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PING LIST - Please contact me as needed... COVID-19 Update As of 04/30/2020 23:45 PDST     Johns Hopkins University - Capture Nations InformatonAs of 00/00/2020 23:45 PDST     Johns Hopkins University - Capture Counties InformatonAs of 00/00/2020 23:46 PDST     Johns Hopkins University - Process JHU DataAs of 00/00/2020 23:59 PDST     WorldofMeters - Document Core NumbersAs of 00/00/2020 23:59 PDST     WorldofMeters - Capture Nations InformatonAs of 00/00/2020 23:59 PDST     WorldofMeters - Capture States InformatonAs of 00/00/2020 00:00 PDST     WorldofMeters - Data Processing begins...As of 00/00/2020 ??:?? PDST    ...

SAN DIEGO - The Trump administration on Thursday suspended immigration court hearings for asylum-seekers waiting in Mexico through June 1, bowing to public health concerns while extending a state of limbo those locked down in Mexican migrant shelters. With an order suspending hearings through Friday set to expire, the Homeland Security and Justice departments said that asylum-seekers with hearings through June 1 should appear at a border crossing when instructed to get new dates. They said that authorities will review conditions related to the coronavirus and proceed “as expeditiously as possible,” raising the prospect of additional delays. While it is...

A Texas company claims it has a solution for COVID-19 ... a robot that can kill the virus ... feds, hospitals and universities are already buying in, and pro sports could be next. Here's the deal ... San Antonio-based Xenex Disinfection Services claims they have perfected a $100,000 robot that can zap the deadly virus to death, and it's already being used by the Department of Defense, Mayo Clinic and prestigious universities, with more deep-pocketed clients waiting in the wings. The so-called savior is dubbed the Xenex LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robot ... and we're told it's already decontaminating workspaces at 10...

Link only - https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/30/texas-coronavirus-barber-shops-hair-salons-gyms-cant-reopen/

**SNIP** Normally, when you're behind on certain debts or obligations, like back taxes or federal student loan payments, you risk having your tax refund garnished. Under the CARES Act, you won't lose your stimulus payment for those same reasons -- but overdue child support is the one exception. If you're behind on child support, your relief check could be partially garnished or garnished in full, depending on the amount you owe. Here's even more bad news: If you file a joint tax return with your spouse, and your spouse is behind on child support, your entire stimulus payment could be...

PERTH, Australia (AP) -- Police shot dead a man who stabbed and slashed several people at an Australian shopping mall on Friday, an official said. Officials have not revealed how many people were injured in the northwest coastal town of South Hedland or detailed their conditions. No motive for the attacks has been revealed. "A person has engaged in multiple stabbings or slashings of people," Western Australia state Premier Mark McGowan told reporters.

House leaders on Tuesday reversed course on plans to bring the chamber back into session next week amid fears about whether it is safe to return to the Capitol during the coronavirus pandemic. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced the change in plans after initially saying the day before that the House would return the following Monday, citing discussions with the Capitol physician, who warned that the Washington region has not yet flattened its number of coronavirus cases. "We will not be meeting next week," Hoyer told reporters. "The House physician's view was that there was a risk to members...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - A group pushing to reopen all businesses in Mecklenburg County is planning a protest for Noon Friday. "We want to make sure that people do get back to work because the unemployment rate across the country has been really high but specifically here in Mecklenburg County,” said Maya Pillai, who founded the group Reopen Meck as an offshoot of the Reopen NC movement. “It's absurd." Supporters of the Reopen NC push have protested the governor’s stay-at-home order and closure of non-essential businesses at the state capitol the last three weeks. The group claims that the data from...

BIOLOGICAL WARFARE: The head of the NSB said it does not have a unit focused on gathering intelligence on biological warfare activity, but one would be set up The COVID-19 virus originated in China, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Chiu Kuo-cheng told lawmakers yesterday, adding that intelligence indicated that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is “ill,” but remains in control of the nation. Tsai asked Chiu about the bureau’s intelligence regarding the source of COVID-19 and whether it originated in China or the US, as has been suggested by some Chinese officials. National Security Bureau Director-General Chiu Kuo-cheng speaks at...

I have three questions: 1) Why did huge numbers of hospitals across the country lay off huge numbers of health care workers? 2) Why did most governors ban elective medical procedures? 3) Why did several of those governors give an exemption to abortion? All across the country, huge numbers of hospitals have laid off huge numbers of health care workers. Here are some news headlines about this:https://www.masslive.com/boston/2020/04/coronavirus-financial-losses-prompt-boston-medical-center-to-furlough-700-employees-10-of-hospitals-workforce.htmlCoronavirus financial losses prompt Boston Medical Center to furlough 700 employees, 10% of hospital’s workforcehttps://www.kentucky.com/news/coronavirus/article241565211.htmlKentucky hospital chain furloughs about 500 employees as coronavirus saps businesshttps://www.sungazette.com/news/top-news/2020/04/a-mounting-casualty-crisis-health-care-jobs/A mounting casualty crisis: Health care jobshttp://wvmetronews.com/2020/04/03/thomas-health-to-lay-off-hundreds-as-business-shrinks-because-of-coronavirus/Four West Virginia hospitals lay...

University of Chicago students began a tuition strike today, calling on the school to halve tuition and waive fees during the COVID-19 pandemic. “They say they have a robust financial aid system and can’t reduce their tuition without trade-offs. Those are things that our campaign disagrees with wholeheartedly,” said Julia Attie, an organizer with UChicago for Fair Tuition, the group behind the campaign. Attie said that a 50% tuition reduction for all students would cost about $85 million, a fraction of the school’s $8.5 billion endowment. “We’re in the top one percent of all endowments nationally,” she said. “What’s the...

China sent scientists to climb Mount Everest while the world’s highest peak is empty of commercial climbers because of the coronavirus pandemic. China and Nepal canceled spring climbing on their sides of the mountain to prevent infections from spreading as expedition teams traveled to the region and lived for weeks in tightly packed camps at high altitudes with little access to emergency medical help. The official Xinhua News Agency said Thursday a 53-member team from the Ministry of National Resources has been conducting preliminary scientific work since early March and survey work on the mountain is due to begin this...

When schools first announced closures and a shift to online learning, many worried about how this would affect the students who didn’t have computers, mobile devices, or adequate high-speed internet. Cities and school districts scrambled to fix this problem, and more than a month later, it’s still being resolved. But in the meantime, it seems some educators in New York City decided to report parents to child protective services when their children didn’t log into classes. In the past month, several parents have received child welfare visits from the Administration for Children’s Service, local independent news outlet The City reported....

A Florida man with extensive full-body tattoos who allegedly drugged, abducted and sexually battered a woman in a run-down camper earlier this year has been arrested, the local sheriff announced Thursday. Efthimios Michael Zachary Mikedis, also known as Zak, a 28-year-old from Ocklawaha, allegedly attacked the victim with an accomplice on Jan. 5. When the victim regained consciousness, Mikedis allegedly burned her hair with a cigarette and held a pair of scissors to her throat before beating her, dragging her to a waiting car and eventually letting her go at a Winn-Dixie parking lot.

To our betters in the American ruling class: Just a note to say thanks for giving us a much-needed lesson in the wisdom of our Founding Fathers, who were not shy at all in admonishing us to be wary of surrendering the kind of government power you people have wielded, supposedly for our benefit, since the Chinese Communist virus hit our shores at some indeterminate point in the recent, or maybe not-so-recent, past. What you’ve done has made an abject mockery of the idea we have God-given, unassailable rights. Instead what we have are permissions from our political betters. Thomas...

According to the study, published in journal Cell, this protein, called the spike protein, allows the coronavirus to break into host cellsMolecules derived from the immune system of the South American mammals illamas may block the entry of the novel coronavirus into host cells, according to a study which could lead to a potential avenue for COVID-19 treatment. Researchers, including those from The University of Texas (UT) at Austin in the US, have linked two copies of a special kind of antibody molecule produced by the llama immune system to create a new type that binds tightly to a key...

France has been on nationwide, strict lockdown since March 17th. To leave home, people must have a signed and dated form stating their reason for being outside as well as the time they left their house. They can be fined €135 if they have forgotten the form, if they have been out too long, or if a police officer deems their stated errand as a bad excuse for being out and about. Legitimate reasons for leaving the house are grocery shopping, going to the pharmacy, doctor's appointments (if urgent), legal obligations, short individual exercise, walking the dog and some other...

FACIAL tattoos were once only seen on the most die-hard inkers. But in recent months celebrities like Chris Brown and Justin Bieber have helped the popularity of facial artwork soar. Singer Brown went under the needle in January, getting a Nike Air Jordan shoe tattooed on his cheek. A month later, model and actress Amber Rose revealed on her Instagram she'd had the names of her two sons, Bash and Slash, inked on her forehead. Since then more stars have posted pictures of their facial tattoos. Cindy Crawford's son Presley has "misunderstood" inked under his eye, while actress Amanda Bynes...

Hours after Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all Orange County beaches to close, the Huntington Beach City Council voted Thursday evening to challenge the directive. After meeting in closed session to discuss the measure, the council voted 5-2 to “take any legal action to challenge the governor’s executive order,” City Attorney Michael Gates said. The two dissenting votes came from council members Barbara Delgleize and Kim Carr. Huntington Beach Mayor Lyn Semeta said the city hopes to get an injunction soon, but it will close its beaches in the meantime. “We’re very concerned about if we happen to be the only...

The Beverly Hills City Council voted to repeal its moratorium on any elective surgeries, including cosmetic procedures and plastic surgeries. Members voted 4-1 to remove restrictions put in place by the state to ensure more beds for coronavirus patients and to prepare hospitals for a surge of cases. While doctors will have the authority to decide if a procedure is medically necessary, the vote means cosmetic surgeries will now be permitted in the city of Beverly Hills.