Tuesday, May 12 coronavirus and top news updates [No CC]
Dr. Anthony Fauci tells Senate he’s worried about states reopening too soon and causing deaths; Sen. Rand Paul pushes back; nation divided on social distancing & masks; 20 million Americans still waiting for stimulus checks; Democrats propose second round of stimulus checks but Republicans opposed; Hong Kong fresh protests; Afghanistan hospital shot up; NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo to implement in-frame ASL interpreters on May 13
**Correction: House Democrats have proposed up to $6,000 per household, not $6,000 per month.
Hello, welcome to The Daily Moth! It is Tuesday, May 12. I had a very busy day today with a couple of appointments that went longer than expected, so I will be doing today’s news briefs in a simple video without PIPs.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious diseases expert in the U.S., said in a testimony done remotely before a Senate committee that he was worried about states that are reopening while their Covid-19 cases are still rising. He said states should only reopen or relax social distancing rules when there is a decline in cases and hospitalizations and an increase in testing.
Fauci said there could be new outbreaks that would be very hard to control and cause deaths that could have been prevented and cause even more economic damage.
Fauci said a vaccine is essential to stopping the pandemic, but said we won’t have one ready by the next school year (this fall). He said there are 100 potential vaccines that are under development. He said a worst-case scenario is that a vaccine “backfires” and causes the coronavirus to become stronger.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky) said he respects Dr. Fauci but told him that he is not the “end all” and that he is not the “one person who gets to make a prediction” about when students can go back to school. Fauci responded by saying he is a scientist and gives advice based on the best scientific evidence.
We can see that the nation is starting to become divided on how long we should continue to heed scientific advice on social distancing or wearing masks.
There was a fight at a Target’s store in Los Angeles between store employees and two men who refused to wear a mask. An employee broke his arm. This happened on May 1 but recently made national news.
A restaurant in Colorado opened their dining room on Mother’s Day against state restrictions on social distancing. Viral videos on social media showed a packed restaurant with all tables full and a line that extended from the restaurant’s counter to the outside. There was easily over 50 people in crowded conditions. The restaurant, C&C Breakfast and Korean Kitchen, was ordered shut down by health officials. The restaurant’s owners said they knew there would be consequences but wanted to make a statement that people want to work, they want to live, and that we live with risks every day.
President Trump tweeted this morning that “numbers are coming down in most parts of our country, which wants to open and get going again. It’s happening, safely!”
As of this evening, the U.S. has 1.3 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 with 82,227 deaths, the most in the world. However, we’ve had a decline in daily total cases for the past five days. Still, if we look at the numbers closer, we’ll see that some states such as New York are having declines in cases, while other states such as Minnesota or New Jersey are seeing increases in cases.
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CBS News reported that about 20 million Americans are still waiting for their stimulus checks. I have received some messages from Moth viewers who are frustrated at not getting their stimulus checks. The IRS said they have issued 130 million payments, so there’s 20 million left. There’s no “one” reason why those eligible for payments have not received one. The IRS has a “Get My Payment” tool on their website and a tool where you can input your banking information, but it doesn’t work for everyone. So if you are eligible but are waiting, know that you’re not the only one.
Will there be another round of stimulus checks and economic aid for Americans? House Democrats announced they are introducing a $3 trillion bill that would provide direct payments of up to $6,000 a month to American households. It would also provide “hazard pay” for essential workers, funding for state and local governments and coronavirus testing and tracing. Republican Senate leaders said they are opposed to the bill.
Now, two international news briefs.
The first — in Hong Kong, there were fresh protests against the government in a resurgence from massive protests that continued for several months last year. Over 200 people were arrested. Some of them were ticketed for violating social distancing orders. The protesters want more freedoms and to push back on China’s influence and domination over the region.
The second news — a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan was attacked by three men who disguised themselves in police uniforms. They shot up the interior of the hospital and threw grenades. Eleven adults and two newborns died. Afghan special forces responded in a firefight and took back control of the hospital. It is not clear who is responsible. The Taliban denied responsibility.
Now here’s an update on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and a federal judge’s order for him to “immediately” provide in-frame interpreting. I hoped that he would start today — but according to an opinion written by the judge, the governor has until May 13 to implement this. So hopefully it’ll be present tomorrow. I will recap what the judge said in her opinion in tomorrow’s news.
That is all for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/12/dr-anthony-fauci-testifies-before-congress-on-coronavirus-heres-what-he-says.html
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rand-paul-dings-fauci-during-testimony-tells-him-you-are-not-the-end-all
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/men-who-escorted-out-of-target-for-not-wearing-face-masks-idd-in-attack-on-store-employee/2360527/
https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/12/us/colorado-restaurant-shut-down/index.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stimulus-check-delays-20-million-waiting-coronavirus-pandemic/
https://apnews.com/c8c12846d1f73a6521d0aaeeababd345
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gunmen-attack-doctors-without-borders-hospital-kabul-afghanistan-n1204986