US gov’t report warns
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/03/us-govt-expects-18-month-pandemic-with-widespread-supply-shortages/

Union Square Hospitality Group is laying off 80% of its employees, or 2,000 people today, per an email. If the multimillion dollar restaurant groups can't keep paying their employees, what hope is there for smaller restaurants? (None)
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/dining/union-square-hospitality-group-layoffs.html

The same people who didn't show up for Bernie in the primaries are now vowing not to show up for Biden in the general election - and yet, media bobbleheads say we're still supposed to exhaust time and resources in a futile attempt to win them over. So it goes.
https://twitter.com/eclecticbrotha/status/1240357186288717825

How are you assuming Joe Biden gonna lose in November when your candidate couldn't get his own people to show up and vote for him in the primary? Your threats are kinda hollow when you lose every county in Michigan and Florida with voter turnout up in both states.
https://twitter.com/vexedinthecity/status/1240355323606687751

Layoffs intensify, leading to soaring unemployment claims as coronavirus closures continue
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/18/unemployment-insurance-coronavirus

Democrats say aid for airlines, cruises should include pollution reduction requirements
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/488260-democrats-say-aid-for-airlines-cruises-should-include-pollution

HUD, Fannie, Freddie suspend foreclosures, evictions during outbreak
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/18/hud-suspends-foreclosures-evictions-coronavirus-135783

Senate to pass coronavirus package as Treasury proposes emergency checks starting April 6
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/18/congress-emergency-coronavirus-stimulus-package-135444

The Senate is expected to pass a multibillion-dollar emergency aid package on Wednesday, even as the Treasury Department continued work on a separate proposal that would include $250 billion in direct payments to Americans starting April 6. The Senate’s approval of the House-passed coronavirus bill, known as "phase two," paves the way for negotiations on a third, even larger stimulus package to address the pandemic.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/18/congress-emergency-coronavirus-stimulus-package-135444

The Treasury market is just completely broken. The 10y yield rising 16bps on a day of collapsing risk appetite is a sign of something deeply wrong. I suspect the Fed's gonna be doing massive open-ended QE by the end of the week.
https://twitter.com/Neil_Irwin/status/1240336848272187392

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez votes with Trump 13.9% of the time, we must primary her from the left!
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/alexandria-ocasio-cortez/

John Hickenlooper has made the Democratic ballot for the U.S. Senate, state officials said Monday, making the the former two-term governor the first statewide candidate to land a spot in Colorado’s June primary. | Hickenlooper is one of nine Democrats seeking the nomination to run against Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, considered one of the most vulnerable senators on the ballot this year.
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/news/democrat-hickenlooper-makes-colorado-s-u-s-senate-primary-ballot/article_ef708cbe-67b5-11ea-be8a-7b9ceb623016.html

The 8 U.S. senators voting against the coronavirus aid package: Blackburn, Inhoffe, Johnson, Langford, Lee, Paul, Sass, Scott of S.C....: Senate passes House coronavirus aid package 90-8. Senate GOP inches closer to unveiling their proposal for a third, larger stimulus package to address the epidemic, and Treasury sends topline figures to the Hill for individual payments & loans.
https://twitter.com/AndrewDesiderio/status/1240370117210451968

Oil prices look like they're reliving the 1970s, dropping 24% today to near $20 per barrel for the commodity’s third-biggest rout in history. “The lamps are going out all across the economy,” JP Morgan said in forecasting a 14% decline in GDP in Q2.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/18/stocks-markets-today-coronavirus/

“Right now we are under the very unfortunate circumstance of seeing the ugly side of our community” a Central Coast hospital spox said, describing how ppl have been “running into hospitals & stealing masks & hand sanitizers, or ripping them off the walls”
https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/health-and-medicine/article241307676.html

NYSE President Stacey Cunningham tells CNBC that 2 people who were screened at the entry to the exchange tested positive for coronavirus, which led to the decision to temporarily close the trading floor. Neither person was on the floor this week.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/18/nyse-to-temporarily-close-trading-floor-move-to-electronic-trading-because-of-coronavirus.html

The DNC and the Wisconsin Democratic Party have sued the Wisconsin Elections Commission in federal court, seeking an emergency judgment extending the deadline for registering to vote for the spring primary, currently scheduled for April 7.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/17/democratic-primaries-ohio-arizona-florida-illinois/

Sounds like he doesn't sincerely regret anything...: Jack Evans is dropping out of the Ward 2 special election as "a way of showing my sincere regret for the mistakes I made.” He's still running in the primary to reclaim his old seat for a full four-year term.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/jack-evans-withdraws-from-dc-special-election-triggered-by-his-resignation/2020/03/18/0c80f106-6949-11ea-abef-020f086a3fab_story.html

Many provisions shore up SNAP (food stamps) & school lunch program disruptions due to the crisis. In TN, 903,000 people (13% of pop) receive SNAP, per @CenterOnBudget OK - 574,000 (14%) WI - 617,000 (11%) SC - 601,000 (12%) KY - 541,000 (12%) UT - 172,000 (5%) NE - 161,000 (8%)
https://twitter.com/jonallendc/status/1240382304373166081

Without a new liver, Zach Branson might have only a month left to live. Doctors just canceled his transplant surgery, citing concerns about the coronavirus.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/death-sentence-critically-ill-patients-denied-transplants-amid-coronavirus-outbreak-n1163066

Trump now says he signed the DPA but isn't going to actually use it right now, even though health officials say there's a shortage of supplies and that production of complex machines like ventilators could take a while.
https://twitter.com/TheLeadCNN/status/1240392529851363331

On the advice of her doctor, @GOPChairwoman was administered a test for COVID-19. That test has fortunately come back negative.
https://twitter.com/michaelahrens/status/1240393305751523332

"So far, there have been no investments in technology to help manufacturers increase production of ventilators, scant marshaling of federal resources, and limited coordination to help distribute machines. Instead, it’s essentially every state for itself."
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/business/coronavirus-ventilator-shortage.html

The present crisis is bigger: there was no pandemic in 2008-2009. But the instrumentalities available to govt are also stronger: this is an entirely external shock, the economy was functioning well beforehand except for Trump's trade wars.
https://twitter.com/davidfrum/status/1240394702727393280

So the naval hospital he promised today is months away from getting to NYC and the DPA is not being invoked but could be down the line?!? What is going on here. I just don't follow
https://twitter.com/samstein/status/1240392379049410561

Great explainer on why new diseases keep appearing in China Also explains why wet markets (where the coronavirus first made it's way from animal to human) are so dangerous The government of China is one of the most destructive forces on the planet
https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1240032102029996032

Florida governor refuses to close beaches as coronavirus cases rise
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/488302-florida-governor-refuses-to-close-beaches-amid-covid-19-outbreak

Bob Myers on why all Warriors players and staff will not be tested: "We've been told that testing is in short supply and we're treating ourselves like people, which is what we are. We're not better than anybody."
https://twitter.com/anthonyVslater/status/1240088288389509122

More good deeds from MLB players. Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward plans to donate $200,000 to coronavirus relief in Chicago: $100,000 to MASK, which is collecting supplies and meals for families affected by the virus, and $100,000 to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1240359151479541761

The NBA and Turner are offering fans free access to League Pass until April 22 — that’s all the games from this season, plus an archive of classic games:
https://twitter.com/seeratsohi/status/1240359989740355584

Tigers $1 million commitment to help hourly staff for games lost at Comerica Park. That’s on top of the $1 million committed by each MLB team earlier. Also paying Minor Leaguers remainder of their salaries for ST.
https://twitter.com/beckjason/status/1240385683602145283

South Korea teen dies after testing negative for COVID-19 — Teenager in Daegu, South Korea, tested negative for the new strain of coronavirus but later tested positive in DNA tests. The high school student died due to "sudden pneumonia" after testing negative for coronavirus, local authorities said. | The case is baffling medical experts. The 17-year-old boy, a resident of the South Korean city of Daegu, had tested negative for the coronavirus eight times, local television network SBS reported.
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2020/03/18/South-Korea-teen-dies-after-testing-negative-for-COVID-19/7711584456914/?ds=4

AOC is learning faster than Bernie Sanders ever did about what it takes to advance progressives legislatively instead of relying on twitter:    Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a leading progressive and a top surrogate for Mr. Sanders, said in an interview that her wing of the party needed to learn “political lessons” from this race.    Asked for examples, she said that reaching suburban women and older black voters, groups progressive presidential candidates have struggled to win over, may require different political tactics.    “There’s so much emphasis on making outreach as conflict-based as possible,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said. “And sometimes I even feel miscast and understood. Because it’s about what tools you use, and conflict is one tool but not the only tool.”    She said candidates did not have to choose between class-first politics and addressing racial inequities, but that they must articulate the interplay between them.    “Intersectionality isn’t about virtue-signaling or wokeness, it’s about how we build a majority in progressive Democratic politics,” **she added. “If folks have bad racial justice frames, or gender justice frames, or identity frames, you won’t go anywhere in expanding the party.”** (I think she's trying to tell the Bernie Bros something...)
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/us/politics/bernie-sanders-progressives-elizabeth-warren.html

Kevin Durant had his pizza stolen by an 11-year-old Michael Beasley
https://streamable.com/wbvic

Tilman Fertitta cuts employee benefits at posh Post Oak Hotel
https://www.chron.com/business/real-estate/article/Tilman-Fertitta-cuts-employee-benefits-at-posh-15140099.php

Florida Republican is first member of Congress to test positive for COVID-19: Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart becomes first member of Congress to test positive for coronavirus
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/18/politics/mario-diaz-balart-coronavirus/index.html
https://mariodiazbalart.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/diaz-balart-tests-positive-for-coronavirus

ICE Will Now Delay Arresting Immigrants Who Aren't "Public Safety Risks"
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/hamedaleaziz/ice-delay-arrests-immigrants-public-safety-risks

King County (WA) to put 200-bed field hospital on Shoreline soccer field amid coronavirus outbreak
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/king-county-to-put-200-bed-field-hospital-on-shoreline-soccer-field-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/

Votes cast yesterday for Tulsi Gabbard: 20,462 Votes cast yesterday for Roque “Rocky” de la Fuente, a businessman who keeps running for president as a hobby: 33,120
https://twitter.com/daveweigel/status/1240331789933174785?s=21

The Thunder announce that all results "have come back negative" on players and staffers tested for the coronavirus
https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1240395474256965638

A majority of the Lakers players were tested at 9 a.m. for the coronavirus at the practice facility. The doctor on site did testing with like this Q-tip through the nose, has to touch throat and twist it. Took about 10 seconds. Lakers hope to get results by Friday.
https://twitter.com/BA_Turner/status/1240318741038034944?s=20

Hard to understate the damage done by the misleading message that the coronavirus can't hurt young people. Yes, it kills older folks at a much higher rate, but it's still one of the deadliest threats to a young person's life right now, and my generation needs to understand this.
https://twitter.com/Yair_Rosenberg/status/1239574301793226753

Watching the world deal with a pandemic explains very clearly why we're in a climate crisis. I hope we learn from our mistakes.

The Iranian regime has been consistently oppressing/killing Iranians. They are now putting their support for terrorism and nuclear ambitions above the health and prosperity of Iranian civilians. Instead of blaming them for it, Rhodes tries to cast them as the victims.
https://twitter.com/AGHamilton29/status/1240423396447584259

Trump signs the coronavirus relief bill - the Families First Coronavirus Response Act - into law, a product of negotiations between Pelosi and Mnuchin
https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1240434276430118914

"Hello, you were near a Corona patient”: Israel's ministry of health has begun sending text messages to people whose phone's GPS placed them near a confirmed Coronavirus patient, ordering them into quarantine
https://timesofisrael.com/health-ministry-begins-controversial-tracking-of-coronavirus-patients

U.S. waives laws, requests input for 91 miles of new border wall construction in Arizona
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/border-issues/2020/03/17/border-patrol-waives-laws-border-wall-construction-southern-arizona/5063618002/


Younger Adults Comprise Big Portion of Coronavirus Hospitalizations in U.S | New C.D.C. data showed that nearly 40 percent of patients sick enough to be hospitalized were aged 20 to 54. But the risk of dying was significantly higher in older people.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/health/coronavirus-young-people.html

‏Please read my statement on contracting #COVID19. I have self-quarantined since first having symptoms and consulted with my doctor. #utpol
https://twitter.com/RepBenMcAdams/status/1240436119210037248

Amid coronavirus crisis, Republican-led Kansas Senate plays politics with limits on Democratic governor’s power | The Kansas Senate hit a new low in political gamesmanship Wednesday, slapping down Gov. Laura Kelly and attempting to diminish her power in the midst of a public health emergency.
https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article241315806.html