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| LA Times 7/2/20 |
In other developments as cases have been surging across the nation's South and West:
Study: U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Substantially Higher Than Count: A study out yesterday from Yale University concluded that the number of deaths in the U.S. from the coronavirus is substantially higher than has been counted. The researchers used National Center for Health Statistics data to compare the number of excess U.S. deaths from any cause with the reported number of Covid-19 deaths from March 1st through May 30th and compared it to the same period in previous years. They found that the excess number of deaths over normal levels, 122,300, or about 19 percent, was higher than the deaths attributed to Covid-19, 95,235, and concluded the fatalities in the difference between them were likely caused by the coronavirus.
Military Cases More Than Doubled in Three Weeks: The number of active-duty military personnel with the coronavirus has more than doubled in the last three weeks, according to new figures from the Defense Department. As of yesterday, 6,493 service members had the virus, up from 2,807 on June 10th. Officials said the increase at military installations is largely in places where cases are surging in the civilian community, including Florida, Texas, Arizona and California.
- Arizona reported single-day records in new cases, ER visits, hospitalizations and deaths.
- Texas and Georgia set daily records for new cases, and Louisiana had its biggest daily increase since April.
- Beaches are closing in South Florida to keep away large crowds over the Fourth of July weekend.
- The return of indoor dining in New York City is being indefinitely postponed out of concern it could lead to the same kind of spike in cases now being seen in many other states. The delay doesn't apply to the rest of New York state.
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| Tampa Bay Times 07/02/2020 |
There have been more than 128,000 deaths in the U.S. as of last night, according to Johns Hopkins University's count, and more than 2,686,000 confirmed cases.
Study: U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Substantially Higher Than Count: A study out yesterday from Yale University concluded that the number of deaths in the U.S. from the coronavirus is substantially higher than has been counted. The researchers used National Center for Health Statistics data to compare the number of excess U.S. deaths from any cause with the reported number of Covid-19 deaths from March 1st through May 30th and compared it to the same period in previous years. They found that the excess number of deaths over normal levels, 122,300, or about 19 percent, was higher than the deaths attributed to Covid-19, 95,235, and concluded the fatalities in the difference between them were likely caused by the coronavirus.
“Official tallies likely undercount deaths due to the virus,” researchers reported Wednesday in JAMA Internal Medicine. The extent of this undercount varies “markedly between states,” they added.https://t.co/E2Frv2C2Ew— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) July 2, 2020
Military Cases More Than Doubled in Three Weeks: The number of active-duty military personnel with the coronavirus has more than doubled in the last three weeks, according to new figures from the Defense Department. As of yesterday, 6,493 service members had the virus, up from 2,807 on June 10th. Officials said the increase at military installations is largely in places where cases are surging in the civilian community, including Florida, Texas, Arizona and California.
Trump: "I think we're going to be very good with the coronavirus. I think that, at some point, that's going to sort of just disappear, I hope."— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 1, 2020
Fox: "You still believe so, disappear?"
Trump: "Well, I do." pic.twitter.com/RXITpPbI4K
Trump Says Thinks Coronavirus Will 'Disappear': As the coronavirus has been surging across the South and West, President Trump said yesterday that he believes the virus will, quote, "just disappear." He said in a Fox Business interview: "I think we are going to be very good with the coronavirus. I think that, at some point, that’s going to sort of just disappear, I hope." Additionally, Trump, who has refused to wear a mask in public, struck a different tone, saying in the interview: "I'm all for masks. I think masks are good." Asked if he'd wear one, he said, "If I were in a tight situation with people, I would absolutely," and stated, "I had a mask on. I sort of liked the way I looked. . . . It was a dark black mask, and I thought it looked OK," adding, "It looked like the Lone Ranger."
➤'N.Y. TIMES': AFGHAN CONTRACTOR PAID RUSSIAN BOUNTIES TO TALIBAN FOR KILLING U.S. TROOPS: The New York Times yesterday reported more details on the alleged bounty program in which Russia is said to have offered money to Taliban militants for killing U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan, naming a contractor who distributed the money. The Times said Rahmatullah Azizi, a contractor paid by the U.S.-led coalition to build roads in Afghanistan, paid the bounties with money from a Russian spy agency, giving it to militants after they killed American troops. The report said Azizi went to Russia multiple times to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars, and that payments of up to $100,000 per killed U.S. or coalition soldier were offered. An Afghan official told the Times Azizi was the target of a raid six months ago, but he managed to escape and is now likely in Russia. Half a million dollars in cash was found at his home.
Meanwhile, President Trump yesterday called the intelligence assessment about the bounty program a "hoax" made up to, quote, "damage me and the Republican Party." The White House and Trump have said he wasn't briefed on the intelligence assessment, and he said in a Fox Business interview yesterday that it was because intelligence officials didn't believe it rose to that level, and some in the intelligence community didn't think it was true. However, the Times has reported Trump was given the information in his written daily Intelligence brief in late February, and AP reported it was in his written daily brief in early 2019, and that the national security adviser John Bolton told colleagues he briefed Trump on it in March 2019.
National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said on Fox News Channel yesterday that the CIA and Pentagon pursued leads on the intelligence and briefed our international allies, and that taken measures to protect the troops and prepared a list of retaliatory options if the intelligence was true. He said, "It may be impossible to get to the bottom of it." O’Brien also said Trump wasn't verbally briefed initially because the intelligence was unverified and there wasn't consensus on it in the intelligence community.
➤SEATTLE POLICE CLEAR 'OCCUPIED' PROTEST ZONE: Seattle police cleared an "occupied" protest zone in the city of some six blocks early Wednesday (July 1st) that had been held for two weeks by protesters after officers abandoned a police station following clashes during demonstrations in the wake of George Floyd's death. Mayor Jenny Durkan, who'd at first allowed the "Capital Hill Occupied Protest' zone, ordered it cleared after two recent shootings there in which two teenagers were killed. More than three dozen people were arrested yesterday for charges including failure to disperse, obstruction, assault and unlawful weapon possession. Police Chief Carmen Best said, "Our job is to support peaceful demonstration but what has happened on these streets over the last two weeks is lawless and it’s brutal and bottom line it is simply unacceptable."
➤NFL REPORTEDLY SHORTENS PRESEASON: The NFL has shortened its preseason this year to two games, according to media reports Wednesday, because it's believed players will need more time to get in shape because of the departure from usual offseason practices amid the coronavirus pandemic. ESPN said the league canceled Weeks 1 and 4 of its original preseason schedule, after having already canceled the August 8th Hall of Fame game. While most players will still report to training camp on July 28th, the first preseason games won't be played until August 20th to 24th.
➤ROCKETS' SEFOLOSHA WON'T PLAY IN NBA RESTART: Houston Rockets forward Thabo Sefolosha won't play in the NBA's season restart, ESPN reported Wednesday. The 14-year veteran is the latest NBA player to decide to skip the restart, with others including Wilson Chandler and DeAndre Jordan of the Brooklyn Nets, and the Portland Trail Blazers' Trevor Ariza.
➤LEGAL BETTING ON NATHAN'S HOT DOG EATING CONTEST THIS YEAR FOR FIRST TIME: There will be legal betting allowed on the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest for the first time this year. Gaming officials in New Jersey, New Hampshire and Colorado have approved betting on the event, which takes place every year on July 4th. Twelve-time winner Joey Chestnut is favored to win the men's contest, and six-time champion Miki Sudo is favored in the women's event. The contest will air on ESPN at noon ET on Saturday.
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