General news

• Virginia governor's slew of bills heralds progressive new direction for state

  11-04-2020 23:59 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Ralph Northam signs into law gun control measures and rolls back abortion restrictions – and outlaws gender and sexuality discrimination Virginia governor Ralph Northam has signed into law new measures on gun control and abortion rights and outlawing discrimination on grounds of sexuality and gender identity, establishing a progressive new direction for a traditionally conservative state where Democrats won the legislature in November for the first time in almost 25 years.In a Good Friday
  
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• Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange Reportedly Fathered Two Kids While Holed Up in Embassy Fighting Extradition

  11-04-2020 23:53 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Wikileaks founder Julian Assange fathered two children with a lawyer who was helping him fight extradition to the U.S. while he was holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, according to The Daily Mail. The lawyer, Stella Morris, told the Mail that she had decided to come forward about the relationship now because she fears for his life as long as he is in the high-security Belmarsh prison. Assange has been at the prison in London since last spring, when he was sentenced to 50 weeks. Th
  
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• Cuomo: De Blasio plan to keep NYC schools closed just 'opinion'

  11-04-2020 23:50 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Saturday the closing of New York City public schools for the rest of the academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the move must be a Metropolitan-wide based decision.
  
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• US coronavirus deaths top 20,000 with billions in Easter lockdown

  11-04-2020 23:38 via news.yahoo.com
  
  The United States passed the grim milestone of 20,000 coronavirus deaths Saturday as huge swathes of the globe celebrated the Easter holiday weekend under lockdown at home.The outbreak has now claimed the lives of at least 20,071 people in the US, which leads the world in deaths and in the number of declared infections -- at least 519,453, according to a tally maintained by Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University.Italy, the hardest-hit country in Europe with a population a fifth the size of the
  
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• Handwritten 'Beatles' lyrics sold for $910,000

  11-04-2020 23:36 via cnn.com
  
  A handwritten copy of "Hey Jude," penned by Paul McCartney himself, just sold for almost six times its estimated value -- cashing in at $910,000.
  
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• Coronavirus updates: US surpasses 20,000 deaths, the highest national death toll

  11-04-2020 23:33 via abcnews.go.com
  
  The coronavirus death toll in the U.S. continues to decline, but officials are hopeful the curve might be flattening in some areas.
  
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• Six people shot at California house party that violated stay-at-home order

  11-04-2020 23:27 via news.yahoo.com
  
  The victims, five adults and a juvenile, are hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
  
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• Eerie photos show quiet Easter and Passover celebrations amidst the COVID-19 outbreak: Drive-thru sermons, virtual Seders, and a lone pope

  11-04-2020 23:27 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Pope Francis is planning Easter mass to an empty basilica, as other faithfuls host web Seders, drive-thru blessings, and outdoor confessions.
  
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• The Secret Weapon Giving Mexico Power in the Oil Price War

  11-04-2020 23:22 via news.yahoo.com
  
  (Bloomberg) -- As Mexico and Saudi Arabia fight over a deal to bring the oil-price war to an end, Mexico has a powerful defense: a massive Wall Street hedge shielding it from low prices.With talks well into their third day, the Mexican sovereign oil hedge, which insures the Latin American country against low prices and is considered a state secret, is a factor that may make the country less inclined to accept the OPEC+ agreement.For the last two decades, Mexico has bought so-called Asian style p
  
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• Another 103 sailors from U.S. carrier test positive for coronavirus

  11-04-2020 23:01 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Another 103 crew members on the U.S. aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive for the coronavirus, the Navy said on Saturday, bringing the total number of cases from the ship to 550.The outbreak aboard the nuclear-powered carrier led to the resignation on Tuesday of Thomas Modly as acting Navy secretary following a mounting backlash for his firing and ridiculing of the ship's commander, who had pleaded for help stemming a coronavirus outbreak onboard.
  
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• The promise of COVID-19 antibody testing

  11-04-2020 22:58 via news.yahoo.com
  
  We do not yet know if all COVID-19 patients are able to mount effective immunity and prevent reinfection.
  
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• The week that was: Stories from the coronavirus saga

  11-04-2020 22:49 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Holy Week for Christians and Passover for Jews — deaths in the United States overtook Italy's. And fatalities kept adding up sharply in a sequestered, terrified New York City.Associated Press journalists fanned out across the city to compile a portrait, The Fight For New York, and tell the story of 24 hours in a metropolis under duress — including one account of a seventh-generation physician trying to navigate his way through.Meanwhile, the pandemic is posing non-medical challenges
  
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• Queen Elizabeth offers words of hope in first-ever Easter message

  11-04-2020 22:41 via news.yahoo.com
  
  "We know that coronavirus will not overcome us. As dark as death can be, particularly for those suffering with grief, light and life are greater," Queen Elizabeth II said.
  
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• Family makes mini Starbucks and Target at home

  11-04-2020 22:41 via cnn.com
  
  A cooped-up California family built a miniature version of Starbucks and Target in their home.
  
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• Colby Cave of NHL's Edmonton Oilers dies at 25

  11-04-2020 22:39 via cnn.com
  
  NHL center Colby Cave, who played for the Edmonton Oilers and the Boston Bruins, has died. He was 25.
  
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• 'Take this seriously': Southeast may see severe storms and tornadoes on Easter Sunday

  11-04-2020 22:26 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Forecasters are particularly concerned about the prospect of tornadoes staying on the ground for several minutes.
  
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• Democrats Fear Trump’s New 2020 Strategy Is Working

  11-04-2020 22:23 via news.yahoo.com
  
  President Donald Trump and his allies are leaning heavily into a new 2020 strategy tying Democrats and their presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden not just to China but to its role in spreading the coronavirus.Democrats are increasingly worried that the strategy will work.The Trump re-election campaign released a new ad this week going after Biden over his opposition to restrictions on travel from China designed to control the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. That was followed with a fun
  
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• Largest Arctic ozone hole ever recorded opens up over the North Pole

  11-04-2020 22:09 via news.yahoo.com
  
  A hole in the ozone opens up every year above Antarctica — but scientists were surprised to find one on the other side of the planet.
  
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• Netanyahu rival Gantz seeks more time to form coalition government

  11-04-2020 22:08 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's election rival Benny Gantz asked for additional time on Saturday to try to form a government with the long-time leader, to end more than a year of political deadlock.Gantz, an ex-armed forces chief who heads the centrist Blue and White party, asked President Reuven Rivlin for a 14-day extension to the mandate.Gantz had run on a promise not to serve in a government with Netanyahu, citing the prime minister’s indictment on corruption charges.
  
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• 1st round of stimulus checks arrive via direct deposit

  11-04-2020 21:56 via abcnews.go.com
  
  The first stimulus check payments are beginning to arrive via direct deposit.
  
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• Governors Seek $500 Billion For Shortfalls as Congress Squabbles

  11-04-2020 21:53 via news.yahoo.com
  
  (Bloomberg) -- U.S. governors are urging Congress to give states $500 billion in “stabilization funding” to meet budget shortfalls resulting from their efforts to stem the spread of coronavirus.Maryland’s Larry Hogan and New York’s Andrew Cuomo said in a statement on Saturday that the state-at-home orders most states have implemented were necessary to protect the public but hurt states’ economies.Hogan, a Republican, and Cuomo, a Democrat, are chairman and vice-chai
  
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• Coronavirus: Congressman wants Zoom meetings banned after being ‘Zoom-bombed’ multiple times

  11-04-2020 21:48 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Ohio congressman Jim Jordan has called for an end to Zoom video conference meetings citing potential security concerns.The House Oversight and Reform Committee, of which Mr Jordan is the top Republican member, has been conducting business using the remote meeting software to comply with social distancing rules to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
  
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• Nurses, lauded for virus efforts, find their tires slashed

  11-04-2020 21:47 via abcnews.go.com
  Some nurses at a New York hospital who had just been lauded for their work during the coronavirus pandemic ended their overnight shifts to find their tires had been slashed
  
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• 'God will shield us from all harm and sickness:' Louisiana pastor expects 2,000 to attend his Easter service

  11-04-2020 21:44 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Rev. Tony Spell announced he would hold his largest in-person church service as Louisiana reported an increase of 970 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours.
  
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• Air Force evacuates 3 government contractors with coronavirus from Afghanistan

  11-04-2020 21:37 via abcnews.go.com
  
  Three Defense Department contractors who tested positive for the novel coronavirus were evacuated out of Afghanistan on Saturday, according to the Air Force.
  
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• Trump reportedly said he would reject a bailout package if it included aid to keep the US Postal Service functioning

  11-04-2020 21:33 via news.yahoo.com
  
  USPS has asked Congress for a $50 billion bailout and $25 billion in loans from the Treasury Department to make up for losses.
  
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• Mayor and governor clash over NYC school closures

  11-04-2020 21:25 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Cuomo said de Blasio could not unilaterally close New York City's schools without coordinating with the rest of the metropolitan area, and insisted the decision to reopen New York schools rested with him."It is my legal authority in this situation," the governor said in response to a reporter's question about whether closing schools in New York City fell under his authority over the city's mayor.The contrasting messages sowed confusion among some educators."So what’s going on? NYC educator
  
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• Alabama Detective Charged With Murder in ‘Love Triangle’ Killing

  11-04-2020 21:22 via news.yahoo.com
  
  A Birmingham, Alabama, detective was charged with murder Saturday after she allegedly shot and killed a woman sitting in an unmarked police car with an off-duty detective in what investigators said was “a love triangle gone wrong.”“This is not a press conference that I wanted to give today or any other day, but it’s about the facts and realities of life,” Birmingham Police Chief Patrick Smith said at a press conference announcing the arrest of Alfreda Fluker.Smith d
  
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• Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen out of solitary confinement

  11-04-2020 21:15 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney to U.S. President Donald Trump, has been removed from solitary confinement in a federal prison where he is serving time for violating campaign finance laws, his attorney told Reuters on Saturday.Cohen was transferred on Wednesday to a Special Housing Unit at the Otisville Federal Correctional Institution in New York state, a disciplinary section of the prison, Reuters reported this week.Cohen's attorney, Roger Adler, said Cohen had been moved out of so
  
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• Biden needs to pivot to a Covid-19 campaign strategy

  11-04-2020 21:15 via cnn.com
  
  Under normal circumstances, this would be a time of celebration for Joe Biden's campaign. With seven months left before Election day, the former vice president is now the presumptive Democratic nominee, after his last remaining opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders, announced that he would suspend his campaign and called for his supporters to rally behind Biden.
  
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• 'The curve is continuing to flatten': Cuomo says New York coronavirus hospitalizations have hit an apex

  11-04-2020 21:10 via news.yahoo.com
  
  The death toll in New York is "stabilizing at a horrific rate," Cuomo said in his daily coronavirus update on Saturday.
  
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• Fauci says the government is considering giving out COVID-19 'immunity cards' as part of push to reopen the economy

  11-04-2020 21:02 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Dr. Fauci said a "large number" of antibody tests, which show whether someone has recovered from coronavirus, will be available in the coming week.
  
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• 6 hospitalized after shooting breaks out at California party

  11-04-2020 21:01 via abcnews.go.com
  A shooting broke out at a party in central California, injuring six people and launching a search for four suspects
  
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• Texas governor vows to issue an executive order to end state's lockdown and help residents 'get back into the workforce'

  11-04-2020 20:56 via news.yahoo.com
  
  "One thing about Texans, they enjoy working and they want to get back into the workforce," said Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
  
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• 100 more sailors from the USS Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive for coronavirus, making up 75% of the Navy's total cases worldwide

  11-04-2020 20:54 via news.yahoo.com
  
  A total of 550 cases have now been linked to the ship, which is harbored in Guam with sailors being taken ashore.
  
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• As Pastors Make Unusual Easter Plans, One Vows ‘Satan and Virus’ Won’t Stop 2000-Person Service

  11-04-2020 20:45 via news.yahoo.com
  
  The weeks-long battle between religious leaders who have defied coronavirus lockdown orders and authorities trying to protect the public from spreading the deadly infection came to a head this weekend as members of churches around the country prepared for an unusual Easter Sunday service.The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. surpassed 500,000 on Saturday, yet some faith leaders said they planned to go against federal guidelines discouraging public gatherings of more than 10 people,
  
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• Hogan, Cuomo call for additional $500B in aid to states

  11-04-2020 20:44 via abcnews.go.com
  Governors Larry Hogan of Maryland and Andrew Cuomo of New York issued a bipartisan call Saturday for an additional $500 billion in federal aid for U.S. states and territories dealing with the coronavirus
  
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• Magnitude 5.2 quake rattles California-Nevada state line

  11-04-2020 20:41 via abcnews.go.com
  A magnitude 5.2 earthquake has rattled the remote California-Nevada state line but no damage or injuries have been reported
  
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• Easter weekend could see the most dangerous weather outbreak yet this season

  11-04-2020 20:26 via news.yahoo.com
  
  A vigorous storm that has been parked over Southern California for days is moving eastward.
  
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• I'm the quarantine buffer among three generations of my family. All in one house

  11-04-2020 20:17 via cnn.com
  
  This is taking forever to write. I can't focus and my mind is either always racing or responding: Do we have milk, does she have a fever, the dog needs a walk, where's Papa's will, is ours updated, time for a team meeting, maybe my throat hurts, Trump's speaking in the Rose Garden, charades on Zoom sound cool, Mama? Mama? Mama??!!
  
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• Queen Elizabeth offers Easter message of hope in the face of coronavirus

  11-04-2020 20:12 via cnn.com
  
  Queen Elizabeth II is using her Easter message to encourage hope in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, saying it "will not overcome us."
  
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• Melania Trump is having a moment during coronavirus pandemic

  11-04-2020 20:08 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Melania Trump is having a moment in the midst of a pandemic.After catching some criticism for not mentioning the coronavirus in a March speech to a parent-teacher group, the first lady has increased her engagement on the issue, mostly through social media since she is staying home like most Americans.This week, she posted a photo of herself wearing a white face mask — something her husband, President Donald Trump, has said he will not do.
  
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• Cuomo: Coronavirus deaths are stabilizing at a "horrific rate"

  11-04-2020 20:06 via news.yahoo.com
  
  "I'm sure everyone's living with the same question: Every time you wake up you say, 'When does this nightmare end?'" Cuomo said.
  
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• Coronavirus: California beach and park closures spark confusion over who has final say

  11-04-2020 20:00 via news.yahoo.com
  
  California's patchwork of jurisdictions and closures have many confused Here's what we know about what's open and closed for Easter weekend.
  
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• Man accused of scamming pizza restaurants with fake large orders for police

  11-04-2020 19:58 via news.yahoo.com
  
  "I will not tolerate someone trying to take advantage of our community in these difficult days," a police chief said. The suspect also allegedly said he wished Italians would get the coronavirus.
  
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• France's coronavirus death toll rises to 13,832

  11-04-2020 19:51 via news.yahoo.com
  
  France's death toll from the new coronavirus outbreak rose to nearly 14,000 on Saturday, but the number of patients in intensive care fell for the third day in a row, raising hopes that a nationwide lockdown is curbing the spread of the disease.The number of people in intensive care units fell to 6,883 from 7,004 a day before, down nearly 2%, while the number of people in hospital virtually stabilised at 31,320, up by just 53 or 0.2%, ministry data showed.The total death toll rose by 635 or 5% t
  
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• New York City to keep schools closed but decision sets mayor against governor

  11-04-2020 19:43 via news.yahoo.com
  
  New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Saturday that public schools in the city would remain closed to the end of the school year as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage, but the state's governor later said the decision was up to him."You can't make a decision just within New York City without coordinating that decision with the whole metropolitan region, because it all works together," Cuomo said.The governor said he understood de Blasio's position, "which is he wants to close them until June
  
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• NYC mayor says schools will stay closed rest of year, Cuomo says not so fast

  11-04-2020 19:39 via news.yahoo.com
  
  "He didn't close them, and he can't reopen," Cuomo said of the the vast school district that serves over 1.1 million students in 1,800 schools.
  
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• U.S. now leads world in deaths, day after Trump announces 'Opening our Country' task force

  11-04-2020 19:38 via news.yahoo.com
  
  As the president mulls when restrictive coronavirus measures might start to be lifted, the U.S. passed a grim milestone of leading the world in deaths from the virus.
  
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• The Secret Weapon That Gives Mexico Power in the Oil Price War

  11-04-2020 19:37 via news.yahoo.com
  
  (Bloomberg) -- As Mexico and Saudi Arabia fight over a deal to bring the oil-price war to an end, Mexico has a powerful defense: a massive Wall Street hedge shielding it from low prices.With talks well into their third day, the Mexican sovereign oil hedge, which insures the Latin American country against low prices and is considered a state secret, is a factor that may make the country less inclined to accept the OPEC+ agreement.For the last two decades, Mexico has bought so-called Asian style p
  
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