Volunteer #1 in Promising Antiviral Trial Was Repatriated From Virus-Stricken Cruise Ship

A trial investigating whether the antiviral drug Remdesivir speeds up recovery from COVID-19 – and which is showing promising preliminary results – began last February. The first participant was an American who volunteered after being repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Read

Tedros Offers a Timeline to Show 'What WHO Knew, and What We Did'

Under fire for perceived deference to China, the head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday offered an explanation for WHO’s widely-criticized January 14 tweet highlighting China’s claims that there was “no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission” of the coronavirus that had emerged in Wuhan late the previous year. Read

Biden Says He’d Restore Obama-Era Cuba Policy, But ‘No Reason’ Maduro-Related Sanctions Couldn’t Stay

Former Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday that as president he would return to the Obama administration’s policy of engagement with Cuba, although he suggested U.S. sanctions against Havana over its support for the Maduro regime in Venezuela could continue. Read

Religious Freedom Commissioner: China ‘Persecutes More People…Than Any Other Country in the World’

Communist China persecutes more people, from more religious backgrounds, than any other country in the world, a member of the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom said on Tuesday. Read

Biden: ‘Abortion is an Essential Health Care Service’

As he basked in Hillary Clinton’s endorsement of his presidential campaign on Tuesday, former Vice President Joe Biden underlined his shift on the issue of abortion, describing it as “an essential health care service” during the coronavirus pandemic. Read

China Suggests WHO Could Help US Gov’t Respond to Americans' Criticism of Trump's Pandemic Response

China’s foreign ministry said Monday the U.S. government should respond in a “timely” fashion to criticism of the administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic – and suggested that the World Health Organization could be “invited to help review this process.” Read

Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Ready to Work WIth Biden on 'Most Progressive Agenda...in History’

Throwing her support behind Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair Pramila Jayapal said Monday she was “ready to work with him to craft and then implement the most progressive agenda of any candidate in history.” Read

Trump on Kim Jong Un: ‘I Hope He’s Fine. I Do Know How He’s Doing, Relatively Speaking’

Amid ongoing speculation that Kim Jong Un could be very ill, or even dead, President Trump said on Monday he has “a very good idea” about the North Korean leader’s condition, but said he could not provide details. Read

Still No Official Word on Kim Jong Un, Absent From Another Important Event

The passing of another important day on the North Korean calendar with no sign of Kim Jong Un is keeping alive speculation that he may be sick, or even dead, although no evidence of either has emerged. Read

Biden Pledges to Recognize Armenian Genocide. So Did Obama (He Didn’t)

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden promised on Friday to support Armenian Genocide legislation as president, but was silent on President Obama’s broken pledge on the matter during the Obama-Biden administration. Read

Iran’s IRGC Head: Any US Navy Vessel That Threatens Our Ships Will be Attacked

The head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday the force’s maritime units have been ordered to attack any U.S. Navy ship that threatens the security of Iranian military or civilian vessel. Read

Trump Says He Thinks Report That Kim Jong Un is Critically Ill is ‘Fake’

President Trump on Thursday night voiced doubts about the accuracy of reports saying Kim Jong Un was gravely ill, saying he believes they are false. Read

Russia Sides With Iran Over Regime’s First ‘Military Satellite’ Launch

Russia is siding with Iran on the regime’s launch of its first military satellite, rejecting as a “dirty trick” the U.S. position that the action violates the 2015 U.N. Security Council resolution that enshrined the Iran nuclear deal. Read

Gore Endorses Biden on Earth Day: ‘If You Want to Start Solving the Climate Crisis…’

The nation’s two most recent Democratic vice presidents got together (virtually) for an Earth Day event Wednesday, and agreed that defeating President Trump in November was “crucial” in the campaign against climate change. Read

Pompeo: China Failed to Meet Outbreak Reporting Obligation; WHO Failed to Call It Out

China failed to report the coronavirus outbreak to the World Health Organization quickly – as required by international law – and the WHO in turn failed to call Beijing out on its dereliction, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday. Read

China Calls Trump’s Suspension of WHO Funding a ‘Repulsive’ Attempt to ‘Blackmail’

China’s foreign ministry has accused President Trump of “repulsive” attempts to “blackmail” the World Health Organization for its refusal to bow to the wishes of its largest contributor. Read

AOC: Due to Lack of Congressional Action ‘We Lost Over One 9/11’s Worth of People’

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday night voiced frustration over Congress taking time off during the COVID-19 outbreak and passing “incremental” relief bills, saying that due to earlier “lack of action” by Congress “we lost over one 9/11’s worth of people.” Read

Biden: Pandemic Crisis Provides Opportunity for ‘Institutional Changes’ in the US

Former Vice President Joe Biden was quoted on Tuesday night as saying the coronavirus crisis may provide the opportunity for broad “institutional changes” in the United States – “without us becoming a ‘socialist country,’ or any of that malarkey.” Read

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Cheers Oil Futures Price Plunge, Then Deletes Tweet

Green New Deal advocate Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) came under fire Monday for a tweet – later deleted – apparently celebrating the news that U.S. oil futures had dropped below zero for the first time. Read

Kim Jong Un Reported to Be Gravely Ill, Raising Succession Questions

South Korea’s government on Tuesday responded to media reports saying Kim Jong Un was believed to be gravely ill by saying it had seen “no unusual activity” in its Stalinist neighbor to back up the claims. Read

Coronavirus Was All But Ignored in First Three Democrat Debates of the Year

The first three Democrat presidential debates held this year – on Jan. 14, Feb. 7, and Feb. 19 – contained a single, passing reference to the coronavirus outbreak that had emerged in China weeks earlier and was starting to spread. Read

Rep. Crenshaw: ‘Let’s Let Americans Sue the Chinese Government’

As evidence of Chinese Communist Party culpability in trying to cover up the coronavirus outbreak grows, Americans impacted by its actions should be able to sue, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) said at the weekend, contending that many “oppressed people in China” are sure to want the truth to come out too. Read

Muslim PAC Endorses Biden, Who Vows Again to Repeal ‘Muslim Ban’

Less than two months after it endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for president, a leading Muslim political action committee on Thursday threw its support behind former Vice President Joe Biden. Read

Virus Deaths Climb in US, But Per Capita Rate Still Lower Than 8 of the 14 Worst-Hit Democracies

Despite the grim and still-climbing COVID-19 death toll in the United States, of the 14 Western countries reporting the highest numbers of fatalities linked to the coronavirus disease, the U.S. remains on the lower end of the scale of death rates in proportion to the national population. Read

GOP Lawmakers: Condition WHO Funding on Resignation of Its China-Praising Director

President Trump should condition any future U.S. funding to the World Health Organization this fiscal year on the resignation of its director-general, to ensure the agency’s “impartiality, transparency, and legitimacy,” 17 Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee said Thursday. Read

John Bolton: Respond to China’s Coronavirus ‘Cover-Up’ by Recognizing Taiwan

The United States should respond to China’s COVID-19 “cover-up” and Taiwan’s efforts in the face of the pandemic by considering restoring full diplomatic relations with Taiwan, former National Security Advisor John Bolton suggested on Wednesday. Read

UK, Ireland Respond to COVID-19 by Allowing Drug-Induced Abortions at Home—Warren Wants Same in USA

The coronavirus pandemic has prompted the British and Irish governments to loosen regulations around the use of chemical abortion drugs, and now Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and two Democratic colleagues want the Food and Drug Administration to do the same in the United States. Read

Despite Pandemic, Millions of South Koreans Take Part in a Closely-Supervised Election

Millions of South Koreans are voting Wednesday in legislative elections that were unthinkable just weeks ago, as a country widely praised for its effective response to the coronavirus pandemic seeks a kind of normality at a time of global upheaval. Read

Irked by Criticism Over UN Appointment, China Slams ‘Ugly’ US Human Rights Record

Beijing has hit back at criticism from Republican senators over China’s appointment to a U.N. panel responsible for selecting rights experts, saying the U.S. with its “ugly human rights record” has no place to complain about China. Read

Should China Pay? Pompeo Says He’s Confident Those Responsible Will be 'Held Accountable'

Asked whether the Chinese government should pay for the damage caused by its early mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday did not answer directly, but did say he was confident that “those who are responsible” will be “held accountable.” Read

Ambassador: Don’t Blame Wuhan for COVID-19 Cases 'Far, Far Away From China'

China’s ambassador in Washington said at the weekend that most of the millions of people who left Wuhan ahead of a lockdown last January had likely gone elsewhere in China, not abroad, and China should not be blamed “for the increasing number [of COVID-19 cases] in countries far, far away from China.” Read

Turkey Braces For Possible COVID-19 Surge After Curfew Announcement Chaos

Turkey is bracing for the possibility of a significant increase in coronavirus cases, after a bungled weekend curfew announcement saw masses of people in the country’s major cities rush to stores, many of them ignoring social distancing and mask-wearing requirements. Read

Taiwan Tells WHO: ‘We Know Better Than Anyone Else What It Feels Like to be Discriminated Against’

The gloves have come off in a long-simmering feud between Taiwan and the World Health Organization, whose head this week accused the diplomatically-isolated island democracy of promoting a racist campaign against him. Read

Gen. Hyten: Despite Illness, ‘We Have a Joint Force … That We Can Bring to Bear On Any Problem’

Top military leaders gave assurances on Thursday that, despite the coronavirus pandemic and its effect on assets like the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, overall force readiness levels have not dropped. Read

WHO Chief Denies Favoring China; Says Time Will Come for Self-Evaluation

The head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday the time will come for the WHO, and all other players, to evaluate how well or otherwise it dealt with the coronavirus pandemic, but that now was not the time to “politicize” the crisis. Read

Pompeo: Trump Said US-Funded Int’l Organizations 'Have to Work'; WHO Hasn’t

The World Health Organization (WHO) “hasn’t accomplished what it was intended to deliver,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo charged on Wednesday, saying a re-evaluation of U.S. funding for it was in line with President Trump’s policy from the outset on international bodies. Read

Sen. Graham Vows, 'No More Money to the WHO Until They Get New People in Charge'

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Tuesday night he would use his position as chairman of the Senate Appropriations State and foreign operations subcommittee to block any funding to the World Health Organization under its present leadership. Read

On WHO’s Birthday, Trump Warns 'China-Centric' UN Agency Funding Could Be Cut

On the day the World Health Organization marked its 72nd birthday, President Trump on Tuesday scolded the U.N. agency for being “China-centric,” said WHO had “called it wrong” on the coronavirus outbreak, and indicated that its biggest funder may freeze its contributions. Read

China Releases Timeline to Back Its Outbreak 'Transparency' Claim, But It’s Full of Holes

Stung by widespread allegations of its early mishandling of the emerging coronavirus epidemic, the People's Republic of China on Monday published a lengthy timeline giving its version of events, focused on how it “shared information and advanced international cooperation.” Read

‘China Ate Our Lunch,’ Says Trump, Blaming His Predecessors

“For many, many years China ate our lunch,” President Trump said on Monday, going on to blame predecessors in the White House for allowing China “to get away with absolute murder” on trade. Read

Of Worst-Hit Countries, US Has Third-Lowest Fatality Rate, Third-Lowest Per Capita Death Toll

Of the 12 countries reporting the highest numbers of confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease COVID-19, the United States has the third-lowest fatality rate. Read

Amid Pandemic, Report Highlights Theft, Corruption, Hoarding in Iran’s Pharma Sector

As the Iranian regime campaigns for a lifting of U.S. sanctions because of the COVID-19 pandemic, an exiled opposition group in a new report claims massive corruption in the country’s pharmaceutical sector, including large-scale theft, hoarding, and the sale of expired drugs. Read

Pentagon: All Personnel Must Now Wear ‘Cloth Face Coverings’ Where Social Distancing Difficult

With immediate effect, U.S. military personnel were instructed Sunday to wear “cloth face coverings” in public or work areas, where they are unable to maintain a six-feet distance from others. Read

Coronavirus: WHO Scrubbed Website Document to Underline Opposition to Travel Bans

When a World Health Organization-convened committee of independent experts met at the end of January to decide whether to declare the coronavirus outbreak in China a global health emergency, it advised that travel restrictions “may be ineffective” but also acknowledged that they could have their place. Read

Biden Calls For Sanctions Relief for Iranian Regime, Which Has Spurned US Offers of Aid

Former Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday supported calls for the U.S. to lift sanctions against the Iranian regime because of the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that the humanitarian exception built into the sanctions is not sufficient. Read

China Now Says It Will Include Positive-But-Asymptomatic Cases in Its Reporting

Facing accusations of non-transparency – which it strenuously denies – China has begun to include in its daily figures of confirmed COVID-19 cases those that test positive but are asymptomatic. Read

The 11 Days in January When the People of Wuhan Weren’t Warned Virus Was Infectious

Eleven days. That’s how much time passed from the day a 61-year-old Wuhan man became the first known fatality of what would later be labeled COVID-19 – having evidently transmitted the disease to his wife as well – and the day a top Chinese epidemiologist admitted on state television that the new virus was spreading between humans. Read

Another Study Points to Lower COVID-19 Death Rate Than Previous Estimates; Trump Predicted as Much

Another academic study is estimating a significantly lower COVID-19 death rate than the 3.4 percent approximation cited by the World Health Organization in early March – an estimate which President Trump was roundly criticized for questioning. Read

Maduro Rejects Transition Plan; US Official Says Venezuelans Should ‘Change His Mind For Him’

In a bid to break the political deadlock in Venezuela amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump administration on Tuesday unveiled a proposal for a transitional power-sharing government led by neither of the men claiming the title of president. Read